| Fuck the Facts | |
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Fuck the Facts in 2008. Left to right: Mathieu Vilandré, Topon Das, and Mel Mongeon. |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Ottawa, Ontario[1] Canada |
| Genres | Grindcore |
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Labels | Relapse |
| Associated acts | Head Hits Concrete |
| Website | www.fuckthefacts.com |
| Members | |
| Topon Das Mel Mongeon Mathieu Vilandré Marc Bourgon Johnny Ibay |
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| Past members | |
| Shomir Das Marc-Andre Mongeon Steve Chartier Brent Christoff Tim Audette Dave Menard Jean-Louis Wittinger Matt Connell Tim Olsen |
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Fuck the Facts is a Canadian grindcore[2] band from Ottawa, Ontario, formed in 1998.[3] They began in the late nineties as a solo recording project constructed by musician Topon Das.[4] After many early recordings, including split tapes with groups from around the world, Fuck the Facts began developing a name in the underground with fans of grind. In 2001, the first full-length CD-R, Discoing the Dead, was recorded. The same year, Das would assemble a full band to continue with the project.[5][6] The band has since coined the terms "bastardized grindcore" and "mullet-core" to describe their sound.[7]
Contents |
Fuck the Facts began early in 1997 as an unnamed recording project by Topon Das.[8] The project remained nameless until featured on a compilation in 1998, where Topon decided upon the name Fuck the Facts after a song from the first Naked City album. A self-titled cassette was released on Topon's own Dedfuk Records that compiled all of the recordings made since the projects’ inception.[9][10] Fuck the Facts then released split cassettes with Cult of the Damned, Longdreamdead and S.M.E.S. before releasing another full-length cassette entitled Vagina Dancer in September 2000 on Slovak label Where Late The Birds Sang.[11] Vagina Dancer showcased a more experimental, noise side to Fuck the Facts than the self-titled release which featured more of a grindcore style.
With the two full length tapes, and the various splits, Fuck The Facts started to gain notoriety in the underground noise and grindcore world. The next full length, Discoing the Dead, was recorded in 2000 and released on Ghetto Blaster Recordings (another label run by Topon) on February 6, 2001.[12] Positive feedback with this release motivated Topon to continue Fuck the Facts as a full band. Drummer Matt Connell and guitarist Tim Audette joined in late February.[13] The three recorded music for a split with Ames Sanglates, before the addition of vocalist Brent Christoff in April and bassist Shomir Das in May.[13][14] In May 2001, the band recorded and released Four0ninE, an EP which featured a cover of The Beach Boys song "409."
Shomir left the band after only three days,[13] but the band continued on as a four piece performing their first live show on August 4, 2001 in Melbourne, Quebec.[15] Regular performances around Ontario and Quebec continued until the fall when the band decided to record a full length release. Before the end of 2001, the new Fuck the Facts lineup would release Mullet Fever, the full length follow-up to Discoing the Dead. Mullet Fever, with its catchphrase "37 songs in 35 minutes," featured a more punk influenced grindcore sound, though still retained some of the noise influence.
In early 2002, following the recording of Mullet Fever, Fuck the Facts parted ways with vocalist Brent Christoff. Soon after, a replacement was found in Mel Mongeon. While Mel had made a guest appearance on a previously recorded split, her first recording as a member of the band was a re-recording of the song "The Burning Side" for the Goreland compilation CD released by Black Hole Productions (the song was originally featured on Discoing the Dead performed by entirely by Topon). Since joining the band, Mel has done most of the artwork for Fuck the Facts releases.
The summer of 2002 saw the band expand their touring area reaching as far west as Winnipeg, and including a December tour of the Maritimes. The touring, along with the release of a split with Sylvester Staline, helped expand their fanbase overseas. The summer of 2002 also saw the release of Escunta, the long awaited noise follow-up to Vagina Dancer, on Mandarangan Recordings.[16] Escunta had been recorded from late 1999 to early 2000 before Topon had assembled the band, but its release had been delayed until now.
Following the winter Maritime tour, Fuck the Facts recorded their next full length album entitled Backstabber Etiquette. It was released in early 2003 on Grind It! Records (a sublabel of Great White North Records). This new release featured a matured sound that incorporated progressive death metal elements to an already expanding sound.
After the release of Backstabber Etiquette, more touring ensued. This proved to be too demanding for guitarist Tim Audette. Tim parted ways with the band in June 2003 following a Maritime tour. The band continued as a three-piece and recorded a series of three splits with Feeble Minded, Sergent Slaughter and Subcut respectively. While recording the material for these splits, guitarist Dave Menard joined the band and brought new inspiration. However, the split with Subcut would be the last recording with drummer Matt Connell who felt it was time to part ways with the band.
