Nails - Abandon All Life

Nails' previous full-length Unsilent Death was a pleasant surprise. Caked in crust, hardcore and grindcore elements were fused together to create an uncompromising and energetic album. Thus my expectations were relatively high coming into their 2013 release Abandon All Life. With so many recent acts playing in similarly abrasive "-core" styles (Martyrdöd, Black Breath, etc.), Nails have some tough competition in the contemporary scene.

My first listen of Abandon All Life blew by me without me realizing the album was over. It transitioned into Obscene Humanity with me being misled into thinking that they had found their pissed off nature again. Granted Abandon All Life is a mere seventeen minutes in length, but I felt like it was just ramping up as it ended. The first few tracks are by far the most aggressive with the vitriol spanning the opener "In Exodus" to "God's Cold Hands." These short songs are filled with blastbeats, punkcore d-beats, and a mean vocal performance by Todd Jones. The riffing on Abandon All Life is pedestrian but a solid guitar tone adds a forcefulness that simplicity tends to lack.

It's in the second half of Abandon All Life where the album loses its focus. Songs are drawn out, meandering, and honestly quite boring. "Wide Open Wound" might have been a good indicator of the stylistic shift with its slow-paced chugging and pick slide bridge. These guys don't have the musicianship for this sort of thing and it usually just leaves me wishing that the slow tracks had a bit more of a dynamic to them. The closer "Suum Cuique" is five-minutes in length, and while it would be nice if the track had the development to back it up, it instead incites yawns and groans as the last two minutes drone and chug right by.

As I mentioned before, the mixing is decent with vocals and kicks dominating. The guitar tone is as hefty and as textured as it was on Unsilent Death, but there's just no aggression to be found past the first five minutes of Abandon All Life. I understand that in such a strict, limited subgenre (crustcore or whatever you wish to christen it) it can be tough for new dynamics to reach fruition in a band's established sound. That's certainly the case here where the latter parts of the album truly did abandon all aggression in favor of lifeless riffs and monotonous chugging sections.

5.5 out of 10

Tracklisting:
1. In Exodus
2. Tyrant
3. Absolute Control
4. God's Cold Hands
5. Wide Open Wound
6. Abandon All Life
7. No Surrender
8. Pariah
9. Cry Wolf
10. Suum Cuique

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Dephosphorus - Night Sky Transform

2012 saw Dephosphorus release their second album (although I've heard Axiom called an extended play by some, so feel free to comment and tell me I'm a dumbass if I'm wrong about it being a full-length). Titled Night Sky Transform, it's nice to see these Greeks have stuck to their successful space aesthetic.

Night Sky Transform is much less immediate than Axiom and definitely requires more dedicated active listening sessions. Luckily the album is nearly as short as its predecessor, clocking in at just over twenty-five minutes. On first listen its easy to pick Night Sky Transform apart. The production is a lot more compressed sounding, the bass is less audible, and there are a handful of hardcore moments on this release that are significantly lighter than their grindcore counterparts on Axiom. They do a decent job of injecting variety into the rhythm. This isn't really a bad thing, but there are a bunch of quasi-clean vocal sequences which conflict with the aggressive-yet-otherworldly sound they established with their past release.

Wait a second, clean vocals on what is essentially a deathgrind release? Not exactly, but they might as well be. They crop up on "The Fermi Paradox," "Unconscious Excursion," and "Aurora." They work best on "The Fermi Paradox," which is basically a slow-paced mid-album intermission track. On "Unconscious Excursion" they follow a similar formula, but luckily the track ramps to a violent conclusion. The last half of "Aurora" gets away with it only because it's a conclusion track. Essentially what I'm getting at is that these sections that are deliberately trying to create a sense of atmosphere or thematic do not work for Dephosphorus and they originally put me off of Night Sky Transform.

Over time I've grown to not mind the quasi-clean vocal sequences, and the rest of the album is pretty good bar the production. The groovy riffs of my personal favorite "The Astral Putsch I: Plateau Of Initiation" and "Starless" are a welcome diversion from the usual blasting. The title track is a hardcore romp that gets down to grind business about halfway through, featuring vocals from both Panos and Nikos. It lends some energy to an album that at times feels lacking in it.

Night Sky Transform's "weak" moments aren't particularly bad, they just weren't what I was expecting coming from Dephosphorus. Axiom spoiled me with atmosphere created through the use of infectious melodies and aggressive songwriting, and I expected the same from this release. I don't have a problem with the band trying out new styles and trying to innovate their sound, but I did not think that the means by which they attempted to do so on Night Sky Transform worked out so well. Still a solid album nonetheless!

8.0 out of 10

Tracklisting:
1. Cold Omen
2. Starless
3. Night Sky Transform
4. The Fermi Paradox
5. The Astral Putsch I: Plateau Of Initiation
6. Identify The Encapsulator
7. Unconscious Excursion
8. Aurora

Bandcamp

The Axiom Of Being: Dephosphorus - Axiom

Ulcerate reference in the title? I'm not going to stop so don't bother telling me to.

