Labeled:Profound Lore

Every release that Profound Lore has put out is excellent and if you are not familiar with any of their releases I highly suggest that you check them out. Listen to songs from all of these great albums here.

Ross' Picks

Coffinworm-When All Became None

Profound Lore is a fantastic label that I have be fond of for quite some time. Last year, they released Coffinworm's debut album "When All Became None" and that album earned it's spot in the top five of my year-end list of 2010. I still listen to this album on a regular basis. It never gets old. Coffinworm's filthy, sludgy brand of blackened doom is mesmerizing and this album perfectly captures every aspect of the band's talent. Punishing riffs, devastating drumming, harsh, haunting vocals. It's all perfect. If you haven't listened to this album, I highly suggest you get it immediately.

Mitochondrion-Parasignosis
Mitochondrion's "Parasignosis" came out this January and ever since I first listened to the track "Trials," which Profound Lore posted on their MP3s page before the album was released, I was hooked. This band blends elements of death metal and black metal to form something much stronger and brutal than blackened death metal. Blackened death metal is more suited for bands like Behemoth, Mitochondrion are definitely a DEATH METAL band that harnesses the intensity and brings a visceral experience to the listener. "Parasignosis" is a perfect example of this intensity and therefore my favorite record by this band.

Castevet-Mounds of Ash
Castevet. What can I say? This band is absolutely fantastic. Their first full-length, "Mound of Ash," came out last year on Profound Lore and it absolutely stunned me. The vibe of this record is unbelievable. A perfect mixture of post-metal and black metal. When these two genres fuse the way Castevet execute them, the result is totally chaotic madness. When I say chaotic, I do no refer the their music. The music is actually very well orchestrated. The chaos I speak of is in the bands uncanny accuracy to create astonishing music. This album is a must have for any metal fan. Not specifically black metal fans, but metal fans in general. Get on it.

~Ross Gnarly(American Aftermath)

Andrew's Picks

Ken Mode-Venerable

I first heard of KEN Mode from the mp3 section on the Profound Lore website. I had heard from a lot of different places that KEN Mode are awesome, but at first I really didn't see what the big deal about them was. I kept on hearing great things about KEN Mode, so I decide to buy Venerable. After a few listens I fell in love with Venerable. I love everything about KEN Mode their heavy drum sound, their unique vocals, and their great guitar sound. This album is a perfect example of a grower and gets better every listen! I usually don't even like most instrumental songs but the instrumental songs on Venerable are spectacular! Even though this album might not be heavy in a death metal or grindcore way, I still recommend that you check these awesome guys(and girl) out.

Man's Gin-Smiling Dogs

First off, let me say that, that this album is in no way shape or form grindcore or even metal! I bought this album after hearing a few songs from it on YouTube. When I first bought this album, I was getting tired of just screaming vocals and fast songs, I wanted something that I could remember the lyrics to and sing along to. It's hard to describe Man's Gin's sound, but I guess the best tag would be folk. Even though this album is not metal, it still has a very dark atmosphere. I remember when I first bought Smiling Dogs, I listened to it like 12 times on repeat that day. All the songs on Smiling Dogs are memorable and extremely great. My favorite song on Smiling Dogs is "The Death of Jimmy Sturgis", it is an almost seven minute "epic". It is also one of the catchiest songs on the album and I consistently have it stuck in my head. Along with Thou-Summit this album is my favorite album from last year. If you are a grindcore, metal, hardcore fan and you want to hear something different, I highly recommend this album to you!

Ludicra-The Tenant

Ludicra are a great black metal band, that also have a lot of other varied influences. From the haunting, emotional vocals, to the great guitar/bass playing, to Aesop's awesome, unique style of drumming, The Tenant is a perfect album. I bought this album after seeing an article about them in Decibel Magazine and I was not disappointed. I bought this album over a year ago, but I still find myself listening to it very often. My favorite song on The Tenant is "The Truth Won't Set You Free". It is nine minutes long and probably the most intense and angry sounding song on the whole album. If you are a fan of black metal or metal in general I highly suggest that you check out Ludicra.

