Grindcore – Page 35 – Wonderbox Metal

Agoraphobic Nosebleed – Arc (Review)

This is the latest release from legendary US Grinders Agoraphobic Nosebleed, although it should be noted that this release is somewhat of an abnormality, much like 2009’s Agorapocalypse. Whereas Agorapocalypse was looking at extremity from a Thrash perspective though, Arc takes in the view from a dirty great Sludge one.

This is a new and different side of the band – heavy and full of Doom. It’s a filthy, Southern-tinged slab of ugly Sludge Metal that still carries the taste of the band’s core aggression and nastiness.

The singer’s harsh screams tear out from the roiling, churning music. Her voice is sharp and serrated, cutting through the thick Sludge of the guitars with ease.

Not a Daughter is an Eyehategod-inspired seven minutes of foulness that is abrasive enough to sand down anything; all thunderous riffs and cataclysmic drums.

Deathbed follows this with a Doomier take on the style, deliberately crawling and evil in tone. Deep, guttural growls join in for this one too, adding a more menacing note to the aggressive screams. About halfway through the track picks up with a huge Southern-styled riff that gives the track quite a jaunty edge and ups the energy levels quite a bit.

Closing the EP is Gnaw, which is also the longest track here. It’s a monolithic 12 minutes of heavy riffs, angry screams and nihilistic feelings. There’s a pounding rhythmic quality to it that really drives the song home.

A positive progression for the band, in what is apparently the first in a series of four EPs, all differently themed around the preferred music tastes of the individual band members. I now eagerly look forward to the next one.

Razoreater – Vacuum of Nihil (Review)

This is the latest release from UK Grinders Razoreater.

Razoreater combine elements of Old-School Hardcore and, unexpectedly, Swedish Death Metal into their furious blend of Grindcore.

Ugly vocals with a fierce Old-School Hardcore snarl to them rage out from the tracks, angry enough to cause violent feelings just by their very presence.

The music has a dirty Swedish Death Metal feel to it that’s quite delicious, especially as it’s filthed-up Grind that’s being played. Due to this, some of the riffs also have that Swedish feel, especially when the band slow the pace and concentrate on mood and evil melodies; all of which is a great addition to the standard Grinding mayhem.

These songs are full of good riffs and decent songwriting. This is a band who play at full speed very well, but know when it’s a good idea to slow things down and try a different method of attack. 13 minutes later – faces are broken and skin has been bruised.

Interesting, very interesting. Cross Extreme Noise Terror, Entombed and Rotten Sound together and you’ll have an idea of where Razoreater are coming from.

Razoreater make an impressive din. Check them out.

Prolefeed/War All the Time – Split (Review)

This is a split between two UK Grind/Hardcore bands.

Prolefeed start us off with 15 tracks of pissed-off Hardcore, tearing it up straight away with fast beats and a razor-sharp guitar sound.

Even though the songs are all short, sometimes they do slow the pace down and give vent to their groovier side. Apart from this, it’s all Hardcore-fury as the band play fast enough to vent their rage but rarely enter blast beat territory.

The riffs are full of confident swagger and attitude, embracing their heritage and really going for the throat.

The vocals are high shouts, angry and harsh, just as we like it.

It’s a more Hardcore/Punk take on the style as beloved of Extreme Noise Terror and early Cripple Bastards, mixed with an Old-School influence à la Minor Threat and the like.

After this we have War All the Time, who contribute the final 11 tracks to this violent split.

War All the Time have an uglier, fuzzier, filthier production than Prolefeed’s sharpness, and benefit from a rounder sound in this regard.

Other than that there are a lot of similarities between the bands; short songs, (although on average slightly longer for War All the Time), Punk fury, swagger, attitude, fast but-not-blast-beats, etc.

The singer has a deeper shout than that of Prolefeed; a throaty snarl shouting belligerently across the tracks.

Like their partners on this split, it’s an enjoyable listen. On balance, I think I prefer Prolefeed’s contribution though as there’s a little more variety in attack, but both sides hit the spot for a bit of grinding angry Hardcore violence.

Have a listen.

Collision – Satanic Surgery (Review)

This is the fourth album from Dutch Grindcore band Collision.

I was introduced to Collision via their brief split with The Rotted. Both of those tracks feature on Satanic Surgery, and I was impressed with their merging of Grind and Thrash.

Boasting 13 violent tracks that average about the 2 minute mark, this release is surprisingly catchy for something that’s essentially trying to rip your face off.

Blasting mayhem and high-pitched maniacal screams are restrained just enough to stop them descending into total chaos. The songs feature rhythms, vocal patterns and flesh-slicing melodies that stick in the brain more than they probably should.

This is foot-tapping good. It’s music that makes you want to move, even when it’s stupidly fast and the only realistic movement you can accomplish is basically to make your entire body spasm to the beat. Yes, that’s what we want out of music.

The band have focused on actual songs as part of their furious Grinding, something that a lot of more extreme bands neglect sometimes. This helps elevate Satanic Surgery well above the average of their peers and into more rarefied company.

These high-energy tracks will have you reaching for the meat cleaver and dancing like a maniac before you can even ask, “what’s going on here?”.

Gloriously brutal and marvellously catchy.

Tibosity – Bimbocracia (Review)

Tibosity are a Spanish Grind band and this is their second album.

This is ugly Goregrind that favours a big ol’ groovy approach to its carnage, rather than the ultra-fast method.

The vocals are mainly of the sick-sounding pignoise-style that can be so hit and miss at times. Here the singer has just the right amount of grit and roughness to his voice to make it work for me. Higher screams also appear, and these sound knife-thin.

