Better Tomorrow

Yay! Another 15 minutes of wicked fast Northern border grindcore. Reminding me of a poor man's RGTE (Jesus, is that a compliment or a wicked diss? - uh, sorry to both either way), Montreal's Saturation did little more than record one short album to promptly lay in wait for an eager record company to press and promote it. Only took nearly half a decade... the initial release was a scarce vinyl of the analog 8-track recording released and sold by the band itself (welcome to.... NOW!) Eventually the guys got with a label who took 3 years to release the shit on CD with a different album cover, etc. I gotta love the weird breakdowns that only last 8 seconds but there is still some definite groovecore in there that slays the fuck out of anything else out ether. Good sludgy grind to make you want to punch your ex in the face... repeatedly. Enjoy!

Hit A Friend

Back From The Dead (again...)

What better way to belatedly ring in the New Year two months late than with twelve blistering minutes of British Colombian lo-fi powerviolence grindcore. This mini-album had been sitting forgotten on my iPod for who knows how long but it seemed every time a song from it would pop up on shuffle I felt the need to pause and see "who the fuck is this?" Sound is terrifically muddy - primarily due to the cassette format the band staunchly keeps alive - there is a satisfactorily skull-crushing warmth to the throbbing drums that bring to mind some of Loinen's early demos. Moshable groovecore mixed with the wicked fast blastbeats we all know, expect and love. The only letdown is the untitled throwaway final track - more akin to the noisecore dregs of the heavy music subgenre. The boys have a pretty diverse catalog for your perusal here - check 'em out and enjoy.

You're A Fucking Victim

Government By The Wealthy

I don't know why it took me 20+ years to stumble upon this classic slab of crusty powerviolence grindcore or whatever pretentious audio tags I'm using today. Ironically, I've been pretty aware of Plutocracy's existence for some time, somewhat ashamedly from perusing the endless porn-laden liner notes (and "thank you's") on a few of my dusty Meat Shits 7-inchers of which Kindred (guitar), Max (drums) and Thomas (guitar) were all musicians(?) in at one time of another. Regardless of their pornogrind origins, Plutocracy's debut LP Dankstahz is chock full of crusty stop/start mincecore (what I always wished Man Is The Bastard actually sounded like) interspersed with solid, riff-heavy grind. Wicked fast A.C.-esque blastcore screeches to a blistering halt and crawls along at a leaden pace with some cool crusty Dystopia-vocal tradeoffs. Completely at the forefront of what better-supported bands were dropping at the time (and it's tough to know who actually influenced who), it's too bad these guys never broke out of Palo Alto. And the old-school rap samples are priceless. Surprisingly, Plutocracy had a tough time actually getting Dankstahz on record shelves, most of this LP (recorded in 1992) didn't see the light of stereos until their eponymous compilation CD dropped in '94. Evidently dropped by both Psychoslaughter and Schematics Records (how? why?), the pressed vinyl sat in a warehouse before one of the band members hand-screened a bunch of covers and finally got it in the stores years later (completists note there was a limited 10" that came out on a Germany label in '96 as well). For those interested in the further musical endeavors of the posse surrounding Plutocracy check out this blog run by Agents Of Satan vocalist Jason Balsells - lots of good downloads and stories. Enjoy.

Listen you fuckers...

Contemplating Death

Wow, it's been a while since I've posted anything "heavy" on the ol' blog (much less posted anything at all but that's a different story) so a big welcome to the creepy month of October with a 38-track slab of good ol' pathological goregrind to ruin your day. I gotta admit I was pretty excited when I heard the opening "Symphony For A Casket Full Of Nematodes" - a brutal lo-fi goregrind neo-classic with a solid riff and great blasts of noise and gurgles. Unfortunately the rest of the record doesn't hold up quite as strongly. Imagine really early cassette-deck Regurgitate (a la Concrete Human Torture) and you'll get the idea. Occasionally a RGTE-esque riff will really stand out ("Anatomophysiological Deterioration" for one) but there is a lot of slogging through the swamp until you hit the satisfactory closer "Enter The Realm Of Cadaver... Dissection." I really prefer the slower grooves over the blast beat nonsense (which ultimately becomes terribly tiring) and there's enough variation between the nearly forty 1-minute tracks to keep Stages Of Decomposition listenable. The duo behind Thanatopsis includes Neto from the forgettable Brazilian gorenoise outfit HxAxSx and Pelle  from the equally obscure (and I'm sure just as unpleasant) Swedish one-man grindshow Shitfaced. I'm actually curious as to whether the two guys made the trans-global flights to record together or if this was a collaborative email/snail mail effort. Either way it absolutely blows away anything either of them have done in the past and there are some other splits and comps featuring the band out there waiting for you to check out...

Play Possum

loud. noisy. grating.

