Beaten to Death : "Vntrve"

 

At first you might think this band from  Norway has clearly outgrown grindcore. They are too groovy on the opening track, though they get back to the insane screaming andd blasting on the second song. I enjpyed their previous album 'Sunrise Over Rigor Mortis," so I was excited to check this one out. It feels a little more organic than the last album, like they just stuck a mic in the jam space and started recording, which, for what they do, is not a band sound. The bass gets a nu-metal thumping at times. When they lock into some of the more blast parts, it feels more death metal than not. The vocals are tormented but less angry this time around. 

"The Tolerator" has a thrashier riff that meets the more chaotic choices of the drummer.  You can hear some of the hardcore influence buried in here. Most of the songs now have them venturing out past the two-minute mark. There is even a touch of rock n roll at times. 'Scroll On Homeboy" starts with a mean riff that deserves the title; they return to it, and it seems like it's obviously a jab at Pantera, given they use their song titles and lyrics in the song.  Granted, these guys would exist without Pantera, so the joke is on them. "Sunburnt Satanist" has a laugh at black metal, which, given where they are from, makes sense.

"Fuck the Moon" is chaotic, with another touch of black metal about it, which is something I did not hear much on the previous album. "Du er ug Mod" is darker and more punk, but works for what it is. It is only moderately spastic. It feels like a more deliberate song structure.  "My Dying Little Pony" races around a syncopated shuffle. "Momento Sugo" is too brief to establish it as more than an idea. "Satan Spawn the K-pop Demon" jabs at Deicide. The title track closes the album with a more straightforward pounding. The riffs are pretty mean. I will give this one a 9.5 and see if it grows on me, if you are looking for fun chaos here you go.

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NEQUIENT :"Avarice"

 

This album has been on my to-do list for a while, and I'm just now getting around to checking it out. This album came out back in April on Nefarious Industries, which, on that label alone ispromising, It is more on the punk side of the Grindcore equation. There are some metal growls and death metal growls that are thrown in for good measure. There is also a higher sneered punk vocal that tends to be the dominant voice at times. It is borderline annoying. Their metal side makes them not afraid to take their songs over the three-minute mark.  At times this lends itself to angular chaos that reminds me of the Locust. Where they stand apart is when things venture out into a jammy feel that goes against their punk core. 

"Brain Worms" lashing out with unrestrained speed and the sound of a meth-addicted drummer, or at least that is what the frantic, manic playing suggests. Purposeful riffs attempt to balance the chaos."Rintrah Roar'does have some melodic punk layers mied in with the lashing out, bu there strongest moments come when they slow and venttheir drippingvenom.. They are more thrashing on "Obsolete Machines," which might be one of the album's best songs but it races by pretty fast.'Siege  Mentatlity"has a more hardcore feel iu the vein of Converge.

The last two songs worked off the same momentum so it was hard to tell where one ended and the other began, forcing me to go back and take a closer listen. The last song works off a more feral aggression, with the drums at times blasting. I will give these guys an 8.5; they are great  at what they do I just have  other bands I listen to when it comes to hearing this sort of thing; they do not do much to convince me otherwise 

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DEATHGRAVE : "Hell is Evil"

 I gave 2023's "It's Only Midnight" an 8, but I have been listening to more grindcore since then, so I might have more of an appreciation when they veer off the death metal grooves into chaos. The title track that opens the album certainly falls into place better than what they did last time around, with a more polished sound in the studio. It is also three minutes, so they give themselves more time here to develop the song rather than just dealing in angry bursts. "Hard to Swallow" finds even a very dark, deliberate, doomy riff arising to lumber over things. Some of the members of Graves at Sea are in this band, so that should not be surprising. Some of the vocals sound like they could be from a Carnivore album they way they are shouted. 

"I am Here" takes death metal fury and runs it through a grindcore filter but with thrash attitude. Three songs in and it is very clear song writing has been made more of a priority. The vocals are more varied; there are the shrill blackened shriek and low death gurgle, but other variations on that snarled spectrum. "Born From Death " is the first song where brutality is allowed to reign over all else. With a dissonant punk riff clanging in the background at times ot break it up. "Smaller and Smaller" is darker and more harrowing as it takes things in a more sludge-ridden direction. The first five songs are already more dynamic than the last album, and this is with them even descending into blast beats on "Smaller and Smaller," which at almost four minutes is one of the album's longest songs. 

