Jesus Loves Mcdonalds (Assück, Misery Index 1996)

With a band name of Assück, one can easily distinguish whether or not a person of unknown musical orientation is a grindcore fan or not. People who have not been gifted or discovered the sweet musical nectar of Grindcore will most likely laugh at such a name and make some sexual joke, whereas a Grindcore fan will either nod their head in approval or engage in an  in depth educated discussion on how Assück's lyrics on the subject of consumer culture and capital dependency reflect a quasi-neo-marxist-anarchist discourse.

Stemming from Saint Petersburg, Florida; Misery Index was the last release from these old school east coast grinders and one of Grindcore's most pivotal albums and its legacy may be seen still today in one of Death Grinds biggest names, whose legacy is not only titular, but lyrical and perhaps even by extension drumming as well .From the beginning  Assück have been brandishing a  series of well contrived academic like lyrics to justify their stance as Anarcho-Grind, a break from the saturation of the Punk with its "I'm more punk than you" attitude which ruined what was a respectable scene.
With drummer Rob Proctor fresh off his role as Discordance Axis tour drummer for Japan 95, Assück were set to break free from their 3 years of no new material phase, and bring forth the most lyrically profound and best produced material to date. Unlike most bands who religiously play at break neck speeds, Assück made use of heavy deceleration and acceleration, to give there songs an unforgettable dynamic. The most recognisable and beloved trait of the album by far is the blast beating;, standing right in the foreground Mr.Proctor's dexterous technicality on the drums is showcased, and it's primitive and bitter nature is a fantastic accomplishment, which has rarely been pulled off since.

Guitar work is dark and down tuned,and with  low pitch bellow vocals it gives the music that bleak feel to it, worthy of a title of Misery Index which aside from being a snazzy title is in fact an official statistical measure of the unemployment rate combined with that of the interest(read here).
There is only one complaint I can raise against this near infallible album, and that is how short it is, it clocks in at just over 15 minutes, just over the album mark. It will leave the listener yearning for more and more, but no more is forthcoming, although to play devils advocate; it may be argued that a sign of good quality is a demand for more, and quality this release has in great abundance.
Misery Index gave blast beat filled hope to grindcore scene in the mid 90's, whose founding fathers had either dissolved or had undergone an alternate routes,which had put the genre on life support.
Altogether Misery Index has an amazing roster of ingredients; blast beats galore, political discourse worthy of its own following, down tuned down tempo guitars and a long lasting far reaching legacy.

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