Time to Grind: 2010, Wars Are Started By Men

If you would have asked me a few weeks ago, I would have told you that 2010 was like a red-headed step child that everyone would soon forget about. Music was essentially boring in every other genre that held its own outside of the extreme music category, but for being so underestimated, the year made a surprisingly abrupt comeback. You see I'm not one to really keep up with modern releases too much, so when something does come my way and its really awesome, I usually produce tears of joy and attend a church service for that week. The year did have some awesome albums of course, however, nothing could even compare to my top album of the year. Let's begin.

10. Kasatka - Scene Slaughter
Call it an EP, call it a mini CD, I could care less. Bottom line is that Kasatka rules and this is some refreshing Grindcore straight outta Belgium! The material is pissed off fast and psychotic Grindcore that isn't about to allow Hipster doofuses plague the scene. Ending in just under five minutes, you have no excuse to avoid this compound of miniature mayhem.






9. Powercup - Renovate At All Cost
Who thought Grindcore and Mighty Putty would be such a strong combination? Powercup are an awesome Canadian Grind/Powerviolence band that take the ethic of DIY work to a whole 'nother level. Solid drum work, defiant vocals and the riffs keep coming and coming. I'm going to burn this album on CD, take it to every Lowe's and Home Depot and demand that they play it over the speakers daily. They'll be thanking me soon enough when sales rise and the profits come in, oh how I love my capitalist mindset.



8. Unholy Grave - Grind Killers
Unholy Grave aren't strangers to the Grind World and I most certainly get tired of hearing these guys' name being thrown around so often along with the infamous Agathocles. However, I rather enjoyed this album which was quite a surprise to even myself. Some will say its your run of the mill UG album, but for me it has this weird energy that I can't describe and it deserves to be on my list due to the sheer amount of plays its had this year. Definitely worth a listen and I'm pretty sure most grind fans will enjoy this record, thats as good of a word as you'll get from me for a band that releases millions of albums just for the sake of it. Don't get mad UG, you deserved the number 8 spot.


7. Misanthropic Noise/Csihas Beno
I've been a huge fan of Misanthropic Noise for quite some time now and this is definitely one of the best splits I've heard in a while. The raw sound that plays on their end is just amazing and is how Grindcore should be played. Noisey, Mincey, (Hate using that term), and downright filthy, I loved every second of these rascals' material. Csihas Beno is a powerviolence band that is a little less known but just as awesome. I'm not a huge powerviolence guru but CB are pretty refreshing. MN outshine in my opinion but regardless this is a great album. I posted Csihas' art because Misanthropic Noise decided to make theirs extremely hard to find.


6. Salome - Terminal
Female fronted Doom Metal band Salome dish out this swell, stomach churning masterpiece that redefines heavy. A few things have switched up but of course Kat is letting out her devastating yells and shrieks over the slow and thumping, yet hard hitting drums that set the pace for this record. Sludgy southern guitar laced with Doom provides a nice contrast to the painful howls let out from the blond haired front woman. The production is much better then some of their earlier work and the tracks are nice and hefty as they should be. I refuse to listen to this while driving however, in fear of rupturing streets and killing elderly people with such devastating grooves. You could push your way through a brick wall listening to this.


5. Lycanthrophy/FUBAR
Another female fronted band, Lycanthrophy tear the Czech scene up and hold the title proudly as my favorite Czech band. They do a fine job representing the homeland by unleashing blisteringly fast blasts and sudden abrupt changes in tempo. Grindcore and Powerviolence is finally perfected and combined perfectly, anyone who thinks Magrudergrind have that down need to listen to this split and think otherwise. FUBAR do a nice job of keeping up with Lycanthrophy and even have their own moments of shining through in their side of the split. I enjoyed the vocal duo and thought the pair sounded quite unique. A bit lower quality on the production scale but still pretty awesome. Best split of 2010 by far.

4. Totälickers - El Poder Absoluto Aniquila La Vida
Nothing warms my heart more then to hear loud crusty anarchopunk with Spanish vocals. I may be a little biased since Spanish was my first language, but to me any crust or form of punk is always better to me if it is played by a spanish or latin american band. Totalickers hail from Spain and these guys and I have a history together, which may be why this album is so high on my list. The vocals are perfect, not annoying and stupid like a lot of punk and the guitars sound exactly how they should. Drums have a nice sound as well, with the snare, toms, and every cymbal delivering each piece to transcend the beauty of protest into musical form. This is the real deal, if you want to get into anarchopunk and crust then this is your band and album so get to listening.