"It's Only Midnight" finds the vocals serving more purpose in the chorus to make it work and a large dose of thrash riding the song. "Yaws 3D" finds them playing a punk-tinged death metal which, in some ways, is the definition of grindcore. "You Pain is Ready" is a more extreme beating to your ears. They rip into "I Won't See You in Heaven" before the bass takes over. The dense bass tone brings things down into the doomy crush of the lingering tempo. It's darker and heavier like this than when they are spazzing out. Many moments on this album remind me of Goatwhore; when they speed up on this song, it is one of them. The last song finds them launching into rough-edged death metal but with the vocals varying in levels of coarseness, so kinda like Entombed. I will give this album a 9.5 and see how it grows on me, but here is what happens when grindcore grows up. Out on Tank Crimes August 21st.  

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gif. from god : "Dissimulation"

From the hype around this band, I went into this album expecting it to be totally unhinged, unlike anything I had heard before. It's pretty straightforward grindcore, with death metal trading off with higher-pitched screamed vocals. The second song finds a mathieir angular form of acrobatics touching the riffs, but nothing mind-bending. Are they fairly scathing andd rabid? Yes, but what grindcore band is not? "Life Like a Sickness" blends a cacophanous riff with hardcore chugging. 

"Turn From the Ruin" offers more melodic tones to better craft an actual song with, which also brings a crusty black metal sound to the mood.  'A Fucked Up Face' is a harsher outburst that focuses on the feral gnashing of teeth. This is carried over into "Your Sorrows Pin You to this Place", though there is a little more of an angular edge and purpose to the pounding. "A Gift From God' works for me as it is darker and more melodic, so in my wheelhouse. 

"Volatile Simian Nervous System" finds them back in the chaos, a little more atmosphere, and not just them attacking you. They revert to their more emo sidde which I enjoy with "Burnt House Horizon."They toy with a more dissonant vision of hardcore toward the end of the album with a dash of grindcore tossed in, a little like Portrayal of Guilt's early work, but not as dark. They close the album by getting back to their grindcore roots. I will give this album a 8, as I appreciate what they are doing but already have this need met in my life by bands who do it better, but for fans of experimental grindcore this is worth your time.Dropping April 16th on Prosthetic Records.

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Gravity Chasm : "s/t"

While I have had more albums lined up than in previous years, January finds me often giving an album I might not be otherwise inclined to check out a listen. Such is a case from this math-rock metal machine. They are billed as being technical death metal, but that is only one part of what they are. Death-grind might be another element in play as we dissect their chaotic attack. The bass cuts through more than every death metal band. Really, aside from the vocals, I am not hearing it by the time we get to "Sassquelch". I think if these songs were all two minutes or under, they might be faster to concede this as grindcore. But they are more like the Locust, than Morbid Angel. 

One thing that impresses me about this band is how their bass tone cuts through everything. By the time we get to "Life Cycle," chaos is reigning as speed takes over, making things a blurred mess. They allow the weird to play a larger role in "Psilocybinary" which is obviously about taking mushrooms. Then speed and aggression begin to muddy the water, ir order to keep intensity the primary focus. It feels more like chaotic hardcore than metal, even with the technical aspects in play.

"Dilated Time" has some intersting sounds in the mix to provide a little more atmosphere coloring. Though everything is harshly in your face here. The album closes with the longest song, the almost six-minute 'Decompiled." The guitars are jerking you around with dizzying speed and angular dissonance. The drummer gets credit for holding this mess together. There is a great deal going on, but without giving me anything to hold onto, just a barrage of crazy sounds. I will give this an 8 as it's intersting and intense. 

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Crossed : "Realismo Ausente"

 I like the tense syncopation that this band opens their bleak new album. The screamed vocals are undecipherable, making the fact that they are from Spain a moot point. It does, however, affect their ability to play black metal, which is more of a feral punk when presented here, with the strongest elements being their ability to let chords ring out and create a more nuanced atmosphere. By the third song, they have established a more GISM-like mood to their brand of chaotic hardcore. 

"Monotonia..." fights the urge to go into the night screaming and find a more focused plan of attack through songwriting. They do kick up a great deal of sonic fury in the process. At times, it also reminds me of Converge, but they lack the big riffs and darker melodic experimentations, and instead opt for noise. "Sentirse Solo" has a more frantic punk snarl and locks back into the cooler battery of syncopation while having a burly bass in the backdrop. 

