Music

THIS EXISTS: Hatebeak, Caninus and the world of animal-fronted extreme metal

by Tyler Munro

Every week, This Exists uncovers and explores musical peculiarities that exist in the dark corners of the internet, sometimes just outside the mainstream. Today we take a closer look Hatebeak and Caninus, two extreme metal bands with three of the more unique vocalists you’ll ever hear.

If you tried to make a list of the most unique vocalists in music, it would probably include the usual suspects: Geddy Lee, Joanna Newsom, Lord Worm, Tom Waits, Mike Patton. All good choices, certainly, but here’s one you’ve probably never heard of. His name is Waldo and he’s the vocalist for Hatebeak. Oh, and he’s also a parrot.

Waldo is an African grey parrot and, to our knowledge, the lone performer in the exclusive avian death metal subgenre. What’s even weirder is that his combination of squeals and shrieks—ordered and placed, we assume, by Blake Richardson, who went onto do the electronics for Pig Destroyer—sound right at home in the already ridiculous world of extreme metal.

In 2005, Hatebeak released a split album with Caninus, a side-project of Most Precious Blood’s Justin Branna. Pronounced k-9-us, Caninus are a grindcore project whose two vocalists are as unique as Hatebeak. No, they’re not birds. Two bands with birds? That would be silly.

Budgie and Basil are both pitbulls, rescued by the band days before their scheduled euthanization.