Labrat

Once upon a time, in Jersey in the Channel Islands, four pieces of scum, bound together by circumstances not beyond their control, hatched a hideous, diabolical plan to fuck with peoples heads by defiling the conventions of modern music through dischordance, non-existant chord-progressions and irregular tempo changes. Relocating to London and SICK of constantly seeing bands around them pathetically trying to pander to the whim of the masses, our four fuckwits locked themselves in the unused function room of a South-East London pub and went to work... Make no mistakes; Labrat's music is brutal. Labrat hit like a bulldozer, trampling over anything that lies in their path, irrespective of the outcome. The music careers wildly through a visceral, racketeering vein that has served Raging Speedhorn so well. This is not music for the faint-hearted. Not in the slightest. After a handful of line-up changes and once a more permanent line-up had taken shape, the band set about laying down tracks for their debut record. The result was the 'Theme For A Downer & Anthems Of Rejection' single- released in 1998 on Fear Family Assassins Records. The metal music press jumped on the record like a pack of starving hyenas, united in their general adoration and appreciation for the harsh, belligerent sounds on display. A short tour of the UK beckoned following the single's release, as Labrat left a trail of destruction and caused a near riot amongst 400 people at their show in Rugeley. Cardigan-wearing, floppy-fringed, lily-livered wimps sitting on stools with acoustic guitars pining and moping; this lot are not. Much of 1999 was a flurry of activity. In March, the band appeared alongside Napalm Death, Iron Monkey and Medulla Nocte on 'Slayed In Britain', a Rock Radio Networks feature intended to highlight the metal scene in the UK and was broadcast to over 250,000 listeners worldwide. Another turning point for the band was their gig in May at London Borderline; it was an opportunity for the band to see just how widespread their popularity was. Later on in the year, Labrat would go on to outsell Tarrie B's latest band My Ruin in Newcastle. Over the next year, much time was spent writing new material and honing their raw skills both in the rehearsal room and on the live circuit, playing anywhere that would have them. Tracks appeared on numerous compilations including 'Phuelled By Farmaceuticals' on 'Century Media Blitz 2' and most recently on Visible Noise sampler 'Visibility' with their song 'Merrick Sympathiser'. The track features abrasive guitars, almost primal growling and speeded drums whipped into chaotic frenzy with skull-cracking consequences. In February 2000, Labrat were joined by Freebase for a handful of manic dates in Ireland. Leading on from the success of those dates, in the summer, the band organised a DIY co-headline tour of the UK with Subvert. A thousand copies of 'Homegrown Brutality', a spilt CD of the two bands was pressed up by Noisebox Records, and subsequently sold out. More gigs with Skinlab, Raging Speedhorn and Earthtone9 have done nothing if not expand the band's growing legion of fans who are equally- if not more- enamoured with Labrat's brutal intensity as the press. In late 2001 a deal was struck with Visible Noise, presenting them the opportunity to spread their muck across much of the record buying world. The band returned to the lab and constructed what would become "Ruining It for Everyone", their debut full length release. The band entered London's Fortress II studios in late January 2002 and emerged in February with the 3 heaviest reels of magnetic tape ever carried into a mastering suite. After a remix through the mixing desk that recorded Led Zeppelin 3 and 4, the album was released in May to unanimous acclaim from fans and critics alike getting 8/10's and 4/5's across the board. "Absurdist spazzmonoisegrindcore attack" - Terrorizor "Ferocious, unremitting and simply overpowering" - Metal Hammer "You'll be hard-pushed to find anything harsher, more brain-crushing and more devastating than this" - Rock Sound "A beautifully fucked-up celebration of british extremity" - Kerrang Sadly, the harmony was disrupted in June 2002 when, 3 weeks after the album's release, original singer Rob McAuslan left the band to become a full-time parent. The band then drafted in not one, but two new growlers in the shape of Jamie Farrell (ex-Tangaroa/Sceptre Of Piss) and Martin Ives (ex-Morose) to tour for the album. After one year of working with vocalists Jamie Farrell and Martin Ives, Labrat made the decision to part ways with the dynamic duo and were able to recall the services of former frontman Rob McAuslan in June 2003 when the band set off as main support on Relapse heavyweights Mastodon's first headline tour of the U.K. Labrat thrilled audiences nightly, battering people with their tight, challenging arrangements and viscous attitude towards performing live. With all cylinders firing again, and gigs in Italy, Malta and Iceland under their belts, the band holed themselves up in various locations whilst working on compositions for their second contribution to the ruin of music as we know it. With the working title "Stealing From a Whore " "and tracks including "The Fucking Stitch Up", "Cock Fight" and "Paint the Windows Black" it seemed they had lost none of the vitriol which propelled the first record to such depraved heights. Unfortunately this rediscovered unity was not to last and the band split up during the writing process of the second album. The rest of the band remained in London whilst singer Rob returned to Jersey and now fronts local extreme metal act, We Bury Our Own.