Sweet fucking debut EP from a bunch of insane Austrian grinders; this is not the same defunct post-metal Brooklyn, NY two-piece I raved about a few years ago. Instead Orphan blasts forth from the middle of nowhere (actually Linz, Austria) and are a blistering amalgam of metalcore (Burnt By The Sun maybe?) grind, and insane break-heavy hardcore à la the first See You Next Tuesday record. Of course the noisy nonsense is all over in about 15 manic minutes but it never gets tiring and most bands wish they could fit so many grooves into a single record. The band is actively touring around eastern Europe this summer so catch these crazy fuckers if at all possible. Facebook here. Bandcamp there. Enjoy.

grow. shine. wither. die.

Whatever happened to Robert Deathrage?

I gotta admit, there is little out that offends me. Save for people killing kids and shit like that I am pretty much a drunk cynical curmudgeon when it comes to general human misery.  Still, there is something about the Meat Shits that actually irritates (dare I say "bothers"?) me twenty-five years after excitedly discovering them on Ax/ction Records' epic Apocalyptic Convulsions 10" comp LP. At the time it was their image more than the "music". Sick-ass song titles plastered on DIY 7" paper sleeves slathered together with shitty xeroxes of all the 1-900 ads you'd find in the back pages of Hustler. In a pinch you could almost jerk off to a Meat Shits record (for some reason the C-grade blowjob queen on the back of Make Me Cum was weirdly attractive but I digress...) Regardless, the schtick got old real fast; enticing song titles like "Golden Shower Girls" and "Gallons Of Cum" were just simple blasts of nonsense after an overly long VHS-ripped porno sample. So when lead man Robert Deathrage got his act together, reinvented the band and destroyed the scene with 1993's watershed Ecstasy Of Death, I figured he was doing what Anal Cunt was then aspiring to - leaving the 2-second noise blasts to the Germans and creating a legitimate noise/grind hybrid while not totally dismissing the noisy past. Without a doubt it worked on Ecstasy. Still, that CD red-flagged Rob's strangely over-aggressive (obsessive?) campaign against AIDS and gays. What followed over the years were such gems as Homosexual Slaughter and Sniper At The Fag Parade - completely derivative of the trend-setting Ecstasy but sadly lacking the innocence of the debut full-length and sounding just... hateful. I dunno, while I'm to this day still a fan of some really ultra-mysoginistic, homophobic, xenophobic, anti-Semitic musicians like GG, AxCx, Cunt Sludge, and their ilk; none of these bands were so intensely committed to being anti-something as the Meat Shits were towards gays (and women as well which is a totally inconsistent diatribe but this ain't no PhD thesis debate...) and without a fucking lick of redeeming self-serving humor about it. So where am I going with this rambling post? To me it is amazing that the strange life of Robert Deathrage and the various internet theories about his floating through the California metal scenes with a wrath of fucking everyone over behind him aren't up for more discussion. Shit, the guy has photos of himself with his newborn godchild for Christ's sake on his oddly still-working myspace page. Yet evidently he disappeared from the scene because he had cancer? At the same time Seth Putnam went into a coma? Who knows if we will ever hear again from the little brown noise metal outfit straight outta Modesto, CA but it is interesting that these days I'd rather listen to the kinda annoying shit noise blasts I heard back in the day then the "real" hatecore/grindcore band they/he eventually became. I'll take the former... à la their 1990 quasi-epic Genital Infection...

Reach Out And Fuck Someone

It's Impossible To Keep A Body Count

11 minutes of sheer blitzkreig mania from this well-bearded Northhampton, UK trio. Their obscure 2008 EP features five assaultive blasts of tight-ass old-school grindcore before wrapping up with the 5-minute sludgecore epic "Throne Of Bile." While some of the songs are over before you even realize it the record beckons repeat listens without even trying. Since One In One Out the band has released a shitload of material - thankfully it's the same old crazy shit - check out their bandcamp page here.

Scissors

Super Wet Cheese

An absolutely astounding compilation from the sadly defunt and clinically insane Tokyo jazz grinders - this epic 45-track retrospect spans a multitude of obscure 7-inches, unreleased rehearsals and long sold-out compilation LPs. Released on Obliteration Records (conveniently owned by C.S.S.O. vocalist Narutoshi Sekine) the CD focuses on the band's material through the mid-to-late 90's. Amazing stuff, some of the songs sound straight out of Meat Shits school while others are ridiculously competent avant-garde grindcore bordering on the complexity of the math metal genre that would surface years later. Somewhat unfairly compared to such goregrind bands as Regurgitate and fellow countrymen Catasexual Urge Motivation, C.S.S.O. easily outshines the competition with their musical skills and absolutely original approach to grind metal. Of course, my favorite material by the band will always be their "Diversion Of Former Customary Trite Composition" EP (which I've already posted on this blog) - an amazing eleven minutes of madness in their coolest surf-music-esque style (very similar to the stuff on their split 7" w/ Dead Infection as well).  As far as C.S.S.O.'s dozens of other releases, I fully recommend their two legitimate LPs - Nagrö Läuxes VIII and Are You Excrements? Both absolutely worth the money you'll shell out for 'em on Ebay.