3. Suffering Mind - Suffering Mind
Normally I'd hate to double post but this is just such an astounding record that it deserves to be on my top 10 as well. From the moment it kicks off you get an instant blast and feel of the record and you have no choice but to listen as you are floored by the immense grinding insanity that this band provides. The female vocals are awesome, definitely my favorite part but the drums have a real grindcore touch to them that I just loved. Guitar has an awesome sound and instructs the band through each sinister and diabolic move. After the outro is played, feedback descends and tricks you into believing the album is over, only to sweep you up and annihilate you with a surprise Phobia cover. This album couldn't get any better if it tried, definitely going down in the history books.

2. Bloody Phoenix - Death to Everyone


True. Old School. Grindcore. I was a big fan of Excruciating Terror back in the day and its good to see that something as rad as Bloody Phoenix came out of their demise. This record is iconic for being true to the genre and belting out sick crusty grindcore in the name of all that is unholy and resisting. Everything is sick about this record and although there are blasts, it is mainly carried out by a mid paced beat most of the time reminiscent of old school grindcore and crusty punk. There's nothing I can really say negatively about the album, true killafornia grindcore.



1. Flesh Parade - Dirty Sweet

Flesh Parade did not disappoint with their delayed release of Dirty Sweet, this album is phenomenal. It has everything that the band is known for, which of course include famous the high shrieks that smother the blasts and grooves of this Cajun grind spicefest. I like how the guitar isn't too loud and the vocals stand strong above everything else, that is what Flesh Parade is known for and that is what they are doing. Some words are still interpretable through all the chaos and I am glad that this album was released just as the year was about to end, a fine excuse for my procrastination of this post! I hope Flesh Parade doesn't lose their touch and keeps it up with sick records like this. Dirty Sweet is gold so pick up a copy and spread the love, I'll be spinning this until new years.

- Cody

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Time to Grind: 2010 Style

I did start to  prepare a explosive and lengthy rant about the pros and cons of 2010, and my general observation of trends and how I think they will pan out, but no one cares for that right now and also I have too little time to finish it off, all people want to do is know what you choose for the best releases of 2010, so they can either moan/compliment about your selection or just download it, so they can still claim to have knowledge of the band in 2010. So here are my choices

11. Sidetracked / Hummingbird of Death

All your Punxs belong to us! Punky Powerviolence overdose duo Sidetracked and Hummingbird of Death tear your head off with their ultra fast and sometimes slow angry punk vibe, short but enough to get your punk on!

10. Ratos De Porão / Looking For An Answer

This tag team of hardcore veteran Brazilian metal punkers and Spains very own meat is murder grinder legends, offer a combo move attack of crossover and Grind, with each others final tracks being a cover of the other band. Both bands have a lot to moan about, and will gear up in the inner activist in you, providing of course you understand the lingo and can decipher rampant screaming. It does have the general effect of drumming up a sense of both militancy and urgency in you, so be sure not to listen to it anywhere near society, or you might find yourself confused as a mad animal rights terrorist. Best listened to eating gluttonous amounts of bacon, and supporting populist political parties.

9. Infanticide - From Our Cold Dead Hands
We all know that at least one Swedish band, must make the list its in the Lexus inscriptum Grindcores.  Infanticide are  a dragged out 21st century Terrorizer the way they should of been. Smashing your face with a hockey stick whilst raging to a tune of accelerated anger and aggression,you get the message that these guys are pissed, really pissed, really fucking pissed, god knows what, probably your kids who kicked the football one time to many into their garden, either way we have another I hate Mondays on our hands, unless these guys keep channeling that rage into 1's and 0's.

8. Fleshgod Apocalypse - Mafia EP
These guys deserve a medal for innovation, connecting brutal death metal with an almost operatic classical composition is no easy task, let alone pulling it off in a way that feels more natural than mankinds need to poke things that they haven't seen before. These guys create an epic atmosphere I can never say I have witnessed in music before, although only hitting the 5 song mark, I can guarantee the repeat button will be on the moment you hear this one through.

7. In Disgust / Pretty Little Flower
This gem, has brought together two of my favourite Artist finds of 2010, every moment is packed choc a bloc with the Gulf Coasts tag teams take on Grindcore, bringing a thrashing  and head banging tribute to violence and hate in a true crushing  Grindcore fashion. Fuck your Eardrums this shit is made to be played as loud as it gets!
P.S Geography aside anyone else getting a Insect Warfare musical vibe from P.L.F?

