SLEEPING AT THE POPES - "SLEEPING AT THE POPES" (Hardcore Punk from South Africa + Download Link @ Bandcamp)

SLEEPING AT THE POPES - "SLEEPING AT THE POPES"
("We Did This Records"; CD/2006 + MP3-Download/2012):

And after TDKM here's another Hardcore Punk band from South Africa, also coming via the same label that still is "WE DID THIS RECORDS" which is like I think also based in South Africa. This is the self-titled album of this beside this album here totally unknown band, SLEEPING AT THE POPES, a very outspoken and (so it seems) prominent band in South Africa. This very album here was primarly for all what I know released in 2006 on CD or so, anyhow, today it's up for a official free download @ the Bandcamp site of the "WE DID THIS RECORDS" label. I think that maybe the CD is out of print and sold out or so, like maybe as well as in the case of TDKM, and so they released it as a official free MP3-Download to still spread it anyhow, hm, anyway, it's pretty good because otherwise I would pretty sure never ever discovered them as well as TDKM and so I would never ever had the chance to sneak at least a little bit into the scenery of Hardcore Punk in South Africa. The same as with TDKM. But in contrast to TDKM this guys here, SLEEPING AT THE POPES, seem to be still around also today. In case you are like me, which means that you are totally unfamiliar with Hardcore Punk from South Africa (beside a little bit TDKM now a days, surely), I will now again let the guys of "WE DID THIS RECORDS" do the talking about this band by themselves, so that you know with whom we are dealing here and also you will know already by now after this what they deal with in their lyrics, and so here we go:

 

"Sleeping At The Popes were a Hardcore/Punk/Thrash/Crust band from Cape Town with socially/politically charged lyrics that included among others: sexism, animal rights and anarchism.
Sleeping At The Popes started in late 2004 and went through quite a few member changes. They to date remain one of the most outspoken bands this country has produced. / This is there full length self titled album."

 

And I correct myself promptly, because it seems more like the band isn't around today anymore, like TDKM as well, so it's written:

 

"Final lineup was: Alainite Pope - Vocals and Drums / Jayman Pope Snr. - Growls / Jayman Pope - Guitar / Duranite Levinpope - Bass and Vocals / Byronite Pope - Guitar."

 

So, okay, what they give us is fast paced heavy Hardcore Punk with clearly Thrash influences to get and beside the Crust thing I totally agree on the description given by the label itself. But from my point of view you can also describe them as a mixture out of OI POLLOI, CRASS and THE CASUALTIS, and they are to be located clearly on the Anarcho Punk side and there on the aggressive and bitterly pissed off side of it. Fast shredding and sawing guitars, hysterical scream and shout but also clean spoken double voiced lead vocals, rumbling buzzing bass and fast played harsh drumming, here and there some nicely suprising stuff is to be recognized for sure sometimes as well, and then that's it. Lyrically you know already pretty well what you get from SLEEPING AT THE POPES. All in all not really my stuff after all, beside some suprises all in all mostly to equal it all sounds to me and the vocals annoy me very much to really grab my attention and keep it up. Fans of Anarcho Punk stuff should risk an ear anyhow, but all others maybe not. I rather stick with TDKM that are much better. Not a bad or weak album after all but also beside the fact that it's not my personal favorite choice stuff it's also simply not really good as well as it is like mentioned not really bad, just stucked deep down in the midfield of it all and then that's it. Nice artwork and good dirty and filthy, yet pretty heavy production sound. Recommended for Anarcho Punk die hard fans, all others... hm, don't know... (5 of 10 points)

(http://we-did-this-records.bandcamp.com/album/sleeping-at-the-popes)