Sakatat/Dispepsiaa Split

Sakatat Myspace Dispepsiaa Myspace
Released: 2010
Release Type: split 7" wax only
Label: Bringer of Gore Records
Genre: Grindcore

Sakatat and Dispepsiaa are a modern day explosion of grindcore that’s shrugged off the past 20 years of recording technology and happen to be the best surprise in awhile for me. Heavy grindcore played for heavy dudes (and dudettes).

I think Sakatat’s the first band I’ve ever heard from Turkey, strange huh? Good place to start I guess because these guys absolutely rip. With six splits under their belts and numerous tours in Europe I’d expect them to get snatched up quite quick like by one of those overseers of grindcore (Earache, Willotip, Relapse, etc). Stomach churning grunts, machine gun blast beats, dizzying moments of tension and breakout d-beats and shrieks makes up their approach. Songs are all about the trip, no 2 minute blast beats, there's actual writing here.

Adım Adım Elerki by SAKATAT

The songs maintain a catchy kinda quality that's more about rhythm and quick shifts in vocals and riffs, a very punk nod.There’s a Sore Throat cover that’s pretty good, they manage to make it shorter by 40 seconds, which is like half a Sore Throat album right?

Brazil’s Dispepsiaa (consisting of members from Rot) strikes fire right away with a very “Suffer the Children” beginning to “Falsa Realidade” and burns straight through with 5 other songs which all clock in just under 6 minutes. I love everything about this band; the guitar has that really flat low tone, the bass is just a monstrous rumble, the drums are perfect (the mid paced blast beats with hi-hat on quarters possess a hypnotic quality; a rarity in grindcore) and the dynamic vocals are a much appreciated homage to Vane/Jones.

Anormal? by Dispepsiaa

Example of those hypno-beats

As their side progresses it seems to just get heavier and heavier until we hit “Algemas Da Bibila” which stands at some kind of heaviness zenith with its pummeling breakdown and final blast-beat. It's a shame these guys called a quits.

Put down your Rotten Sound records, stop fussing over what Napalm Death’s doing and for fuck’s sake turn off whatever’s passing for grindcore these days and pick this up. This is two bands who are trying their hardest to replicate the noise of a steam roller strapped with a hundred jet engines running over miles of glass and bodies; this is defiantly a good way to spend 3 Euros( I don’t know about who has this stateside).

-F

In Disgust & PLF- Pray for Death / Visions of Your Own Death

Official Sites: PLF Myspace - In Disgust Official Website
Released: 2010
Release Type: Split
Label: Regurgitated Semen Records
Genre: Grindcore

In Disgust and PLF go together like gravy and fries, not the first thing you think of pairing with the other, but it makes perfect sense. In Disgust’s style of unyielding angrier-than-thou grind starts off the split leading to PLF’s Terrorizereque mosh grind.

Feedback fills the voids in between the Disgusting jams, alluding to a kind of authenticity 206 preached awhile back, and that’s something you’ll always get with this band. The production’s heavy, the guitar actually sounds like a shredder and the bass hits you like a billy club. There’s the typical In Disgust song structure, punk drum beat and coarse vocals, quick measure shift to blast beats with higher shrieks, it gets to a point where you can sit there and cue perfectly when the blast beats are due. I suppose it comes off as a knock, but it’s not; In Disgust’s style is what it is and I love it. Along with the punk beat- blast beat jumps there’s great gasps of breakdowns, and groove sections that play to In Disgust’s heaviness and brutality. Angry as ever, and thankfully short and sweet, In Disgust prove 3 years later they still have it.

PLF’s side is of a similar thread of quality. A much more traditional metal production, the guitar’s more muddied and nothing’s too loud or low. Within tracks PLF could trick you into thinking it’s a separate one (listen to “Thinly Veiled Collusion” at 0:38 and 0:54 it sounds like it could jump into another song) which might just be contrast with In Disgust’s typically shorter times and PLF’s “lengthy” songs. I myself never cared for PLF’s recorded material (could never make it through Complete Grindcore Annihilation), but once seeing them live I “got it,” as these songs are dynamic when given their short time frame and contain some great riffs and transitions, not to mention mosh friendly sections. There’s a Krullur cover that ends the split, although I thought a Krullur was just a donut, I guess I’m wrong (it's just as tasty though).

