"COMEDIC INDUSTRIAL METAL: Circus of Dead Squirrels represents everything that is wrong in society today, and they know it. So instead of crafty love ballads and sappy songs about misdirected youth, they dive directly into the heart of the problem: pop culture. By applying a rock formula exaggerated by metallic riffs and a punk attitude punctuated with industrial rhythms, their set list reveals their disdain for the society that created them. By either exposing the wrongs of fast food in ‘The Happy Meal-Worm’ or giving the middle finger to the government on ‘President Pinocchio’, Circus of Dead Squirrels leaves no stone unturned in their attack of the social ills that media commercialism has thrust at us for the past couple of decades. Having the word "circus" in their name is an apt way to describe their sound. With an injection of obscure samples, carnival sounds, TV commercial bits, and overall abrasiveness, the listener will feel like a deer caught in the headlights. Think Mindless Self Indulgence with an even more jaded look at society, applying a humorous view that attacks every corner of our remote control generation and you begin to hear the crux of the parodies applied. Not for listeners that are easily offended or who just simply don't know how to take a joke."
-Joseph Graham, OUTBURN MAGAZINE #40 AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2007




Local Motion: Squirrel, Meet Pavement Circus of Dead Squirrels: not your father's industrial band 

If Slipknot were to dress up like roadkill instead of Resident Evil extras, they might look like Circus of Dead Squirrels. With their full-body Dickies uniforms and custom-made masks, the quartet felt like the former band's take on a dysfunctional children's picture book. As they opened Saturday's set at Danbury's Monkey Bar, however, they churned out songs that were much more industrial than metal. I wouldn't exactly call them dark — carnivalesque and morbid, more like. They did songs with titles like "Happy MealWorm" ("You are what you eat — you're gonna die!" screams vocalist Pancho Ripchord). Death metal this is not. It's a bit odd to think that with all the recording studio hours Korn and their ilk spent exploring (and exploiting) childhood dysfunction, no one ever came up with the idea to do it with a sense of humor. And that will be the exact love-it-or-hate-it criteria for most people confronted with the Circus' music. If you need your industrial to have a drug-addled, bondage geared-up, unhumorous front like Ministry or KMFDM, CODS will probably fail to shake your tree. But if you crack a smile at artists like Mindless Self Indulgence and Dr. Steel, who, truth be told, most people don't even think of as industrial, then you'll probably have the required tolerance levels for CODS' shtick. It's good music: drummer Omega's all-electronic drumkit packs a huge wallop, switching from dance beats to double bass. But they're the sort of band best discovered live, lest the effect of their surreal stage show be lost.
-Dan Barry, HARTFORD ADVOCATE
 



“Recently a band sent me their latest EP for review. The package consisted of one CDR that had the band and album name spelled incorrectly. There was nothing else in the package—no tracklisting, no band info, no website info, absolutely nothing but a twenty-five cent CDR. This was sent to me by a band member, one who couldn't even spell his band or album name correctly. I'm still annoyed at this, thinking back to the time when I was sending out albums from my own bands and how much time we put into it. Luckily, not every band is of the same uncaring mind, when it comes to their presentation, what represents them as artists, as a whole. Circus Of Dead Squirrels take the old school approach, understanding that the music is not all that matters, there is a visual aspect that also speaks to people.
The Pop Culture Massacre And The End Of The World Sing-A-Long Songbook!, Circus Of Dead Squirrels's third album, is lavishly presented as a childrens' book, but featuring full-colored, detailed artwork (cartoons, to be exact) correlating with songs on the album: a squirrel slitting the throat of the McDonald's owner (I presume) and making Ronald and friends eat worm-filled burgers (‘The Happy Meal-Worm’); a ghoulish-looking squirrel with a chainsaw chasing down current presidential failure George W. Bush, depicted as Pinocchio (‘President Pinocchio’); a squirrel performing a ‘fatality’ a la Mortal Kombat (‘Prizefighter’); a squirrel operating a guillotine, about to behead beloved Elmo while his Sesame Street pals happily watch on (‘Elmo's Last Laugh’); and a squirrel raising a pitchfork over its head in a fiery, hellish cavern, looking to be commanding knife- and tuna can top-wielding killers in the manner of the Pillsbury Doughboy, Tony the Tiger, Charlie the Tuna, Mr. Peanut, and the Hamburger Helper Helping Hand (‘Hell's Kitchen’). And that's not all. Circus Of Dead Squirrels put a lot of time and effort in creating The Pop Culture Massacre…, and they did the same on their previous two releases, Indoor Recess and Outdoor Recess.
Of course, as they say, ‘You can't polish a turd.’ So what of the music? Well, Circus Of Dead Squirrels' talent doesn't end with creating a nice visual package, the music is pretty damn good—for what it is. The Pop Culture Massacre… is a mash up of GWAR meets Misery Loves Co. meets Slipknot meets the lyrical prowess of Tesco Vee and The Meatmen—with less homo-erotic comedy (though Ninja Turtle Liberace does play guitar and keyboards, so I could be wrong). The first true song on the album is ‘Overpopulation Annihilation’, a brutal, pounding industrial metal anthem, sure to get the blood flowing, through the body or knuckles. ‘The Happy Meal-Worm’ follows a similar path, but more upbeat, layered with a twisted, circus-like foundation. ‘Losing Touch’ sounds like a Slipknot song played through the haunted speakers of a techno dance club (Where are my glowsticks?). The rest of the album flows in a pretty similar style, not throwing out many curveballs until the track ‘Nobody Quite Like Me’, a mid-paced, eerie, atmospheric gem of a song. This song finds the band in more serious and mature territory, musically and lyrically. I'm tempted to say the song doesn't fit on the album, because it does seem to sort of skewer the satirical flow of the rest of the songs, but it's simply too good a song to ignore.
The Pop Culture Massacre… isn't without its flaws. As is the case with many undustrial-like bands, sometimes a little noise overindulgence interrupts the flow of a song; it's easy to include too much, making for a somewhat distracting listen. This doesn't apply to any one song completely, only parts now and then. The production is outstanding, and the mix is killer. While I think some songs have a little too much going on from time to time, nothing ever gets lost in the mix. The music is generally captivating in its driving rhythms and grooves, and the lyrics, while satirical, aren't necessarily stupid, or cringe-worthy. And again, the artwork and layout is topnotch. The album begins with a disclaimer track, a warning to those would-be naysayers with no sense of humor, which, to quote the final moment of the track, essentially states: ‘Thoroughly fuck off, or enjoy the show.’ And the latter is what I did.”
-Ken Wood, TARTAREAN DESIRE 