"Cruz Vertical" has the first memorable riff, which is joined by a gang vocal that sits in the background. They do make an effort to vary their attack so it is not jsut your ears being pumelled, though the vocals are typical jsut hte same relentless scream. The songs are kept in the grindcore radius of two minutes. The last song they sprawl out into four minutes. It's sonically violent but not the most memorable. However, this album, aside from the vocals, does make an effort to not only be intense but to write actual songs, so I will give it a 9.

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Shock Narcotic : "My Flesh Is Afraid But I Am Not"

 

Grindcore has now been brought to arenas thanks to Pantera picking bands like King Parrot and these guys on the road with them. They cram a great deal of riffage into two minutes, sometimes allowing for more chaos than other moments. "Wound Absentina" is the first song on this album that I feel would appeal to fans of Pantera, as there is more groove. The opening track is a little more death metal, would would also cater to a certain percentage of their fan base. This is going to be on the heavier and more confrontational end of their audience's tastes. 

"Trash For the Pile" has a more punk feel. It feels like the Dead Kennedys jamming with Eyehategod. "We Are the Enemy" has more of a metal attitude about things. There is a thrashing tension that never feels like it gets the explosion of the release it was due. However, it does clear up any confusion in rgards to if grindcore bands can actually play their instruments. "Oblivion Licker" is more deliberate, where they allow themselves to fall back into a more feral rawness with the more punk-tinged "Standard Issue Apathy." "Slurring Delirum" follows a similar path. Perhaps with even a marginally less intentional take on the songwriting. 

"A Mass Suicide in Progress" is unhinged in the best way. On other songs, they sometimes compromise the dynamic for the sheer intensity of their attack, which is part of their punk roots. "Cling to the Familiar' is one of the better songs as it has a groove that hooks you in. They close the album with an over of Meathook Seed's " A Furred Grave A Furred Grave". It works for what it is. Given their career trajectory, this album brings grindcore to the masses in a more refined manner, so I will give it a 9. If they are touring with Pantera, it's also because this is dropping on Housecore Records.  

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Closet Witch : "Chiaroscuro '

There is a way to effectively do grindcore that is pleasing to my ears. In the first two songs that erupt from this band, it looks like these kids do not possess the sonic tools for this. They are angry enough. But just hit you with a wall of blasting noise, along with drums that sound like they are cans with plastic lids. There are a few crunchy riffs here and there. The vocals are senseless screaming with little purpose and less lyrical value. This might sound better live at ear-ringing volumes. It takes about six songs before it feels like they are getting their legs beneath them. 

The short song factor is not what is playing against them as they have almost three minutes to get the momentum of a song built when it comes to 'You, Me & Venus in Decay". But they struggle to give you anything to lock into and less of a reason to listen again. It's more of an endurance test, than something to be entertained by.  "Arlington Cemetary" finds the guitars beginning to lock into a more cohesive riff. Then there are 38-second songs, that explode in a temper tantrum with no real reason to exist. 

Some of these temper tantrums begin to create a more uniform color of noise, that is only broken up by the more deliberate chugs. The last song is the longest, also making it the most fully formed.  This album does have its moments, but the songs I would feel compelled to listen to again would be few and far between, so I will give this album a 5.5. Not utter nonsense, but it puts heaviness before songwriting. 

Chiaroscuro by Closet Witch

ACxDC : "Satan is King"

Just how heavy do you want it ? That is the quest this band asks. The band's name might be a play on AC/DC in how they write it as it stands for Anti-Christ Demoncore. It is heavy but nothing sounds particularly evil. I like heavy music. I am almost finished making my top 50 heaviest albums list, I am fine with Grindcore. My thing is there still has to be songs. I am into songs. Any one can create a sound. Not everyone can write a song. These guys throw everything into quick spastic bursts. I love Portrayal of Guilt, so I have not problem with this approach as long as there is song writing involved. I remember the first time I heard Anal Cunt it seemed more like a gimmick to me. These guys re like Anal Cunt, but without the sense of humor. I was skeptical going into this album. It has a great title so of course I have to cover it. It's the title track that this formula actually works. These guys have more of a death metal influence than many grind core bands. The title track proves this minute and a half song structure can work .

"Turncoat" breaks the two minute mark. The also slow into something more grinding than core. It even gives them time to have dynamics by going into the faster spastic part.  These guys made a name for themselves in the underground. This is their first album for Prosthetic records and they are clearly making no attempts to tone things down. Nor should they. I think you can be this heavy and still write songs with varied sonic colors. Instead things can be very monochrome. This is when it begins to feel like feedback driven noise. The drums sometimes get buried beneath the guitar being vomited up here. They find their way back into songs on "Propaganda of the Deed". The guitars have a mean fucking sound that is put to better use when locked into a more solid chug. There are moments when they just blast ahead and the higher snarled vocal spurt out words that are barely discernable. These are not the albums finest moments.