Dephosphorus' Axiom was a contender for album of the year 2010. Shame I didn't create this blog until 2011 or else this album would've been near the top of my year end list. Let's see how it holds up.

Greek act Dephosphorus bring a new dynamic to the largely stagnant grindcore game. They fuse elements of the black metal aesthetic with frenetic death metal riffing, packaging them into a concise little album that delivers a sucker punch to the brain. The band coin their style "astrogrind," which is surprisingly fitting given more than just the thematic of the album.

Coming in at just over nineteen minutes, Axiom is easy to pick up and listen to multiple times in a sitting. This is often the downfall of grindcore bands as they get mired in their own repetitive nature. Song structures repeat, riffs sound similar, aggression falls flat after it's been let out of the metaphorical bottle, etc. Dephosphorus excel at making their music engaging and fun to listen to. Bouncy d-beater "Continuum" and band-titled "Dephosphorus" are both incredibly entertaining tracks. This is because Dephosphorus often play higher register melodies that add a new dynamic to what already comes across as filthy, bass-rattling grind. Later track "Indulge Me In Silence" begins with a very cool bassline and a subdued dissonant melody. Over the course of the song the melodies are brought more to light, and the concept is again revisited on "Knife Missile." Despite being short, each of these tracks feels developed and like they could stand alone.

The rhythmic elements on Axiom are what makes each track so appealing to listen to. The bass is active, generally populating the low-end with dry rattling sounds, and the drums are wonderfully organic. The kicks have bass, the snare sounds loose, and the cymbals are resonant. Panos' vocals are varied and shift between high, hoarse squawks to guttural roars. Thanos is no slouch on guitar, and he riddles chunky grindcore riffs with high pitched notes that don't quite sound like they belong. The effects are audible throughout Axiom, giving it an otherworldly sound. The occasional and brief use of electronic elements (usually denoting the end of a particular song, like with album closer "On the Verge of an Occurrence") add to this ambiance.

Exploring otherworldly ambiance through an aggressive medium like grindcore is worthy of commendation. Sure death metal bands can do it, but usually they tend to be on the doomier side of things. Technical death bands like Origin attempt to do it too, but it hardly ever builds any sort of resonating atmosphere and instead serves as fleeting imagery for drunken lyrical inspiration. Axiom literally sounds like an extracosmic voice screaming as worlds are created, destroyed, and changed by the winds of the universe. A welcome surprise and come 2013, still a welcome listen.

9.0 out of 10

Tracklisting:
1. Collimator
2. Continuum
3. Dephosphorus
4. Indulge Me In Silence
5. Knife Missile
6. The Long Crossing
7. On The Verge Of An Occurrence

Bandcamp

The Serpent's Breath VII: Vanitas

Late 2012 rolls around and the prolific duo release Vanitas.

This is what it's been building to. I hate to say it, but I've grown to expect everything Anaal Nathrakh can possibly throw at me. Hunt's vocals are still technically magnificent and varied, but the emotion behind them has been played out throughout the past decade. The band's one-dimensionally pissed expression no longer works as well as it used to. The songwriting and instrumentation have dragged themselves into a rut too. I can tell where each track will go before it gets there, where each melody will take me, and where each cry of disdain for humanity will end.

Vanitas is even less unique in Anaal Nathrakh's rapidly growing discography than Passion. This helps and hurts it in a few ways that I've mentioned many times already in the other reviews. You get exactly what you expect and exactly what the duo excel at: catchy, melody-driven black metal thick with death metal and grind elements. The result is so prototypical at this point that I don't even feel like describing it anymore, and I'll just dive right into the actual music.

The mastering of this album is oddly loud. Everything is amplified to skull-shaking levels, but at least the mix sounds good. There's more texturing this time around, and the better riffs sound layered and full. Many of the early tracks on the album are typical works for the Nathrakh, but are potent nonetheless. Sing-along "Forging Towards The Sunset," bouncy "Todos Somos Humanos," blast heavy "In Coelo Quies, Tout Finis Ici Bas," and the melodic ballad "A Metaphor For the Dead" are all decent tracks with standout moments. That's how I feel about the majority of Vanitas actually, but it just doesn't hold up. Distinguishing new albums from a rich back catalog is something I have problems with in regards to any band, but it's more apparent when the new albums are merely pale reflections of those old albums.

If there's one good thing about this being the state of their music, it's that it makes jumping into Anaal Nathrakh's discography insanely easy for newcomers. Shame it makes getting hyped for a new release so underwhelming.

