The most curious things are happening in the native underground. Many styles and cultures are intertwined to create new hybrids. Today we will look at a band that combines cycobilly, punk rock and its ideology with the culture of black metal artists. What happened to it? Something very interesting. A powerful psychic blow is inflicted by a fast and dangerous gang from the city of Orekhovo-Zuyevo, the SlapClaps trio.
Born in the second half of the last decade as a duo, the Flip-Floppers were originally adepts of the punk scene equally with the cycobilly. Moreover, a purely homemade DIY punk scene, releasing singles and not giving concerts. Everything changed in the twentieth year, when the drummer joined the team. And drums at home are not a good idea, so it’s time to come out into the light. Right now, SlapClaps are playing uncompromisingly fast saika, filled with punk aggression. It reminds me of The Meantraitors from the album From Psychobilly Land. Lovers of soft sweets should be more careful on their gigs: they won’t envy you to death, but they can ruin your perfect hairstyle. Not out of spite, of course. It’s just that these are the rules of unrestrained, furious fun.
And with all this devilry, there is a representative of the beautiful half of humanity on vocals and double bass: the charming Lydia Ryabova. Her husband, Sergei Ryabov, is responsible for the guitar, and Anton, perhaps Pavlovich, Chekhov, is spinning the whole meat grinder on the drums.
In addition to female vocals in such a harsh genre, a distinctive feature of the band is the approach to recording, borrowed from adherents of black metal. In the spirit of the old school, everything that is possible is recorded independently on an analog. It sounds like an uncompromising basement, and with each release, the basement gets deeper. Some aesthetes will be scared off by this sound, but God is their judge. As for me, this is much better than giving out one and a half highly polished commercial-sounding singles in a millennium. However, the guys are getting a little carried away… But first things first.
Who doesn’t love dungeons? We all love them! And Slaps love them so much that they rehearse, according to them, in an old Moscow bomb shelter. It looks like it’s time for BZfOS to move on with their fake radioactivity. That’s who’s really messing around!
Dvngeon Kvlt (2021)
It is about dungeons that the first numbered record of the triple line-up is about: a four-track EP called Dvngeon Kvlt, released in 2021. Before that, there were several singles recorded by the Ryabov family duo, but consider the trio’s activities.
Dvngeon Kvlt‘s first track of the same name tells about the Moscow dungeons and the metamorphoses of the afterlife. It is very interesting that in the theme of the songs, instead of the zombie werewolves from black-and-white horror films, there is a more native modern folklore, urban legends and kripipasts filled with analog noise.
In general, this is a very pleasant toy scarecrow with a spirit of fervent horror. The overall atmosphere of the song, along with the design of the publication, makes a nod to the black metal culture. If desired, a traditional organ can be equated to a dangerously synth element. However, there will be a lot more black and basement stuff on the next albums.
Bubble is a song that has been played for more than a decade and has changed a lot during this time. The current version is pleasantly catchy with chorus tracks and an opening riff. And there’s also a wonderful short moving guitar solo. According to the band, the composition is dedicated to existential experiences.
Delusion begins with a real rhythm section avalanche, backed up by a guitar melody. This is another horror movie, this time about the monster of sleep paralysis.
The truly wild Point of No Return is dedicated to the problem of abuse of all sorts of things. Her sound is very suggestive of a powerful drunken brawl and its consequences.
This mini-album rushes by with a swift jerk, bringing back the good old informal rush. And the next one is even more fierce.
Psychomania (2022)
Psychomania was recorded in 2022 in one night on a four-track cassette port studio. Everything is classic! No computers for you! The release is dedicated to the 1974 British film of the same name.
I want to say right away that this pair of tracks is already for initiates, because the sound of this analog paradise is truly underground.
The first track In Your Eyes is as wild as the previous works. Crushing with pleasant low-frequency chaos, this moving song makes the hair stand on end, as it should from an old-fashioned saiki. Well, the tambourine here gives a chic.
But the second Swamp Machines song won me over right away. Because it’s dedicated to my favorite kripipasta about Swamp mechanisms. I had never noticed anyone’s creativity on this fertile topic before. And now, finally! And Sergey is also here on vocals. His vocal skills are no worse than Lydia’s. High-pitched shouts are especially successful.
Laugh from Underground (2023)
The next release is Laugh from Underground 2023. And with this underground laughter, everything is not so clear. Firstly, of the seven tracks, six are re-recordings, and five of these six are presented above. And secondly, it’s a re-recording on the same cassette port studio as the previous single. And I understand that this is ideologically true and that analog is always cool and fun, but I still prefer the released tracks in versions from previous works. Even a couple of tracks from Sycomania, because a wagon of sepulchral reverb on vocals is not something I like in this context.
On the other hand, if we consider this album on a physical medium, an audio cassette, the overall impression should be more positive. That’s the feeling of a musical artifact from parallel universes.
I will not consider each track separately, since I do not see any significant arranging differences here. Let’s just take a look at a couple of recent tracks.
Apathy & Hate first appeared as a single in covid 2020. The Underground Laughter version sounds more lively, but generally the same.
All in Vain is really fresh and solid saikoboevik with the fiercest vocal expression.
Releases 2024-…
In addition to these releases, there are a couple more recent singles, where the trio plunges deeper into the loofine mine. In Under My Skin, the drums are completely recorded on a cassette recorder, and Psychopunx Crushers seems to have everything recorded on it. It’s a real punk thing, but it’s too wild. The Blackar culture of Norwegian basements rules the ball here with a truly terrible sound. Well, it has nothing to do with cycobilly anymore. Listening is at your own risk.
These are the film horrors of our Moscow region, which are actually created by extremely kind and sincere people. That’s how we do it in the underground. SlapCalps is one of the most distinctive teams on the scene today. The band’s creativity is filled with energy and a desire to go against the standards. It’s definitely not going to appeal to everyone, but there’s definitely something to it. Don’t forget to rewind the tape!