To their credit it is easier for me to keep track of where I am at in the album than many bands who do this thing. They are good at what they do , just not the best, nor are they breaking any new ground. You have heard other bands do all this before. When some hard core influence does slip into to what they are doing it sometimes helps pull everything together. Tis demoncore works well on "Ashes to Ashes". Not as much on the more punk "Back in Black Bloc". "Maggot Museum" breaks the two minute mark. They do not use this time as wisely as they could. I will give this album a 6.5 . Yes it is heavy as fuck, but we have heard it all before.

Full of Hell : "Weeping Choir"

The album starts as more blackened grind core, then shifts into hard core.Most of these songs are compact and jarring .  I am not into some of the album's noisier moments, as it seems like a waste of time , when they can write effective songs, why waste it  by beating trash cans with jack hammers. They do put the jack hammer sound to better use on "Aria of Jeweled Tears". The song ends up having more of a punk edge. There is a more angular yet straight forward hard core sound to " Downward", though this is  thrown up against death metal grunts and blast beats. What they do is so heavy that it carries a very abrasive quality .

I like when they slow down more the more tortured sludge of "Armory of Obsidian Glass". It is one of the darkest songs so far. The last two minutes of the song get into ghostly atmosphere before hammering you with something more like black metal. There is a more death tinged grind core sound to "Silmaril". It is pretty dense , though not my favorite song  the album . Even though it is very blown out sounding I think the more industrial stomp of " Angels Gather Here" is more interesting. "Ygramul the Many" is back to their more chaotic blend of grind core.  They do not relent on "Cellar of  Doors "  though it is on the more death metal side of grindcore.

I respect what these guys do. I am on the fence as to how much I will actually listen to this album. I will round it up to an 8. as it sounds good and these guys did what they set out to accomplish,. If you are already a fan of this band then this is what you are looking for. I do not think this is going to broaden their fan base, though more open minded fans of death metal might appreciate them.

 

Philip H. Anselmo & the Illegals : "Choosing Mental Illness as Virtue"

Phil Anselmo has almost as many side projects as Mike Patton. Like Mike Patton they all fall under the shadow of the band that put them on the map, in case it's Pantera. While the first song is as aggressive as what I have heard from this project in the past , but the guitars are adding some sonic layers of melody and the chords are allowed to ring out more. You can hear touches of Down mixed with death metal on "Utopian" which is not as engaging as the first song. The title track rages with more of a death metal attack. They are sticking pretty close to a more grind core take on what Cannibal Corpse used to do. It can be argued just how legit of a grind core band this is. I can say the more under ground legit bands could stand to learn from how to throw in a hook. Skills that translated over from the Pantera days. This is also why a song like " the Ignorant Point" works better than the speed fest that is "Individual". The latter's best moments comes from the Slayer like thrash riffs toward the end , not from the nasty blasting.

The guitars on this album are pretty mean. The drums could stand to come up in the mix a little. Phil sounds fine , He never actually sings, most vocals are spoken in gruff shouts or growls. He almost sounds like Rollins on "Delinquent". There are some almost blackened spasms that this song devolves into. "Photographic Taunts" is a heavier version of the previous song that is more jarring in the battle of blasts versus chugs. Phil growls more in a lower death metal fashion here. "Finger Me" also stays within the same parameters as the two songs before it. So at this point in the album it's all beginning to sound the same. There is a break down that is cool on "Finger Me" , but the rule here is cool riffs alone don't make a good song. So being heavy for the sake of being heavy doesn't really fly with me in and of itself.

They continue to offer a variation on a theme on "Invalid Colubrine Frauds" which benefits from the lyrics which take on mass shootings. Phil's theory is they are caused by people who are not left along. The last song is like the others there is a partially melodic outro to it but it blasts by without really gaining my attention. I'll give this a 7.5, making it far from Phil's best work and perhaps the least adventurous of his side projects.

