Stream Five New ACxDC Songs From Their Upcoming 3-Way Split!

The list of most anticipated releases of 2013 isn't that big, but this fucking EPIC 3-way split 10" between ACxDC, Sex Prisoner and Magnum Force is damn near the top of everything else. I can't think of any other split coming out that I know of that will unapologetically destroy and massacre everything as much as this split. And now that I've heard the 5 songs that ACxDC are contributing to this beast, I think you'd be hard pressed to disagree with me. This is, to me, their best stuff that they've done to date. These song will fucking annihilate you. Absolutely crushing, punishing, brutal, every adjective you can think of to describe apocalyptic destruction, that's what these songs sound like. This shit will make your girl's water break, even if she isn't pregnant. Stream it below, and if the world does end before I get to hear this in full, I'm going to flip.

~VII

To The Point - "Success In Failure" Review

Guys, I'm really having a hard time deciding what my favorite EP of the year is. I've definitely narrowed it down to 3, this being one of them. I'm sure you've all heard of To The Point by now; the unstoppable group comprised of members of Actuary, Fetus Eaters, Lack Of Interest and Spazz. Caveman powerviolence. "Success In Failure" is their 2nd EP this year, a beautiful 1-sided 7" in what will probably be a series of EP's of this nature (their previous EP was also 1-sided). Honestly, this new one blows the first completely out of the water for me. And I'm really not sure why. Maybe it's because now I knew what to expect, whereas with the first, the release really was kind of shrouded in mystery. No audio clips, not a nothing was presented before the release. Now, I know the type of noise To The Point bring, and it's a style that I just absolutely love. Total and complete Lack Of Interest-core. Everything that made LoI great is executed perfectly in To The Point, which is no surprise given the people involved. I guess it you could say that there's a distracting lack of originality here, but fuck that noise, because this EP is the jam. Just as the band name advertises, these guys don't fuck around and give you nothing but the best stop/start, hard blasting songs that you're likely to hear all year. The musicianship here is tighter than a nuns nether regions, and the songs are crafted just how you would expect seasoned veterans of this style to make them; perfectly. I just love hearing Bob bash the shit out of a drum kit. Dude really blasts like no other, he definitely has captured a sound that is uniquely his own, with the very dry drum tone and super hard attack. It's also great to hear Chris Dodge, Caveman almighty, front a band again. Again, very early Lack Of Interest style vocals; gruff, low, and kind of cheesy. This 7" is nothing short of absolutely fantastic, and I highly suggest every single one of you to hunt it down and keep tabs on their upcoming releases.

Rating: 9.8/10

~VII

Bandcamp Artists Of The Week: Agonizing Blight and Rapturous Grief

More solid as a rock powerviolence-y hardcore from the west coast for ya! A brand new band featuring members of the mighty Crutch, Agonizing Blight keep their jams short, to the point, and pulverizing with the old-school powerviolence inspirations in full force. Definitely gonna get these guys on the OG West Coast comp. Check em out.

Guh, I wish I had listened to this band sooner. Rapturous Grief play the kind of simple powerviolence that I can fall in love with at first listen. All the key ingredients are there, the flail-in-the-mosh-pit riffs, the punchy drumming, and an excellent recording (the distant low end rumbles during the slow parts is a fantastic touch). This is a band that knows what a guitar/drum band should sound like, dynamically. Add a few stop/start riffs in there, and you know I'm sold, baby. Fans of Shitstorm should definitely dig these guys.

~VII

New Iron Lung Songs Mean New Iron Lung Album!

Hard to believe that it's been 5 years since the last full-length album from Iron Lung. Sure, they've kept us happy with a few splits here and there, and a couple songs on some compilations and what not, but it's definitely about time they made another full album. Well, as luck would have it, their 3rd LP, entitled "White Glove Test", is rearing it's beautiful head, and it looking like it will be released next month! The absolutely gorgeous cover art from Feeding and a brand new track from the album, entitled "Plasma Separatist",  have already been made available, and yep, it sure sounds like the Iron Lung we all know in love. "White Glove Test" will apparently be available on January 20th, 2013, on vinyl and CD. And for the vinyl collectors scum (like myself), a 2xLP version will also be available. Maybe with some extra goodies added? Who knows. In addition to this, the "Iron Lung Mixtape II" will be released in January as well, and also has a new track from the band, entitled "Treatment", which is also streaming. Holy moly. Check em out and get pumped for the new year!

