Review Summary: An oddity, but a goodie.
This is the weirdest stuff you’ll ever hear. With song titles like ‘Defecating on What’s Left of Our Child’ and ‘Out of Tampons’, it should already be obvious that this isn’t the type of music your parents listen to. Ninjaspy is a concoction of every genre you’ve ever heard… plus ten. ‘Hit by a Cement Mixer’ is the best example for what the rest of the album will sound like – complete chaos. In ‘Hit by a Cement Mixer’, reggae and mathcore is fused so perfectly, Protest The Hero will look like a cheap imitation compared to this band. Ninjaspy is blessed by the metal gods (metaphoric gods), that’s for sure, and they aren’t afraid to use their mighty face-melting powers for all to hear. The drummer keeps the beat like a living metronome that is also on fire, and the guitarist (also the lead singer) sounds like he has 20 extra fingers; the vocals, however, steal the show.
Ninjaspy’s vocals (from a guy named Joel) are truly incredible even if they’re borderline psychotic. Joel goes from high notes to low notes, grunts to screams, and screams to vaguely reggae singing - the singer has massive pipes. The most impressive aspect of his vocals is that he never loses power in his brutal screams or powerful singing. Sure, his singing voice can sound parched, but it’s really nothing to complain about. With Joel’s ambitious and un-heard-of singing style, one bottle of water won’t cut it. Surprisingly, even during live performances, Joel’s vocals almost sound identical to his vocals on the album. The entire band puts on a flailing live show, and is definitely worth seeing (at least to see the lead singer playing the guitar with a sai).
Ninjaspy’s sound isn’t easily forgettable. On a first listen, Ninjaspy might sound distracted and purposeless but it soon becomes clear. Experimentation is commonplace in Pi Nature and in fact seems to be the dominant feature in Ninjaspy’s uncommon sound. In ‘Love Poem 2’, the mood, style, and timing constantly dashes back and forth like a lightning bolt trapped in a room filled with tinfoil. Ninjaspy undoubtedly plays metal, but with their seemingly random changes in musical direction, it often sounds like something completely different. In ‘Submission’, for example, a catchy reggae verse fuses into a time-signature-changing chorus similar to something Tool might do. Although Ninjaspy may sound like certain bands at some points, the band is too unique to sound comparable for long.
If the band itself isn’t outlandish enough, the lyrics certainly are. With lyrics such as: “escalator churning up the pre-intestinal chyme”, it’s a blessed thing that their lyrics are often indecipherable. Pi Nature is an R-rated album, and when listening to it, gorey scenes should be expected. Brutal lyrics and disturbing themes is just a part of Ninjaspy. Despite their ability to depress, they also know how to lighten up. With a funky reggae beat and random trumpets, ‘Evolution of the Skid’ stands out in the way a last slice of pizza does. Everyone wants it, it tastes great, and it tastes even better knowing that you were the one who took it. Using the same metaphor, Pi Nature may be hard to swallow at first, but the taste will ultimately lead to an enjoyable meal.
