"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
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