I Against I: Barren - "I" LP Review

 

    I was never expecting much when starting this blog. I didn't even know enough to know what to expect, honestly. Return to the House of Grindcore is a labor of love that is way more trouble than it's worth. In the despondent words of Norman Bates, "A hobby's supposed to pass the time, not fill it." The blog was intended to fill the void of grindcore review blogs that had cease to be and to review releases in an obnoxiously specific way that only interested me. Hopefully someone would find it useful or, at the very least, just read it. However, an unanticipated consequence of writing reviews on my favorite bands ended up being that I would unintentionally be put in contact with the bands themselves. And then in return, be put into contact with bands that knew those bands. Over the recent few years of writing I have been lucky enough to make several connections and friends within the global grindcore community. Although I will more than likely never meet these people, I am humbly grateful for the digital chats that I have had with band members and label founders that have reached out. Likewise, I have had the fortuitous pleasure of reviewing a few of these bands repeatedly. One of which being the mighty Barren from Belgium. Our history goes back all the way to the band's 2021 self produced demo. Even prior to the demo, if I'm not mistaken. It seems so long ago now, but I think it might just seem that way since we are now on the band's sixth release since that initial 2021 digital demo. I enjoy the chronic intertwining of our paths. I feel a very interposed sense of pride when seeing the band's accomplishments and each future addition to their swelling discography. Barren, like so many other House of Grindcore alumnus, are almost like work friends at this point. But how do my blast beat buddies measure up in their first full-length record?

    Barren's I starts where their Chainsaw Deth Cvlt split with Berated left off—dark, distorted pestilence churning atmosphere by way of guitar veneration and pedal board alchemy. The sound and the songwriting here being similar, yet shadowed in more of a vacuum tube haze. And, if you can believe it, the production has leveled up once again. But the biggest difference with I is that we are seeing the band in the form of a complete vision for the first time and not fragmented into shorter EP's. Barren has already proven themselves with their strength in the studio, both behind the mixing board and in front of it. The band's debut full-length is tasked with applying these strengths to a linear, provocative output that is a testament to the band's talent and growth.

    My immediate reaction to I was that the band has doubled down on their metal influences. I don't recall if I have ever previously categorized Barren as specifically a death-grind band before, yet now it seems like it might be a little more apt. Barren is in a really impressive form here compared to their demo work. Whatever inky blackness of grindcore that makes up Barren as a band, they have dipped themselves into it head first and emerged as an aggressive, unrelenting goliath. The album opens with "Hearth," a feeding-back, plodding, punishing, Plainview-laden track dripping with misanthropy and malevolence that sets the tone for this sixteen track LP. There is a thick atmosphere that conjures visions of some technologically developed industrial complex that has been left to go to pot. Something that is as old and rusted as it is highly contemporary. A bevy of dark manmade corridors striated with dripping pipes, flickering fluorescents and rusted, sticking doors. And like the Minotaur in the labyrinth, there is also a ceaseless sense of feverish pursuit throughout the album. A stalking ferociousness that is refreshing and exciting. 

    As previously discussed in prior reviews, Barren's elevated production value both highlights the band's searing tone of HM-2 humming distortion while flaunting a balanced mix of each instrument and performer. On I, this attribute is expanded tenfold. The mix could have easily been overshadowed by the guitar given the band's HM-2 cult practices, their association in custom designer pedals and general overall chainsaw allegiances. Instead, the guitar is generously balanced in the mix and deals in crunchy riffs and catchy licks flourished of course with metal squeals, dive bombs and pinch harmonics. The riffs guide the songs in a real dynamic yet organic way that really sells I as an entertaining album. 

    Likewise, the bass is equally present and can be heard throughout the record—the cliché white whale of grindcore. The bass on Chainsaw Deth Cvlt was there, but was arguably fuzzed out towards the background. But with songs such as "Arbiter" and "Piss Stain" the bass is highlighted as a quaking dark and slinky recoil with a crisp growl. 

    The drums are the bang to the bass's boom. Combined, the two give me that familiar and beloved chest tightening tingle of the sound system of a live show. The kit is a perpetual pendulum of speedy D-beats, chomping blast beats, double bass pedal purée and thunderous tom work. And just like the guitar, the drums are energetic and fully entertaining. Together they layer a dense and rich slab of death-grind brutality. Gone are the melodic swoonings of earlier released tracks like the demo song, "Rain." Now Barren are serving up some gritty, earth shaking sludge and neck breaking metal breakdowns like B-side dirge, "Chosen," among others. 

    Just as in all of Barren's prior releases, I has the band's patented dual vocal attack of the oxidized high shrieks and the lower muffed growls. And just like the rest of the album, they are also heightened. At times it seems like the vocals are essentially literal vocalizations. Screeches and roars played more as instrumentations instead of the the lyrics of doom and gloom as they are written on paper. Vocalizations akin to a grindcore version of throat singing. Some songs have what could only be described as a form of harsh vocal harmonization. The singing on tracks like "I Am Not Your Kind" brings to mind a slaughterhouse floor drain and the viscera that is being hosed off and flushed down it. 

    Now, I know that I have gushed about Barren's production ad nauseam by this point, but this album is truly one of the best sounding records that I have heard in recent memory. I have no notes on where or who had a hand in the mixing and mastering. I know the band has previously been very hands-on as far as production on other recordings. But either way, this is the band's best sounding release to date. A critique that the band has probably always received on each subsequent release since they have continued to grow and strive in both songwriting and sound quality. The songs on I are all well crafted and compelling. Again, there is a sense of being hunted and pursued that drives the composition forward. I was pleasantly surprised by how engaging the record was as a whole. Just the sheer weight is impressive on its own. The album's bottom end is so absolutely devastatingly heavy that it puts you in the middle of the songs and makes for a legitimately intense listening experience. I is peak Barren. And it is pretty fucking imposing. 

FFO: Mumakil, Nasum, Rotten Sound, Wake

Listen to the album:

https://barrenchainsawgrind.bandcamp.com/album/i

Split Level Housing: Shitbrains/Controlled Existence Split 7 Inch Review

 

    As geriatric jack-o-lanterns molder on doorsteps and bonfires smolder in fields, the days of horror thronged gourd worship are now behind us. The cold winds blow colder and carry away the skittering leaves from suburban sidewalks. The shadows grow bolder around the shuddering embers of the rural hearths as we clamor for their warmth. Nothing but long dark days of despondence and melancholia are all that lie ahead—bleak, barren months of boredom. By the twiddling of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes... 

    For those of you who are not looking forward to the listlessness of winter and its messianic celebratory implications, I have the perfect record recommendation to keep you warm in the form of Wise Grind Records and Psychocontrol Records' 2022 split release between Los Angeles' Shitbrains and Prague's Controlled Existence. Both bands offer two similar yet geographically separate styles of grindcore. But are such a cohesive pairing that unless you are truly paying attention or physically flipping the vinyl over on the turntable you might not instantly notice the transition from one band to the next. This record pairing almost seems as unavoidable as it is complimentary. 

    Now, this record has sat on my "to-do" shelf for way too long, so I feel obligated to let the reader know that I am, spoiler alert, a big Shitbrains fan. They are the So-Cal standard of what a dive venue/non-venue grindcore band should be. The two-piece guitar and drum combo specialize in a stop-and-go style of grindcore that is in and out of blast beats like someone abusing the "pulse" button of a NutriBullet blender. In the studio, Shitbrains is a band that practically came out of the womb fully formed and ready to go. They could have very easily released a slew of early releases marred by muddy mixes and subpar guitar work. Instead, their debut self-titled EP had no business being as good as it was. Their use of off and on blast beats chained together with ping-ponging kit rolls in an exceptionally tight format became a through-line from their subsequent 2015 split with Brainshit to their 2021 split with Sordo. But my favorite attribute was that the drums were way out in front of the mix. Similar to my acclaim of Noisy Neighbors' 2018 self-titled EP. Whether by accident or intention, I am here for the extreme emphasis on that sweet poppy punk popcorn piccolo sounding snare. Shitbrains is a great example of high energy, low-fat grindcore that carries itself with some of that local west coast powerviolence swagger and street-smarts.

