PureVolume

If you can't beat them, join them.

As if to raise the white flag of surrendering support in said notion, the future members of BLACK HOLE CALCUTTA left separate bands that had battled one another thoughout high school and joined ranks to create what they hoped would be their ultimate doorway to Arizona's booming music scene.

In March 2005, just a few short months after their collective incubation, the band released a promotional demo featuring the lone track "You and You Monster." Although it landed them several shows opening for national acts like Socratic, Tokyo Rose, Lorene Drive, Secret Lives! of the Freemasons, locals BlessTheFall and Vayden, and ironically enough, Smile Empty Soul, the song didn't exactly showcase what black hole calcutta aimed to do with their music. While "You and You Monster" allowed them to surpass their early goals, it also seemed to leave their musical aim misunderstood by many potential fans.

The band seemlessly melds blistering hardcore chuggery, select metal riffery, and an indie rock song-penning sensibility, all of which reach extreme dynamics as songs float around audiences' aural perception as fully as they drive clenched fists into their chests. One of the interesting aspects of black hole calcutta's music would be the fact that they aim to reach such a broad range of emotion without the use of screaming, thus keeping their name clear of any association with the screamo stigma. Still, their relevancy in today's music scene is maintained by the sound of guitarist/vocalist Charles Barth's soaring croons, offset by the whirling riffs of guitarist Chris Ruiz, and backed by an ever-pummeling and boast-worthy rhythm section led by Chris Julian on drums, weighed down by Marc Stacy with his bass.

Lyrically, a black hole calcutta song unfolds as follows: half clever quip, half meaningful metaphor, all revealing a conceptual story that could just as easily end in positive retrospect as it could in gripping tragedy. And still, they manage to remain lyrics relatable to many walks of life.

black hole calcutta is currently working in the studio with Producer George White of the fledgeling FistRock Studios to complete an 8 track disc that they hope to release by this summer. Following the release will come plenty hard work to gain the support of their hometown, and a subsequent a tour of surrounding areas to spread their sound further.

With an initial response far exceeding their expectations, and an impressive proper debut on the brink mass spreading, the potential of black hole calcutta seems endless, and their future bright.