“Damn! These guys are fuckin' amazing! They remind me of one of my favorite bands from New York & that's BILE! This is the debut CD release of this Industrial Metal act out of CT. The music has a ton of energy pouring out everywhere. I was hooked right from the start. They have a Metal sound, but it is covered with tons of Industrial music. I loved the adrenaline that drives through all their songs. The music is extremely tight & fast, with tons of Industrial grooves, beats & breakdowns. These guys are just down right amazing! The vocals are done in a mid ranged Industrial style & a low end Death growl. This is one of the best new bands I've heard in a long time. Fans of BILE & HELL ON EARTH will love this band!!! I know I did!!!”
-Burt Wolf, BEOWOLF PRODUCTIONS 




ALBUM OF THE YEAR 2007: CIRCUS OF DEAD SQUIRRELS!!! The Pop Culture Massacre
"Congratulations to Connecticut's own 'Circus Of Dead Squirrels' for winning this honor two years in a row. Their debut cd took the vote last year, and their sophomore effort totally blew us away again this year. This is one of the most creative and original industrial bands we have ever seen. If you saw their performance at the 'RSP Industry Showcase 2007', then you know what we're talking about. We do not anticipate these guys being unsigned for long. This is a band that could easily rule the world, and we'll do our best to make sure that happens!! All hail Circus Of Dead Squirrels! "

BEST CD OF 2006: Circus of Dead Squirrels/Indoor Recess
“More tracks were requested from this CD than any other in 2006. This CD is virtually a ‘cash cow’ for the ever evolving industrial scene. Make a bet this band will soon be ruling the world at any given moment…”
-ROCK SOLID PRESSURE (www.rocksolidpressure.com)




“Circus of Dead Squirrels are magnetically freakish synthesized nightmares that get together and have a BBQ in the haunted house of a Carnival. I think children should be raised on these industrial icons before they are exposed to false gods like Big Bird and Barney. CODS offers a healthier, more realistic option for young lives to experience things they never wanted to. I know I didn’t and now I have no choice, I’m hooked”
-Melissa the Jester, BILE 




“Industrial metal is amongst a dying breed, but Circus of Dead Squirrels has a brand of goofball industrial that is guaranteed to make you smile if you like crude humor and infectious beats. Kicking off their new album, Indoor Recess, is ‘8-Bit Piece of Shit’, a homage to NES that is riddled with Mario Samples and lines like, ‘I must be retarded – to write a song about this shit.’ Whether that’s true or not, Circus of Dead Squirrels is a band that guarantees good times and a diverse selection of industrial tracks if you don’t consider yourself too mature to listen to songs like ‘Rubber Ducky Fucker’ and ‘Sea Monkey Kill’.”
-Vivian Hua, REDEFINE MAGAZINE SUMMER 2006