Wormrot Are Rising Again (with studio footage)

People, it has been a scorching hot minute since we've had anything new to jam from OG's favorite Singaporecore titans Wormrot. A real shame, since they really did have the grind scene by the short hairs for a bit around the time they went dormant. Very vocal that they were not, and had no plans to, break up. So we've been left spinning "Dirge" and "Abuse" very patiently for 3 years (still great records for sure). The band has posted bits and pieces of new stuff from live videos and general updates online, but at long last, actual concrete, professional video evidence of them in the studio has surfaced! Just footage of Fit and Rasyid laying down guitar and drums tracks to be more exact. And holy crap is it heavy as hell. The guitar tone in this video is already beefy, I can only imagine what it will sound like on record. Rasyid seems to adventuring a little in the riff department, throwing in some nice dissonance and other guitar sounds and chords. Fit as always is a madman on the skins, one of the most powerful grind drummers to watch.
I'm assuming Earache is releasing this forthcoming record. No word yet on a release date, or an album title. I expect updates to be pouring out sooner then later. You can see the footage the same place I did, right here.

~VII

Grind Worldwide: Singapore

Yeah, I'm doing another one of these. The first article in this series was very well received and quite popular, and yet also met with much criticism about the lack of my including this band and that band. No one's perfect, I'm not trying to list every single grind band from the country I'm choosing, my apologies if I get your panties in a bunch. I'm only human.

Now that I've gotten that out of the way, lets talk about Singapore. A small island country off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula. Grindcore fans worldwide really took notice of this country with the break out popularity of the excellent band Wormrot a few years ago. They definitely made me want to investigate what this country had to offer in terms of grind, but it's been a bit difficult finding bands on my own. Not a whole lot of bands from this country are talked about. A million thanks to all the people who have helped me and given me bands to check out.

Wormrot: Their inclusion is downright obligatory. I mean, this blog is named after one of there songs for christ sake. By far one of the most promising and solid grindcore bands going right now, with two excellent albums issued by OG grind label Earache Records, and a couple more splits and EP's, Wormrot have continued to amaze and grow in popularity. Their style is definitely inspired by the old-school (thrashy riffs, tastefully deep and piercing high vocals), and mixing it up with more modern tempos and start-stop song writing. One listen to their latest album "Dirge" will leave you catching your breath and trying to keep up with their relentless intensity. I think that a new album is in the works (fingers crossed), and also keep an eye out on singer Arif Rot's new project Code/Error, which also features members of Maruta and Noisear.

Magnicide: Here's another band that shows incredible quality, and I think could definitely become a widespread favorite if more people knew about them. Magnicide is a 3-piece grindcore band that started in the mid/late 2000's. Much like Wormrot, their style pays homage to the old-school nuances of grind, but beefs it up with the tempos and guitar tones of today. Hardcore punk fueled riffs are played at light speed, I definitley can make a big Phobia comparison. These guys have a few releases out, including a split 7" with OG favorites Noisear. Check them out, I think you'll like them.

Demisor: We're going way back now, back to the late 80's when grindcore was really starting to take off. I have no doubt that Demisor didn't contribute to the worldwide grind scene, but for Singapore, I can definitely see them being one of the first bands to play that style in the country. If you like your grind crusty and reeking of death and rotten flesh, listen to Demisor. A band that has never released a full-length in their entire existence, instead releasing split after split for decades. Kick ass stuff, recommended for fans of Agathocles, Dahmer and Denak. 

Fallen World: The great part of doing this series is that I get introduced to quite a few really excellent bands I might not have known about had I ventured into the countries scene. A big case in point; Fallen World. This is a top notch grindcore band, I believe there a 4-piece, who definitely know how to deliver all the goods. For one, the vocals are fucking excellent! A deep, low, crusty male delivery, and a second vocalist that sounds something like if Avi from Magrudergrind was a chick. Not the fastest grind band there is, instead opting for more of a 1-2-1-2 blast momentum, with some tasteful metallic tremolo picking and breakdowns added into the mix. Check these guys out.

