BIIPIIGWAN Classic ‘God’s Hooks’ Still Rocks ‘n’ Roars
~By Shawn Gibson~
Photos by Damien McLean (You Can Only Imagine)
BIIPIIGWAN is Ojibwe for a "battle whistle" or "battle flute" played before right before an attack -- and true to form, this music will attack you! God's Hooks was released March 15, 2010, written and recorded by band members Miskwaanawad ("Musky") Rice, Michael Shrives, and Steve Vargas, who also plays in The Great Sabatini. The album was mastered By Topon Das of Fuck The Facts.
God's Hooks by BIIPIIGWAN
I was first introduced to the Ottawa trio through David Hall and his Ontario-based record label, Handshake Inc. I gave God's Hook's a listen and, well, I was hooked! God's Hooks is where "gadzooks" comes from -- the nails that held Jesus to the cross. This and a bunch of other random facts came from me emailing back and forth with Musky, Michael, and Steve when they were working office jobs.
From opening track, "Beaches" (which might be like landing on the beach of Normandy during WWII) to the last track, "B'il Sabab," BIIPIIGWAN dish up seven songs of raw, dissonant carnage. There is some heavy-ass groove in the music, as well. "Vegemite" will get your head banging and your body thrashin' in no time.
Proceed to the pit when the title track comes on! Searching my emails and interviews, I came across my first with Musky. I tell him about playing "God's Hooks" in my car, even with my kids in tow!
I go on to tell the lead singer he's going to blow his vocals! Musky finds it amusing when I talk about him taking "lead" on vocals, since all of the members of BIIPIIGWAN contribute to the singing. Musky himself roars like the polar bear on album cover of their second release, the EP 'Nibaak' (2012).
Film by Dylan Baillie
When I finally saw BIIPIIGWAN perform live, there was that "oh shit!" moment when I realized just how thunderously heavy these guys really were. God's Hooks is an amazing example of seamlessly blending subgenres: sludge, doom, and grind. A balance, an atonement, is reached here. In my eyes, I’d say BIIPIIGWAN is underrated, but definitely have a steadfast following...and growing still.
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Shawn "The Bandit" Gibson of Mountains Moved hails from Asheville, North Carolina. His cat can eat a Whole watermelon. Seriously. This is his first piece for Doomed & Stoned (Shawn, not the cat, though one wonders what else this felonious feline is capable of.)
