### Rabbits: Bites rites

#### 05/08/13 || Pr0nogo

I’m not much of a sludge fan, and I certainly can’t claim to have heard a lot of shit in that genre, so it’s fair to say that “Bites Rites” was a new experience for me. The Oregon-based sludge band, Rabbits, released their latest LP in 2012, and it’s definitely got teeth to it. The production quality on the record is decent, and the sound is very reminiscent of southern rock. A dirty, grungy guitar tone helps set this kind of mood, and the vocals run straight through the mix like a football player runs through a cabbage patch. It might be a little hard on your ears at first, especially if you’re new to the genre like I am, but its hodgepodge of high-energy, high-speed, high-volume sounds has its charm to it.

The vocals are a mix of not-so-sober shouts and middle-pitched screams that don’t carry the rest of the album’s sound as much as they bludgeon it to death with a horse head, except in a good way. The drum fills are composed predominantly of snare hits, but have enough variety to keep me interested, and they’re certainly loud enough to be heard over everything else.

In the end, “Bites Rites” is a fun little journey into the world of sludge metal (or ‘stoner rock’, as some seem to call it), and to those who would label it as “just a buncha noise”… Well, I agree. It’s probably not for everybody. It’s still fun to listen to, and Rabbits clearly have a lot of energy and passion for their music.

7/10: It’s certainly not my specialty, but that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy it every now and then.