~VII

Noisear - "Turbulent Resurgence" Review

I’d been waiting to do this until I got the vinyl, but since I found out that it’s been delayed by about three months, I figured I’d go ahead with this review now. Better late than never, right?
Coming a year and a half after one of my favorite grindcore albums of 2011 (as well as one of my all-time favorites), Noisear are back with a full-length of tight, technical, grinding ragers. Press releases say that "Turbulent Resurgence" was written in one day and recorded in the span of 48 hours, which should come as no surprise to anyone who looked in the liner notes for "Subvert the Dominant Paradigm" and saw the note about “All decompositions written and recorded June 25th 2010” (which continually blows my mind). Drummer Bryan Fajardo and guitarist Dorian Rainwater have been playing in bands together for so long that they can write albums in a day and with this set of 23 songs in 18 minutes there is no room for over-thinking. Each song comes bursting out of the gate fully formed, nearly all of them having no sort of song intro, leaving not a second to waste. The songs range from 25 to 67 seconds and with only three songs over a minute (two of them being noise tracks contributed by Winters in Osaka) Noisear have possibly written the most bullshit-free album of 2012. Winters in Osaka wrote the intro, interlude, and outro tracks, which are the only times this album lets you take a breath; without these the album would be 16 minutes flat, half the length of the new Pig Destroyer album.
Noisear has changed their lineup this time around, losing their dedicated vocalist and bassist, lending to a different mood that is still distinctly “Noisear,” and in fact sounds a lot like their early material (but with a much tighter recording and playing quality). Dorian handles all bass work on the album, but it is pretty low in the mix. "Subvert.." was my introduction to Noisear and I immediately loved the rumbling bass brought by the insanely good Joe Tapia. While I am a bit disappointed he isn’t on their new album (first time in a long time), Noisear on "Turbulent Resurgence" do not sound like they’re missing anything. Whereas "Subvert..." has what many people like to call a “jazz fusion” element to it (meaning frequent tempo changes and bizarre chord shapes), Resurgence is about as “pure” grindcore as it can be while still being dynamic and interesting. Noisear are in full-blast mode on here, with no guitar solos and very few breakdowns (if you insist on calling the slower end part of a song a breakdown), and while twenty minutes of blast beats would get boring or overwhelming for most grindcore bands that’s simply because they don’t have Bryan Fajardo behind the kit. Fajardo is without a doubt one of the best drummers in grindcore because unlike so many million-mile-an-hour blasters he utilizes his kit to the fullest extent, playing snare and tom rolls within the beats, constantly changing what the beat is. Look to his other bands (Kill the Client, Gridlink, Phobia, and most recently P.L.F.) if you need any convincing of his talents.
Having listened to this album several dozen times at work since its release, I can safely say that it is one of the best grindcore albums of 2012, if only because of the repeat plays it demands. It’s much less of a mind-fuck as their previous album, but the songs are just as short and catchy as before, and once you start playing one song it’s easy to just let the album finish. Some of my favorite tracks are “Indifference,” “Educate Hatred,” “Born Alone, Die Alone,” “Less Fashi   on, More Thrashin’,” and “Fiery Rebirth.”


Rating: 8.5/10

~Dylan

Fuck The Facts Are Hitting The Studio And Making Some Cassettes.

My favorite Canadian weirdo's have apparently been hard at work this past year. Numerous postings on their Facebook page tell of a new album on the way, and the band is apparently heading into their own studio this Sunday to record! It only seems like yesterday that their excellent album "Die Miserable" came out, so to have a whole full length of new material on the horizon already is some brilliant news. I've also heard that a couple splits might be in the works as well, but I'm not too sure of it (what's the word, Topon?). There are a few videos up on their Facebook showing some instrumental practices of new songs, and the riffs are fucking killer. Definitely one of my most anticipated albums of 2013.

In addition to the new album, the band, in their true DIY fashion, are re-issuing their last 2 full lengths, "Stigmata High Five" and "Disgorge Mexico" on cassette! Everything here was done by the band, and the finished products look great. There are also tentative plans to get the "Misery" EP (also released last year in company with "Die Miserable") on vinyl as well. These guys just never stop!!