Buy it here

Download here

-F

Chainsaw Justice Vol. I- Olde Timey Grindcore

This will be a new installment from the CJ crew, every so often (1-2weeks) I’ll try to compose a mixtape of some particular theme. For the first installment I figured I should do one that has to do with grindcore and its roots. I’d like to say all the bands contributed to grindcore history, or metal history, but some of these I think are just relics of their time (regardless if they’re good or not).

Chainsaw Justice Vol. I -Olde Timey Grindcore

I started in 84, I think the latest I’ve gone is 1990. This was actually really fun to undertake, especially listening to laughable junk that for some reason I actually liked (Deadlock’s one of them). So brace yourself, I’ve chosen to include a lot of demo material from bands and I hope I show you something new. It’s no surprise this is mostly US/UK based(although Japan has quite a presence).

It seems the 1987 becomes the focus of this list.1987’s an obvious choice, ENT’s Peel Sessions, Napalm Death’s Scum, S.O.B’s Leave me Alone, Sore Throat’s Death to Capitalist Hardcore, Carcass’s Flesh Ripping Sonic Torment and numerous demos. I’d like to say Genocide’s (Repulsion’s) 2^nd demo, Violent Death exemplifies the first instance of grindcore as we know it (I haven’t heard pre Scum Napalm Death, but I’ve heard it’s not really like Scum) and that was 1985. The playlist I’ve given is in a rough chronological order (I’ve only paid attention to year). Beyond that I hope you all enjoy.

Interestingly enough, going by Metal Archives (a site which claims to carry only metal, so bands like Sore Throat and Siege aren’t present) shows that in 1984 there was only one release dubbed as grindcore, Genocide’s Toxic Metal demo. Another issue that arises with this method is that bands that might have developed into a grindcore band, or shifted styles are still listed; even if they were a Christian rock band in 85, but did grindcore in 96, so take that into account as well. In 1985 we see 8 releases, only 1 of which is a full length (Rose Rose’s Emotional Disturbance which is really a hardcore punk release). 1986 we see 18 releases, 1987: 29, 1988: 42, 1989: 69, and 1990 there’s 114. For perspective’s sake in 1995 there’s only 212 releases that year and at 2000 there are 358. Unfortunately this leaves out a lot of the power violence/fastcore bands of the 90’s which might have been considered grindcore or whatever. And at 2009 we had 606 releases (8 of which belong to Agathocles alone!). It’s been an odd 20 whatever years for grindcore, for such a short passionate and burning style you’d think the adage “the flame that burns twice as bright lasts half as long” would stand true here, but with technology and the dedicated fanbase grindcore seems to be a staple in the extreme music world.

Here's the play list and quick rundown of each band.

1. "Cold War" - Siege - Drop Dead - 1984

Classic as classic gets in the world of punk and grindcore. Cited by all the big names as their influence, Dropdead stands to be one of the most important (and also great) releases of the extreme music world. Miles ahead of other hardcore acts at the time, Drop Dead was the fastest and harshest thing around.

2. "Horrified" - Genocide Violent Death - 1985

Repulsion before they were Repulsion. Everyone should know the name of the song as it's the title of one of the most important and best grindcore records ever. Don't just take my word for it. I'd say this is the first real example of grindcore. Blast beats juxtaposed with punk beats, so it's not just a crust beat. The riffing's total grindcore- simple sped up thrash riff, that distorted bass tone and Scott Carlson's half hardcore half prototypical death metal vocals.