     As for their latest split with Controlled Existence, the Los Angeles reigning kings of the backyard show bring us a smoother, fuller, more even-keeled sound punctuated with the same sizzling staccato worship and dueling paint peeling shrieks. When not going completely ballistic on the snare, the band is cherry-picking through their repertoire of hardcore and mosh-metal breakdowns and doling them out as they see fit. The highlight of these breakdowns is the overqualified footwork that keeps songs just as kinetic as the stop/start blast runs, but in a circle-pit-around-the-keg kind of a way. These short sludgier intermissions also showcase the real talent and proficiency of the guitar which otherwise operates somewhere between a shotgun and a flamethrower. The exploitation of unembellished chords by a capable guitarist really results in an understated ferocity that is the glue of Shitbrains. 

    Prague's Controlled Existence is one those bands that feels as if they have been around forever and seem to have always cropped up in my vinyl mail order. Namely, splits with Alea Iacta Est and Days of Desolation in 2013 and 2014, respectively. These releases cemented the band's sound as a revved up, crusty style of hyper-blasting grindcore. Thunderous guitars, circular riffing, furious vocals and high-speed drumming are all stock and standard. After an almost five year hiatus in releases, the split LP with fellow Czech grinders, Needful Things, in 2021 saw a beefier toned and better produced Controlled Existence.

    2022's split EP with Shitbrains has the band just as well produced with the same musical elements that their previous releases established—the same circular riffs, the same guitar build-ups, the same use of blast beats over empty space. Yet, there are some noticeable exceptions. In comparison with their split-mates, Controlled Existence come off as the more traditional grindcore sounding of the two bands. Their mix is warmer and their songwriting is less urgent than their previous releases. You can also hear what sounds like a slight drop in BPM's. Not that any of that is a bad thing and not that they are not completely pummeling in their speed. They are still faster than most. It just sounds like Controlled Existence have a lot more headroom within their songs. The band doesn't seem as rushed in their compositions which gives them more space to breathe. And it should be noted that we are talking about tracks that are all only mere seconds long. Less than half the length of their split-mates', mind you. Controlled Existence are operating here as seasoned veterans, which they are. They have purged many of their subgenre influences and doubled down on that darker European grindcore purity. They are carrying as much bulk as speed these days. This stouter version is underscored by the vocals which are audibly lower and heavier than their discography a decade ago. The same vocals that can be heard on the Needful Things LP. Possibly a lineup change post hiatus? I don't know. I find it exceedingly difficult to keep up with band's and current memberships. 

    Ultimately, this split record between Shitbrains and Controlled Existence makes me think of the anxiety and difficulty that I am going to have when I eventually have to compile my "best of 2022" list. This year has been an amazing year for grindcore releases and it certainly is not showing any signs of tapering as we get closer to the new year. This EP plays like a 1944 Normandy invasion—the chaotic maelstrom of bullets, spindrift and vociferous hysteria. The hammering of MG-34 machine gun fire from coastal pockmarked pillboxes. Fired in short bursts as to not overheat the barrels. The "do-re-mi" of ricocheting rounds against the beached Czech hedgehogs followed with more rapid automatic fire. But eventually it just lets those Mausers rip. Melted barrel tubing be damned. This split is definitely going to need a place on that list. It could easily be looked at as a perfect record. It's brisk, bright, invigorating and fast as fuck. You can't really ask for more than that. It's great to have more material from these two personal favorites. 

 

FFO: Lycanthrophy, Mellow Harsher, Suffering Mind, Days of Desolation, Chainsaw Squid

Listen to the album: https://wisegrindsrecords.bandcamp.com/album/shitbrains-controlled-existence-split

Rotten To The Core: Extreme Decay - "Downfall Of A God Complex" CD Review

 

    For as long as I can remember, I have always wanted to find a dead body. A human corpse left out to the elements—taut, tanned and broken over the jagged caliche. A half buried human face with the dirt compacted in the nostrils, mouth agape and pouring with stinking earth, limbs floating around in a conspicuous shallow grave. The classic alabaster heap of the impossibly surreal mannequin lying in direct contrast to everything you could ever comprehend. The skeletal remains of an obscured burnt offering in decaying ill-fitting blue jeans, frozen in repose, screaming and decimated. The scattered scraps of the less fortunate left behind by predation: gnawed, splayed and bleached in the sun. An inevitable end fashioned in the worst culmination of violence and dehumanization. Something about the bright white matter-of-fact grounding nature of the experience has always piqued my interest. That morbid childhood curiosity and those vivid daydream visuals are immediately brought to mind by Extreme Decay's latest album, Downfall Of A God Complex. Maybe it's the band's blatant name or maybe it's their corpse ladened cover art, but there is something about their new full-length that gives me breaths of that hot brown, wafting stench of mass decomp.

    Extreme Decay formed in the beginning of 1998 in Malang City in the the East Java province of Indonesia and released a small slew of demos, splits, and compilation contributions. The band's earlier sound combined elements of crust punk and grindcore, much akin to Japan's noise-punk band, Confuse. The band released their full-length album, Progressive Destruction, in 1999 and followed it up with the 2002 album, Sampah Dunia Ketiga. Since then the band has set a tradition of maintaining a decade's gap between albums. After Sampah Dunia Ketiga, Holocaust Resistance was released in 2010. Now in 2022, Extreme Decay has returned with Downfall Of A God Complex. A visceral and accomplished release that has positioned the band on the top of Asia's grindcore elite.

    Downfall Of A God Complex continues with the intensity of modern sounding grindcore that Extreme Decay established with Holocaust Resistance and 2021's ANTIVIRAL EP. Honestly, Downfall Of A God Complex pairs easily with Return to the House of Grindcore's entire roaster. From Fading Trail to SlothPhantomMoth, even the nidorous musical stylings of Blasting Gore Necropsy. Extreme Decay's newest album is a volley of grindcore variegation with shades of black metal, death metal, hardcore, crustcore, crust punk, sludge, goregrind, grind 'n' roll and not to mention that Scandinavian grindcore we've come to appreciate so much here. Extreme Decay has honed a sound that bridges the rawness of the band's roots with the speed and sharpness of their current grindcore peers. A lot of that is in the mix and production as it marries the two perfectly, but most of it is in the evolved song writing and skilled musicianship. The coupling of grave dirt and voracity is the key to Extreme Decay's brand of blackened-Scandi-sandstorm-metal. Dust-core-earthen-grind. The same ambiance that the shambling putrescence of a clay-cracked-face Fulci zombie armed with a machine gun might bring to the party.

    Straight from the start Extreme Decay open with a digitally moldered, seething hellscape of noise entitled, "Hellcome." A properly done noise-intro that lets out into dark, metal flecked grindcore fury. Fury is where Extreme Decay works best. Songs like "Bastardized Future," "UxDxHxG," "Burn The Bridges, Pull No Punches" and "Installing The Apocalypse, 99% Complete" are quick ragers that throw up big Nasum vibes. Not surprising considering the band covered "Inhale/Exhale" on Holocaust Resistance. In contrast the band slows things down from time to time in a way that still entertains and doesn't bog down the tracks in boredom. The chugging death metal trot, "Primal" is a headbanging offer to the old gods, complete with solos and all. Album closer, "Dekomposer" leaves us as we started with a pummeling crust-grilled blaster before ending in a sirening wane of doom infused samples and noise. 

    The musicianship rifled out on Downfall Of A God Complex is top-tier compared to anything else the band has put out some twenty years ago and is another aspect that is heightened by the studio production. The thrash guitar riffing is sharp, fast and swings between catchy punk choruses and rapid fire deathgrind speedballs. You can hear the UK '82 guitar tone mud caked and distorted, buried underneath the heavy and crushing metal tone. We're talking devastating palm mutes here, people. The bass guitar is high in the mix and well utilized. Many songs, like "Demensia Kompleks," showcase the bass's blown out, subwoofer quaking distortion. It's gnarly, heavy and astonishingly audible. It is the exact bass tone that you would want on an album like this. The drum work is a tumbling rock of lightening quick persistent pace that might not be flashy, but in its understated tenacity controls the trajectory of the entire album. Whether its angling from D-beat tears to sludgey stomps or from blast beats to cymbal emphasized punk kicks, the drums boil the songs into bubbling black gold.

    By far, the most diverse and engaging element of Downfall Of A God Complex is the vocals. I'm unsure of which members contribute to the album specifically, but I'm willing to bet it was probably most everyone in some aspect. The two main species of vocals are the usual duo of high shrieks and low gutturals. Both of which vary unceasingly in pitch and tone. On any given track they can be mixed with either more panther or more gurgle. The deeper of the vocals often tend to side more on the goregrind side of things—throat croaking, gravel choking, soil teethed, cud chewing moans that regurgitate malice and contempt. Other vocals that show up run the gamut from power violence caveman yells to voice cracking youth crew yelps to hardcore barks and back.

