Join In The Chant

Join in the CHANT
By Grant V. Ziegler

Almost every object in the world makes a sound but it takes a special kind of talent to turn those objects into instruments. Bradley Bills, the singer and drummer of Chant, just happens to have that talent and hones it quite well. From conventional drum sets to trash cans and even satellite dishes, Bills makes everything he pounds on a delightful noise in one’s eardrum.
Consider Chant to be a tribal industrial version of the Blue Man Group that only required one person. Although there is a double digit number of drums on stage and a workload big enough for three drummers, Bills handles it all by himself.
Austin native Chant is set to release its second full length album on October 10 at the Church in Deep Ellum. Chant’s previous album That Which Divides garnered an underground following in the industrial scene which helped them land opening gigs for bands like My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult. Chant’s new album Strong Words for Strong People should start shedding light on why Chant should be headlining rather than opening from now on.
Strong Words for Strong People strikes our most primitive chords. Tribal beats, loud stomping thuds and a bit of synthesized sound engineering drives everyone in the club to get up and move. You can’t help it. You instantly want to slam things along side him.
This album is a perfect blend of rhythmically seducing tracks such as “Empty” and soul-grooving melodic tunes like “Need.” My favorite track is “Revolt.” I heard it live a few months ago and instantly fell in love with it. This song could easily be a new national anthem for those unsatisfied with the conditions of society.
The album isn’t just heavy and pounding though, there are deeply passionate tracks where you can easily hear Bradley Bills’ heart and soul on such as the title track. I could feel my breath quavering as I connected myself to the darkened tone of the track.
This album is a most own for fans of bands like Nine Inch Nails or Nitzer Ebb. Each copy of the CD is being sold with a unique and collectable poster. There are a total of nine different posters and each one represents one of the nine tracks on the album. If you’d like to have all nine you can buy a special edition version of the CD which will be sold at the release party. The posters are nicely handcrafted and will be an instant collector’s item.
Chant’s music is the best pounding in my head that I’ve ever felt. You’ve never experienced the true intensity of tribal drumming until you’ve seen what Bradley Bills of Chant can do on stage. I give this album four and a half out of five stars.