6. Archagathus - Mincecore Fever
Anthologies might be cheating when it comes down to compiling best of lists, but I don't care this is one release every Mincing fan boy needs to have. Canada's Prince of Mince accomplishments are all on here, and this
anthology shows every reason why Archagathus is better than their mincefathers Agathocles. Raw and primitive as hell and politically grounded in true retro-grind, but you have to love the crude musical approach of Archagathus & Co.

5. Fukpig - Belief is the Death of Intelligence
A bastard breed of black metal and crusty as fuck punk come together in a foul and hateful nightmare, there is nothing you can take comfort from in this release, it plays on all negative emotions and creates a sense of despair, just how I like to begin my day. I challenge anyone of you to find a more foul and filthy voice out there, these guys make their parents black metal and crust punk look like little girls in respect to how heavy this is.

4. Hayaino Daisuki - Invincible Gate Mind of the Infernal Fire Hell… Or Did You Mean Hawaii Daisuki?
It would appear that Mr.Chang has the Midas touch when it comes down to music. This time round he brings this thrashtastic ode- to all thing Japanese, in a style akin to taking a caffeine and acid overdose, with plenty of catchy hooks and vocals that quite literally scream in an imperative feminine format. There is something quite harmonious about this all that gives it a vibrant sort of energy rarely seen in bands.

3. Kill the Client - Set for Extinction

So it would appear that Extinction is the theme of choice for Grindcore these days. Every single Kill the Client lover out there, was put in the same dilemma when this came out, does this top Cleptocracy?

After many a sleepless night, I have decided it does just only beat Cleptocracy preferentially but not in terms in heaviness. Either which way you look at it, they have maintained a great consistency of quality in every release, and still play heavily on the Texan style of shotgun to the face Grind, and can now be confirmed in league with the greats.

2. Defeatist - Sixth Extinction
This is Noise Grind in a fucking nihilistic we are all decaying and going to die slowly and painfully outfit, these guys know how to create a racket in style. I can't stress enough what a great album this is, and although there exists plenty of criticism as to the vocal range, I am slowly being brought over to the idea, that his manic hellish screams are the only ones I can think of that really do justice to the destructive and demise preaching approach these guys vent out with great vengeance. If ever man was to become extinct, I can't think of a better album than this to depict it.

1.Suffering Mind - Suffering Mind
Polands greatest headache certainly deserve the number one spot this year, Suffering Mind have answered there true calling and released one of the greatest albums known to man.Each song is crafted as a separate masterpiece, with legendary dynamics between tempo, instruments and approach. Playing flawlessly true Grindcore using every single which way it has evolved to create a "summary sound" to everything great about Grindcore.  But the nature of this album goes much deeper than its musical manipulations, for Suffering Mind this LP is not merely a conjecture of sound they desire, but represents a manifesto of their ideologies and beliefs, which they transpose into a screaming sermon using a plethora of fantastically conceived arguments and reasoning. If however the message doesn't float your boat, then fear not as aforementioned the music itself is a flawless and dynamic execution of everything we look for in Grindcore, and to highlight this I know inform you that despite having this release since November I have racked up 27 hours of playtime, and its only 19 minutes long, obsessive much?

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Alternews: Wormrot Update

Originally stolen from Earache News, but worth sharing.
Original Article.

WORMROT ENTERING THE STUDIO IN JANUARY TO RECORD NEW ALBUM, "DIRGE"

The critically acclaimed grind act, WORMROT will be heading into Singapore's TNT Music Productions  this January to record a brand new album entitled DIRGE. With this being the full-length followup to ABUSE, the band promises to bring their breakneck grind tones to grim new lows. Frontman, Arif Rot is highly excited about the band's new material and wants the world to know about it:

"We are definitely stoked to get this album out. We are working extra hard on this one. EXTRA FUCKING HARDER THAN ABUSE. We are currently in the rehearsal studio still writing songs and making some minor adjustments and what not. If you are digging Abuse and also from our latest split with I ABHOR, then u might dig the new album. We'll be in the studio for "DIRGE" first week of January. NEW YEAR WITH A NEW DOSAGE OF GRIND!"

WORMROT's new album, DIRGE is due out in Spring 2011.

MetalSucks' Axl Rosenberg called ABUSE one of his top 15 metal albums of 2010. "There were other awesome grind albums this year which easily could have made this list" says Axl, "but nothing felt quite as furious as Abuse."

