Grind – Page 25 – Wonderbox Metal

Cripple Bastards – Nero In Metastasi (Review)

Italian veteran Grinders Cripple Bastards darken our doors once more with their new album – 18 tracks in 36 minutes.

Playing a pissed off Hardcore-tinged version of Grind; Cripple Bastards may have been around for many a year now but they are not falling short on the ideas or integrity fronts.

Riffs fly around all over the place like splinters and the drums pound like bowling balls being dropped. Effortlessly combining Hardcore, Punk, Grind and Death Metal into short songs with all being presented in their inimical savage style. There is a even a 9 minute epic Splendore E Tenebra which is as unexpected as it is welcome.

The vocals are a thing of rabid beauty; running the gamut from deep, guttural Death Metal vocals to higher rasps, the one thing that never changes is the intensity of them.

Favourite Track: Lapide Rimossa. The Old-School and the New merged flawlessly to create an excellent song. A microcosm for the album as a whole.

When Grindcore is played this well it’s easy to remember what you love about the genre. The energy and passion in these songs is infectious.

This is a Grind masterclass performed by people who are at the top of their game. This album easily differentiates itself from so many Grind-wannabes by the character and individuality of the band, let alone the quality of the songs. A must for any fan of Grindcore.

Kalibas – Rumors Of Our Demise Have Been Barely Exaggerated (Review)

Kalibas come across as fury incarnate – the type of band that like to get angry and stay angry. This is furious Grindcore played at speeds fast enough to break necks and with enough time changes and asides to frighten even the most eclectic grinder.

This is crazy stuff and guaranteed to appeal to Grind fans who like their music fast, complex and impenetrable. These are not 30-second-blast songs though, the average length is 3-4 minutes so you know with each of the 8 tracks you’re getting a good meal. It may just taste like broken glass…

The vocals are the very definition of savage. The singer sounds absolutely inhuman, and there is absolutely no let up whatsoever. At all. How he managed to keep that level of intensity up without rupturing something is beyond me.

The music is probably 99% absolute controlled chaos, with drums blasting and pounding, guitars grinding and shredding and everything seemingly doing its own thing yet amazingly managing to contribute to a coherent whole. The other 1% accounts for those exceedingly rare moments of, well, not calm, but very brief subtler moments that pepper the album like diamonds in the filth. Blink and you’ll miss them. They are there purely to emphasise the extremity of the rest of the music, but they are vital nonetheless.

This is a great album from a great band and unfortunately it was their last one as they have now split up. Do yourself a favour and get this in your collection before the sands of time bury it forever into obscurity.

C.O.A.G. – Sociopath (Review)

C.O.A.G. play the kind of Grindcore that you can cut yourself on. C.O.A.G. is short for Coalition of Abnormal Grindcore and as a statement of intent and sound this is a pretty good one.

This is abrasive, sharp and so full of aggression it makes most bands sound tame by comparison. It’s an old-school blast-fest combined with elements of other Extreme Metal genres, (bits of Hardcore here, some Death Metal there), to create a very satisfying listen.

The vocals are kind of shouted but in a very strange way; almost like the singer of Crowbar straining through a filter. It shouldn’t work but it does. The same of which can be said of the Hatebreed cover.

A very short but very enjoyable release. Who doesn’t like a good, honest blast now and again?

Sulaco – Build & Burn (Review)

Inventive, modern Grind is what Sulaco have in store for us here, with the odd dashing of Death Metal thrown in for good measure. Think longer-song-style Grind, rather than the shorter-song-style. Like somewhere between Cephalic Carnage and Gorguts or Gorod. Only not quite like that…

This is harsh music and not for the unwary. Choppy, changing, discordant guitars lead the way challenging the listener at every turn, while the drums both set the pace and hold everything together. Needless to say these are skilled musicians who know their Grind, which is only to be expected as they contain a now-former member of Brutal Truth.

The vocals are mostly halfway between a scream and a more hardcore-style shout, which immediately gives the band more of an individual slant than a lot of generic Grindcore bands. It works well here and complements the harshness of the music with an almost Drowningman-type intensity that adds an extra layer of depth to the tunes.

With plenty of ideas, some sharp technicality and the odd flourish of melody and sustained aggressive Metal this is a most enjoyable album.

