Grinder-band The Bull: Mindcollapse - self-titled 7 Inch Review

    This ramshackle shack, glorified garden shed of what I call a house of grind stands as a dedicated monument of grindcore dissemination. Yet, at it's foundation, that house is constructed firmly upon the soils of  punk rock. It is the belief of this blog and its author that the antecedent fundamentals of grindcore can be traced back to the formative years of punk and hardcore. This ideology is in direct contrast to the conceptions of most of my peers and the genre's listenership who believe grindcore is a form of metal or at the least the two are intrinsically linked. I'm not going to argue this point out of fear that this blog will be considered falsely as some varied delusion of grandeur instead of the anxiety-ridden class of imposter syndrome that it is. And to be honest, grindcore is its own thing anyways, and also, who cares.

 

     I state this biased opinion merely as introduction to Madrid Spain's Mindcollapse and their latest self-titled 7 inch EP. Released on Everydayhate Records, among many other labels, last month and instantaneously sold out. These Spanish grinders produce a sound not too dissimilar to previously reviewed Herida Profunda's In Fear We Trust split. A punk as fuck, unadorned, straightforward grind. Well, straightforward by way of the aforementioned punk. As I previously stated, the roots under this house are based in mohawks, studs and music from the who's who of early 2000's street punk and bands from the 80's British punk explosion. Mindcollapse's sound on this 2021 release is a collision of these worlds.

    The guitar work is simple power chords of vacuum cleaner distortion reminiscent of the UK82 European style repurposed into a modern grind delivery of speed and weight. No solos. No black metal leads. No avant-garde synthetic noise interludes. Just stop-n-go riffing commanding through a song structure that falls somewhere between power violence and crust punk. Mixing catchy punk strumming with strident grindcore shiftiness. The bass guitar has that classic earthy hollow twang of a cleaner used tone that really helps deliver that old school sound during the many instances of bass centric lead-ins. But that is where most of the vintage motif ends. A hefty majority of the vocals are the deep low, cinder block meets asphalt roars. The kind of vocals you'd likely expect to hear on something more goregrind or death-grind in nature. The other half of the vocals being caustic, straggly screams mirrored into symmetrical barks. Likewise, and thankfully, production did not adopt the 80's trashcan lid snares and cardboard box kick drums from the days of yore. Instead opting for a more contemporary sound with a clear and impactful kit that brings us well into the 21st century. My only real criticism is that the snare is a little buried in the mix. Especially when compared to the band's previous recordings. 

Mindcollapse isn't continual blast beats, but when they do lean into them it can be more difficult to decipher exactly what's going on amongst the frenzied bashings. Meanwhile you can hear every cymbal tap and head strike when things are more straightforward.

    Last we heard from Mindcollapse was their 2015 split Do This Wall with fellow Madrid grinders Bad Spencer Grind. While doing little in the way of changing their writing style, the band offers more in the way of branching out this time around. Architecturally the band likes to use a systematic approach in writing that often includes introducing and concluding songs with bursting build-ups of staggered solos and cymbal catches. Akin to the revving up of a bull as it drags its horns and kicks up dirt before a charge. This staple tactic is used by the band as a tool to usher the listener from song to song or to change the pace and style seamlessly within a song. Stepping out of their tried and true, under a minute, cookie cutter norm, Mindcollapse spread their crustcore wings with the three minute song "24H Control + Explotación Asimilada." A half crust punk, half doom-clapped groove epic. Then finally the last track, "Punker Than Grind," very blatantly culminates into the thesis of all of the abovementioned. It's a relatively oversimplified, tongue-in-cheek punk song complete with repetitive riffs and Disrupt-esque strained vocals. The song comes as a huge departure from the rest of the record. It reminds me a lot of "Não Me Importo" towards the end of Ratos de Porão's Sistemados Pelo Crucifa LP. Proof that both bands apparently don't take themselves too seriously in the end. 

    I find myself liking Do The Wall a little more due to the drums in the mix and the songs being a little leaner. But Mindcollapse's self-titled 7 inch, in its brevity, acts as basically a full length for the band as it is more polished and allows the Spanish three-piece to explore more of their influences and tap into them at their discretion. This, alongside the brute speed and brash song structure, destroys any notions that the band is purely a throwback. But instead are descendants of where Disrupt left off and where Napalm Death failed.

FFO: Shitgrinder, Phobia, Disrupt, Cripple Bastards

Listen to the album: 

https://everydayhate.bandcamp.com/album/mindcollapse-7ep

Fading Trail - "Count The Days" CD Review & Exclusive New Track Stream From EveryDayHate Records

"And they beheld the vicious 

spectacle that loomed before them, 

draped in the finest of carnage, 

twisted in the foulest of horrors. 

Flesh made augur. Atrocities made omen. 

And they knew then that this land 

was barren of all clemencies. 

Another glorious day in God's country."

-Anonymous 

    Much like many European cities, Helsinki is a modern capital founded atop the ashes of war, great fires and the bones of over a thousand victims of the Black Death during the plague of 1710 that decimated some two-thirds of the then population. Today the world finds itself weathering its own modern plague and putting life into an eerie parallel. Finnish death-grinders, Fading Trail, have taken it upon themselves to channel those themes of pestilence, death, abhorrence and ruination into their new debut full-length, Count The Days; set to be released on EveryDayHate Records this November. As fortune would have it, Return To The House Of Grindcore was granted early access to the album for review. 

    In 2019, Fading Trail released a criminally overlooked, absolute scorcher of a demo EP on cassette via Bloody Scythe Records, entitled Ground. The cassette tape consisted of seven minutes of the tried and true Nordic grind traditions: overly ferocious vocals, drilling lead guitars and pummeling fast drum work. A majority of the tracks on that release hovered around the one minute mark and were straight up blasting death-grind lightning; save for the last track, "Chorus Of Vultures." That lengthier song, making up some forty percent of the demo's entirety, had the band slowing things down for a minute and a half outro that incorporated doom drenched riffs as well as the fledglings of experimentation with noise. And it's that song that Fading Trail seems to have extrapolated on when writing Count The Days. 

    In Count The Days, Fading Trail's evolution sees not only a healthier internalization of the harsh noise, but also displays more shades of black metal. The chimera of grindcore, death metal, black metal and noise is a trending concoction that seems to be the budding face of grindcore modernity. Think Full Of Hell meets Rotten Sound. But as Full Of Hell's sound seems to have become bogged down in genre bending mystic incantations and ritual experimentation, Fading Trail have opted for violent malevolence. If there has been some kind of extreme metal magic manifested gateway opened, then Fading Trail is the beast that clawed its way out of it. 

    Count The Days has doubled down on everything the band established in Ground. The vocals have intensified from an even-keeled, throaty scraping to now paint peeling shrieks and howls. Lyrically, a little more intelligible than before, the vocals sound more controlled and are wielded with tactics of precision and command as opposed to just the strumming of another instrument. Definitely a mark of the band's more metal leanings this time around. There's an air of ferality, yet a possession of some sinister awareness. 

    Like the vocals, the guitar work evolved into a more formidable force. The riffing is noticeably sped up and has chords changing and shifting as soon as they land. Layer these with the breakneck speed of the blast beat drumming and it's an absolute melee. We hear more depth in tonality and technique from the guitars. The needling, black metal tremolo leads that were the bulk of Ground are still present and are finely sharpened. We're also witness to some of the crunchiest palm muted riffing and trudging distorted doom knells that you're not likely to hear on just any grindcore record. But the most obvious addition to Count The Days are the searingly fast, micro-short guitar solos that appear as if from nowhere. These sudden boiling scales flash up with an intensity that would have Eddie Van Halen spontaneously combust in his grave. 

    The bass is widely utilized in fast asides that snap open and closed in tandem with the guitars to redirect songs from tempo to tempo. Its mean and distorted growls of negative shine can be heard throughout the album with both boom and bite. Not too dissimilar, the drumming is present in impact and weight. The crack of the snare resounds in the protracted metal segments as it does in the unbridled sections of blasting. You can feel the footfalls of the kick drum as well as hear the mechanical contact. 

    The biggest accomplishment I can give to this release is the songwriting itself. Fading Trail knows exactly what they're doing. The hybridisation of so many elements is done flawlessly. The band never over stays their welcome at any point in the structure. Headbanging, mid-tempo trots are used effectively without dragging down the songs. Same with the doom. Same with the intricately haunting moments of guitar that trickle in from time to time. Same with the newly added harsh noise that eventually crescendos the album with transcendent hideous sprawl. But the mainstay principals of grindcore are always priority. Holding back the guitars as they edge to an almost melodic turn, only to instead, hastily draw in the reins and unleash an onslaught of savage movement. 

