A retro-futuristic riot: how a modified Game Boy and extreme metal virtuosity transformed Raleigh’s Chapel of Bones into an insane cyber rave.
Rainy summer time weather wasn’t enough to keep people away from Chapel of Bones in Raleigh, NC. Lines formed early for a later-than-usual 8 PM door time, driven by high anticipation for two of the most unique artists to visit the venue.
First on stage was arottenbit, a solo project by Italian musician Alessandro “Otto” Galli. Carrying an illuminated trash can and a modified 1989 Nintendo Game Boy, Galli nonchalantly walked onstage with little hint of the chaos he was about to unleash. He hoisted the console high, demanding worship like Rafiki presenting Simba in The Lion King. Once the crowd erupted, Galli donned a tight ski mask and pressed play, catching the audience off guard with a relentless 8-bit assault.
arottenbit belongs to the “chiptune” genre, electronic music synthesized via vintage sound chips from arcade cabinets, early consoles, and retro PCs like the Commodore Amiga. For older crowd members, the tones offered a nostalgic trip to their youth, but the aggressive, hyper-speed mixing was entirely fresh. Galli’s hardware modifications allowed him to trigger blinding musical loops and sound effects on the fly. The stunned grins and “what the hell” reactions between tracks proved he was winning over a room full of metalheads.
Demanding circle pits, slam dancing, and stage dives, Galli regularly leaped into the crowd to personally orchestrate the chaos. The packed venue quickly transformed into a sweating cyber-rave. Watching a heavy metal crowd willingly surrender to techno loops generated by a 40-year-old gaming console and a glowing trash can was pure magic. arottenbit provided a masterclass in how an opening act should hype a room.
Next up, the stage was set for Master Boot Record (MBR). A drum kit occupied one side, balanced by a massive workstation piled with antiquated monitors, 1980s keyboards, and a dot-matrix printer. Extreme metal drummer Giulio Galati and guitar virtuoso Edoardo Taddei took their places before MBR mastermind Vittorio D’Amore (Victor Love) entered to thunderous applause. Formed in Rome in 2016, MBR seamlessly blends heavy metal, classical orchestration, and chiptunes. Behind the band, a massive projection screen flashed a mind-numbing montage of MS-DOS install menus, disk defragmentation loops, and gameplay from classic PC and console games such as Doom and Prince of Persia. It was a glorious nostalgia trip back to the era of hacked “warez” and custom-built PCs.The synthesized soundscapes ranged from hypnotic melodies to frantic, piercing walls of sound, anchored by awe-inspiring virtuosity. For the entire 90-minute set, Taddei’s fingers flew across his guitar neck at a breakneck pace reminiscent of DragonForce. Combined with Galati’s thunderous percussion and Love’s precise rhythm tracks, the performance kept the floor in a state of constant, headbanging motion.
While deep-cut tech nods like Internet Relay Chat (IRC) may have missed the youngest attendees, references to Doom and the cyberpunk adventure game VirtuaVerse drew massive cheers. The setlist featured songs “DOOM,” “IRC,” “VIRUS.DOS,” and a cover of “Tenebre Rosso Sangue” from Love’s side project, KEYGEN CHURCH.
MBR’s tour wraps up in New York City on May 30 before heading to European festivals this summer.
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