Black Hole of Calcutta

In a live setting, Black Hole of Calcutta is one of the loudest, proudest and fastest bands in Chico’s punk scene. Their songs are very short, precise and blindingly fast. On this self-titled CD, seven of the 14 tracks clock in at less-than one minute, and the whole thing is over in less than fourteen. Featuring the powerful playing of guitarist Ian Macau (also of The Makai) and bassist Ben Tehune (of ¡Mammoth Torta!) and propelled by the energetic drumming of Jesse Schreibman (both The Makai and ¡Mammoth Torta!), the recorded music here lives up to the live shows, but it is a little different. It is packed with blazing shots from the band’s sonic arsenal, but not all of the songs are super fast. The untitled, spacey, instrumental track 7, for example, sounds like a vintage Black Sabbath song. Vocalist Spider has star quality that requires an adjustment of your understanding of what a rock star is. His outrageous and exhibitionist performance style demands attention, and his vocals are not sung, they are forcefully ejected bursts of angst and pain. With the benefit of a lyric sheet, you can see that the band isn’t afraid to take on controversial subject matter—from homelessness to childhood obesity. BHOC is an active witness to the atrocities they perceive in the world.