Pluto: From what I can tell, this is a pretty knew and relatively young band. I definitely wouldn't call them a grindcore band, not even a powerviolence band. Grimy, sludgy hardcore music is what we have here. Very occasional blast riffs leading into mid-tempo to molasses tempo riffs make up the music on their four song demo. It's a pretty solid release with a nice, bassy production and really good vocals. I'm stoked to hear more material from this band in the future. Download the demo here.

~VII

Semi-Shitty live Recording Of A New Wormrot Song Makes Me Happy!

I think I remember hearing that a new Wormrot album was expected to be released this year. I pray to the grind gods that I'm right. Even if I'm not though, this video solidifies that the Singapore grindcore purists are writing new material, which is good to see. The sound quality in this video leaves a lot to be desired, but it doesn't take a lot of brain power to see that Wormrot are still kicking out the punk-as-fuck grind jams. Check it out below!

~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

Interview: Arif Rot(Wormrot, Rotworks)

If you are a grind fan, chances are that you have heard of and love Wormrot. Here is an interview I did with vocalist Arif over e-mail.

~Andrew Lipscomb

First off, you guys just got done touring Europe with Maruta, how was it?

The tour was awesome. Although there were ups and downs, but that's normal. Other than that, we're cool. We played soccer most of the time during the tour too. haha. I guess for us, touring Europe keeps getting better and better every year. We really appreciate seeing new and old faces once again. We had some awesome and not so awesome hospitality, but it's all good. We're still alive. That's all that matters. Luc and Luuk from Doomstar bookings did an awesome job on the tour. Cheers fellas! We bonded with the dudes from Maruta so much that we've already missed their ever so colorful characters. They were killing it every night! Fucken brownies!

You recently released Noise on Scion A/V, how do you think the reaction to it has been so far and how did you get hooked up with Scion?

If I'm not mistaken, we've just reached home from the US tour or was it Malaysia tour this year can't really recall. We immediately got an email from Earache saying we had an offer from Scion for an EP release. So hell yeah we grabbed the chance immediately. We're just glad that most of the reactions are awesome and some were a little bit too concerned regarding Scion and grind. Humans are humans. We don't bother. Huge opportunity to spread our grind? Yes, please. We played Scion Rockfest this year and they were being totally kickass with having 1st class accommodations, free shows and not to mention a very intense lineup throughout the day. They've been doing this for years so I don't see what's the point of blabbering. It's music. Scion are good people.

You guys released your sophomore album Dirge earlier this year too, are you surprised at how well it has been received?

Honestly we were and still are. As Abuse did so well amongst the masses especially for a debut, we're sort off pressurized to put out Dirge. It's pretty obvious there's difference in both albums. It's just how we progress after each album. We already have in mind that some of those who appreciate Abuse might not be digging Dirge as much. But then again we had reviews and people talking about it during tour, stating they dig it just made our day for sure. Really appreciate it. Changes or no changes between albums, keep in mind that we are still in the right path.

What was the writing/recording process like for Dirge? How did it differ from the writing/recording process of Abuse?

Simply said, we had all the time in the world for Abuse. There weren't any datelines and some of the tracks from Abuse were already written(taken from previous releases). As for Dirge, we had datelines. The Dirge recording process was way shorter than for Abuse. We managed to squeeze everything like song writings(from scratch) plus recordings in a month plus or so. Trying not to sound as rushed as possible because we are very picky with our tunes. And luckily for us everything turned out good and it was smooth sailing right after we were done. Also, I did the artwork for the back of Dirge in that particular month as well. Tight schedule? Kinda. haha

Dirge was also released as a free download; coming from an artist’s point of view do you still think physical formats are relevant?

Physical formats rule. I love vinyl, cds, and tapes. Downloads are fine. I download all the time too. Some people collect and some do not. Either way, our music will be heard. The free download thing was a surprised to us too. We didn't think that it would be leaked before the release date. Earache suggested just to give it away as a free download. We were skeptical, but come to think of it, people are bound to download it anyway. I mean Earache still put out physical copies. It's the listener's opinion on owning one. Like I said either way, people still have a spin at it. No problems there.

Speaking of you being an artist, I have noticed that you have done some really great work for some really awesome bands lately like Magrudergrind, Maruta, Grinned, etc., do you have any upcoming work that you are excited about?

