P E R P E T U A L S T R I F E

Please check out my new blog entitled Perpetual Strife. It promises to be better than anything that I've ever done here!

Furthermore, if you have any demo submissions, etc, e-mail them to Perpetualstrife@gmail.com

Thanks

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

Hayaino Daisuki - Invincible Gate Mind of the Infernal Fire Hell EP

Myspace
Released: 2010
Label: Hydra Head Records

APs are coming up in a couple of weeks so I'll be hitting the books - hard. Don't expect to see me until the second week of May. In the meantime I leave you lovely gentlemen and scholars with this little baby.

Hayaino Daisuki is Jon Chang's other significant other, the first one being Gridlink. Latter sounds like an abstract art-grind soundtrack to some Japanese surrealim-inspired acid freakout. Invincible Gate Mind... sounds like a hardcore otaku zonked on energy drink playing through Ikaruga on hard mode for the 3rd time at 4 in the fucking morning. A wide-eyed, cramp-thumbed, foam-spewing, delirious, manic, kill-'em-fucking-all-high. Nothing else compares. The EP has been out for a good while, but I fear it hasn't gotten as much attention as it deserves.

Please prove me wrong.

Cut Your Teeth

3 hardcore kids from NYC playing thrash with a rock 'n roll swagger. Heavy shit that will put you flat on the floor in no time, like a good kick to the groin or several vodka shots too many. Music is pretty much a mix of those two. It's potent stuff.

Check it out.

And here's a music video for their new song "Stallion".

Gridlink - Orphan

Myspace
Released: 2011
Label: Hydra Head Records

So now that every member of Chainsaw Justice has been rendered inactive one way or another, I suppose it falls on me as a second-semester high school senior to resuscitate this blog. Let me warn you though, I have a penchant for long-winded, self-indulgent monologue but write terse, short reviews. Hopefully the next few posts will see me writing/ranting more about the music than my personal life. We can only hope.

As mentioned, the next couple of reviews will be short and concise. I prefer to let the music speak for itself and the readers to use his/her own ears. Perhaps I'll offer deeper criticism when I've got more time to spare and when people are reading this blog again. In the meantime, my job here is to simply expose the audience to music they hopefully aren't familiar with and regenerate interest in this blog. That'll be all for now. As promised, here's the review.

+-+-+-+

Grindcore deity Jon Chang and fellow noise-pollutors from other genre greats such as Hayaino Daisuki, Kill the Client, and Discordance Axis are back with the follow-up to 2008's Amber Gray. Chang-boy brings back the death growls employed during his DA days to compliment his typical throat-shredding sceams. The addition of bassist Teddy Patterson III (Burnt by the Sun, Human Remains, Hayaino Daisuki) supposely adds the low end that was missing on Amber Gray, though it's hard to tell it's there at all. The presence of two-guitarists (Takafumi Matsubara and Takafumi Matsubara) only ups the trebly piano-wire strangulation-madness that they somehow manage to convert into riffs.

Gridlink (and pretty much any of Chang's bands) are notorious for taking an extremely long time to put out new releases and having a perfectionist streak. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Along the longest, most laborious distillation process can produce the the purest, strongest works that will stand the test of time. Those who can stomach the wait - the true believers - will be rewarded richly. Everyone else can go listen to Amon Amarth. Orphan is 12 minutes of the most skin-flaying, eardrum-rupturing, skull-piercing technical grindcore known to man and probably any other intelligent species in the multiverse. You will enjoy it...

...and then beg for more.

Weekend Nachos- Black Earth

Official Myspace
Label: A389 Records
Release Date: March 2011
Release Type: 7" EP
Genre: Power Violence


Striving for the balance they found on 2009's Unforgivable, Weekend Nachos bounce back from the lackluster Bleed e.p. and hit home with this one.

Black Earth is a short, jam packed e.p. totaling 4 songs just over 5 minutes.As mentioned earlier, I found Bleed to be a let down as it had the animosity and heaviness I loved of Unforgivable but lacked speed and variation, making it overall a bit boring. This time around they band keeps it's focus on unbelievably heavy guitars and beat down sections but thankfully intersperses plenty of faster and more typical power violence outbursts. Flurries of blast beats lead into intense mosh sections introduced with harsh feedback and cascades of cymbals. As far as song writing goes I'm sold with this one.