WOMROT's own Arif Rot also created his own 2010 best-of list for MetalSucks. Read it here:http://www.metalsucks.net/2010/12/15/the-best-metal-albums-of-2010-as-chosen-by-metal-musicians-themselves-part-iv/
The Metal Injection crew braved the tight spaces and absolutely insane pits of WORMROT's October show atArcheron in Brooklyn, NY to deliver raw, up close footage of the band grinding it out at what they said was one of their favorite shows of the tour. Start by watching "Intro" here:http://www.metalinjection.net/tv/view/5857/wormrot-intro-live-15

WORMROT's debut album, ABUSE, is available now worldwide featuring 23 tracks of pure grindcore. Get the album now in North America along with several exclusive mercy and vinyl combos athttp://earache.com/uswebstore/index.php/cPath/667_674_733.

ABUSE is also available now on iTunes with 34 (yes, 34!) bonus tracks:http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/abuse/id363581828

Keep up-to-date with all WORMROT news and info at:

MySpace - http://www.myspace.com/wormrotgrind
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Wormrot/237638635639
Twitter - http://twitter.com/Wormrot

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Debellatio of Man(Defeatist, Sixth Extinction 2010)

It's not everyday that you are greeted with an animalistic screams of agony and despair, whilst instrumental harbingers of war drum up a bellicose herald of the next large extinction event. That is unless you listen to New Yorks finest: Defeatist. Whether or not they take their name from one of Lenin's more absurd propositions or the more general use is a non-issue, all you have to appreciate is that these guys are hell bent beyond belief.

Screams, screams and even more screams, in fact so many screams you might just find yourself believing that you are in fact a fixture in hell. However in the background of this constant heinous shrieking a pyrrhic battle rages between strings and percussion, with the battlefield being your ear drum. Both are executed with such great awe and professionally, whilst maintaining almost legendary consistency, which has resulted in even the best of us faltering and momentarily falsely attributing it to an illusion of noise, because this is one great boisterous racket. Boxing in Noise, Pain, Frustration, Death and anything else equally negative, Defeatist  release this all as a incendiary cluster bomb of violent noise detonated over a web of extra strength Grindcore. Brief interludes of silence or near silence are merely a representation of the delay between pressing the trigger and the when they let all hell breaks loose, in all its twisted glory.
This album is an unforgiving and menacing skull fuck of Noise mutated Grind, time-signatures are ignored as Defeatist run rampant on a biocide spree fuelled by both blood lust and a general odium to mankind. Take part in the demise of man, and get your copy now!

Myspace

Metal Archives

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Swedish Formality (Livet Som Insats / Raw Hate, 2010)

Normally when I think of Sweden, I depict fierce cold weather and stunningly beautiful blond women... not Grindcore. Don't get me wrong Sweden has its class acts, but its not necessarily crawling with good Grind bands. Despite these preconceived thoughts of subliminal nationalism, something lucrative has emerged from the profound depths of the northern hemisphere. The Livet Som Insats / Raw Hate split is an upcoming release from both groups of Swedish maniacs that is going to diabolically corrupt your eardrums and possibly inflict tinnitus. Livet Som Insats personally sent this split in for us to review and when the job went up for grabs, I just had to take matters into my own hands.


Raw Hate begin with a flurry of cymbals and a simple punk riff that repeats over a mid-paced alternating drum beat. The Vocals are hoarse yells that really add to the raw punk feel that Sweden is well known for and suit the music really well. The guitar work is a bit repetitive, as is most Hardcore Punk but this seems a bit below average, apart from the occasional random solo. The band provides three tracks that seem to sound quite the same and there is no distinct difference between each. This is normally not an issue for me, but I got bored after a little under the two minute mark. The band overall does an okay job, but its definitely nothing that stands out or that will be remembered. My advice to Raw Hate would be to make it noisier, and a bit more RAW. They seem to have the right idea but need to mix things up a little bit, maybe add in another vocalist. Anyways, that's my take on these guys, moving on to the next.


Livet Som Insats start with a brief drum-thumping intro that quickly turns into a belligerent frenzy of pummeling chaos. The vocals switch constantly from a hardcore yell to an agonizing shriek that is definitely my favorite and used quite frequently. Guitar work is far more Metal then Punk and you can hear a lot of Sayyadina influence in their music. I feel that the guitar should be turned up a bit though, seeing as how the vocals are the main focal point, some of the riffs are pretty catchy and should be turned up enough to really impact the listener. Drums are very nicely recorded and played on this split, my only complaints being that the snare drum sounds too soft and weak like the drums on the Birdflesh album, Alive Autopsy/Trip to the Grave. Overall this is very good, my favorite track would have to be Skuld, due to the sheer amount of ferocity directly from the beginning that smoothly transitions into a head-bobbing groove. I foresee this band going places and I really hope they keep at it and release a full length soon, along with an arsenal of other releases. This split is definitely worth checking out and will make an awesome collector's item when this band gets big in the Grind scene. They definitely have a good mix in their music and keep things interesting, I could totally see this band playing Obscene Extreme Festival alongside with other great bands. Like I said, musically this band is pretty legit, just a few production tweaks need to be made for maximum performance. Livet Som Insats, live on!

