My life is not too hard. I have an amazing spouse, great friends, a decent job and the ability to play and release a ton of music and art. I'm thankful for that...I really am...but when I look at the world I see fucked up things. As humans we are capable of a great deal of ugliness and hate. We oppress, rape, assault and condemn. We treat others like animals, and act in despicable ways. Every time I turn on the TV or the radio I feel so much rage and despair. We're fucking things up pretty bad.Cope embraces this anger and despair...they see ugliness and pain and horror, and they create some seriously pissed off hardcore from it. Live or recorded, Cope exists in violent bursts of fury and intensity. You cannot stand by and experience this band as a spectator. They grab you in a chokehold and force you to participate in their display of rage. I've witnessed this band tear each other and their instruments to shreds on numerous occasions and never once has it felt like a gimmick.
Cope released a 10" about a year and a half ago, and while it is fantastic and worth picking up and owning (especially the smoke/clear version, beautiful!), I feel like Cope channeled the true intensity of their live show on their self released cassette from last summer, Cancer Is a Gift. The space between songs is just as important as the song itself, and Cope are masters of using sound clips and noise to increase the tense atmosphere of their sound. So while this tape may be 4 songs, it exists as one incredibly tense and ferocious 16 minute track, and really should be listened as such. Make sure you have Cope's blog open while listening to this. Read the lyrics and read the explanations. It adds to it, trust me. If you get the chance to experience a live Cope show, do not pass up on the opportunity.
~AB
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