Blood I Bleed - Massgrav - Split

Blood I Bleed MySpace
Massgrav MySpace
Type: CD
Release: 2010
Label: SelfMadeGod

This split presents two bands playing the same genre in different ways. First up is Blood I Bleed, a band who went from Never Heard Of 'Em to Can't Get Enough Of 'Em status in one trip to Grind And Punishment. They play 11 songs, including three from their previous incarnation My Mind's Mine. And they get right down to business. The tone is metal, the approach is thrash, the final product is a relentless grind of hyperblasts over riffs bordering thrashcore. They also have a barrage of crust riffs at their disposal. There's an odd slow passage or two, most notably the final track, and the band gathers their strength between a fair amount of well-placed feedback. Mastered in the middle of the mix are full throated screams with an extra helping of gravel. This is worthy ear candy for anyone who likes the punk side of grind.

Do I dare even assume you have never heard of the next band? Listening to Massgrav is like finding a handful of early 80s 5" punk singles - but unknowingly playing them at 45 RPM. They are not simply tuned like a punk band, they sound like the fastest punk band you have ever heard. They are also accomplished musicians who grind and thrash with the best of them. Conceivably you could call them powerviolence. But that's taking the easy way out. My advice is to press play and go along for the ride. Massgrav is perfect for anyone who likes the grind side of punk.

The packaging is nice if you speak Swedish. Other wise you get full lyrics for Blood I Bleed, some random letters strewn together in paragraph form on the Massgrav pages, band photos and some Thank You's. For me that all takes a back seat to the music and this CD has two great bands playing their distinct brand of proper grind. Support the bands, support SelfMadeGod - buy it here.

Japanische Kampfhörspiele - Bilder Fressen Strom

JaKa MySpace
Type: CD / Vinyl
Release: 2010
Label: Unundeux

As always you get your money's worth with Jaka (their last EP was 19 minutes before the 19-minute bonus track). Jaka have also always been good for writing quality riffs, often penning one-off, throw-away riffs lesser bands would design complete songs around. In their usual realm of punk and grind, these were treats adding flavor to their "short, composed poems" take on grind's micro song format. Bilden Fressen Strom adds a new twist to the formula - featuring 27 songs in 42 minutes (those number are usually swapped) and the name of the game this time around is Thrash. There are three instrumentals - by title - but lyrics are at such a premium that instrumentation was definitely their style of choice during the writing process.

From a purist stand point (read: you have a closed mind and think every band's earlier work is better) a little of the punch and urgency of their earlier songs has been lost. Instead of ten to 45 second outbursts we get songs with body, mind and spirit. In reality, it's a trade off leaving behind an album with more personality. It's a CD that can grace your home stereo system all day long, or, in MP3 format, can get you through your whole commute while you deal with assholes who never learned how to merge...

Bilder Fressen Strom begins with "Die Schlachtung," a five minute song with enough stop-and-go action to make even Antigama blush. It has so many quality riffs that a reviewer working on a word count would simply give up and call it epic. I am a firm believer in transitioning. It's not just "the riff" but how you build up to it and where you go after it. Any one who listened to classic thrash knows what I'm talking about. But if that didn't make sense, just pay attention to what is happening leading into the 1:40 mark and to where the band goes from there. As the tune works to it's inevitable end the only thing I can really ask for is louder bass kicks. The tone is set: it's skin-tight black jeans with white high-tops Thrash time. And there's 37 minutes to go...

There are so many great songs and moments. Take "Supermacht," which meanders through the first half of the track before suddenly morphing into a crossover bordering powerviolence finale. There's the industrial number "Jochbeinbruch" that certain early-90's power houses in the genre are probably furious they didn't write. Then there's "Wie geht nochmal ficken," featuring driving, mid-paced palm-muted riffing that scream out for blast beats. Showing their patient side, Jaka instead offer up an extended, ankle exercising double bass passage that sounds absolutely brilliant by virtue of not being triggered. Another one that comes to mind is "Rentnerparadies," the kind of song that makes kids want to hit up their dads for the car keys and some gas money.

Without question "Bilder Fressen Strom" is their heaviest and most metal album yet. This will probably be the one the band is eventually "known" for - primarily because the songs should appeal across the extreme spectrum. From the punk side, fans of Abscess and Massgrav; on the thrash side, fans of Ghoul and Population Reduction; and especially old school death metal fans: we can all learn German, play air guitar and snarl along. Both disk and vinyl are available directly from the band here.

