Brutality in various forms is the name of the game for any Lightning Bolt show, and more obviously, this is exemplified through Brian Chippendale drumming to the point of causing vicarious arthritis in every audience member. Anecdotally though, I recently attended one of the band’s North American shows in support of Fantasy Empire, and bassist Brian Gibson punched me in the face… with the dirty, dirty sounds blasting out of his amp. I could likewise hear among the air fluctuations that it was my job to “fight back, you wuss,” and not being privy to the self-awareness and potentially confrontational nature of instruments, I went and got Mulder on the phone (who’s busy with more lighthearted pursuits).
“Fighting back” becomes more possible nonetheless, as DROOL, the video game developer run by Gibson and Marc Flury, has just offered more details surrounding Thumper, a “rhythm violence game” that’s reportedly been years in the making. It’s set for release on Playstation 4 and Steam in 2016, but a showcase in which “you control a space beetle while careening towards confrontation with an insane giant head from the future” — the central thesis of the game — will be featured at this year’s E3. Every word in that description sounds appealing.
Thumper follows up Gibson’s work on Guitar Hero and Rock Band with the Cambridge, MA-based developer Harmonix. Here’s a preview, especially for those not prone to seizing:
• Lightning Bolt: http://laserbeast.com
• DROOL: http://www.drool.ws
More about: Brian Gibson, Lightning Bolt
