photos by Chris Schanz
“…sharp riffs, guitar solos and big hooks; get your atmosphere somewhere else.” – MetalSucks
As Seattle, Washington crossover shredders COLONY DROP prepare to unload their debut LP, Brace For Impact, on Nameless Grave Records later this month, MetalSucks today premieres the record’s searing, closing track, “(MS-07) The Gouf.”
United in rebellion in the seedy underbelly of a technological megalopolis, COLONY DROP strikes like an assassin’s blade—with speed, precision, and style. Written in hermetic seclusion with pugilistic discipline, Brace For Impact is a testament to the songwriting-first ethos that made metal great in the first place: catchy riffs, vocal hooks, blistering solos, and no bullshit. Their Brace For Impact debut is a true album in the classic style: eleven knockout punches, each with its own distinct identity, each catchy enough to be a single. Together, they paint a kaleidoscopic picture of a mechanized future using sounds from rock’s glorious past. As the title suggests, Brace For Impact is a clear statement of intent: COLONY DROP is here to bring back the guillotine and watch your strongholds fall.
Brace For Impact delivers eleven tracks recorded and engineered by Nicholas Wilbur at The Unknown Studios and by Ryan Moon at Buster Room Recordings, and mixed and mastered by Alex Farrar at Drop Of Sun Studios. With logo art by Emily McCafferty and photography by Chris Schanz, this grandiose vision of the techno-apocalypse is reflected in Brace For Impact’s bold cover art and layout by Matt Stikker.
Vocalist Joseph Schafer states with the new track, “‘(MS-07) The Gouf’ is the last song on Brace For Impact and also normally the last song we play live. Think of it as the ‘boss fight’ of the COLONY DROP experience – five minutes of mosh fuel, with maybe our nosiest and nastiest solo break. The song originated when our practices started getting relentlessly fast, and we needed something slower and tougher to break up the set. We built the resulting war machine around a Bolt Thrower groove, so I just had to name it after my favorite mech from the original Mobile Suit: Gundam.”
MetalSucks writes, “Seattle-based rippers COLONY DROP are really, really fun. Pulling from a bunch of styles including crossover thrash, Japanese hardcore, crust, D-beat and heavy fucking metal, the quintet focus on sharp riffs, guitar solos and big hooks; get your atmosphere somewhere else.”
COLONY DROP’s “(MS-07) The Gouf” is now streaming exclusively at MetalSucks RIGHT HERE.
Brace For Impact will be released August 25th on LP, CD, CS, and digital platforms. Find preorders at the Nameless Grave Records webshop HERE and Bandcamp where “Colony Drop (Brace For Impact),” “Stand Against the World,” and “The Clockwork Grip” are streaming HERE.
COLONY DROP is booking live excursions surrounding the release of the album, having recently played with Deathgrave, deathCAVE, and others, and with a show supporting Yob, Ludicra, Helms Alee, and more on the way. See currently secured gigs below and watch for updates to be issued.
COLONY DROP Live:
9/01/2023 The Spanish Ballroom – Tacoma, WA w/ Yob, Ludicra, Helms Alee
Though their sound is rooted in thrash, COLONY DROP swears allegiance to no singular genre or style. The group rejects contemporary metal’s quantized tedium and pizza party purists’ navel-gazing nostalgia in favor of a no-holds-barred approach. Instead, Brace For Impact celebrates its members’ diverse passions. Stoner doom, D-beat crust, melodic death metal, classic prog, post-punk, NWOBHM, and Japanese Burning Spirits-style hardcore are some of the flavors COLONY DROP brazenly explores in their musicianship and storytelling.
Formed in 2019, COLONY DROP built their sound around the shredding guitars of Benjamin Burton and Ryan Moon (Turian), whose complementary-yet-distinct solo styles hearken back to the tradition of dueling duos: Hanneman/King, Denner/Shermann, and even Downing/Tipton. The pummeling rhythm section of drummer Eric Harris and bassist Ari Rosenschein (Stahv) supports their fretboard pyrotechnics, hence the band’s motto: “High Speed, Twin Lead.” Vocalist Joseph Schafer’s electric growl delivers a litany of sci-fi nightmares and countercultural anthems inspired by the weird fiction of authors including China Mieville, as well as classic anime like Mobile Suit: Gundam, from which the band derives its name.
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