grind – Page 31 – Wonderbox Metal

Amenthes – Destroyer of the Icon (Review)

Amenthes are a US Death Metal band and this is their début EP.

Amenthes play Modern Death Metal with a hint of Grind and even Black Metal.

Vocals are various growls with added screams. Duties are shared between the main singer and a guitarist/bassist; they’re ably done and not without personality.

The music is darkly brutal and there’s enough character and passion to the riffs to help Amenthes stand out from the pack.

On this release Classic Death Metal riffing has been combined with more modern chops to create a blend of the old and new. This is added to on occasion by a Grindcore influence that allows the band to let their focused assault slip off and get a bit more frenzied. Some of the riffs have a slight Black Metal flavour to them, lending the band a dark feeling to some of the parts of the songs.

I can hear shades of Cannibal Corpse, Martyr Defiled, Decapitated, All Shall Perish, Job for a Cowboy, Hiss from the Moat and others in their sound. It’s a good mixture that allows the band freedom to do what they want without losing the core brutality that all Death Metal has.

Blast beats and energetic riffs lead the way while the vocals snarl their way through the carnage. I enjoy a good solo and the band have got me covered in this respect too.

I like that there are a few different things going on here, with some nice ideas sharing space with the heavy Death Metal.

This is a very enjoyable release from a band who have real enthusiasm and the songs to match.

Highly recommended.

Fredag Den 13:e – Domedager (Review)

Fredag Den 13:e are from Sweden and this is their third album. They play Hardcore.

This is aggressive music that’s fuelled by Crust and and d-beat Hardcore. If you like bands such as Skitsystem, Disfear and Martyrdöd then you’re in for a treat here.

Fredag Den 13:e have plenty of groove and rhythm to their sound and a strong recording brings out the best of them. Everything is solid and immediate, which is the kind of impact a band of this type requires.

The songs are catchy and emotive, which is a lethal combination. There are great riffs in abundance and the band have a large amount of energy that they siphon into the songs. A lot of the guitars feature aggressive melodies that sound quite apocalyptic, so much so that Domedager could almost be the soundtrack to the end times after civilisation has fallen.

The singer has a scathing voice and he screams his way through these 36 minutes like a focused ball of rage that nonetheless manages to convey emotion and charisma alongside the vicious diatribes.

One of the things I love about this release is that the songs have this relentless energy that drives them forward. Add to that the emotive, dynamic riffs and songwriting…well, we have a winner here for sure.

This is not a band I was aware of prior to writing this review, but it turns out they could be one of Sweden’s best kept secrets. It’s time to change that – listen to Fredag Den 13:e and get ready to be impressed.

Captain Cleanoff – Rising Terror (Review)

This is the second album from Australian Grindcore band Captain Cleanoff.

Here we have 16 tracks in a brief and violent 21 minutes. Napalm Death and Terrorizer are your instant points of reference for Rising Terror and it lives up to these lofty expectations by demolishing everything in front of it in a tidal wave of raw savagery.

The songs are fast and furious, with everything dedicated to the Grindcore assault, although it frequently stops short of becoming a complete blastfest.

These short and nasty tracks are all brutality and teeth, snarling and gnashing their way through the seconds like a hungry predator. The main exception to this high-speed delivery is the final track Threads, which is more of an atmospheric track; slower and Sludgy, (and at just under 5 minutes long it’s pretty much 25% of the album).

There’s a lot of d-beats involved on Rising Terror, as well as it having a Hardcore energy. Good groves and riffs are used and Captain Cleanoff have a clear understanding of dynamics within the Grindcore template.

The vocals alternate high-pitched acid-drenched vocals with deeper growls. The latter sound rough and angry while the former sound insanely psychotic.

This is an enjoyable 20 minutes from a band with a solid sound and style who know how to get down to business and get the job done.

Recommended.

Barrows – Swine Race (Review)

Barrows are a Canadian Grindcore band and this is their début album.

This is sophisticated-yet-ugly Grindcore that’s added to and fleshed out by Brutal Death Metal elements, resulting in savage Deathgrind the likes of which will be too extreme for most.

The songs combine rhythmic, pulsing mayhem with blasting carnage and insane guitar torture. There actually is occasional melody involved in their assault too, albeit of a twisted, warped variety.

