"The Unbuckling," the new single from Missouri Executive Order 44, is now streaming.
New album Salt Sermon will be released August 16th on Learning Curve Records and The Ghost Is Clear Records.
Stream the track, here: https://meo44.bandcamp.com/track/the-unbuckling
Pre-order the album, here: https://lcrdistro.com/products/salt-sermons-lp-meo-44
Based in Kansas City, Missouri Executive Order 44 takes its name from a dark chapter of its state's history: an 1838 order from the state's governor, encouraging the banishment or extermination of all Mormons. Clad in the bike helmets and white shirts that commonly signify LDS evangelists, the four aliased members of MEO44 – vocalist Jarom Johnson, guitarist Elos Olsen, bassist Esau Fullmer, and drummer Malachi Hatch – use that specific historical moment as their rallying cry as they blast out blistering hardcore anthems in opposition to all forms of persecution. While a majority of bands in the scene take a stance against organized religion, the band flips the script and claims allegiance with the Saints of the 1830s, holding them up as victims of the state's tyranny.
Johnson states: “Missouri Executive Order 44 is a reminder that we, as decent human beings, need to stand together in communities and collectives to overthrow tyrannical authority and prevent the impending destruction of our autonomy by the bigoted forces of the state, police, and fascists. The story of our Mormon ascendants is cautionary but also too familiar to the experiences of our brothers and sisters. The state can and will oppress those it deems 'other' or 'less than' and our message is one of retribution, anti-colonialism, anti-state and pro-humanity."
Recorded and mixed by Matt Perrin (ex-Bummer) and mastered by Will Killingsworth (Orchid, The Body), Salt Sermon clocks in at just fifteen minutes. From sasscore twang to blackened noisecore, the album drives forward darkly, relentlessly, with Johnson holding court like a manic preacher. Reference points might include Cursed, Coalesce, The Locust, and Heavy Heavy Low Low. Olsen calls it, simply, "Great Plains Hardcore... like the sporadic chaos of a herd of steer left to stampede across an empty prairie."
A 2023 article in local Kansas City paper The Pitch puts it like this: "Dressed in the iconic dark slacks and white shirts of door-to-door evangelists, the 'bike-helmet hardcore' band Missouri Executive Order 44 is taking a new look at Missouri’s history and identity... They never break character, but MEO44’s Mormon themes and appearance are more than just a schtick. Rather, the performance is a medium through which the group is able to share deeply held principles—beliefs that extend far beyond the boundaries of LDS church history and doctrine."
Upcoming shows:
Aug 16 - Kansas City, MO @ Howdy (w/ Yatsu, Gash)
Aug 23 - Colorado Springs, CO @ What’s Left Records
Aug 24-25 - Denver, CO @ Ghost Canyon Fest (w/ Young Widows, Wolf Eyes)
More info: https://thechainworld.blogspot.com/2024/06/missouri-executive-order-44-salt-sermon.html
Photo by Raney Yelenich
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