Death Of Self - "Mental Disintegration": I would like to graciously thank Ethan, the singer from Death of Self, for emailing me and telling me about this new project. With all my heart, I thank you. This new EP, "
Mental Disintegration", from the Denver, CO grind trio is the total package when it comes to visceral, gut shredding grindcore. The recording is a deliciously raw/polished mix; big, fat guitar sound, crushing riffs that occasionally go into discordant territory, and some well places stops and starts. Also, people in the know should immediately singer/guitarist Ethan Lee from Clinging To The Trees Of A Forest Fire(long band name is long), and he dishes out proper vocal brutality. Dude sounds like a fucking animal. Seriously, Ethan is a straight up beast. The sludge/doom influences from CTTTOAFF present themselves on this EP now and again, but they're are thankfully kept to somewhat of a minimum and worked into the unrelenting, blasting grind chaos tastefully and naturally. Killer EP, pray for a physical release soon!
Revengeance - "John Q. Citizen": I don't get exposed to much hardcore from Portugal, so discovering Revengeance is a real treat for me. Fast hardcore with some 90's-era flavors is the name of the game here, 3-chord riffs and breakdowns blended in with fast tempos and some occasional blast beats, all captured in an excellent recording. I can see fans of bands like Extortion and Infest getting down with these guys pretty hard, and while I am a big fan of both those bands, there's on thing keeping me from really loving this EP; the female vocals. Hate me of you want, but I am rarely rarely RARELY a fan of male vs. female vocal deliveries when it comes to powerviolence/hardcore. Especially if her vocals are high pitched and cleanly sung, which they are here. It's like oil and water to me, it just doesn't mix. Didn't work for me with Hatred Surge, didn't work for me with Despise You and it doesn't feel right here. Overall though, it's a good EP worth checking out.
~VII
I really liked the Revengeance album, but for some strange reason the male vs. female vocals really worked for me. I'll definitely have to check out the Death of Self album (if only because of Ethan's contribution)
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