    Extreme Decay 's Downfall Of A God Complex is a great sounding album that finds the band appearing more lean and mean. I'm very reminded of another band that came back with a bite after a long hiatus between releases—Blockheads' Trip to the Void LP from last year. The ochre yellow reek of the extreme decay that consumed my childhood morbidity and still remains unchecked on my bucket list is just as brutal and raw as this grinding Extreme Decay from Indonesia. Yet unlike a stale wasted carcass forced into a premature sky burial, Extreme Decay managed to release an invigorating and fresh sounding album that details a veteran grind band that can still keep up with their modern grindcore contemporaries while still holding onto their roots of eclectic punk and metal influences. The Downfall Of A God Complex is not muddy, but it's definitely not clean. A little dirt never hurt. The Downfall Of A God Complex CD is currently available through Selfmadegod Records and through the band themselves. 

FFO: Nasum, Death Toll 80K, Proletar, Catheter

Listen to the album: https://selfmadegod.bandcamp.com/album/downfall-of-a-god-complex

Grind House Cinema : Proletar - "Grind For A Better Life" Documentary Review

    In my previous review of Proletar's latest full-length—Depressive Disorder—back in March, I mentioned the band's 2021 album was a simultaneous release alongside of a documentary film spotlighting the band themselves. I also mentioned that at the time I was not privy to the film. So in return the band decided to remedy that situation and sent me a link to Grind For A Better Life in submission for review. 

    It has only been in recent years that any real cinematic interest has been paid towards grindcore. The release of 2018's Canadian encyclopedic love letter to grindcore, Slave To The Grind, as well as 2019's CURBY: The 20th Anniversary Of Obscene Extreme—documenting the establishment and operations behind the scenes of the world's premiere extreme music festival—gave grind fans their first real filmed discussion of the genre. Both are focused and funded efforts fit for the big screen and not just another cobbled together stock footage YouTube rehash of Choosing Death. Proletar's 2020/2021 Grind For A Better Life falls somewhere in between as an in-depth solitary dossier of the band and their storied career by and strictly for the underground. 

    Proletar and co-writer/co-director Diansyah Rizky, present an exhaustive compendium of the longtime Indonesian grinders that covers the band's ongoing twenty-plus years of playing, recording and touring. The documentary paints a picture of the band as local grind heroes that made it to the top of the Jakartan music scene through sheer hard work, dedication and DIY ethics. The chronological Grind For A Better Life oral history charts the band's early years in the hardcore punk scene through their evolution into the grind hybrids of crust, thrash, mincecore and goregrind via a series of crucial lineup changes. The actual documentary itself is made up of a who's who of talking heads from Proletar's past members, collaborators, producers, promoters and dear friends. Live performances and home videos are given the music video treatment via some quality visual effects and are intercut among the participants' dialogue. A cast of international musicians who have had the pleasure of touring or sharing splits with the band chime in to convey nothing but the upmost respect for Proletar and its members, along with respondents weighing in on their thoughts of what "grind for a better life" means to them personally.

    Now, as a movie that comes in just under two hours and ten minutes and is made up of mostly extensive interviews, Grind For A Better Life can sometimes feel like it plays at a laggard pace. I think a little more conciseness on behalf of the interviewees or breaking up portions of the documentary into sequential chapters could have helped, possibly. But for sincere fans with invested interest in the journey of the band, the tediousness of the film will most likely not be an issue. My only other criticism would be the subtitles. The film is almost completely in Indonesian and the English subtitles are a little rough, grammatically. Not that it's too overly hard to follow, but it can take a beat to interpret. I'm pretty sure the subtitles are most likely auto-generated, which is understandable and was assuredly the more pragmatic solution with distributing a film like this.

    Proletar are the real deal. They have committed themselves to operating consistently in the global grindcore arena under the banner of cooperation and punk as fuck principals, while also giving back to their community within Indonesia. As a westerner, seeing how bands and show organizers operate on the other side of the planet was enlightening. The love in this film is genuine and well deserved. My favorite reoccurring description of the band is that they are "not complicated." Which might sound noncommittal, but is actually everything in the world of dealing with bands. When looking at the documentation of the band's timeline of accomplishments, you couldn't really ask for much more. Honestly, I wish I had seen this documentary before my review of the Depressive Disorder CD. Proletar are basically the Agathocles of the Java Sea and navigating the sheer volume of releases with whom and when can be hard to keep track of. Grind For A Better Life is a sincere and earnest memorial to the band's legacy within the Indonesian and international grind scene. Definitely worth a watch for Proletar fans or fans of grindcore in general. 

FFO: Slave To The Grind, CURBY: The 20th Anniversary Of Obscene Extreme

 

Split Level Housing: Berated/Barren - "Chainsaw Deth Cvlt" Split CD Review

 

"On the afternoon of August 18, 1973, five young people in a Volkswagen van ran out of gas on a farm road in South Texas. Four of them were never seen again. The next morning the one survivor. Sally Hardesty-Enright, was picked up on a roadside. Blood-caked and screaming murder, Sally said she had broken out of a window in Hell. The girl babbled a mad tale: a cannibal family in an isolated farmhouse...chain-sawed fingers and bones...her brother, her friends hacked up for barbeque...chairs made of human skeletons...Then she sank into catatonia. Texas lawmen mounted a month-long manhunt, but could not locate the macabre farmhouse. They could find no killers and no victims. No facts; no crime. Officially, on the records, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre never happened. But during the last 13 years, over and over again reports of bizarre, grisly chain-saw mass-murders have persisted all across the state of Texas. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre has not stopped. It haunts Texas. It seems to have no end."

-The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part 2

(1986)

    The pairing of Colorado's grind-violence trio, Berated with the Belgian grindcore super group and returning alums, Barren has to be one of the most ideal couplings for a split in recent memory. Straight out of the gate, Chainsaw Deth Cvlt—out now on Grand Vomit Productions—does not fuck around and has both bands bringing some of their best and most ruthless material. The two bands being seemingly drawn together over their adoration and devotion to not only throat clenching grindcore, but also the buzz saw sound of the legendary Boss Heavy Metal HM-2 distortion pedal. An obsession for the chainsaw frequency fetishism and pedal prepossession that Barren established with their 2021 demo which was chronicled in-depth in its Return to the House of Grindcore review.

     Denver's Berated have consistently been releasing splits and EPs since 2017. Beginning as a Steve Buscemi obsessed power violence ensemble, Berated have subsequently increased in proficiency, recording quality and have steadily embraced an encroaching noise presence to become one of the more bloodthirsty grind-violence bands operating out of the American South West. Since 2017 the band has hosted a brief cavalcade of lead singers. Their latest, Caitlin, being debuted here on Chainsaw Deth Cvlt. And what we are given audience to is a shape-shifting, pitch-switching, throat twisting solitary dual layered vocal dog fight. High piercing, withering shrieks and low strangled screams that would make Mercedes McCambridge sit up in her grave and take notice. The vocals fold and turn on themselves like a neck breaking game of verbal Plinko. Caitlin's contributions to Berated and to this CD are extremely exciting and most impressive. Probably some of the best vocal work I have heard in a long time.

    Berated's distortion drenched guitar is a track-by-track mainstay. The grime flinging off the twirling chain of Josh's guitar sounds thick and ravenous. It tears through their half of this split with total abandon. Additionally, tracks like "Fire Kingdom" host an understated craftsmanship that simply wasn't there in the band's beginning. Yet it can be heard maturing in the band's 2020 EP, Prescribed Burn and 2021's Immersed In The Worst three-way split. 

    Drummer Paul's drum work is blistering and bright and operates like it should come with tracer fire. It alternates between blast beats and snare rolls to create a savagery like that of a guerilla warfare fire-fight. Paul emphasizes that grind-violence sound by being pummeling, yet light enough to have the agility to keep up with the momentum and trajectory of the songs.

    My only critique is purely greed based. Berated close out their side of the split with "Blast Off," a harsh noise track of persistent static and tonal wails. I selfishly wish this track was another traditional full band arrangement, complete with vocals and instrumentation. I do not want to deride the artistic relevance of "Blast Off." I just want more of this current Berated lineup. 

