Bandcamp Artist of The Week: Suffer On Acid

Holy shit, it's been a while since I've done one of these. Truth be told I had a pretty hard time finding new grind bands on bandcamp that I wanted to talk about, so I decided to give this series a hiatus of sorts. Well, it's back, and I got a hell of a band to talk about today! Suffer On Acid is a heavy powerviolence band from Boston, MA, and as far as I know this is their debut recording. Very awesome stuff, blending old-school powerviolence in the vein of bands like Infest and Crossed out with modern production and down-tuned heaviness. I've been seeing a lot of people talking about this band/EP on the "blogosphere", hopefully they get some physical releases out soon! Listen to the EP here.

~VII

Listen to Some New Six Brew Bantha Tracks

Canadian grindcore/powerviolence band Six Brew Bantha have uploaded 2 more songs from their upcoming "s/t" full-length and holy shit, consider me officially stoked as hell. By far the best sounding recording the band has ever done, stepping away from the basement quality production that their demo and split with Archagathus had in favor of a more refined, punchy and beefy sound. I'm also hearing a lot more fastcore influence in the riffs and songwriting; lots of stop/starts and sudden riff changes, which is always fine by me! No clue as to when this album will be released, but it can't come soon enough! Listen/download the tracks here.

~VII

Your Enemy - "Fuck Off Weak Grind" Review

If you're in a band, and you're gonna name your demo "Fuck Off Weak Grind", your better be able to back up your title with your music or else you're gonna look like real bunch of assholes. For a new, up and coming band this can be some dangerous territory to dread in and if I was to judge a book by it's cover(in this case title) I would think Your Enemy were a crappy, lo-fi mince/shitcore band. Fortunately, this is not the case! Your Enemy's first release steers clear from the usual expectations of a demo; crappy recordings, sloppy playing, etc., and instead goes right for the listeners throat all through out it's 7 minute run time. Very well recorded and well executed deathy-grind in the veins of bands like Assuck and Terrorizer(but ya know, not like this). Whole lotta blasting, not a whole lot else. There are occasional grooves and slow bits, which help this release not suffocate under it's own relentlessness. But this demo isn't supposed to be about "the catchy bits" or "the sick grooves". It's about being a short, sweet, and visceral shot of blasting grindcore. Not very original, but very solid and enjoyable demo. You can download the demo here and stream their split tape with Human Waste here.

Rating: 7.5/10

~VII

To Live a Lie Will Reissue Magrudergrind's - "Crusher" 10"!

Magrudergrind's "Crusher" EP is pretty much the ground zero for the whole "Scion controversy" in the extreme music scenes. The idea of a well established and highly respected grindcore/powerviolence band  having something released by a car company of all things got everybody's collective panties in a knot and fueled a whole lot of outrage and confusion(even though Magrudergrind hadn't changed there style at all, and the resulting release was, dare I say it, one of the best things they've ever recorded). Opinions are opinions, but all of you who dismissed "Crusher" because of it's background should be happy with this; To Live a Lie will be re-issuing the EP on 10" vinyl with different artwork, and no with no Scion involvement. According to TLAL founder WIll Butler, the re-issue will look very similar to the Bones Brigade Records version that was released last year, and will include an 18"x 18"poster. The vinyl will be limited to 600, 400 on black and the remaining 200 on opaque red vinyl. Very excited for this release, since I'm one of the people who was too late to snag one of the BB 10"s. This should be released very very soon, so keep a look out. And if you haven't heard this awesome EP yet, do yourself a favor and click "play" on the video below!

~VII

New Noisear Video "Ignorance Is Bliss"

Noisear just premiered the video for their track Ignorance Is Bliss from Subvert the Dominant Paradigm over at Metal Injection. This is one of my favorite songs from the album, and it's a pretty cool video.

~Andrew Lipscomb

Priapus/Old Painless - Split Review

This is one of those releases that can really help a band break through from the underground into significantly more well known territory. A split release where both bands recordings are so good, that people will have no choice but to stop what they're doing and pay attention. These two relatively unknown North Carolina bands have teamed up to bring us truly, the first great split of 2012.

I was one of the people who slept on Priapus's 2011 release "Air Loom", but after hearing the 3 songs on here, consider me a definite fan! BRUTAL technical deathgrind; mixing the very best musical qualities from bands like Malignancy and Maruta(definitely Maruta), with more hardcore/Richard Johnson sounding vocals which help give Priapus a refreshing sound compared to the rest of the bands of this genre. The Maruta comparisons are pretty much unavoidable because honestly, this band sounds pretty much identical to the recently disbanded band. So much so that Priapus can pretty much feel free to reclaim the throne that Maruta left vacant a few months ago. The musicianship is stupidly good, highly technical riffs with very well timed breakdowns and occasional crushing slow riffs. Guitar players will listen to this and instantly lose confidence in there abilities. Truly top notch grinding right here. 

On the flip-side is Old Painless, playing a more spazzy and noisier(as in there are noise samples in the mix) take on the grind genre. Though not spazzy in the same way bands like The Locust(they're not grind, just using them as an example) are, but more in the same vein as a band like Psychic Limb. Undeniably keeping the punk and edge to their grinding sound, but adding enough strange guitar riffs and sounds to keep things interesting throughout. CRAZY vocals too! Like, Cloacal Kiss/The Afternoon Gentlemen type of crazy. Vocalists that can scream in this high a register get a bravo from me just for shredding their throat up this much for the sake of their band. If I did have one complaint though, it's that there side seems very short. Like there's not a whole lot of music there type of short, ya know what I mean? The first track serves more as an intro, and the last half of the closing song is just feedback. Minor complaint, just nitpicking, don't listen to me. In closing, bands this good can't be ignored for long, and these guys are gonna get some serious recognition soon, so watch out! Listen/download/purchase the 7" here(Priapus bandcamp) and here(Old Painless bandcamp). 