- Cody

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UnrEPenting (Phobia, Unrelenting 2010)

Although Phobia felt fit to release a certain questionable release on us and taint there stellar reputation, they certainly have made amendments releasing some killer splits including one with Gadget and another with Extinction of Mankind. So initially I didn't know what to expect from their new EP Unrelenting, was it to be hereditary continuation of their progress, en par with the splits or perhaps a stumble back to the 2008 bastard child of 22 Random Acts of Violence.

Well I am pleased to announce, this without a doubt is Phobia in its fleshed out crusty Grindcore form, with pulses of metal splattering out intermittently like a  severed jugular as screams of agony and despair are bellowed in  a d-beat triumph heralding a policy of punk scorched earth.
Brooding in Orange County these punker than you Grinders, backlash against contemporary socio-politics with a hammer of punk rhetoric sustained in a handle of blasting percussion and rampant riffing.
These guys don't waste any time crushing seventeen songs in fifteen minutes, niceties are stripped to  a primitive alloy of metal and punk, whose appearance is a crusty writhing mass of belligerence and ultra punk rhetoric.
Not their best release, but not far from it, packing quite the crust punch it will certainly satisfy the inner punk whose choice of poison happens to be the highly toxic Grindcore. The second song Rehashed  does exactly as it suggests bringing back Phobia in its all scarred and bloody glory waving the Grindcore flag atop a mass of false punks, of which is a reoccurring subject matter epitomised best in the screaming lyrical backlash "If you used to be Punk, Then you never were". Even for those who don't care about the articulate and somewhat foul mouthed rhetoric, will certainly be whooed over by the unrelenting (see what I did there!) tirade of crusty grind d-beating fury that is sure to spawn a few spinal chord injuries here and there, be sure to put this on your Christmas list lads and ladettes we have ourselves one killer Phobia release!

Official forum @ SMNnews
Phobia @ MySpace
Official Phobia Facebook

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This Post Kills Bandwith (This Comp Kills Fascists Volume 2, 2010)

Get some killer Grindcore bands, put a few Powerviolence bands here and there, chuck in Scott Hull, and what do you get yourself? You get yourself one hell of a killer Compilation. This second instalment to his This Comp Kills Fascists series, compacting about 20 more songs compared to the predecessor allowing for a 13 minutes of longer play before you luddites hit he play button again or switch the disc. or as tech savy infidels just set up a play queue. Featuring a plethora of bands that I am sure even the most grind minded have not heard all of the bands on the list, hell I actually felt guilty for not knowing some of these, because they all are pretty damn good and not in the give it a once listen good, but the insatiable hunger for more material good. It doesn't pack quite the same knock-out punch as the first, but its one hell of bloody mess of a second round, and by far the best compilation I have heard in 2010. Its sole purpose according to Relapse is to be a comp of the best underground bands, and that it does a fantastic job of, although perhaps a bit too American centric to really fulfil the title to the full. However the non-U.S. talent is certainly a fantastic ear drum crushing selection of Grind, special shout out to Idiots Parade who belt out in both musically and female fronted form a take on Suffering Minds take no prisoners Grind, although have a bit of work to do to trump Suffering Minds latest Grindcore Holocaust,but they are certainly one to keep a keen eye on or both. 

Once again Scott Hull has shown his better at making a release then any sort of mixtape you can conceive,through a vast plethora of blunt force trauma Grind which every few minutes rotates to give you an alternate form of punishment on your ears, you are left satisfied and yearning for a trilogy or beyond.

Official Website

Myspace

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New Team Member and SCD (Sublime Cadaveric Decomposition, Inventory of Fixtures, 2007)

My name is Cody, I'm 18 and am living in California, currently waiting to attend college in January. I am fairly involved in the Grindcore and Latin Anarcho Punk scenes. I started listening to Anarcho Punk when I was 13 and then developed a liking to Crust and D-Beat. However, it wasn't until I heard Terrorizer's World Downfall that I discovered my love for Grindcore. I post regularly on a Grindcore forum which is where I came into contact with Alex. After a few posts regarding various topics I was kindly offered a position here on Grind to Death and of course I accepted. I have never really cared for Grindcore that falls more on the Metal side of the fence but I do occasionally have some exceptions, however mainly I will be posting short, fast, intense, and occassionally noisey material. Enough about me, onto the review.