~Andrew Lipscomb

Interview:Gripe

Here is my interview I did with Gripe over email. Listen to/download their awesome debut The Future Doesn't Need You here.

~Andrew Lipscomb

First off, introduce yourself and explain what your role is in Gripe.

DJ: I'm DJ. and I do vocals or whatever.

Brandon: I'm Brandon and I'm the axegrinder.

Tom: I'm Tom and I play drums.

How did Gripe form?

DJ: Me and Brandon's shitty d-beat project fell through, because I never wrote any lyrics, then Tom moved to town and we forced him to play drums for us.

B: Me and DJ were struggling for years to make a decent hardcore band. Alcoholism, incompetence, and lack of Tom kept holding us back.

T: I moved to Athens and was bored.

What was the recording/writing process like for The Future Doesn’t Need You?

B: We did that shit in one fucking day. It was grueling 12 hour session of grind. We worked with the amazing duo of Joel Hatstat and Mike Albanse. They were very pro and cheap which was very important to us.


What are the lyrical themes on The Future Doesn’t Need You?

DJ: Dark, human-hating, apocalyptic, dystopian visions. Basically, I write about robots rising up and killing off humans cause they're idiots and then nature battles the robots. It fucking rules.

How would you describe Gripe’s sound?

B: In a word: hateful.

DJ: Fuckin awesome!

T: A misanthropic ejaculation of blast beat laden grinding beatdowns with down tuned guitars and throat shredding vo"kills".


Who did the cover art for The Future Doesn’t Need You?

DJ: I did it on a pirated version of photoshop.

T: The actual release also comes with a hand-drawn poster by yours truly. The Robo-Reaper.

DJ: That shit's tight.

B: I came up with the art concept. The robo-reaper haunts my nightmares.

What is the Georgia grind/metal scene like?

DJ: Weak sauce, besides Grinchfinger.

B: Mostly pathetic. Either jock-ish 15 year-olds doing sweep arpeggios, or methed-out rednecks playing too slow. Which can be cool but it can also be boring. the methed out doom that is not the suburban guitar center kids, they can get fucked.

Who are some of your biggest personal musical influences?

DJ: Filth, Dropdead, Insect Warfare, Wormrot, Iskra, Descendents, Magrudergrind.

T: 70's rock, Grimy 90's powerviolence, grindcore, and stuff that people make fun of me for liking like Nirvana, Lemuria, etc.

DJ: I hate Nirvana.

B: DRI, dealin' with helped change my life, fuckin Siege, the greatest grind band of all time, Discordance Axis, good-era Napalm Death, Negative Approach c'mon, fuckin Void,all that early fastcore shit, Black Sabbath, Tony Iommi is the reason I picked up guitar, Despise You, I also fuckin love black metal and all negative forms of music, Slap-a-Ham Records.

How did you get into grindcore/powerviolence?

DJ: I rode freight trains for 10 years and grindcore is really big in that scene.

T: I grew up in a super small town and me and like two other friends jumped straight from listening to NOFX to listening to Fuck on the Beach somehow.

B: I was listening to a lot of thrash metal and early hardcore and I was always looking for something harder and faster. I thought Reign in Blood was the end-all be-all of extremity, and then I stumbled onto a Grindcrusher compilation through my friend Tommy and was like "Holy Fuck!" We got way to into it because we grew up in a hick town and we were the only kids who liked this type of music. The alienation of it all made it that much more special to us.

What are some albums that you are currently enjoying?

T: Mainly my old grind/pv records. Besides that, the new Gridlink, Noisear, Rotten Sound and Lemuria records. We are all constantly listening to Wormrot and Insect Warfare. Like every time we get drunk together...

DJ: I can't fucking stop listening to Zoe Muth and the Lost Highrollers. Besides that Del-Tron 3030, and Descendents "Liveage", and my friends' band Hump Yard.

B: Discordance Axis "Jouhou" is still a beautiful slab of grind genius, Siege "Dropdead" is the best grind record of all time, Thin Lizzy, the guitar work gives me chills, Black Sabbath everyday for the rest of my life, Negative Approach gets me through the hard times, Black Flag, Minor Threat, "Scum" and "FETO", the Fiesta Grande comps when I'm feeling saucy, only the most depressing old school country and delta blues, the R. Crumb "Heroes of Jazz, Blues, and Country" is amazing, Insect Warfare's noise records [Ed: By this point in the interview I got sick of transcribing Brandon's record collection]

Are any of you guys involved with any other bands?

