As soon as my buddies over at The Apparatus turned me onto BLOTTED SCIENCE, I was immediately hooked. Imagine MESHUGGAH with no vocals…and sicker. Now, I know what you're thinking: "Sicker than Meshuggah Rob?" Yes! Sicker than the almighty MESHUGGGAAAAHH. Don't believe me? Take a listen to the below track and tell me you are not impressed….
See! For the unitiated, BLOTTED SCIENCE features Ron Jarzombek of SPASTIC INK and MARTY FRIEDMAN fame, bassist Alex Webster (yes, that Alex Webster from CANNIBAL CORPSE), and drummer Charlie Zeleny (BEHOLD…THE ARCTOPUS). The band was basically just a concept in Jarzombek's head and was never really meant to be anything more than a studio session. Or…so…we thought! Jarzombek posted on his site that the band has gotten together to start rehearsing! Fuck yes!! Read exactly what Jarzombek said after the jump…
Alex Webster and I began writing for what would become BLOTTED SCIENCE in early 2005. I don’t think either of us really knew exactly what we were trying to accomplish, whether it would even materialize, or what would happen with the project down the line. I wanted to be part of a more collaborative effort (since my last two CDs were pretty much solo efforts), and I think Alex wanted to branch out and do something a bit different from his main gig with Cannibal Corpse.
In any case, we just kept writing, ran into delays and difficulties finding the right drummer before landing Charlie Zeleny (of Behold The Arctopus and Jordan Rudess), and somehow managed to pull everything together enough to make a cohesive recording. This was all accomplished through the magic of the internet and modern recording technology. Alex recorded in Tampa, Charlie in New York, and I recorded and mixed everything here in San Antonio.
Not too long after the CD was released to much critical acclaim, fans were inquiring about live dates and offers were also coming in for us to play gigs and festivals. We were not sure how things would even work in a live situation because we had never played together. As a matter of fact, Alex, Charlie and I had never been in the same room together until this past January at NAMM in Anaheim, CA!
Our biggest hurdle in trying to pull a live situation together was matching up our schedules to where all 3 of us had time off from our other bands and work schedules, and could meet up.
Our main objective at the rehearsal was to get a feel of where we were at with the rather intricate material, see what could be pulled off in a stripped down trio setting (I tend to overdub lots of guitars…), gauge how much rehearsal time we'd need to pull off a set, play the material together for real, and see where we could take things. After two full days and many hours of playing together, along with quick stops to Applebees and visiting our friends in Dream Theater and Between The Buried in Me at Ruth Eckerd Hall, we figured that we could actually slay the beast!
And so where is everything at right now in terms of taking this thing outta cyberspace and on to a stage?
Given the extreme schedules all three band members have, it looks as if there will be a window of opportunity in November/December '08. Stay tuned for more news when plans and schedules get finalized, and hopefully BLOTTED SCIENCE will be coming to a town near you!
Let's hope the rehersals are successful and these guys book a tour. And if you happen to be reading this Ron, pleeease please please come to New York so that we could tape you guys and share your brilliance in video form with the entire interwebs!
