In Disgust/SFN - Split Review

I honestly can't believe I'm finally getting to review this record. FINALLY, after years 

of far to little updates, record plant qualms, etc. The long awaited split 1-sided 7" between SFN and In Disgust is out and available to purchase, and I finally get to review an In Disgust record! Man, I remember reading about this split a few years ago on the Drugged Conscience label site. Back then it was going to be a 5", and all it said that it was coming out soon, no other details. I believe this was after I was still healing from the soul crushing news of their break-up, so I was excited as can be! The thought of new material, even after disbanding warmed my heart. On top of that, they would be sharing wax with the incredible SFN! 

In Disgust are a band that has over the past several years become widely accepted and loved by grind fans around the globe. A simple power trio from San Jose who created some of the most beastly and crushing grindcore I've ever heard from 2006-2010. I don't think I have to introduce the infamous "Reality Choke" 10" to any of you, or get into explaining the fucking masterpiece that it is. Seriously, it's in my top 5 favorite grindcore records ever. To this day, I still get that I-wanna-destroy-something feeling when I listen to it. It hasn't lost a drop of it's intensity in the 6+ years since it's release. Though it was a record that they never really managed to top in my opinion. They came close with their side of their split 12" with PLF, but then called it quits in 2010. Laying any chance they had to outdo themselves to rest. But now we have this split, reconfigured as a single sided 7", featuring almost a minute and a half of new In Disgust material. 

So I've been listening to it over and over and over again, and each time I keep having the same thoughts: What the fuck is going on here?! What is this? What happened? Did all of them just get the most insane fetishes for microsongs and feedback? Or an overpowering OCD phobia of writing songs with more then two riffs? Or even writing songs in general? Need I remind you that this is the recorded comeback of one of the best bands in modern grind, and their final conclusion was to put four songs to wax and have half of it be feedback? That's seriously what's on here, there is an equal amount of feedback to actual music. And no, it's not just because they were given a short amount of space for split, this is just lazy songwriting. I have no idea when this recording session actually took place (it was at least before 2013), but this shouldn't be acceptable for any release from a band of this caliber.  It's like they were just given half an hour of studio time available and came up with stuff on the spot! I'm shocked that the same band who gave us "To Live A Lie" settled with "Sketch" (one second of blast, four open string hits, 2 more second of blast, end). Oh please, say it isn't so that the band that wrote "Cali Smile" also put out "Steel Trap" (a 30 second instrumental with one riff). Matt's incredible growl vocals aren't even here, come on! To me this is just a huge middle finger to anyone that waited for this record. I was not expecting just the sheer amount of laziness or lack of ambition that smothers these tracks. This is In Disgust we're talking about, they have it in them to do so much better then this. Fortunately, the SFN tracks are definitely no disappointment. This sadly broken up Wisconsin grind trio bring three posthumous tracks to the table, and they proudly display everything I love about this band. Incredibly tight and frenzied songwriting with much more colorful and inventive riffs and drumming then fast bands normally use. SFN waste no time ripping everything apart on their "side"; riffs and snare rolls fly out at warp speed under some genuinely aggro sounding vocals. Here more then ever, SFN sound to me like an excellent hybrid of Sidetracked and Iron Lung. SFN are masters of that herky-jery/stop-start songwriting style, but still manage to be heavy, gritty sounding. Using lots of dissonance and sudden tempo shifts for extra beef. On top of that, this is the best recording they've ever had. This here, is a good way to go out. So in the end, I guess at least one band came out of this a winner. And It seems that In Disgust have broken up yet again, so yeah, I guess that's it. Bada boom. Not a way to great way to go out for good,  Listen to "Reality Choke".

Rating: 5/10

~VII

In Disgust Are Playing A Reunion Show

There are a lot of times where I grimace at the fact that I'm not living in the west coast. News like this makes me power frown at my current residence like no other. In Disgust, yeah that In Disgust, are playing a reunion show in January. And of course, I have to be on the other-fuck-side of the country. You west coaster's and your super awesome bands. Makes me sick. In all seriousness though, this is some pretty incredible news, and I'm excited about the possible outcomes from this. I mean, their split 5" with SFN is coming out. Maybe a full on resurgence from the band? Might be a stretch, but hey, a guy can dream. 