And while the band regains the form that they do best, the singer still seems to be struggling with his voice as it sounds artificially distorted and quite different from the last two releases. This is a sore point as the vocals hamper the release overall and are not up my ally. To go further, it's a sorer point if this is studio magic as the vocals dramatically shift throughout the band's whole discography; the tough guy barks from Unforgivable are gone (which was a huge part of my enjoyment). Seriously listen to the band's discography and the vocals will be recognizable but drastically different each time.

Worth a buy for sure, but I have my axe to grind with those vocals. Their next full length promises to showcase both "Black Earth" and "Friendship," while "Priorities" is a redo from This Comp Kills Fascists Vol. I and the last track, "No Saints" is an unrecorded oldie.

Pick it up from A389's site.


-F

Record Radar

Here's just a little update for all of you fan, collectors, enthusiasts, consumers, and what else have you. What we've got here is Gridlink's Orphan due out soon, Weekend Nachos's new Black Earth e.p., and Agoraphobic Nosebleed's split with Despise You.

Soon to be out is Gridlink's sophomore effort Orphan. Available for pre-order over at Hydra Head. There's a CD and a limited vinyl version in either blood red or black. In addition, both versions contain downloads and karaoke versions of the Orphan tracks. Furthermore, the vinyl is heavy weight 45rpm with the A side being Orphan and the B side being a remastered Amber Gray (I believe this means there's a bass and a second guitar on this recording). And to top it all off, there's a karaoke contest....

" Sugarbear (aka Andrew Cox) assembled this karaoke video for the title track so you can shred your vocal cords at home!

To enter the contest, make a video of yourself (or whoever) performing "Orphan" Karaoke, upload it to youtube, and post the link in the comments for the contest blog post (http://mrch.me/r). The deadline is March 22nd, 2011.

The winner(s) will be chosen by Jon Chang (Gridlink, Hayaino Daisuki, Discordance Axis), and will receive a test press of the Orphan / Amber Grey LP, plus whatever else we decide to throw in the package.

No purchase necessary."

This is all great news, as I've been excited for this since it was announced a year and change ago. I myself have only listened to the Myspace stuff and loved it, not to mention heard them play it live at MDF last year which was amazing. Definitely going to be a bright spot for the year. The Black vinyl seems to be all out, so get it while you can.


Weekend Nachos's Black Earth coming out on A389 records sometime soon. This 4 track e.p. features two tracks from their upcoming l.p. that'll be out on Relapse/Deep Six sometime this year. There's a much stronger power violence vibe this time around, which is a welcomed attribute as Bleed was a bit one dimensional in its lack of rhythmic diversity and song structure. This is what's on their Myspace...

"[T]his will feature 3 brand new songs, 2 off of our upcoming LP on Deep Six, and 1 exclusive B-side. in addition to those 3 new songs, the 4th song will be a re-recorded classic that we play at every single show but has still not been seen on an actual W.N. release until now. true Nacho enthusiasts can probably figure out which jam we're talking about. We really wanted to produce a heavier, updated version of the song and make it more recognizable for future live shows by putting it on an actual 7"....so there it shall be. Stoked."

Simple black vinyl with a download code, for the cost of 2 tacos and a coke I think it's worth the bread; buy it!


Probably what I'm most excited for is the Agoraphobic Nosebleed split with Despise You. Already set for pre-order at Relapse in a nice CD t-shirt package; expect it by the end of April. The shirt itself isn't my favorite, but it's worth getting amped about. Info on the vinyl is sparse, but on their Facebook the guys acknowledge that it will be done.

If the tracks from This Comp Kills Fascists 2 are any indicator, than this is gonna fucking kick dick. I've never been a fan of AxNxB, but I'm always open to new things, especially if it involves Despise You.

So there's an update, keep your eyes peeled for all this great stuff, as well as the stuff due out on Gilead. I'm sure there's things I've missed, but these are three things I'm looking forward to the most.

-F

Cassette Casualties Part I

So I've been torn between school work, personal matters, Trailer Park Boys and NHL '11, so it's been hard to get at this blog; but here I am. What I've got in store are two awesome casette's that I had the good fortune to hear.

First up on the chopping block is Spewtilator's Get Conjured ep
.


Official Myspace

If you're uncomfortable cutting your hockey mullet, replacing your Wehrmact and Morbid Angel tapes or unwilling to play anything but your SNES then Spewtilator's latest ep might alleviate your temporal anxiety.

