

To the untrained ear, all grindcore bands sound pretty weird. Cookie monster vocals, breakneck tempo shifts, rumbling double kick drums—if you’re not into this stuff, you’re really not into this stuff. And we can’t really say we blame you. Bands like Dillinger Escape Plan are sort of the haggis of metal—a lot of people claim it tastes good, but we’re pretty sure most of them ate it the first time just so their friends wouldn’t think they were pussies.

But even by the standards of grindcore, Iwrestledabearonce is pretty out there. They’re so far out there, in fact, that we’re not even sure it’s fair to call them “grindcore”—”spazzcore” might be a better term, or even “avant-garde metal,” which is what someone wrote on their Wikipedia page, although that sounds way more serious and pretentous then they actually are.

A typical IWABO song, if there is such a thing, might start off sounding like straight grindcore, before shifting into a slower, more melodic chorus, then getting a little expansive and proggy, then back to more grindcore, maybe a nice, tinkly little jazzy passage or a Primus-like bass solo, more grindcore, a little country two-step, then a quick, spazzy two-bar guitar solo leading into a big ol’ Headbangers Ball worthy finish. All in about four minutes. Have trouble concentrating at concerts? Then IWABO is the band for you. Maybe we should just call it Ritalincore and be done with it.

The folks making this insane racket are six five seemingly nice kids from Shreveport, Louisiana, led by a ridiculously awesome little chick named Krysta Cameron who can sing like a bird one minute and then scare the living crap out of you with a spawn-of-Satan growl that would do Glen Benton proud. Seriously, if there’s a more bad-ass vocalist in metal right now of either gender, we have yet to hear him/her.

IWABO have a lot of great songs, and a lot of great song titles (“Corey Feldman Holocaust,” “Alaska Flouder Basket” and our favorite, “I’m Cold and There Are Wolves After Me”–Simpsons reference!) but their most famous song is probably “Tastes Like Kevin Bacon,” which has a truly fantastic video that we present below. Turn it up! Or if you’re really a pussy, watch it with the sound off until about the 1:45 mark. It gets real purty after that. Well, for about 30 seconds.

You might also like: Cattle Decapitation, Hatebeak, Mr. Bungle

Related stories:



10 thoughts on “Iwrestledabearonce

  1. VenetianScorn

    I had a feeling, there would be some whining when I read the term grindcore in this context XD It’s really just deathcore and I personally think The Heartlands Two American Kids Growig Up (those screams!!) or Dr. Aculas S.L.O.B. are somewhat weirder (but also not worthy of The List)

    Oh…and anal abortion squirt would make much more sense than anal squirt abortion…aborting a squirt? what is that?!^^

    1. Sheavy

      Oh, boy. What is with so many grindcore fans and loseing their shit when a band that has grindcore stylings, but isn’t fully grincore, gets called grindcore.It’s Mathcore actually. A combination of grindcore,metalcore, math rock, and prog rock. Go learn your shit faggot.

  2. Paul

    I’m curious as to why you repeatedly call Iwrestledabearonce grindcore when they have nothing in common with a grindcore band.

      1. Rich

        Metalcore or deathcore? Hell, Maybe even mathcore. Grindcore has lately been thrown around as a term for bands that don’t want the negative connotations that come along with metalcore and deathcore. But you can’t just bandy it about randomly. It is a defined genre with defined elements that bands like iwrestledabearonce stray far from. Just because a grindy riff or section is present, does not make them a grind band. With that logic, iwrestledabear once is also a lounge band or a jazz band.

  3. spunj13

    i honestly don’t think these guys deserved to be in this list.
    what they’re doing isn’t terribly original. it’s just ripping off The Number 12 Looks Like You, Psyopus, Dillinger Escape Plan and See You Next Tuesday.

    the vocalist from Walls of Jericho is way more beastly than her, and the vocalist from Rolo Tomassi actually has a good singing voice as well as being able to scream.

    these guys are like the pop of modern spazzy-grindcore.

    for better things like this:
    Psyopus, Hunab Ku, Shrimp!, Lye By Mistake…

Leave a Reply to VenetianScorn Cancel reply


WordPress.com Logo


Google photo


Twitter picture


Facebook photo


Connecting to %s