RAGINPIT MAGAZINE

Passive Aggressive is: Wolfgang: Guitars/Vocals - Manimal: Bass/Back-up Vocals - A. "3rd Degree" Burn: Drums

Recordings:
Death and the Hungry - 2003, Tracklisting: 1. Given the Chance to Die, 2. Passive Aggressive, 3. Death and the Hungry
Hard Christ*, release date TBA, Tracklisting: 1. Hard Christ/The Hard Christ Rebellion, 2. Unsavory Dwellings/Garbage on Your Claws, 3. Ancient Bitch
*Hard Christ will also include a re-mastered version of the Death and the Hungry demo.

When I first saw this band play at The Pound, I was immediately taken aback by how gritty and old-school this band sounded. This is not your typical thrash band, but a band with something to say about this world in which we inhabit. In addition to this, they provide some hard grit-sounding metal. They struck a chord within me and my head was bobbing steadily for their entire set.

My fellow headbangers, I am talking about Passive Aggressive, hailing from San Francisco, California. Formed in 2003 by Wolfgang (singer/songwriter), they deliver the necessary goods to keep you moving and grooving. There are a couple of samples to check out: “Unsavory Dwellings” and “Riot of Violence.” After hearing these two songs, I was reminded of early heavy metal. Having such influences as Sabbath, Priest, Venom, Carcass, and Kreator (to name a few), I think their style is simple yet heavy - the kind of band in which you can kick back with and have a cold one, chill with your friends one minute, then break out into the mosh pit the next. No million-and-a-half riffs built into the songs here, but rather a simple approach to their songwriting that delivers and is effective.

I sat down with Wolfgang to find out more information on this rising Bay Area band.

How did you come up with the name Passive Aggressive? Does it describe the tone and vibe of your band? What are your influences?

Wolfgang: The name Passive Aggressive has to do with the way the government, corporations, and the media control and force people to be indirectly hostile towards each other and in some cases directly hostile through manipulation of our animal instincts. The industrial revolution happened not so long ago, but human evolution is a very slow process that cannot keep up with technology and our rapidly deteriorating environment. We have all these "modern conveniences," yet we try to appear so civilized. Although, neuroses is rampant and people are being sent to foreign countries to die and kill innocent civilians so that those who have always been in power can remain there. We are all made to feel divided and alone with being fed the illusion that we are "united" under some great cause that is vaguely clear to us, at best. Yet people are so desperate to feel a sense of security and pride, they choose not to question "the word." Or better yet, we are encouraged not to think at all and get lost in the endless stream of pop culture laced with subliminal and not so subliminal advertisements that have virtually fused themselves like a virus to every aspect of our culture.

The tone and vibe of the band will naturally be dark, given the anger and concept behind the name. Thrash metal, punk rock, and hardcore have long been vehicles from which to make points, both politically and socially. So I suppose it is natural that we follow that path.

We are influenced by mostly 80s and 90s thrash, black, death, and doom metal bands. Bethlehem, Celtic Frost, Slayer, Metallica, Morbid Angel, Black Sabbath, etc...

How long have you been together and what influences your sound?

Wolfgang: The band has only been playing shows since October, 2004, but the 3 songs on the Death and the Hungry demo were written some time in 2003. At that time, I had already left Sangre Amado and was just recording in my spare time with a session drummer.

The sounds that influence us are some of the bands I mentioned, but other factors had to do with trying to get away from all of this extreme blast beat, "let's be the most brutal band ever" mentality. I love old school death and black metal and that is where I came from, but I am tired of trying to be the most brutal band ever. My previous band (Sangre Amado) was very fast and hectic and it always felt out of control. I am tired of that and wanted to get back to thrash/doom roots with Passive Aggressive. The songs that stick with me the most contain ominous riffs. I am all about ominous riffs as well as straight-up, ass-kicking songs that will drive people to bang their fucking head!

One of the things that I dug about your set was the gritty hardcore sound that you have - it's unique and different. What sets you apart from other bands?

Wolfgang: Well I suppose one of the main things that makes us different is that we don't strive to bludgeon the crowd with a huge fat mess of bassy, overdriven guitars and double bass drums you can barely hear. We try to leave space within the sound, a concept used a lot more in 70's rock. These days, a lot of rock and metal is about cramming as much sound into the space as possible, reducing everything to different frequencies of clicks and bass rumbles. There is no space to breathe. A lot of bands in metal and heavy music in general these days, try to just add layer upon layer of sound believing this makes them heavier.

In Passive Aggressive, the bass sounds like a bass, the guitar sounds like a guitar, the drums are audible; the parts are distinguishable. The vocals are prominent as long as the PA is good because every piece is important. If one note is out of tune, you can hear it because we are not hiding behind a wall of bass, distortion, and effects. It’s not about 1,000 layers of sound pummeling your drunken brain. It's about tearing your head off with one killer riff, one well-placed note, or one dirty facial expression. We are not afraid if you hear what we are playing and we are not afraid if you hear the fuck-ups because in the end, we know we are playing killer songs and killer songs is what we are about. So perhaps the stripped-down approach combined with the fact that we try to keep a little dirt around the edges gives us a somewhat hardcore sound to your ears.

What do you feel people in bands can do to contribute more to the ever struggling music scene in the Bay Area? What is missing and what can improve it?

Wolfgang: I would just say give it all you got and don't expect shit in return. I don't have any answers. I believe in what I do and that is what drives me. I have no idea what drives anyone else. Obviously, underground metal is not the big thing happening, so it's not for everyone.

Three things you wish you could have? Three things you wish you didn’t?

Wolfgang: One - a Gibson V, two - a new bicycle and three - a car that doesn't run on gas. I'd like to keep everything else I have. [wink wink]

Give our readers some final thoughts - an anecdote of your supreme wisdom.

Wolfgang: Think about all the money the government collects from "we the people" in taxes and ask yourself if you know/approve of where it is going and how it is being spent. Think of how many billions of dollars the government collects from U.S. citizens and ask yourself where it is going and if it is benefiting you. Ask yourself why you must pay taxes almost every time you buy anything, yet you must pay a lot of additional money just to have any sort of medical coverage. Ask yourself why health coverage is not a right given to every tax-paying citizen. Ask yourself why our government spends billions on our behalf (much of which is not accounted for) to send U.S. citizens to a foreign country to kill or be killed for a cause we are not even clear about, while people here at home are without food, water, shelter, and health insurance.

Well, there you have it folks. Some rather intelligent insightful thoughts that, I know for myself, have made me sit down and think a bit about this crazy world that we live in, how metal plays a huge part in making sense of it all, and also a way in which to cope with all of this. Be sure to take time to check out this band and continue lending your support to metal that matters from your own hometown.

Links:

www.passive-aggressive.com
www.myspace.com/passiveaggressivesf
http://www.shaxulrecords.com