Time to Grind: 2011
Thursday, January 12, 2012 at 11:00AM
20. Dead Neanderthals - We Are Dead Neanderthals
We Are Dead Neanderthals is a live-recorded flurry of keen Jazz psychedelica and angular blast thundering blended together for some outlandish John Zorn worship. It's fun, relatively original and by all means a wonderful release. If you get a chance I highly recommend seeing these guys live, that is if you can get past the mob of photographers.
19. Cellgraft - Deception Schematic
Deception Schematic serves a duality of roles to society; firstly it is befitting as an apocalyptic ode to post-industrial civilization collapse secondly serving as a well rounded guide to modern day grind, a methodology served through nefarious Insect Warfare worship harboured against a rumble of noise and filthy riffing. The words super-fucking-heavy only just touch the tip of this 8 minute behemoth of grind brutality.
18. Suffering Luna - ST LP
There is undeniably a surrealist nightmare at the heart of Suffering Luna’s resurrectional endeavour, one equally harrowing as it is mesmerising, a twisted psychoactive projection illuminated through its LSD laced industrial-powerviolence trip. Clearly meant for a future dystopian America sci-fi horror take on Trainspotting. Free your mind and indulge your dark side in Suffering Luna's recondite virtual reality.
17. Defeatist - Tyranny of Decay
Sacrificing a portion of the vitriol laden rage of previous endeavours, in exchange for a more acute and clearer play style did lose Defeatist some love from myself, but it served well to highlight the prowess of musicianship in play by the now defunct Defeatist. Regardless of the change of direction, Tyranny of Decay remained a near full throttle expression of disgust: Better to burn up than fade away!
16. Atomck - Yes to Alien Victory
For those not in the know, Atomck aren’t really a band in the conventional sense, more a mode of data communication between mother ship alpha and their spies who masquerade as “humans that form the band Atomck”. Progressive sweeps of six string ingenuity tear up the time space continuum, unorthodox drum ensemble beat out in morse code equivalent relevant invader friendly information, whilst the various shrills and bellows that pass for “vocal output” are clearly distress signals. Xenu have mercy!
15. Hoglust - Support Hate
Somewhere between the lamentations of disgust brewed through a liberal thundering of male-female vocal alternation to the jolting, vengeful and energetic explosions of the traditional powerviolence blue print by way of Infest ground work, Hoglust have easily nailed down a heart-warming, mind opening stack of tracks that ultimately resonates success. In dire need of a physical release and a European tour if you catch my drift.
14. Maruta - Forward Into Regression
In Narcosis was by far a wickedly savage exploitation of clotted grind, but Forward Into Regression was a blossoming of that strain of dark dissonance into a far more complex and subtle state of play. The addition of the bass, cleaner sound and stitched sophistications merited Maruta not just a one hit wonder, but amongst Grind legends, too bad Forward Into Regression now serves as Maruta's funerary anthem.
13. Noisear - Subvert the Dominant Paradigm
I can with a fair amount of confidence crown Noisear the heads of the research and development department of Grindcore. Subvert the Dominant Paradigm isn’t simply one of those releases one hums too or learns to play along to, it’s a release that clearly need’s in depth knowledge of both theoretical mathematics and quantum mechanics. It’s an overwhelming tech heavy weirdness with hidden pincering aggression.
12. Anaal Nathrakh - Passion
Passion, a term that so often refers to the beautiful manifestations of the mind, but what of a passion that burns to deep, one that corrupts and torments the soul. It is exactly this dark corner of the psyche that Anaal Nathrakh delve into an unholy concoction of grind and black metal. The juxtaposition of vocal employment of both clean and filthy, black metal grim radiance and burning grind depravity all melt together for some of the most soul crushing torment.
11. Evisorax - Isle of Dogs
4 years in limbo have only made Wormrot’s UK’s tour buddies Evisorax that much more adamant to reach terminal grind velocity, Isle of Dogs is a high octane rupture of Narcosis influence, rabid start-stop blasts and invigorating technical sweeps for an 11 minute audio tour of violence. Every other moment feels like a spontaneous burst of animalistic rage, a theme exceptionally befitting the wonderful album art.
10. Wormrot – Noise
5 minutes 11 seconds on a 10”? Yep sounds about right, coming from Grind legends Wormrot courtesy of Scion, this 10” is a back on track slab of lightly toasted Insect Warfare agitation shafted through Wormrot’s trademark enslaving riff wizardry. Its tighter, catchier, louder and faster than anything these trio have punched out before, Wormrot are not just a phase in grind, but a full blown movement locked on full speed. Embrace the Rot!
9. Looking For an Answer – Eterno Treblinka
Looking For an Answer are a band who stick by their integrity, not only for immovable dedication to animal rights with specific regard to the promotion of Veganism, but also for their pat on the back adamance in singing in vernacular and most importantly for their near flawless grindcore ensemble. I wouldn’t call it so much as innovative, but rather a fantastic refinement of all things that made the early scene proud, subsidised through head banging goodness.