Upon hearing Sublime Cadaveric Decomposition, you may think "Wow, another cheesy, lame goregrind band" but this is certainly not the case, well at least not anymore. In the early days, SCD was just another Goregrind band with no lyrics and horribly generic tunes. It wasn't until the 2006 split with Cripple Bastards that they start migrating away from that scene. Inventory of Fixtures changed everything though and is now where the band resides, a more political and social spectrum. This 2007 album is relentless and full of ultimately catchy riffs that will stay in your brain long after you've finished listening. The vocals are being shared by a few different members and mainly consist of Seb's low, drawn out grunt that is somewhat reminiscent of Insect Warfare. I dig the vocals. The drums are very nicely executed on this album as well, the snare has a nice sound that isn't too abrasive and overall the drums have a nice Grindcore touch to them, with blastbeats being performed at maximum capability. This album may not be very iconic but its very evolutionary for this band and I have listened to it quite a few times in the past couple of months. It is said that they will do a split or two and then begin on another full length. Anything this band releases in the future will certainly be better and better, this album is definitely worth a listen and if you dig it then buy it. I will be posting quite frequently since I have absolutely nothing to do until January where I will begin my studies and ultimately follow the inconsistent and abhorrent path of life. I look forward to reviewing and interviewing some great bands, cheers!

- Cody

SCD Mypace

SCD Metal Archive

SCD Last.fm

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Guilty as O.J Simpson (Guilty as Sin, III, 2010)

Anyone who describes their music as Biker Viking Metal, you know without a doubt your immediate thought is that these are gonna be some big dudes you don't want to mess with, then some time after you will begin to think hang on what the hell is Biker Viking Metal ! Luckily I will take you readers on a journey of describing what it is, done through the median of an analytical critique of  Guilty as Sin's latest release III.
Firstly this is one hell of a mind fuck of an album when you try to assign the standard rules of genre and music to it, and after many a perplexed session I am pretty sure I have untangled the mess and can safely attribute what Biker Viking Metal  entails.
We have moments worthy of true thrash metal homage to the musical perception of dirty knuckle head biker guitar work riding alongside a bashing piston of percussion, greatly showcased in their first track Truth Serum, which intermittently to breaks into a quiet monologue of the inner voice to and fro, giving a creepy factor to their thrashing energetic tempo.

They certainly maintain for the most part an ethos of angry hairy bikers, consistently maintaining a upbeat dynamic of thrash with fluctuations of raw punk and the occasional drop of death metal made all the more harsh by moments of rhythmic riffing, creating a fluid and enjoyable metal experience. They do often break off from the perception of Bad to the Bone Bikers, and enter into a more Zen like whimsical tunes akin to that of metals early greats, although not my cup of tea I certainly did not dislike it, and it was executed in a well constructed manner. As the album progresses midway we get more of these "spiritual" metal moments and less thrash attack although it makes appearances,  we even have an entry of a more oriental kind which certainly gives a fresh and innovative approach, but may leave some dumbfounded or shocked. Towards the latter section we come back to catchy metal wave with the final track embodying all their variances across the album.
Not quite what I perceived the genre to sound like, certainly no Viking by my account but not in a negative light either this seems to be a very diverse and unique, which I am sure will attract the more open minded metal fan, but not so the more secular.
Personally, Guilty as Sin I would recommend to have a bit more brutish and harsh vocals to give that give that extra oomph, and additionally perhaps draw out a bit more the contrast of the heavier and lighter moments, however they do make fantastic use fast and slow paces to give a more superfluous edge to the album, and despite chucking about half a dozen genres in a blender their musicianship is able to maintain a very decent consistency of quality and certainly create an unique album, whose integrity has not been lost at the expense of experimentation.

(Guilty as Sin sent me a copy for reviewing purposes)

Myspace

SNAKE!

Guilty as Sin | Myspace Music Videos

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The Grindcore Agenda!

I haz superior paint skills to you!

(Not a post as such but rather a work around since I can't get static pages to work, sorry all subscribers!.)

To follow this blog on other social platforms, a list with links are below, a link to the original post on this site will be published on each platform the moment I click the publish post button, this is to allow those of you who don't use rss readers to follow this blog, all thanks to the miracle of DLVR.

Facebook (Fan page, with link to posts and discussions)

Twitter  (Not only link to blogposts but my thoughts also)

Myspace (Back to Old School)

Tumblr (For all you trendies!)

Buzz

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Slayer! I choose you!