DJ: Me and Tom are starting an alcohol-fueled thrash band called Blackout, and Brandon is jealous.

B: While DJ and Tom are busy making a Municipal Waste clone, I'm "planning" on starting the fastest fastcore band of all time called No Applause.

What are Gripe’s plans for the future?

DJ: Keep drinking as soon as I wake up and live off of unemployment until we get a van and start touring.

B: We all struggle financially, but I would love to see us do a regional tour and press vinyl.

T: We're currently in the process of writing our next record.

Any other comments?

We'd like to thank American Cheeseburger/Shaved Christ for keeping the Athens punk scene alive, The Fuzzlers for playing a bunch of shows with us and letting us book shows at their house whenever we demand, A. Lipscomb/Operation Grindcore for supporting grind bands outside of Relapse Records, J. Randall/Grindcore Karaoke for all he does for the underground grind scene and alcohol. Grind or die, motherfuckers!

Weekend Nachos-Worthless(Relapse)

"Hometown Hero" is such a great opener for Weekend Nachos' third full length Worthless. It captures everything that is great about Weekend Nachos, their catchiness, their awesome groove parts, and their harsh vocals. After "Hometown Hero" the greatness continues with songs like "Obituary", "For Life", and "Black Earth", but starting with "The Meeting" things start to slow down. At the end of "The Meeting" some feedback comes in and things take a turn for the worse. The feedback then turns into the song "Worthless". I really don't get the point of "Worthless", don't get me wrong I love it when grind/powerviolence bands such as Robocop, ANb, The Endless Blockade, and Noisear do noise tracks, but it really doesn't fit in well with Weekend Nachos. I also think if a band does a noise track it should have some variety, unlike "Worthless" which is pretty much just straight feedback until the end of the song. After "Worthless" ends, the intensity of Weekend Nachos comes back. In the song "Jock Powerviolence" there is even some clean singing, and I actually(unlike many others) like it and think it is a cool variation from Weekend Nachos' normal sound. The last song "Future" comes in at seven minutes long, and to be honest it's pretty boring . I really don't understand why Weekend Nachos put a seven minute song that is basically just the same riff over and over on Worthless.

Overall, I think Worthless is a pretty good album, but I do think it would be way better without the slower songs. All the songs on Worthless( with the exception of "Worthless" and "Future") are really great and memorable, and I dig Weekend Nachos' unique blend of powerviolence, grindcore, and hardcore.

I give Worthless a 7.5 out of 10.

Weekend Nachos: Bandcamp, Blogspot, Facebook, Merch

~Andrew Lipscomb

Album of The Week:Grinchfinger-Acid Satan EP

Grinchfinger are a band from Macon, Georgia and they play grindcore! I don't know very much about them, but I really don't need to when the music is this good. They play a style of grind that is influenced by many other genres. Like on the song "Bacterial Holocaust" I hear a death metal influence, and one of the many vocal styles sounds very black metal. Their style is also very influenced by mince bands such as Agathocles, Archagathus, etc., I know a lot of people aren't really into mince, but I love it! I also really like the "production" of Acid Satan and the drums sound especially killer. My favorite songs on Acid Satan are "Fear of Industry", "Pig Sticker", and "Endless Ritual". All of these eight songs are great and I highly suggest that you check Grinchfinger out.

Download Acid Satan for free from their Bandcamp here.

~Andrew Lipscomb

Agoraphobic Nosebleed-And On And On...

This is part one in a two part review I am doing on the Despise You/Agoraphobic Nosebleed split, And On And On... For Agoraphobic Nosebleed's side I will be doing a track by track review.

Half Dead

This song continues the slowed down pace that Despise You's last track"Cedar Ave." just had. This song kind of reminds me of Autopsy with it's slow pace, doom like guitar playing, and drawn out vocals. This song keeps the signature sound of Agoraphobic Nosebleed, while still being a departure from their usual style and fast songs. This is a great start to Agoraphobic Nosebleed's side of the split. I really love this song and think that it is cool for Agoraphobic Nosebleed to do a slower song like this.