~VII 

Best News Of The Week: The SFN/In Disgust Split Is In Effect

Yeah, oh yeah, yeah buddy. Yeah. After all this time, agonizing, just agonizing at the thought of the posthumous split 5" between SFN and the stupidly good In Disgust not coming out, I end up moseying 

on over the the Drugged Conscience Records site, and see this:

As soon as I read that, all seemed right with the world. We will FINALLY get to hear some "new" In Disgust music! Just, rrrrgh, yes!! This is probably the last time we'll ever get any kind of new material from the band. The fact that it's coming out at all is just amazing. The SFN side is nothing to over look though, and fortunately, you won't have to wait until whenever the record comes out to hear it. The band has uploaded their whole side to their bandcamp page. It's killer stuff; blistering, techy, super aggressive fastcore. Hopefully this comes out before we all die in a firey apocalypse. Stream the SFN side below.

My reaction to all this.

~VII

10 Great Releases That Are Under 10 Minutes: Part 2

Y'all seemed to really like the first article of these that I did. And I enjoyed doing it, and my jihad against long grind albums is forever active, so let's make like these great records and not waste anytime getting right into it!

10. Extortion - "Control": Out of all of Extortion's EP's, I'd say that this one is their strongest. But considering how fucking solid their discography is, it's really not for any huge reason other than it's just really really really good. Excellent recording, super intense songs, and an outstanding vocal performance from Rohan. Dude's vocals in the earlier days were nearly untouchable, and I'd put him up their with some of the best vocalists in the genre. Their split 12" with Cold World this year was a great return to form for him and the band.

9. Beartrap - "Nailed Shut": A 16 track, under 6 minute release release from these TLAL favorites. Mmm, yes, let the brevity of it all consume you. If you like your hardcore fast, and unrelenting, "Nailed Shut" is for you. These songs literally bleed into each other, leaving absolutely no room to breath between songs (unless you're spinning the actual record, then you have to flip it half way, of course).




8. Thousandswilldie - "A Carcass Is Only Dead Once": Now this record right here, let me tell you, one of the craziest grindcore EP's I've ever heard. NO songs over one minute, hell, most barely reach 20 seconds. This record is all about fucking your shit up, being as crazy as possible, and blasting it out as fast and tight as possible. Excellent musicianship to bring it all together too, thankfully, so it doesn't sound like some amateur noisegrind band having a giggle and blasting out the quickest jams they can. 25 songs in 7 minutes, RIP Thousandswilldie.

7. No Comment - "Downsided": If by reading this you are just now learning about this record, you need to stop right here and learn up before going on. Widely considered one of the best hardcore/powerviolence records EVER, and it's not hard to see why. The importance and influence of this record can not be understated, you can hear it's influence in almost every modern fastcore band today. TIght musicianship, constant riff and tempo changes, and creative ones at that, and tons of stop/starts. A classic.

6. Spazz/Lack of Interest - Split: This is an essential powerviolence record, in my opinion. Not only because it pairs two of the best WCPV bands, but because, duh, it has some of their best stuff. Particularly the Lack of Interest side, goddamn son, it's just so good. The first song, "Mislead and Deranged", unf. Track this one down.

5. Parlamentarisk Sodomi - "Regnskog, Fred Og Vegetarmat": I really can't get over how fucking incredible Parlametarisk Sodomi was/is. This one guy, all by his lonesome, made some of the best and creative grindcore I've ever heard. His first EP didn't really have as much of the unusual riffing as his full-lengths, but the impact is more visceral and pulverizing. I love the almost blown out recording too, everything just sounds like it's exploding off the record. And the vocals on the track "Sakkosekk, Kaos Og Anarki" always put a smile on my face. RIP Parlamentarisk Sodomi (come back, please).

4. Sidetracked/In Disgust -  Split: Hey look, my favorite fastcore and grindviolence band made a split record. I love when that happens. This fut rucking monster of a split has my favorite material from Sidetracked on it, rivaling the near perfect, "Uniform" EP. Best sounding recording from Jay and co. and crazy great riffs. The In Disgust side is incredibly solid too, more of the same stuff from them, but the Sidetracked side is a real winner here.