Having seen the Slayer Christmas Lights, I have come to realise that there is inf act an entire series of 8 bit Slayer fan made tracks on youtube, hell even at 1/40th of the sound quality the songs still retain their thrash factor, with a gloss of nostalgia from the old Gameboy Colour days in true nintendocore bleeping style. Hope you guys like it, I am off to play  some old school GBC games (emulated on a DS), so long suckers!

P.S Check out Warlocked, the best GBC Game.

Playlist Link

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Santa Claus hates us all (but Slayer)

Technically I stole this from Invisible Oranges, but I thought it was too good not to post.

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Spreading the Dis-Ease: Magrudergrind, Crusher, 2010

Who doesnt love Magrudergrind  if you say me then I am going to have to take as a guess that you haven't heard them, and are just saying so to piss me off, although this is all irrelevant as I can't hear you say these things, but what is relevant is that their latest E.P Crusher is out for free yes you heard me for free! For those interested in the controversy surrounding it and my defensive rage over the subject matter, look no further than here.

Digital Download

Physical Order(U.S only and $6.00 postage and packaging)

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Bitching to the Oldies

There are some moments in history where not only do the ideologies of the old and pragmatism collide, the very origins of what the system stood for are tipped on its head in a reversal of morality and customs in such a significant shift that in one day it can be defined by a former antonym. This has recently taken form in the recent Magrudergrind controversy, for those who have no clue what I am on about, fear not for I shall elaborate. Car Manufacturers Scion being the North Americas arm of what is known as Toyota for the rest of us, have funded a number of Magrudergrind shows, which has allowed Magrudergrind  to perform these shows to their audiences for free, and more recently Scion agreed to pay for all costs of recording & production of their new E.P Crusher. 
The backlash to this has been very venomous with people; metal heads and punks alike bringing up the old punk rhetorics of "DIY or Die!" and "Down with the Corporations" which although are gross simplifications of the arguments they serve well as summarising the general attitude, and one that is to be expected given Grindcore is a bastion of punk ideals. Now I have kudos for those who remain the Punxs for Life, and have conviction with what they do, however I do not belong to this side of the camp, and the time has come for me to be drafted in the ranks of the reactionaries and defend Magrudergrind. 
Lets face the facts Punk is dead, not musically but ethically, there are small pockets of true punks here and there and once again I salute you, but many of those nowadays in my generation from experience are those who like the aura and allure of the scene but not the responsibility, a true and unrelated story is when I was on the bus once there were a number of punks sitting on the back of the bus talking shit about how unfair the world is, and when an old woman asked if she could sit down in one of their seats they told her that it was a free country and they were sat there first and therefore were going to stay sat there, only afterwards to continue talking about how unfair the world is and how it should be changed, talk about hypocrisy and ignorance. However coming back to the argument as I have illustrated ethically punk is near enough as good as dead, and for those who still promote its cause have neglected one of its more important ethics, the thou shall not work for the man nor cash in from him on page 2 of the unwritten Lex Punkus, we have Henry Rollins whose done work for MTV, Johnny Rotten whose done adverts for butter to name a few, so complaining that Grindcore has sold out based on a singular event is an exaggeration and perhaps you should pay attention to your own house before critiquing ours.
You could justifiably question the business practice of Scion asking why on earth are they doing this, but to critique the business practice and conduct of the band in a childish manner has really missed the whole point of it all, and bears no significance on anything remotely connected.

The worst argument which I have seen twice now, but only once in the application of this current scenario was that Grindcore should not only have no corporate element to it, but it should be a taboo subject so that it gains an underground notoriery. Possibly the single most ignorant thing I have heard in a long time, evidently the commenter whose identity and link I shall spare has never grasped the concept that merchandise, recording studios and record labels are all in themselves either corporations or corporate tools , the music industry is a business even with something as remote as Grindcore, luckily we have not reached the obscene levels of cash that have destroyed entire genres, but having subsistence level income has allowed bands to continue writing material and putting out there, as belonging to a label or having merchandise cushions the economic blow to releasing material, and allows you to continue doing so upping their game each time. And the whole fiasco of not speaking about is negated by the fact that you have a blog and on occasion talk about Grindcore!
 In fact any criticism about this issue towards the band is completely unjust, the band have made the right decision, they write their music for their fans, and when they were by sheer luck offered to play for their fans for free, and have their latest EP released for free at non of their economic expense, they did the right choice and agreed. Grindcore may have been a lifestyle regulated in its lyrical ideals, but I belong in the side of the camp where to me its just music(and a addictive life consuming addiction), of which the lyrics take a poetic application (albeit a very grim and loud one) instead of a legislative role. I was pleased to see that of those who had slandered the band were quickly met with fierce counter arguments by a larger community, it would appear that those who don't care about the corporate friendship with our musical scene is much larger than I expected, either that or we are the more computer literate group.
I think its almost admirable that Scion, are investing in a social project of a obscure and stigmatised music genre, the music kicks ass, and the production value can really be seen, but I shall leave that for my review, all that needs to reiterated is that Magrudergrind made the right choice, and that corporations can go hand in hand with our music.