~VII

 

The Kill - "Make 'Em Suffer" Review

For as much as I talk about my love for Australia grindcore, I'm ashamed to admit that I've never sat down and listened to a full album from The Kill. Or even given the band much time at all. I hope you all can forgive this great travesty and with due time, I can redeem myself by immediately listening too and buying every single one of their releases ever until the end of time. Or I can just review their new album, "Make 'Em Suffer". Which I'm doing anyway. So there.
"Make 'Em Suffer"  is definitely what I would call a "ripping" grindcore album. The musical precision and blazingly fast attack to the ears that these Aussies grind out is basically the musical equivalent of a buzz saw to the sternum. Slashing and hacking at anyone that even brings up the words "mid-tempo". Being just a guitar only grindcore band, these dudes really did capture a full sound. The guitar tone is bright, and the overall production is very modern sounding, but the intensity of the bands performance doesn't let these ordinarily unpleasant qualities distract from my enjoyment of the album. Another great thing here, they keep the album short. At a very nice nineteen and a half minutes, the album stays around for the perfect amount of time. It also seems like this band had some fun with this album, and like to not keep things too serious. From the semi-tongue-in-cheek album title, to the very tastefully placed melodic riffs, and even borrowing lyrics from Judas Priest. The cover of Slayer's "Necrophobic" is also a very nice surprise here. Not only because they managed to twist it into one hell of a grind song, but that they actually made something from Slayer enjoyable (bravo)! So yeah, you could say I'm a fan of these guys now.

Rating: 7.5/10

~VII

Standing On A Floor Of Bodies - "Sacrilegious and Culturally Deficient" Review

As some of you may know, I am notorious for cursing myself with atrociously high standards when it comes to new music sometimes. Which more often than not leads to bitter, sickening, curl up in a corner disappointment. But I mean, how can I not do this to myself? Especially when it comes to bands like Standing On A Floor Of Bodies, who released one of my favorite under five minute grindcore releases EVER in 2010, with the "Teaching Pigs To Sing" demo. Now back with a new member, Bvnny Stitches, doing additional vocals, this husband and wife duo (cute, it's it?), return with their debut full length, and it rips! If you loved their demo as much as I did, you should have absolutely no problem getting into the material on here, and you have no idea how happy it makes to to say that. Everything that made "Teaching..." great is amplified on "Sacrilegious and Culturally Deficient". The recording is much thicker and brutally heavy this time around, the riffs and the excellent programmed drums all blend together into this wall of destructive low-end punch to the jugular. If you want your perception of what a bass/drum grindcore band sounds like to change, listen to this band. Yeah, absolutely no guitar anywhere near this recording. The tones they get are insane. The vibe this band sends off is also genuinely unsettling and cold. SOAFOB's style of horror-grind is pretty unique, and it's something I don't hear a lot of bands pulling off, or at least not as convincingly. It's like the musical equivalent of a trap from one of the Saw movies, or the torture cellar of some sociopathic killer.  It's great stuff. Mike Stitches vocals are top notch, as always, and Bvnny's natural high screams are a great companion to Mike's guttural roars. 15 minutes of sickening grind, and on a side note, the record is on one beautifully packaged single-sided 12" with a screen printed B-side. 7 Degrees records did a great job with the presentation. A cassette version was also put out on Sisster Ssound, which is equally awesome looking (it comes it a fucking body bag). Can't wait to hear this bands future releases.

Rating: 9/10

~VII

Sordo - "Tactical Precision Violence" Review

Every once and a while, a record comes and graces my ears, and just gets everything right. The newest EP from Sordo, their vinyl debut, is one of the most perfect records I've heard all year. Beware those who enter this review, because I am going to splooge so many words of praise in here, it might get stupid. You know what else is stupid, this record. It's stupidly awesome. You all know I'm a huge fan of bass/drum bands; give me a destructive bass tone, some blast beats, and I'm pretty much always good. Sordo get all the things I love about bands like this down to a science. For a guy like me, it was deep, passionate love at first listen. It also helps that Sordo know how to write a good ass song! There are catchy riffs all over this record. Riffs that are as pulverizing as they are groovy. These jams get me excited as hell, I threw down to this record at work. No shit. But, these songs wouldn't have nearly the same impact if the recording was as absolutely disgusting as it is. I don't think I could have asked for a better recording. The drums are booming! The snare, the kick drum, toms, every hit just reaches out and thwacks you in the face. Absolutely sick bass tone too, total low-end annihilation. When Sordo goes into full blast mode, it sounds like mountains collapsing. I also get to play one of my favorite games when I listen to this record; "Name That Sample"! If you're not into samples, this might annoy you, honestly. Nearly every song has one. And if I did have ONE complaint, it's that the "Hobo With A Shotgun" sample on "Skull Stomp" goes on for way too long. I didn't have any problem with any of the others though (I also recognized "Dumb and Dumber", "They Live", and "Spongebob Squarepants"). ERRRRGGGG, this is just too good. So good. It's good. No, it's great. It's amazing. Buy it. NOW! Pick it up from Nice Dreams Records, and do it fast, they definitely won't last long.