Dead Cross : "s/t"

Mike Patton and Dave Lombardo have teamed up with members of the Locust and Retox for what is darker than I hoped, though still coated in a great deal of noise. It's eerie and angular in the same way Sleepy Time Gorilla Museum was. The songs are typically compressed into under four minutes.You can hear the grind core influence of the Locust on " Divine Filth", despite Mike Patton's vocals still bringing a little more melody even on the more punk inspired sections. Though the chaos ins out more on "Grave Slave". The production finds the distortion jagged , mixed with a claustrophobic tension. You might wonder what the difference between this and Tomahawk is. Well that is easy. This is darker and heavier than Tomahawk. There are some moments that are more blatantly metal than others. "Gag Reflex" is more metal than not.  

"Idiopathic"  rides the line between chaos and a song that makes sense. They launch in more of a thrashing speed for "Obedience School" . I expect a little more from Lombardo when it comes to playing at this intensity, and it sounds like it could be anyone behind the kit. The sound of dial up internet starts off "Seizure and Desist". Patton trades off screams, squeals and singing. "Shilelagh" finds him doing more angry punk ranting.  This almost sounds like a more feral version of "King For A Days" harder rocking moments. This metallic punk temper tantrum continues on " the Future Has Been Cancelled".  As far as songwriting goes while Patton has an abundance of energy, I don't think the melodies that do show up are really his most thoughtful or strongest work.

The reckless spastic moments that have the most in common with grind core are not the album's strongest points and keep it from being a solid piece of work so on sheer merits of the darker tone and covering Bauhaus I will round this up to an 8, but considering the level of talent present here I think expecting more is ok.

Full of Hell : "Trumpeting Ecstasy"

I was impressed when I saw these guys open for Mutilation Rites a few years ago. Since then their recorded out put has not really wowed me.There is less of a hardcore sensibility to what they do and they are are almost straight up grindcore with  touches of death metal. The vocals on the one minute opener go from a more black metal like rasp to a low gurgle.But it's too brief to really consider as a song. The same can be said for "Branches of Yew", they have a mean guitar tone, but that is about it. "Bound Sphinx" is the first real song. It pretty good and closer to what I have in my head from when I saw them live. "Cosmic Vein" is somewhat evil sounding in it's intent with lyrics referencing Satan. It's much more of a song than the 40 second "Digital Prison". The more metallic " Crawling to God" is pretty decent with stronger more defined riffs.

One common thread I notice which comes from their thick distorted tone is a lot of the sounds they create kind of collide in the barrage and things get murky and chaotic more often than not. With bass tone to "Gnawed Flesh " production choice is hard to argue against, but the song writing suffers hear because of their dependence on it. "Ashen Mesh" is dependent on it's chaos and brutality and doesn't make the most of the qualities I think are the bands strengths. The use of female vocals on title track and the more deliberate pacing make this is album's best song and a sound that I would like to hear them delve deeper into.

The close the album with the frenzy that is "At the Cauldrons Bottom".  This is more black metal influenced which is a a shadow that hangs over this album as a whole even though there is never a song where you can say ok they are playing black metal now. There is also a slower more Converge like riff, Converge is a band that I originally thought these guys to be most influenced by , but they have carved out a much darker place for themselves hear and if this was going to reflect Converge in anyway it would be their "You Fail Me" period. I would say this is the band's second best song on the album and perhaps the one the drummer shines the most on I'll give this one an 8 as it eventually won me over despite the little micro-songs that I felt would have been better served cobbled into a real song , fans of the band can round this up to a 9 since they are going to be into that sort of thing.
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Code Orange : "Forever"

Welcome to 2017's equivalent of "You Will Never Be one of Us". Tough and tight, the guitar on this album is mean as fuck, but has an incredible tone.

Meek is Murder : 'Was"

The Brooklyn trio returns and the first song is about a minute making it almost as grinding as it is hardcore. Almost like a more spastic and less powerful version of what Nails does . The next minute and a half of "FlagShips sounds like these two were part of a longer song that got chopped in half to make two songs. Even though the winding dissonance of "Hands Down" can be more appealing, the fact it's only a minute never allows it to establish into an actual song. There is a catchier punk jangle to " the Same Mistakes" that make this song work where the others have fallen short. While these guys are not as dark as Converge, you can hear their influence on "We're Only Ghosts". The guitar player proves himself to be pretty decent on this one. There is a little more groove to "Crows by the Bay" and the guitar tone on this song is pretty awesome. This is what separates this album from your average grind core band, the album is actually well produced and not filled with haphazard feed back.
There is more of a frenetic energy to "Worth" and it runs of this more than songwriting until the cool riff comes in at the minute mark to challenge the rule of "cool riffs alone do not make a good song". They take a more metal approach to " a Prison, a Life Raft". "Save Your Voice" almost goes by too quick to be a song. When the band commits to writing a real song, they are pretty good at it, this is proven on "Full Hearts , Empty Rooms". The title track sounds like it is an extension of the previous as it attack you more effectively with a slow chug. They take things into a more spastic direction for the raging chaos of "Victims and Builder". The vocals become more emotive on this one. I'll give this one an 8.5, these guys are pretty impressive when they commit to the results.

