Pomposity and metal often go hand in hand. If we’re being honest with ourselves, there is a predilection for bands, media, and fans alike, to take the whole business of heavy metal very, very seriously indeed. To the point where a sense of objectivity and self-awareness are words and actions to be pointedly ignored and burnt at the stake. I have to admit though, that this often po-faced and humourless approach to the music we love, is part of its appeal. I like the fact that metal can present itself as something of a closed shop (sometimes), where every guitar riff, snare hit and screamed vocal can be analysed, interpreted, pilloried, castigated, adored and forensically pored over under a microscope. All very stern, austere, and all very, very serious. There are though, bands in the history of metal that have attempted to subjugate this approach and play music with a tongue firmly in cheek, a smile on their face with music and lyrics that reflect a sunnier, more playful disposition. Bands such as Municipal Waste, Power Trip, Steel Panther, Faith No More (to an extent, well almost anything involving Mike Patton) and Lawnmower Deth are all great examples of great bands and fantastic musicians that take a sideways look at the world and seem to have fun doing it.

Now, with expectations partially set, onto today’s review of choice and Animal Schoolbus. There’s no way to sugar coat this, nor attempt to gloss over the fact, that this band, on the face of it, could very well live in a box labelled ‘Laughably Pathetic Novelty Bands I Fucking Hate’. Animal Schoolbus are a two-person band encompassing Charlie Sad Eyes (probably not his real name) and his nine-year-old daughter Princess Beast (also not her real name just in case you were wondering). This release represents their debut album which includes an amalgam of new and old songs (some recorded when Princess Beast was only 2 years of age) and how you react to this may very well depend on a number of critically important factors. If you’re judging this merely on theatrical terms and the whole ‘freak show’ stench this is drenched in, then it’s quite cute really (especially if you are a parent yourself) and has a huge amount of goodwill inbuilt within their creation. But cuteness and freak show/ novelty aspects will only get you so far and that would be roughly three to four songs in (‘Stuck In A Tree’ and ‘I’m A Bear’ if you’re interested) where you can well imagine a large swathe of the metal loving public, would much rather dip their fingers into a lawn mower’s undercarriage and shove a Koi Carp up their arse, then listen to any more.

Maybe this album has caught me on a more reflective day but as much as I love fucking about with lawnmowers and teaching fish to swim up my anus, ‘Going To Grammy’s House’ isn’t totally fucking shit. In fact, quite the opposite. Firstly, the music, all played by Dad/Charlie Sad Eyes, is a dense brooding blend of Grindcore and Doom, recalling early Bolt Thrower, with the industrial drum machine coda of say early Today Is The Day or Godlfesh. It’s decent enough really and then you come to the elephant (a cuddly soft one with a rainbow-coloured trunk) and that’s the vocals of a nine-year-old girl. Yes, it’s all high register and slightly strained, but for one so young, you have to hand it to Princess Beast, it’s pretty impressive and she displays some impressive pipes for someone of her tender years. OK so yes, the track titles are cutesy and deliberately twee and childish (‘Look At My Dirty Feet’, ‘My Dog Got Fat’ and ‘Oreos My Favourite’) but by the end of the album and having played it through 5 or 6 times, it’s actually refreshingly silly, irreverent and slams harder than some albums I have heard this year.

In summary, the multi-instrumentation here is impressively technical and proficient and whilst the gimmicky nature of the central conceit here (Child sings Grindcore), is always playing on your mind, it’s all done with purpose, respect and by album’s end (which also contains some old live material replete with some laugh out loud stage bants from Princess Beast) I am fully onboard. It may be gimmicky, but the songs are great, the playing exemplary, the production warm and direct and the lyrics and vocal delivery belies, the relative age and experience of its nine-year-old protagonist.

(7/10 Nick Griffiths)

https://www.facebook.com/animalschoolbus

https://animalschoolbus.bandcamp.com/album/going-to-grammys-house-2021-remix