Westword July 29, 2010 : Page 48

Conspiracy Assassins continued from page 47 one. “We’re trying to write songs instead of just writing, like, cool riffs,” Acquilla points out. “The fi rst time, it was like we’dall have three or four riffs and just put them together, but this time around, we’re more about the writing process, beginning to end.” “We werewriting for technicality on the last CD,” notes Archuleta. “This CD’s a little more structured.” Perhaps, but it’s no less technical — in fact, it’s probably more so. Where Equal Op-portunity Destroyer was steeped in a more traditional metal framework — crunching, blues-based guitar riffs overlaying copious double-kick — A Self Destructive Delusion, while still offering plenty of punishing Mesa Boogie snarl, edges toward a mathier, more hardcore sound that betrays the influence of genre pioneers such as Dillinger Escape Plan. Like that band, Conspiracy Assassins is some-what self-consciously eclectic, playing around with rhythm, time signature and conventions of the genre (some of the leads are obvious nods to ’80s-era metal; Engel is an admitted Maiden fan). And while it is appreciably more structured, that’snot to say that the structures aren’t complex and multi-layered. “It’s more mature,” offers Lierman. “Yeah, that’severybody’sexcuse,” Engel gibes. Lierman laughs. “That’s what happens when you get old, yeah. ‘Fuck playing fast. We’re not selling out — we’re just getting mature.’” “Just remember,” says Engel, “that leads to Bob Seger covers.” Bob Seger the record is not, nor does it sell out in any identifiable way. A Self Destructive Delusion is just as brutal as the first record, if not more so, and the musicianship is just as accomplished, as virtuosic as it is vicious. Like so many hardcore musicians, the ones in Conspiracy Assassins are clearly skilled — and it’s surprising, in a way, that musi-cians of the caliber required to play it would want to make music that, though technically challenging, is so fundamentally repellent. For Lierman, the musicianship was the draw: “What attracted me to it was — well, at the time I joined, I was like,‘I don’t know. I don’t know if I want to be metal anymore.’ I was thinking of doing jazz or funk. But when I came down to check it out, I was like,‘Holy shit, they got this much talent in one room?’ Wow.You know,weall play classical guitar, we all play multiple instruments. Any of us can switch. It’sreally cool. And then wejust go out and create abrasive chaos.” Perhaps it has something to do with ori-gins: All of the members got into metal in their formative years, around middle school (“When Metallica was still cool,” quips Engel. “That was a long time ago”). And in that way, maybe it’sabout guys who spent years build-ing chops continually returning to play within the framework of a genre they learned to love when they were kids. Or maybe it isn’t. The players don’t seem particularly interested in the underlying psychology either way,and it’s a query they don’t seem compelled to ponder. For his part, Lierman taps his chin with his fi nger for a moment before coming up with an answer he phrases as a question: “I just like to see people hit people?”  48 ON SALE THIS WEEKEND! X@Y`WC@d0"%' U@SSD8G6SF THIS WEEKS EVENTS YG`WXC@d0"%2 8PITQDS68`6TT6TDIT Q6Q@S7DS9 b"U@W@XHYDGHQYTS G@WaDXYYGDR`WCDWDC  SHB@W@F`@SCD@YGXV`@C XUDDCbTQE EWHC@d0"&#PFS`UWDXDSYX b"YGDAD@YDSXD@ H@SBTTPD X@Y`WC@d0"&$BG@SSDQ2&!&UWDXDSYX UP69D@T YG`WXC@d1"( YG`WXC@d1"( b"CD@CBT`SYWd YGDR@F0 Y`DXC@d1"& "%8S6a`ADTUT b"CHWFDbHYGHS XYW@HFGYQHSDXYHYBG PHQQXdSCHB@YD UPCOMING SHOWS • ON SALE NOW! IPWVTAPGDVHWD9@PS@G@6T@ b"YGDBWHRXTSWDC bGHXPDdPHSFBT@QHYHTS X6SGP8FQDI8C@ST! b"RDQaHSXQHYD Y@`SY@`S GTYbGHYD X@Y`WC@d1"0PAUHUWDXDSYX 9SPXIDIBQPPG IPIQPDIU EWHC@d1"$& G@TTUC6IVI9@S b"&#&RTaDRDSY A@C X`SC@d1"$(FDDPXbGTCWHSPUWDXDSYX %SC@SS`@Q@QQXHRUXTSXV`He bDCSDXC@d1"$1 b"C@aDR@SXEHDQC YG`WXC@d1"$2 b"@`CHTEQ`c HBTSTB@`XY XTQDRSDRUHWD X@Y`WC@d1"$' CPIPSUC@A6GG@I89S@G@6T@ TF`APY `@GGPXA@W@S T8S@@8CDIBX@6T@G SDW@S96G@T AP 8 b"WDSTCHaTWBD STA`DST YG`WXC@d1"%) b"YGD@ TPX UTY@YTUHW@YDX I@CDXPdQHSD EWHC@d1"%0GTXYDCAdXHCUHSP T@S6QCDHTCP8F GDBCUT @IT`WSDdYWHA`YD X@Y`WC@d2"' b"BWDXYE@QQDS X`SC@d2"( b"QTQ@AQ@BP YGDXHWDSUWTIDBY CIWTBPXY@W@@WTS EWHC@d2"&  UC@B6HDUT89S@G@6T@ TG@@Q b"FHYXTRD bDCSDXC@d2"$( TXDU8CQDI APHPAVD67 7VDGUUPTQDGG b"@S@CHDX XG@CDS X@Y`WC@d2"$1 ALL SHOWS 16+ UNLESS NOTED (VALID PHOTO ID REQUIRED) TICKETS AVAILABLE AT GOTHICTHEATRE.COM TICKETS WITHOUT SERVICE CHARGES AT THE BOX OFFICE ON THE NIGHT OF ANY SHOW 3263 S. BROADWAY • 303.788.0984 JULY29-AUGUST4, 2010 WESTWORD | BACKBEAT | CAFE | ART | THEATER | MOVIES | NIGHT+DAY | CITY LIMITS | OFF LIMITS | ¡ASK A MEXICAN! | LETTERS | CONTENTS | WORST-CASE SCENARIO | westword.com

Gothic Theatre
 

Loading