Lycanthrophy – Lycanthrophy (Review)

LycanthropyGrindcore! 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

Misery Index - RetaliateRetaliate 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

plaguewidowModern 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/