Rating: 9.6/10

~VII

Operation Grindcore Vol. 2 Line-up + Updates

After MANY months of nothing happening, then a couple more months of getting everything back together, getting a ton more tracks, pulling out hair, and going a little mental, the Operation Grindcore Vol. 2 compilation is nearing completion. It's been a lot of hard work keeping everything together, and the reception I've gotten from bands submitting their tracks has been incredible. But now we're finally at 50 tracks, from 50 bands, and I'm very happy to see it all coming together. Here is the final line-up for the comp.

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 

Stream Five New Songs From Sidetracked

Well, it's that time of the month again; another Sidetracked record is rearing it's glorious head and by golly I would be a fool to not promote the ever loving hell out of it. The Tacoma, WA fastcore has been killing it this prolific year, seeing the release of the "Wrench" cassette, "Forfiet" 7" and an excellent split 7" with Self Inflicted. This particular upcoming release trumps all others for me though. The split 12" with the supreme fastcore kings, xBrainiax. One of the last records that will be released by To Live A Lie before the year long break. Fans of fastcore around the globe are probably moist from anticipation at this sure to be amazing split, and Sidetracked was kind enough to give us a little 5 song teaser of their side, to stream on their bandcamp. Though the songs will probably be over before you're done reading this, the tracks are excellent, and should not disappoint any fans of the band. To me, the recording kind of calls back to their side of the In Disgust split (probably my favorite release from the band). Stream it below, and hope that at least half of the releases they have planned come out next year. 

~VII

Grindcore, Fastcore, and Powerviolence: What Is It?

I can't count the number of time's I've been asked; "what's grindcore?" or, "what makes this powerviolence?" or, "what the hell is fastcore, how is it different than powerviolence?". And usually, I feel like I can give a pretty legitimate definition about these genres, but that being said, it has kind of gotten to a point where even seasoned listeners can get a little tripped up pinning down what subgenre a band falls into. It seems every band with a blast beat these days is labeled as a "grindcore" band, and every fast band with a sludgy part is "powerviolence". So, let's put it all to rest, I present to you, my take, and not very encyclopedic definitions of these three genres. Hopefully we can reach some level of understanding.

Archagathus/Pizza Hi Five - Split Review

For the most devoted of underground grindcore followers, a split like this should be a true gem. The Prince of Mince, Archagathus, teaming up with the steadily rising in popularity chronic-grinders, Pizza Hi Five. If you're already not turned off by a band called Pizza Hi Five, you're either already a fan of the band, or are a curious reader. In either case, good for you, you get a gold star. First up is Archagathus, and honestly, a review of their side is pretty redundant. If you've heard one Archagathus record, you've pretty much heard them all. Still grinding like all they've ever heard is 90's Agathocles. The recording on here is pretty tidy, actually. Maybe it was recorded during the "Canadian Horse" session? The guitars have this nice, bright crunch to them, and the drums add a lot of punch with every kick drum hit. I'm also hearing some crust influence in some of these songs, particularly in the track, "Surgery Addict", probably my favorite song on there side. The main riff actually is pretty reminiscent of early Swedish death metal too. Nice touch! As usual, the vocals bellow over EVERYTHING. Roars, grunts, squeals, and a nasally high scream that still kind of makes me squirm. It's another solid pack of songs from the band, what more can I say.

But if I had to pick, I'd say the Pizza Hi Five side is where this split really shines. I'm been a fan of these guys since about 2009, and after all these years, they still haven't learned any new tricks. And I really wouldn't have it any other way. Dank and dirty mincegrind played at warp speed. Super thick and soupy recording, with down tuned guitar riffs tumbling over everything, crushing small children, skulls, ripping faces, and all the other usual grind descriptions journalists use. The songs are here are pretty much balls to the wall blasters, no real slow parts to see, and some great stop/starts are used. This band is just so lovely. I really am happy to see them getting more exposure. Expect to see many more splits from these guys in the future. Pick this up!

Rating: 7.5/10

~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

Cloud Rat Are Putting Out A New Album! Stream A New Track.

