Rabbit Junk - Modified Mortality (2018) [Hi-Res]

Delivering glitched-out electronica and incendiary riffs with organic blastbeats and stuttering sound effects, Rabbit Junk are a digital hardcore and industrial metal outfit from Seattle, Washington. Formed in 2004 by J.P. Anderson, after his previous band the Shizit dissolved, the project was completed with the addition of his wife, vocalist Jennifer "Sum Grrl" Bernert. The intention of the project was to fuse industrial, metal, and hip-hop with the abstract elements of glitch, gabber, and electro-punk. They independently released their debut eponymous LP in late 2004, which boasted an eclectic sound palette and featured samples of tracks by N.W.A. as well as a cover of "Walking on the Moon" by the Police. The following year, they signed with the Chicago-based Glitch Mode Recordings and made their label debut with sophomore effort ReFRAME in 2006. The album opener "Demons" became a favorite among fans for its innovative sample use of "Duel of the Fates," from Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace by film composer John Williams. The album's blend of trem-picked guitar riffs, black metal guitar tones, and raucous breakbeats earned Rabbit Junk a wider fan base across the U.S. and Europe. Shortly after the album's release, they contributed a cover of "Start the Riot" by Atari Teenage Riot for an ATR tribute album, as well as their own track, "Industrial Is Dead," to a compilation for Glitch Mode titled Hordes of the Elite. They returned in 2008 with This Life Is Where You Get Fucked, which was conceptually based around three separate suites, individually inspired by different works of art or fiction. The album was released by the Michigan-based Full Effect Records, which also handled the release of their fourth LP, Project Nonagon, in 2010. Rabbit Junk departed from Full Effect the following year and put the project on hold while Anderson focused on other endeavors, including re-forming the Shizit under a new moniker, the Nameless, and a steampunk-infused outfit called Fighting Iron with Ice. Rabbit Junk put out a series of singles from 2011 to 2013 to keep their project alive. After a positive response from fans, Anderson decided to revitalize the band with new material which was geared toward a thoroughly electronic sound. They returned with the Pop That Pretty Thirty EP in 2014, which was swiftly followed by their first live EP -- simply titled Live 2014 -- via Glitch Mode. January 2015 saw the arrival of the Invasion EP along with the announcement that they would no longer be delivering LPs and would focus solely on EPs. In early 2016 they put out the compilation, Singles from the Lost Years: 2011-2013, and returned in 2017 with a remix EP, Like the Flesh Does the Knife. Despite earlier claims, Rabbit Junk returned in 2018 with another album, their fifth full-length, titled Rabbit Junk Will Die: Meditations on Mortality. ~ Rob Wacey