Botch share their first new song in over 20 years
Earlier this year, it was announced that mathcore royalty Botch had signed to Sargent House with plans to reissue their back catalogue on vinyl. Naturally, this led to conjecture among fans, hopeful for a reunion.
Today, we bring the exciting news that, indeed, Botch will rise again after 20 years of dormancy. The exciting revelation arrives in the form of a brand new single, ‘One Twenty Two’.
Where some bands rise from the dead to bring a mediocre scattering of long-lost ideas that fail to coalesce with a modern crowd, Botch have delivered a single here that makes us wonder if they ever left. The track seems to have picked up where the Washington group left off when they parted ways two decades ago.
The band, now reaching their mid-to-late-40s, sounds just as fresh and energetic as they did in the 1990s. David Knudson’s heavy, pounding riffs come thick and fast, while Dave Verellen’s voice comes full of newfound rage worthy of our post-pandemic climate.
In a tease ahead of the new single, Bassist Brian Cook, also of Russian Circles, shared a photo on his Instagram account sharing a rehearsal room and the caption: “Hung out with some friends from high school today”.
After releasing two seminal genre-defining albums, Botch have been largely inactive since the early 2000s. Since then, the band have played a few isolated shows, with the last one being held in 2006. Over the past 15 years, Botch have stated on numerous occasions that they would “never reunite”, but here we are!
Following their dispersal, members splintered off to join Russian Circles, Minus the Bear, Narrows, Roy, Russian Circles, and These Arms Are Snakes. Botch were an early peer of The Dillinger Escape Plan and Converge and were a guiding influence for countless modern acts.
As yet, the band have remained quiet on the “full album” front, but watch this space and as we know, we’ll let you know.
Until then, enjoy ‘One Twenty Two’ below.
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