    Not mincing words, this album sounds so fucking good. Count The Days rides the fine line between death/black metal and grindcore in a way that pays respects to all genres involved. Each instrument is present and accounted for and given their time in the sun. I was pleasantly surprise to find that Rotten Sound's own Keijo Niinimaa mastered this album at Chaotic Doom Cave Studios in Finland. Adding more clarity to the above mentioned comparisons and collations. The results being a crisp, gloom-torn assault of death-grind devastation. If you're not blowing out your speakers while listening to this, then I don't know what the fuck you're doing. 

    Polish purveyors of notable grindcore megafauna, Everydayhate Records, were kind enough to ask Return To The House Of Grindcore to not only review the new Fading Trail, but to also stream an exclusive track from Count The Days. So on behalf of the label, the band and the House, please enjoy the exclusive track, "The Last One" from Fading Trail's upcoming album Count The Days. Set to be released on November 18th, 2021 on EveryDayHate Records: 

HTML CODE:  

FFO: Full Of Hell, Bain De Sang, Saintbreaker, Rotten Sound, WVRM

Listen to the album [November 18th]:

https://everydayhate.bandcamp.com/album/count-the-days

A Good Death?: Euthanasia M!ke - Self Titled Demo Review

 

    In the spring of 2010, 24-year-old Shannon Gilbert went missing in the secluded oceanfront neighborhood of Oak Beach, Long Island. A well-to-do Atlantic island expanse in the cold Northeastern coast of the United States. Evidence shows that at 4:51am she made a 911 call to emergency services in which she was frantic and screaming for her life while running hopelessly through the dark streets. Less than an hour later she would vanish. During the police's widely criticized search investigation they would inadvertently uncover the bodies of ten other sex workers buried on Oak Beach and nearby Gilgo Beach. Shannon Gilbert's body would be found the following year in the tangled reeds and marshes over a quarter of a mile away from where she was last seen. Police would go on to publicly say that they thought her death was unrelated to the now obvious body dump developing on the coast. This, despite her occupation, lack of clothing and the proximity of her skeletal remains to the others. Instead they theorized that after some kind of altercation with her client/Oak Beach resident, she ran into the night disoriented and hysterical. Only to accidently drown in the swamp after an exhaustive excursion into the wall of razor sharp reeds and thicket. Her cause of death was undetermined and contested. What later ensued was deep-rooted corruption, scandal, cover-up, social prejudices, family tragedy, more bodies and no definitive answers. A total shit show. 

    That breathless desperation of scrambling for your life through the mud and the mire. That panicked, crushing necessity for violent escape. That nightmarish struggle of slow motion horror. Only to be clawed back down into the bramble to meet a cruel, choked, black end. Whether murder or misfortune, it has nothing to do with music. But that taste that I hopefully put in your mouth was put there in mine by Polish "bramble-grind" outfit, Euthanasia M!ke. The drum and guitar two-piece recorded and mixed a DIY demo and released it this past summer in August on the band's modest Bandcamp page. An eight track, self-titled release that blends chaotic hardcore and screamo tinged grindcore. Euthanasia M!ke join the ranks of their contemporaries such as Cloud Rat and Closet Witch; who have been at the top of this specific fusion of grind for years. So where does Euthanasia M!ke fit in? The eater-swamp or the swamp-eaten? 

    Traveling from the United States' East Coast wetlands to the land of Breech Trees, Polish duo Osker and Greg, who make up Euthanasia M!ke, hail from Szczecin of west Poland. This year gives us the first release from a band that I had previously never heard of before; and upon looking noticed that there are no other releases listed on the band's Bandcamp page. Thus I know little of the band or its members. But judging from the technique on this recording, I doubt that this is the boys' first outing. 

    As guitarist and vocalist, Osker's playing is incessant and dizzying. A collection of grimy, shakily distorted chugs and high dissonant scribbles that bellow and snap over drummer Greg's perpetual locomotion. Greg snare rolls from blast beats to hardcore gallops and back again in machine gun-like stutters. Some how still managing to keep things spastic and interesting during the band's slower "breakdowns." He just can't possibly sit still, and I am here for it. You will find no argument in me concerning the band's musical prowess. Despite existing in a genre saturated with skilled musicians, Euthanasia M!ke nevertheless come off as distinctive in my opinion. 

    Although not wholly original or unique, the band does present an interesting combination of genre, delivery and structure that caught my attention. Markedly, the hardcore punk influence. I'd say the band is just as much a hardcore band as a grindcore band. You can clearly hear the influences ranging from bands like Converge all the way to acts like Modern Life Is War. Maybe not as melodic, but definitely as emotive. Osker's vocal delivery is a screechy, nearly pubescent, distortion that has an almost No Comment youthfulness to it. It carries a breathless angst that ties back to the screamo of Closet Witch and Cloud Rat. Structurally, what came to mind was, of all bands, Guyana Punch Line. Euthanasia M!ke incorporate that Guyana Punch Line/Antischism skipping-record-repetitive-looping guitar and vocal arrangement. Which would probably put their hardcore predilections in the Prank Records camp of hardcore. But I was ultimately reminded of Ultramantis Black, a hardcore/power violence band that had a flash-in-the-pan Relapse Records release that is very similar, albeit sludgier. And after probably totally negating my point of remarkability by name dropping a lot of bands, let's not lose sight of that fact that Euthanasia M!ke is also equivalently a grindcore band. Which means they are blasting over this whole comparative section, for sure. 

    Remembering that this is a self-released demo and over criticizing the production of such would be redundant, if not borderline dickish given how good this release actually is, I'm going to do it anyways. And granted the production here is better than any demo that any of my bands have ever put out. That said, the guitar work comes off as thin and stringy without a bass. The lack of a bottom end leaves things a bit one sided. (There are ways around this for guitar-only bands.) Likewise, the drums sound distanced in the mix, but at the same time remain very clear and accounted for. Just not as ballsy and in-your-face as they should be. It sounds good. It just could be heavier. This band could really explore their depths with a release under the likings of a Kurt Ballou at God City Studios or another engineer of his ilk. His patented slathering of static dirt could be the proper mud hole for Euthanasia M!ke to wallow in. The second half the album features longer songs that venture into distorted, atmospheric, slightly noisier boundaries. Especially in the song "[untitled]." The popularity of acts like Full Of Hell and the previously reviewed Bled To Submission have exploited these tactics to their avail. Indulging in this type of darkness might help fill out what is lacking from the whole. Although the key for Euthanasia M!ke would be the incorporation of said tactics without compromising speed or punk. Or maybe just having the mixing in more experienced hands or access to more equipment could beef up the tracks in the future. Again, all that probably goes without saying and I don't want to disparage anything these men accomplished because I do enjoy this demo and highly recommend it to grindcore fans and fans of all the aforementioned bands and genres. Euthanasia M!ke is a band worth getting tangled up in. 

Postface: Quickly, I want to mention the album artwork. A dismembered anatomical quag of a piece created by Osker. This undoubtedly had major sway over my prologue and themed metaphorical stabbings. It brought to mind not only the L.I.S.K. murders, but also the toxic body pit from Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3 and some kind of Man-Thing comic carnage.  But I really think that it stands out over many covers, not to mention it being on a mere demo. I could easily see this as an album cover for a number of bigger, name-brand-bands over a spread of genres. It's very apt, adept and haunting. It's a pity that it most likely will not be realized as a 12 inch vinyl sleeve. Good job, man.

  FFO: Ultramantis Black, Jarhead Fertilizer, Closet Witch

Listen to the album:

https://euthanasiamike.bandcamp.com

Split Level Housing: "In Fear We Trust" - Psychoneurosis/Herida Profunda/Suffering Quota 3 Way Split Review

    In this addition to the House of Grindcore's Split Level Housing we are reviewing a 3 way split record between Polish bands Psychoneurosis and Herida Profunda, as well as Suffering Quota from the Netherlands. The 3 way split is nothing new to the House of Grindcore, but 3 way splits and even 4 way splits might be something that the casual listener or collector may not be as familiar with or may intentionally look over. Records like this are a great way to fall into new bands or hedge your bets by taking risks on unknown bands that are paired with bands you may know and love. Two out of the three is well worth admission. Three out of three is a ripper.