6.5 out of 10

Tracklisting:
1. The Blood-Dimmed Tide
2. Forging Towards The Sunset
3. To Spite The Face
4. Todos Somos Humanos
5. In Coelo Quies, Tout Finis Ici Bas
6. You Can't Save Me, So Stop Fucking Trying
7. Make Glorious The Embrace Of Saturn
8. Feeding The Beast
9. Of Fire, And Fucking Pigs
10. A Metaphor For The Dead

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The Serpent's Breath VI: Passion

The formula wearing thin, Anaal Nathrakh have opted to mix it up a bit on Passion. The duo break out the grind and industrial elements with more abundance this time around.

It works to an extent. A very limited one.

As musicians, both Dave Hunt and Mick Kenney have grown far past their primitive, honest origins on The Codex Necro. Kenney's chops have been getting progressively more varied, aggressive, and melodious, while Dave Hunt has shown numerous feats of technical harsh-singing prowess by changing styles on a whim. These elements of instrumentation carry over onto Passion perfectly fine. The production, something the band has always had an issue with, hurts them in every way possible. Guitars are subdued in the worst of ways, the bass is virtually inaudible, the drums are once again sterile and that damn snare is clicking again.

High-speed grinders like "Post Traumatic Stress Euphoria" and "Locus Of Damnation" are as aggro as you would expect from these guys. Dave Hunt's vocals on "Tod Huetet Uebel" are technically brilliant and as deranged as ever, and the slower second half of the track is a unique touch for Anaal Nathrakh. "Drug-Fucking Abomination" is another pseudo-experiment on their part: it features a prolonged intro and eschews the typical popular song construct that they tend to follow. That dynamic pops up on "Paragon Pariah," which is decent at best coming from a back catalog of so many similar tracks.

Passion at times feels like a vain attempt by Anaal Nathrakh to avoid stagnating in their own filthy, misanthropic mire. The duo love their trademark sound but don't seem to know where to go with this release, and it leads to half-baked tracks on the latter half of the album. The last three are inane, lifeless tracks that don't do much to further the sound they started toying with early. The redeeming qualities on Passion, ones we've seen time and again, aren't enough to make it worth listening to over their vastly superior back catalog.

5.0 out of 10

Tracklisting:
1. Volenti Non Fit Iniuria
2. Drug-Fucking Abomination
3. Post Traumatic Stress Euphoria
4. Le Diabolique Est L'ami Du Simple
5. Locus Of Damnation
6. Tod Huetet Uebel
7. Paragon Pariah
8. Who Thinks Of the Executioner
9. Ashes Screaming Silence
10. Portrait Of The Artist

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The Serpent's Breath V: In The Constellation Of The Black Widow

Goddamn I know these guys have bad or cheap album art but did they really have to use a work of art that's been on tons of albums (and that awesome Timeghoul demo) for In The Constellation Of The Black Widow?

In The Constellation Of The Black Widow had some big shoes to fill. I was pretty hyped for it, even going out of my way to buy the "More Of Fire Than Blood" single. In the end I wasn't disappointed, but it became clear to me that innovations in Anaal Nathrakh's sound were wishful thinking. They found what worked on Eschaton and the more death metal-oriented Hell Is Empty, and now they decided to stick with that sound.

Thus for me In The Constellation became about the tracks that didn't fall into the pop-structured rut. I really enjoyed the breaks of the rhythm dominated grinder "The Unbearable Filth Of The Soul" and the pummeling anger of "Oil Upon The Sores Of Lepers." Some of the middle tracks became forgettable as I focused on the standouts. "So Be It" and "Terror In The Mind Of God" are both tracks that are at their best merely present. "Satanarchist" is interesting solely because of it essentially sounding like Anaal Nathrakh's take on traditional black metal, while "Blood Eagles Carved On The Backs Of Innocents" fits the bill of aggressive, memorable closer.

Anaal Nathrakh's formula withstanding the test of a few albums, the only huge differences on In The Constellation was the production which is far more...budgeted for lack of a better word. The drum machine dominates the mix, bass is sometimes audible ("Unbearable Filth Of The Soul"), and the guitar has a harsher edge. There's a prevalence of blastbeats on this album too, and you rarely hear the d-beat verses of In The Constellation's predecessor.

Still a successful album thanks to the talent of the duo and a formula that works.

7.5 out of 10

Tracklisting:
1. In The Constellation Of The Black Widow
2. I Am The Wrath Of Gods And The Desolation Of The Earth Music
3. More Of Fire Than Blood
4. The Unbearable Filth Of The Soul
5. Terror In The Mind Of God
6. So Be It
7. The Lucifer Effect
8. Oil Upon The Sores Of Lepers
9. Satanarchist
10. Blood Eagles Carved On The Backs Of Innocents

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The Serpent's Breath IV: Hell Is Empty And All The Devils Are Here

I grew to like Eschaton over the year and Anaal Nathrakh would gear up to release a new album. Hell Is Empty, And All The Devils Are Here was the result and at the time my mind was blown. I remember my excitement when I found this album in a bin at a record store along with some of their older material that I only had digital copies of. That was a good day.

