Cocobat

Return of Grasshopper (Toy Factory)
by Scott Hefflon

Japanese metalcore produced by Don Fury which blends novelty kitsch, sounds as heavy as John Candy’s lard butt, and lyrics that are both insightfully metaphoric and incitefully angry. Punchy bass, slammable rhythms, and diverse time changes keep the bodies bouncing, while reading what the vocalist is roaring about will actually cause pause for the thoughtful hardcore enthusiast. Imagery, including the amazing strength of grasshoppers, chinning exercises, showering, and the idea that “same food makes same shit,” takes the lyrics beyond the boy-am-I-pissed trap, making Cocobat a definite read and listen. While direct translation leads to amusing “If I grasshopper” sentences, “Every day I’m sorry, try climb the mountain” alludes to something important, and you don’t have to be a genius to figure out that lying about the number of chin-ups you can do is really representative of a much larger lie.