    First up on this crustcore trifecta timeshare is Sosnowiec's Psychoneurosis, an upperclassman band in grindcore founded in 1991. They offer up two track, one being a cover of Extreme Noise Terror's "Believe What I Say" from Law of Retaliation. A pretty faithful rendition that comes complete with the marble-mouthed vocals and that Disrupt style of songwriting. Unfortunately, in a sad synchronistic twist of fate, much like that of the passing of Extreme Noise Terror vocalist Phil Vane in 2011; Psychoneurosis vocalist "Sonia" Pason passed away in 2019. Making this split a posthumous release from the band who just released a split with Agathocles and a full-length in 2018. Both only a year prior to Pason's death. Their second track is a previously released track called "Where Are We Heading?" on the aforementioned 2018 full-length, The Fall of Humanity. This blast-fest of a song is an on/off style of grindcore that is pure momentum. A collection of sharp blasts broken up with aggressive punk snare hits and a breakdown that reminds me of a Strong Intention hardcore style of grind. If this song peaks your interest, I'd highly recommend The Fall of Humanity because there's a lot more of where that came from. 

    Secondly we have Psychoneurosis' fellow Polish countrymen, Herida Profunda. A punk as fuck, crusty grindcore band that has been releasing material pretty steadily since 2013. Their sound straddles that transition between old school and new school fairly nicely. The band uses grindcore to step up their early to mid 2000's style of crust-punk that could have easily found a home on Profane Existence or, in their case, Skuld Records. This is most notable in "Remembrance Day." As a whole, the band has an Accion Mutante comparison that I don't think I'd be out of line in making. Although the songs selected for this release seem to trade-in their thrash riffs for some punkier grind riffing. And for Herida Profunda's part, they serve up four tracks that were recorded live at 161 Fest in Poland. A fact that is barely distinguishable when compared to the other bands' tracks on this release. Herida Profunda's tracks are perhaps lacking the polish of their past studio efforts, but still sound well-rounded, especially for a live recording. The only real telltale sign of the songs being live is the crowd participation in the fourth song, "Alerta 161!" This track is, at the time of this review, currently the only previously released track. Having already come out on the band's 2015 split with Hell Bastard. The three preceding tracks are scheduled to be rereleased later on the band's upcoming second full-length. I love that the Anarchist political ideologies are so upfront and vocal with this band. I like the rawness they bring to this and all their releases.   

    Lastly, hailing from the northernmost parts of the Netherlands, Suffering Quota provides the coda for this triadic group effort. As a band, they are submitting less of that old school crust sound and more of that modern grindcore tone. Suffering Quota is a band that I've been following for awhile. Ever since their 2012 split with Grinding Halt. I've watched them grow into their current sound over the years. The leaps from that 2012 split to their 2014 self-titled full-length to 2018's Life In Disgust full-length are pretty educational. Since that 2018 release and including the tracks on this split, I'm reminded a lot of Finland's Rotten Sound. Suffering Quota, like Rotten Sound, play an aggressive, "vac-metal" grindcore that draws upon those Scandinavian hardcore and crust-punk influences that have become so popular with the post-Nasum bands. Suffering Quota lend two tracks to In Fear We Trust. Both of which were recorded during their sessions used for their 2017 split with My Minds Mine. Their track "Rage" also appeared on Life In Disgust as the song "Anger" with only the slightest of differences in vocal tone and incidentals. "Bastardized Yesterday" is a longer song bookended with some down-tempo doom/crust trampings. Think Cursed era Rotten Sound.

    On the whole, In Fear We Trust is a brief but solid split record. It's a nice little slice of what's currently happening in central Europe as far as grindcore. I really enjoy how well the bands mesh together. There's a congruence in sound that is both modern and a throwback. Sadly this most likely will serve as a swan song for Psychoneurosis who, from all appearances, doesn't seem to be positioning themselves to continue after the death of their frontman, "Sonia." But with a track record like theirs, I wouldn't ever really count them out in this band or another. 

    My only real gripe with this split is that it's nothing really original or exclusive unto itself. Most songs appear or will appear on other releases in some form or fashion. Making this split really a glorified sampler with far too few songs. You can't really complain about brevity with grindcore, but with the usage of recycled songs you feel like you'd want more. And with the amount of labels and fanfare involved with this release and the fact that this was released digitally, on CD, on etched 12 inch vinyl and on custom boxed cassette, it just seems curious. Contradictory at the same time: why shouldn't it get such a wide release? By itself it's a great record that delivers fast moving, aggressive grindcore via some tried and true crust-punk. Very much like a sampler, it begs you to look into the bands and their back catalogs. Just in case you hadn't heard of them beforehand. Which for motivated listeners will be very rewarding.

FFO: Massgrave, Extreme Noise Terror, Disrupt

Listen to the record: 

https://coyoterecords.bandcamp.com/album/in-fear-we-trust

Postmortem: Blasting Gore Necropsy - "Regurgitative Enema Glorification" Review

Coroner's Report

Name:     Blasting Gore Necropsy                               

Date:         July 21, 2021                                             

Place of Birth:   Quebec                                             

Classification:   Goregrind                                         

Cause of Death:    Critical Review                            

Decedent Personal Data:   

    Blasting Gore Necropsy is a Québécois industrial/goregrind band formed in 1999 and much like early Cattle Decapitation, have a lyrical theme dealing in animal rights, anti-vivisection and the standard medical grade gore. As well as a graphically deviant outlook on sexuality. Despite that thin, greasy line between goregrind and pornogrind/pornogore and given the band's affection towards animal rights, I'd say Blasting Gore Necropsy have their tongues firmly planted in their cheeks. That helps when coming across songs like "Lesbian Massacre Pt-2" and "Fecal-based Diet For A Better Living."

    Never the less, 2020's Regurgitative Enema Glorification appears to be the band's first official full length release since 1999's Nazarene Waste, Deformed Body. In between that time they released a demo of sorts with 2006's Regurgitative Enema Glorification (Pre-prod). A lo-fi cassette of blasting noise. Something that might put your anti-16th note tattoo to the test. But a majority of these demo songs cross over to the 2020 version with markedly better production value. Which means that this release has been in the works for around 14 years.

Anatomical Cadaveric Dissection: 

    First thing's first, this is a lengthy release. Thirty-three tracks in just under fifty minutes. That's almost an eternity in the grindcore world. But after multiple listens I was able to dismember Regurgitative Enema Glorification into three acts that made the album's autopsy easier for myself, the reviewer. 

    Before trisecting this putrid, bloated corpse, I wanted to quickly examine the neurocranium to establish the band's general speech patterns and motor skills. With band members with pseudonyms like Baalberith, Defecation and Necrophagia, I'm not going to get too personal or flattering as far as specifics. Vocally, you're going to find your usual suspects including: creaks, growls, gurgles, gargles, snorts, squeals, squelches, belches, brees, blargs and barfs. The tortured highs and the pitched down lows. We have the standard distorted guitar which we will probe into more later. Some drum work that I believe is programmed, but which sounds exceedingly natural and is on point, regardless. There is also a very audible and very properly used bass throughout the album. And finally, I'm unsure but fairly certain that there is some synth work at play in the background. Also something that we will explore more later. 

