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
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