Shake It Up Bokan

Cull /kəl/ noun: A selective slaughter of wild animals

Fucking solid first release from UK grinders Human Cull. Not sure how I stumbled upon these crazy fuckers but it was worth it. Eleven songs in eleven minutes - totally manic ass crusty grindcore in the vein of Nails or Hatefilled Vengeance-era Regurgitate. Blistering blastbeats that hit you like a Drāno enema, ultra-fast riffage and screaming galore. They've released a bunch of other shit - all just as fucking insane - check 'em out here.

Gran Toucher

Clotted Symmetrical... uh

The band's finest release, this epic two song 7" showcases this seminal Japanese nutball grind band at their very best. Don't write these crazy fucks off as some token noise cacophony, they are absolutely channeling 50's beach rock/spanish flamenco into weird grindcore hybrid 5-minute rock operas. While the opener "Shake It Up Bokan" is killer (especially the ridiculous ending - perfect for the last scene of El Mariachi), it's the 4-part(!) "Diversion Of Former Customary Trite Composition" whic really shows how talented the band is. I don't even know how to describe what your ears are in for - what starts as a very Tokyo-sounding rock song degrades into a strange grindcore miasma which is simply stunning for the fact that it sounds like it was all done in one take. Bravo gentlemen. C.S.S.O. would continue on until 2004 when they split for greener pastures...

Hey, Tonny!

The Dregs...

OK, here we go again, cleanin' off the old hard drive. Up for today's displeasure is a limited edition, self-released split 3" MCD by a staple of the pornogrind cesspool, Brazil's one-man sleaze project Hemorrhoidal Anal Suffering. Most of the long four minutes are purely forgettable, standard programmed gorenoise with vocals so distorted it begs the question of why. Yet, halfway through there's a surprising diamond in the rough - there's a lot to like in the strange "Cult To Coprophagic Sex" - a cool grindcore riff with a completely appropriate rape/porn sample in the background. Too bad the guy didn't decide to go more in that direction - there's obviously some talent hidden there behind the vocal modulators. For those who care, he supposedly dropped H.A.S. to launch the similarly-themed Fecal Smear Test in 2009 but as of today it seems he's still releasing shit (ha!) under his old moniker. Along for the ride on the MCD split are the completely obscure Herpes Rectal Canal (a.k.a. HxRxCx) to whom I'll give credit for lifting the graphic style (and the actual "C") from Anal Cunt's infamous logo (hey Tim, time to call those lawyers!!!). As far as the "music" goes (I'm assuming it's another one-man sideshow), the lyrics are little more than bubbling gurgles dubbed on top of drum machine blast beats; with a few crunchy power chords here and there just to pretend it has some legitimacy. More shittily-edited movie samples than music on this one.

So What You Do For My Cock?

Ha Ha Holocaust

Terribly hollow VBR rip of a scratchy LP by thirteen bands that absolutely do not give a fuck if you are their biggest fan or hate their fucking guts. Anal Cunt (gee... ya think?), Kilslug, Eyehategod, Raunchous Brothers, it's a veritable who's who of homophobic, racist, queer-bashin' drunken antichrist hatecore that will clear out a house party faster than mustard gas. It's just too bad GG Allin was dead before this one came out. Enjoy.

I Fuck Cripples

Corto y Bueno

Lo-fi grindcore out of L.A., this little oddity was released in 2005 as a split 7" with Madrid goregrind mainstays Haemorrhage. Not sure why they do the pseudo-Mexican thing on this release (who do they think they are, Brujeria?!?!) but I gotta say I really dig "Alarma!" Vocals are mixed a tad too high but all in all a solid day with the 4-track. Nothing you haven't heard before but there are definitely worse ways to kill seven minutes.

The Stench Of Rotting Flesh

Basement Split

Here is a curious little item courtesy of Argentina's Chainfuck Records. Two obscure Córdoba bands doing their best to keep the DIY lo-fi spirit going with an mp3-only split release. Starting this one off is a lo-fi grind/noise project (I assume it's just one guy) named Bisected. While the first track is pretty much a throwaway, I found myself really digging the second, "Kommandant Orgy." I can't remember what song it's completely derivative of (maybe something by Slayer?) but it still has a cool groove and kept me interested for the 46 seconds it runs. Aileen Wuornos is a self-described one-man "crust-grind-metal-lofi-cyber" project but I found his material wallowing more in the sludge/drone genre. A waaaay overused sample from Peter Jackson's Bad Taste opens the feedback-laden cacophony of howls - nothing too special but perfectly listenable. I actually enjoyed some of his other releases (particularly "Sonic Pressure") - check out another one here here and enjoy.

