In the ever-evolving world of hardcore, it’s the silent, unexpected ripples that often leave the most lasting impressions. From the vibrant depths of Pittsburgh’s bustling music scene, a city that has previously introduced us to sonic trailblazers like Code Orange and 156/Silence, emerges Kicked in the Head by a Horse. And, with a moniker as striking as their sound, they’ve unleashed a new auditory onslaught upon the world.
Pittsburgh’s uncompromising quartet, Kicked in the Head by a Horse (often abbreviated as KITH BAH), ventured forth into the musical wilderness in 2022. Spearheaded by V. Kavanshansky on vocals, Larry Rupp wielding guitars, Nate Hoff thumping the bass, and Jacob Laurine smashing the drums, the ensemble cast a spellbinding debut with W55.12XA. This release set the stage not just musically but also thematically, highlighting pressing societal subjects like gender equality and mental health.
Their sophomore effort, Sporadic Dystrophy, was independently unveiled on September 15, beckoning listeners into a raw sonic landscape.
Crafted meticulously with Larry Rupp at the mixing console, drum engineering by Jacob Laurine, and a masterful finish by Dead Air Studios’ Will Killingsworth, the EP offers a salient fusion of chonky riffs, groove, and no-nonsense attitude. The result?
An intoxicating concoction of death metal, mathcore, and skramz.
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Sporadic Dystrophy comes as a strong reflection of KITH BAH’s diverse musical influences, a desire to experiment, and a commitment to addressing significant societal issues.
Post the EP release, the echoes from Pittsburgh refuse to wane. Kicked in the Head by a Horse are charging forth, with performances slated across various venues, sharing stages with prominent bands like The Callous Daoboys and Capra.
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Here’s a special track-by-track breakdown of Sporadic Dystrophy:
method acting for playing dead
This song is a weird play on words about jumping off cliffs and alcoholism. We tried to take some influence from Converge and mix in some heavy stuff. And no, we didn’t get our name from that beginning sample, hahaha.
(lac)eration’s
I am depressed, and I like making fun of myself and others’ fears of the afterlife overall. Musically, we basically took ideas from some dark skramz bands and blended them with some Jesus Piece-inspired riffs. We all come from different backgrounds musically, so we tend to have some interesting mixes.
Charles Bonnet
Charles Bonnet Syndrome is a rare eye disease that causes you to hallucinate, and our bassist Nate works at an eye doctor, so we thought it would be cool to write about it. At the time, we found out a friend of ours had been taken advantage of, so we added a few lines to express our feelings towards that person.
The instrumentation was written a couple of years ago before this band was even created. I know, at the time, I wanted to blend every sound I liked together: bouncy heavy riffs, screamo, death metal, and panic chords.
it only hunts in the rain
I don’t know why, but one day I kept getting flashes of this weird creature thing with horns, so I just wrote something about it, and it ended up fitting this song later on when we wrote it. This is the first song where we wanted to write a skramz-influenced song, but in the process, it became more than that, so we ended up adding some fast riffs and a soft ending.
inside a wishing well
We were at practice, and we started playing parts of the main riff, and I recorded it on a voice memo. My pap’s health was already on a decline and, a month later, he died, and I remembered this song, and we actually recorded it. It’s hard putting everything I want to say to him into one song, but this was my attempt at making it happen.
noise
Noise. Musically, this song is noise.
