WFA: Cumshot Wound

Metal music has truly come a long way. That first sentence may seem like a cheap pun given the name of the act this article is on, and the raunchy nature of their song titles as well as lyrical subject matter, but I promise it’s not at all the case. But digression aside, as I was saying, metal music and anything under that or the umbrella of punk and whatever you can put in between or mixed along with those labels have far evolved from where they originated, for better or worse. While all the music tends to have its finesse, you can get anything and everything from parody acts, to serious acts, to acts that have an entire stage gimmick that consumes about as much practice time as rehearsing the music itself does. Today, we’re covering an act that sits delightfully (or repulsively, depending on who you ask) in transcendence of the unofficial Venn Diagram of metal music and its various avenues; Please welcome Cumshot Wound as our not-so-very-safe-for-work Weekly Featured Artist!

A fairly newer act out of Nashville, Tennessee, Cumshot Wound are every bit as blunt and forward about their persona and who they are as the abrasive riffing their music radiates. A powerful force on-stage, and a humorous, friendly bunch off-stage, the band have already completed a number of tours, weekenders, and shows all over the United States within only the year or so of existence. Their first show appearing to date back to June of 2024, they follow the work ethic of many other acts that have signed on with RVA’s Scum City Entertainment label, which proves Scum City to be much more of a force than simply within the limits of RVA’s scene. But nonetheless, CSW are quickly making a name for themselves as they cover various other territories and put out some truly raw, gritty, and punishing music with plenty of twists and turns.

As reads on their Spotify profile, ‘you guys mix sexuality with repulsion and it’s very confusing’. Whoever it was that spoke this synopsis to them isn’t made clear, but one thing’s for certain upon listening to their music – whoever said this was not wrong. With a lot of the lyrics and song titles centering around humorous, yet gory and grotesque sexual situations and hypotheticals (or at least, I’m truly hoping no one in the band has legitimately experienced or witnessed any of this), the band gives listeners a full-on audible assault of riffs, shrill shrieks, and chuckles as tracks such as “Cheesecock”, “Gory Glory Holes”, and “Pre-Nut Confusion” paint a fine portrait of what the title entails within their debut album, Cumcore. Released October 18th of 2024, much of their busy schedule this year has been spreading the good word of Cumcore across the East Coast and elsewhere, promoting what can assuredly be a recorded capture of the same level of high voltage energy and tinnitus-inducing, relentless grindy goodness they bring to any stage that has them.

Every track on the album blasts the ears of the listener with a bold mix of metal, grindcore, hardcore punk, and often some goofy segues that make the songs unpredictable, but in an ultimately fun and interesting formality sure to tickle the fancies of any dirty-minded, avid fans of bands such as Magrudergrind, ACxDC, Bandit, or Agoraphobic Nosebleed. A bit too metallic to be called punk, and a bit too sludgy to fully be categorized as thrash…CSW delivers their very own brand of sadistic, repulsive, sexually-depraved chaotic and feedback-laden wall of sound that is best captured exactly as it sounds on the album – as if the band just set a mic up in the practice space and let it rip. This is not to say the album is without its polish in production value, but the edges are left rough enough to let you know the true-to-grindcore elements are well intact.

So what exactly makes this band so special outside of their silly song titles, grindy noise worship, and the fact that they’ve played out a lot for a band that has barely even existed a year as far as what information is available can tell? Well, it’s obviously completely subjective and at the individual’s discretion of what you define as ‘special’ within music, and how you define that. But for this writer, I think Cumshot Wound truly do have their own special thing going on. I believe they embody something I’ve preached many times before when covering WFAs of days past – doing something with the fullest level of passion possible, and remembering to not take yourself too seriously and have fun with it first and foremost.

Sure, it’s easy to chalk up an act like this as some sort of parody, and for many that may serve as a turn-off. However, CSW feel more like a vessel the members of the project utilize to vent displeasures with societal labels, socio-political issues, and above all else, a means to thoroughly express themselves in a manner that may seem confusing, but has its own tongue-in-cheek style of message to be said. At the end of the day, having something to say is what makes for some of the best music imaginable, and even if Cumshot Wound do that in the most vulgar fashion they can, it is no less valid that they’re getting their point across.

All-in-all, bands like CSW continue to prove that there is a place for even the strangest, grittiest, and absolutely wild concepts of a metal band thinkable. Communities thrive on the support brought by those who come together to make it all happen, but it helps all the more when you have a band rolling through town that makes would-be show goers look at the flyer and both scratch their head and shrug saying ‘Ah well, that’s a pretty funny name, we should go check ‘em out!’. Sometimes the best things in your life happen from taking a chance, even if it makes for an awkward story afterwards. On that note, I implore you to take a chance on Cumshot Wound. Follow the band via Instagram, and find all their releases via Spotify! Be sure to stay up-to-date with the band’s touring, news, and more at either link! A quick look through their posts on Instagram will definitely raise your eyebrows and give enough of a hint as to what kind of antics you’re in store for should you find yourself at a show they play somewhere near you…