As Bad As It Is...

Bam, this song is back to the normal style of Agoraphobic Nosebleed. This song continues with the thrash influenced sound of Agorapocalypse, but it still sounds new and different. I really dig the guitar playing on this song and I think it is cool for Agoraphobic Nosebleed to have solos in this song, where most grind bands don't use guitar solos. This song comes in at around two minutes, but it doesn't feel too long and it features a ton cool riffs from Scott Hull and the vocals are killer.

Miscommunication

This song is only 25 seconds, but it still rocks. "Miscommunication" sounds like a very good hybrid of Agoraphobic Nosebleed's new sound and their older sound on albums like Frozen Corpse Stuffed With Dope and Altered States of America. The slowed down part that comes in at around the middle of the song really makes this song very memorable.

Los Infernos

Much like "Miscommunication", "Los Infernos" is a very short song similar to Agoraphobic Nosebleed's older material. This song has some great guitar playing and the vocals also sound great.

Ungrateful

"Ungrateful" is a short 50 second song that starts off really fast, but then goes into this crushing, groove-like part that is awesome. This is probably the catchiest song on Agoraphobic Nosebleed's side and I can't get this song out of my head, which is not a bad thing. Kat also makes her appearance on this song and as always her vocals are absolutely incredible. The lyrics are really funny also.

Possession

This is probably my favorite song on Agoraphobic Nosebleeds side of And On And On... Everything about this song is awesome, the guitar playing, the riffs, the awesome solo, and the extremely angry vocal performance. The drums also sound great, with every release that Agoraphobic Nosebleed have put out, the drums seem to sound more and more natural.

Burlap Sack

This song is slow paced, much like "Half Dead". "Burlap Sack" starts off with a slow, heavy riff and then Kat's vocals come in. The riffs then become even slower and as the song goes on it goes into a almost straight doom song. With Kat's vocals and the slow guitar riffs I am reminded of Salome, but almost as soon as this happens the singing and guitar playing stop and the song fades out with some cool sounding noise/feedback.

Overall, I really love Agoraphobic Nosebleed's side of And On And On..., I think that this is some of their best material and I think that they really topped Agorapocalypse. Everything I love about Agoraphobic Nosebleed is full on display on this split, Scott Hull's guitar playing, the three person vocal attack, the sound of the drum machine, and the lyrics.

I give Agoraphobic Nosebleed's side on And On And On... a solid 9 out of 10

~Andrew Lipscomb

Labeled: Grindcore Karaoke

J. Randall's label Grindcore Karaoke has only been around for a few months, but they have already released 35 albums, ep's, demo's, etc. All of GK's releases are awesome ,but here are some of my favorites:

Romero-Solitaire

Romero may not be a grindcore band, but they still rock. Romero are a doomy rock band(their sound kinda reminds me of Torche's first album), both of these two songs are excellent and Romero are an awesome band!

Cloud Rat-S/T LP

This album is amazingly awesome. Cloud Rat play a style of grind that is melodic, without losing any of the intensity. This is one of the best things I have heard from Grindcore Karaoke. Cloud Rat are a breath of fresh air and they are one of the most unique grind bands I have heard. The vocals are very emotional(in a good way), and unlike some grind bands whose albums just sound like a blur, where all the songs sound the same, all of the songs on this album are unique and they standout! I really love that Some of my favorite songs are "Yama", "Canine", and "Pill Birth". This album demands repeated listens and if you haven't heard Cloud Rat you need to download this right now!

Robocop-Robocop II

If you read Operation Grindcore, you know I love Robocop, my love has been documented here and here. This album is awesome 'nuff said!

Inerds-Choice Cuts

Inerds are a grindcore band, who have a lot of influence from early powerviolence. This six song e.p. that comes from a split with the band Coworkers, is a fast, all out attack on the ears. Much like Cloud Rat, Inerds are a breath of fresh air in the grindcore genre. My favorite songs off of Choice Cuts are "Bebo", "Counting Seconds", and "Humans Being".