Rating: 9/10

~VII

SMG/Daisycutter-Split(Review)

SMG are a band from Shah Alam City, Malaysia. This is the first of their material I’ve heard, so I can’t compare it to past releases, though I will say I expected this to be much noisier. I mean, when your Last.fm bio includes the phrase “flithy [sic] noisegrind,” one gets certain expectations. Anyway, what we have here from SMG is four tracks of mincecore with some distinctly Eastern touches that go beyond laughably poor English lyrics (though those are here as well). So what do I mean, you ask? Take for example the sample at the beginning of track two, “Strong In Group.” It’s two entirely out of context seconds of someone rapping, and not even a full line. It’s like they really liked Magrudergrind’s “Heavier Bombing” and wanted to make their own version, but without any understanding of hip-hop.

The production on this side is a bit thin and quiet. Shit, if you were to tell me they used a $100 Squier out of a half-functioning cassette deck to record the guitars, I’d believe you. Drums sound like standard raw grindcore drums and the vocals are the typical incomprehensible URRRRZURRRRRRFRRRRRRRRRRR that everyone loves. Now if any part of this review seems negative, I can assure you it’s not. Every single idea present in these four tracks rules so hard it’s probably illegal in most municipalities. SMG unapologetically make raw as fuck grindcore. Listen or don’t. (Also, a million bonus points to the band for including the phrase “annihilate fake fucks” on the insert.)

Daisycutter take up the B-side of the split with eight tracks of a grindier take on Infest. I actually have heard these dudes before on the “Invertebrate” 7” as well as their split with Socially Retarded. And I’d be lying to you if I said this was their best. The last track, “It’s An H.M.B.S. World,” is so pointless I really don’t even know why they put it on here. Maybe they wanted to make a noise track? Who knows, but good lord is that track unnecessary. That’s not to say it’s all bad though. “Self Righteous Slave” features some quality riffing, and the Infest-styled vocals that briefly appear in “260” rule so hard. Overall though, this really isn’t the best I’ve heard from the band. If you find yourself enjoying their side, be sure to pick up a copy of “Invertebrate,” as it features everything done here but better.

~S Thomas Posega

Nails/Skin Like Iron - Split Review

Did y'all know that Nails have a new split coming out at the end of the month? How cool is that! The California trio will be sharing a split 7" with fellow west coasters Skin Like Iron, which will be released for public consumption January 31st. This will be a one time, limited pressing of 1000 copies, something that collector snobs everywhere will be dying to get their hands on quick! Side A features 2 songs from Skin Like Iron, which serve as my formal introduction to this band. They play a melodic, uplifting sounding, moshable style of metallic hardcore. And aside from the vocals there's not a whole lot in these two songs to distinguish them from the rest of the pack of bands like this, or turn me into a fan. D-beats galore, and more major-key guitar leads than you can shake a stick at. I've heard this style done a lot, and I've never been into it really. And again aside from the vocals, which go for a more raspy, metal sound, they just don't sound different or interesting to me. Pass 

Now on the flip-side, we got Nails. A band that I am a huge fan of and am always interested in new material from. 2 tracks from them as well, and I believe these are also to be included on their upcoming full-length which will be released later this year. The first song, "Annihilation", is an almost 3 minute mid-tempo chugger. Heavy as shit production, almost bordering on sounding too thick and soupy, but just still destructive as hell. This recording makes Skin Like Iron's side sound like the newest bubblegum pop record. One noticeable change I hear is the more higher register vocals from singer Todd Jones. I thought he would be switching it up a little bit judging from some recent live videos. Still sounding sick there Todd! Thanks for not adopting those death growls. Their side ends with a quick 24 second blaster called "Cry Wolf", showing that Nails still got the fast songs in them. Stoked as hell for the new record! You can stream the new split over at the Deciblog here, and pre-order the 7" at Nails merch store. 

Rating: 6.5/10

~VII

Grind Worldwide: Czech Republic

So a few days ago I got this mad idea to do a series of articles about grind bands from around the world, each article focusing on a different country. We're all familiar with American bands by now, and the big name European bands like Rotten Sound from Finland, Nasum and Regurgitate from Sweden, Cripple Bastard from Italy, etc. But I wanted to use these posts to shed light on some of the more less well known bands whose presence may be overshadowed by these bigger artists. Keep in mind, that writing about every band from X country would be near impossible, the bands listed are ones that I a) know about, and b) are bands that I think are really good. If you know of any bands that you feel should have been mentioned, feel free to drop their names in the comment section. So without further ado, let's being the first post of Grind Worldwide, starting with the Czech Republic! Not only the spawning ground of many, many awesome bands, but also the home of the Obscene Extreme Festival, probably the biggest grindcore fest in the world!

Spasm: I really can't talk about Czech grind without naming at least a couple of their gore/pornogrind bands, there are hundreds of them! And honestly, quite a lot of them are excellent! Those 2 subgenres, particularly pornogrind, are generally despised among many grindcore fans, but the Czech do it so well! One of my favorites has to be the mighty Spasm! A perverse, grooving, drum/bass grind trio who write simple, fun and slamming pornogrind. The bass tone these guys capture is phenomenal, and really fills up the space that a guitar would fill if included. It really is the tone I associate with Czech grind bands; full, distorted, beefy, bassy and warm. Their front man is also very noteworthy, a rather large gentlemen who performs in nothing but a Borat bathing suit and occasianally a pig head S&M mask. Gotta love it. 