   The Belgium chainsaw massacre, pedal predilection practitioners of buzz saw benediction are back. Why these chainsaw worshipping tech junkies haven't adopted Leatherface as a mascot is beyond me. As a born Texan, I'm giving you permission. As you may recall from my previous review of Barren, the band of seasoned grind veterans came out and hit the ground running. Having a fully produced 2021 demo with expertly written songs with a large emphasis on sound quality and tone. A demo production largely manufactured in house, I might add. That 2021 demo was ultimately followed up with two EP releases—And Then There Were None and Thralled Are Those Who Kneel. Both of which were also released in 2021 and later re-released with the band's demo on 2022's Cursed To Walk The Earth anthology CD, released on Esagoya Records. 

    Chainsaw Deth Cvlt finds Barren with the same spinning teeth stock of staples and standards that the band has worked so hard to distill and pickle. Including the strength of vocalists Jimmy and Cliff's raspy twin-headed, one-two-punch of mid-ranged highs and lows that we are all familiar with. Their combination of corroded panther vocals come drowned in the same rusted whirlings of the saw-like fanaticism and distortion that the guitars are.

    The guitar work is that chainsaw buzzing brutality that guitarist Matias has crafted so meticulously.  An even-keel of static mist and a crushing low end put to a grindcore-paced fury. There is an addition of diving fret slides, headstock bending groans and wailing whammy bar overdubs on this CD that are reminiscent of Dorian Rainwater's collaborations with Bryan Fajardo era Phobia. Particularly in tracks like, "Recent." The guitar tone does sound a little more refined from the 2021 demo. Perhaps the product of a little more fine tuning and a higher grit sandpaper to grind things out more smoothly. A smoothness that might fuzz out Tom's bass to a degree in which it is present in the mix, yet does not stand out as strongly when on its own. 

    And as per usual, Llano's drumming is overly fast and precise. Snare and tom roll combinations that are claustrophobically tight. Blast beats that are raging with the ferociousness and speed of the very chainsaw that the cult pays tribute to. The consistency of Barren's releases is probably the tightest of any band's. This might be because of the minuscule gap between releases or the immense hands-on approach that the band has in the studio. It is certainly easy to see why a singles collection release could pass so seamlessly as a fully realized album. 

    Chainsaw Deth Cvlt is a perfectly balanced split. A rare happening in the world of underground and DIY music. Even more so when taking into consideration that this is an international effort between two bands that are representing two different styles within the grindcore spectrum. Berated are scathingly manic and energetically aggressive. This split represents the best of the their efforts so far and is cherry-topped with the absolute blistering additions of their new lead vocalist, Caitlin. Barren follows their young and recently amassed, guitar gear centered catalog of grindcore superiority with yet another blazing slice of fried gold. The tenured members make things look easy as they self-produce hard hitting grindcore purity on the regular. Barren deliver exactly what you would want as far as a grindcore release—heavy, pissed off, high-speed music. While Berated just simply leave you dry-mouthed and wanting more of their power violence seared take on grindcore. Expect this split CD to make an appearance on my end of the year top ten list of releases.

FFO: Lycanthrophy, Controlled Existence, Suffering Mind, Mumakil, Kill The Client

Listen to the album: 

https://grandvomitproductions.bandcamp.com/album/berated-barren-chainsaw-deth-cult

The Rising Tide: Vermintide - "Meaningless Convulsions" EP Review

    Vermintide hail from Tel Aviv Israel and initially started out as a one man studio project that eventually culminated into the eight song EP, Meaningless Convulsions in 2021 and was apparently somewhat instrumentally cobbled together in the studio. Since the release of the EP, Vermintide have formed into a full-fledged band and have been busy honing their brand of slamming death-grind in preparation for their follow up release. Now, "slamming grindcore" is a first for this blog and while the subgenre tag was something I had come across before, it was not something I really paid much attention to. I always assumed "slam" was some form of heavy metal off chute and it seems that that assumption is not too far off. As I have stated very often before, I do not care for the metal genre as a whole. So my apologies to those who do and find any criticism in my cursory evaluation of its genre categorization, subcategorization and description. Because of this, I had to do some research on approximately what slam metal was. From what I found, slam is more or less Devourment and Suffocation worship: slow palm muted power chords over simplistic drumming usually focused around the double bass pedal with monotonously deep belching vocals. And I did not have to dig very far in my research before running into some very questionable vocabulary and bigoted lyrical content. Apparently a running theme within the genre, but more on how that reflects on Vermintide's Meaningless Convulsions later. 

    The now current Israeli quartet are comprised half-and-half of members from fellow Tel Aviv band Morgue and Be'er Sheva's Strident. An old school death metal and a thrash metal band, respectively. Vermintide are a bit of a departure from the two bands, yet encompass more than just grindcore. The production on the EP is on the higher side, but not too polished that it's sterilized. This raised production value already puts the band on the new school side of things as far as their slam metal influences are concerned. One of the original claims of old school slam metal was its stripped down approach to a return to true death metal. While the later generation bands included higher production value and more inclusive genre blending, such as deathcore—a common main ingredient in a wide swatch of modern slam. Almost to the point that the two genres can be interchangeable depending on the bands and their specific particularities. Vermintide are of that latter ilk, as strong deathcore influences can be heard on Meaningless Convulsions. And I'm sure the more you listen and critique, the more influences you will undoubtedly unearth. 

    Sticking with the slam angle, the guitar work is probably going to be the most conspicuous attribute of the band. The guitar, after all, is the make or break of metal. By the genre's basic definition, the guitar gives slam metal its name. Vermintide's guitar work on this EP is understatedly consummate and does a great job at providing those low palm muted chugs while also effortlessly switching to tremelo leading highs and back again. This works well with the band's writing style that includes a lot of ascending/descending riffs and call-and-response riffs. Both a staple of early slam metal, but are given a little more dimension here. 

    On the grind side of things, we are treated to heavy, crunchy riffs that speed through some of that Strident-thrash overlap and twist and bend among pivoting hardcore transitions. The guitar is doing some pretty interesting things that you won't necessarily hear in a typical grindcore release. Such as varied tempo changes and alarm-like harmonic tones. Some of that is the heavy inclination towards metal and some of that is probably an audibly recognizable trademark style that the band has fostered. My only judgment is that the guitar has that slick "metal" tone. I don't know how to accurately describe that tone, but I know it when I hear it. Not to mention the guitar and drums stereotypically overshadow any sense of a bass guitar in the mix. Yet this is purely and strictly my own biases speaking. 

     Much like the guitar, the drums are subtle yet central. Finding the balance between slam and grind seems like the difference between blasting on the double bass pedal and blasting on the snare. Vermintide utilize both, but blast beats on the snare are not as prevalent as one might assume on a grindcore or death-grind release. They are there but are not necessarily the bulk of the songs. A majority of them can be heard allocated at the beginning, middle and at the end of the EP. Namely, but not limited to tracks like: "I Vomit," "Lead," and "The Plague." The band however use a combination of the double bass pedal gallops and perpetually systematic snare hits that are semi-automatic and mechanized to keep the pace mobile. While other tracks such as "Don't Look In The Mirror" keep up the snare intensity with rolls and a stuttering, pulsing blast that seems quirky, but keeps things lively. My biggest censure about the drums is their triggered sound. The obviously programmed drums, like any synthetically studio manipulated instrument, are commonplace in the genre, but I feel these simulated drum tracks are less natural than what you might hear in other grind bands that are sans drummer. The snare sounds almost like a snare strike in reverse. Make no mistake, I spend weeks—almost exclusively—listening to these review releases. The snare sound became more apparent the more I listened. Again, this is only my opinion and might not be an issue for most listeners. Grindcore definitely has worse snare drum recordings and infinitely worse studio mixings. I just think it is unfortunate and muddies the blast beats when the grindcore segments really take off.

