Watch Philly grindcore four-piece Fantasy Panther get bloody in The Barbary bathroom

Maybe you remember mid-aughties Philly noisemakers An Albatross, but if not, here’s a quick summary – they ruled. They mixed up high-octane punk energy with heavy metal instrumental precision, cranked the speed up 20 times, and added some swaggery rock n’ roll moves in the mix. The one time I got to catch them live – a floor show at the First Unitarian Church basement circa 2003 where, if memory serves, they shared the bill with DC avant-shredders Black Eyes and Philly hardcore heroes Paint it Black – front man Edward Gieda was an intimidating, shirtless, sweaty specter. He strutted like Mick Jagger, leaped and landed on the crowd’s outstretched hands like Iggy Pop, was possibly seconds away from smashing a bottle and cutting himself up with it. Meanwhile, the band blew through some of the most nihilistic grindcore jams I’ve heard to this day.

All this is to preface Fantasy Panther, Gieda’s new group I just found out about. Joining him are An Albatross drummer Steven Vaiani and guitarist / producer Daniel Kishbaugh, and they just premiered a new music video for a rager called “Insect.” It’s a minute-long blast of insanity, and the blood-splattered video was shot in the upstairs restroom at The Barbary this past Saturday night. Watching the band play in a bathroom is kind of a surreal thing in itself – from a sound engineering standpoint, they’ve got to be getting like ZERO separation in there, and from a custodial standpoint, they’re practically a demolition crew. But it rules, true to Fantasy Panther’s pedigree. They’re right now recording songs for a full length at Creep Records Studio. Watch “Insect” below.