This album was the first released through Kenney's label, Feto Records, and some people didn't find the production to be as strong as Eschaton's on Season Of Mist. I disagree and although the guitar was subdued in the mix, Dave Hunt was doing more experimentation with his vocals, and for once the drum machine sounded entirely legitimate.

Hell Is Empty is a monstrous album. Mister Hunt aka "V.I.T.R.I.O.L."'s vocals are all over the place: screeching bird cries, Barney Greenway-esque barks, black metal rasps, thick brutal death gutturals, and soaring cleans. "Screaming Of The Unborn" is the first track where you really feel like saying "Is this really still Anaal Nathrakh?" The black metal influence is still apparent, but they've fully taken on the more dense, death metal oriented riffing along with some classic d-beat aggression that I hadn't heard since The Codex Necro.

The choral hooks are still an engrossing aspect of the album. "Virus Bomb," "Shatter The Empyrean," and "Until The World Stops Turning" are all in the style, and although none reach say the greatness of the hooks on "When The Lion Devours Both Dragon And Child," they all sound more individual and less formulaic than those on Eschaton where they generally followed popular song structuring. Hell Is Empty isn't devoid of the typical verse-chorus-verse-etc. nonsense, but the fun is all in the variations on that formula.

The latter tracks on Hell Is Empty are all highlights in my opinion, starting with the wonderfully titled throat-destroyer "Genetic Noose." It's Hunt's most guttural track, and it really shows how talented he is. "Sanction Extremis (Kill Them All)" is perhaps my favorite Anaal Nathrakh track of all time, featuring some great chromatic riffing late in the track from Irrumator and a great build-up with a demented vocal bridge. It ends fittingly with repeated gutturals from Dave Hunt: "kill them all, kill them all, kill them all." The closer "Castigation And Betrayal" is the ONLY track I've heard by modern Anaal Nathrakh that matches the ferocity of The Codex Necro. Its blistering speed, bass blow-outs, frenzied "solo," and colossal vocal finish are all visceral and stunning. Definitely the peak of their style.

9.0 out of 10

Tracklisting:
1. Solifugae (Intro)
2. Der Hölle Rache Kocht In Meinem Herzen
3. Screaming Of The Unborn
4. Virus Bomb
5. The Final Absolution
6. Shatter The Empyrean
7. Lama Sabachthani
8. Until The World Stops Turning
9. Genetic Noose
10. Sanction Extremis (Kill Them All)
11. Castigation And Betrayal

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The Serpent's Breath III: Eschaton

What many would consider their seminal work, Eschaton is quite a revolutionary album for the duo. Here the development of the crescendo'd chorus that occasionally popped up on Domine Non Es Dignus would become the definition of Anaal Nathrakh's sound through today.

When Eschaton came out I had trouble getting into it. At the time I was put off by clean vocals in my heavy music, and I felt like the band really was heading to that metalcore route. Mr. Hunt's subdued vocalwork on tracks like "The Destroying Angel," and  new, lower-pitched variations on his style only exacerbated my fears. As time wore on though I grew to like Eschaton with its more textured sound.

Unlike the mediocrity that was Domine Non Es Dignus, this album is filled with memorable moments and tracks. "Between Shit And Piss We Are Born" is a classic in Anaal Nathrakh's discography, "When The Lion Devours Both Dragon And Child" is a choral powerhouse, and my personal favorite "The Yellow King" features one of the best melodies from Mick Kenney. In fact there's probably only one track I'd consider subpar on the album, and even then it functions as a solid intermission between the more hook-driven tracks: "Waiting For The Barbarians." I guess the second last track, "The Necrogeddon," isn't super interesting either, but it's context in the album is pretty minuscule compared to the others.

As I mentioned previously the production on Eschaton is leagues ahead of its predecessor. The bass is audible and high in the mix, the guitar has a bit of midrange to it, and the drumming doesn't sound hilariously fake, although it is still obviously a drum machine. The sound on Eschaton is one that is more reminiscent of death metal than of black metal, and it marks a shift for the duo in instrumentation as well.

The massive emphasis on hooks is something that these guys excel at. Dave Hunt's nigh impeccable clean singing and massive range allows them to explore a myriad of sounds on Eschaton and future albums, while Irrumator's glorious chops and quick melodic phrases as well as the occasional solos keep the music from being technically stagnant. It's a winning combination.

8.25 out of 10

Tracklisting:
1. Bellum Omnium Contra Omnes
2. Between Shit And Piss We Are Born
3. Timewave Zero
4. The Destroying Angel
5. Waiting For The Barbarians
6. The Yellow King
7. When The Lion Devours Both Dragon And Child
8. The Necrogeddon
9. Regression To The Mean

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The Serpent's Breath II: Domine Non Es Dignus

My nostalgia for this album can't save it.