    Vocally, Vermintide deliver their take on the stock grind/slam howler monkey guttural lows accented with distressed highs. They do a good job of servicing the flat depth of slam while avoiding the goregrind gurgles and using that vocal high/low contrast that is almost a must for today's grindcore. In my opinion, Vermintide's most commendable attribute is their lyrics. Every song on this EP has both feet firmly planted in a more left wing, socially conscious, empathetic viewpoint. The lyrics deal with mental health, body dysmorphia, environmentalism and there is no misinterpreting a track named, "Castrate Rapist Scum." As I mentioned in the beginning, slam and death metal have a substantial roaster of misogynistic and homophobic bands and can be even worse within its fanbase. Of course I'm not going to skirt the fact that the punk and grindcore scenes aren't plagued with their own problems with misogyny and abusers. And Vermintide could have easily edged that border or could have been brimming with gore or porno-gore content. Instead they have chosen to voice their opposition towards oppressive political and religious systems. I think the band's misanthropic name speaks for itself. Lyrical critiques do not often make an appearance in the blog, but I feel Vermintide have made more of an effort in making their lyrics openly known. Providing all lyrics on their Bandcamp page in addition to their own website, as well as providing the blog with those links. So obviously this is important to the band and is always something I appreciate and respect. 

    While I have spent the dominant portion of this review separating and dissecting the band's slam metal aspects from their grindcore aspects, it's best to take Meaningless Convulsions as a whole and not worry about the parts that make up its sum. In spite of my harsh assessment of the production—notably the snare drum—it really does come off as heavy and impactful. The snare hits when not blasting are still so pummeling. I still believe that the metal leanings in the studio didn't do the band any favors. Yet that is solely my own personal opinion. Because, in truth, the EP sounds very professional and is mixed well despite my petty grievances. The production is heavy and lucid which is so important for properly spotlighting the dual spectrum of the guitar. 

    I could easily see fans in both genres lamenting about Vermintide not being slam enough or metal enough or being false grind. However, hybrid grind subgenres never come with the promise of wall to wall blast beats or have a certain expected ratio of  "x" to "y," nor should they. That's not their purpose. They are there to combine the influences of the band and create something both new and representative of the band themselves. Vermintide identify as a mix of slam metal and grindcore and they accomplish exactly that. But the band also achieves much more than that as a one member passion project that Frankensteined together an EP better than a great deal of the releases in 2021. I think Meaningless Convulsions might be a recommended listen for anyone on either side of the genre fence looking for something a little different. 

FFO: Exhumed, Whelm, Livid, Ingested

Listen to the album:

https://vermintide.bandcamp.com/releases

Split Level Housing: Horornisdiphonevalley/SlothPhantomMoth - "Tystnadsallergi" Split CD Review

"Louis was silent for a long time. 'Was he the only one?' 'The only one I know personally,' Jud said gravely. 'The only one to ever try it? I doubt that, Louis. I doubt it very much. I'm kind of like the preacher in Clesiastes—I don't believe that there's anything new under the sun. Oh, sometimes the glitter they sprinkle over the top of a thing changes, but that's all. What's been tried once had been tried once before  . . . and before . . . and before.'" 

-Stephen King 

Pet Sematary

    Throughout the process of typing up this review, my girlfriend often lies beside me, perpetually cold and curled up under our ironical yet cozy Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe fleece couch blanket while binging through season after season of the 2007 hit sitcom, The Big Bang Theory as part of her current nightly ritual. Her latest observation seems to be that I exhibit several similar qualities to the character of Sheldon Cooper—a stubborn, socially inept, obsessive-compulsive, chronically phobic, intellectual who finds security in routine and consistency. Before voicing my annoyed objections I quickly had to acquiesce and accept my own neuroses: rigid regularity, hyper-specificity and a strong resistance to any sort of change. My taste in music is no exception. I like my grindcore consistently systematic. Well, as much as a genre like grindcore can be. Speed being king and blast beats being the end-all, be-all. And I don't think I'm alone in recognizing and adoring the singularity of the genre. Yet, these days it takes more than brute force and blurred tempos to stand out among so many great bands and great releases. Sometimes it comes down to what kind of "glitter" is sprinkled over something that makes it glamour.

    2021's Tystnadsallergi is a split release between Japan's Horornisdiphonevalley and Sweden's SlothPhantomMoth that was released jointly through Esagoya Records, Wooaaargh Records and The Hills Are Dead Records. (And let me assure you that nothing about that title roles off the tongue easily for a Texas music reviewer. Points to both bands on name originality.) Both Horornisdiphonevalley and SlothPhantomMoth were previously unknown to me before this review. They are the kind of bands that you won't necessarily find outside of their social media pages or their record label's websites. Always a good sign when searching for any new, worthwhile bands these days. 

    Horornisdiphonevalley—from what all I can find—appears to be a one man noise-grind project from Japan. Right away from the first listen you can tell there's a lot going on and a lot of different influences at play. Some of which can seemingly come out of nowhere. Starting your side of a split with Cab Calloway's 1931 hit, "Minnie the Moocher" before interjecting mid-melody with heavy crashes and spastic blasting is odd, confrontationally odd, as well as comically disturbing. Horornisdiphonevalley are obviously operating from left field with a thick, dark combination of ambient noise, grindcore, hardcore, metal, sludge and the occasional sample-laced-synth-jazz-elevator-music track.

    Horornisdiphonevalley are much in the vein of Full Of Hell or House alums Bled To Submission. That mix of viscous crude: grinding metallic noise impregnated with whipping thrash riffs and flanked with hardcore breakdowns that are as catchy as they are crushing. This emphasized by the highly adept production value that does an exceptional job of showcasing each instrument with a heavy and meaty intelligibility while also layering them in a nice grime. The versatility of the pulsing guitar work is pounding and fluid, the bass is chunky and the drumming is kinetically manic.  Track "虹の轍" presents a melodic aspect in the song writing that is reminiscent of the work of Takafumi Matsubara's and his fusion of high melody in grindcore. 

    Horornisdiphonevalley's use of noise with grindcore is nothing new, but how it's wielded is not how you would typically assume. The band's implementation of watery phaser effects and a sound that is like that of a digital finger running down a plastic comb are used in a way that ripples and bleeds through vocals and sludgier bits to perpetuate tension and atmosphere. Likewise, some overdubbed theremin-esque leads that are not too dissimilar to what is being utilized in Austin's BLK OPS, flutter around like a quivering "hair in the gate" on some vintage celluloid. The wiry chords tangle themselves in with guitar solos if not outright mimicking them. The noise elements are omnipresent, yet not so overbearing that they overshadow the heaviness of the music. Instead, they provide just enough experimentation without diluting that thick sound that is central to the band's core. In some cases, such as "Dive Into Vomit," songs are built around the ambient noise and audio samples, relying more on the synth elements more than the actual analog music and intermitted blasting. The song "Nightbird" seems to be the audio of what sounds like French dialogue with tranquil music over a looped drum track. It could easily be a lost song from the Mademoiselle Smash section at the end of Affliction's De La Révolte A La Révolution CD-R. (A deep cut from the Anarcho punk annals, but very accurate for those in the know.)

 

    Unfairly and almost always Swedish born grindcore bands will have to come up in the shadow of fellow countrymen turned possibly overhyped grind legends, Nasum. Swedish grindcore trio, SlothPhantomMoth happen to be such a band. An impossible comparison not to make given the music similarities and of course, geography. And I know I'm constantly citing and referencing Scandinavian grindcore, but that's only because it's such an immediately recognizable and distinct sound of grindcore, not to mention it's also some of the best grindcore in the world, frankly. Fortunately and well deservedly, SlothPhantomMoth also happen to fall into this category.   

    SlothPhantomMoth, like their Norse brethren, dole out some of that straight to the throat style of grindcore: constant, abrupt and breathless. Just like another commonly cited Return to the House Grindcore band—Switzerland's Mumakil—they are part of that grindcore subset that are enthralled with blast beat battery and snare worship. The sort of bands that incessantly blast with little desire to entertain much of anything else. SlothPhantomMoth carry on the tradition on their side of Tystnadsallergi. Their vocals are high to mid-range strangled screams that are barked in that Rotten Sound/Nasum cadence and every so often fall into a less extreme hardcore yelling. The drumming—that aforementioned, unabated blast beating which only really brakes to pound out whatever mid-tempo or fast as fuck D-beat chomping the song structure requires, to then only pick it back up again soon after as if it were an inevitable compulsion. Those metronome-like hammerings shift in accordance with the guitar's heavy plunges and speeding, needling, bumblebee buzz saw riffs. The bell-shaped production with it's high tremolo riffing and low bottom end gives credence to each of the instruments. One of which surprisingly being the bass guitar which is agreeably audible with its warm booming in the background.  