Shortly after Matt’s departure, local drummer Tim Olsen was brought in as a replacement. Also around that time, Marc-André Mongeon was brought as a bassist (the first since Shomir had left the band in 2001). As a five-piece, the band toured throughout the summer of 2004 across Canada.[17] By the time mid 2005 came around, the constant touring proved to be too much for Marc and Dave and they decided to step down.
Mathieu Vilandré and Steve Chartier (aka Esteve Decalisse) were brought on guitar and bass respectively just in time for touring in support of Fuck the Fact’s next release, Legacy of Hopelessness. This six-song EP had been recorded in the fall of 2004 and was co-released in June 2005 through Topon's Ghetto Blaster Recordings and Steve's label Capital Kill. A much more experimental release, Legacy of Hopelessness featured more electronic and ambient elements combined with the usual Fuck the Facts grindcore sound. The summer support tour for the EP took the band all the way from Sydney, Nova Scotia to Vancouver, British Columbia.
Upon return from the Legacy of Hopelessness tour, Mathieu Vilandré and Steve Chartier were brought into the band as permanent members. It was at this time that the band recorded a two song pre-production demo as an indicator of the direction the band would be taking for their next album. These demos were eventually released on two splits (with Pleasant Valley and Mesrine), and were used to look for a possible record deal.
At the start of 2006, Tim Olsen was asked to leave the band. Mathieu Vilandré, who had previously filled in on drums, took over the position permanently and recording began for the next full length album in February. Early in the recording process, the band was contacted by Relapse Records and secured a three album deal with them that would start with their next album.[18] In the interim, the Collection of Splits 2002-2004 was released by Great White North Records which exposed fans to some of the bands music that was more difficult to acquire due to limited pressings. It included all of the material from the splits released between Backstabber Etiquette and Legacy of Hopelessness (with Subcut, Sergent Slaughter, Feeble Minded and Sylvester Staline) as well as enhanced MP3 tracks from some earlier splits.
The summer of 2006 was filled with tours of the Maritimes, North-Eastern United States (including a performance at the New England Doom and Grind Festival), Ontario and Quebec. In August 2006, Stigmata High-Five was released on Relapse Records.[19] The album highlighted not just a change in musical direction, but also a development in the recording quality. For the first time, the band had enlisted a separate producer to help them forge their sound and went to a professional studio to record.[20]
Following the release of Stigmata High-Five, the band filmed a music video, featuring local actors Adam Steptoe, Luke Williams, and Eugene Swain, for the song "The Sound of Your Smashed Head" on location in London, Ontario, Canada, and spent seven weeks in the US touring, including a slot on the Relapse Contamination Festival before returning home to start a three week tour of Ontario and Quebec which ended in November. Constant touring continued into early 2007 with a Maritime tour in March. A two-week tour followed that took the band down to Texas and back up to Canada in time for another tour of Ontario. The band decided to take a break in June to begin work on their next album.
Following the final Stigmata High-Five tour in June 2007, the band parted ways with bassist Steve Chartier "for reasons that aren't that uncommon of why bands and people split."[21] The band then spent two weeks going on a road trip to Mexico and back to write the material for their next album. The album was tracked that August; however, immediately following that, the three remaining members decided that it was time to take a break.
With no plans, the completion of the next album was questionable. At this point, the band still remained somewhat silent on their situation; however, by January 2008, they were back performing again. The touring, along with some personal issues, slowed the mixing and mastering progress of the album, however by April it was announced that Disgorge Mexico would be released in North America on July 22, 2008 as the band's second Relapse Records release. The band celebrated the album's release with a free CD release party in which they performed the entire CD from start to finish on August 2 in Hull, Quebec.
In 2009, Fuck the Facts embarked on their first ever European tour.[22] Polish Relapse Records label mates Antigama and Dutch grindcore band Dr. Doom joined Fuck the Facts for the tour which lasted from February 12 to March 3, 2009.[23] In an interview, Topon noted the irony that the band was only now finding its way to Europe considering that many of their earlier releases (up to a decade earlier) were on European labels. Late in 2009, the band announced that touring bassist Marc Bourgon had become a full-time member of the band. Marc had been touring with the band since January 2008, and had recorded with the band on their latest split with Leng Tch'e.[24]
In late 2009, the band announced that the following year would see the release of a new EP, their first video release, and a new full-length album.[25] In late February 2010, they released Unnamed EP having been recorded by the band and featuring artwork created and printed by the band. Many reviewers lauded the band for their "do it yourself" ethic.[26][27][28] In early March, the band left for Europe on their Unnamed European Tour 2010 including a few countries they had yet to visit such as Sweden, Norway and Denmark.