Jig Ai: Here's another pornogrind band that I just gotta talk about, not only because they absolutely slay, but also because the members have branched out into several other bands in the Czech scene. Jig Ai themselves are another trio, and arguably one of the more well known bands in the pornogrind genre, and for good reason. The riffs they right are caveman simple, but super groovy and as infections as herpes. That super full, warm guitar tone is there as well, and they boast some of the most ridiculous vocals in the genre, plus they are fun as hell to watch live! The musicians of Jig Ai have also been in numerous other bands including Destructive Explosion of Anal Garland, Eardelete and Negligent Collateral Collapse.

Needful Things: I could do a whole damn article about how much this band kicks ass. In my opinion, Needful Things are one of the most criminally overlooked grindcore bands going right now. Pure fucking grind excellence from this Czech quintet; great memorable riffs, blasting momentum, and a vocalist who writes some of the best vocal patterns in grind. I know that's a weird thing to focus on, but I honestly just love the way he structures his vocals around the riffs, and in that respect Needful Things music just sounds very well done and structured. Their album "Dead Point" is something everyone should check out, and I'm super happy that they're on the bill for this years Maryland Deathfest. 

Lycanthropy: Lycanthropy's a band that I'm sure a bunch of you have heard of, they are starting to get a bit more popular in the states. A grind band that has a very nice mix of old-school grind with modern speed and intensity with some fastcore style stop-start song structures. I sense a very big Phobia influence from these guys and gal. Great vocals too, high pitched from the lovely lead screamer Zdisha and hardcore backing yells. Super solid grindcore! I believe Give Praise records is re-issuing their full-length for the states. 

Amoclen: Amoclen are a band that I've been getting heavily more into the past few months. "Medical grindcore"(dig that crazy band logo), weird but not that far out musically, and fronted by a FUCKING GIANT. Seriously, this guy has to be almost 8 feet tall, it's pretty intense. Their whole schtick should tell you that this isn't your normal grindcore. It's still intense and heavy, but has a certain charm, while not being as wild as a band like Antigama or Swarrrm. They have very little releases, and they're kinda hard to find here in the states, which is a shame. I'm on the prowl!!

~VII

Please Help Sergio(ACXDC) Pay For His Daughters Heart Surgery

Sergio, vocalist for ACXDC and friend of OG, has posted a rather troubling report a little while ago on the ACXDC Facebook page. His daughter Savina is going into heart surgery soon and as we all know, that shit ain't cheap. Anything that any of you can do, be it donate or buy records/merch from their big cartel, would be greatly appreciated and helpful to help pay for his daughters surgery. Here is what Sergio posted:

This is my daughter Savina (Azellea in the background). Savy has to have heart surgery and it's going to cost a lot. If you'd like to help you can donate via PayPal at sergioamalfitano@yahoo.com or buy ACxDC albums on our bandcamp (ACxDC.bandcamp.com) or buy some merch well be making or attend some benefit events in the upcoming months. It would mean a lot if you could spread the word. Any support is much appreciated. 

Scary stuff, and we here at OG wish his daughter and family the best. A special shirt design is being made for the upcoming benefit shows, and I believe they will be up for sale online in the near future. Buy merch here and here. 

(shirt design)

Good Luck Savina!!

~VII 

VII's Top 10 Albums of 2011

I'll keep this short, since none of you probably read these introduction things anyway. 2011 was a really really really good year in my opinion. Definitely better than 2010. There were so many awesome albums, splits, EP's and demos released this year, that listening to them all would be pretty much impossible. However, this year more so than past years I have spent most of my listening time with new music that was released in 2011, and I think I'm finally satisfied with the list I've compiled to show off my personal favorites.

#10: Beastie Boys - "Hot Sauce Committee Part 2" and Danny Brown - "XXX"(tie): I really couldn't decide which of these albums to put as my number 10, so I just copped out and decided to do my number 10 spot as a tie. The Beastie Boys album is on here mostly because of my fanboyness, I'm so glad that the B-boys were able to come back after their disappointing previous album "To The Five Burrows" and release what I think is the best stuff they've done in the last 10 years. Super fresh sounding production and futuristic beats, the Beastie Boys have proven that they've still got it and can still put out interesting and quality hip-hop.

Danny Brown on the other hand is an MC that I was introduced to a few months ago, and I've been playing his 2nd full-length "XXX" constantly since then. Danny is a nice breath of fresh air in the hardcore rap game, with his B-Real mixed with ODB style delivery, comedic and perverse lyrics about sex, drug abuse and street life, while still managing to sound legit and not gimmicky. It's a free album too, download that shit!

#9: Weekend Nachos - "Worthless": "Worthless" is an album that I wasn't that hot on the first few times I listened to it. The breakdowns and lack of variety in the songwriting were some grating pet peeves of mine that pretty much ruined the album for me. However, all my friends were really liking it, so I continued to listen to it throughout the year hoping to get over my annoyances. And I'm glad I did, because "Worthless" developed into a very enjoyable and rewarding listen to me eventually. The riffs are  great, the slow parts are devastatingly heavy, I love the drums, John's vocals are fierce as fuck, it's a super awesome and heavy hardcore record. Though I still skip the title track and the closing song "Future". 

#8: Wormrot - "Dirge": Here's another album that I wasn't in deep, passionate love with the first few listens. I really enjoyed it for the vicious, unrelenting 25-songs-in-18-minuets grind album that it was, but I felt like I was missing something to make me be completely head-over-heels about "Dirge". Turns out that thing I was missing was a fresh pair of ears and a some time off from it, cause after coming back to "Dirge" after several months off, it became one of my favorite albums of last year. Top notch musicianship, outstanding vocals and constant forward momentum, "Dirge" is one of the most solid pure grind albums of 2011. 

