Sedem Minút Strachu/PTAO - Split 7" (2015) Review

With a consistent, unbroken string of perfect recordings, Sedem Minút Strachu have rapidly climbed up tobe one of the most beloved noisecore acts going right now. And one of my personal favorite bands period. Up there with the contemporary greats of the genre like Sete Star Sept, Shitnoise Bastards, and Penis Geyser. Last year Psychocontrol Records released a split 7" between 7M$ and Czech noisecore lifers PTAO. A veteran band who have been around since the mid nineties, very creative work, fantastic group. What an excellent record this is, it's truly a beat down. 7M$ relentlessly tear ass on their side, perfectly executing brutal noisecore in their now staple way. Nonsense, low-end, distorted walls of bass cacophonously swarm the listener. With Jan's spastic, but crazy tight blasts and drum fills giving all of the 14 "songs" on here attention grabbing and pummeling momentum. It's one of my favorite recordings by the band so far. The bass's have a nice amount of mid-range tones that give them a little more crunch then usual. And they just go off, there's no mercy, no music is spared by the noise!

PTAO's side is another slab of pure brilliance. It's a 51 song slathering of orchestrated blasts from a finely aged band that has not gotten weary at all. Short 3-4 second microsongs make up the bulk of this piece. With varying intros and transitions between each attack of dual vocal grunts and blown out guitar. The classic stick clicks and snare hits are there. But PTAO also incorporate some stuttering stereo panning noises, samples, and drum beats of various styles during the course of their time here. I can't help but be captivated and in awe of the craftsmenship and creativity here. It's a wonderful sounding recording too, quality was not spared any expenses on this side. Both sides get two thumb's way up from ol' VII.

Psychocontrol did a wonderful packaging job for this split. The cover is a super thick and glossy fold over sleeve. Everything is neat and tidy, fully detailed and has numbered inner sleeves.

Pick this up, I implore you.

Listen: HERE!

~VII

Suffering Mind 2015

It looks like Poland's grindcore Czars Suffering Mind are going to dominate yet another year with their masterful and expansive recording output. Seemingly never slowing down despite line-up changes and missing band members (that was scary). The duo of Kuchar on guitar and Daro on drums have proven their complete loyalty and dedication to their band. Reaching out to some of the best projects the Canadian, midwest and European scenes have to offer and releasing split after incredible split. The status that Suffering Mind made for themselves as one of the most impressive grind bands today, doesn't dismiss the fact that these guys are fans of the music, first and foremost. Getting connected to and supporting the smaller bands they love as much as any of us do. Grindcore to the bone in a completely down to earth kind of way.

Suffering Mind will finally be making their way on to some North American soil for the annual Maryland Deathfest, as well as a few select shows along the mid and East coast (a few of which I will be attending). Performing alongside some newer split partners like Lifes, Nak'ay and Excruciating Terror. Let's hope that at least a few of these new records will be out in time for these shows. New tracks and cover art from these obligatorily amazing records has already shown the light of day. And so, let's get into the real point of this post, showing off some cool music!

One of my personally most anticipated records is the split 7" with Edmonton's fastcore spazz kings Detroit. Both sides of this record have been put online, and both are expectedly fantastic. Detroit's side is 13 tracks in something like 3 minutes of blood-red raw fastcore. Seriously hard stuff, this band has yet to let me down. Suffering Mind have 3 new tracks and a Dropdead cover. Longer songs, all with a lot more metal/grind chord progressions, and some very powerful screaming vocals. There is a very strong animal rights message on their side, made even more abundantly clear by the excellent cover art by Roland Straller. No idea who's putting this out yet.

THIS RECORD! This is the kind of split that just seems destined to happen. If you're not yet aware of Nak'ay, then you have a bit more homework to do. These guys (now a duo) have been making some of the heaviest blaturbation grindcore I've heard in a while. The kind that sounds like if you put Insect Warfare, Kill The Client and Blasphemy in a blender and then put that on fast forward. Originally going to be a 7", Fat Ass Records has decided to boost this behemoth up to a full 12". The amount of blast beats on this will be down right illegal. Two songs and some amazing cover art have been posted today from Suffering Mind's end. A rawer recording, and unadulterated blastcore the way Suffering Mind do. I got to say I'm really liking their new vocalist Ben's sound. He has a much more unhinged, visceral higher scream then SM have really had before. No word yet on Nak'ay recordings.

Of course SM eventually got around to doing a split with Agathocles. My only question is why did it take until 2015!? So far there is one song and a Dezerter cover from Suffering Minds side. Hopefully Agathocles can offer up some new tracks for this record instead of some live gig someone recorded on their Walkman. This will be released on Dark Side of Punk Records.

Lastly, as many of you may already know (maybe I told you), Suffering Mind's 2nd 12" of new recorded material will be released soon! The new record, entitled "Waste Farm",  will be Suffering Mind's first new full length since their "S/T" record back in 2010. Almost half of the album has already been put up for stream. And from the look of things, it looks like "Waste Farm" is going to be a super short and tidy slab of 100% grind. I'd be surprised if this thing goes over 15 minutes, which is perfectly fine by me! A real treat for all grind fans comes on track 12, where none other then Spinach from Assück makes an appearance on vocals! "Waste Farm" will be coming out soon on 625 Thrashcore and Crucificados.


Other records in the works include a 1-sided LP compilation of their long out-of -print splits with Asshammer and Septic Surge on Give Praise/Power It Up Records. A split 7" with Lifes and two split 10"s with Endless Demise and Warfair? Grindcore is alive and well.

~VII