Death-Cult Jock-West End Blast

Death-Cult Jock are a grindcore band! They play a style of grindcore that has a lot of influences from other cool genres such as death metal and doom metal, which I think is really cool. Even with all of these unique influences they probably still are the most straight up grind band on my list, which is not a bad thing. The thing I love most about Death-Cult Jock are their great riffs/guitar playing, which makes this album very memorable. My favorite songs are "Fast", "Virus/Plague", and "Numb".

~Andrew Lipscomb

Album of The Week:Gripe-The Future Doesn't Need You

Gripe are a three-piece powerviolence band from Athens, Georgia. Their sound is a good mixture of grindcore and powerviolence. I really love the high-pitched vocal style, which is one of the things I love about most powerviolence bands. "The Future Doesn't Need You" is Gripe's first e.p. and it is insanely good. It's so good that I can see these guys being on a label like To Live A Lie, Give Praise, or even Grindcore Karaoke. I know that it is clichéd to say this but this e.p. just sounds violent. I feel like this would be a perfect soundtrack for a killing spree , and the song titles reflect Gripe's violent sound with titles like "Go For Throat" and "History of Violence". "The Future Doesn't Need You" comes in at around 10 minutes, but all the songs are memorable and because of that this e.p. feels a lot longer. My favorite songs of of "The Future Doesn't Need You" are "Prison Tycoon", "Eatr Bot", and "Go For The Throat". The cover art is also really cool and you can download this e.p. for free here on their Bandcamp.

~Andrew Lipscomb

Album of The Week:Dethroned Emperor-War Grind Hell

Dethroned Emperor are a sick two-piece death/grind(think Napalm Death not Misery Index) band from Brunswick, New Jersey. "War Grind Hell" is a 11 song e.p., that comes in at around 14 minutes. I hear a lot of influence from early Napalm Death and Terrorizer, and they even cover Terrorizer's "Condemned System". Their sound is very raw, but they still sound great and I really think it suites them best. This e.p. has some really killer guitar riffs that get stuck in your head and the drums are also great. Some of my favorite tracks from "War Grind Hell" are"Still Life", "War Grind Hell", and "Insecure". Overall, I really enjoy "War Grind Hell" and I think that Dethroned Emperor deserve to be heard and I could easily see them being signed to a label like Hell's Headbangers.

~Andrew Lipscomb

You can order "War Grind Hell" from their official blog here.

[Disclosure: Dethroned Emperor sent me a copy to review.]

Coke Bust-Degradation E.P.

Coke Bust are a great hardcore band from Washington, D.C. I discovered them after hearing that Chris Moore from Magrudergrind is their drummer. I love Chris' drumming so I decided to buy "Degradation" and I can honestly say that I wasn't disappointed. With six songs coming in at 5 minutes this is a great introduction to Coke Bust, and "Degradation" leaves me wanting more. The first track starts off with some feedback, but then the blastbeats burst in and the song comes in at full force. "Degradation" continues at this lightning fast paced, powerviolence influenced hardcore sound until the slowed down, "Deathbed". My only complaint about this e.p. is that it is very short and seems to end just as it starts. Overall, I really like "Degradation" and I can't wait to hear more from Coke Bust.

My copy came on black vinyl and included a download card. I also really love the packaging of this 7" and I think that the lyrics are presented in a great way.
Coke Bust:Official Website, Myspace, Facebook

~Andrew Lipscomb

Album of The Week:Wormrot-Dirge

Wormrot have done the incredible and topped "Abuse", this album absolutely crushes. With 25 songs coming in at 18 minutes Wormrot offer some intense, catchy grindcore. They have also stepped up their musicianship immensely. One of the things I have always loved about Wormrot that most grind bands seem to forget about, is their great riffs. Arif has also improved vocally, with a better, more refined vocal style. Overall, this is a great album and the only thing I think that has a chance to top "Dirge" this year is the new Pig Destroyer. Some of my favorite songs on "Dirge" are "Principle of Puppet Warfare", "Manipulation", and "Evolved Into Nothing". This album is also available to download for free here, but I highly recommend that you pre-order it.

~Andrew Lipscomb