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THE LOCUST

Tech/Extreme Prog Metal • United States


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The Locust picture
The Locust biography
US outfit THE LOCUST was formed in 1994 by Justin Pearson (bass, vocals), Bobby Bray (guitar, vocals), Dylan Scharf (vocals, guitar), Dave Warshaw (keyboards, vocals) and Dave Astor (drums) - all of them with a past history from hardcore bands in the San Diego area.

Through a rigid touring schedule and distinct, short tracks they quickly established themselves as a popular act, despite numerous line-up changes in the first few years of their existence.

Their first recording efforts were split EP's with the bands Man Is The Bastard and Jenny Piccolo, both of them issued in 1995. It wasn't until 1997 that they made their standalone recording debut though, in the shape of the single The Locust. By this time Scharf and Warshaw had already left the band, while Jimmy LaValle (keyboards, vocals) had joined the band. When their full length debut album The Locust was issued one year later LaValle had left the band, while Joseph Karam (keyboards, vocals) and Gabe Serbian (guitars, vocals) had joined.

Next up recording wise for the hard working and touring band was another split release in 2000, alongside a production featuring various remixes of their track Well I'll Be a Monkey's Uncle. In 2001 their next standalone effort appeared, in the shape of the single Flight of the Wounded Locust. Later the same year The Locust suffered yet another line-up alteration when founding member Astor left. Rather than being replaced outright the band solved the personnel problem internally this time around, with Serbian switching from guitars to drums and the band continuing on as a quartet.

A split release with Melt-Banana followed next in 2002, and in 2003 the archival EP Follow the Flock, Step in Shit was next up, featuring the tracks by The Locus on their 1995 split EP with Jenny Piccolo and one additional composition. Lather the same year the band's second full length production appeared in the shape of Plague Soundscapes.

Concerts and tours dominated the next year, but in 2005 the band found the time to record and release the EP Safety Second, Body Last. Two more years would go by before the band found the time to release more material, and the calendar showed 2007 when their third full length production New Erections would appear.

Latest news from The Locust is that they are currently working on a new album.

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THE LOCUST discography


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THE LOCUST top albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

4.43 | 7 ratings
The Locust
1998
4.15 | 13 ratings
Plague Soundscapes
2003
4.00 | 6 ratings
New Erections
2007

THE LOCUST Live Albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

THE LOCUST Videos (DVD, Blu-ray, VHS etc)

THE LOCUST Boxset & Compilations (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

5.00 | 3 ratings
Molecular Genetics from the Gold Standard Labs
2012

THE LOCUST Official Singles, EPs, Fan Club & Promo (CD, EP/LP, MC, Digital Media Download)

4.75 | 4 ratings
The Locust
1997
4.60 | 5 ratings
Flight of the Wounded Locust
2001
5.00 | 3 ratings
Follow the Flock, Step in Shit
2003
4.50 | 4 ratings
Safety Second, Body Last
2005

THE LOCUST Reviews


Showing last 10 reviews only
 Molecular Genetics from the Gold Standard Labs by LOCUST, THE album cover Boxset/Compilation, 2012
5.00 | 3 ratings

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Molecular Genetics from the Gold Standard Labs
The Locust Tech/Extreme Prog Metal

Review by VOTOMS

5 stars "44 tracks of hard-to-find and out-of-print material, remixed & remastered for your listening pleasure". - Sticker in the album cover.

I don't like to write about compilations... But This is it! The chance to get the most rare side of their discography altogether in a glorious CD remaster. Oh, and I didn't wrote about the obscure band The Locust again after the mess with my review for the album "Plague Soundscapes". FIVE SOLID STARS and one of my first reviews for PA, along with my praised ELP discography reviews series - and that's the reason of the many pages of comments in the forum. I'm very ecletic, but I will warn you this time: they're the extreme side of the Avant-Garde music. Open your mind or stay away from them.

Well, here I go again, and as a big fan of these guys, I couldn't waste the chance to get "Molecular Genetics from the Gold Standard Labs". 40 minutes of The Locust records, with everything that you will never find again, even in the internet (maybe). The CD comes in a digipack designed version, featuring all of the lyrics (goddamn yes!!), really awesome artwork and 5 album covers from previous releases inside the comic booklet. This collection of rarities includes ALL THE TRACKS from a lot of their LPs and EPs, and The Locust full-sides from the split records:

[Tracks 1-5: The Locust / Melt Banana split EP]

[Track 6: previously unreleased]

[Track 7: Dynamite With a Laser Beam (various artists)]

[Track 8-13: Flight of The Wounded Locust EP]

[Tracks 14-18: The Locust / Arab On Radar split EP]

[Track 19: Well I'll Be A Monkey's Uncle EP]

[Tracks 20-33: SELF TITLED LP]

[Tracks 34-37: Bonus Tracks from Self-Titled CD]

[Tracks 38-44: Self Titled EP]

If you still don't know how is their music, they are a synth-based experimental band, and one of the few faithful bands into the "powerviolence scene": influenced by avant garde, jazz fusion and progressive rock, the focus are bizarre timing breakdowns, and constant tempo changes into short lenght tracks. If you like this kind of stuff and wants more obscure avant- madness, check Naked City (John Zorn's avant-jazz and grindcore), An Albatross (unfortunatelly not in the PA, hammond organ-based powerviolence), and Maruta (technical dissonant grind/crust/death. Not progressive though).

 New Erections by LOCUST, THE album cover Studio Album, 2007
4.00 | 6 ratings

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New Erections
The Locust Tech/Extreme Prog Metal

Review by arcane-beautiful

4 stars Wow, first review.

Yea, this band isn't as heard of, because of their obscenities, mainly that they dress up like insects.

I love this band, mainly on their appearance yes, but also of their musical abiliity.

Taking a mathcore, math metal direction and mixing it with a more technical texture (not just random screams and dischords) and a more hardcore definition of the genre. Their music is incredibly virtuostic and very fiere.

This album is only 20 minutes long, but it is to the point and doesn't really need to be longer. They came saw and concured within less than a half an hour.

1. Aotkpta - The intro is just mezmerising. The time changes are incredibly frantic and fast. Their is also a quite doomy quallity to this song. 10/10

2. We Have Reached An Official Verdict: Nobody Gives A Shit - Love the title. Quite cathcy in a mental way. 10/10

3. The Unwilling...Led By The Unqualified...Doing The Unnecessary...For The Ungrateful - Has alot of multimodal textures and shows alot of ability. 10/10

4. One Manometer Away From Mutually Assured Relocation - Koo Koo crazy with some amazing instrumental work. 9/10

5. Full Frontal Obscurity - Pretty amazing vocal performance. 8/10

6. Scavenger, Invader - The very noisy keyboards are cool. The vocals are pretty impressive. 10/10

7. Hot Tubs Of Brand New Fuel - The lyrics are pretty cool. Again, incredibly frantic. 9/10

8. God Wants Us All To Work In Factories - Again, some amazing lyrics. Love the title. 9/10

9. Book Of Bot - The longest song, being just 4 minutes. Has a very experimental side. The noisy parts are very cool. 9/10

10. Slum Service (Served On The Sky) - Short and sweet. 9/10

11. Tower Of Mammal - Good ending to a crazy album. 8/10

CONCLUISION: A whole bag of crazy. I love this album.

Thanks to windhawk for the artist addition.

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