I.fucking.love.Cloud Rat. There's no doubt in my mind that these guys and gal are going to get their "big break" soon, and become more than just underground grind titans. Everything from their stupidly good live performance, to the stunning quality of their music and recordings, this band has it all. But I guess I should stop wanking in their ears now, and get to the real "news" part. One of the things I live about the band is how prolific they are. To my knowledge, they've had split 12"s with Xtra Vomit and Republic Of Dreams come out this year. And now, the band is about to have their new full-length LP come out!

There's the sure-to-be-gorgeous-in-person cover art. The new album, entitled "Moksha", is all recorded, and about to be sent to the pressing plant. US labels, IFB and Halo of Flies will be handling the domestic release, while overseas, 7Degrees and React With Protest will handle the European pressing. It's awesome to see so many great labels wanting to get in and help release this. Hopefully it will help get their name out there more. Aside from all that, there really haven't been to many other details announced about the record. According to the Cloud Rat blog, they also have a 7" coming out. I'm stoked. You can stream a new track from "Moksha", entitled, "Aroma", over at Halo Of Flies right now.

~VII

Updates On The New Rotten Sound EP

Remember earlier this year when Rotten Sound just threw the new's out there that they had a new EP coming out? Well, after not many updates (kinda forgot about the whole thing, honestly), a whole bundle of details have been announced regarding the new release, entitled, "Species At War".

This new 6-track EP will be released on CD and a single-sided 12" with a B-side etching. From the sound of it, this whole EP was apparently recorded, mixed and mastered by the band. Interesting to see how this DIY approach will sound, maybe a rawer attack from the band this time around? In addition to that, this will be the first release the band puts out since signing on with Season Of Mist for exclusive European distribution, with Relapse Records handling the rest of the world. The EP is actually available for pre-order right now, here, and will be officially released on January 22nd. I expect a few tours in support of this, and hopefully a new full-length isn't far away. Can't wait to go ape shit to these guys at MDF!

~VII

Pig Destroyer - "Book Burner" Review

Well, it's all come down to this. Five years, endless amounts of hype, a loss of a drummer, gaining a drummer, more hype, teaser tracks, even more hype, and now the finished product. Man. The past half-decade has been a real trip, for me personally. I must preface this review by saying Pig Destroyer is one of my favorite bands, period. I can't even begin to accurately describe what this band has done for me and how they have shaped my taste in heavy music. And in a sick way, this album was pretty much doomed to be underwhelming for me. Not to say that that this is a bad album, but let's be real honest here. There's no way in hell that this album could have lived up to the expectations I had for it. I have unwillingly fucked myself over. But I think that goes for a lot of people too; I don't think anyone really went into this going, "yeah, this should be pretty decent, at least". I bet every stinking one of you was thinking "Book Burner" was going to be balls ass amazing. But...no. I wish I could wait just a little bit longer for this review, so I could listen to it more and try and soak in some more details, but the curse of journalism is that you have to stay with the times, and I fear that if I wait any longer, this review will become irrelevant. Well, let's get into the nitty gritty now and dissect this beast. And keep this in my, I like this album.

Bandcamp Artist Of The Week: Bad Friends

See, I really do appreciate it when you guys tell me about bands, because otherwise I most likely would have looked over awesome groups like this (thanks for the heads up, Tyler!) Bad Friends are a kick-fucking-ass fastcore/powerviolence band from Albany, NY (a mere few hours from where I live. Need to get these guys down here). This debut (?) EP is 10 track beast of gritty intensity. Loud and lo-fi recording; the kind where the drums are über-present and the guitars scream over everything, and the buried vocals yell out, desperate to be heard over the mix. You know, the good kind of recording. Fans of bands like Vaccine should instantly fall in love these guys. This shit will make you power stomp small children. Check it out below, and give them a like on Facebook.

~VII

Fuck...I'm Dead Interview

The Australian grinders are back to deliver "Another Gory Mess"! Here's an interview Alex Cha did with Fuck... I'm Dead's, Dave Hill, who also plays with The Day Everything Became Nothing. Enjoy!

Operation Grindcore: Can you describe the grind scene in Australia? Is it better now as oppose to the year 2000 when Fuck... I'm Dead was created?

Dave Hill: I have to say its a fair bit quieter now in in my opinion, than how it was back in 2000. There are still some great grindcore bands from around here, but perhaps not as many and the scene doesn't seem as big at the moment. From 2000-2008(9) or so it was awesome, heaps of shows and heaps of great bands, playing shows and releasing material.

OG: What is your favorite Fuck... I'm Dead song to play live?