    Tracks "Perished Life" and "Rena Händer, Slät Hud" give insight into some of the band's broader influences. Both tracks, among others, peek into the metal side of SlothPhantomMoth. "Perished Life" has that pseudo "For Whom the Bell Tolls" intro, calling to mind an 80's thrash influence. While the intro to "Rena Händer, Slät Hud" sounds more like modern metal or hardcore as it bounces forward before—like both tracks—devolves in a swirl of guitar, cymbals and snare. Yet unlike Nasum, SlothPhantomMoth do not indulge in the predilections of metal bloated dawdlings or waste time with solos or melody. Opting instead to keep songs lean with bridges and breakdowns kept to a minimum. Squeezing in the catchiest and most divergent riffs where they can. 

    Tystnadsallergi is ultimately a successful split in the fact that it brings together two different subgenres of grindcore that effectively compliment each other well despite being on opposite sides of the grindcore spectrum; as well as both bands being markedly impressive in their own right. While both bands can be compared to more popular predecessors, Horornisdiphonevalley and SlothPhantomMoth do more than prove themselves here. Horornisdiphonevalley are wonderfully dirty, distorted and at times disjointed. The saturated sonic blasting is dark and thick with adequate amounts of avant-garde to keep things interesting. From the opening track through the band's final track, a take on a The Kill cover. (No easy feat.) In turn, SlothPhantomMoth brandishes an understatedly epic version of razor-sharp brutality that is intrinsically catchy and perfectly pummeling. As far as a long play split, this is a highly recommended international co-op of heavy acclaim. 

FFO: Full Of Hell, Feastem, All Pigs Must Die, Afgrund, Axis of Despair

Listen to the album:

https://esagoya.bandcamp.com/album/tystnadsallergi-split

Untitled: Vile Species - "Demo 2022" Tape Review

 

    Straight outta the cradle of Western civilization, Athens' Vile Species have recently been creating a catalog of crusty, old school grind with an output of five releases in just the past two years. Most notably with Sacramento's Human Obliteration whose 2020 LP, Definition of Insanity, had a somewhat conspicuous release. As a band, Vile Species have been cultivating a sound that combines the unembellished riffing of crust punk with the heavy blasting and keened edge of Scandinavian grindcore. The band can shift from one influence to the next in a matter of seconds. Pivoting from thrashy tremolo picking to stripped down crust punk riffs that sound like they are right out of the Disrupt playbook. Vocally, the band offers a standard truculent trifecta in that of the scratchy highs, a mid-range guttural snarl and some overly deep roars that make up a majority of the songs. Think dueling vocals between Shane MacLachlan and Barney Greenway with a healthy amount of rasp.

    Like the spring loaded plunger on a pinball machine, these Greek grinders shoot into their latest release with a throaty, blown out growl before opening up into a barrage of blast beats and slingshot riffs. The band's perpetual careening is only diminished by a head bobbing breakdown that bumpers its way back and forth before sliding past the flippers and into the gutter and exiting in a mere eighty-seven seconds. Thus completing song one of Vile Species' newest four song 2022 demo. A five minute shot of bare-knuckle grindcore that is straight to the point and does not waste time. With each of the songs being labeled as "Untitled" along with their corresponding track number, we are presented with either the band's raw and unfinished works or an artistic commentary on the futility of presentation. Regardless, Vile Species presents a fast paced, punishing assault of semi-low-fi blastcore that feels familiar and welcomed. 

    Being that this release is a demo, one cannot critique its production or superficialities too harshly, but there were a few things that did draw my attention. Foremost, the guitar tone seemed especially underweight in the mix. The lower fidelity itself wasn't wholly unexpected, but the guitar resonance was. At certain points ("Untitled 3") the band could have been mistaken for a bass and drum ensemble — albeit the best-case scenario of a bass and drum ensemble. It's just that the mix and distortion waver in their solidity and sometimes reduce the actual guitar to an unostentatious fuzz. Searching for the appropriate tone has been something of a constant plague for the band as the guitar sound has been drastically different on each of their releases. Liner notes indicate that mixing and mastering was done in-house and seems like an easily remedied problem in the future with the acquisition of outside mastering. But a lot can be said for DIY ethics and self-production. Not to mention that punk ethos is everything. Nonetheless, I am well aware of the meritlessness of "white gloving" a demo, so please do not let the above criticisms color this release overly negative. 

    

    Spiritually and metaphorically, Vile Species are that aggressively provoked dog on the other side of the fence when you are walking down the sidewalk. You know it's there, yet you fail to hear the huffing gallops quickly closing the gap. Then suddenly and unexpectedly — THWACK! The mongrel slams into the fence. The impact shakes the barricade from its foundation and cracks the wooden planks. Through an already excavated dugout under the torn slats ejects the crocodile-sized head of a barking, snarling, blue furred K-9 killer. Its face ivied in veins and rippled in taught muscle. Desperately snarling and snapping in a lusty attempt to tear out the softer bits of flesh from around your jawline and genitalia. Its red-meated, serrated jowls foam-filled and heaving. Its bright white fanged teeth mawing through the dust. Its pale hazel eyes rolled back and full of splinters, glinted with a vicious and berserk unabated desire to maul. A dramatic analogy, yes; but that's how Vile Species operates. The band's "attack" is a major key component in what makes their brand of grindcore so ruthless and enjoyable. Their explosive compositions hit their marks and don't let up. Vile Species' 2022 demo are those sentiments dirtied and distilled. It's their not-so-idiomatical grindcore pound of flesh, if you will: "no more, no less." 

    As of this writing, Vile Species' 2022 demo cassette tape is currently available on the band's Bandcamp page and soon it will be available on 5 inch clear vinyl through Helldog Records and Nostril Bush Records. 

FFO: Phobia, Blockheads, Human Cull, Mumakil

Listen to the album:

https://vilespecies.bandcamp.com/album/demo-2022

Bipolar Symptomatic: Proletar - "Depressive Disorder" CD Review

    "I don’t have to tell you things are bad. Everybody knows things are bad. It’s a depression. Everybody’s out of work or scared of losing their job. The dollar buys a nickel’s worth. Banks are going bust. Shopkeepers keep a gun under the counter. Punks are running wild in the street and there’s nobody anywhere who seems to know what to do, and there’s no end to it. We know the air is unfit to breathe and our food is unfit to eat, and we sit watching our TVs while some local newscaster tells us that today we had fifteen homicides and sixty-three violent crimes, as if that’s the way it’s supposed to be. We know things are bad, worse than bad. They’re crazy. It’s like everything everywhere is going crazy, so we don’t go out anymore. We sit in the house, and slowly the world we are living in is getting smaller, and all we say is: 'Please, at least leave us alone in our living rooms. Let me have my toaster and my TV and my steel-belted radials and I won’t say anything. Just leave us alone.'" 

                                                                                                                                            -Network (1976)

     At the risk of once again overstating the obvious, we all know the world has found itself lamed from its current anomalous and pestilential state of affairs. People across the globe are still reeling from the fallout of Covid 19 and its disastrous affects on modern life: unprecedented death tolls, civilizations in isolation, state sanctioned violence, supply chain breakdowns, vapid social media addiction, technological dependence, civil unrest, corporate monopolies, fascism, warfare, riots, fear, despair, disease and anxiety have all gutted the human psyche. And the corrosion of mental health is just the latest pandemic on the horizon for mankind. I highly doubt that I would be remiss in assuming a lot of us had a rough past couple of years and got a firsthand look at the cold face of melancholia. 

    So when it came time for the Indonesian grindcore veterans, Proletar, to name their latest full-length, they could not have picked a more appropriate title than Depressive Disorder. The band's Southeast Asian home in the national capital of Jakarta is a large populated seaside metropolis and a culturally diverse economic mecca. The people of this industrialized cityscape know all too well how the pandemic has strangled the modern world as well as the criminal elements, wealth inequality and varied other common hardships that accompany life in any behemothian city. Not to mention that this urban jungle amidst a literal jungle is sinking. Like actually sinking. Into the ocean. There is a good deal to be stressed about and many sources of depression. Both mentally and incrementally through subsidence.

    Proletar has been a band since 1999 and have released more EPs and splits than I was able to accurately count, frankly. So it's safe to say that the Jakartan three-piece are a consummate and seasoned band that are proceeded by their own volume and stalwartness. A large portion of that volume is collected in the 2007 early semi-discography, Back to Hatevolution CD released through To Live A Lie Records which showcased the band's progression through the better part of their first decade. Right from the start Proletar established a sound that incorporated both an affinity for the old school style of grindcore as well as a healthy obsession for crusty riff worship. In earlier releases, such as the 2004 split with Extreme Decay, Proletar came off as a raw, blasting punk-grind act that only slowed things down long enough to exhibit their thrashy mosh proclivities complete with youthful belligerence and gang vocals. While over a decade later the band's 2016 split with Department of Correction revealed a chunkier, better produced and more metallic death-grind. Over time the band dirtied up their earlier punk-grind predilections with a beefier crust grime. Very much in the vein of Agathocles and their mincecore clones. 