8. Water Torture – Self Titled EP
Possibly my favourite new comer to 2011, this release really puts the power in powerviolence, courtesy of a thick overwhelming bass tone that repeatedly thunders amongst the tantrum of percussion all besieged by the strangulated roars of odium. This duo’s distillation of vehemence bound voracity is not only a distortion of traditional guitar dominated imprisoning, but also pure musical nihilism.
7. Cloud Rat – ST LP
Cloud Rat are a wondrous explosion of chaotic grindcore clashed against emotional turbulence that imbues a unconditional charm that sustains both a liberal douse of creative output and sharped soulful tangles. It’s a convention-free take on the grind/hardcore formula that not only spells success currently, but shows there’s plenty more potential for this loveable and demanding wonder.
6. Gripe – Pig Servant
Gripe have confessed earlier this year that the Future doesn't need you, but the future of extreme music certainly needs Gripe. Its loud, obnoxious and fast, fuelled by a perpetual pcp induced aggression that never weans and perked by equally provocative samples. Vocals feel they were derived by punching a wolf in the bullocks, drums played by a man having an epileptic fit, whilst strings subdue a wicked wormrot styled groove with an additional layer of depth in favour of bass bludgeoning.
5. Robocop – Robocop II
Robocop’s second endeavour and Grindcore Karaoke premier stormed forward as a nefarious hum of noise, industrial swish and tanked over with tightly bound powerviolence perversion that amalgamates for some catchy, but dark listening. Musically misanthropic
4. Feastem – World Delirium
World Delirium > Cursed, its tighter, fashioned with greater impact of crust and metal passages and by all means relentless in its pursuit of grind perfection, made doubly impressive since I really do like Cursed. World Delirium is exactly the release that kicks Rotten Sound to a world of pain and shouts out “Hey assholes! There’s more than one mind shredding band of grind-awesomness from Finland!”, a point taken very well.
3. Wake – Leeches
Leeches is an album painstakingly sculpted to be unique by way of symbiotic merger of both beauty and brutality; a rampant mesh of quizzical and demanding affections. It’s a singular Deathgrind operation given a treatment of abstraction, for some truly must listen too action.
2. Psudoku – Space Grind
Meet the ancient alien interplanetary rival of the Atomck species and soon to be master of the human race: Psudoku, a race consisting of a singular entity, who as it happens is also known to masquerade in human form as the brains and muscles behind brutish Norwegian Grindcore frenzy Parlamentarisk Sodomi. Psudoku is grind overclocked to a point of quantum distortion gliding through the matrix for some supersonic heavy weirdness and addictiveness. Its disruptive, mind boggling, a pain in the ass to find a common ground, but by all means one of the most innovative and fun releases to be lashed out.
1. Thedowngoing – Untitled EP
The Untitled EP is a fucking dirty mess of a release, your ear drums can barely comprehend the swarm of chaotic blasts of obscurity and barbarity, the tar laden murkiness of production, animal planet worthy vocal highs and full frontal steel-toe-capped boots kick in the nuts guitar work,. The aberration does not end there; all these elements are thrown in full speed and violently ping off each other, demonstrating both the sensitivity and reflexive outcome of chaos theory put in full practical effect by young grind talent of Huxley and Muzz.
There is an overwhelming energy behind it all that makes you the listener feel a part of it rather than an independent observer, you quite literally experience it all crashing down around you in a most envious diabolical rampage that endlessly throws the full burden of its wrath at you only slowing down to release a Harpy ear-piercing shrill of vehemence combined with detestation; an all to effective brain cell killing to and fro.
Most exciting of all is that it’s far from perfect, and thus there is sufficient leverage for thedownging to top what already is for me undeniably the best release of 2011.
Reader Comments (6)
cool list.
@Andrew
I was hoping you would go bonkers for the lack of Gridlink, however on a seperate not if you get a chance check out feastem, I reckon you will love them, sort of like what would happen if Nasum merged with Rotten Sound and became addicted to musical complexities.
i've heard some feastem stuff and it's pretty cool. just haven't added it to my permanent collection. i've gotta be more strategic with my purchases these days. can't just buy everything i want anymore. damn economic collapse.
i thought about hulking out over gridlink. but meh. to each their own. i thought orphan was totally unique this year, but i can't really argue with your reasoning for your choices.
The Feastem album is still streaming here if anyone wants a listen... http://www.obscene.cz/stream/feastem/
:-)
Hey i just got round to reading this properly, nice list! The downgoing EP definitely deserves to be recognised. And no gridlink! Perfect. I think water torture could have been higher though..
@Liam
Cheers pal, the only thing that stopped me from placing the Water Torture EP higher was the lack of length, beyond that it was near flawless, lets hope 2012 will be productive for them!