Grindcore

Slugcrust – Ecocide Review

Slugcrust – Ecocide Review

Ecocide, the debut from Slugcrust, was a difficult album to write about. The brevity, genre and unrelenting frenzy made for a somewhat complicated but altogether illuminating reviewing effort. Not only was I called to deliver a verdict on the quality of the album, but I found myself asking some very basic questions about the nature of reviewing itself: should I base my conclusions on my personal views without taking into account the context of the style of metal in question? Or should I instead grade on a curve, remembering that one of the album’s shortcomings is perhaps also one of the genre’s founding principles? All these questions and more went through my head as I spun Slugcrust’s Ecocide,” Surviving the critical grind.

Kill Division – Peace Through Tyranny Review

Kill Division – Peace Through Tyranny Review

“2022 may just go down as a banner year for grind, peppered with quality releases. Although it can be overlooked, grind can also be deceptively diverse, illustrated by the shifting styles of some of the genre’s big hitters in 2022. The debut album from Kill Division tackles grind from an old school perspective, delivered by a seasoned group of musicians, including members of Gruesome, Inhuman Condition, those who have logged time in Malevolent Creation, and former Soilwork and current Megadeth drummer, Dirk Verbeuren. Quite a pedigree of well-established and respected metal musicians.” Grindfire of the vanities.

Greber – Fright Without Review

Greber – Fright Without Review

“A drum kit, a bass guitar, two throats, and an unflinching look at life. Such components make up Greber, the unapologetically unhinged grind/sludge two-piece responsible for Fright Without. In their near-15 years of existence, the pair have constructed a fair number of audial slaps in the face, both alone and in numerous splits with the likes of Minors and Anthesis. With one half (Steve Vargas) coming from sludge act The Great Sabatini, and the other (Marc Bourgon) from grind group Fuck The Facts, Greber have always blended these two unfriendly styles.” Greber, baby.

Bloodbox – Post Human Disorder Review

Bloodbox – Post Human Disorder Review

Bloodbox don’t give two fucks about convention, throwing the ole rule book out the window in favor of chopped-up experimentation and a mangled deconstruction of their grind-infused industrial core. These mysterious masked avengers tip their hats to their rabid punky roots of old school grind, while bringing to mind the industrial grind assault of Aussie alchemists, The Berzerker.” Put your hand in this box.

Antigama – Whiteout Review

Antigama – Whiteout Review

Antigama, at this point, is an institution of modern grind. The perennial contender, these Polish riff-junkies, ever solid in their strangeness, continue to litter the basin of the great grindpile in hopes to build a mound of filth worthy of the crown. As such, Antigama, in that traditional Polish underdog spirit, persists.” Embrace the grindpile.

Narakah – Nemesis Cloak Review

Narakah – Nemesis Cloak Review

I always enjoy reviewing grindcore. You can rely on its pace, energy and brevity, ensuring that it won’t be a chore to summarise. Narakah, sporting just a couple of other releases under their belt, has arrived in 2022 with a 20-minute “full-length” album entitled Nemesis Cloak. Despite this band’s relative youth, the members include alumni of a host of Pittsburgh metal and hardcore groups, including Slaves BC First Day Dead and Meth Quarry.” Cloak of Grinding.

Milking the Goatmachine – Nach uns die Grindflut Review

Milking the Goatmachine – Nach uns die Grindflut Review

“It’s late summer; baby goat season has come and passed. The now-adolescent herd will face culling and sorting for important caprine tasks: males will live to the next season for breeding within the herd or sold to other herds, and viable females will stick around for production of milk, which can serve as liquid for cheeses or in cosmetics. Potentially some goats who are neither fit for breeding nor milking will go up for sale as pets or sent to farms who raise goats for food production. Milking the Goatmachine is an atypical pair of goats though; they never made it to feed or breed. These German-born cloven-hoofed heathens escaped the goat-industrial complex to persevere as guardians of galvanized riffs, embodying the spirit of one heavy metal’s most celebrated animal icons.” Goatshake.

Back to the Grindstone: Pig Destroyer – Prowler in the Yard

Back to the Grindstone: Pig Destroyer – Prowler in the Yard

“Back to the Grindstone is a love letter feature dedicated to the appreciation of all things grindcore. This most extreme of extreme niche genres has been kicking since the late ’80s, growing in underground stature as the years march on. The rule of thumb to this feature is simple; spotlight will be on grind albums old and new, though will not include releases from the past five years, or albums previously covered on this website. Genre classics, underappreciated gems, old school and nu school will be covered, highlighting albums aimed at established fans and curious listeners interested in diving into the cesspool of the grind scene.” Pearls about swine.

Backslider – Psychic Rot Review

Backslider – Psychic Rot Review

“Sludge is a versatile genre. Sure, there are bands that play it straight, taking the shit I spray out of my gutters in the spring, putting a sprig of parsley on it and saying “$7 digital, $35 plus shipping vinyl.” There are also bands who use it as one disgusting ingredient in their extreme metal soufflé, or like a condiment on their br00tal burger. Death doom not nasty enough? Put a little sludge on it. Prog too weenie? Sludge it up! Philadelphia’s Backslider fall into the latter category, combining filthy fucking dirty sludge with grindcore and knuckle-dragging hardcore.” Sludge grinding, pit minding.