Nails : "You Will Never Be One of Us"

I have predicted 2016 as the year grind-core and power-violence breaks through into the metal mainstream. What Weekend Nachos failed to deliver is being jack hammered into your face by this band.  Their guitar tone is as nasty as you can get and still play riffs that hold together actual songs. Even then when I used the word songs here I am describing sharp bursts of anger. Grind-core has never been my forte, typically because of the genre's limited range of dynamic expression. Coloring with only the red crayon of anger can limit what you do, this band from Southern Los Angeles colors with this crayon so well, I know what I'm in for and can hold on for the jolting ride. The first song and title track fakes you out as it seems so maturity might have come into the song writing process for these guys. The message of songs like "Life is a Death Sentence" is barked with a conviction that draws you in. This also feels like some of the barked vocals lock in with the guitar to make for hookier songs on this album.  I am reminded of S.O.D , by the mantra of "your a fucking failure on the song" "Friend to All". The brutal battering ram that is "Made to Make You Fall" packs more of a punch into 45 seconds than many bands do in their entire careers."Violence is Forever" steam rolls you with the weight of the verse riff. The bass player must be a machine to keep up with this drummer. They have a more tightly coiled attack here that comes closer to a sound familiar to more main stream metal ears.

At first listen "Savage Intolerance" might seem like a more single minded tantrum `accented by blast beats before  the nightmarish roller coaster jerks into into even heavier places. Their more punk side is indulged against Kerry King like solos on "In Pain".  They grind into "Parasite" to sink their teeth briefly into a more death metal groove. They hammer a hole into your skull with "Into Quietus" which might be the heaviest song on this album of fucking heavy songs. Here what sells me on it is the range of heavy they can attack you with in the minute and a half this song has you by the ear. To me the best song is going to be the darkest so "They Come Crawling Back" really won me over. The rule here is "cool riffs alone, don't make a good song". These guys take the feral snarl of the guitar and put enough raw anger into them that they are transfigured from just being cool riffs into an honest expression of their worst feelings.


Nails main-man Todd Jones has said they won't become a band that tours extensively due to their families, which  could puts a ceiling on audience this will reach, though I think metal is ready for the next step forward into heavy. This album is being released on Nuclear Blast so that can't hurt things. The bigger label hasn't dampened any of the power, so if you are ready to scream sell out hold your breath. Fans of their previous work are getting what they asked for after "Abandon All Life " made them scream for more. I'll give this album a 10 for what it is, for them to sell me on this genre is pretty impressive.

Rotten Sound : "Abuse to Suffer"

I went into 2016 saying this is the year grind core is going to break bigger and here is a band that will help lead the cause . Even"Cursed" was the first album by this Finnish band that I really paid attention to, these guys are no strangers to the game.  How much of a song can you establish in 47 seconds? Not much it just sounds like someone is demoing song ideas to the rest of their band to write something off of. It takes at least two minutes to get into the brutal groove of these guys which "Fear of Shadows' does a better job of accomplishing. These bursts of songs are very punishing so its hard to image not being numbed out by the type of beating a song like "Trashmonger" dishes out if it were to have go over the two minute mark.

The production is very dense. The guitars hit you like a wall, with the drums sometimes getting lost in the storm of distortion.The vocals are mid to low range growls. There is a cool riff in "Crooked", but you know the rule here is cool riffs alone do not make a good song. The first song that breaks the two minute threshold is the slower grinding pulse of "Time For the Fix". This allows for the song to feel like it is more fully realized than the songs that proceeded it. The most effective under a minute burst is "Slave to the Rats". It goes from a blast to thick neck crushing groove in under 52 seconds. They hit two minutes again with "Brainwashed" which is more straight forward for these guys. The drumming is impressive throughout the album, but this song might be on the album's high light reel.