There’s a lot going on in these songs as the band chug, Grind, blast, groove and rip their way through the 29 minutes on this album with vicious glee and crazed enthusiasm. It’s all about the brutality, but with a surprisingly varied attack. The point is, Barrows are a multi-dimensional band with many different facets to their offensive rather than just playing ferociously fast.

The vocals are a fierce collection of grunts, screams and pig-noises that are enough to scare away all but the most hardened of Extreme Metal fans. The singer’s performance is not to be faulted and he frequently sounds like about 100 maniacs all at the same time, which is no mean feat.

Sort of like a cross between Cattle Decapitation, Pig Destroyer and Circle of Dead Children; Barrows have produced quite a stunner of an album, which is up there with the latest Maruta release as a prime example of quality Deathgrind.

Essential listening for all fans of Grindcore extremity.

Fuck the Facts – Desire Will Rot (Review)

Fuck the Facts are a Canadian Grindcore band and this is their tenth album.

Fuck the Facts are always a good listen. Playing by no-one’s rules but their own, they play Grind with their own agenda and are wonderfully individual.

They combine most different aspects of Grind, including some non-Grind elements too. Labelling them as Progressive Grindcore is not too bad of a description. From blasting brutality to melodicism to experimentalism; Fuck the Facts have got it covered somewhere in their discography, (and on this release), and they do it very well indeed.

These songs are largely, (but not exclusively), short blasts of aural carnage, although there’s much more to the band than just this. Longer songs and more experimentally diverse songwriting, (including solos, melodies, Death Metal, Progressive Metal, atmosphere, noise, cello, piano, etc.), mean that there’s a lot on offer here.

Sitting pretty among similarly individualistic Grindcore such as Cephalic Carnage, Cloud Rat, Antigama and the like, Fuck the Facts have built an impressive legacy for themselves over the 16 or so years of their existence and Desire Will Rot only cements their sterling reputation further.

The vocals alternate between the main singer’s acidic shriek and the bassist’s deathgrunts. It’s a combination and team effort that works very well. The main singer has a very individual and charismatic high scream and her voice sounds as nasty as scraping nails.

This is 39 minutes of challenging and impressive Grindcore. It’s not for people who just want the latest scene-clone; this is thinking Grind for the discerning connoisseur, and yet it still remains its visceral nature despite this.

A must listen.

Organ Dealer – Visceral Infection (Review)

Organ Dealer are a Modern Grindcore band from the US and this is their début album.

Boasting a strong sound, Organ Dealer have come to smash! This is brutal music that’s bound to appeal to fans of extremity and destruction everywhere.

A fast, focused assault of tasty Grind is given further backbone by a Death Metal base and a heart of pure ferocity.

The songs are well written and paced, which might sound an odd thing to say of break-neck Grindcore but this isn’t a pure blast-frenzy; Organ Dealer know the value of a good riff and are not afraid to use it for maximum effect. When the mayhem slows down they’re just as devastating as when they’re going all out.

I like an album like this that essentially compresses Modern Death Metal into a tight ball of rage, clips the songs to about 1-2 minutes in length and then pours hot, scalding Grindcore on top of everything. I mean, what’s not to like here? It’s fast, ferocious and brutal, all with a modern veneer and enough musical talent to make it stand out.

The vocals are scathing screams that will leave you breathless. Deeper deathgrunts are also used and the impression is very much one of intensity and extremity. I can only imagine Organ Dealer would be quite a spectacle live if they can reproduce this faithfully.

Visceral Infection has the timeless dynamics of Nasum and Napam Death and the modern brutality of Maruta and Pig Destroyer. As such, it’s a damn fine listen.

Tune in and Grind out.

Immortal Bird – Empress/Abscess (Review)

Immortal Bird are an interesting Death Metal band from the US. This is their début album.

This is not a typical Death Metal album. In fact it’s only Death Metal in the loosest sense really. Elements of Black Metal’s darkness and Grind’s chaos infuse it like diseases, while the brutal core only gets stronger and stronger due to these infections.

The singer has an absolutely scathing voice and her vocals seem to lash out of the venomous music like angry barbs.

The songs are an extremely impressive collection of styles and sub-genres. Fusing the atypical Death Metal of Gorguts, the emotive Grind of Cloud Rat, the Hardcore fury and aural inventiveness of Converge, the classic-style aura of Death and the Blackened taint of Ludicra – this is a real merging of different aspects of Extreme Metal, underpinned by a Death Metal core, resulting in an album that really is an incredibly impressive release.