3. "Evil Mayhemic" - Deadlock -Deadly Intention demo 1986

I don't really know what to say about this. It's a demo, so I won't be too harsh, but jesus christ it sounds like they just learned how to play their instruments a couple of days ago. To be fair the riffs aren't that bad (first sounds like sloppier Hellhammer), just poorly played and I have no idea why it's 3 minutes long (others were longer; I've spared you). Blast beats, simple tremolo riffs and maniacal shrieking vocals. This is the Deadlock from Nuremberg- apparently they just faded out of existence.

4. "Knock Out" - S.O.B - Leave me Alone - 1986

Another Siege like band. Obscure in America, (and the west for the most part) yet extremely influential in the development of grindcore and hardcore. Next to GISM, S.O.B's one of Japan's most important bands in the extreme music scene. Quite big now, but at the time they were only known to the underground and gained exposure due to Napalm Death and eventually a session with John Peel. From their first release, "Knock Out" is blistering hardcore, but if it had been produced heavier could easily pass as grindcore; chosen for it's bridging quality.

5. "Never Healed" - Heresy - Never Healed Flexi - 1986

Never Healed shows the pioneering style of hardcore that's just about grindcore. Searing blast beats, quick shouted vocals, and hardcore riffs sped up as fast as they'll go; I picked it just for this reason, to show the bridge between hardcore and grindcore.

6. "Divine Death" - Napalm Death - Scum - 1987

I don't need to say anything about this except maybe my reason for picking it. I've picked it 1. because the B side of Scum has them playing in a metal tunning, showcasing a real shift from punk to metal and 2. The structure is quintessential early grindcore, not abusing the blast beat and trying to figure out how to make the song last longer than a minute and 3. the shrieked vocals and deep growls are exemplary of metal, where as the grunts are more hardcore.

7. "Carry On Screaming" - Extreme Noise Terror - Peel Sessions - 1987

Like Napalm Death, I shouldn't have to say much about the band's significance. This song shows an anomaly of ENT's style as they use a sustained blast beat and move away from their typical d-beats of the time, yet the guitars are playing a typical punk riff.

8. "Psychopathologist" - Carcass - Fleshripping Sonic Torment - 1987

Pretty much the cue for gore-grind, Fleshripping Sonic Torment was eventually reworked into their first album. Downtuned and messy guitars, blast beats galore, demoinc echoing vocals- a huge jump from punk.

9. "Implosion" - Regurgitation - Bathroom's Rule - 1987

Later known as O.L.D, Regurgitation showcase an actually well recorded demo that shows few traces of punk. Heavy sounding, lots of reverb, a very metal solo and the vocals show this, along with Carcass, as the formation of a more death metal influenced grind. The riff around the end shows this for sure. This demo's surprisingly good.

10. "Benedictions" - Terrorizer - Nightmares - 1987

Interesting mix of punk riffs and drum beats which jump to really metal riffs. Feels a lot like a proto-death metal band, who is jsut playing thrash, but added blastbeats making it more grinding. Bad, but listenable production. The basslines are as thrash as thrash gets. The guitar tone and song structure really solidify this as metal, bending the punkness of grindcore to their standards.

11. "Vac Head" - Sore Throat - Death To Capitalist Grindcore (Bootleg, but same material) -1987

A lot more innovtive then I think they ever intended to be, Sore Throat begins the trend of lots of short songs, often a simple measure. Along with structure, the hypercritical and "fuck you" attitude, not to mention the humor of the band would be seen in countless bands after, both grindcore and hardcore (Insect Warfare's S/T, The Locust, Agorophobic Nosebleed,etc). The noisey sections of feedback, clips, and random sections seem to be the root of "noisecore" bands of the present.

12. "The Day Of Doom" - Deathpeed - Possessed By Speed Demo - 1988

Another Japanese act, Deathpeed was a short lived project of now Unholy Grave singer. I actually love everything I've found by the band. Songs tend to be long (this one's 5 minutes) and are written in a very modern kind of way. The thrashy/d-beat beginning which jumps to a very metal blast beat and guitar solo. The riffing throughout jumps from hardcore to a very contemporary death metal style. It's really interesting. I like it more then the 3 Unholy Grave releases I've heard. Reminds me of modern day Effigy, I don't think it's just because they're both Japanese.