If you want a copy you can download the digital here or order it for free bar postage and packaging here, enjoy.

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Greek Genealogy (Archagathus, Mincecore Fever, 2010)

Is it treason to admit liking Canadian Mincemaniacs Archagathus more than the founding mincer the one and only Agathocles? In any case I am sure we can agree on a number of things, firstly that both bands are good regardless of who's better than who, and secondly in true Mincecore fashion these guys produce a hell of alot of material. Luckily keeping up with the extensive discographies is made easier through a nifty tool known as an anthology,(someone please tell Agathocles this) And Archagathus' Mincecore Fever is exactly that, a anthology of their works from 2005 to the present, which would explain that the album art is a collection of album arts from their discography.

We have 40 tracks saturated in archaic Grind, splashing out bellowing grunts and screams occasionally timed to add impact to the peak of either a percussion bombardment with a filthy riff flung here and there. The music sounds gritty and rough cut throughout, there is something about the crude machinations of their work resembling that of neolithic man attempting music with the skull and bone of his foe replaced with that of a drum-kit and drumsticks. Furthermore the music awakens a number of primitive mechanics in your brain from their slumber, a sense of joy whilst having the desire to scream and thrash around, and pull a middle finger to authority, in true mincecore fashion.
Archagathus despite being a tribute band to Agathocles, seem to be more refined in the production of mincecore, everything seems to be more co-ordinated and tends to flow a bit more superflously,  and their production quality lacks a static discharge that is on a numerous Agathocles  releases, although this could be argued as deviating from Mincecore rules, I personally prefer it this way, giving a fresh face to a method that we have seen hundreds of times over.
So if you wish to hear the best Agathocles worship with a tweak here and there, then this certainly is one release to lay your paws on.

Myspace

Last Fm

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Live at the BBC

Here are a few videos of Napalm Death on various television programs, predominantly from the U.K, the first I find hilarious, perhaps it wont translate so well given cultural differences, but to cut a long story short the BBC is perhaps the most conservative and prim and proper broadcasting organisation in the U.K, and to have N.D. on it is quite the shock. Anyway enjoy!

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This Is Not a Split, Its an Album! (Agathocles, This Is Not a Threat, It's a Promise 2010)

Prolific Mincecoreaholics Agathocles, have reached the double digits for their full length album count, entitled This is not a threat, its a promise, they deliver once again their anti-authoritarian down with the system grind, throwing a few little twists here and there to prevent it from sounding like one of their countless other releases. Personally whenever I wish to bitch about some institution, I either do so with my rag tag consortium down the pub accompanied with alcohol, or send a hateful tweet for all of my 6 followers to see, however Agathocles take the more creative and long winded route of releasing a split EP with any band on the planet. Now judging by my tone, you may get the impression that I don't like Agathocles, and such an assumption will be wrong, I love Agathocles, I love their extensive discography (its like Pokemon I have to get them all!), and definitely one of the few bands with real conviction in what they say out there, their music is crude and primitive and somehow it becomes a blast of raging political poetry warped around a  set of blast beats and pounding bass.
This is not a threat, its a promise goes 21st century with tirades against the banking industry, the internet, false punks and a plethora of other topics, adding humorous jibes here and there to give a nice smile to their otherwise staunch message. Is it a good thing that I found parts of the release fun? I personally think so ,after all even grindcore need not be all doom and gloom 100% of the time. Spicing it up with a combo of micro-songs and those going above the three minute mark, we have a palatable selection of 27 songs that bring out nothing but the finest Agathocles across a half hour session of mincing.
For the most part we have the traditional tried and tested angry Agathocles, dirty vocals, fast bass d & blast beating drums with a slow churning guitar, you know the method, yeah that one, the only one.They do start of a bit more forceful than usual belting out two tracks of whiplash in just over a minute. However we do get a few unprecedented twists and turns every so often, including a surprising yet greatly delightful singular reggae interjection which they manage to weave in and out in a impressive manner.
This is Not a Threat, its a Promise  is a flagship of what Agathocles are and always will be; the loud voice against injustice and their trademark unkempt regnant musical accompaniment.

Official Website

Metal Archives

Last FM

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