Conflict of Interest
Canal Club
Richmond, VA
Feb 7, 2007
By Jillian Abbene
(SugarBuzz Richmond)
Who would have thought that the little remote town of Norfolk, VA would breed a dispensing sound not yet heard? Conflict Of Interest does just that--delivers a sound that is conflicting in genre (hence the name), and leaves the listener a bit bewildered, like a punch in the back of the head.
There is the familiar sad acoustic forlorn of Faith No More/Tool, thrash metal growls of Trashlight Vision, industrial brooding of Nine Inch Nails, the driving drudging grunge chords of Primus, (taking a breathe here)--and get this--a stapled cross-over funk groove of the almighty George Clinton. Remarkably, last year, they were awarded ‘Best Local Band’ on FM99 WNOR, a Virginia Beach radio station. Later I learned Paul Tippler also producing the powerhouses of Idlewild, Stereolab and Moby, produced this Virginia band. I must say, for a start, not too shabby.
Conflict Of Interest pushes and then shoves all their influences together, unleashing a crazy veil of dark grooves and melodies all the while delivering the ambiance of keyboards, all within the first 2 minutes of the first song. However, by the end, I was convinced and conclude that the trademark fusion derives from the dred-black liner headbanger keyboardist, Krak Kirkane. This sound separates them from being coined a pure metal band.
Grog, lead vocalist, convulsed-out screams in pierced-nipple form, barking lyrics and headbanging along with the burly bassist, Hambone, who keeps his shirt “Faith No More” T-shirt on, thrashing his girth with animated glee. While rocking out, added back harmonies and a circus theme suddenly crops up. Space Odyssey Goth jams plant a collided trippy mess knowingly, then grooves into a deep-bass funk as if sinking my teeth into piping-hot Italian bread.
Just as the fusion begins to lose me, it kicks into thrash grind, and pounded screams are supported by drums with “B-Dub,’ who reels them back into their ruled metal territory. Heavy metal grunged out guitar riffs are renditioned by Clint, like a, ‘Thank you’ with a figurative bow--right smack-dab in the middle of the jams.
By the end of the show, audience and band concur in unison with rocking out spontaneity and jam heavies that reassures all that on this particular Wednesday, heavy metal is still king….smoke machine and all.