Corrupt Moral Altar – Whiskey Sierra (Review)

UK based Corrupt Moral Altar play dirty sludgey Grindcore with lashings of filth and passion. This is ugly music for people who know what they like and couldn’t care less what the latest trends are.

The first song blasts out of the speakers like a ferocious angry animal; all teeth, claws and invective. It’s only three minutes long but it’s amazing how much content they cram into it.

Blasting, mid paced, sludge, atmospherics – all raise their bruised heads and have their time in the sun. It’s amazing that they find the time to slow down and inject quality Doom and sludge into their sound – this band are certainly not a one-trick blast pony.

Throughout these four songs the vocals lash and rage in high-pitched screams, as well as deeper shouts and even a nice bit of pig-noise depending on the whims of the Grindcore muse.

Ten minutes is all we get, but ten minutes of highly-inventive grinding extreme Metal that manages to pack more ideas into its short running time than a lot of bands do in a career. If you like Grind or just top quality extreme Metal then this is as near to essential a ten minutes as you’re going to find anywhere.

Infected Society – Get Infected (Review)

Infected Society play a modern form of grind that nonetheless harks back to a golden age of grindcore where grinding was more than just about speed; swagger and attitude counted for something.

This EP is very short but packs a punch. Four original songs that certainly leave their mark on the listener, and two covers. The original songs are catchy and diverse, and recall Groinchurn at their punky, grinding best. No 20-second-wonders here – each track has thought put into it and feels crusty but fresh, ready for the challenges ahead. As a taster for a full length some time in the future this does its job perfectly.

The two covers are by Napalm Death and Pantera. Wearing their influences on their sleeves, Infected Society pay homage to their heroes with honour.

One of the most noticeable things about this release is the energy levels – this is frantic and frenetic stuff. That’s not to say it’s sloppy of course, not at all; the band are obviously extremely enthused about what they’re playing. This comes through in the music and it’s a joy to hear. This is not tired music-by-numbers – this is fresh and exciting.

Very short but very worthwhile. Seems about time now for an album!

Lycanthrophy – Lycanthrophy (Review)

Grindcore! Pure, unadulterated, no-frills grindcore.

The guitars have a very punk/hardcore feeling to most of the riffs and this is just a joy as it almost feels like a band such as Madball have gone all grind – an aural beating but one where you ask for more. The drums are a relentless battering when going all-out, but also know when to hold back and provide a just a back-bone to the music and supply the groove for the punky riffs.

The vocals alternate between shouting (essentially) and screams. Basic but performed well; it fits the music perfectly.

There’s no great mystery or secret to this style of music – you either like it or you don’t. Me? I like grindcore. I especially like grind that’s done well. This is grind that hits the spot perfectly. Simple, stripped-down and rabid. 17 minutes, 20 tracks, perfection.

If you like grind you should get this. It really is that straightforward.

https://myspace.com/lycanthrophy

Misery Index – Retaliate

Retaliate is a quality grind album from 2003 – if you are a fan of intelligent grind then I heartily recommend this.

For fans of Napalm Death/Brutal Truth/Dying Fetus-style grind in the sense that there are actual songs with lyrics that are better than just the usual gore/sex/etc. tirade.

The songs are quite catchy in places, which just reinforces the quality of songwriting available here. Admittedly there is nothing groundbreaking here; but who needs groundbreaking when grind is done so well? I’d take Misery Index over a whole host of lesser “innovative” bands any day.

Check them out –

https://www.facebook.com/MiseryIndex

http://themiseryindex.tumblr.com/

Plague Widow – Plague Widow

Modern Death Grind at its best. Admittedly there is some overly long intro/outro stuff going on, but the actual grind tracks themselves are very satisfying indeed.

Sometimes bands of this ilk can be let down by a poor production or poor vocals, but this is not the case here. A good production with a massive sound adds a pleasing layer of heaviness to the package, and the guttural vocals are those of a seasoned pro, sure to please anyone who enjoys their death grunts nice and deep, without descending into silly pig-squeal territory.

I strongly recommend this release. Enjoy.

Find out more –

https://www.facebook.com/plaguewidow

http://plaguewidow.tumblr.com/