As well as having a certain soft spot for some well-worn and classic genres/sub-genres, I also absolutely love it when you encounter a band that are doing something a bit different. Immortal Bird are the perfect kind of band for this, and I love that they throw so many Extreme Metal influences into their melting pot. The important thing, though, is that they’re doing it extremely well. This release is well-realised and sounds completely natural and unforced. The songs are just that well-written.

These tracks have it all, from blasting to angularity to atmosphere to melody to high-energy. For all the extremity on display here they still manage to throw in some hooks and the entire thing is actually very memorable, quite quickly.

This is the kind of music that causes you to take a sharp intake of breath and say to yourself, “holy shit”.

What more is there to say? You absolutely need Immortal Bird in your life.

This is going in my end of year list, make no mistake.

Mindful of Pripyat – …And Deeper I Drown in Doom… (Review)

Mindful of Pripyat are an Italian Grindcore band and this is their début EP.

This is Old-School Deathgrind with a devastating sound that’s heavy enough to crush a tank.

Mindful of Pripyat are all about the brutality. Blast beats and energetic fast-paced mayhem is the order of business and business is good.

The vocals are a three pronged approach, consisting of deathgrunts, pignoise belching and serrated screams. All are performed well with the main growls sounding especially brutal.

The music is short and to-the-point, as you would expect from the style. The guitars are half-way between Death Metal and Hardcore which lends the album a vitality that can sometimes be lacking in some Grind.

Like the best Extreme Metal, Mindful of Pripyat are just plain satisfying. Everything about their music from the overpowering sound to the merciless riffing to the barbarous vocals just appeals to my sense of what savage music should sound like.

Like a mash-up of Napalm Death, Terrorizer and Misery Index, Mindful of Pripyat have unleashed a storming first release here, and one can only imagine what they will get up to in the future. If they can retain this level of production value and songwriting skill then they can only go from strength to strength.

If well-produced Deathgrind is your thing then Mindful of Pripyat have got you covered. This really is quite an exceptional release; not because there’s anything ground breaking or innovative here, but purely because of the strength of the music alone. …And Deeper I Drown in Doom… is invigorating and like a welcome, painful shot of adrenaline right through the skull.

Quality Grindcore can never be kept down.

Ambassador Gun – Tomb of Broken Sleep (Review)

This is the third album from US Grinders Ambassador Gun.

Ambassador Gun play their music with harsh melody, Hardcore abandon and Grinding brutality. On paper their Grindcore is no different to many others’, but in reality the riffs and melodies used are quite atypical and interesting.

The band are upbeat and have their blasting moments, but this is more about the songs having an energy about them rather than speed for the sake of it.

The tracks are somewhat of a cross between the Hardcore d-beat of a band like Martyrdöd, the experimental, unusual Grind of Cloud Rat, the insectile mayhem of Discordance Axis and the Sludge edge of Colombian Necktie.

There’s lots of dynamics on display here and these are songs that are built to last. The band use melody well, but not in a melodic way; I know this sounds almost contradictory, but this is not a melodic band in the obvious sense. However, they achieve it in a muted, angry way and their songs have their own internal colour and sparkle because of this, despite the abrasive, serrated veneer.

This really is an exceptionally enjoyable release with enough bluster and brutality to have an instant appeal, yet with enough nuance and depth to be long lasting once the initial appeal of the violence and carnage has faded.

This is 26 minutes of exciting, visceral Extreme Metal. Highly recommended.

Maruta – Remain Dystopian (Review)

This is the third album from US Grindcore band Maruta.

This is one I’ve been looking forward to. Maruta play ferocious and ultra-modern Deathgrind with plenty of violence and brutality.

There are some top quality guest vocalists on this album, (At the Gates, Pig Destroyer), but that is merely the icing on the vocal cake, as the grunts and screams that populate these seventeen tracks are more than competent enough to hold their own.

The songs are short and nasty. There’s lots of blast beats and chaotic drumming going on while the guitars rage and tear through the playing time.

Strange and atypical riffs share space with more traditional Death Metal grooves and there’s a touch of The Dillinger Escape Plan’s unorthodox take on brutality on this release, as well as a feeling of Crowpath’s equally unorthodox style.

There’s a little here for all Extreme Metal fans. However, mashed up together like this it ends up being a formidable proposition for those not fully inducted into the league of Deathgrind. For paid-up members though, Remain Dystopian is a twisted, nasty joy to experience.

Deathgrind for the modern connoisseur.