Gloriously fun and frantic, Spewitlator are a brilliant homage to the sounds of the 80's. Quintessential thrash riffing tied together with mosh breaks and outburst blast beats offer something for everyone. Vocals shifting from nasaly shrieks to guttural belches keep up the dynamic and fast paced nature of the band. If you heard their excellent debut ep expect a bit more of a death metal influence with this one.4 songs that breeze by quick, Spewtilator find ample ways to make it attention grabbing and fun; not to mention nailing the perfect kind of production for this kind of music.

Ordering details here, support good dudes playing solid stuff. Keep a look out for the band as they prepare for a new 7" that promises to be good (I've got the inside scoop).

-F

Fell Voices - Untitled

Official Myspace
Label: Gilead Media, Howling Mine
Release Type: LP, Full Length
Release Date: March 2011
Genre: Black Metal

Fell Voices, containing ex members of Mohoram Atta and Centipede, are taking the proper route this time around with the reissue of their CD-R only release thanks to Gilead Media and Howling Mine.

Fell Voices play a long, winding, stream of black metal much in the vein of Wolves in the Throne Room, Leech, Skagos, and the like. The vast sprawling composure of their new LP spans two songs and over forty minutes, allowing for all kinds of twists and turns, winds and falls, and always with momentum. It's a hard thing to keep someone listening for twenty minutes straight, yet that's never an issue with Fell Voices as they deftly craft songs earning the quality of epic. Every snare hit, cymbal crash, note and piece of feedback has its place; it's a rare feeling of cohesion that allows the listener to blissfully zone out in a black metal daze.

The record itself promises to be a real treat as it's heavy black vinyl with awesome artwork, a huge poster, patch, and pin. It's dirt cheap and can be pre-ordered over at Gilead. Also check out the Ash Borer/Fell Voices split being reissued by Gilead Media and Eternal Warfare which is also available for pre-order at Gilead.

No egos, no bullshit, nothing about how evil they are, Fell Voices are a sleeper-cell in the black metal scene and this is their dirty bomb.

As is plainly obvious, the frequency of posting on CJ has slowed considerably in the past several months. Now that FleshMonolith, lately our only regular poster, has become occupied with some personal affairs, I think it's entirely safe to assume that there will not be any new posts for a reasonable amount of time (at the very least, until his return). As for the rest of the crew, engagements and activities in our offline lives have kept us from posting (some of us much, much longer than others), so I'd like to extend my thanks to our dedicated readers who continue to privilege us with their attention. I believe that FM's guarantee of an inevitable return applies to all of us, and I do hope you lot won't forget about us before then. I know that Axel and I most likely will not be back before June, however 206, and especially FM, could come back well before then and run this ship singlehandedly as they have done so exceptionally before. As for the bands sending us demos and EPs, do know that we have not forgotten you, and that we are planning to review much of the material you've sent us later down the line. All in all, I'd simply like to extend my thanks once more to all our readers, and assure you that this project will be much more active later this year.

Best regards,

Gravemarker

I've run into some personal issues that have kept me away from this site (as you can see). A return is inevitable, but for the time being I'm overwhelmed.

Thanks for sticking with me,

-F

Real Talk: Sakatat

Turkey's Sakatat have been working at it pretty hard in the past couple of years and lucky for us Semih, singer for these grind bastards, was able to lend a few words. Humble beginnings between high-school friends Onur (guitar) and Semih (vocals) in 2005, they've progressed to tour Europe, release 8 splits/eps (with a handful more to come), and worked to create a grindcore scene within Turkey. "I think we hadn't even realized we were about to start a band, that is probably why we picked up such a random word to be our moniker which means "offal" and obviously has nothing to do with what we stand for now." Even though their name might allude to goregrind (for Turkish speakers that is), it's obvious this band's sound doesn't rest in such a gimmick. One listen to their superb split with Dispepsiaa and you'll find yourself in some kind of grindcore time-warp; not sure if it's '87 or what.

Finally completing their lineup in 2008 with the addition of drummer Kaya, the band began recording and touring. "We have been pretty active after he joined in 2008, recorded bunch of split 7"s, played shitload of great shows, toured as much as we could..." vocalist Semih concludes. In light of there being almost no grindcore scene, and a very small punk/hardcore scene, Semih and co. have found ways to flourish by playing in some of Europe's biggest extreme festivals and consistently playing within Turkey and not being negative at the current lack of a scene.