#8: Maruta - "Forward Into Regression": The sadly recently disbanded Maruta managed to go out with a bang and make there mark on the modern technical grind scene with "Forward Into Regression". One of the heaviest and grimiest tech-grind albums I've heard, opting to go for a dirtier and more raw sound as apposed to polished and clean like most albums of this style tend to be(thumbs up!). More awesome riffs that I can count, "Failure King" is a sludgy masterpiece, get this album if you haven't already!! RIP Maruta.

#6: Dead Language - "s/t": Powerviolence is a label that gets thrown around as much as "indie rock" nowadays, but the first(and hopefully not last) album from Dead Language is by all accounts, a powerviolence record. A "supergroup" comprised of veterans of the more forward thinking bands of the genre(Iron Lung, No Comment, Running For Cover), Dead Language managed to simultaneously capture the essence of all those bands and still manage to sound exciting and not dated. I definitely think this album will be one of those sought after treasures in the next several years, if you haven't gotten it yet, hurry the fuck up!

#5: Shabazz Palaces - "Black Up": I think the closing lyric of this album sums up the entire vibe of this album perfectly; "this shit is way too advanced". Shabazz Palaces have unleashed one of the most creative, interesting and original hip-hop records of the year, without a shadow of a doubt. The beats and vocal productions are so bizarre and mind-bending, its hard not to admire "Black Up" just by how out-there it is. It's an incredible and adventurous album that I haven't heard a whole lot of people talk about, but those who have are singing it's praises, and rightfully so. 

#4: Rotten Sound - "Cursed": Finnish grind gods Rotten Sound have done it again with "Cursed", probably the catchiest grind album I heard in 2011. While managing to not lose a single drop of intensity and heaviness, Rotten Sound have created one of their most varied albums filled with speed junkie blasters, mid-tempo groovers, d-beat crusters and devastating sludge monsters, and still sounding like Rotten Sound the whole way through. And did I mention that it's catchy as fuck? You know it, bravo Rotten Sound!

#3: Bastard Noise - "Skulldozer": "Skulldozer" is one of those rare albums that managed to live up to all the expectations and hype surrounding it. They said it was gonna be the best BN album to date, and low-and-behold, it is. Hallelujah everybody!! The songwriting is top-notch("Earth on a Stretcher", fuck yeah), the production is loud and heavy as fuck, and the addition of Aimee on vocals and noise is just perfect. Eric Wood and company have created another benchmark in the growing SKULL legacy. Hails!!!

#2: Psychic Limb - "Queens": THE grindcore album that every single one of you should have heard this year, but probably didn't, which is a real fucking shame. While the actual title of "full length" might be questionable(12 songs in 9 minutes) "Queens" is still probably the most flawless grindcore album I've heard in 2011. Everything is perfect, the production, the riffs, the songs, the vocals, the guitar and drum performances, EVERYTHING!! If this band doesn't get some recognition in 2012, I will lose all hope for humanity. Get.this.album!!!

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#1: Death Grips - "Exmilitary": Some of you might be dreadfully confused as to why I chose a hip-hop album of all things as my favorite album of 2011. I can hear you now; "you were doing so well listing all those awesome grind albums, but you lost me with your number 1, I don't like this, I want my mommy!". Well, while creating this list and choosing my favorite album of the year, I had to take several factors into consideration; what album have I listened to the most this year? What album have I continuously enjoyed all year? What album have I always come back too, etc. My answer to all of these question is without a doubt "Exmilitary", my #1 album of the year. Holy shit, did this free album blow me away. Mind-bending and heavy as fuck hip-hop that challenges the listener and pummels them into submission at the same time. Everytime I listen to this album I'm satisfied, it's just so good. The production is raw, noisy, heavy and abrasive as all hell, but still memorable. The vocal performance by MC Ride is just awe inspiring. He just constantly goes hard over these tracks, and honestly, would fit right in fronting a heavy hardcore band. Honestly, you've all probably heard all there is to hear about this album already over the year, so I won't waste your time babbling about shit you already know. It's my favorite album of 2011, and that's that. Brilliant.

Honorable Mentions:

• Fuck the Facts - "Die Miserable"
• Defeatist - "Tyranny of Decay"
• Sulaco - "Build and Burn"
• Mastodon - "The Hunter"
• Touche Amore - "Parting the Sea Between Brightness and Me"
• Tom Waits - "Bad as Me"

~VII

Deep Wounds: Band of the Week That You Should Know: Hiatus

One of the most difficult things about writing this article, I have come to the conclusion, is defining obscure. For you see, one man's cult act is another man's bread and butter: essentially their daily-ritual band. Thusly, this was the predicament I was faced with when choosing to do an article on Hiatus. If you ask any Mince band worth their salt, whose riffs and breaks they’re raping these days, this band will more than likely roll off of their tongue - along with the usual Unholy Grave, Agathocles and Rot references. Be that as it may, you don't hear the average grind fan talking up these Belgian Crust Grind legends nearly enough as much they deserve. And man, do they deserve it.