3. Defeatist - "In Praise Of False Hope": My favorite EP from a band that was criminally underrated while they were still active. Great "tech-grind" that I never really thought was all that technical though. The riffs they made though were always intriguing, and they definitely gave Defeatist a recognizable sound that was all their own. Heavy as iron knads too. This EP is a total ripper, pick it up. RIP Defeatist.

2. Quattro Stagioni - "S/T": If you're looking for the fastest fastcore bands there is, I bet you Quattro Stagioni can keep you satisfied for quite a while. Inhumanly fast drumming, like the dude injected a cocktail of testosterone, cocaine, and speed into his arms right before recording. The first time I heard this, I was blown away just from the sheer ridiculousness of it all, but in a good way, of course. If your curious about where The Afternoon Gentlemen got a lot of their sound from, it's these guys.




1. SFN - "Itching": I'd say these guys are on of the most promising modern fastcore bands right now (I hope they didn't break up, please tell me they didn't). "Itching" is a lo-fi, distorted little gem of techy-fastcore. I'd almost say it's a little too lo-fi, since a lot of the great riffs don't really shine through the mix that well, but you can tell these dudes have their shit together and know how to write interesting and pulverizing music. This EP is progressively getting harder to find, so pick it up if you can. I hear a posthumous split with In Disgust is somewhere down the line too, let's all hope that's true.

~VII 

One Year Ago: In Disgust Broke Up

Well guys and gals, it's been a full year since the uber-excellent In Disgust played their last show. And I am still incredibly pissed/sad that they broke up. In Disgust are one of my favorite grindcore bands, and they played some of the most brutal grind to ever blast from the west coast. I've heard a few rumors as to why they broke up, but my bro met up with Dave of PLF at Maryland Deathfest this year and he said that it's because singer/guitarist Matt Gomes got married and he wanted to concentrate on family, or something like that. Really wish that they continued on, since their split with PLF(the last thing they released before disbanding) is probably my favorite recording of theirs next to "Reality Choke", which remains in my top 5 grind releases everrrrrr. I hope they get the hell back together, and come tour the east coast so I can fucking see them live!!!! Here is some footage from their last show, play it loud and wish you were there!

And for those who don't know, the bass player and drummer formed a new grind/hardcore band called Permanent Ruin, who have releases a demo tape. They're good, you should check em out. 

~VII

VII's Recent Purchases(16oh Records)

I made my first purchase from the 16oh Records Big Cartel about a month ago, and had my records arrive yesterday. Normally, I'd be upset by this long wait, but the dude informed me he was in Europe at that time. All good man. For those who don't know, 16oh has released a few Sidetracked records, the Bookburner 7", and In Disgust - "Reality Choke" 10". Super legit. And speaking of In Disgust, I managed to snag this little gem. The In Disgust/Massgrave split 7", 33 RPM, white vinyl.

In Disgust are one of my favorite grind bands, anything I can get from them is a treasure. I've heard their whole discography, and it's all stellar. This recording it definitely rougher, but it still kicks ass. Massgrave are a Canadian crust/grind band and share some members with the might OSK. They've been around for a while and have quite a large discography. I'm normally bored to death by crust, but the grind elements these guys throw in the mix keep it from being a snooze fest.

Next up are a couple records from Hummingbird of Death. I'm trying to get all their releases that I can, and I have a couple more on the way. First is their split 7" with the band Dead Stare, black vinyl, 45 RPM. Good side's from both bands, not much more to say, it's fastcore.

Next one is super! My two favorite fastcore bands, sharing a 6" record together. Dream come true. This came out a year ago on Cowabunga records. Super happy to finally get this.

I'm pretty sure the labels were reversed in a pressing flub, cause the HOD side clearly has 8 songs on it as opposed to 5.

Last one is the Extortion/Rupture split 5", transparent yellow vinyl, 33 RPM. I got this cause 16oh had it for the cheapest price. Everywhere else has is for 6-7 bucks, which is a bit much for a 5" to me. Nice little record, great artwork from Rohan as always, any Extortion record is good to have. Rupture play crust, snooooooore.