Dave: It would have to be "Colon Commando", its such a fun song to play live and I get to execute one of the very few lead breaks we have, a sweet tapping solo! Some of the new songs are great to play too, like "Horrified" and "Sanguinary Overture".

OG: Besides your own band's name, what is the most offensive band name you've come across?

Dave: Anal Cunt would have to be at the top of the list for most offensive and ridiculous.

OG: Given that we haven't seen you since Maryland Deathfest, are there any plans to tour America in the future?

Dave: Unfortunately we currently have no plans to tour the US at the moment. We've been concentrating on writing, rehearsing and recording the new album for the last 6 months or so and have only arranged and Australian tour in support of that so far.

OG: Talk about the artwork for "Another Gory Mess". Who's hands are those... and what exactly are those hands holding?

Dave: They are actually my hands in the photo, and I'm scooping up another gory mess. Its an absolutely horrendous concoction that myself and Xavier (guitar) put together. Xavier took all the photos and layed out the booklet as well.

OG: Your releases have touched nearly every format. We've seen Fuck...I'm Dead cassettes, vinyl, CDs and DVDs. Is there a particular format that you guys prefer?

Dave: I love CDs for the convenience, but the vinyl is probably my favourite. Hopefully we'll get Another Gory Mess released on vinyl!

OG: What is the first grindcore album you ever owned and what are your feelings about it today?

Dave: "Reek Of Putrefaction" by Carcass, and today its still one of my favourite grind records and it has definitely stood the test of time.

OG: What do you think happens more often: a drummer (not necessarily yours) dropping a stick or a technical difficulty with the drum machine?

Dave: Haha I reckon the drum machine having a technical problem. For us it has been a great change to have Darren Condy on drums for the last few years. It has added much more dynamics to the songs, especially live. And if there is any stick dropping going on there is always the opportunity to improvise. When there was a error with the drum machine, like no stage foldback, or not playing the correct song, there isn't much you can do, you just have to go with with and hope for the best.

OG: Here's a fake scenario: you're on tour and (knock on wood) your drummer accidentally gets injured to the point where he cannot play. Do you cancel the show or bring back the drum machine? And is that even an option with the new material?

Dave: There is no going back to the drum machine under any circumstances, a human on the drums is a vast improvement For Fuck...I'm Dead's sound. I wrote a lot of the new material using drum programming to start with before rehearsal it with the rest of the band, but there is really only bits and pieces of songs scattered through the drum machines so it really wouldn't be an option anyway.

OG: Any last words for your American fans?

Dave: Thanks for all your support over the years, it was awesome to tour the US and play Maryland Deathfest in in 2008. Another Gory Mess will be out officially on November 12th 2012 through Blastasfuk Grindcore (www.blastasfuk.blogspot.com), grab yourself a copy to mosh to.

~Alex Cha

Four New Agoraphobic Nosebleed Albums??

I've been hearing exciting news regarding upcoming ANb releases all year, from upcoming splits with Extortion, to the new Decibel Magazine christmas flexi. But nothing could have prepared me for this bombshell that they dropped earlier this month.

New's like this makes me need to shit in other peoples pants, cause mine are filled. This is one of the coolest things I've heard all year, and if any grind band could pull off an idea this ambitious, it's Agoraphobic Nosebleed. And praise be to Scott Hull for not burning out or taking any resemblance of a break. Dude is not only banging out tracks with ANb, but released the new Pig Destroyer album, will be touring selectively this and next year, and most most likely working on these new solo albums well into next year. I'm now convinced he's an riff-crafting automaton from space.
While it looks like these new albums won't be released until the better part of next year (ugh), this gives us plenty of time to play the "What Will The New Albums Sound Like" Guessing Game! I'm gonna say a lot of sludge influence on Kat's, given her time with Salome. Weirdo grind with an oldschool vibe for Richard's, and for Jay...fuck, who knows. How about, noise drenched, hip-hop flavored, electronic encrusted, cyber blasting, hatefuck grind. Sounds about right, right? Right. Scott's will probably be more along the lines of newer Pig Destroyer, with a lot of thrash and other metal influences. Place your bets in the comments below!

