Every Record I Own - Day 381: Enemymine The Ice In Me
I bought godheadSilo’s Thee Friendship Village EP sometime in late ‘93 or early ‘94, knowing absolutely nothing about the band but being curious by the cover art. The 7″ was a murky combination of ominous bass chords, CB-radio vocals, and bombastic distorted pay-offs. I wasn’t really sure of what to make of them, and when I saw them play at a park in Olympia a few months later, I was even more mystified. They were just two normal-looking geeky white dudes---one with an oversized drum kit and the other with a wall of amplifiers. But the thing that really impressed me was that their bassist, Mike Kunka, filled up so much sonic space with the bass guitar. A lot of that was due to his use of chords and distortion, and i took note of that combination. Along with Joe Preston, Kunka made me realize that bass could handle a lot more of the guitar’s range of frequencies than most bands were willing to acknowledge.
Enemymine was Kunka’s short-lived band after godheadSilo. Originally featuring Low’s Zak Sally on rhythm bass (replaced by Ryan Baldoz here), the trio continued Kunka’s penchant for floor-shaking riffs, but dialed back some of the goofiness in favor of more overt metal influences. Listening to The Ice In Me, it’s hard to believe there’s not a guitar in the mix. The palm-muted chugs and fleeting clean passages sound so rounded and full, you begin to wonder why anyone would ever bother with one of those wimpy six-stringers.
Kunka also wound up recording an album with Melvins around this time (the long-buried Three Men and a Baby) and then joined Dead Low Tide with Spencer, Coady, and Nate from Murder City Devils. Enemymine faded from view, but they remain one of those Pacific Northwest secret treasures. Ask any local sludge aficionado in a Karp t-shirt about Enemymine and you’re sure to hear them fawn over these late greats.