Ucuz Can Pazarı

"As for playing grindcore here, well even though the interest in grindcore is growing, most people still have no clue about what grindcore really is, people tend to think it is same thing as brutal death metal or just some kind of joke. We have been offered to play shows with fascist bands more than once and people were really surprised when we rejected the offers and explained them why! On the bright side, many local punks and metalheads order our records and shirts and people seem to be aware of us, there are recently good number of people at the show when there is a good foreign grind band so there might actually be a grindcore scene here soon."

Beyond Turkey's growing metal scene, Sakatat themselves have had quite a time with the recent Bloodshed Festival in Holland. With big names like Magrudergrind, Suffering Mind, Weekend Nachos and Idiots Parade, not only was it a pleasure to the ears, but an event in of itself. "Bloodshed Festival was a blast[...] Personally I spent the first day catching up with the the homies[...] another good thing about touring, you always get to play with and see great bands." The band isn't short on notches on their belt as they've played at both Obscene Extreme and Play Fast or Don't, along with the recent Bloodshed Festival.

When asked about touring and productivity Semih claims "...we usually end up spending almost one month of each year on tour. We really enjoy it when we play those new songs live while they are fresh! I don't know if you noticed that already but we always try to have some kind of wholeness on our records, if that is the right word. Meaning that we try to make the whole record sound like one single cut not like 5 or more tunes put together. That is the case with the shows too. We like to play the next tune without giving a break in between and make each bunch of sets sound like a single song."

As all this touring, festival playing, and recording continues it's only logical that the band would approach the idea of a full-length release. "We never wanted to rush things when it comes to recording a full-length and finally it seems like the right time to do it. We have the general outline and ideas for a full-length already like the songs, cover artwork, concept etc... so we might give it a shot really soon. Interested labels shouldn't hesitate to contact us."

With great music comes a great attitude, as Semih exclaims " I think the charm and sincerity [of grindcore] would go away if let's say, a grindcore band made a deal with a major company. We listen to all kinds of weird shit, from obscure metal to punkrock and we are involved in many different activities like 'zines, radio show, setting up shows, booking tours, hosting touring bands and more so whatever we do, we keep it DIY and encourage our friends to do so. DIY, on the other hand, might have different definitions depending on who you ask. Our definition would be something like keeping it as capitalism-free as possible, not for profit, sincere and always partying like there is no tomorrow!"

And as for last words:
"I'd like to add that we have a split 7" with MESRINE coming out soon, it will be released by To Live A Lie in the States, Grindblock and Useless in Europe and Bucho Discos in Brazil, also the rough recording of our show at Bloodshed will soon be released on tape by Death Agony & Screams. Moreover we will record another split 7" soon, this time with our comrades MATKA TERESA and we might even go on a tour in summer if we manage to get the full-length out by then. You can check the other news and tour dates at our web-site: www.sakatatgrindcore.com"

Beyond Sakatat you can stalk their members in a few other projects:

Semih co-hosts an online radio show/podcast that you can check out here.
Semih's zine, Impact Drill
Nettlethrone, drummer Kaya's former band.

Unreleased album cover, from their boyband days

It was a great pleasure to interview these Turkish upstarts; my converts and I seem to have a lot to look forward to.

-F

Best Albums of 2010

I am very pleased to announce the second annual year's best presented by Chainsaw Justice. Chainsaw Justice Vol. III will follow soon as a collection of the best songs of the year.

Bluntly said, I'm not happy with the output of 2010. Full length wise there were some good ones, but very lackluster (especially for grindcore/power violence). There have also been some difficulties personally. I know that Lycanthrophy's LP as well as The Makai's LP would be top 10 material, but I can't get a hold of them until after New Years. I'd rather not put off this list anymore than I have, so without further adieu here are the best albums of 2010.


10.Jesus Cröst- 010
A soccer (football) hooligan's approach to stop'n'go fastcore from this dutch duo. Just making it at the 10 spot with their World Cup offering -010. Thankfully the band's use of pitch-shifted vocals has been greatly reduced this time around. 206's review

9.Lantlôs- .neon
One of the better mixtures of black metal and post-rock/shoegaze out there, Lantlôs take it down a notch after their debut but still offer up some blissed out black metal jams with .neon. A bit melodramatic, but it still packs that melodic and emotional punch we've come to expect from this group of bands. Features Neige (Alcest, Amesoeurs, ex-Peste Noire, etc) on vocals.