They first came onto the scene in 1989, just a few short years after the first wave of Grind ripped across the UK, around the same time as fellow Belgian punk Grinders Agathocles. Their impact was immediately felt in the crust punk scene, sadly however, they were somewhat overlooked by certain areas of the Grind world and to a large extend, still are to this day. They released a handful of demos before recording their now seminal, “I don't Scare Easily but...” E.P., which in my personal opinion was one of the defining points in their career; a career that spanned from the late 80's (Prime era Grind) to the mid-90's (Prime era Crust Punk). Hiatus were around long enough to fuck shit up but managed to be one of the 90’s crust bands to not overstay their welcome (No Diatribes to be found in their absolutely bullet proof Discography). They broke up in the prime of their careers, shortly after the completion of their self-titled mini LP released on Profane Existence.

Undeniably, Hiatus were right on time with their era in terms of sound, but they also managed to be slightly ahead of their time, considering the indisputable influence they had on a number of other mid-90's crust grind rippers. Their sound was an almost Pre-Disrupt Disrupt sound, and much tighter sounding than some of their peers at the time. There are some really great and unexpected time changes on most of their records. Their recordings are mostly of a very lo fi and blown out nature, it’s especially evident in the vocals. That said, I personally love to hear a voice break up/mike feedback into the recording, but if you’re a production snob, that may be the only thing you’d be able to knit pick about this band. Other than that, Hiatus should be every grindheads go to fix for raw-as-fuck crust grind and evolve from merely being part of the mince crowds’ playlists.

~Tommy Johnson

Listen to the new Napalm Death track - "Leper Colony"

A little more than a month from now, and a new Napalm Death album (their 14th!!) will be unleashed upon the world. I know we're all very excited to hear the full thing, but for now this newly released track called "Leper Colony" will have to do until February. It's a pretty kick ass song, an obvious continuation from their last full length "Time Waits For No Slave"; occasional weird chords, tight musicianship, and Barneys rabid dog roar is still as fierce as ever. The choruses however whip out some layered, droning, clean vocals reminiscent of the title track of their last album. Admittedly, I wasn't a fan of it then and I'm not a fan of it now, it's a pretty weak chorus. From what I've heard there's supposed to be even more weirdness on this album including a saxophone bit, which I am quite interested in hearing. You can stream the new track over at Brooklyn Vegan here, and pick up "Utilitarian" on February 27th.

~VII

Grindcore "All-Stars" Share Their Favorite Albums of 2011!

Vii and I recently asked a few people from some of our favorite bands to make lists of their favorite releases of 2011, here is what we got...

Eric Wood(Bastard Noise):
In no particular order:

• v/a - "Short, Fast + Loud #24 10" Compliation"
• Maruta - "Forward Into Regression"
• Weekend Nachos - "Worthless"
• Merzbow + Balazs Pandi - "Ducks: Live in N.Y.C"
• Despise You/Agoraphobic Nosebleed - "And On And On..."
• Brutal Truth - "End Time"
• Noisear - "Subvert The Dominant Paradigm"
• Retox - "Ugly Animals"
• The Communion/Transient - split 10"
• Low Threat Profile - "s/t"

Paul Sunderland(founder of Give Praise Records):

There have been so many radical releases that have come out this past year -- so many bands from over the pond that are really on the ball! These are 5 that you should make it a point to check out!

• 1: Gaz-66 Intrusion - "Power Without Violence" 7"
• 2: Suffering Mind - "s/t"
• 3: Voetsek/Barbatos/Minikons - "3 Way Split"
• 4. Keitzer - "Descend Into Heresy"
• 5. General Surgery - "Necrology(Re-issue)" 10"

Will Butler(founder of To Live a Lie Records):

• Bastard Noise - "Skulldozer"
• Archagathus - "Canadian Horse"
• Magrudergrind - "Crusher"
• Dead Language - "s/t"
• Vile Intent - "Regression To The Mean"
• Sea of Shit - "s/t"
• Pig Heart Transplant/The Endless Blockade - split
• v/a - "Brutal Supremacy"
• Lost Tribe - "s/t"
• Low Threat Profile - "Product #2"

Dorian Rainwater(Noisear):

• 1: Maruta - "Forward Into Regression"
• 2: Psudoku - "Space Grind"
• 3: Grindlink - "Orphan"
• 4: Wormrot - "Dirge:
• 5: Brutal Truth - "End Time"
• 6: Rotten Sound - "Cursed"
• 7: Dim Mak - "The Emergence of Reptilian Altars"
• 8: The Afternoon Gentlemen - "Pissdography"
• 9: Shit Life - "Shitscography"
• 10: Despise You/Agoraphobic Nosebleed - "And On And On..."

Mike Stitches(Standing on a Floor of Bodies, ex-Thousandswilldie):

• Owen Hart - "Earth Control"
• Crowbar - "Sever The Wicked Hand"
• Thou - "To The Chaos Wizard Youth"
• Noisear - "Subvert The Dominant Paradigm"
• Monarch - "Sortliege"

Topon Das(Fuck the Facts):

• 1: Defeatist - "Tyranny of Decay"
• 2: KEN Mode - "Venerable"
• 3: Ulcerate - "The Destroyers of All"
• 4: Secret Chefs 3 - "Saptarshi/Radar"
• 5: Today is The Day - "Pain Is a Warning"
• 6: Ghost - "Opus Eponymous"
• 7: Alaskan - "Adversary; Woe"
• 8: Collider - "s/t EP"
• 9: Motivator - "s/t EP"
• 10: The Sun Through a Telescope - "Summer Darkyard"

Cody Monceaux(Lt. Dan):

• Paucities - 4 quick minces cassette
• Gowl / Stone Titan split cassette
• Total Hipster Crusher / Shootingspree, Humanity? split cassette
• Scaphe - Forking Paths LP
• Crush Your Canadian Idols comp LP
• Pizzahifive / Powercup split cassette
• Violent Gorge / Agathocles 7"
• Six Brew Bantha / Archagathus
• Pizzahifive / Infernal Stronghold 7"
• Sakatat / Matka Teressa 7"
• Death Toll 80k - Harsh Realities LP
• Archagathus - Coffee Grinder LP
• Archagathus - Canadian Horse LP
• Mesrine / Sakatat 7"

