We all love covers among some of the classics in our respective genre, but rarely if ever do we actually come across a cover which is actually preferable to some of the most fundamental defining building blocks of Grindcore, and much to my surprise I have come across a a cover of
Scum which I greatly prefer to the original, and furthermore a cover of
Dead Shall Rise which I find almost en par with the original. Now I love N.D and I love Terrorizer, and for me to make such a statement is not merely a sign of rampant fanboyism , but a well grounded statement, read further to explore.
Neuropathia are perhaps the most famous of the Polish extreme metal acts, and such a reputation is anchored in a fist full of releases scattered amongst their veteran career. Across their 9 tracks they manage to ram in 3 cover songs,
Nasum - Time to Act, Napalm Death -Scum, Carcass - Manifestation of Verrucose Urethra, these covers as to be expected are "Neuropathiasised" and that certainly ain't a bad thing. We all remember
Scum with its notoriously dirty down tuned fuzzy guitar work, gritty bass lines and echoey drums well Neuropathia scrap that and play a clean cut fresh approach to it, and they effectuate this fantastically well. Among early grind fans, this might not appeal given the nostalgic appeal has been severed, however certainly amongst those who Grindcore has come into being second hand, then I am sure you will rest on my side of the camp and prefer the cover. The other two covers are not quite as good as the original, the
Carcass cover lacking the outright heavy fear factor which Carcass brought into the genre, and the
Nasum cover lacking the general Nasum feel, although both attempts are commendable endeavors and worthy of a listen in their own right.
The remaining six songs are straight up standard recent Neuropathia with their death metal that occasionally dances into the realm of Grindcore, it has an upbeat rythmic stance to it, which although does not create a seriously heavy sound which we are accustomed to, it does have a nice catchy groove to it however. Certainly a recommendation for those seeking something fresh in Grindcore.
Putrescence spawn from Canada, and romp about a sui generis blend of many genres, from straight up Grindcore, Death metal, Deathgrind and even on occasion tangoing with the Gore. The lack of genre consistency is what produces the delightful and unique sound which has made
Putrescence's name, they are pretty much a band that will please any lover of any extreme metal genre. Racking up a total of 10 minutes across 5 vile tracks, we see no hint of technicallity, nor that of any insane guitar work or drum work, but merely a carcass of simple and catchy uncomplex extreme metal, yet somehow they manage to pull it off to create a very decent 10 minutes.
Sadly as per usual I shall commit myself to the typical moan; that the song titles are half-witted attempts at creativity however, the musical content behind the poorly strung names is of good character, and easily redeems such an injustice. They also do an amazing cover of
Terrorizer's
Dead Shall Rise, from start to end they do not fail to give the old grinding classic a nice makeover, although being a fantastic cover, it does not quite reach the audio attack ecstasy of the original, but I am yet to meet a band who can.
If you like something new to feast your senses on, and/or if you want to hear some fantastic covers of some Grindcore's best tracks ever or you just want a mishmash of death metal- grindcore - Goregrind, if any of these satisfy you, then get your ass in gear and get yourself a copy asap.
Sorrry about shit sound quality