• Body Segment A - The first movement of Regurgitative Enema Glorification could be an EP all on it's own. I'd say tracks 1 through 10 are a solid, cohesive work that are probably the most straight up grindcore of the album. The guitar and bass work is thick and chunky. The drum work is full of hyper-blasting, cymbal grabs and stop/starts. It sounds really organic and really fast. This is most encompassed in the song "Sodomy in Gaspesia Pt-1." This is my favorite song of the release. (I never thought I'd being writing that sentence. I've never been to the peninsula. It sounds lovely.) The vocals in this section seem to be more vocalizations than lyrics, especially towards the beginning. Like a choir of gremlins clamoring and regurgitating over one another. They're part lyrical device part instrumentation in their own right. But then there are the anomalies. There are some interesting guitar overdubs. Or are they subtle synth? The band uses this synth to splice in some generic techno-dance beats like those of a video game start-up menu as well as some electric organ. Certainly a 180 degree turn and I'm assuming the reason for the band self-identifying as "industrial gore/grind." At the same time it is also very much inline with the quirkiness of the genre. Blasting Gore Necropsy have a personality and have it on full display, unhinged as it may be. At this point in the album the band's layered background only adds to the denseness of the sound. There's obviously more at work than what could have been just another unmixed and garbled goregrind throwaway cassette tape.  
• Body Segment B - The second movement is cleaved off somewhere past the thorax and below the abdomen. Floating someplace between tracks 12-24. The dismemberment between gullet and groin is noticeable. There's a slight shift in songwriting here. The vocals evolved from feral coughing to actually forming sounded out lyrics. The guitar sound is less beefy than the previous selection. It's thin and lean and it sounds like a picking change-up towards a more tremolo style. This thinner guitar brings the bass and synth more to the forefront. From shallow synth organ work and strumming changes, to drawn out chords and more simplistic riffing. The songs take on a more black metal via punk rock mood. For instance, "Regurgitative Enema Glorification (Edd Gainn Loves My Sister)" starts out with a drum and bass intro that has a Dead Kennedys meets Sepultura style groove before launching into the band's signature blasting of profanity. And it's this signature of hyper blasting that still remains as a through line, connecting each segment to the whole. Well, that and the random interludes of more electronica. 
• Body Segment C - Lastly, the lower extremities bring up the sum of the album with the release's longest tracks and an introduction into a death-grind version of the band with doom metal asides and some rock 'n' roll/grind experimentation. For the majority of the final 10 or so tracks, Blasting Gore Necropsy are once again doubling down on the rhythm-synth. As well as, cranking up the Sepultura thrash influence. Odd-ball track "Grind Core vs Black-Metal (The Ultimate Dark Core Combat)" is actually a Korn-esque drum and slap bass funk/metal song that comes out of nowhere. The guitar reverts back to that heavier tone from the beginning and the drumming spaces out the blast beats with a lot more double bass pedal work. We also find the vocals at their most reined in, but still in full goregrind fashion. Although "Symphony of Sodomy (Spiritual Grind Destruction)" has a chorus of clean vocals that I would normally scoff at, but they actually work and the guys have the ability to pull them off. This tail end portion is definitely more metal heavy than gore or grind, but there is still enough blasting to keep most of the songs above water. 

Other Significant Conditions: 

    Blasting Gore Necropsy's Regurgitative Enema Glorification isn't exactly a wealth of innovation in the genre, but you shouldn't expect it to be. What it does is pull off a more exciting version of it. A large thanks to that being the drumming itself. While so many goregrind bands are content with monotonous two-step skank beats alternated between lazy blast beats, Blasting Gore Necropsy use a higher BPM with enough technicality and cleanliness to make songs really punishing and aggressive, albeit programmed drums. But fuck it, they work. And not just the drums, the musicianship of the band is impressive and pivot between styles fluently. The band also makes an individualistic choice with the industrial/techno music. This can be off-putting depending on the pickiness of the listener and how pure you like your grind. Yet the point is probably, as the song titles and their misspellings imply, to just have fun with it. Or maybe the electronic tunes are just another level of shock value to this band's subgenre-shtick. 

    What I wasn't as impressed with was the simplicity and repetitiveness of the riffs and the metal influence that becomes more prevalent the further you go into this release. If I were a betting man, I would guess that this album might be a post-Nazarene Waste, Deformed Body discography of sorts. Basically a collection of everything recorded in that almost decade and a half between releases. That might account for the difference in tone or in songwriting. Of course I have no idea for sure. But this might be a classic case of recording and releasing some songs that maybe should've stayed in the jam room. Or maybe some songs that were held on to for too long and were reworked over and over again. Never the less, I could be completely wrong and these sections could be some band/fan favorites. Even though I dissected this album for review, Blasting Gore Necropsy does keep their identity throughout. Don't expect any crazy shifts in audio or production. Again, I was really pleased with a lot of the first half of this album and at the length it is, you can't really complain about an extra thirty-something bonus tracks. Enjoy!

FFO: Regurgitate, Last Days Of Humanity, Haemorrhage, Squash Bowels

Listen to the record:

https://blastinggorenecropsy.bandcamp.com

Death March: Pilori - "À Nos Morts" LP Review

    Founded in 2016, Rouen France's Pilori have been cultivating a dark amalgam of genre blending music as well as building quite the résumé of European shows with bands such as Full Of Hell, Implore, Whoresnation, Blockheads, Harm Done, The Body, Oathbreaker, Cult Leader, Fange, Plebeian Grandstand and tons more. (Quick aside: one of my old bands had the pleasure of opening for Plebeian Grandstand at a taco restaurant in Dallas that was criminally under-attended. It was awkward to say the least.) But as subtly diverse as all those bands are, Pilori pairs well with all them. The band isn't so much grindcore as they are more of a blackened hardcore. Not too dissimilar to bands like All Pigs Must Die and Baptists and could easily fit in on a label like Southern Lord Records. Pilori borrow just as much from hardcore and grindcore as from sludge and black metal, even brief nuances of nu-metal and punk. Pilori's first full length, À Nos Morts, debuted last summer in 2020 and rumbled forth its looming storm of grinding blackened hardcore into a dismal world that would only become more dismal because of it. 

    Atmospherically, Pilori casts a spell of foreboding gloom and an HM2 haze that hangs thick over À Nos Morts' almost 24 minute run time. Each song is drenched in distortion, dripping with feedback and simmering with hate. (The band doesn't state their names in the liner notes. Instead opting to remain as shadowed necromancers that choose to have their music speak for itself, so they offer only mere initials assigned to instruments.) Guitarist R. conjures up a surprisingly layered array considering that he is the band's only guitarist. Dissonant, warm, earthy undertones that whirl around heavy, cold, crushing palm mutes. The majority of the black metal influence is hidden in these spiraling leads that siren high above the songs; supplying melodic dreariness and trumpeting angst. These chords embody the gothic feel of tolling bells, wavering organ pipes and are the cornerstone of Pilori's atmospheric witchery. Simultaneously, bassist D.'s bass lines steadily rumble underneath like an idling engine and are surprisingly audible. R. and D.'s metal chugs, punk riffs and hardcore beat-downs all combine to create some unquestionably thick guitar work. You can tell that emphasis was put on the heaviness in the mix.

    That emphasis evolves into something more under the helm of drummer Gu. as he steers the songs seamlessly in and out of metallic-hardcore sprints and whirlwind blackout blast beats. Then navigating the sludgier parts with skillful fills and double bass gallops that prevent things from stagnating. From stop/starts to tempo breaks, the evolution finds a name and that name is "syncopation."

    This syncopation is Pilori's greatest attribute. It positions the songs on the LP, especially on side A, in an uniquely aggressive stance. Songs like "La Grande Terreur" and "Roi Des Rats" are lurching beasts. Soldiering forth like a stalking Roman army delivering quick raids of violent pillaging breakdowns. It's the quality of the band's songwriting that shines the most and is an aspect that they are comfortable enough with to exploit to their advantage. This is at play most in the album's second track, "Apnée." The song starts out like a snapping dog before being reigned in with the jerking stomps of an Andronician march.

    If songs like "Apnée" are the biting teeth of a hackle-raised dog then vocalist Gr. is the lashing bark. A ravenous, foam-mouthed centurion commanding the punchy guitars and pounding drums. His crust punk barks are steeped in the same haze of distortion that the guitar is. Which, at times, can get overshadowed in the thicker moments. But still, Pilori goes a step further with the use of gang vocals that come off somewhere between the chanting incantations of an evil cult and the fanatical roar of a crowded coliseum. À Nos Morts features guest vocals by Full Of Hell's Dylan Walker on the track "Que la Bête Meure" as well as Matthias Jungbluth from Fange/Calvaiire on "Poursuite Du Vent." The collaborations only add to the cerberus of  the vocal choir.

    The tide shifts with the titular track, "À Nos Morts." A somber instrumental that pendulums back and forth through an ambient fog of ringing feedback. The track marks the end of Side A and brings us the second half of the album. Unfortunately this ending stretch is not as dynamic as the previous. The song writing definitely leans more towards the sludgier influences of the band's hardcore sound. For the most part the songs are slower and longer from here on out. Despite "Divine Comédie" being one of the more grindcore influenced songs, side B doesn't possess the same magick as side A. I'm not sure if this was intentional in the album's composition or a coincidence. But the latter half of À Nos Morts returns almost out of breath in a way. There's a lack of balance overall. And there's lack of urgency compared to those introductory songs. Save maybe for one, "Sous Mes Mains." The album's ninth track, "Sous Mes Mains" might be one of the most interesting songs on the LP. It certainly encompasses all the genres that Pilori is working with. The opening track, "Que la Bête Meure," was promoted as the band's flagship song of sorts with a music video and guest vocals. But as good as the song is, it's unbalanced. While "Sous Mes Mains" might not be as explosive, it is harmonious.  