Adam Jennings(Winters In Osaka, Sick/Tired, Paucities):

• 1. Harpoon "Deception Amongst Birds"
• 2. Psudoku "Space Grind"
• 3. Sea of Shit "s/t" 7 ''
• 4. The Endless Blockade-11 minute last tape
• 5. Bastard Noise "Skulldozer"
• 6. Noisear "Subvert the Dominant Paradigm"
• 7. Dead Language "s/t" LP
• 8. Disgust/Joshua Norton Cabal split
• 9. Asshole Parade/Slight Slappers split
• 10. Bongripper "Sex Tape/Snuff Film"

non grind/metal/noise:

• 1. Cut hands-Fact magazine mix (awesome mix from william bennet of whitehouse's new project!)
• 2. Michael Perkins "Mr. 666"
• 3. Hatcha/Benton - november mix, getdarker.com

Arif Rot(Wormrot):

• 1. Trap Them-Darker Handcraft
• 2. Necromorph-Grinding Black Zero
• 3. Psudoku-Space Grind
• 4. Code Orange Kids-Cycles
• 5. The Afternoon Gentlemen-Pissedography
• 6. Dead In The Dirt-Fear
• 7. Feastem-World Delirium
• 8. Priapus-Air Loom
• 9. Punch-Nothing Lasts
• 10.Full of Hell-Roots of Earth Are Consuming My Home

Dustin Johnson(Actuary):

• 1.This Comp Kills Fascists Vol. 2: Lack of Intersest AND Marion Barry.............Superbad, Noisear, the list goes on..........this album OWNS!
• 2. Wake The Machines/Morose-tour split: Because Wake the Machines are bad ass.............
• 3. Bastard Noise-Skulldozer: A heavy as fuck ode to the fucked up state of affairs going on here on the earth mother...........the melodies leave you with an air of hope though......complete with knuckle-dragging "skull" noise and electronics.
• 4.Liver Cancer-Horrible Moment: Straight no chaser.....heavy harsh noise and power electronics with vocals.........a demon conjuring good time.
• 5.Fetus Eaters/Megatron-split: Proper West Coast powerviolence and grindcore.........
• 6.+DOG+-Bliss: Rolling walls of harsh noise.............good for the soul and pleasant to the ear.
• 7.Agoraphobic Nosebleed/Despise You-And On and On...: Love me some Despise You.............and ANb come out of left field with some slow and heavy shit..............both sides are brutal.
• 8.Godstomper/Hotfuckactiontothemaxxx-split cassette: HFATTM makes beautifully layered noise...........Godstomper come out swinging on a dance kick......good stuff, must have.
• 9.Endometrium Cuntplow-Ecoplasty: Noise that goes back and forth between ambient soundscapes and harsh noise walls..............epic.
• 10. Brutal Truth-End Time: Relentless non-stop heavy as fuck grinding..................complete with noise from Winters in Osaka.........yowza.

Thomas Leyh(Water Torture, Inerds, Hoglust, Pacing, etc.)
In no particular order:

• Mellow Harsher: s/t - Graem from SFNs new band. so fucking fast and out of control.
• Scaphe: forking paths lp- duel bass heaviness from minne.
• Madlib: Medicine Show-theres 13 out, ive heard almost all of them. theyre all good.
• Dead Language: s/t lp- I cant listen to this record enough. Probably my favorite of 2011.
• Domo Genesis: Rolling papers lp- Im really losing intrest in odd future, but rolling papers is fucking awesome.
• Column of Heaven: demo- members of endless blockade, cant wait to hear more of this.
• The body: LP- crushing 2 piece, loudest band live. Super heavy and doomy.
• Scapegoat:LP- picks up where crossed out left off. So fast and pissed.

Marc Sabo(Gozer, OG Contributor):
Top Ten Albums of 2011 *the fuck you I cannot listen to grindcore 24/7 edition*

• Baring Teeth-Atrophy: Gorguts-Obscura era weirdness with lots of drone. I think the next album is going to be pretty massive.
• Sulaco-Build And Burn: I hate everyone for not talking about how awesome this record is. Seriously, what is wrong with you people?
• Wormrot-Dirge: Nuff said.
• VYGR-Hypersleep: Space themed sludge metal that is more concerned about cracking skulls than building moods. More please.
• Ghostlimb-Infrastructure: Another one you people are fucking up on. Best melodic hardcore album I’ve heard in ages.
• Gigan-Quasi-Hallucinogenic Sonic Landscapes: One of the strangest death metal albums I have heard in a long time. Up there with Obscura as far as i am concerned *yes i hold Gorguts' Obscura in high esteem. Put on your big boy hat and deal with it*
• Maruta-Forward: Into Regression: This album destroys. Brutal, fast, and memorable. Also one of the casualties of the year. They will be missed.
• Cloud Rat-s/t: I reviewed this in the summer so I will not repeat myself here. Cannot wait for new material.
• Noisear-Subvert The Dominant Paradigm: The riffing on this gives me that same feeling I had the first time I heard Human Remains. Vital stuff.
• Robocop-Robocop II: One word. Vicious. If you have heard anything from the split they are working on then you know they have already topped this in terms of intensity. One to watch in 2012.

This was pretty hard to put together. A lot of amazing releases came out this year and and I do not have enough time or money to keep up with everything.