Domine Non Es Dignus is often described as "blackened metalcore," and it did set the blueprint for the style that would soon make Anaal Nathrakh popular amongst the underground. Tracks like "Do Not Speak," with its vocal crescendo, would become their staple.

Dave "V.I.T.R.I.O.L." Hunt's harsh vocals are still intense as ever, and the samples on the album add a bit of flare to tracks that are stunted aurally. There are a few memorable riffs (early in "To Err Is Human, To Dream (Futile)" and "Do Not Speak"), but for the most part the sterile production kills it. The drum machine is invasive and as lifeless sounding as you would expect from the two words "drum" and "machine" being paired together. Many of the later tracks are unlistenable due to how boring they are, like "Swallow The World" and the dull blast-fest "The Final Destruction Of Dignity." Shame the final track "Rage, Rage Against The Dying Of the Light" has such a sweet title yet it can only disappoint with a production this bad. Still it's one of the stronger tracks on Domine Non Es Dignus.

The Nietzchean overtones are still there, and some of the track subtitles are even in Deutsch, but it comes across as half-baked when it's predecessor explored the themes in a much more appealing way. Domine Non Es Dignus might be mildly entertaining if you're looking for something proto-Eschaton sounding, but for the most part the album drags its feet through mud on the beaten path of extreme music.

I'm giving the album a bit of a bonus for being nostalgic, but even then the score isn't looking too good.

4.0 out of 10

Tracklisting:
1. I Wish I Could Vomit Blood On You... ...People
2. The Oblivion Gene
3. Procreation Of The Wretched
4. To Err Is Human, To Dream (Futile)
5. Revaluation Of All Values (Tractatus Alogico Misanthropicus)
6. The Final Destruction Of Dignity (Die Letzten Tage Der Menschheit)
7. Swallow The World
8. This Cannot Be The End
9. Rage, Rage Against The Dying Of The Light

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The Serpent's Breath I: The Codex Necro

Anaal Nathrakh are a band that I've been listening to for almost as long as I've been into extreme metal. The Codex Necro and Domine Non Es Dignus were always in rotation in my late middle school-early high school years. Instead of listening to pop-punk ballads or the whiny, musically devoid aging grunge scene, I got my angst out to Dave "V.I.T.R.I.O.L." Hunt's harsh screeches and the distorted melodies played by bandmate Mick "Irrumator" Kenney. With the release of Vanitas late last year, I figured I'd go through their discography again.

The Codex Necro is perhaps the epitome of their pent-up rage. They have yet to match the scathing venom that the combination of "Submission Is For The Weak," "Pandemonic Hyperblast," and Nietzschean "Human, All Too Fucking Human" ooze. These tracks are fantastic for this reason alone, not to mention the infectious melodies pumped into them by Kenney's guitarwork. It's less noticeable on this release, which has a black metal sound to it, but he has said that he takes a lot of influence from metalcore and melodic death metal. The hooks are present on here though, and there's plenty of memorable riffs and phrases.

There's something so primal and disgusted in Anaal Nathrakh's music on this release, and it sounds fucking grimy to boot. The guitar is heavily distorted, industrial elements dip the riffs in oil, and the static-laced shouts of Hunt set them ablaze. This album is perhaps notorious in their discography for having the most blatant industrial elements up until Passion, but it doesn't hurt the music at all.

If there's one thing that bothers me about The Codex Necro that keeps it from being great is that it feels very single-minded. There aren't a lot of ideas here - just pure, unbridled aggression. The idea becomes stale when the more furious tracks give way to slower, more boring ones like "Incipid Flock" or the title track. However there are some surprises hidden on the later half of the album, with "The Technogoat" and the awesome d-beat of "Human, All To Fucking Human." Definitely an adolescent classic for me and one that is still enjoyable (what a rarity).

8.0 out of 10

Tracklisting:
1. The Supreme Necrotic Audnance
2. When Humanity Is Cancer
3. Submission Is For The Weak
4. Pandemonic Hyperblast
5. Paradigm Shift - Annihilation
6. The Technogoat
7. Incipid Flock
8. Human, All Too Fucking Human
9. The Codex Necro

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Oblivionized - Nullify The Cycle

Well this was unexpected. Oblivionized released a second demo and it's significantly shittier than their EP. Let me reiterate: demo status does not excuse it from being bad.

Two things you'll notice upon listening to Nullify The Cycle: the production and the vocals. They're significantly weaker and more flimsy than those featured on Abhorrent Evolution, with highs being the primary form of enunciation. Not that highs are bad, but these are just pathetic. They sound like a dying parrot squawking out to a hardcore song. The production and mixing makes them that much more annoying since there's hardly any low-end at all. In fact the bass drum sounds like a defunct metronome. It's not the sound you want to hear when it's set to the high tempos one would expect from a grind band.