Thanks dude! I've worked with Regurgitate, Obscene Extreme, Kill the Client, Oblivionized, Noisear, Nasum to name a few. As of now, I've been pretty backed up with tons of pending artworks till early next year. The one currently I'm working on is for Pig Destroyer. Pretty stoked on that one. Also another artwork for Magrudergrind at the end of the year, The Drip, Swamp Gas, Godawfulnoise and much more. There are also a number of tattoo designing requests, like body artworks.

What is the process like when making artwork for bands? Do they usually have a specific idea to give you, or do you just come up with something on your own? Also how long does it usually take you to complete a certain design?

Usually they have a certain theme to their artwork. All I need is their song titles, some of their lyrics and their songs. Making sure the artwork is "glued" together perfectly with the whole package. Some will leave it entirely to me when it comes to like tattoo designing. Initial sketches are always important. As long as the client is not satisfied with the composition, I won't rest until it is perfect. Once that is done the real work begins. Sketches take awhile depending on if I nailed it the first time around. But usually artwork takes me about 3 or 4 days to complete(without any conflicts with my personal shit). Mood plays a part too. Sometimes my brain dies for no apparent reason. No inspiration whatsoever. I will never work with a sloppy mind and give half fucked quality to my clients that's for sure.

Do you think the internet has helped Wormrot’s career?

A lot! We're a new band. We've never experienced sending tapes in the mail and waiting like a gazillion years for a reply. So yeah we definitely have the advantage on having everything confirmed fast. It's a good source to spread/promo your tunes to the rest of the world. The Internet helped us getting a record deal and touring. Awesomely pampered generation we are.

What is the scene in Singapore like?

It's ok. Not much going on now so far. The latest was Destruction came over yesterday. We've had bands like Dismember, Napalm Death, Toxic Holocaust, Misery Index tour here over the years. It's great how local promoters like Cynical Sounds and Reconstruct Bookings bring big bands to the local scene. We definitely do have a scene. But it's small as shit. We basically see the same faces every show and playing with almost the same bands over and over again. Shows in Singapore are fine. They are supportive. At times.

You have mentioned in interviews before that Wormrot started out as a deathgrind band, did you purposely decide to change to a more straight forward grind band, or did the change happen naturally?

It happened sort of naturally. We intended to play more of gore death grind-ish something like Disgorge from Mexico but it didn't happen due to Rasyid's interest of the genre. We tried, but failed miserably. He is more into punk oriented influences in terms of chords or whatever. The next closest extreme genre has to be grindcore. I'm always been into grindcore, but never thought of making a straight up grindcore band. Try outs were successful and we became more comfortable each day and finally found our perfect sound.

How were you introduced to grind?

The first grind band I listened to was Nasum. I didn't bother much with genres as long as it's fast and extreme. I discovered them through friends of mine back in the day. We were exchanging tapes to check out all sorts of metal. Not much of the internet browsing at that point of time. Bought few of their releases as years goes by and begin to research on such genre. From there, the internet came into the picture and broadened my mind on tons of grind bands. Also I have to mention, our local grind gods DEMISOR were partly the reason why I became a fan of grindcore. Something about grindcore during live sets just blew me away compared to other genres. Not being bias, but it's the fact. It has to be the energy.

Who are some vocalists that inspire you?

The dudes from Blockheads, Rahi from IW of course, Avi from Magrudergrind, Dave from PLF, Rich from The Afternoon Gentlemen, Jon Chang from Gridlink and lots more. They fucking rule BIG time.

Are there any grind/powerviolence/fastcore bands that you have been digging lately?

Been spinning lots of xbrainiax lately. Some bands that I just got to know of like Get Destroyed, Gripe thanks to Operation Grindcore. Nice name by the way haha. I'm sure I checked out a whole lot more but can't recall any for now. Pretty much playing the same old shit like Spazz, Infest, No Comment, Flachenbrand, Haemorrhage, Jesus Crost, Magnicide, Terrorizer, Trap Them, All Pigs Must die, Iron Lung, etc.

I always have to ask this question in interviews, if you were stuck on a desert island and could only bring 3 albums with you, what would you bring?

To listen to? if so, Tupac's Makavelli, The Afternoon Gentlemen's Pissedography, Boyz 2 Men. Works for every mood all the time. Those are basically the 3 genres I need in my life.