13. "Born Backwards" - Assuck - Born Backwards - 1988

Assuck's one of the greatest metal bands ever. Okay, that aside, this demo isn't that good. The production's atrocious which pretty much hampers every other aspect. Beyond that this is totally metal, just faster death metal. Interesting to see Assuck like this.

14. "The Colour of Blood" - Nuclear Death - Bride of Insect - 1990

Really great track, totally grindcore with a very thrashy vibe. The vocals remind me a lot Vio-Lence and Dark Angel (in fact the main riff sounds like "The Burning of Sodom" off Darkness Descends). I think there's a cult following of this band, but it'd seem as they're largely forgotten.

Apparently berevity isn't my strong point, but I'll spare you for Vol. II.



Download

-F

Machetazo- Necrocovered

Official Site
Released: 2010
Labels:Parasitic Records (USA), Living Dead Society (Spain)
Release Type: 10" lmt 500, MCD
Genre: Various, tribute.

I've been waiting for this one awhile as it was announced in the spring and now Parasitic Records has finally unveiled it.

Necrocovered is much like Napalm Death's Leaders not Followers albums; it's just covers. That said, what makes Necrocovered so great and interesting is the cast of guest vocalists. You can see with the guests as well as the tracks Machetazo covers a wide range of genres. From sludge (Corrupted), black metal (Darkthrone), thrash (Kreator and Carnivore), punk (Septic Death) and death metal (Obituary and Master), almost all bases are covered (ha!). Not only is it fun to listen to, but I can't imagine how fun this was to put together; I can only hope that they met up and didn't do this by sending respective sections to some studio.

Here's the lineup as well as tracks:

1. "Sex and violence" (Carnivore), lead vocals by Chris Reifert (Abscess/Autopsy).
2. "Pay to die" (Master), lead vocals by Johan Wallin (General Surgery).
3. "Skald Av Satans Sol" (Darkthrone), lead vocals by Skrappar (Lobotomized).
4. "Tormentor" (Kreator), lead vocals by Kam Lee (Bone Gnawer/Death/Massacre).
5. "Arrastrándose sólo" (Corrupted), lead vocals by Tim Call (Aldebaran).
6. "Demon" (Septic Death) / "Dying" (Obituary), lead vocals by Santi (Nashgul).

While they're not stretches, and don't sound awkward, they're outside of Machetazo's immediate sphere of grindcore which is another reason why this is so cool. They handle all songs perfectly, as they're respectful of the orignial, but at the same time interested in making it their own, not mention adding in a particular vocalist for each one.

The delicate balance between homage and replication is tough with some bands as I never see the reason to do a cover that sounds identical to the original, but at the same time taking the original expanding it to something unrecognizable is just as uninteresting. Like I said, there's a good balance to be found here.

The tracks themselves are all great. My personal favorite is the Master cover, simply because I think it fits their style best and Johan Wallin sounds downright evil. I'm also a sucker for something this heavy to have d-beats. "Sex and Violence" has the necessary whistle and Reifert does an excellent job fitting in with the up-beat hardcore-ish song. "Skald Av Satans Sol" might be better than the original only because I hate the fucking production on that Darkthrone album. "Tormentor" is practically turned into a grind song with an ample dose of speed.

The Corrupted cover is maybe the most faithful of the bunch, I was very excited to hear a grind band play sludge, but as it turns out they sound pretty much like Corrupted, just a better mixing job (Tim Call sounds exactly like Hevi which is a bit scary). Because of its faithfulness, I find this to be the weakest of the EP (not to mention I never thought much of that Corrupted song). The Obituary/Septic Death mashup is most ambitious undertaking of the EP, and it works perfectly. Santi's voice is perfect for this track. While it wouldn't be my first pick of a Septic Death song to cover, after listening I can see why they picked it. The fun pick up and go style of the song just begs for blast beats.

