It's now time for this month's Defunct Local Band Profile, as we kick off another year of spotlights of local metal, hard rock, and punk acts from the past, as randomly selected from our band links! As we lead off 2025, we're taking a trip back to the 2010s for a look at a band that will be an acquired taste for many, but definitely left a big impression despite their duo lineup, so here's what you should know on them!
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Hometown: Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
Genre: Grindcore/Goregrind/Punkgrind
Lineup:
Dylan Taylor (Legitly Logic), vocals
Tyler "Ringsnaps" Gibson (Crucify The Whore), bass
(Rotopsy were one of multiple one-two man metal bands to crop up in the Soo in the 2010s. They never had a permanent guitarist, and they utilized a drum machine for percussion in studio and in concert.)
Audio/Video: Long-time staples of Tyler's independent label Blood Shed Productions, Rotopsy (pronounced "raw-topsy") were frequently featured in the label's demo CD releases in the early-mid 2010s, and have four surviving releases on their Bandcamp page, including a self-titled 2014 EP and a full-length album from 2015 named "Sexual Assault Rifle". They also featured on two split releases (one with two other bands, one with ten) from the mid-2010s, though only their contributions are streamable there. Songs of theirs can also be heard on their Reverbnation page. A number of videos from their live dates can be seen online, with the SMS filming them for our Facebook page at multiple Oddfellows Hall dates, while videos and song uploads are common on the Blood Shed YouTube channel and select other channels there. Here they are live in March of 2015!
Info/Analysis: Originally launching under the name Spitneck in 2012, Rotopsy relaunched on social media a year later, and made their public concert debut at the former Oddfellows Hall in October 2013. Fans of late-era Oddfellows shows will recall seeing Dylan & Tyler open for bands like Thekillingfield, Bookakee, and Archelon in their heyday (often at shows promoted by Heavy North Entertainment), while also opening at major multi-band concerts like Dank Fest, Swampstravaganza IV, and Das Bunkerfest, and numerous house
parties. The guys even hit the road for a couple of out of town dates in 2015 in Sudbury and Cochrane. Band updates began slowing down after 2015, and despite teasing a new EP for 2018 named "A Worthless Collection Of Aggressive Noises", it was never publically released. Rotopsy played their final public concert at an all-local metal show at the former New American Pub in February 2019, and quietly fell inactive later that year.
Honestly, a band like Rotopsy is critic-proof, given their often quite adult & provocative lyrics, song titles, and imagery, let alone the minimalist lineup and short songs (their 32 songs on Bandcamp average just 1:49 in length), but they were slightly more accessible than C.T.W. are. "Cops N Moms" would be where I'd start casual fans on, given that it didn't have death metal growling and it became a popular sing-along track live. From seeing Rotopsy live, even sans shoes, they had a fun live energy that definitely appealed to their core fanbase, and they were clearly having a lot of fun, so hopefully we see Tyler and Dylan back at some point! I do still think that the 1-2 man Blood Shed bands could have formed one great full band though.
I hope you guys liked this month's Defunct Local Band Profile! We'll be doubling up for next month's installment, as our first randomly selected band only briefly existed, so we randomly picked a second band in a similar state to round things out. Both bands did put out an album, namely noise rock duo No Funeral and Free Beer/Id Iota interim group Habitat Shuffle, so look for these profiles on or around February 10th. That's all for now, but look for our full coverage of 104.3 FM's massive overhaul on the site either tomorrow night or on Monday! Thanks everyone!
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