Do you listen to much music outside of grind/powerviolence/whatever?

Grindcore 24/7 is just stupid. I can't live with that. I'm a fan of soul and RNB. Also groups like Bone Thugs and Harmony, Beastie Boys, Prodigy, Tupac, etc. They are always in my playlist when I'm on tour. Sometimes you gotta cut the "Noise" down a little you know what I mean?

Thanks for doing this interview, any other comments?

Hey dude thank you so much for being very patient and cool as we were pretty packed up and taking forever to do this. Salute to you and Operation Grindcore . Keep that shit up you're doing a great job. Also we might be touring again next year and currently grinding some new tracks for the upcoming album. Cheers Andrew! Keep it grind!

Rageahol: Why Scion Doesn't Really Matter

So, I have been reading up on the whole Scion/metal controversy and have come to the conclusion that neither side of the whole thing makes any sense. At all.

Here are some of the typical responses I have seen when the topic comes up.

“All the bands that work with scion are sellout!!!!"

Did Magrudergrind add a keyboard player? Were the vocals on the last Gridlink album autotuned? Did Wormrot throw in a techno breakdown on the “Noise” EP that I haven’t heard about yet? No? Nothing like that happened? THEN SHUT THE FUCK UP! Sellout to me means changing your style in an attempt to "broaden your fanbase" AKA GIT THAT MONEY SON!!! None of the bands that have worked with Scion have done that. They're still making the same ugly ass music as before, thankfully. So, that argument is out the window.

"Now the scene is gonna get flooded with a bunch of trendy hipsters!!!"

Ummm...look around you. Too late, dipshit. Besides, that shit was gonna happen with or without Scion. It is just how it goes.

"I don't want some giant evil corporation nosing around in my scene!!!!"

Fair enough. I actually don't have a snarky comeback to that one. All I can say is, i never got my underwear in a bunch about that sort of thing. They make cars, not sure what is so awful about that. I have not really heard any stories about Toyota or Scion treating their employees like shit. You can make the argument that ANY 9-5 job is treating you like shit because it robs yer soul of whatever the fuck but, really? Grow up. As far as I know the cars are not made out of infant corpses *tho maybe that would be a plus for you goregrind guys yes?* so other than just a knee jerk reaction to corporate interaction, I don’t really think this point holds a whole lot of water, but I get it on some level.

The one thing that I have not really seen anyone talk about is why Scion would want to get involved in a very small subculture that has a tendency to reject dealing with people like them on general principle. Well, a quick Google search brings up this article. It looks like they have been doing this sort of thing from the start but just recently branched out into metal. I guess for them, its more along the lines of changing their image from a faceless multinational corporation to something with a bit more character. Scion's VP is quoted as saying that he does not really care if they get anything out of this. I am not necessarily buying that. They can only toss money at something for so long without seeing a return on it before it will come to an end, but lets give this guy the benefit of the doubt and take him at his word. So, a large corporation is offering to let underground bands do whatever the hell they want and keep 100% creative control of what they are doing. Shit. That's better than most record contracts I have read about. If these bands are giving up anything *other than cred amongst the internet nerds* I have yet to hear about it. Everyone involved has had nothing but positive things to say about working with the car company, so I have to ask. What's the problem? Go to the shows, get the free albums. No one is saying you have to ever give money to Toyota or Scion. In fact, it sounds like they are already counting on that. At the end of the day tho, I am not sure why everyone is upset about a group of people helping out bands we like and actually giving them respect for what they do. I think it’s a nice change of pace seeing people embrace creativity and rewarding them for it.