    Criticism aside, Pilori's À Nos Morts is a great sounding debut full-length. It's a solid mix and master by Cyrille Gachet at Dick Doom Studios and Brad Boatright at Audiosiege. It's a heavy release that is as eclectic as it is well performed. As a grindcore album it might be lacking in blast beats and speed, but at the same time that's not what it's claiming to be. As a metal or a hardcore album it stands taller because of the grindcore. So you can see the appeal. This should be well received among a wide variety of listeners. Pilori has a dark, sorrowing atmosphere and doom laden mysticism that they have combined with a a series of subgenres to create a crushing release. À Nos Morts is a matter-of-fact take on a sound that is comprised of several different styles and as a result it creates one of its own. I'm interested in what future releases might hold for the group and which, if any, influences might rise to the forefront. 

FFO: Esoteric Youth, Full Of Hell, The Secret, Napalm Death

Listen to the album:

https://pilori.bandcamp.com

Burial Rites: Bled To Submission - "Bury Them In The Graves They Dug For You" 7 Inch Review

    Nashville's Bled To Submission return with their third EP, Bury Them in the Graves They Dug For You, on Nerve Altar Records. A label known for their stable of noisy power violence and grindcore acts. Bled To Submission carry on that tradition with their truly vile and bitterly dismal style of noise-grind. The band coalesce elements of hardcore, grindcore, power violence, sludge, metal, harsh noise and distill it through pummeling musicianship and focused production. Bury Them in the Graves They Dug For You is the band's love letter to the anxiety and frustration that accompanies the pain of existence and the culture of institutionalized hopelessness in modern America. As well as a declaration of action against the tyrannically oppressive political/economical systems that subjugates its citizens. On par with the "propagande par le fait" approach to revolution that the record's retaliatory title implies, Bury Them in the Graves They Dug For You is unapologetically callous and cruel in its musical delivery. This EP is the most textured and palpable release you're likely to hear anytime soon.

    Bled To Submission unleash some dense, abhorrently dark noise on this release. This record is one of the most solid and coherent releases I've ever reviewed. The composition of the songs are so sophisticated and deliberate that the entirety of the EP works as a singularly designed thought. A massive contributor to this is the band's implementation of noise and synth courtesy of bassist Pat Quinn and vocalist Jody Lester, respectively. As far as where the synth begins and the noise ends, I'm not certain. There are a couple of instances of 808 bass drops utilized to emphasize that this massively heavy release isn't afraid to just completely bottom out, because these guys aren't fucking around. But I'm guessing a majority of the synth work is heard on one of the EP's "noise" tracks, "Found, Alone." It features a punchy electronic drumbeat dubbed under what sounds like a literal nightmare, complete with blown out screams, roaring static and the sterile voice-over of a psychological dictation about trauma based phobias. But the cacophony that the noise and instruments create is essential for this 7 inch's success. The songs are saturated with a pressurized hissing that seethes in and out, breathing an air of menace into each track. While also creating an atmosphere of windswept desolation in between riffs. Our only amnesty from this dripping tension is the strident, shrill drilling noise that needles its way through the EP. Performing as both a bitter reminder of the pain of a childhood dental torment that leaves the acrid taste of metal and powdered bone in your mouth, but also as an extension of the guitar work itself. 

    Guitarists Isaiah Rodriguez's and Austin Strobel's utterly crushing riffs lumber from song to song, lashing out with pinch harmonics and wailing sneers, only to erupt into whirlwinds of fervid circular shredding. The noise comes as another layer to the burrowing guitars. The distorted screams that tear through the songs dovetail over the guitars to create eerily unique howls. The drilling noises do the same as they set the guitar tracks ablaze with frenzied buzzing like that of a beehive. The layering is brilliant and used to it's fullest potential without pushing the band's sound into anything that could be classified as digital or otherwise unnaturally augmented. The guitar and noise also come together a few times to create more of a symphonic sound. It's almost borderline black metal. If you attempted to dig deep enough you could almost find some melody. If only the band gave a shit about what you thought. Tracks Obscured by the Sun Part I" and "Obscured by the Sun Part II" are ultimately the epitome of the band's overlaying of harsh noise and their orchestration skills. Not to mention they have some of this release's catchiest riffs. This is how it's done.   

    I would have liked to have heard more of Pat Quinn's bass in the mix. More akin to the band's previous effort, Vermin, in 2018. Although, with as heavy as this current EP is, I'm sure it's there. It's just not as distinguished amongst the other elements. 

    Drummer Ross Winchel does a great job straddling both the grind and sludge genres that encompass Bled To Submission's sound. His steadfast drumming methodically trudges its path through the hardcore dirges. Focusing on precision over flash and bookending blast beats between plodding stomps. 

    Lead vocalist, Jody Lester belts out piercing screams that shriek over the majority of this release. And he is spitting straight venom. You can almost hear the gnashed-toothed viciousness on the other side of the microphone. I'm fairly certain he is responsible for the lower registered vocals as well. They have the cadence of water going down a drain. He does a great job of vocalizing his disgust for the lyrical subject matter. Austin and Pat bring up the rear with hardcore yells that complete the hydra-headed vocal vehemence. Not to mention guest vocals by Matt King from Austin Texas' blackened screamo band Portrayal Of Guilt on "Obscured by the Sun Part II." These diverse concoctions of vocals add yet another level to the many layers of noise and audio grating that this record excels at.

    Bled To Submission's Bury Them in the Graves They Dug For You EP is an achievement of audible devastation and tumultuous abuse. It's one of the most well composed releases in this eclectic sub-genre of noise and grindcore/hardcore. The band elevates its songs with the use of the harsh noise by using it as if it were another instrument or vocalist instead of a space filler. And I'm personally thankful that the band didn't spend six minutes per song doing it. The brevity of the EP's length speaks to the band's talent as composers in the fact that they pulled off such depth in a relatively short amount of time. The atmosphere that Bury Them in the Graves They Dug For You has is vividly rich from start to finish. The band's stark message comes across without ambiguity. The record's mixing by Phil Pluskota at Sonic Assault Studios in Cape Coral, Florida and mastering by Dan Emery at Black Matter Mastering in Nashville, Tennessee clearly did this release justice. Even Derek R. Setzer's cover art perfectly encapsulates the release's distorted unease. Profoundly nuanced, caustically heavy, Bury Them in the Graves They Dug For You buries a lot of the other 2021 releases coming out. 

license

FFO: Full Of Hell, Clinging To The Trees Of A Forest Fire, Wake, Dragged Into Sunlight

Listen to the album: 

https://bledtosubmission.bandcamp.com

Split Level Housing: Chadhel/Assiduous Assault Split 10 Inch Review

"There was a mighty eddying and foaming in the noisome brine, and as the steam mounted higher and higher the brave Norwegian drove his vessel head on against the pursuing jelly which rose above the unclean froth like the stern of a daemon galleon. The awful squid-head with writhing feelers came nearly up to the bowsprit of the sturdy yacht, but Johansen drove on relentlessly. There was a bursting as of an exploding bladder, a slushy nastiness as of a cloven sunfish, a stench as of a thousand opened graves, and a sound that the chronicler would not put on paper."

-H.P. Lovecraft 

The Call of the Cthulhu

I.

The Horror in Wax

    My knowledge of Chadhel began in the winter of 2018 when I fell upon the discovery of their split release with KickxAssxViolence entitled The Daily Grind. This was followed by Controversial Echoes of Nihilism in 2019. And again with their newest split with Assiduous Assault in 2020, that only latterly finds its physical release on vinyl. It was Chadhel's efforts on the 2018 split which impressed me enough to win my fevered interest. The cephalopodic possessed grind quartet have inhabited their misanthropic, occultist methodology since their first set of demos produced from 2014 through 2016; yet didn't fully solidify their true form until the band's split with KickxAssxViolence. That being of a high concoction of blasting grindcore with metallic-hardcore reliefs. Chadhel's latest entry serves as a reduction of both their 2018 and 2019 releases. The Daily Grind split brought forth a leaner, brighter, modern grind. While Controversial Echoes of Nihilism wallowed in the darker murky, low-ended depths. What has been summoned forth from that evolution is a sharp hulking mass capable of angular speed and resonance with the ability to wield it with a mountainous domination. One could best describe the band's current sound as being the perfect marriage of Pig Destroyer and Rotten Sound. Retaining the strengths of each, while consisting of the deficiencies of neither. Chadhel proves itself as a heavy hitting force in the genre. 