8. Nails- Unsilent Death
Ignoring the fact that the badassness of this album largely pertains to the ridiculously over the top production, Nails's debut is a killer slab of death metal tinged power violence. Think Crossed Out teaming up with Entombed. Short and barbwire bitter.

7. Protestant- Judgments
Milwaukee hardcore juggernauts return after their amazing Antagonist Ep from last year. A furious slab of metallic hardcore, that finds a good balance in everything that hardcore stands for. For fans of Integrity, Tragedy, and Behind Enemy Lines.


6. Bastard Priest - Under the Hammer of Destruction
I'm a complete sucker for old school death metal that finds its reanimated pulse to have d-beats. Bastard Priest are a pure and brilliant homage to bands like Dismember, Entombed, and Master.



5.Enabler- Eden Sank To Grief
Gothenburg tinged hardcore that's not afraid to blast and thrash, Eden Sank To Grief is a dirty pearl of music that's got the grooves to headbang to and the riffage to pray to. Underwhelming attention to this overwhelming band.



4. Salome- Terminal
After their excellent split with Thou, it was only a matter of time before another full length from this trio would surface. The band seems to have come into their own as their debut was good, but nothing out of the ordinary. Terminal is violent, heavy, and painfully noisy as the band experiments with much longer and sparse sounds. Oh, and Katherine Katz has one of the best voices in metal today, she absolutely kills with her powerful and varied voice.

3. Thou- Summit
If you read my review you'd know I wasn't completely sold on this one. With that said, Thou's 'good' is better than most band's best. Summit showcases some instant classics, as well as a more optimistic and experimental sound. There's a lot of buzz around this one and for good reason.

2.Suffering Mind- Suffering Mind
As I said, it was a lackluster year for grindcore. Thankfully though, Poland's shining star Suffering Mind put out this stellar release which almost makes up for the lack of everything else. Off the wall vocals match the firecracker snap drums and cement churning guitars. The band isn't afraid to slow things down with double bass bouts and stomach dropping rhythmic shifts; a must have.

1. Deathspell Omega - Paracletus
Surprised? Me too. DSO's latest effort was off my radar for awhile as I've become a bit dismissive of the band's mumbo-jumbo black metal. This time around, however, I find the band to be much different. The band has built upon the absurd complexity of works like Fas - Ite, Maledicti, in Ignem where the dissonance and jarring composure work to highlight some of the sublimely clear and melodic passages and riffs. Overwhelming is an understatement first time around, Paracletus, benefits greatly from shorter and more diverse songs and a lack of pedantic intros. Deathspell Omega have finally reached a point that they first alluded to with Kenose.

Here are my favorite eps, comps, and splits of the year.

V/A- This Comp Kills Fascists Vol. 2
Sakatat/Dispepsiaa- Split 7"
PLF/ In Disgust- Pray for Death / Visions of Your Own Death
Machetazo - Necrocovered
Endless Blockade/ Bastard Noise - The Red List
Innumerable Forms - Dark Worship
Lycanthrophy/ FUBAR - Doomed to Consume
Swarrrm/Atka -Split 7"
Parlamentarisk Sodomi/Blodspurt 7"


-F

Agathocles - This is Not a Threat, It's a Promise

Official Myspace
Released: Oct 2010
Release Type: Full Length, CD
Label: Selfmadegod Records
Genre: Grindcore

Belgium's self-proclaimed "mincecore" perpetrators continue to grind away with their most recent full length This is Not a Threat, It's a Promise. It is surprisingly the only full length release for 2010 (so far... watch them slip one in right as it ends). If there's anything to know about Agathocles it's their prolific back catalog (over 150 releases since 1985). The band itself has become a rite of passage in the world of grindcore, you're no one until you've done a split with Agathocles. A punker attitude than most punk bands, Agathocles always do things their way, and this one's no exception.