~Marc Sabo

Wormrot - "Noise EP" Review

Wormrot in 2011 is an unstoppable force of grind. They released their 2nd full length "Dirge", toured the USA and currently Europe, shared the stage of the 2011 Scion Rock Fest with the likes of Bastard Noise, Fuck the Facts, Floor and Nails among others, and now today see's the release of their brand new 5-track EP "Noise", released on Scion A/V/Earache Records.
I'm not gonna heavily get into the whole "Scion" debate, all I'll say is that I really dig what they're doing and that they are supporting awesome bands and probably spending crazy amounts of money so that we, the fans, can get free music and go to free shows. If you wanna bitch and complain about that, be my guest.
But I digress, "Noise" is 5 minutes and 11 seconds of brutal, fast, catchy grindcore that we know and love from Wormrot. A definite continuation from "Dirge" in terms of studio quality, though with a bit more beefy guitar tone this time around. The songs still retain the blazingly fast tempos, stop-start riffs and tempo changes, and stupidly good vocals from Arif. Though there are a few interesting nuances this time around, like the high register gang shouts in "False Assumptions", and the chaotic drum flurries and Iron Maiden-esque riff at the end of "Perpetual Extinction", probably my favorite song on the EP. The only flub I can think off is the curiously sloppy drumming on "Loathsome Delusions".
In the end "Noise" is another solid effort from Wormrot, a release that doesn't seem rushed and released just for the sake of having another release. You can download it for free here or wait for the CD and 10" versions (why the fuck not a 7"??), which I suggest cause you get to have the fucking awesome cover artwork. The Scion logo is even smaller this time around so y'all don't have to complain about that as much!

Rating: 8/10

~VII

Arif Rot's(Wormrot) Favorite Album Covers

Arif Rot is the singer of the spectacular grind band Wormrot(see my Album of the Week post on Dirge here) and he also is a extremely talented artist(check out his artwork here). I recently asked him to do a post about some of his favorite album covers, so here it is:



Insect Warfare - At War With Grindcore

When it comes to black and white artwork, I'm really a fan of the b-grade horror comic style. It adds a raw element which makes it look ultra oldschool. As far as the cover above, this dude probably had his eyes burst inwards right after the very last portion of inking. Not to mention the whole composition of this piece is massive. A balance of white spaces and black ink is incredible in this one. He balanced out the whole perspective which I personally think is fucking hard to accomplish. I have no clue who this dude is but he pull it off agonizingly well. Mad details for a mad ass band = WIN.




GAF - Mongofied

I still remember the first time I saw this cover art, I was like, "Duuuudeeee WTF!???". Aziz from Scrotum Jus Records released this album and brought over the high resolution to my place as he needed help creating a promo flyer for it. I couldn't stop staring for like hours. I'm a huge fan of Stippling artworks. The composition for this one is rather abstract yet kinda easy to be playing around with all those guts and glory. The main medium will definitely enhance the piece although you can see it's in a fucking mess. Stippling does the trick. It adds volume to every single detail. It's a pain in the ass for sure but the results are.. Well look at it yourself. I dig how he concentrates more details on the bottom and not much on the top. Amazing.




Cannabis Corpse - Beneath Grow Lights Thou Shalt Rise

Now this dude is an all rounder. He did the black and white for Wormrot's Dirge cover art, and now this. It's really amazing how he blends in colors like that. I'm not a huge fan of colors when doing any of my works but this hypnotized me to do one. You can basically imagine the whole story of whats happening in the cover before and after the scene. Loud colors on cover artworks can be fucked up, but this master piece kicked me right in the eye. I'm sure you have seen old school horror movie posters right? So just picture this as a movie. Old school? CHECK.




Putridity - Degenerating Anthropophagical Euphoria

Before I was into grindcore, I was in a brutal death band called Flesh Disgorged. That was during 2004 and I have been a fan of these putrid/gore cover artworks ever since. This dude if I'm not mistaken is from China. Holy shit right? I'm very impressed on how dull yet incredibly sick this is. You can't tell if this was painted in Photoshop, or an actual painting itself. All in all, it looks mighty real. You can't go any grimmer atmosphere than this. His shadings due to the lighting placement is just brilliant, and to pull off that kind of shadings with colors? Goddamn. The perfect brutal death metal album cover artwork of the century period.




Rot/Life Is A Lie - Split EP

Cut and paste artworks sometimes looks a little awkward; and most of the time people tend to think it's shit because no effort is needed by the artist to execute it, but it takes tons of skills to blend everything. This split release is a great example. Everything falls into place. Nevermind the proportions, different textures, etc. It looks fucking amazing. A different kind of abstract with a message artwork that I really appreciate. This dude is ultra old school.

~Arif Rot

Album of The Week:Wormrot-Dirge

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

~Andrew Lipscomb