Justin Abare(No Comply):

(1.) AssholeParade / Slight Slappers split -12".
(2.) Starvation - 6".
(3.) Dead Language s/t 12".
(4.) No Static?
(both of their 7"s on Iron Lung recs + their 12" on Prank).
(5.) Capitalist Casualties - Live in Nagoya 12".
(6.) Bastard Noise - "skulldozer" - 12" + CD w/ bonus tracks!
(7.) Low Threat Profile - "product #2" 12".
(8.) Coke Bust - "deggredation" 7".
(9.) Magrudergrind - "crusher" 10".
(10.) A.N.S. / Agoraphobic Nosebleed "gang green tribute" split 5".
(11.) Despise You / Agoraphobic Nosebleed split 12".
(12.) Worlds - ltd.#200 pro cassette tape.
(packaged in a silk screened cardstock box, w/ patch & sticker inside).
(13.) XBrainiaX - "Deprogrammed" gatefold 12".
(14.) Bastard Squad / Elephant Man - split CD.
(15.) Mind as Prison / Disciples of Christ - split 7".
(16.) Lack of Interest / Capitalist Casualties - split 7" (free w/ Short, Fast & Loud #23 or #24? Zine).
(17.) ACxDC - "the second coming" - 7".
(18.) P.L.F. - "pulverizing lethal force" - CD.
(19.) Vennt s/t - CD.
(20.) Knuckle Scraper - (everything they've ever released... Both full length 7"s = Max isn't the Bastard + R.I.P. ~ plus their comp tracks on - "trapped in a scene" - 12"/CD + the "gulf coast hard core" 12" comp.) I know they didn't release anything in 2011, but they are R.I.P. AND... !!!They were the sickest!!!

Ryan Page's(Robocop/Body Hammer) Favorite Releases of 2011

In keeping with the ubiquitous preamble and qualification before every year end list in 2011, let me to briefly pretend that most Operation Grindcore readers are not intelligent, understanding people and pander to the "I can't believe you left _____ off the list! what the fuck?!" crowd:

This is not any official list, and it is not intended to represent OP's take on the best albums of the year. If you see any glaring admissions, take comfort in the fact that not only do I not care, but the internet exists, and it is begging for numbered lists.

Without further justification for the fact that I was only barely aware of new music this year, I'll thank Andrew for asking me to do this, and get around the arbitrary ordering.

8. Agoraphobic Nosebleed/Despise You: and on and on…

While I am generally more of, for lack of a better word, a traditional ANB fan (my favorite release is still 'Frozen Corpse Stuffed With Dope'), of the recent crop of releases my favorites have been decidedly mid tempo. This l.p. and their split with Insect Warfare display interesting, self contained concepts, and, to a certain extent, a sense of theatricality that becomes more difficult at faster tempos. 'And on and on…' is not particularly different from Agorapocalypse, but, I have to say I was much more interested in this material. Maybe I am simply getting weaker of stomach but Agorapocalypse becomes too much for me to take as a full length (which is not to say I don't respect the album). I also felt that with this split the production became a bit less sterile; there seems to be less compression and processing.

Despise You's career I've followed less closely than that of ANB, but everything I've heard previously has impressed me. With that said, I quite enjoyed the changes to their sound on this release. I actually feel like both bands came a little closer to each other's style, adding consistency to the split. Both of the bands vocalists assert wildly divergent styles that compliment each other well. I especially liked the high pitched vocals occasionally bursting through, it serves as an aural dead ringer for the squealing whammy bar slayerisms of ANB's side.

7. Wadge: Grindcore Luau

Wadge is a great example of humor in extreme music done well. Grindcore Luau is a perfect distillation of this. The album opens with ANB vocalist and (excellent/underrated) Drugs of Faith frontman Richard Johnson tearing through the first of many Napalm Death tributes/parodies. I think part of the reason this album stuck with me is that it seems like a degree of care was taken with the lyrics, art and music, so that the theme was executed in a fairly clever way, with minimal emphasis on the usual misogynist/gore/br00tal stupidity that often substitutes for humor in post carcass/internet extreme music.

6. Weekend Nachos: Worthless

Weekend Nachos have consistently, despite what is perhaps the worst moniker in extreme music (yeah, I know 'look who's talking') have consistently delivered as heirs to Infest. Its the kind of music that gets termed jocky that no jocks would ever listen to. While their previous releases were less contained and much more jagged in tone, this album offers another interesting variation on what is perhaps the greatest concentration of pure mongo anger in hardcore. It doesn't hurt that much of the finger pointing happens to be pointing in the right direction.

5. Gridlink: Orphan

This is a release that I probably should have liked more than I did. The album blends together some of the best elements from Discordance Axis and Hayaino Daisuki and contains the fastest, most articulate performances in grindcore in many years. The dynamics are great, and the album is considerably fuller sounding than 'Amber Grey'.

With that said, I honestly haven't listened to it that much. I hasn't really stuck with me in the way it has for others. For a period, I thought it was simply because of the hype surrounding it (not to mention the general shittiness of GrindToDeathGate), but now I am not quite sure. Regardless of my personal relationship to the album, I felt that it would be foolish not place Orphan somewhere on my list.

4. Autopsy: Macabre Eternal

Someone once told me that compared to Despised Icon and Suicide Silence, Autopsy sounded like lounge jazz. That person was a fucking idiot.

3. Toxic Holocaust: Conjure and Command.

I can see this as somewhat of a controversial choice considering that everyone is back to hating thrash metal. I'm not going to apologize for it, but if it helps, think of it as a d-beat record (if Deathwish/Southern Lord hasn't soured you to that particular genre tag yet).