The guitar tone is more subdued, the drumming and rhythm is muddied up by a weak snare, and the songwriting...well, at least the first two tracks are pretty okay in that department. The title track however is a completely forgettable clean guitar, clean vocals track. It's BORING. I don't care if you think it's "artistic," I think it's fucking stupid and a dumb way to end what should've been a killer deathgrind demo. There's only three tracks, so there's not much to really listen to here either.

Here's hoping the next release won't be this unquestionably bad.

3.25 out of 10

Tracklisting:

1.	The Nullification of Philanthropy
2.	Cycle of Deprivation
3.	Nullify the Cycle

Oblivionized - Abhorrent Evolution

Alright, finally back to reviewing. It's going to be a sporadic summer with all these shows going on. Last night I just saw Ulcerate with Tombs and Svart Crown at an extremely small venue. Needless to say it was fucking awesome, but sadly their set was relatively short. Jet lagged, I assume. Next week there's a few hardcore shows and Nasum. That alone should leave me incapacitated for awhile.

Anyway...

UK technical deathgrind band Oblivionized awed the world with their extremely accessible debut EP Abhorrent Evolution last year. It reached a degree of acclaim that solidified Oblivionized at the top of the "to watch" lists for many.

Capturing the grind essence of aggression with a tasteful sense of melody and technicality, Abhorrent Evolution doesn't disappoint. "Born Into Decadence" is a strong opener with multilayered vocals and some cool effects, while "Subject to Extinction" and the title track are both more pummeling exercises in brutality. The title track features a solo as well, something most grind-influenced bands would be proud to exclude. Each track is memorable, although they are a bit more in line with technical death metal length-wise.

The aggression on here is primarily thanks to the powerful production and mixing. The snare is loud, dominating, and pounding. The guitar tone is strong as well, and the multiple vocal tracks make for a solid sense of texture. Abhorrent Evolution is a solid release if perhaps not exactly the most unique one. A great first stepping stone for a band that I look forward to seeing more from.

7.5 out of 10

Tracklisting:

1.	Born Into Decadence
2.	Abhorrent Evolution
3.	Subject to Extinction
4.	A Modern Prometheus

Bandcamp.

Crowpath - Son Of Sulphur

I know it's not really pure technical death metal, but you can deal. I promise it'll be worth it.

Nothing in music makes me more sad than seeing a great, unique artist bite the dust when horribly generic bands are still going strong. This feeling wells up in my heart every time I think of Crowpath, a technical death metal/grindcore act from Sweden. They released their magnum opus, Son Of Sulphur, in 2005 and it's been one of my favorite albums since I first gave it a spin.

Schizophrenia is a frightening mental illness. It's unpredictable, can be weird or scary, and it runs in my family. Son Of Sulphur is what I imagine music set to a schizophrenic episode would be like: chaotic, frenzied, and amorphous. Each track on Son Of Sulphur plants a subtle idea, that any type or number of thoughts can spawn from. The album is a unique listen for that reason alone, and is extremely pissed off to boot.

Crowpath is more akin to something along the lines of Gigan than say a more traditional technical death metal band like Origin. They have all the aggression plus more, and Crowpath displays it copiously in a deafening array of furious riffing, scathing melodies, and rage-filled vocals. It's wonderfully dense music, and tracks like "Candies and Kerosene," the humorously-titled "Children Of Boredom" (isn't that accurate?), "Pigeonsmasher," and "Seed of Arson" do a great job of exemplifying that. One thing that this album has over it's comrades though? Variety.

Son Of Sulphur isn't limited to such slow tracks, and coming from a pseudo-grindcore band, it's interesting to hear how Crowpath approaches slower tracks like "The Lycanthrope" or closer "End In Water." They tackle this style successfully blending their more math-tinged tendencies with slow-paced, downtuned riffing. It's just as aggressive if a bit more riff-driven than vocally. It also provides Son Of Sulphur with a bizarre brooding atmosphere that seems to crawl its way into being as the album progresses, culminating with the eerie closer "End In Water." When the album finally reaches this point, water is indistinguishable from the blood flowing from your ears.

Musically the album transcends (no pretension meant; I hate this word - thanks Liturgy) normal grindcore instrumentation and decides to borrow heavily from mathcore and math rock with fast time-signature and tempo changes. It amounts to a flurry of ideas assaulting your head from all angles, ripping and tearing apart brain matter as you try to decipher the band's calculating malevolence. It's brilliant really. Okay, maybe now I'm getting a bit pretentious. I apologize, but for real Son Of Sulphur is fucking great.

The production on Son Of Sulphur is fantastic and compliments the mind-warping capability of the music perfectly. Guitars and vocals are dominant. With riffs like nails on a chalkboard, the album scars itself into your memory thanks to this brutal mixing. It's a shame that all this will eventually be forgotten since such a great band no longer exists, but Son Of Sulphur will always remain etched into my brain and carved into the very core of my being.