    2021's Depressive Disorder marks Proletar's first new record since the aforementioned 2016 split CD, if I'm not mistaken. Depressive Disorder's official release is also being bundled together with a DVD documentary, Grind For A Better Life which has been in the works for years and focuses on the band themselves. I was not privy to the film, but I did get a chance to review the album. An album that doubles down on the metallic crust punk and offers up a more mellow make of mince. The blast beats seem to be used more sparingly on this release. The drummer instead opting for long double bass trots, mid-tempo grooves and cymbal catching build ups that seem to be designed as filler for the catchy, palm muted riffing that is the real core of the album. There's also a subtle blend of grindcore and sludge metal. Almost as if the band was channeling some influences from their stateside creole counterparts in the American Louisiana Gulf Coast (another geographic location that is also sinking into the sea, by the way.) Bands like Soilent Green and Eyehategod immediately come to mind. However, not to fear, songs like "Teknologi Menghunus" and "Hoax" bring back the aggression and tempo that listeners might be expecting from past records. Given the twenty-one tracks on the album we are treated to a pretty decent mix of the mosh inciting, headbang inducing, chug-heavy songs and the more hawkish, blast beat filled numbers. There are even brief instances of the use of Nasum-style melody thrown in for good measure.

    Tempo isn't the only notable modification that is apparent on the album. There is a kind of experimentation in the minutia and periphery of the record that we haven't really seen the band explore to this degree. Track "Bentala Bernyawa" features an ambient intro overlaid with spoken word. Likewise, "Muda Yang Murka" implements a clever use of Muzak and radio chatter. Vocally, we hear the usual back and forth between death metal lows and highs, but the album also features a goregrind-esque range of gurgles and inhaled pig squeals that are manipulated and layered. The band obviously took full advantage of their time in the studio.       

    All things considered, Depressive Disorder is a stout and solid record that excels in many ways and is a high water mark for the band. The production is the best they've ever had in their over two decade run. There was clearly an emphasis on the "heavy" over speed as the entirety of this record is absolutely crushing. And while speed freaks might find the album lacking, it more than makes up for it in headbanging thickness. Again, fans of mincecore and crustcore will not be phased. In fact, as a crust album, Depressive Disorder would be untouchable in the realm of 2021 or 2022 crust punk releases. It might even help to think of Depressive Disorder as Proletar's version of Warcollapse's 2007 masterpiece, Defy!. Yet in that regard it would really all just be a matter of semantics. In spite of all of this, the album is not without its faults. Even though the riffs are fun and catchy, many of them seem a little too similar which can come off as repetitive at times. Especially with how stripped down the riffs are to begin with and even more so when some of those riffs are grouped in back-to-back songs on the track listing. Regardless, Depressive Disorder is a hard-hitting album that shows a broadening of Proletar's horizons as a band. At the very least, the album provides something for almost everyone. From the blue denim sporting metalheads to the foulest smelling crust punks to BPM worshipping grindheads or even any French grindcore loving goats. 

 FFO: Agathocles, Soilent Green, Brutal Truth, Mastic Scum

Listen to a track from the album:

https://proletargrind.bandcamp.com/track/martelaar

The Fear-mageddoning : Durian - "Scare Tactics" LP Review

 

• Chi·me·ra /kīˈmirə,kəˈmirə/ - (in Greek mythology) a fire-breathing female monster with a lion's head, a goat's body, and a serpent's tail.

• Du·ri·an /ˈdo͝orēən,ˈdo͝orēˌän/ - an oval spiny tropical fruit containing a creamy pulp. Despite its fetid smell, it is highly esteemed for its flavor. It has been described as the most foul-smelling fruit in the world. Its aroma has been compared to raw sewage, rotting flesh and smelly gym socks.

      

    Keeping in mind my comments in my previous article about my favorite releases of 2021 and how challenging it was narrowing down that list due to the volume of commendable releases that came out last year. Durian's latest release, Scare Tactics, falls right on top of that category. And speaking of categories, where to start with Durian as a band? As an OCD lifer, categorization and specificity are my day in, day out. But Durian tend to tip-toe in and out of classification and genre ever so slightly. And getting into the weeds with subgenres can be exhausting, even for me. Nevertheless, Scare Tactics sees the band's patented punk permeated power violence painted grind evolving into a bulkier, burnished brick of blatant grindcore brutalism. 

     New Jersey's Durian was founded by members of the now defunct and highly revered grind-violence band, Chainsaw to the Face. And as the sun started going down on Chainsaw to the Face in 2015, it rose on Durian starting with their 2016 basement recorded demo. Right away Durian cultivated a sound that didn't so much rely on power violence's juxtaposition of fast blast beats and slow slogs. Instead opting to blend revved up and spastic punk riffs with angled and staggered arrangements. Set into motion by mass and speed. But what immediately stands out, even at the most preliminary cursory listen, is the bass guitar work. The inclusion of bass in the mix of grindcore material is almost something of an industry running joke. Commonly not even being included at all depending on the band. Durian features not only competent and articulate basslines, but actually holds them to the forefront. Especially in the band's earlier EP's. Combine all of this with proficient song writing and structure and you have a recipe for a real dynamism that makes for a truly energetic listening experience. A standard that the band has been perfecting for the past five years and six releases. 

    2021's Scare Tactics marks not only Durian's first full-length, but also an evolution in the band's brand of grind-violence. The sound this time around seems to lean more towards the grindcore side of the grind-violence duality. But without forsaking the power violence necessities. E.g. tracks like "Maslow's Dog" and "Committed to Ignorance." Rather this album is a hulking powerhouse that is somehow nimble enough to wield that weight with total malleability. The guitar is a thicker, heavier driving force and is now moved up in the mix. This is literally instrumental in showcasing songs like "Compulsion." A song that has some really interesting riffs and patterns. The song basically operates like a wind-up toy that has burst into flames and keeps violently grating itself to pieces. Likewise, the very next track "People Are Alike All Over" incorporates skipping hardcore two-steps, blast beat bursts of AK-47 fire and metallic snare stampedes. A style that propels the entirety of the album through zigzagging twists and turns. Ultimately the bass guitar is toned down on this album. Not diminished. Just more evenly distributed in the production. In fact, Scare Tactics is probably one of the most level and balanced mixed albums you are likely to hear in the genre, ever. The bright slinky spring wound bass, the Tilt-A-Whirl/shotgun shell guitar riffs, the poppy crack of the snare drum and the three-tier combination vocals coalesce in a way that really makes the LP shine.

    Scare Tactics illustrates a current Durian that has matured in the ways of symmetry and production. While bolstering their grindcore beastliness and simultaneously doubling down on the power violence undertones at their core. Their churning and fragmented song structure is explosive and exciting. The band skillfully rounds off the edges to a genre made-up of abrupt and angular songs and they shape them to flow smoothly and seamlessly. If I were a blogger writing a series of grindcore music reviews under the fictional narrative of living in a decrepit homestead, I would explain that Durian play a subtle and sophisticated version of grind-violence. In which they have cracked the code on how to flawlessly marry the two genres. As well as the fact that Scare Tactics is a talentedly crafted, highly vibrant addition to the band's discography. If I were debating this album with friends in-between sets at a local show, I would explain how the first half of the album sounds like Code 13 doing Fiend covers. While the second half reminds me of a scenario in which Despise You crossbred with Magrudergrind. (I maintain "Façade" is proof of this.) But if I were simply recommending this LP to an interested party, I'd say this is an absolutely fun album by the best band you've never heard of. 

