Burmese

Total brutality from a rotating cast of Bay Area noise and hardcore champions. The band has had a huge number of members including notables such as John Dwyer. Current lineup, according to Myspace, consists of two Mikes, Mark Tissue, Ed, and Weasel Walter. The core lineup consists of bassist/vocalist Mike G and bassist/vocalist Mike G, the only two members who have been in the group since the beginning. Burmese's sound is suggestive of but not derivative of their main influences, including Whitehouse (to whom they released a tribute LP), Black Flag, Swans and Brutal Truth. These influences and the band's ingenuity blend into something akin to slowed-down powerviolence: extremely sludgy, bleak, and noisy, with heavy drumming (at times having two drummers at once) and low/high bass interplay. The vocals are searing and often distorted, and the lyrics extend from power electronics-style misogyny to total political nihilism. They have been consistently touring and releasing music since 1998, and there seems to be no sign of them quitting soon. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.