Well worth the wait.

Check it out here, buy it here or here.

-F

Halloween Essentials

I thought this would be a fun undertaking, and people are usually always looking for shit like this around Halloween, so I'm providing a list of albums that would make any Halloween better. Links provided are mostly just google'd searches, I haven't tried them myself. I can't upload at this stupid university, so my apologies.

Earth A.D.
Misfits
The only band I've liked since I was 12, the Misfits hold a special place in my heart. Earth A.D./Wolfblood is essential, the only issue being that the song "Halloween" isn't on it (for that I suggest Collection II, or if you're a big spender like me, the box set). But you've got the more "hardcore" songs here- "Earth A.D." (my favorite), "Green Hell," "Death Comes Ripping," "Wolfsblood," etc. For the more upbeat kinda Halloween.

Download


Buried Death
Coffins
I can't say enough about this band. Old school production, lyrics, style, but refreshing in some way. Coffins combine absurd heaviness with gore drenched lyrics and imagery and badass song writing. Some songs crawl, some are propelled by d-beats. It's Hellhammer and old school death metal worship compressed with agonizingly slow tempos.


Download


Midnight Murder Mania
Frightmare
Leave it to Razorback records to be on this list, but Frightmare are everything you could ask for. Thrashy death metal that's all about the horror movies you grew up watching behind your parents back. Midnight Murder Mania is catchy and absolutely rockin'. Employing riffs galore, varied vocals (from gurgles to screeches, and barks in between), and blasting drums, Frightmare offers it all. I prefer this to the cleaner sounding Bringing Back The Bloodshed as well as the handful of other Razorback bands. There's even a Misfits cover.
Download

We Came For The Dead!!!
Ghoul
Very similar to Frightmare's brand of thrashy death metal, We Came For the Dead!!! is another essential. Started by members of Impaled, Ghoul is a tribute to the bands before them that reveled in gorey lyrics and a horror filled imagery. Catchy thrash riffs off put with blasting drums, a huge array of vocals and little noises here and there to keep the hairs up on the back of your neck.I used to love this band, haven't listened in awhile- happy to use this as an excuse to.
Download

Hell
Hell
Aptly named, Hell conjure a horrowing and oddly bleak atmosphere with this tape. Mixing black metal, sludge, ambient, and drone, Hell gets your head banging and at other times it gets you holding the sheets tight. The juxtapositions are clear, as one track trudges in a super heavy and dark sludge tone, then goes to long stretches of noises and other effects eventually back to riffs. Black metal in terms of atmosphere, production, and vocals, sludge in terms of structure and guitar playing, and overall droning. This is the USA Hell, from Oregon.

This is my rip, so it's a bit rough-but i guess you could say it adds to the creepiness. Download

Horror Of The Zombies
Impetigo
As essential as essential gets, Horror of the Zombies is Impetigo's shining star. One of the first bands to pay such attention to horror clips, Impetigo matches the unsettling movies from which they borrow with a punky style of death metal with some of the most distinctive voices in metal. Punk like progressions with that dirty late 80's early 90's guitar/ bass tone and a lot of odd vocals, it stands out amongst the other death metal acts at the time. There is such an old school charm that surrounds this, you can't help but love it, i'd say the same kind of charm Horrified has.
Download

Mundo Cripta
Machetazo
Spain's best band (yeah, that's right I'll say it) Machetazo play a style of grindcore that dips heavily into the gore splattered death metal that I've talked about earlier. Raw, heavy, and fast is the name of the game. I've just ordered their cover album which I'm stupid excited for (check/buy it here). Zombies, movie clips, thick fuzzy guitars, blast beats, everything in Spanish, unique not without little homages to the gore lords before them; what else do you need? "Horror death grind from beyond" as they put it; it fits.
Download


Death and the Black Work
Nightbringer
Creepy and winding black metal that seems to be an endless void of tremolo riffs and drums with whispers and yells from beyond. It's a marathon effort as it's quite long, but the first track alone should give you a good idea with that creepy as hell intro and catchy riff. A real powerful album, I love it; overwhelming and dark as hell.

