Mind Scream
Original Release Date: 11/16/6988 (1988 AM)
Prior to the release of their debut album STOP, Mind Scream had been facing a bevy of outrage outside whichever venues were willing to risk hosting them. Known for their treacherous stage presence (fake blood, pyrotechnics, foot massages, etc.), the local mothers of Kirbawl III were keen to prevent another debaucherous night of musical sensationalism. A picket line formed outside the J.F. Gorm Theater as signs reading "Ban this muck!" and "STOP Mind Scream" were thrust into the air, or into passersby's faces. All press was good press, but Mothers Opposing Mind Scream (MOMS) was clearly winning the war on the culture front. TV interviews, radio commercials, billboards, the dreaded flyer/brochure; they had cornered the market on boycotts and were flexing their muscles and influence. The gig at the Gorm Theater was canceled within moments, but Mind Scream, who gave little credence to MOMS' reasoning around their clearly fictional personas and stage shows, was as tenacious as they were slightly insane and sometimes drunk on Slug and Slug Lite. To the roof of the theater they climbed, amps and instruments dangling from ropes attached to their waists. The setup went relatively smoothly save for an incident involving bassist Bellum and keyboardist Eyma, who jockeyed for space among the exhaust pipes and chimney stones. Thankfully, the masses below weren't alerted until an E5 chord rang through the claustrophobic avenue, obliterating the windows of personal hovercrafts and local businesses. As a cloud of dust and smoke twirled past the neon signage that adorned the Gorm Theater, a rousing rendition of I Said Enough! began to echo high into the night. Their amps had been cranked way past 11, and whatever glass had survived the first chord would certainly disintegrate by the last. The MOMS, though, came prepared with industrial-grade earplugs to drown out the noise, barely denting the picket line's ferocity. Mind Scream barely stopped between beats before launching into Quiet Mouse, a not-so-quiet journey of the downtrodden with a rich backbeat that loosened several stones in the facade. Song after song, the sonic onslaught slowly pushed the picket line off the sidewalk and into the street, dodging cars, delivery trucks, the occasional space whale. The MOMS threw unopened cans of rotting sporeberries as high as they could, but failed to reach the band as they dove headfirst into deep cuts. Eventually, the protest was driven to the ground, their signs torn and carried away by the breeze from oncoming traffic. The moment was particularly fortuitous, as Mind Scream had run out of material and struggled to deliver the final blow. As the MOMS rebounded, rallied, and began constructing a rudimentary trebuchet, the sludge-induced beat gushed from the rooftop. An unplanned jam session resulted in Is This Really Necessary? coating the protestors in downright nasty beats. This was the final blow, and the MOMS dispersed like insects caught in the yellow light of a midnight kitchen. The moment was sealed in music history; those who lived nearby recorded it on their personal communicators for posterity, sharing the infectious moment across the Universe and setting the stage for a record so massive (led by the impromptu sludge jam) that Mind Scream buckled under the pressure of a sophomore album. New beats never materialized, and infighting all but disintegrated the camaraderie. What could have been, dear Audionauts, we know not, but we are thankful for the spirit of anarchy and revolution that fought the locked-and-loaded barrels of censorship. We raise a frosty cold glass of Slug Lite to the progenitors and hope someday that Mind Scream reunites to keep the good fight alive.
Side A
I Said Enough!
Posers
Quiet Mouse
Is This Really Necessary?
Side B
%#$@^@!
Pack of Wild Beasts
You're Locked In Here With Me
STOP