II.

The Tale of Grinders de Québécois

    The cultish horde of Quebecers carry in tow some mighty cruelty in the way of some really enthralling death-grind. Foremost among them is drummer Frédo Tremblay, a subtle yet distinguished percussionist. His incisional blasting impel the songs with the force of an earthquake-born tempest. The acute tonal impact of the snare is aurally intoxicating as it is hideously blistering. Frédo's understated skills are the undercurrent of the tribal beatings during the intros of "Blood of the Hybrids" and "Living Warfare of Pure Intensity." As well as in many of the the trough-like breakdowns that inevitably crest into successions of double bass pedal sculling that churns the oily waters into pulpy brine before reentering into the maelstrom.

    Chadhel's braying and bellowing come forth from the void in dual stock: Lead vocalist Jean-Philippe Dion's language of shrieking and immemorial lunacy takes its form in a hardcore-styling that still has the resemblance of human characteristics. In contrast, guitarist G.T. carries the call from the abyss with a roaring howl that rumbles cold and low, sometimes in legion with bassist Jean-René Cloutier-Ménard and Dion.

    Guitarist G.T.'s tribute is much more blatant of an offering as his slinky discordant riffs pitch in dizzying rides that permeate every song and recall to mind the technical prowess of Pig Destroyer's Scott Hull. G.T.'s weighty riffing ebbs and flows just as the vocals. Existing in both the states of heavy distortion and brightly strung squelches. His tentacled guitar work and squirming harmonic peels speak as the true subconscious voice of Chadhel.

    Jean-René Cloutier-Ménard's bass is not too openly revealed in the mix, but can be heard oozing through the lows of the tracks with the right ear. The writhing tendrils slopping against the vivid guitar shrills and psychic claws pulsing in consensus with the drums help push the immense beast.

III.

Mastering the Studio

    Chadhel's members present here an awesome feat of musicianship and production. Documented here with grave perfection by engineer Remy Verreault from Studio Danger. This is the best the band has sounded since inception. G.T.'s tone encapsulates the harmonious balance of clean and dirty. Frédo's drumming is clear and coherent. Even his bell work in "Cult of the Rope" is visible and rightfully valued. Very little is needed in the way of alterations in these recordings, spare possibly the bass' proportioning. Chadhel presents us with their history's finest incantations. Followers of the grind gods of old and champions of modernization alike should all find relish here. 

    San Diego's Assiduous Assault answers the call of Chadhel and appear opposite of this split with a generous thirteen tracks. This seems to be the band's first and only release and looks as if they have been working on these songs since at least late 2019 based on the single song demo postings on their Bandcamp page. Assiduous Assault plays a scanty style of grindcore that combines spastic technical death metal and low-fi raw grindcore with power violence erraticism. I applaud them on their "no bullshit, just blast" approach. 

    Assiduous Assault is made up of members from fellow San Diego death-grinders, Orphic Eye via vocalist Jason Fitz and guitarist Elijah Wells. Orphic Eye plays a similar style of technical death-grind that also includes hints of metalcore, but the overlapping style from Wells is evident. His guitar work in both bands is filled with twangy riffing, Skwisgaar-esque sweeps and technical noodling which seems to only be compounded here by second guitarist Heath O'Conner. Despite some jazzy runs, this is still straight blasting. Not much meandering. 

    Vocalist Jason Fitz is a bit of a wildcard. Assuming he does all the vocals, he cycles through low gutturals, shrieking highs, gnarled sneers and something that can only be described as a "blarg!" These vocalizations twist and turn without warning from song to song making structure unpredictable. This on top of the the band's grittier takes reminds me very much of Unholy Grave. 

    Couple that with drummer Bryan, who does a great job blasting through songs in a matter that sounds like he's on the edge of losing it and spinning out only to have each song end in unison. I'm reminded of bands like Self Deconstruction. The band definitely has that raw, improvisational Japanese grindcore influence in its sound. 

    The line-up lists two guitarist en lieu of a bassist which means the songs are going to lean more into the higher treble end of the spectrum by definition. Yet given this fact, the mixing still has some anomalies. Especially track three, "Berzerker." Which seems to have a more heavy bottomed bass tone that isn't present in the songs before or after. In fact, the overall "sound" seems to change throughout the release. A minor predicament and might not be noticed by everyone, but it does come across as peculiar since this was also mixed and mastered by Remy Verreault from Studio Danger. Perhaps the difference being that the band recorded the tracks themselves. Regardless, Assiduous Assault is playing some unique and rabid garage-grind that fits within the world of this split. The songs are enjoyably written with that "in-and-out" attitude that keeps things from getting boring. Most songs on the album are interwoven with sound clips from stand-up comedians, like David Cross, and expresses the band's tongue-in-cheek cynicism. Whether the production is intentional or budgetary, it certainly doesn't hold up to what the luster of what Chadhel is offering on the reverse side. But this shouldn't dissuade listeners. After all, who cares? This is grindcore. Get fucking dirty. 

FFO: Maruta, Pig Destroyer, Rotten Sound, Orphic Eye, Unholy Grave

Chainsaw Grindcore Massacre: Barren - "Demo 2021" Review

    Blink and you'll miss this release either due to it's brevity or the logo font which, at a glance, looks almost identical to that of Sweden's Entombed. Perhaps in reverence to the passing of Entombed frontman Lars-Göran Petrov earlier this year or as an homage to the "Entombed sound." Entombed were known for their heavy, "buzzsaw" guitar tone. A tone that Belgium newcomers, Barren, have used as the foundation for their three song demo promoted under the moniker of "chainsaw grind." Referring to their use of the legendary Boss Heavy Metal HM-2 distortion pedal and it's classic "buzzsaw/chainsaw" sound. A point of pride that the band is more than happy to publicize. It's a credit to the band's refined taste as well as a certain amount of good old fashion gear worship. It's fun to see the collector culture and tech biases behind the scenes. Pedal fetishism aside, clearly Barren has spent the time refining their sound because this demo rips.

    This "chainsaw grind' sound seems to be due in large part to the contributions of guitarist Matias Dupont, formerly of Aborted and Agathocles fame. Two major bands in the genre, so we can trust that he knows what he's doing. His guitar tone is on point in respects to that Left Hand Path 

sound. Except that Barren modernizes Entombed's signature low-ended guitar tone and in return gives us a dense and cavernous roar that can start and stop on a dime. There's no thin sounding chords or time wasted on irritating guitar solos. Just a whirlwind of distortion. It's simple yet highly effective and has a nice well rounded sound especially when mixed with bassist Tom Swinnen's tension wire-esque bass lines.

    Matias and Tom are joined by drummer Llano Bergman and dual vocalists Cliff Feyen and Jimmy Schippers. All three coming from technical deathcore band, Everyone Dies Alone. Both Cliff and Jimmy share vocal duties in a tandem style, à la Extreme Noise Terror. They offer up the standard grindcore high/low contrast. The former having what I like to call "Crudos" vocals; with the latter sounding more along the lines of Napalm Death's Barney Greenway, but with the slightest tickle of a goregrind gurgle. 

    It's not only Matias' gear specifics, but also his hands-on in the studio that I think contributes to the tonality of this demo. Recording his own as well as his bandmate's guitar, bass and vocal performances and taking part in producing alongside engineer Lander Cluyse. Lander also handled mixing and mastering over at Belgium's Hearse Studios. Barren's sound was actually a bit surprising to me given the background of several members' work in Everyone Dies Alone. A band that I mentioned before was more deathcore/slam metal in its style. Combine this with Matias' tenure with Aborted and Tom's assorted death metal past, I was expecting a techy, overly polished, triggered sort of deathgrind. Thankfully I found myself with a very natural and fluid sounding style of grindcore. A mixture of old school and new school that has an air of darkness.  

    Generally speaking, all the songs we've been given thus far are pummeling and speedy: blast beats, D-beats, stop/starts, aggressive riffs, etc. All three songs feature a heavy, plodding breakdown or outro that are testaments to the band's beatdown and slam metal roots. These slower passages don't derail the songs, but add some nice depth and diversity to them while keeping the momentum intact. Each song runs just under the two minute mark making them beefy, but not bloated. The track "Rain" follows the aforementioned standards except for its introduction of a melodic ending that combines melancholy guitar work with the brutishness of the band's vocal delivery and the vigorous drum work.

