Rifles at Recess

Rifles at Recess' debut album is titled Whisper in Tongues, and that's a very ironic title because their music certainly doesn't sound like a whisper -- quite the opposite, in fact. A bombastic, intense death metal/black metal band with hardcore, metalcore and thrash metal influences, Rifles at Recess thrive on sledgehammer brutality. Robb Johnson's lead vocals are far from subtle; he alternates between metalcore-style screaming and the larynx-shredding, satanic-style growling that death metal, black metal, and grindcore are known for -- and either way, he doesn't believe in taking any prisoners. Johnson and his colleagues do, however, believe in frequent tempo changes. While some death metal combos choose to play at the same tempo -- ultra-fast -- morning, noon, and night, the Tennessee-based Rifles at Recess have no problem going from fast to slow to medium during the course of a song. The name Rifles at Recess is certainly an attention grabber; members of the band have been quoted as saying that their name isn't meant to promote violence or poke fun at violent incidents in American schools (such as the tragic shootings at Columbine High School in Colorado in 1999), but rather, is a commentary on how dysfunctional American society had become in the early 2000s. Johnson and guitarist Chad Hughes decided to form Rifles at Recess in Dayton, TN (not to be confused with Dayton, OH) in August 2001; the two of them had played together in a Tennessee band called Shimron Meron from 1999-2001. Along the way, Rifles at Recess have had their share of lineup changes; the band went through a bassist and four drummers in the early 2000s. In 2003, the band's five-man lineup included Johnson and Hughes, as well as Chris Dotson on guitar, Michael "Gordo" Gordon on bass, and Andrew Hall...