Comp Crazy pt 2 - Obscene Extreme 2009

ObsceneSpace
V/A - Obscene Extreme 2009
Type: CD
Release: 2009 (?)
Label: Obscene Productions

I don't know where this came from. I didn't order it - didn't even know it was for sale. Hell, is it even for sale? Who knows. But to whoever left this on one of my turntables, to stare back at me in the morning like it was my hand-picked disk de jour, you are not getting it back. So don't even ask.

To put it simply, Obscene Extreme 2009 is the business. You have to stick your arm in past the elbow to find the end of this horn of plenty's offerings: 36 different bands (all of whom attended the festival) playing 39 songs in 72 minutes. I half expected to see something along the lines of "arranged by DJ Bullet Belt" on the inlay card. It runs like a meticulously selected iPod shuffle list. Like a radio set some college kid spent two days arranging. It works because the disk has it all: thrash, powerviolence, grind, death/grind and a brutal version of each along the way. Even triggered brutal death grind for that one guy who likes to get a headache from click track blast beats. Oh, and a few unreleased songs, like the lead off track by Municipal Waste.

But what sells it from me is the song selection. I have a few of the albums and splits these songs were taken from: they did not choose the best song but instead the song that best represents the album. So if you like what you hear from a band then you are assured to hear 2-3 other songs on their album you will like even more. Does a number for justifying the expense, should ye be so inclined...

It also did me a favor. I particularly enjoyed the bass assault of Spasm and the accident at the intersection of Powerviolence and Grind that is Slavebreed. Maybe you will be so lucky. Find yourself a new band. Give your thanks to whoever left this at my place.

Nashgul - El Dia Despues Al Fin De La Humanidad

Nashgul MySpace
Release: 2009
Type: CD
Label: Power-It-Up

Nashgul has an old-school approach to writing grindcore. Their songs speak back to a time before death metal was a household name, to when grind was simply a fusion of crust and crossover featuring sporadic moments of unbridled madness. "Been there, done that," you say? That's as maybe. What sets the band apart is how they go about incorporating their thrash bits. One moment you're listening to quality grindcore - the kind of album you'd happily play in the background while doing whatever, video games, Texas Hold 'Em, driving at the speed of blast - and seemingly out of nowhere the band transitions into something catchy. It makes you pause to take notice. This is not to say Nashgul is reinventing thrash. These are not riffs to spark a new wave of retro thrash appreciation. What these riffs have however is a habit of showing up at the right time, elevating good grind to memorable grind. It creates definite "wait for it... go!" moments to look forward to each time you give the disc a spin - and there are plenty to be had on the album.

Book ended by your standard grindcore Intro-Outro, Nashgul proffer 17 songs in a shade over 24 minutes. Most of them are a minute and change, with only two breaking the two minute marker. More importantly the sound guy is an obvious bystander to the ongoing over-mastering wars. Each instrument has it's own space to work with. The bass is audible, even during the most frenetic of blasting bits. It sounds like the drums were sacrificed to make all of this happen (most notably toned down crashes and a hollow kick) but the end result has an organic feel. That and you can crank it up a few extra notches without increasing the risk of hearing damage.

There is a dynamic to the songwriting process on the album that is refreshing. They are not writing a straightforward song to be followed by a bulldozing grinder followed by a blastfest. Basically, just because a tune starts one way does not mean you can predict where it's heading. The only staples are thrash riffs and blast beats. "El Dia Del Los Muertos," "Disintegration in a Flashing Light" and "El Horror Oculto" surreptitiously begin in sludge fashion before unleashing the hounds. "Terrorist Warhead," the shortest tune, starts out in fast-forward before switching into a killer thrash riff over double bass. "La Plaga" plays verse-chorus-verse with two crust-influenced thrash riffs for the first minute a'la Disrupt before introducing blasts - and then devolves back into thrash and crust. And "Cremetorio," one of the better songs, is a one minute 17-second encapsulation of the album. More important than breaking ground, it's well written and executed. Most bands would use more double bass if they wrote these songs. And still others would tune down a step or two. While these would be cool changes all they would really do is ensure the album sounds like everyone else. Nashgul prefer to sound like thrash freaks who fell in love with blast beats. Their attention to old-school grind detail makes "El Dia Despues..." a top-notch album with great continuity and replay value.

It appears you can only buy the album directly from the label via PayPal/Mail Order right now. It's worth it, but they are set to release the Tribute To Nasum 2CD next month (which is a mandatory buy) so you may want to wait and save a little on shipping. In the meantime, check the album out here.