Group of Death but Make It Metal - Singing Serpent Studios Supports the World Cup Protest

Singing Serpent has built a reputation for producing cutting edge material. On this project for Howler magazine during the World Cup, they have blurred the lines between original production and curation. By partnering with the band Beekeeper, who lives and breathes thrash metal, the 'Group of Death' project has moved beyond musical parody into authenticity.

Combined with our production chops and facilities, we were able to move at the speed of advertising, and that is exactly where Singing Serpent wants to live.

Here’s what executive producer, Dennis Culp, had to say about the music production process:

Q> Why do you think this message is important?

Dennis> Soccer/Football is by far the most popular sport internationally at the moment, and there are a lot of people paying attention to the World Cup in Qatar.

However, there are a lot of horrible things surrounding the tournament. FIFA has been accused of all sorts of bribery and corruption - the fact that the last World Cup happened in Putin's Russia shortly after it occupied much of Ukraine, and now Qatar, is dubious at best. With Qatar, it has been reported that migrant workers were treated so badly that literally thousands of people died building these stadiums, with little show of remorse or concern. Beyond this, the treatment of women and the LGBTQ community in the region is a serious point of contention. All of this to say, when we were presented with a platform to protest FIFA and Qatar, support the US Men's National team and raise money for Soccer Without Borders - we jumped at the chance. We gladly donated our production efforts and facilities to make this happen.

Q> Why metal?

Dennis> Metal is such a counter-cultural, aggressive form of protest music - it fits the tone and message of the project perfectly. Historically in the World Cup tournament, there is one bracket in the group stage that gets deemed the "group of death" where all four teams are estimated to be worthy of qualifying for elimination games. This year, there is no group of death per se, so the creatives at Howler Magazine had the idea of forming their own "Group of Death" - featuring a (somewhat) Death Metal band.

Q> How did you find Beekeeper?

Dennis> We found Beekeeper through a process of elimination. We wanted a band local to our San Diego studio, who is super tight and prolific, since we knew we had a limited time to write and record.

Ben Moore, our engineering savant in San Diego knew of the band, and they quickly rose to the top of our list. We love that Beekeeper is female fronted, which is rather uncommon in the metal scene, and it fits well with our Soccer Without Borders partnership. The best thing about Beekeeper though, is their mix of seriousness and wit. Their delivery in this project showed how well they are able to voice these heavy topics with grace.

Q> What was the process of mixing/mastering like?

Dennis> The project was recorded by engineer Alex Jacobelli in our San Diego Studio. With the songs firmly written and arranged before the sessions, we recorded instruments during the first day, and vocals on day two. Day three was all video shoots.

The mixes are pretty simple, as it is just a three piece band. Just super edgy and aggressive. We then had the tracks mastered in our Brooklyn studio, by Goldsounds Mastering - who happens to be in-house. Two sets of masters were created - one at -14dB LUFS to meet most streaming media requirements, and another at full volume for future use and publishing by the band. That's part of what was in it for Beekeeper, and I hope they gain a lot of notoriety from the project - they are truly talented.

Q> What’s your favorite song out of the four and why?

Dennis> The songs are so different. "Field of Screams" is a direct shot at the organizers in Qatar, with all of the greed and loss of life surrounding the tournament. It pulls no punches. On the other end of the spectrum, we have "Dead Ball Dawn" which is a jab at all of the losing teams: ‘Fate was not on your side. Better luck next time, losers.’

Personally for me as an artist, I love the mix of wit and truth to get a point across...and sell shirts for a good cause. I can't wait to get my own Group of Death shirt! Seriously, go to Howler and get one. It's also a highly entertaining magazine about all things soccer.