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Backstabbers Inc. - Kamikaze Missions
2004 Trash Art
Backstabbers Inc. - Kamikaze Missions

Track Listing:
1.  Before
2.  You Brought This On Yourself
3.  I Don't Care How Many Times You've Seen Fight Club, You Are Not Tyler Durden
4.  We Attack At Dusk
5.  ****
6.  Priests In Boys, Cardinals In Denial
7.  Distortion, Please
8.  Ask, Answer
9.  If You Can See The End, It's Already Over
10. Even Slaves Will Be Swimming In The Blood Of The Iron Fist
11. Burn Small Talk To The Fucking Ground
12. Voorhees, Krueger, Myers, and Bush
13. Like Virgin Vinyl...In Bed
14. Film Noir's Got Nothing On Us

Line-Up:
Vocals:  Ryan
Guitars:  Matt, B. Izzi
Bass:  Brian
Drums:  Mike

Website:  www.backstabbersinc.com

Uncle Meat's Rating:  B
Average Album Rating:  B

Also be sure to read:
 Backstabbers Inc. - Theory/History 7" by Lamp
Backstabbers Inc. - While You Were Sleeping by Shev

Uncle Meat's Review:
I’d be lying if I said that I was much of a hardcore fan.  Or ever listened to much hardcore at all (I’d consider myself more of a thrash person or black metal, but whatever).  However, I can appreciate a group of individuals who love and are good at what they do.  And Backstabbers Inc. are that band.  I first became aware of BSI through a mutual friend who was pretty tight with some in the band.  (Anyone screaming about favoritism can stop reading right now).  Anyway I got my self a copy of While You Were Sleeping (which is now among the missing...) and it kicked my ass.  I saw BSI play a set at a fest one time where they were short a player and they still killed (that was a great show by the way with Creation Is Crucifixion also putting on a great show.) 

Delving into Kamikaze Missions, I find a band comfortable in it's own skin.  If you are going to play hardcore music then you should be good at it, BSI are excellent.  Like I said above I’m not a huge hardcore fan, but Kamikaze Missions kills.  Fast, brutal, chunky rhythms, over the top drumming, and guttural screams make Kamikaze Missions a winner.  Producer Kurt Ballou and the band make the effort to keep it rough around the edges without blurring the whole thing into one big mess.  Even if you are not a fan of the genre, worth a listen for the performances along.

Song summaries include...

  1. Before - Short metal-y opening with samples of chants in the back ground.  B
  2. You Brought This On Yourself - Frantic grind with a few moments of “traditional” heavy metal in the mix.  Ryan’s screams are excellent, especially in the breakdown section.  B
  3. I Don't Care How Many Times You’ve Seen Fight C, You Are Not Tyler Durden - Should win an award for the song title alone.  Reminds me of punk past gone.  I’d swear the gallop riffs came from Maiden.  C
  4. We Attack At Dusk - Before putting on Kamikaze Missions I was listening to a lot of Sodom.  Call me crazy, but this song could fit in with the German’s set.  Hardcore elements along side bursts of thrash.  B-
  5. **** - Starts out in the traditional mold before throwing in some hardcore elements at the 1:10 mark.  More breakdowns, before ending in the some mold the song began with.  C
  6. Priests In Boys, Cardinals In Denial - Kicks off like a shot, and never stops.  C+
  7. Distortion, Please - Starts off like Priests In Boys, Cardinals In Denial, breakdown in the “middle” but that doesn't last long.  More traditional riffs.  C
  8. Ask, Answer - Short and sweet grind.  B+
  9. If You Can See The End, It's Already Over - This whole song reminds me of Deceased.  Especially the slower songs on Supernatural Addiction.  Around the 2:10 mark, when things get quiet, Ryan sound like he is going to tear his vocal chords.  B+
  10. Even Slaves Will Be Swimming In The Blood Of The Iron Fist - Ask, Answer but longer.  The chants/rant at the end is top notch.  C+
  11. Burn Small Talk To The Fucking Ground - Contains some bizarro sample in the beginning.  Absolutely ferocious.  Drum breakdown (not solo) at the end.  B
  12. Voorhees, Krueger, Myers, And Bush - Try and guess what the lyrics are about.  Not as fast as some other songs (Ask, Answer), but aggressive none the less.  Just past the two minute mark the song goes in to the grind area.  C-
  13. Like Virgin Vinyl...In Bed - Drums and screams.  This song has elements from all of the above songs.  C-
  14. Film Noir’s Got Nothing On Us - Another bizarre song title (I really need to get a hold of the lyrics).  Ending in much the same fashion they started, the band again mixes traditional metal/grind.  B-

Uncle Meat's Rating:  B