The thing that turns me off with bands like Unholy Grave and Agathocles is the (what I hope to be) wrongful idea that the band just records every little thought it has, and doesn't know the meaning of 'quality control;' fortunately that isn't the case with The is not a Threat, It's a Promise. Surprisingly diverse, coherent, memorable, vicious, and most importantly enjoyable, This is Not a Threat... quickly establishes itself as a damn good album. Songs like "Cleptocracy" and "Straight Lane" are quintessential grindcore; lightning fast blast beats to surging d-beats and power chords blistering gurgles and screams galore.

On the other hand, the curve balls of the record come in "God Save The Real Green Crocodile" and "Aside" as they are both catchy, distinictly 'un-extreme' yet retaining a total 'mincecore' tone. "God Save The Real Green Crocodile" starts witha very 70's punk riff and delves into a ska refrain with clapping, clean vocals and the most ska guitar riff you could think of; strangest of all is how well it works. "Aside" comes a bit later, and like the adforementioned oddity is over 3 minutes as well. The track itself is a midpaced somber one with tendrils of distancing feedback.

You don't expect a band like Agathocles to write good full lengths, but here it is. This is Not a Threat, It's a Promise, is a violent, mincing album not without a sense of humor and the occasional melodic hook.

-F

Chainsaw Justice Vol. II- Eastern Bloccore

I'm pretty sure Lenin's(?) introducing the importance of grinding down the capitalist system to that youngster. And no, I don't speak Russian so don't be cute and tell me this picture has nothing to do with grindcore.

There's a lot of things to give thanks for, but today I'll narrow it down to the grind and the core of Eastern Europe. This is the second installment of the Chainsaw Justice Volumes. I'm having a lot of fun doing them. Unfortunately good grindcore seems to be hard to find outside of Poland and the Czech Republic, most bands (especially in Russia) play awful goregrind. I was tempted to call this comp "Czech out Poland" but decided against it based on the excluding factor. (I know the Czech Republic is more central European , but I wanted to include them, so fuck you).

Without further adieu, here's the list of Chainsaw Justice Volume II: Eastern BlocCore
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1."Prawo"- Selfhate (Poland)
Poland's answer to Phobia, Selfhate rejoice in thick and buzzy guitars and bring that fine aftertaste of punk into a brutal grindcore sound. Taken from their album At the Beginning God Created Fear, Selfhate establish themselves as a crucial force in Poland's ripe grindcore scene.

2. "Birth Cleanliness" -Idiots Parade (Czech Republic)
Making a splash in the states on Scott Hull's crack frenzied baby of a comp, This Comp Kills Fascists 2 Idiots Parade play a very modern style of power violence with absolutely skin shredding vocals. This is taken from the adformentioned comp; brilliant.

3. "News From Pedigree" - Orchestral Pit's Cannibals (Russia)
Oddest band I've come by for this comp by far, and probably oldest too. They play a style of grindcore that sounds really similar to Impetigo, but gets all kind of bizarre (note the duck vocals please-no pig squeals here). Taken from their 1998 debut Exalted Oestrum.

4. "Kazdy Powod Wystarczajacy" -Suffering Mind (Poland)
Making giant steps, Polish grinders Suffering Mind just released their s/t lp this year and boy does it kill. Maybe my inspiration for this comp, Suffering Mind's defiantly the toast of the...country... if that works. Track taken from the self-titled full length.

5. "Two-faced Politics" - Wojtyla (Poland)
Wojtyla are just fucking awesome, they're my favorite recent discovery. Maybe there's something in the water, but like Suffering Mind, Wojytla rocks a female vocalist that has some of my favorite vocals I've heard yet. The vocals are very black metalish, and they match perfectly with Wojtyla's super heavy and dark grinding affair. Track taken from their split with Canadian grinders Archagathus.

6. "Rotten Glory" - Onanizer (Czech Republic)
Straight ahead grindcore that got you moving back in '86. Perfect mixture between punk and metal, viscous vocals; all killer-no filler. Taken from their split with UK jokesters Joe Pesci.

7. "Don't Look a Gift Horse in the Ass" -Squash Bowels (Poland)
Poland's favorite gore-drenched sons make themselves a mandatory player in this comp with their highly modernized take on Carcass's gory antics of the 80's. Too clean a production to get much of a play from me, they're still worth a listen. Heavy Grindcore that stays away from the putrid aftertaste of many goregrind bands. Track taken from their '09 Grindvirus.