Download



Gudsforladt
Nortt
Unsettling and dismal, Gudsforladt plays blackened funeral doom; a fitting zombie shuffle pace for this list. Waves of feedback, sparse drums, shots of ethereal keys and odious growls and moans that swirl throughout the album make this release quite chilling. A real mood killer, but great to leave on and scare your neighbor's kids with.

Download

Obviously there's a lot I left out, but I hope ya'll can appreciate this.

-F

revamp

I've decided to do an overhaul here, redo it and keep our archives and followers together. I don't think the others will mind as they're near non-existent. Keep your eyes peeled.

Thou- Summit

Offical Website
Released: Summer 2010
Release Type: Full Length
Label: Gilead Media (CD), Southern Lord (upcoming vinyl)
Genre: Sludge

In the 2 or so month wake of Thou's latest full length, Summit, I think I've finally arrived at an opinion. I'll shelf my personal recollection of Thou's back catalog and get right to it.

It comes to me as a paradox as the album is coherent and well constructed, yet incomplete and a bit too long.

The album itself doesn't offer amateurish leaps from mood to mood, or anything too avant-garde and misplaced, rather it's something I don't know how to really approach or pin-point. To play it safe, I'd say it feels as Thou are holding back with this release. One track shines, and another doesn't really do anything for me. "By Endurance We Conquer," "Prometheus," and "Another World Is Inevitable" are shining examples of Thou at their best. Maybe moreso than before, Thou showcases detailed, complicated, and moving songwriting as each of these three bleed sludgy sophistication. But on the other hand, I tend to skip "Grissecon" every time i spin the cd, as well as "Summit Revisited" and "Voices In The Wilderness." This is a real shame as that makes up for 2/5 of the album.

The first track, "By Endurance We Conquer" is a winner, although I kind of dislike the synth or whatever effect that is around the end. This song, and the one after, I think sum up my view on the album perfectly. Starting off and being great throughout, "By Endurance We Conquer" closes like some pre-war ritual; a preamble if you will. Unfortunately "Grissecon" loses the vibe and just widdles around for 8 minutes. There's many different things in the song, but nothing that really grabs me; call me spoiled.


Whatever complaints aside, the album is about the 4th track and the 4th track alone. "Another World Is Inevitable" is a typical Thou styled lesson in tension, climax, melody and emotion. Just 2 seconds over 10 minutes, "Another World Is Inevitable" works it's way through heaves of tar and viscous fluid until finally erupting around the 7 minute mark as constant bass drum beats merge into the measure like troops ranking into a final formation. The outcome is uplifting, trance inducing and awe-inspiring as Bryan screeches "A new world springs from the corpse of the old," and eventually "This will be the day." With the shift towards more dynamic and sprawling composure, the lyrics seem to match as they're optimistic and more demanding (fortunately, lyrics are a strong point of Thou and always have been;so this isn't such a stretch). Needless to say, I end up playing this track a lot.

When the muck boils away what's left is that I'm not thoroughly satisfied with this album.
This isn't as good as Tyrant, I don't know if anything could be. It's similar to Peasant as there are stellar songs but also some that are less. Where Peasant had "The Work Ethic Myth," "Belt of Fire to Guide me, Cloak of Night to Hide me," "Burning Black Coals And Dark Memories," and "They Stretch Out Their Hands;" Summit has its three as stated earlier.

Without question it's worth a purchase (as is everything this band seems to touch). That being said, Thou is dynamic enough, heartfelt enough, and invigorating enough to be the only band that matters now, and even though Summit has it's rough edges, there's plenty of strong footing.

Buy it here. I'll add one other thing, there can't be enough praise for Adam over at Gilead for his work with this release and all other Thou stuff; the cd jacket is beautiful and quality and the shirt is flawless.

Audio fodder:
"Another World Is Inevitable"
"By Endurance we Conquer"


-F