~VII

New Powerviolence Compilation You Should Check Out

From the wonderful people that brought us the USA Power Violence Vol. 1 compilation, comes the the 2nd chapter in this sure to be epic series of releases. While that comp. focuses exclusively on bands from yee 'ol 'Merica, this next one branches and features bands from all across the world, including Get's Worse from the UK, Skuff from Canada, and goddamn Extortion from Australia! While there are very few exclusive tracks for this, this line-up is still stacked enough to make anyone with any interest in underground music give it a shot. It looks like a LOT of time went in putting this together and getting the tapes organized, comps. are a huge undertaking (believe me!). The cassette version of this is still available, I'm sure, but you can download/stream it on bandcamp too. Killer!

~VII

There's New Column of Heaven Music On the Horizon.

I do want to make it perfectly clear that I do not dislike Column of Heaven, I actually rather enjoy them, and "Mission From God" will most likely be making my year end list. It's the hyperbole around the band that I thought I was too much, but I don't want to rehash old and tired debates here. The point I'm making is that I'm super pumped on any new music from these guys. With that being said, here's new music from these guys! Two new releases are in the works right now, a lone 7" for Iron Lung Records, and a split 7" with Radioactive Vomit. The song that's been put up is from the latter, and it's pretty damn good. This track, entitled "Aubade II: The Trident of Light and Decay", definitely displays a more "metal" influence that people seemed to pick up on "Mission..", that I never really heard. The usual grinding with well orchestrated noise and samples is still present, thought it's not as harsh this time around. Still no word on when this or the other 7" will be released, but a cassette collection of all the new tracks will be floating around in some select distros. Collectors scum, be on the look out (you know I will be). Check out the new track below.

~VII

Extortion/Cold World - Split Review

Perth, Australia's Extortion hold a very very special place in my heart. For the better part of a decade, they've put out consistently great releases of ripping, fast hardcore, but with their last few releases, from their split with Septic Surge up to the "Loose Screws" 10", something seemed absent. The aggression was definitely pulled back, and everyone just seemed a lot less fierce. The recordings just sounded a lot less genuine than usual. So you can imagine my ear to ear smile when I heard their side of this excellent split 12" with Austria's Cold World. Extortion is definitely back with full force on this recording, especially their vocalist, Rohan, who sounds fucking vicious on here. Bringing back that fantastic higher register scream that I fell in love with on albums like "Degenerate". I'm picking up some sort of subtle video game concept on their side too, from song titles like, "Pitfall" and "Kill Screen". Plus the 8-bit sound effect on "Max 330 Mega Pro Gear Spec". Welcome back, Extortion! On the flip side, we get Cold World, who definitely hold their own against Extortion's side and make a very good companion band for this release. There's a strong 90's fastcore influence with these guys; ridiculous song craftsmanship with riffs spilling over each other and vocals roaring desperately to keep up with it all. I love the drum work on this, excellent precision and solid blasting. The track "Boardhole" is fastcore nirvana, if I saw them play that live I would go ape shit. I'm definitely on the look out for this bands past releases now. Buy this if you can, it's a winner of a split.

Rating: 8/10

~VII

New Agoraphobic Nosebleed Music Is The Best Christmas Present

I don't know if it's because I'm getting older and progressively more grumpy and curmudgeonly, or what, but I'm really starting to loose my usual cheery holiday spirit around the Christmas season. The consumerism, and just the whole cutesy, holly jolly atmosphere, it kinda makes me sick. I have a black heart. But, thankfully the fine people at Decibel magazine have once again rounded up the Agoraphobic Nosebleed guys and gal for another Christmas themed flexi disc, to make the season a little bit more enjoyable for people like me. It's looks like it's just going to be one song this time around, but I'll take it, any new ANb is a tremendous joy for me, and it looks like a lot of exciting things are on the way (read here). This should be released with the December/January issue of Decibel. Merry Chrystmeth. 

~VII

Shooting Spree Prove That Canada Is Still Awesome

The newest treasure I've discovered from Canada, my magical grindcore motherland, takes the form of four Squamish, BC natives collectively known as Shooting Spree. Together, they make fastcore/grind the only way a few Canadians can; mincecore riffs played at breakneck speeds, tight drumming, brutal stop/starts, a 3-headed vocal attack that covers all the ranges, and some excellent grooves and breakdowns that pack some serious punch. In a nutshell, it's Canadian grind, just how I like it. They've been kicking around for about 4 years now, and have released a demo, EP, and 3 split cassettes. Out of all of these, I'm most familiar with their material on the recently released 3-way split with T.H.C and Humanity?. The 8 songs on there are a perfectly raw and brutal assault of A+ grind jams. Give it a listen below, and give them a "like" on Facebook. I'm definitely keeping my eye on these Squamies.