FFO: Chainsaw To The Face, Six Brew Bantha, Phobia, Dropdead 

Listen to the album:

https://duriangrind.bandcamp.com/album/scare-tactics

Return to the House of Grindcore: Top 10 Favorite Releases of 2021

    When Covid hit in earnest in 2020 and cities began shutting down. When quarantine became the new national pastime and widespread unemployment swept the country. Shows stopped. Venues closed their doors forever. Bands broke up. But those bands and their members who persevered and survived found themselves with a lot of free-time on their hands. Free-time that was utilized in writing new material and tracking new songs in the studio. So when 2021 came around, we the listeners found ourselves with a plethora of new albums being pressed. Digital EP's being uploaded to Bandcamp. Labels promoting the latest and greatest of things to come. There were so many great releases last year. Some I reviewed here. So many more that I could not. And I'm sure much more that I haven't even heard. Whittling down this list of my favorite releases of 2021 was not easy, but I hope it is well received.

10. Ixias - "tinge." LP

    Baltimore's Ixias and their full-length, tinge. is a psychedelic take on grindcore that blends meteorically fast, dissonant grind with a haze of eerie, retro-synth-ambient-noise. It's like if Discordance Axis were hired to composed the soundtrack to the film, Mandy. Or if space-grind band Psudoku manifested within Event Horizon. Ixias' sinister take on spastic metal-flecked blasting plays out like a Kubrickian nightmare. But even with the all ambient atmosphere, songs on tinge still rarely break the one minute mark. This fast, jagged, discordant grind mixes blood and bleach for a unique and punishing flavor.

https://ixias.bandcamp.com/album/tinge

9. Hong Kong Fuck You/Guilt Dispenser split EP

    I remember a lot of hype around the release of this split as the grindcore community patiently waited for the vinyl copies to make their way out of the pressing plant and into distros. And it was well worth the wait. As a band, Hong Kong Fuck You is doing some really interesting things with power violence and grindcore. The drum and (three) bass (no guitar) quintet are blast-beating a path through experimentations in tempo and syncopation mixed with a profane digital pollution; plus a healthy obsession with eating ass.

    Guilt Dispenser offers up a stout, stuttering bass-heavy rendition of fastcore. Their micro songs are erratic blasts of abrupt grind that somehow still find time to introduce hardcore grooves in literal seconds. I feel like this record had a lot of listeners coming for the Hong Kong Fuck You, but staying for the Guilt Dispenser. 

https://guiltdispenser.bandcamp.com/album/split-with-hong-kong-fuck-you

8. Mescaline Maniacs - "Give Me My Face Back" EP

    What can I say about this EP? 6 songs in 4 minutes. Mescaline Maniacs are keeping California street-stank power violence alive and well. While their 2020 self-titled EP was a more traditional hardcore/power violence, 2021's Give Me My Face Back is a raw, feedback drenched, pissed off, methed-out Spazz bordering on grind-violence and starting fights at the Despise You show. Complete with comical audio clips and cover art that looks like a hood-school doodled book cover that has been Xeroxed to death. Absurdist HxC/PV lives.

https://mescalinemaniacs.bandcamp.com/album/give-me-my-face-back

7. World Peace - "Come And See" LP

    Another drum and bass power violence band (only two basses this time, though) and another highly anticipated release that lived up to the hype. God help those who slept on ordering this one-sided LP of 20 songs in 10 minutes from 12 Gauge Records. Which sold out pretty much over night and myself being among them. World Peace is a pummeling, low-end power violence trio that hits heavy and fast. Like fast, fast. The instrumentation is a blur of talent and speed. And the mix on this LP is just as amazing. Capturing the bass athleticism and the equally impressive drumming. Both of which will make you forget that this band is sans guitar. It's like listening to Lack Of Interest read Richard Dawkins.

https://worldfuckingpeace.bandcamp.com/album/come-and-see 

6. Blockheads - "Trip to the Void" LP

    No introduction should be needed for these 30 year veterans of French grindcore. This is the first we've heard from Blockheads since their Relapse Records release of 2013's, This World Is Dead. In that gap between releases the band's sound has gotten leaner and meaner. As if they were living in the wild this whole time and became feral. Trip to the Void is a whirlwind of blast beats, D-beats and crushing guitars. Blockheads could've gone the way of so many other grind bands of their age and settled into tough-guy metal or pacified big label grind. But instead they are still pissed and twice as frenzied. It's also nice to see a 25 track full-length that doesn't even pass the 30 minute checkpoint. Which itself is starting to become a thing of the past. Additionally, this cover photo by photographer Roberto Campos is quite an accomplishment in and of itself.

https://lixiviatrecords.bandcamp.com/album/trip-to-the-void

5. Deterioration/Mellow Harsher split EP

    A match made in grindcore heaven and then quickly aborted into an alley dumpster. The Minnesota kings of cynical cringe hyper-blasting meet the snarky psycho snare worshipers from Wisconsin. Deterioration breed split EP's like rabbits and this release is north of thirty on their discography count. There were like half a dozen this year. This split with Mellow Harsher falls in line with all of those in the fact that it's brutally fast and chock full of heavy riffing. But unlike past recent releases this EP sounds a lot better. Deterioration's unhinged and ironic trailer park grind is legend in the grindcore community.

    Mellow Harsher return with another scorching set of high intensity tracks that sounds like a pot of boiling snare drums being shot at with an AK-47. Mellow Harsher is one of the best sounding grindcore bands operating today. Everything they release should be on your shelf. They combine some of the slickest, hardest grindcore mixed with elements of power violence and slather it in high pitched shrieks.

https://malokul.bandcamp.com/album/deterioration-mellow-harsher-split 

     

4. Knoll - "Interstice" LP

    Knoll's Interstice is a solid full-length of blackened death-grind that plays like a maelstrom of blast beats and a torrent of chainsaw guitars blaring through the charnel caverns of some underground catacomb. The dark static stench of chaos is barely reined in by the technical black metal shrills that perpetuate this grinding machine. Musicianship and atmosphere are Knoll's strong points, but speed is their bread and butter. If in the end the band's hoods were removed and it was revealed that they were actually a set of DeWalt power drills the whole time, I would not be surprised. 

https://knollvhs.bandcamp.com/album/interstice-2

3. Monnier - Self-titled LP

    Monnier is an international super group of sorts. Featuring Makiko Suda from Japan's Flagitious Idiosyncrasy In The Dilapidation on vocals. Her screams are the best in Japan and sear their acidic peppermint mark on the music. While all instrumentation is handled by Belgium's premier crust/grind artist, Jasper of Infested Art and Days Of Desolation. His art defined the genre and I'm sure most of you have at least one album cover or a t-shirt of his in your closet as we speak. Makiko is a beautiful artist in her own right. And the duo's collaboration is not only apparent in the music, but also on the jacket art as well. The record itself is comprised of two previously released EP's. Each one full of ballistically ferocious grindcore. Katana sharp dissonant riffs. Venom soaked vocals. Perfect production. All overflowing with light speed blast beats. Now I'm not sure why I haven't heard anything about this LP from anyone outside the band and the label (Loner Cult Records.) So I guess this flew under the radar, maybe? What a sadly underrated release if true.

https://hpgd.bandcamp.com/album/monnier

  

2. Nak'ay - "Closed Doors/Open Veins" LP

    Closed Doors/Open Veins means exactly what you think it does and Nak'ay is exactly the band that can convey such sentiments in under a minute and buried in everlasting blast beats. Nak'ay are a highly tuned machine that have crafted a vicious hybrid of grindcore and black metal. Then reduced it down to its purest form. This weighty concoction of blackened grind manages to create a sense of atmosphere and despondency with the slightest of efforts. And the only thing breaking up this air of gloom is the roaring vocals, dazzling talented guitar work and the ceaseless barrage of blast beats. Closed Doors/Open Veins is a testament to what happens if you champion speed, talent, versatility and inspiration while still keeping things focused and direct. 

https://nakay.bandcamp.com/album/closed-doors-open-veins

1. Eastwood - "Antibiose" LP

    I am of the ilk that believe that the only genre better than grindcore is the subgenre of grind-violence. And Antibiose proves that Eastwood are currently the apex predators of this category. This German/French four piece absolutely dominated with their 2021 record, Antibiose. It is brimming with machine gun style blast beats that are so fast and impactful that they should have tracer fire. Slinky basslines and coiled guitar-rips that hit like surgical airstrikes. Eastwood explodes effortlessly from grindcore to power violence to hardcore to metal and back again, like the pull on a zipper. This seamless shape-shifting elevates Eastwood into a bracket of pummeling all their own. While still keeping the tried and true grind-violence attributes at the forefront. Antibiose is an astute critique of today's cracking and jaded society set to a soundtrack of crisp, fresh brutality. 

https://eastwoodgrind.bandcamp.com/album/antibiose