In the early 2000's I started getting into screamo a bit. Not long after, I started playing in a band full of recording snobs (and I mean that lovingly). Screamo isn't particularly known for its production value so when I would try to show things like Song of Zarathustra or Yaphet Kotto to my bandmates it was quickly criticized, discredited, and disemboweled to the point that I didn't bother listening to it anymore. Not because I was following a crowd, but mostly because I didn't have anyone to listen to it with, plus I probably (ignorantly) thought I wouldn't be able to translate those influences into what we were doing. Like a college kid who starts buying Combos as munchies his first semester away because his parents would never allow him to have Combos as a snack at home (also me), now that those band members and I are separated I have once again started to indulge in stripped down abrasive screamo. It's actually dominating my listening habits lately.
So maybe the recording elitism rubbed off on me a little bit because I'm not exactly delving in the stitched-jeans-held-together-by-patches-of-bands-nobody-has-ever-heard-of-gutter-punk version of crusty screamo. No, I've kind of eased myself back in by finding a handful of bands that can still make car system speakers shake with thumping kick drums and rumbling bass rather than ear piercing feedback and/or static. I know that's not very #PFR, but who cares?
I remember the Kaospilot name from my waning years of screamo interest and thought I had heard a few songs through the legendary Level-Plane record label, whom they released a handful of material including a split with screamo giants Neil Perry. Anything I had heard previously most likely ended up on their 2006 Diskografi (oh, yeah, they're from Norway). This time, though, I was steered towards their 2008 LP Shadows. It's still of the noisy screamo variety, but with the aforementioned rumbling and thumping. There's plenty of dissonant staccato chaos and straightened out rides, but this time it's backed by a fuller more menacing low end. It's a lot like Off Minor, but with some thicker more lush recordings and the vocals are similar to Scandinavian brethren Refused and Lack.
www.myspace.com/kosepilot
Where They Started: 2001's For Your Safety 7" (?)
Where You Should Start: Shadows is easily the superior recording, but I also believe the songs are more thought out and better written than previous material. If you like it then check out Diskografi as it has everything else Kaosplilot ever did. If you're more of a screamo purist then definitely start out with Diskografi.
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