~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 

First Exposure: Jason Pekar (Corrupt Bastards)

Insect Warfare "At War With Grindcore", 2005, I grew up in a really small country town in south Texas so getting music out there was almost impossible, one sunday night me and a friend were scanning through the radio and came across 91.7 which was a local station that played grindcore/death metal from about 11pm-2am I believe, every sunday night we would tune in and listen to insect warfare, plf, hatred surge, hypo christians and all the other good local and non local grind bands.

My initial reaction was blown away, all through middle school and high school me and about 3 other people were the only ones that skated and were into music and at the time we were only into what our older friends listened to which was more texas hardcore stuff like eyeagainst, will to live, pride kills so once we started listening to grindcore we went to see insect warfare play a show and they basically played all there songs straight through with minimal breaks and at the end of the show we were scraping our faces off the floor.

The record still deffinatly holds up to the test of time, even though they broke up a few years ago I guarentee everyone still spins their record almost once a week.

It really inspired me to make a band and play fast, and every since then after all these 

years i'm still trying to play fast!

~ VII

Ladies and Gentlemen; Phyllomedusa

I admit, I'm not what you would call a scholar on the "gorenoise" genre, but I do recognize it when I hear it, and it certainly takes a lot for me to take time out of my day to do a full article about one band who plays this style. If I'm doing that, you know that this shit's worth checking out. So all that being said, Phyllomedusa! The sickest one-man gorenoise project out of Baltimore, Maryland that your likely to hear, with one of the coolest logos I've ever seen.

Tons of things to talk about from this dude. For one, his discography is MASSIVE. About 70+ releases since 2007 according to his Facebook page, so it could be a bit intimidating knowing where to start. Fortunately, pretty much everything I've heard by him brings the same level of noisy destruction. For the beginners though, I'd say check out the album "Crepitate In Raorchestes Idiom". It's one of his more "polished" records, but that's still sounds very reminiscent to albums like "Putrefaction in Progress" by Last Days Of Humanity. But like, you know, kinda better. A brutal cover of "Phllautus Elimination" by F.I.D is included on there, it rips. 

Phyllomedusa also takes the "animals > humans" aesthetic, which is nothing new, as anyone familiar with bands like Animals Killing People or Cattle Decapitation can attest. However, I've never seen a grind band like this dedicate their whole schtick to one species in particular, in this case, frogs! Those cute little guys are the main inspiration here, and saving them from a grisly death by human hands is the mission. It may seem a little gimmicky, but everything from the song titles, to the concepts behind the albums seem amazingly genuine, and you're more than likely to learn a thing or two if you actually take the time to look up the meanings to these songs. Aside from that, there's a lot of cool frog-based artwork to go along with the albums. 

I know that Phyllomedusa isn't going to be for everyone, but I really do think this dude is making some killer jams, and I know that if you dig into his discography enough, you'll find something you'll like. Fans of grind, gore and noise music should find a lot to like here. I highly recommend the albums "Birdkiller", "Been Caught Herping" and the aforementioned "Crepitate In Raorchestes Idiom" as good starting points. Check out his blog, where he has all his releases available for download, with descriptions about each one included, and give him a "like" on facebook. 

~VII

First Exposure: Jason Netherton (Misery Index)

The first "pure" grindcore record for me had to be Assuck's "Anticapital." It was vicious. Songs like "State to State" and "Socialized Crucifixion" are timeless. It was released in 1991 at the height of the death metal underground's explosion, but you knew right away when you heard it something was a bit different...the songs were short, and the lyrics were politicized (like Napalm Death, who were also grind, but by that time had morphed into the death-grind that they have become famous for in subsequent years). 

Anyway, "Anticapital" had this 'vibe'... it was just bleak, and perhaps they were among the first bands to go with the 3-piece set up sans bass player, creating whirlwind attacks in 40 second bursts of songs that bled one into the next in anarchic fury. Another thing about it that won me (and a lot of other death metal heads) over was the crushing production. It was done at Morrisound, like dozens of other death metal bands, so it had the reliably crushing guitar tone and drum sounds that brought out this animalistic ferocity, and that is why it still stands up today. It is obviously grindcore in retrospect, but then we didn't really know the difference, and the low vocals made it easily accessible for death metal fans, as much as the short songs, blast beats and gritty real-world lyrics attracted the crust punks to it. It was sincere, nasty, and genre-defining, and 

it easily stands as one of the top grind albums of all time, in my opinion.

~ Alex Cha