So – groove. As stated. Groove-based Goregrind, although definitely not unheard of, is still fairly uncommon, especially when done in a, (relatively), catchy way as it is on Bimbocracia. Some parts of these songs wouldn’t be out of place on the latest Modern Metal release, apart from the less-polished production and depraved vocals, of course.

Tibosity also have a playful side to them, albeit one that finds joy in fingering the corpses of dead fat people, but you get the idea. It adds a certain appeal and character to the music without descending into the realms of worthless comedy-Grind.

So give Tibosity a listen and see if they tickle your fancy.

Extreme Noise Terror – Extreme Noise Terror (Review)

Extreme Noise Terror are a Grindcore band from the UK and this is their latest album.

This is a band that have been around for a long time and know a thing or two about ugly brutality. This is Old-School Grind with a firm Hardcore/Punk base that lends the tracks a nervy energy and attitude.

The songs are like short, violent bashes to the head. This is a good thing, honest. It’s raw, uncompromising and savagely delivered.

Each of the tracks is like a shot of adrenaline, with the high-octane Punk riffs and the pummelling drums acting in concert with the frenetic vocals to produce maniacally destructive music.

The dual-vocal assault is belligerent, hostile and unrelentingly antagonistic, frequently straddling the line between murderous and downright frenzied and chaotic.

One of the great things about a band like this though is just how catchy some of these songs are. Sure, they’ll never be a radio hit, (why would they want to be?), but in our rarefied world of Extreme Metal these songs have more hooks than most.

30 years (!) into their career and it’s heartening to see a band like this still so vital and vibrant. Turn up the volume and blast this out for all it’s worth.

Die Choking – III (Review)

This is the debut album from US Grinders Die Choking.

After two very good-but-short EPs, (I and II), we now get III; this time, it’s longer.

Although not by much, really. Here we have a whole 14 minutes of tightly-compressed angry music. After the promise of the two EPs, this release lives up to my expectations.

The music is modern Grindcore full of extremity and rage, burning everyone around it with its intensity and brutality.

Their sound has progressed and developed from their earlier Grindings into an even more focused expression of hatred and violence. The vocals have improved and seem buried in the music in such a way it seems impossible to separate them.

Each song may be short, but they still manage to pack in a lot of content, with quite a few different sub-styles of Grind rearing their malformed heads throughout. It all adds a good degree of interest and variety in what is essentially a chaotic blast-fest of brutality and destruction. From old to new styles, from crust to modern, from Napalm Death to Misery Index; there’s a lot of meat on this violent treat.

If you’re into Grindcore, (and who isn’t, really?), then this is highly enjoyable and easily likeable.

Subterror – Antropomortum (Review)

This is the first EP from Brazilian Death Metal band Subterror.

Subterror play ugly, primitive Death Metal with elements of Grindcore/Crust.

This is raging and brutal music straight from the underground that tears through the 24 minutes on offer here like a frenzied animal looking for meat. There’s a primordial Metal power to Subterror’s vicious assault and they channel this with shotgun precision so that everyone knows not to mess with them.

This is not all speed and bluster though; Antropomortum is more like a rabid, Crusty Bolt Thrower/Jungle Rot than it is some easily-dismissed blastfest. Sure, the band can ramp up the speed when they need to, but they have a very good line in rolling, mid-paced destruction as well.

The singer has a throaty growl that is just as rough as the music. With the dirty production of the songs his voice fits perfectly and much satisfaction is gained from his efforts.

There’s a Punky energy that drives these songs forward, and Antropomortum is a very pleasing listen.

Filth and fury.

Gorepunch – Give ‘Em Hell (Review)

Gorepunch are from the US and this is their début album. They play Death Metal.

Comprised of members and ex-members from veteran groups such as Fear Factory, Aborted, System Divide and Malignancy, Gorepunch already have a lot of experience. Give ‘Em Hell makes the most of this and wastes no time in getting to the heart of the matter – blood, guts and blasting brutality. Remember, the quickest way to the heart is through the ribcage.

Their album has an interesting approach to Death Metal that takes some influence from Grindcore but largely adopts a split between Technical Death Metal and a state-of-the-art modern approach, resulting in an album that’s just at home slaying you with a direct approach or flaying you alive with an off-centre complicated attack. It’s a formula that results in a Modern Death Metal album with its putrid fingers in enough different pies to keep you happy and focused throughout the 26 minutes playing time.

The songs are like an enjoyable beating and feature good playing, pummelling riffs and savage vocals. The band use enough melodics to keep things engaging, but don’t allow them to go overboard and detract from the brutality.

A really engaging release that satisfies those cravings for a short, sharp blast of aural carnage that still has some substance to the barbarity.

For fans of Aborted, Job for a Cowboy, The Kennedy Veil, Prostitute Disfigurement, Wormed, Alterbeast, Exhumed, Ichor, etc.

Norylsk – The Catholic Dictatorship (Review)

This is the second album from Polish Grinders Norylsk.

This is ugly Grind for fans of Regurgitate, Brutal Truth and Squash Bowels. It’s fast, brutal and the epitome of savage.

Norylsk largely have an Old-School sound but they do have some modern elements and ideas here and there. This is enhanced by a heavy, modern production.

Growls, screams and something that sounds like gargled broken glass are the main forms of attack from the singer. I worry about the health of his throat.

Norylsk blast, groove and tear their way through these tracks with clinical precision and furious focus. It’s a near-unrelentingly heavy assault and the band clearly know what they’re doing.

This is Deathgrind for people who like the Old-School style delivered in a modern way. It’s an impressively brutal album but one that doesn’t become too one-dimensional thanks to good songwriting and a few non-standard ideas in places, (including clean female vocals and spoken word on Mental Selection).

For Grindcore with weight and substance, look no further.