    Barren's "demo" is probably one the best sounding demo I've ever heard. With this level of musicianship and production, the addition of two or three more tracks could have easily made this an EP ready for the pressing plant. I'm very eager to hear what else Barren has to offer in the way of future releases. As of this review the band is currently working on recording more material and should have another release out by the Summer. If they can keep up with the quality of songwriting that they've established here it's safe to say that whatever EP or full-length comes along will be mandatory listening. I'm a fan.

FFO: Napalm Death, Catheter, Wormrot, Phobia

Retro-Tech Glitch-Core: Zmajevdah - "Zmajevdah v.0" Review

 

    It's Friday night, 1990. Your homework is done. There's no school tomorrow. Bedtime is nonexistent. You pick up the Nintendo controller in one hand and rummage through the pile of games on the floor with the other. You grab one and jam it into the cartridge tray, slam the lid closed and hit the power button. The start up menu flickers on and immediately crunches to a halt. The screen fractures into a scramble of pixels and the music falters into an metronomic stutter. Your heart drops. You quickly hit the power button and flick open the lid to the cartridge tray. After ejecting the game from the console you start blowing vertical passes into the bottom slot of the cartridge. You replace the game, hit power and Double Dragon begins as normal. 

   Much like the excavation of Atari 2600's E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial video game from a landfill in 2014, Zmajevdah's Zmajevdah v.0  has recently been unearthed from the pay-to-play download purgatory that is now Jay Randall's Grindcore Karaoke Bandcamp page. The former "free-net" grindcore label is now a subscription service after starting up again last year having previously been on hiatus since 2014. This makes free listening of the GK back catalog impossible and finding the bands involved nearly as hard. Not wanting their material lost and believing grindcore should be free for people and posterity, Zmajevdah have taken matters into their own hands and created a Bandcamp page compiling the band's own discography. Thus, insuring free listening to those who would be so inclined.

    Originally meant as one half of a split and later released alone, Zmajevdah v.0 appeared on GK in 2012 and was one of many digital-only releases that padded the label's numbers. Zmajevdah is an E-grind/cyber-grind/grindcore band from Croatia and is the one man solo-project of the human entity known as Zmaj; the influential engineer behind the highly respected webzine Cephalochromoscope and is author to several releases and collaborations. As a band, Zmajevdah is an assemblage of many influences and the band's future material would go on to expand further from there. Foremost among those influences are dissonant grind bands Discordance Axis and Gridlink as they are cited many times and the sound is very evident. The latter of the two bands is even covered on this album. But not to merely be cast off as a Chang/Matsubara homage band, Zmajevdah v.0 stands on its own with competent songs and a distinct identity.

    Right away my favorite song "Tachikoma" starts off Zmajevdah v.0 with a quick dust up of notes and blasts that abruptly stop right before some hyper palm-muting that would make Ministry's "TV II" turn its head and take notice. Then it's full tilt into some rapid fire tremolo picking and CPU programed blast beats that set precedent for things to come. The frantic and frenetic guitar work churns over on itself endlessly from song to song. Conflicting chords beget tremolo riffs that beget legato scales that speed away through solos that spin out into needling sirens and guitar dive bombs that crash land into the occasional melodic spell. Noise, chaos and raw skill are shot to pieces by ceaseless blast beats. Our only reprieve is the track "Search." The noise track is a quiet slow burn that pulses with heavy breath. Slowly huffing its way out of the darkness like the stirring of some 8-bit wyvern that then crescendos into a buzzing static fire. But, honestly, flowery writing aside, it sounds like Bowser from Super Mario Bros. for the NES, breathing fire throughout the castle levels. And the staticky bulk reminds me of portions of Konami's Top Gun for the same system. (If you're too young to know what I'm talking about, there's Youtube.) But that's the thing, Zmajevdah v.0 is very much of the retro-tech sound. The distortion and tone of the guitar can quickly shift from Takafumi Matsubara inspired speed riffs to MIDI sounding synth melodies that are definitely throwbacks to old school gaming and Japanese chiptunes. Tablature for the album might as well be "up-up-down-down-left-right-left-right, B, A, START." It definitely puts you in a vibe. A vibe not totally out of the blue in cyber-grind, but the difference here being that Zmajevdah is more analog sounding than most bands in the subgenre, at least on this release.

    Zmajevdah v.0 definitely wears its influences on its sleeve: obsolete dead-tech gaming, Japanese Anime culture, Gridlink, Discordance Axis, Hayaino Daisuki, etc. Vocals on the album can also be drawn back to Jon Chang adoration and his ultrasonic screams. But Zmaj offers up his own blown out, battery acid scarred version of them. Not to mention that they fluctuate from foreground to background in the mix depending on the song. Very much like the mixing of Psudoku vocals, although not as distant and never as spacey. The cover of Gridlink's "The Jenova" is the culmination of Zmajevdah's tribute paid proper. The musicianship is matched pretty well, byte for byte. This time featuring drum contributions by Twitch Savant, as programmer I'm assuming. Which puts fans into a John Henry ballad-type scenario. Forcing us to listen as Bryan Fajardo defends his blast beat chops against "the machine's." It's very good and very entertaining. 

    In addition to the digital reissue of Zmajevdah v.0, earlier this year Zmajevdah's Bandcamp released IDIOThetic for the first time. IDIOThetic is a combination of two recording session from 2010 and 2011 and marks the band's full entrance into avant-grind. The guitar playing is not as amateurish as heard on Zmajevdah v.0 and there's a bunch of experimentation. These batches of recordings have songs doubling in length and borrowing styles from outside of grindcore. Flavors of jazz, pop-punk, emo, alternative rock, world music, Swarrrm, Sigur Ros, Yoshi's Story, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, even The Misfits to name a few, all make appearances. Think of it as the Nintendo 64 next generation console version to Zmajevdah v.0's original 8 to 16 bit platform. This might not be every grind fan's cup of tea and Zmaj will be the first to tell you that, but the noise and blast beats still have their moments. These latest rounds of recordings show Zmajevdah's longest reach into its repertoire and the alchemy can be polarizing. But I have it from the highest authority that new material is on its way and shall be a return to the grindier sounds that Zmajevdah v.0 brought us yet still experimenting with new ideas.

     Zmaj has a couple other projects as mentioned before. He is one third of the "sketchgrind" band

Kikurachiyo, consisting of the international efforts of members from Croatia, Japan and Canada. As well as being active brain trust member and writer at the Cephalochromoscope blog/webzine. Which has been reviewing and sharing grind/noise related releases since 2008.

    The Zmajevdah discography offers up a varied mix of music depending on the release. But always tends to lean towards the extreme side of things and might have a little something for everyone. Especially for those who aren't afraid of synthetic music or getting a little weird. But for an audience looking for a more traditional, admittedly noisy, grindcore experience, Zmajevdah v.0 is your best bet. 

Cephalochromoscope: https://cephalochromoscope.blogspot.com/ 

Zmajevdah: https://zmajevdah.bandcamp.com/music

Kikurachiyo: https://kikurachiyo.bandcamp.com/

FFO: Psudoku, Sete Star Sept, Gridlink, Hayaino Daisuki

Split Level Housing: Meth Leppard/Infanticide Split 7 Inch Review

 

    The House of Grindcore has never really done a review of a split 7 inch, but with the prevalence of split EP's in the genre it only seemed inevitable. So I had to start a new segment called Split Level Housing  that will handle any split record reviews from here on out. This week my copy of the Meth Leppard/Infanticide split 7 inch vinyl came in the mail from Night Animal Records so what better choice for an inaugural split review. 

    Unless you've been living under a non-grindcore rock, you're most likely familiar with Meth Leppard. The South Australian two-piece has been absolutely prolific since 2015. Releasing a split EP or sometimes two a year up until their much anticipated full length album Woke in 2020. All of which helped raise them up as one of the top bands in the genre. Musically, Meth Leppard stick to a tried-and-true sound that needs little deviation. Their ballistic song writing and quality production have made them a near flawless band and they remain so on their side of this new split with Infanticide.

    Guitarist, vocalist and previous member of Adelaide powerviolence band PowerXChuck, Ryan "Cheese" Chessman makes up one half of the Aussie duo and brings some heavy,  persistently kinetic guitar work that ping-pongs throughout their 5 minute and 10 second side of this split. Ryan's talent on the fret board is a huge part of Meth Leppard's popularity. Instead of just relying on power chords alone, he interlaces them with spring loaded single string runs that keep songs fresh and energized. Tiered upon that, his vocals consist of low monosyllabic bursts that sounds like the cutting on and off of a blow torch into the microphone and scathing higher shrieks that are systematically shotgunned on to each track. The vocals are less diverse than the guitar playing but work just as well. 