8. "Samota" - Extreme Smoke ( Slovenia)
Holding the proud title of "Slovenia's first grindcore band." Playing gruff, lo-fi grindcore all the way from '93 Extreme Smoke are just that, not too hot but deadly if too much is taken in. Track taken from their 3 way split with Agathocles and Epilepsija.

9. "Skřípot" - Gride (Czech Republic)
Bad ass thrash-grind bastards Gride know how to do everything I want. There's thrashy grooves, grindy blasts, punky d-beats, gang vocals, riffs galore, and lyrics in a cool sounding language I can't understand. There's a reason why I kick myself for missing this band at last year's MDF. Track taken from their split with Lycanthrophy.

10. "Gore Ne Može" - Dislike (Croatia)
The former Yugoslavia countries seem to really know how to grind. Dislike, one of the only bands I know of from Croatia play a slick pseudo-death metal style of grindcore. This is from their 2006 demo Ctrl, dunno if anything else exists by this band, hopefully they keep trucking as it's pretty damn good.

11. "Queue for Perfectness" -Lycanthrophy (Czech Republic)
Possibly my favorite band here, Lycanthrophy rock a totally authentic and brutal style of power/fast/grind/whatever/core all with a female vocalist of course! Can't get enough of this band. In their 12th year, they've just released their debut LP, something I'm very excited to get my hands on. Track taken from their split with Suffering Domepiece (Mind)

12. "Lord of The Shits" Ass to Mouth (Poland)
With more goregrind then you can shake a dead, disfigured, prostitute at, Eastern Europe leaves a lot of shit to sort through (literally!), fortunately, Ass to Mouth are actually good. No lack of pig squeals, blast beats, or an absolutely crushing guitar tone, Ass to Mouth know how to grind and stay away from inane blasting and shit riffs. Taken from their album Kiss Ass.

13. "Starec" - Saywhy? (Czech Republic)
Blistering hardcore with male/female vox, how can I lose? Saywhy? know what's up and add a huge touch of punk which works so well. For fans of U.S. power violence/ fastcore bands. Taken from their split with Bastardass.

14. "Wicked faith" - БУТ (Czech Republic)
Reminds me of modern day Napalm Death if they didn't suck and knew how to write riffs and had a badass punky vibe. Track taken from their 2009-2010 promo.

15. "Suicidal Philosophy" - Needful Things (Czech Republic)
If you thought the Czech Republic only had awesome beer and sausages, I hope this comp helped change that; especially with the final contributor. Similar to bands like In Disgust who tread a line between death metal, grindcore, and power violence. Needful Things don't need shit, they're awesome the way they are. Track taken from their split with Genital Gore.

A lot of fun to do this, and eye opening as to how goddamn fruitful the Czech Republic is when it comes to grindcore. I hope you enjoyed this, await Vol. III due sometime around Christmas(sacre).

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-F

Swarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrm / ATKA

Atka Myspace Swarrrm Myspace
Released: Autumn 2010
Release Type: Split, 7"
Label:Ecocentric Records
Genre:Experimental Grindcore

A match made in a mental hospital, German tech-grind wizards Atka pair up with Japanese bizzaro grind masters for this 11 minute blastapiece. Seriously, I wonder if being schizophrenic is as off the wall as these two bands; each one displaying an eccentric and extremely different take on grindcore pushed past its sanity.

Atka cover every possible inch of their side with their noodlely, technically drenched and Dillinger Escape Plan loving track "untitled." The first minute's unrecognizable from the last, and yet it all works. I hate gimmicky technical shit, so thankfully this ain't it. The high-point of song is the last minute in a half which sounds straight out of Murray and Smith's playbook but jumbled with blast beats and varied vocals. Here's a snippit of the song.

A different kind of crazy is what Swarrrm always is. "Maborosi" is a ballad a'la typical Swarrrm (i.e. pretty acoustic guitar paired to gibberish vocals which washout in an avalanche of drums and distortion). "Kono ude ni" is a great track, the best of the split. As always fantastic shifts from artsy/melodic riffs to pummeling blast beats and jazzy sections of harmony between the guitars and bass. Swarrrm still continues to be the most dynamic, powerful and interesting grind band out there; shame on you if you've never heard them before.

Here's that ballad to sooth yourself to sleep

Don't question your sanity listening to this, question the sanity of those who refuse to listen. Swarrrm and Atka are outstanding this time around, so pick it up!

-F