At times the more hard core side of the band comes out as displayed on "Cannon Fodder' that also find the band adopting an almost Entombed like thickness to the riffing.Without question this is heavy as all fuck. Sometimes this heavy get's the benefit of varied tempos on the more sludge like trudge of "Yellow Pain". The vocals on this one go up into a higher curdling shriek. The mood over all on this song stands out from the nine songs before it. A song like "Machine"takes the album title literally. It's pretty effective even into the spastic out bursts of insane speed. Burly bass leads into the beastly blast of " the Clerk" that possesses a mammoth rumble, the following song "Caged" could have been the next logical progression if this was a more adventurous genre .

The minute long "Retaliation" is all teeth, which works if there was somewhere else to go, but their economic sense of song writing leaves the band frequently painted into a corner. "Inhumane Treatment" finds the band much more effective at crushing you when given two minutes to work with. When they kick up the gears too fast for their own good the song does stumble a little.The last song has a cool ending, but this song is the exception to the rule and the band doesn't make the most with the time they are given. I'll give this one a 7.5. Some of these little ditties are compact grenades of heaviness the rest are cool riffs here and there, but need more to them. If this is your thing and you are really ADD, then not only has this review been to long for you, but you can round it up.

Nothing @ the Mammal Gallery

If you ever go to the Mammal Gallery do not use GPS. It is hidden away on the outskirts of the GA State campus and the only reliable guides are crack heads and Marta police.The search would have been daunting expect for the fact I have missed Nothing in the past and was not taking no for answer this evening.

 The shop front entrance was deceptive and if not for the gaggle of punk rock hipsters gathered out side it would have blended in with the surrounding area. Inside the venue was a lot bigger than expected, about the size of say the Masquerade.The heat vicious and the turnout which was way more than expected only added to this. I did not know headliners Ceremony, another band I seem to miss every time they swing through was that popular. Iron Lung was the first band we caught. They are a sludgey taken on grind core. The snare was rather flat, but the drummer spent half of his time handling the shouted punk like vocals and the guitarist took to the more growled vocals.They did blend a mix of varied influences, despite the boomy loudness of their set.. Some of the riffs earned a head nod a most.

 We moved up closer for Nothing's set. They took the stage with Bright Eye's "Devil Town" , playing over the p.a as their fanfare.The first thing that stood out about there set and maybe it was do to being on tour with Ceremony, but these guys launched into their set with an energy more reserved for punk bands than shoe-gaze.The band's punk roots might be hinted at on their new album "Guilty of Everything", live they are paraded on full display. So a song like "Bent Nail" came across much more pounding. Thus answering the question I went in with... How is what they do going to translate to this crowd.

Their bassist held the most frantic energy live. He seemed to throw himself into every note.Not to mention I honed right in on the Morrissey tattoo he sported on his forearm, of course making him one of my favorite members of the band. He actually stood center stage while the two guitarists flanked him on either side.This also allowed me to hear which guitarist sang what part on the albums . Dominic Palermo handled the lower more monotone Hum like vocals, while Brandon Setta, took the higher airy more androgynous ones. The vocals were largely buried in the mix though being up close to the stage we more than likely caught the monitor mix so we caught more of Brandon's vocals.

Drummer Kyle Kimball clearly comes from more of a hardcore background the way he held his sticks as if prepared to bust into a break down. He made the most of the four piece set and kept the intensity level higher than the recorded work. Dominic midway through the set apologized with a slurred speech the fact he had way too much to drink, admitting they had come across some Moonshine, which Brandon confirmed was real deal moonshine. It might have made Dominic's vocals come across more mumbled, but didn't seem to after his playing otherwise and truth be told Shoegaze certainly lends its self to conveying an altered state of some sort. The bulk of the set was from their new album and the way in which the band took these songs to the stage continues to challenge and redefine what shoe gaze can be and doesn't limited itself to the 90's. Speaking of the 90's some of their more rambunctious moments gave the songs more of a Mudhoney like grunge feel.

We enjoyed the show, my ears rang the next day, but my girl friend who wore ear plugs was not bothered. The venue's heat did prompt us to leave before Ceremony took the stage as going home and catching up on True Blood after our week long tv cleanse, had more appeal than sweating it out. I hope to catch the west coast punks eventually in a venue with better ventilation or during the winter, my Norse blood just isn't cut out to swelter.    

Eyehategod : S/t

No fools when it comes to the current climate of music todays these guys know the time is right to claim their place as the forefathers of the kind of grindy sludge coming out today. Back in the late 80's these guys were ahead of their time and today the kids have caught up to speed. The opener is quick paced and punk driven. They do sway into the more sludge sound that I think of when they come to mind. Not new ground at all for these guys.