9.5 out of 10

Tracklisting:

1.	Candles And Kerosene
2.	The Will to Burn
3.	Chases, Caught And Charged
4.	Pigeonsmasher
5.	Children Of Boredom
6.	Self-Destructive Pessimist
7.	Seed Of Arson
8.	Picked Clean
9.	The Lycanthrope
10.	Scab Coated Attraction
11.	Lights Out, Left For Dead
12.	End In Water

Napalm Death - Utilitarian

Napalm Death - one of grindcore's elders - has once again unleashed a new leftist onslaught into the burgeoning pool of 2012 releases. Titled Utilitarian, it emphasizes everything they are about but with a few new twists. Some hit and some miss.

Grindcore has it's staples, and although Napalm Death has often been entwined with the metal scene, they're not afraid to revert to their more energetic if simplistic stages. That's how Utilitarian feels from the beginning, and compared to Time Waits For No Slave this album really brings the grind with more d-beats and more impulsive ferocity. "Errors In The Signals" is a great introduction to Utilitarian (after the "intro" track "Circumspect"). Other grinders like "Think Tank Trials" are "Opposites Repellent" are awesome as well. There's a healthy dose of their death metal style on here as well with tracks like "Fall On Their Swords" and the closer "A Gag Reflex." It's alright and grind-tinged enough to win over exclusive grindcore fans, but most of the time the tracks just manage to make themselves present before ending, like the teaser track "Leper Colony."

Barney has a new, slightly thinner look about him but don't let that fool you. His vocals on Utilitarian are as ferocious as ever. One oddity is that there are clean vocals (performed by the guitarist as opposed to Barney). They're strangely melodic and don't particularly sound fitting on "The Wolf I Feed." Honestly they kind of sound like something Fear Factory did on their big-name release Archetype back in the early 2000's. I can't really say I'm a fan. Other than the vocals, another thing to note is the spastic use of a saxophone on "Everyday Pox." I like it, and it fits the track a bit better than the cleans in it's chaos, but it kind of feels gimmicky.

The production seems fine if a bit thin. I'm not going to complain though since it all sounds pretty nice with how the songs are arranged and written. Utilitarian is a bit exhaustive though, and I just feel like the album could've been a bit more fun for it's rather long length of 46 minutes. I also find their combination of death/grind to be lacking in memorability. It feels half-baked on Utilitarian, with the entirety of the album being a blur. Although it is fun, when it's over sometimes I forget I even listened to it.

6.5 out of 10

Tracklisting:

1.	Circumspect
2.	Errors in the Signals
3.	Everyday Pox
4.	Protection Racket
5.	The Wolf I Feed
6.	Quarantined
7.	Fall on Their Swords
8.	Collision Course
9.	Orders of Magnitude
10.	Think Tank Trials
11.	Blank Look About Face
12.	Leper Colony
13.	Nom de Guerre
14.	Analysis Paralysis
15.	Opposites Repellent
16.	A Gag Reflex

Capitalists stole the link!

Occult 45 - Grind Funk Railroad

It's been a hectic week with me trying to run around and visit as many friends as I can before I head back off to school. Now that the week is coming to a close and I've made my rounds, I actually decided to check my email and I noticed a message about this free grind demo, Grind Funk Railroad, from Philadelphia-based Occult 45.

Free grind? Color me interested. This is some cool shit. Fuzzy and with a lot of d-beat influence, there are some relatively unique passages on this demo. The opener "Intro/The Farmers Daughter" is a brooding, groove-laden monster of a track. The intro passage is slow, almost doom influenced, and guitarist Dean Sykes' use of bends works really well with the fuzzed out, feedback filled production. What I assume to be "The Farmers Daughter" begins after a True Romance sample, and leads straight into "Body Melt," which is easily the most grindcore track on the demo. Drummer Jason Dost plays some absolutely frenetic blastbeats while vocalist John Hauser ferociously belts out the title of the track.

One thing I noticed with "Body Melt" and even the extremely short "Passion for Ignorance" is that these guys know how to break it down. I tend to enjoy it when even the most abrasive grind tracks devolve into a groovy, slam-pit rut. The final track on the relatively short (even for grind) demo "Tehran Desert Vampire" is a bit crustier which is a welcome change of pace coming from the previous two tracks.

Overall while Occult 45's sound on Grind Funk Railroad isn't the most original, they make up for what they lack in originality with the execution of that sound. There isn't a bass on Grind Funk Railroad, and that's what made me think of Magrudergrind the first time I listened through the demo. That's not to say there isn't any bass frequencies though, as the guitar is tuned low and has a very fuzzy, organic tone. They've also got all the ferocity of Magrudergrind to boot. Definitely worth checking these guys out as they release more material.

