Drano Cocktail is the tonally amorphous noise project of Iowa denizen, Ben Campbell. Established in his early teens around 2013, Ben sought to uncover the harshest, most extreme sounds beyond what is already considered utmost abrasive in underground circles. That is, he yearned to cross the caustic boundaries of death metal, grindcore, and other flesh-peeling genres to locate unbridled experimentation and migraine-inducing compositions. This led him to create a noisecore project with a close friend. However, Drano Cocktail satiates Ben’s drive for tinkering with sounds, mood palettes, and morose themes in liberating ways as he does not tether himself to a single noise style or flavor.

Ben’s first Drano Cocktail release, Hope for Human Extinction, starkly contrasts with his most recent output. Where this 22-minute track features a cacophony of sporadic drumming and hellish shrieks, his latest release, Regeneration, pumps in arteries of droning, ambient-laden harsh noise. Between these releases exist several others, though interestingly, the span of time between Hope for Human Extinction and a follow-up is nearly five years in length. During these years, Ben spent countless hours honing, refining, experimenting. He says most of the recordings from this period will likely never see the light of day as he substantially progressed over this period. But since emerging from the shadows, he has been churning out healthy slugs of drain cleaner.

It is unknown where Ben will take Drano Cocktail sonically. Regeneration and the live set he performs on this episode channels rather hypnotic energy. Though as his discography expands and as he explains in this interview, he continues to seek darker, seedier paths that will unfurl before him and drag him deeper into experimentation. Thank you so much for listening.