Descargar

Scarver's Calling

Better-than-average serial-killer hatecore from Akron, Ohio. But who are we kidding here, the only reason anyone's ever heard of Scarver's Calling is the fact they made it onto a 1999 split 7" with Japanese sludge gods Corrupted. Take the two guitarists and bassist from obscure Cleveland grinders Apartment 213, add a few vocalists and the drummer from Sloth and there ya go: new band. Surprisingly the songs were actually written during the Apartment 213 time period and "Mangler" actually appears on a 213 split 7". The music is pretty solid although the crusty Macabre-ish high/low vocal pairing can get a bit grating. The deep vocalist sounds exactly like the guy from Fornicator and the high one sounds like the dude from Macabre's "Embalmer" (off their Gloom album). The songs have a particularly mean fucking vibe - especially the "Missing Child" one - it just goes on forever. Perfect for all you brooding sociopaths out there. I also included the Corrupted track, a nice change of pace in the fact that it only runs 5 minutes (although I expect the original recording went on a lot longer - there's a weird out-of-place fade at the end); typical pounding sludge from seasoned verterans of the genre.

Driven To Download

Lowest Common Denominator

Yep, with a name like Cumchrist, I just had to get it. Call me a sucker. The one and only release (hence the title I guess) from these Chicago blasphemers is a respectable goulash of brutal death and grindcore. Obvious influences by Slayer, Cannibal Corpse and 40 More Reasons To Hate Us-era Anal Cunt, Cumplete is light years better than the dreck I expected when I first spun the CD. Of course this is absolutely nothing you haven't heard before (including the tired movie samples) but then again this was released in 2002 so I guess I ought to cut 'em some slack. The song titles are straight out of Seth Putnam's reject playbook and for something so clearly a one-shot joke it's surprising how much skill and effort went into it all. Some of the songs rumbled my stereo speakers in a way they haven't been fucked with in a while. The Obituary-esque "God Owes Me Money" and the wonderfully-titled "Crucifixion Must Hurt Like A Bitch" are my favorites. The sound quality varies throughout the album which makes me think this was a sort of demo/sessions compilation but who knows. Don't expect more than a tongue firmly planted in cheek from this LP - it's all over in 23 minutes anyway so what the fuck.

Phlegm Phlagm

Think!

In case you've been living under a rock since 2004, Venomous Concept is a blistering Poison Idea worshipping supergroup featuring members of Brutal Truth, Melvins and Napalm Death. Being a massive BxTx fan at the time this album came out, I simply had to get m hands on anything Kevin Sharp lent his vocals to. So how does it sound? Poison Idea fans will be creaming in their jeans with this record - wicked fast heavy hardcore punctuated by Sharp's abrasive screams. Not particularly original but pulled off perfectly old-school style. "Monkey See - Monkey Beat" is my favorite - amazing how much music they can cram into one minute. The bass-heavy breakdown at the end of "Total Recall" is equally huge - the best thing I've heard in weeks. Enjoy.

Weirdo

Unlucky Charms

Imagine if Anal Cunt had a bassist and Seth Putnam had a really deep voice. You pretty much got New York's Iron Butter. Here are some early demo recordings (circa 2005) unearthed from the 4-track graveyard for you listening displeasure. Inconsistent blur noise nonsense with an occasional groove here and there. Actually, now that I think about it, reminds me more of 7000 Dying Rats.

Split 7" w/ AxMx

Blood Clot

Manic fucking black grindcore from Italy - sounding like the guy from Converge screaming over the Anaal Nathrakh or some similar sounding apocalyptic-esque band. Blisteringly fast as fuck with a few breakdowns here and to catch your breath. Most of the tracks hover around the two-minute mark and suffer somewhat from sounding alike but there are a couple longer, feedback-laden, almost experimental-ish epics in there to keep the record fresh. Really amazing album to grind your teeth to. Enjoy.

Antitalian

Black Slabs

Hailing from Leamington Spa, UK (my dad's hometown - no shit) and skillfully blurring the lines between grind, death and sludgecore comes Parole. Their 2012 full-length Grams Of Hate is significantly more refined then their (demo?) EP released a few years earlier while still retaining the Eyehategod-ish feedback and general grittiness of the former. The vocalist(s?) vary between Coffins' Uchino and Exit-13's Bill Yurkiewicz (giving a somewhat cool sludgecrust vibe) while the music is relatively basic groove/death played slow and sleazy. Enough filthy riffs gurgle throughout to satisfy even the most discerning heavy music fanatic - especially the concluding 14-minute epic "Lice." My only complaint is that there are only five tunes. Check 'em here. Enjoy.

Waste On