    Drummer Kieren Murray fills out the remainder of the band as well as expertly fulfills his duties as blast beat machine. He is relentless and perpetual. The drum work on this split and all of Meth Leppard's splits are expertly precise and sounds batteringly oppressive. Again, a lot of this is helped by great production. The mix overall is perfect. The tone of the guitar tracks and the pitch of the drums layered over them are unerring, as is the band's musical talent. Their 2020 live set on the Global Grindcore Alliance video sessions looked almost effortless. The combination of all of these elements brings us another consistent and enjoyable release from Meth Leppard. 

On the opposite side we have Sweden's Infanticide with their first new material since 2013's Misconception of Hope, which was ultimately a disappointing full length. Not so much for the music, but mainly due in large part to the production. The album was too quiet and distant in my opinion. It left the album emasculated as it sounded like it was filtered through a clock radio. I'm unsure if this was just some unfortunate out come of mastering or some intentional choice for a low-fi sound perhaps as a tribute to the regions black metal roots. Either way, coming up against past efforts like 2007's Extinction Plan and 2010's From Our Cold Dead Hands, it was jarring. The band's material on this split EP is not a return to those earlier releases, but a continuation of the sound Misconception of Hope was building towards, yet louder. This is most likely because these songs were recorded in 2013 as well. My guess is they're possibly from the same recording sessions as Misconception of Hope. 

    The standard wiry guitar work offered up by guitarist Johan Malm slathered over Kristoffer Löfgren's D-beat and blast beat mix of punk and metal mark what we've come to know as Infanticide's signature sound over the years. I've also always enjoyed their inclusion of Kristofer Jankarls' bass audibly in the mix. Although it's usually fuzzy, it does help beef things up and is nice to hear in a genre that can have a "take it or leave" type of attitude towards the instrument.

    Another noticeable evolution of the band's growth is in the vocals. The band's earlier, albeit by no means exclusive reliance on Simon Frid's low frothy, crust punk vocals are now accompanied by Jankarls' higher, wilder vocals that have become more apparent in the EP's between From Our Cold Dead Hands and Misconception of Hope. I've always liked Infanticide a lot and I followed their releases closely over the years. They were one of my favorite post-Nasum bands. My apologies for the played out cliché of using Nasum as the yardstick to compare all Scandinavian grind bands. But their influence and popularity makes it an easy tool of comparison that doesn't need explanation. Yet in this case Infanticide shares members with Axis of Despair, the current band of ex-Nasum founder Anders Jakobson's. Making comparisons between these band members and countrymen hard to avoid. The band's side of the record is still quieter than their  split mates, but seems louder than Misconception of Hope ever was. If these songs are indeed from that same 2013 studio time then that seems to be the high water mark for the band.

Overall this split is a rager of a release. Meth Leppard do what they do best and remain among one of the world's best bands, which comes as no surprise. Infanticide might not be as recognized by as many listeners or may have been previously passed over by others, but this release has some of their best stuff to date. We also get two different worlds of grind here. With songs titled "KKKaren", "Trump Card" and "Canceled", Meth Leppard are bringing straight forward grind with a tongue-in-cheek approach. Obviously poking fun at current social instabilities and American ignorance. While Infanticide songs have the gloom and doom tales of warfare and mankind as a whole. (At least I assume as this release comes without lyrics.) They also display more of a mixture between metal, punk, and of course that Swedish grindcore influence. 

FFO: PLF, The Kill, Axis Of Despair

Property is Grind: Proudhon - "The Damaged Bodies" EP Review

 

Chapter I. An Introduction:

    Controversial French anarcho-mutualist philosopher and notably the first self-declared anarchist, Pierre-Joseph Proudhon wrote that anarchy is "the absence of a master, of a sovereign." Basically the idea of order without power. His bottom up theories set forth in his 1840 published work What is Property? should certainly be required reading for anyone interested in the political ideology. 

   Modern France's Proudhon, a self-declared "rusty death grind" band bearing the philosopher's name, are a two piece hailing from Besançon, hometown of their aforementioned namesake. In February of this year they released what appears to be their debut EP, The Damaged Bodies. Lyrically tackling social issues ranging from labor rights to the human struggle to revolution. The Damaged Bodies pays proper tribute to the father of anarchism as well as showing us that the message here is just as important as BPM. Not just an illegible band name slapped over a picture of Castle Grayskull. Even Proudhon's logo shows that there is thought behind the music.

Chapter II. Efficient Bases Of Rust:

    "Rusty death grind" is such an apt descriptor for The Damaged Bodies. The cover art shows us the oil painting depiction of the harsh toils of the proletarian laborers amidst the blazing glow of the factory hearth. Which is a great analogy for the sound of this EP. Much like the factory floor imagery, we get the sense of the machinery turning the gears here. The production tone is dark and warm and spacious; albeit with a slightly muted feeling. Yet guitarist Antoine Hillion and drummer Thomas Hagmann do a good job of creating atmosphere within this space. Especially during the slower portions in which the guitar rings out and the drums hold stride letting breakdowns breath. Thomas' drumming powers this grinding contraption with his piston like snare strikes that have a perfect dull, solid impact sound. The resonance of the cymbal work mixes with Antoine's guitar distortion creating a chirr akin to steam hissing from corroded piping. Meanwhile, the mid paced guitar chugging keeps the engine idling and systematically heaving forward. Vocal duties fall upon Thomas who mainly sticks to low gutturals; much in the vein and monotonicity of a cinder block being dragged across the concrete. He also provides higher pitched shrieks reserved sparingly for strategic emphasis. Both are standard for the genre. My only criticism would be that this use of space can sometimes border on becoming too loose. Tightening the screws on future material will really add some more fire to the furnace. I've heard that Antoine pulled double duty playing both bass and guitar, but the bass seems largely absent from the mix. 

Chapter III. Methods Pursued In This Work: 

    On the surface, Proudhon draws immediate comparisons to Assück who are known for their heavy pummeling grindcore songs that are interjected with slower death metal breakdowns. But underneath this superficial similarity Proudhon is also drawing from what sounds more like 90's groove metal, in my opinion. There's more of a bounce in the these down tempo runs. In particular with songs like "Canuts Revolt." Combine those with the ramping up of faster moving skank beats and you get some really catchy songs. The pop of the snare keeps you dialed in and your head nodding along. You can almost see the flux of the pit at live shows. It's almost as if these songs were crafted for moshing. Proudhon has sprouted up somewhere in the evolutionary lineage between Insect Warfare and War Master. 

    Side A seems to be focused more on the details mentioned above, whereas side B tends to run a little faster and tighter. Specifically the last three tracks of "Puits Sainte-Marie," "1936" and "Les Temps Nouveaux." "1936" is one of the shortest song on the EP and it ends with the song literally being beaten to death. It is my favorite song altogether. "Les Temps Nouveaux" is probably the band's most ambitious track. In addition to being the longest song on this release it also introduces in some melodic riffs that really help push the track into Nasum territory. It even has a false ending that breaks into a full melodic crust outro that is really nice and unexpected.  

Chapter IV. Exposition Of The Idea:

    Tonally, as a band and as a whole, Proudhon has a very wide appeal. I could easily see the The Damaged Bodies being well received among crust punks, metal-heads and grind kids alike. In particularly listeners with a fondness for anarcho-punk sensibilities or the Scandinavian grind scene. France's own grind scene has been killing it the last few years with amazing releases from Chiens, Whoresnation who also hail from Besançon and Unsu who have made more than one appearance on this blog. Proudhon is well underway towards establishing themselves as an up-and-coming fixture in France's who's who of grindcore.

    In summation, Proudhon doesn't reinvent the grind wheel. But they don't do anything particularly wrong on this EP either. In fact, the songs are captivating, angry and brutish, at least up to a point. If I had to nit-pick something it would be a slight lack of dynamicity. There's almost a sense of reservation. But that could be something lost in the studio mix or it could be something having to do with the weight given to the amount of metal over grind. Whatever it is, it is certainly an unnecessary criticism on my part over all, because The Damaged Bodies is a quality EP. This is a huge first step in the way of a freshman release.

FFO: Assück, Coldworker, Slavebreed