Upon returning to North America, the band completed work on their first video release, Disgorge Mexico: The DVD. The DVD combined a live performance of their 2008 album Disgorge Mexico with a short art film made by Canadian filmmaker David Hall that used the album as its soundtrack. A bonus DVD featuring a plethora of other videos was also included in limited numbers.[25]
In October, the band announced that their upcoming album would be entitled Die Miserable and would be released by Relapse Records.[29] The band begun recording the album in January, but put it on hold to go on various tours and release their EP and DVD. Having recorded the finishing touches and send the album to be mixed, they are projecting a spring 2011 release.
Fuck the Facts has had three different vocalists, all with their own style and impact on the sound of the band. The first recordings up until Discoing the Dead feature only Topon on vocals (aside from a few guest appearances). His singing varies between deep growls and more high pitched screams. The Mullet Fever lineup features Brent Christoff who has a slightly deeper, more grunting sound. The biggest change is with the replacement of Brent with Mel Mongeon who has a very distinctive high-pitched shriek which has become the vocal style that the band is most known for.
Most (if not all) Fuck the Facts songs are played on guitars tuned down a fourth (B E A D F# B). Bass tuning is the same (B E A D), though depending on the performer, sometimes a 5 string bass is used. Common grindcore elements such as blast beats are also present. Generally, most of the songs feature the darker modes such as Aeolian, Phrygian, Locrian and heavy use of the tritone, though many songs feature other more chromatic scales as well. Different textures are used to create different moods. For example, a common feature will be the use of clean guitar within the context of a grindcore song that creates a radical change in the sound of the piece (an example would be the last half of Gated Community from Mullet Fever). Despite these few generalities, the musical style of the band has changed over the years.
Topon has stated numerous times that the name Fuck the Facts was chosen, in part, as a statement about his attitude towards the music he wrote. He tried not to feel hampered by genre labels, and that is reflected in the musical style.[12] The earlier Fuck the Facts recordings up until approximately 2000 featured a combination of grindcore and noise. Though those two genres were prominent during this era of recording, many other styles crept into the music as well including death metal, electronic and even as some as diverse as disco and jazz. When Discoing the Dead was released in early 2001, it retained many of these experimental styles, paving the way for the beginning of the first incarnation of Fuck the Facts as a full band.
In addition to the grindcore style of the recordings, there were also many songs that were almost straight noise recordings. Vagina Dancer and Escunta, recorded in 2000 and 2001 respectively, are the core of these noise recordings, with some other tracks being featured on various compilations and splits.
Mullet Fever was released in 2002 and featured a more punk-influenced grindcore sound. However, many of the songs included more experimental (for grindcore) styles including rap, hip-hop, jazz, noise and electronic. The album was largely recorded in one session of the band recording their own jam session and some minimal editing afterwards, and may explain why this album stands out on its own in terms of musical style and scope.
When Backstabber Etiquette was recorded in 2002, vocalist Mel Mongeon had replaced Christoff, and her distinctive growl was markedly different than Brent's deep sound. Mel's higher pitched scream became the norm for the band. The musical style became more heavily influenced by death metal and showed more technical aspirations. This style persisted over the splits recorded between Backstabber Etiquette and Legacy of Hopelessness (these recordings are largely what make up the tracks on the Collection of Splits 2002-2004).
Legacy of Hopelessness showcased a bit of a departure for the band in that it had a lot more electronic influences. Keyboards are featured on nearly every track, and are sometimes the primary focus. Of course, grindcore is still quite present as well as Mel's distinctive vocals. The change in musical style can probably be attributed to this being initially intended to be a solo release by Topon, but was migrated over to the band when it was realized that another full-length release was not quite feasible.
Stigmata High-Five represents the latest musical style of the band. The grindcore and death metal elements are still present, but so are more progressive and experimental ideas mixed with metalcore elements. The album contains longer songs with more intricate riffs and atypical time signatures. For example, the opening song "La Dernière Image" moves from groove-oriented grindcore based around a repeating clave rhythm with odd meters interspersed throughout (the clave rhythm and odd meters are both basic musical features of much progressive rock). A middle section counters that with more ambient textures and clean guitars.
Disgorge Mexico contains shorter songs than Stigmata High-Five but retains a similar overall musical style. In some cases, the experimental ideas are expanded further to the point where one track contains a section that is reminiscent of straight ahead jazz and contains a high register melodic bass solo typical of jazz or fusion. Rhythmic elements often featured in progressive rock are still present, and metric dissonance via polyrhythms are often present.
In addition to the releases below, Fuck the Facts have released a plethora of splits that count for a large portion of their repertoire. Additionally, the band has been featured on numerous compilations and tribute albums.
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