Working closely with Housecore Records, these veterans know how to make what they do sound good. There is kind of abrasion you would expect. The first thing that sounds like a change is the groove to "Cracking the Hard Dollar" , its catchy enough to hook me in. Mike Williams' vocals are more understanble and less harsh now years later than they seemed like the were back in 1989, when I first found these guys. There isn't as much scathing in the gurgle of the once tortured vocal chors. He is by no means crooning or betraying what the band is about.

By the third song it's obvious the band has perfected the art of riff writing. In someways this is not unlike Phil Anselmo's last solo album maybe more organic and blues inflected, but the New Orleans sound is firmly in place with all the Sabbath worship that comes with it. "Quitter's Offensive" has a mix of boogie and drugged lethargy in it's chug.It almost like a more punk Down album. The guitars are perhaps not as dense even when they lock in on the heavier chugs, but they are no less effective.

Savy songwriting abounds to the point it could be argued this album is better written and more thought out than the classic material. It does perhaps not have the same level of youthful venom, but being an older wiser bands hasn't slowed these guys down too much."Nobody Told Me" that similar accents as "Lord of This World"  and a somewhat stoner feel lingers over some of the songs that follow along with touches of southern rock on tracks like "Worthless Rescue" which is probably about post -Katrina life.

These guys started off embracing more of a punk thing and those roots are stage dived into on " Framed to the Wall" which has some good punches to it. It's very raw and doesn't just stay in the power-chords , but lets itself grow into a more sludgey rumble. "Robitussin and Rejection" has an angular punch drunk stagger to the lumbering riff. It eventually finds it chug and comes together.

They get more doom tinged and pass the seven minute mark with "Flags and Cities Bound" where Williams couples his more punk scowling howl with spoken word. This is a cool effect and makes this stand out. It also reminds me of the Corrections House stuff he did last year.When the riff kicks in it is pretty powerful and this is one of the albums high points. They stay dialed into this slower more powerful riffage on "Medicine Noose". The pace picks up a minute in, and finds them taking a more Black Flag pace than Black Sabbath.

The album closes with the deliberate gutter stomp of " The Age of Bootcamp".The lyrics are discernible on this one and pretty cool.The feedback squeals out of every accent.This album sounds great and if you are a fan then it will hold up to your expectations in regards to it's ability to stand up next to the rest of their material. I wasn't really in the mood for this sort of thing when I was listening to it , but I know it accomplishes what they set out to do so I round it up to an 8.  
    

Hexis: " Abalam"

This is the first full-length from the Dannish band who gathered together in 2010. Abalam is in fact the  name of the demon from the last exorcism the title references, though in the Goetia it's really Paimon, in case this album inspires you to conjuring it up, which is a possibility as its just that dark .  The line between hard core and black metal is murky here. They pound the point home pretty relentlessly, the vocals morph into more of a hardcore shout on "Exanimis".

The songs hit like sonic shrapnel, the double bass pounds this harsh vomit out in a dense sonic stream.If you thought Nails were heavy then put on your neck brace. The song got right for the jugular in a similar manner as grindcore. This is more like a collection Seizure like bursts of  vileness. At this point it's ritualistic punishment as much as it is song writing "Sequax" forms the first thing on this slab that resembles melody. Normally I would complain, but this is so dark and futile sounding it pull all the right strings in my evil heart. The instrumental title track also carries a melodic bleakness to it.

Like anything else the band is aware too much punishment can lead to decadence. The back of at the being of "Immolabant" building back up into a furious toxic waltz. The vocals stay in a similar raspy midrange, barking out of the whirlwind. There is almost a breakdown feel toward the end of "Exhausit" , but these guys are not coming from a place of any macho posturing. Obviously with a 53 second song like, "Timor" there is not much time to really establish much in terms of song writing.  When they take more time on songs like "Neglexerunt" and "Infernis" more mood is established. Not that by any means they are laying back to ponder their feelings.

Normally we place a high value on  being sonically heavy here, this band put their foot on the gas so hard when it comes to metallics until it comes full circle and creates and album of  sonic density. The black metal elements which come by way of the dissonant tremelo picked layers of guitar that often sit in juxtapostion to a more grind core guitar part, add enough texture to keep this album from being one dimensional. In fact this album demand repeat listens to be fully digested. I'll go ahead and give it a 9, as they have succeeded in creating a blistering monster here.Its an album that will clear the room and separate the men from the boys.