Motherfuckin' Doombox

Official Site

Label: Vitrol

Release Type: 10" EP + CD w. EP and trilogy (Destination Time trilogy)

Released: Spring 2011

Genre: Grindcore

I wish I could stop my review here... y'know images speak louder than words... look how cool that thing is!

Everyone's favorite action movie aficionado grindcorists return with this nifty box that's both a new EP and a reprise of their totally awesome trilogy. The packaging isn't something that I can leave out as it folds out to a ghetto blaster with the EP+back catalog on a CD up top and a 10" of the EP tucked in the front. Remember, these are the guys who gave us a release in a backpack, another in packaging reminiscent of everyone's favorite scene of Alien and finally one with cross-hairs over the likes of JFK and Tupac. Of course the liner notes are included in the instructional pamphlet for the boombox.

Over the top and insanely cool packaging aside the EP is stands up on its own as a solid chunk of hardcore tinged grind with plenty of references and snippets of movies. Super slick production highlight the pummeling drumwork and the plethora of vocals used. Riffs standout and blur together, just seconds apart; many feel like sped up Integrity riffs. This isn't to discredit the band, far from it. The riffs just have that "positive" nature found in many hardcore acts (the opposite kinds being that of Weekend Nachos and black metal bands, etc).

Where Spazz were just spastic with their samples, the GO boys look to thematics (no matter how silly or light-hearted they might be) each track and sample plays a crucial role in their cinematic grind feature. Fans of their previous efforts will find little tweaks, but thankfully much of the same ( and better might I add than their previous release). Newcomers will find grindcore not without hardcore sentiments a'la gang choruses, breakdowns and rhythmic shifts that make the pit all the more satisfying with plenty of tremolo outbursts and blistering blast beats. What Frightmare are to horror movies, Graf Orlock are to action movies; nerdy, fun, and brilliant homages to the mediums that reflected the times of their conceptions.

To dip into the collection aspect of the package you get their first LP, Destination Time Yesterday, which is one of my favorite grindcore albums post 2001 and definitely their best work. Following is Destination Time Tomorrow, an 8 song EP much in the same vein, but better than the second LP and third part of the trilogy Destination Time Today, which I found to be a bit lackluster.

And I quote "No rights reserved, not licensed for distribution to everyone on Earth, reproduction and exhibition authorized, all rights reserved. Summary execution will result from looking at, touching, listening, selling, or buying said product."

Buy

-F

Not Even Europe's Safe

Words from Gilead Media mafioso/cult leader...

"My swamp-dwelling buddies in THOU will soon be making their way across the Mariana Trench to flatten the old-world on their 2011 European tour. Please do whatever you can to meet them at these locations on these days:

10.06 - Brighton, England at Cowley Club

11.06 - Groningen, Netherlands at Vera

12.06 - Eindhoven, Netherlands at Area 51

13.06 - Leiden, Netherlands at 071

14.06 - Bielefeld, Germany at AJZ

15.06 - Hamburg, Germany at Flora

16.06 - Copenhagen, Denmark at Stengade

17.06 - Berlin, Germany at Cassiopeia

18.06 - Leipzig, Germany at Zoro

19.06 - Praha, Czech Republic at 007 Club

20.06 - Wien, Austria at Arena

21.06 - Koper, Slovenia at Pandamonium

22.06 - Milano, Italy at Dauntaun / Leocavallo

23.06 - Bologna, Italy at XM24

24.06 - Stuttgart, Germany at JH West

25.06 - Versmold, Germany at Cry Me a River Fest

26.06 - Mülheim, Germany at AZ Mülheim

27.06 - Utrecht, Netherlands at dB's CAB-Rondom 100

28.06 - Kortrijk, Belgium at Cinepalace

29.06 - Portiers, France at Le Confort Moderne

30.06 - Paris, France at La Miroiterie

01.07 - London, England

02.07 - Nottingham, England at Stuck on a Name Studios

Bring Josh and Matthew greasy food, bring Andy an

d Bryan vegan food, and bring Mitch lots and lots of comics."

God Harvest - Demo 2011

Myspace
Label: Unsigned

So JGD at The Living Doorway just posted this up. Guy knows his shit for sure. God Harvest play pissed-off hardcore (what else could hardcore sound like, eh?) and they play it fucking well. "Hardcore" and "demo" put together usually spells bad production, but this release is anything but that. There's plenty of weight and punch in the guitars and bass, satisfyingly enough. Drums are not muffled at all as one would find in inferior releases and run a gamut of blastbeats and d-beats. Demo clocks in at a perfect 11 minutes.

Minimum time spent, maximum bludgeoning achieved.

And On and On...

Despise You

Agoraphobic Nosebleed

Label: Relapse

Released: April 2011

Release Type: Split 12" or CD

Genre: Power Violence/ Grindcore

West Coast power violence purveyors Despise You team up with East Coast grind freaks Agoraphobic Nosebleed for what seems to be the split of the year.

Thankfully, after all these years Despise You has stuck with what they do best, but as one would expect and hope, they've added here and there and really tried to trim the fat. "Roll Call" alone makes the split worth it as it shifts from blistering blast beats to d-beats until we get a slew of fuck yous, gang shouts, and the much loved female contributing vocals. It's not only the curb stomping vehemence of the vocals that propel this band, but also the band's dominance of rhythm and song structure that really make it enjoyable. Before there was melody, there was rhythm and Despise You have rooted themselves deep into that heritage. This isn't to say there aren't good riffs, quite the contrary, there's plenty, but those riffs duel it out with the uncompromising drums and vocals to merge each aspect into one pulsating body.

"Roll Call"

The production this time around is much cleaner, guitars cut off on the drop of a dime and the bass drum threatens to jump out of your speakers and throw a haymaker. Where they retain much of what's made them one of the best power violence bands out there, "Fear's Song" keeps in line with their attitude but plays out like an old school punk song with the simple punk chord progression and drum beat. The proof is in the punk pudding when "All the Regimes You Hold Most Dear" ties together every aspect of the band into one 34 second song. The only thing I could ask for more of would be break downs... but I'm happy where this one leaves it. I can only look forward to what's next. To quote the laconic machine-gunning genius "they drew first blood:" up the ante Agoraphobic Nosebleed.

I've never been much of a fan of Scott Hull's side project, but here I am listening, head-banging and looking for more. A nice aspect of the split is the similar production between the bands, this creates a nice listening experience (although it is a bit too clean for me, particularly the drums). "Half Dead" starts things off perfectly only to be followed by "As Bad As It Is" with its Slayereque dive-bombing and a slew of drums, riffs, and vocals flying around like shrapnel. Agoraphobic Nosebleed play a super thrashy style of schizophrenic grindcore that's familiar enough but at the same time jarring and bone shattering. The varied vocals, every shifting drums and riffs are overwhelming in the best kind of way. "Ungratful" and "Burlap Sack" stand out as the best tracks, the former being a knotty grind explosion where as "Burlap Sack"

crawls along fittingly featuring Kat's vocals front and center (as she sings for the sludge band Salome). A varied whirlwind of tracks from Scott Hull's mysterious bag of tricks.

So far one of the best things I've listened to this year. Well worth picking up.

-F