I've always liked Toxic Holocaust and main man Joel Grind's unassuming nature. I've come to think that the contrast between the exaggerated misanthropy in his lyrics and his affable nature in person makes the self aware absurdity of his lyrics easier to take. I also find that it is apparent when someone is having fun in a genre they care about, rather than using pastiche to deflect insincerity.

All of which would matter very little, except that while ignoring trends for over a decade Grind has consistently improved with every release, peaking with this release or An Overdose of Death. Perhaps the biggest improvement is the use of a full band on the recording (previous albums were almost entirely recorded by Grind). This allowed for a greater range of tempo variation, a trait immediately apparent in the speed of album opener "Judgement Awaits You". The guitars also underwent a major improvement tonally, and in general the record sounds more natural than the occasionally dull sounding "Overdose".

2. Yob: Atma

I only recently picked up (read downloaded) this release, but Yob deserves all of its current (read overdue) acclaim. There are not many metaphors left to describe the album's sound, so I will simply point to the numerous glowing reviews and its high placement on numerous year end lists.



1. Column of Heaven: Ecstatically Embracing All that we Habitually Suppress

One of the difficulties in creating this list was that, as many records as I liked this year, few have drawn me in to repeated listens. There is a sense with many albums that everything that is contained is apparent on the surface. After listening to thousands of grindcore/metal/power violence tracks the form becomes fairly obvious, and far too often the the content becomes a matter of connecting dots.

By contrast (and poorly constructed dichotomy) Column of Heaven's debut e.p. has rewarded numerous listens and revisitations of the themes and concepts. Much like The Endless Blockade (the band from which COH is derived) Column of Heaven utilizes noise and power violence, along with intelligent lyrics and carefully considered artwork to create a gestalt of musical ritual evoking unease and paranoia that fragments into complexity upon close examination.

What was particularly interesting to me, as a musician within similar genre confines, was the massive leap towards the synthesis of influences. No longer do we have what has become (at least partially in the wake of TEB's influence) the nearly cliched organization of "hardcore song, noise track, etc." where the styles merely contrast each other. Instead the entire release blends together, with various elements disappearing or bubbling to the surface throughout the tape's short, but well-suited nine minute running time.

It is perhaps odd that my top album for this year is a band's first release, especially one that is shorter than most of the songs off my number 2 pick, I can only offer that it I personally consider this the first step beyond the confines of power violence that other bands (including my own) have only hinted at.

~Ryan Page

Curmudgeon-Human Ouroboros(Review)

I just recently heard this EP. I saw it posted on the TLAL facebook page, and TLAL has become my favorite label with some of my favorite new hardcore/pv/grind bands such as Sex Prisoner, Get Destroyed, ACxDC, Magnum Force, Eddie Brock, but most importantly two bands that have become my favorite bands, Lapse and D.O.C. I feel like those two bands encapsulate everything I want in powerviolence, definitely two of the angriest sounding bands I’ve ever heard. And now I think Curmudgeon has become my next favorite super pissed band. This band is relentless. They play a style of powerviolence that I think is a little more metal influenced, and they’re definitely not trying to be the fastest powerviolence band out there, in fact I think they rely more on groove then blast beats, but I really like that about them. But they have a great mix of everything, sludge, blasts, moshy mid tempo parts that make me want to destroy everything, d-beats, and even gang vocal parts that don’t sound like total bro bull shit, they just add to the intensity.

Another thing I really love about this EP is the production, it’s clean, but doesn’t sound over produced at all. And the fucking drums sound amazing, they pound your fucking head in, and they kind of sound like they have a little bit of an echo to them, which makes them sound really powerful, and it kinds of reminds me of drums on a doom metal album or something.
Now, lets talk about the vocals. When I first heard about curmudgeon(for anyone who doesn’t know, the singer is a female), my friend told me they sounded like Punch without any of the catchy parts. I don’t think that was a great description. First off, the vocals are nothing like the vocals in Punch. Don’t get me wrong, I love Punch, but the girls vocals can give me a headache after a while. I like Curmudgeon’s vocals more because it’s more of just a higher pitched yell, and I really like that I can make out most of the words the girl in this band is shouting because the lyrics kick ass! The lyrics for the most part are negative, but I feel like in the end are trying to convey a positive message. For example in the song “Worthless Generation” the lyrics are something like “Fuck me and fuck you too. The world tells me I’m not good enough, so it all must be true.” I feel like they’re trying to say, just because the world thinks our generation is useless doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to prove them wrong.

And the lyrics in the last song “Devoid” are also really great. It’s a song about consumerism, which is a subject that I feel passionate about, and this song just gets out exactly how I feel about it. Some of the lyrics go something like “I reject morality, while you reject everything, except another way to fulfill your desires. Ethics are not a dilemma when you ask yourself no questions. Living blindly to consume, you yourself are consumed. YOU YOURSELF ARE CONSUMED!” I don’t think it could be put any better than that. Very well written lyrics all around, and they’re all written in the vein of anger, which is what I fucking love.

This band delivers everything I want musically and lyrically. I really can’t ask for much more from this band. So if you’re a fan of really overly pissed off dark powerviolence such as D.O.C., or Lapse, or anything crushing... do yourself a favor and go listen to this band. http://curmudgeon.bandcamp.com/album/human-ouroboros-ep

P.S. for any hardcore fans in North Carolina, this band is playing NC on January 15th(at King's Barcade) with Torch Runner, another really fucking pissed band from NC that delivers live! And my new PV band Mad Dog!

GO LISTEN TO CURMUDGEON NOW

~Eli Thorp