~VII

VII's Favorite Grind/Hardcore/Powerviolence Vocalists

The vocalist is the messenger. The person who regurgitates his pre-written thoughts, beliefs, ideas, concepts and stories into a microphone and into the ears of the audience. In short, a vocalist is a necessity in a grind band. Here are a few of my all time favorite vocalists in the genre, I chose a few PV/hardcore vocalists too to make it a bit easier on me. All of these vocalists bring add something to their select bands that add that extra bit of awesomeness to the music the scream behind.

1. Aaron Kenyon(Man is the Bastard): Aaron Kenyon's voice brought so much intensity MITB. His gruff barks and his gravely screams were fueled by genuine anger and frustration. Incredibly political and socially conscious lyrics were his battle cries, and he delivered them with incredible power and volume. Listen here and here!

2. Rahi Geramifar(ex-Insect Warfare, Hatred Surge): Rahi only has two voices; growl and scream. He is a fucking non-stop vocalist, unrelenting in his delivery. No bullshit here, just a pure visceral vocal onslaught. His lyrics may be indecipherable, but he sure makes up for it in intensity. He now lends his vocals to fellow Texas bruisers Hatred Surge as a 2nd vocalist. His attack isn't as fast in that band, making his voice just a little bit more clear, but his trademark growl is still there. Listen here!

3. Jay Randall(Agoraphobic Nosebleed): I frickin love Jay's voice! It's definitely one of the more recognizable voices in hardcore/grind, nowadays going for more of a yell/loud talking technique. When he does scream though it sounds very loose and out of control, which I dig. He definitely doesn't sound like a "fine-tuned" vocalist, which may sound like an insult, but it's anything but. I think it adds a very unpredictable edge to his voice and makes it much more enjoyable to listen to. Plus, I love the way he puts words together and the vocal patterns he chooses. Listen here and here!





4: Lukasz Myszkowski(Antigama): Lukasz has one of the most interesting and recognizable voices in extreme music, matching the equally interesting weirdo-grind of Antigama. It's hard to really describe his vocals, at times it sounds like he's adding a little side-of-the-throat gurgle to his growl, a lot of times he seamlessly blends the growl/scream together into pure vocal gold, with occasional added vocal effects to boot. I'm so glad that he's back in Antigama and I can't wait to hear their new material! Listen here and here!

5: Matt Gomes(ex-In Disgust): Matt Gomes has one of the best, deepest, most chocolaty sounding growls in grind(violence), and it didn't sound out of place. A lot of times when a grind band has a deep-growl vocalist, it just sounds like a death metal singer that somehow ended up fronting a grindcore band, but Matt Gomes sounded genuine and had the perfect voice to match the down-tuned, blasting fury of In Disgust. Plus, he can do a sick pig squeal(see here.) Still pissed that band broke up!!! Listen here.

6. J.R. Hayes(Pig Destroyer, ex-Enemy Soil): J.R.'s vocals are absolutely disgusting. The noises that come out of his mouth are as slimy and grotesque as the lyrics he writes, making his sick, twisted fuck stories of stalkers, piss angels and girls in slayer jackets all the more hard hitting. Of course I mean all this is the best possible way. Listen here and watch the most badass thing ever here!

7. Andrew Beattie(ex-No Comment, ex-Man is the Bastard, Low Threat Profile, Dead Language): Andrew Beattie has one of the best open throat, pissed off yells I've ever heard, and he's only gotten better with age. The new super group Dead Language displays a new found grit and growl to his vocals. This guy is a beast! He sounds like someone that would be leading a massive protest. Listen here.

8. Mike Stitches(ex-Thousandswilldie, Standing on a Floor of Bodies): Mike Stiches has a one of a kind scream, one that I can instantly recognize. Kind of a bark/scream hybrid actually. Deep growls and harsh screams are also expertly executed. His vocals on the Standing on a Floor of Bodies demo are half the reason it's one of my favorite demos/grind releases ever. Download and listen here!

~VII