Reptoid

Reptoid is a one-man, industrial-influenced noise-rock band from Oakland, California. The sole member, Jordan Sobolew, surrounds himself with an army of drums, homemade fuzz pedals, noise devices and a sampler, to produce spastic, hypnotizing rhythms, and painfully amplified sounds drenched in effects through an oversized pedal-board full of odd implements. Vocals are delivered through a mic strapped directly to the face by a modified respirator mask. Everything is performed live and without the aid of a computer or backing tracks. "The intent is to convey frenetic, third eye-opening energy," says Sobolew.Debut full-length Worship False Gods is dazzling. Even those listeners bearing no knowledge of the music's origin will be wowed by Reptoid - an onslaught of churning noise-rock, punctuated by an array of glitchy sounds and propelled by Sobolew's drumming which ranks somewhere between the frantic assaults of Brian Chippendale and the almighty hammering of Dale Crover. Had Worship False Gods been bashed out by a full band, it would be regarded as a devastating slab of experimental rock, in league with Daughters, The Locust or Lightning Bolt. But the kicker is that this is a solo project, composed and performed solely by Sobolew, using a small mountain of highly customized gear. For one person to execute these songs, live, in real time, without any sort of accompaniment or enhancement, is a technical marvel. As an awe-struck Invisible Oranges proclaimed in 2017: "Reptoid encases feral-yet-precise drumming with noxious clouds of noise and maniacal synth. And it's just one guy." Limited to 500 copies.