By Jim Shea
On Friday, metal band Rot In Pain, based out of Port Chester, N.Y., came to the Radio Hofstra University (WRHU) studio for a special performance in which the band definitely tore down the walls with their aural-assault of heavy metal music.
All four members of Rot In Pain-Tim Gorgin on vocals, Anthony Valbiro on bass, Frank Valbiro on drums (both Anthony and Frank are brothers), and Kyle on guitar-stopped by during the Aggressive Edge metal show in order to display their talent over the airwaves. Don't fool yourself though; these guys didn't come out of the blue just to appear on the show. Since the end of 2003, Rot In Pain have played alongside some of metal's biggest acts such as Hatebreed, Soulfly, Machine Head and Biohazard.
"It's just amazing how far we went within the past year," drummer Frank Valbiro said about the band's rise to fame. Before they "broke onto the scene," they were just performing in high school gymnasiums at "Battle of the Bands" shows. However, much of their success is through their music itself. After releasing their 5-song demo in the spring of 2003, they continued on writing new material until they met up with producer Les Bloome of DTG Productions.
"He's an extraordinary guy that has done a lot of us," Frank Valbiro commented on Bloome on his work for their self-titled EP which was released last summer. Vocalist Tim Gorgin said, "It's a definite step above from our previous stuff, a lot of (local bands) should be working with DTG Productions because of the dedication they give you."
While in the WRHU studio, Rot In Pain performed two songs off their self-titled EP, "Vindication" and "Third Eye," and also gave listeners a treat as they debuted two new songs over the air, "Rot In Pain" and "Domination Theory." While performing in the studio, it was like a typical Rot In Pain concert-a ton of energy, flawless instrumentals, clear-cut sound-the only thing missing is the crowd.
As for their song writing, the band doesn't waste a lot of time thinking about their songs. Tim Gorgin reveals how one of their songs, "Vindication," came to light, "I was just angry that my stepdad took away my cell phone, so I focused my frustration on writing 'Vindication.'"
An interesting side note about Rot In Pain - their first major show was with Biohazard at L'Amours in Brooklyn where many of metal greats such as Metallica, Type O Negative and others have performed at the legendary night club. Unfortunately, L'Amours closed its doors for good at the beginning of 2004, but Rot In Pain's performance at L'Amours in December 2003 marked one of the last shows ever at L'Amours. While many bands have performed at L'Amours before they made it big, who knows where Rot In Pain will go with a L'Amours show on their resume.
As for the present, Rot In Pain have a busy schedule for the rest of October. On Oct. 15, they will be playing with New York City hardcore act, Most Precious Blood at The Chance Theater in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. and will return to Poughkeepsie the following week with NYHC legends 25 Ta Life. Their biggest show, however, will be on Oct. 23 up in Danbury, Conn. where they'll be playing at the Full Blown Chaos CD Release show. The band hopes to release a brand new album by early as January 2005. n
Rot In Pain recently played an in-studio performance at WRHU. (Image courtesy www.thehvscene.com)