7.5 out of 10

Tracklisting:

	1.	Intro/The Farmers Daughter
	2.	Body Melt
	3.	Passion for Ignorance
	4.	Tehran Desert Vampire

Choo Choo! (Bandcamp)

Rotten Sound - Cursed

And I did want to cleanse my ears after listening to their new album. Rotten Sound's Cursed is a filthy grimefest of grinding guitars and brutality with no lasting impact whatsoever. Is Cursed aggressive? Yes. Do the riffs have that awesome fuzzy Scandinavian sound? Yes. Is it memorable at all? No, not really.

With Cursed Rotten Sound have created a completely forgettable but completely serviceable grindcore album. All the aggression is here, the production is barely passable, and the album does have a degree of variety, but none of the songs stick. The riffs are forgettable, the drumming is predictable, and the vocals are lost a bit in the mix as is the bass (except on "Doomed"). In fact I'd go so far as to say the latter half of the album is more memorable than the more aggressive first half due to having a bit more variety. Songs like "Declare" and "Exploit" slow to a relative crawl and "Addict" even features a solo that you won't remember two seconds later.

The production is professionally done but probably the weakest aspect of the album. There is no brutality to hear on Cursed, and if you're like me and want your grindcore to be a soundtrack to you smashing faces, that really sucks. "Superior" and "Hollow" hint at the brutality, but once again the shitty production really takes that feeling away before it manifests. Someone else described the production in a positive light with the word "industrial," and that might just be a testament to how mechanical and artificial this record feels.

I guess this combination of mishaps makes Cursed a marketable, mass-producible grindcore album since it has all the highlights of the genre, but absolutely zero uniqueness. A disappointment for me, but perhaps going into it without expectations would lead one to be pleasantly surprised.

5.5 out of 10

Tracklisting:

1.	Alone
2.	Superior
3.	Self
4.	Choose
5.	Hollow
6.	Ritual
7.	Green
8.	Machinery
9.	Power
10.	Plan
11.	Declare
12.	Addict
13.	Exploit
14.	Terrified
15.	Scared
16.	Doomed

Necromorph - Grinding Black Zero

Necromorph started out as a German black metal outfit, switched to death metal, and slowly progressed to a very Scandinavian grindcore sound. Their first full-length Grinding Black Zero is a pretty predictable mishmash of grindcore, crustcore, and death metal with a lot of that buzzsaw fuzziness that we all associate with the Scandinavian death metal and grind scene. And this shit is better than the new Rotten Sound, so don't be too quick to dismiss it just yet. Also the name "Necromorph" is applicable to the Dead Space graphic novel and videogame series, which is awesome.

Badass orgo-evil shit. Be glad it's common knowledge how to use simple power tools.

As with most grindcore albums, there's not really much to write about considering the genre is generally comprised of a flurry of blastbeats and d-beats, crunchy riffing, and aggressive vocals. The musicianship displayed by these German grind-brutes is pretty competent. "Brainless" opens with a pretty killer bassline littered with some fun rests and a solo, while "Convicted To Breath" has some almost rock-ish riffing towards the end. "When A Whisper Breaks a Neck" is a pretty melodic track as well (especially with those harmonized guitars that pop up for ~10 seconds), but its still got all the aggression of Nasum and then some. Necromorph do enter deathgrind territory a few times on the album which could be a negative for those who only like their grindcore punk influenced, but nobody likes those people anyway.

The production is goddamn chunky like Campbell's soup. Like bonesaws grinding into skulls, the guitar tone reaches a level of intensity similar to that of Entombed. Overall Grinding Black Zero is pretty derivative, but it's also pretty fun. If it pops up on shuffle, well then fuck it I'll listen through all twenty-eight minutes, but its not really something I'll find myself going back to from 2011 unless I listened to the new Rotten Sound and wanted to fix my ears...

6.5 out of 10

Tracklisting:

1.	Nautic Noise
2.	Idiotus Maximus
3.	Convicted to Breath
4.	Serve to Lead
5.	Exclusive Suffering
6.	Diary of a Disease
7.	Brainless
8.	Shot
9.	Stagnation
10.	When a Whisper Breaks a Neck
11.	Panic Worldwide
12.	Necroville
13.	Forthcoming Emancipation
14.	Black Zero

Grindhouse: Cleptocracy & The Inalienable Dreamless

In this post, I'm gonna feature some of my favorite straight-up grindcore albums. I can see the look of breathless anticipation on your face. I'll try to keep the reviews short. Gotta stick to the grind theme!

Kill The Client's Cleptocracy: nonstop aggression, pounding drums, roaring lyrics about the government, and all-too-typical grind fare. The combination of these ferocious elements leads to a monster of an album clocking in at just above twenty-two minutes. Each song is an example of the monumental amount of energy that Kill The Client puts into their music. "Bulletproof Vultures," the title track, and "The Lies" are all swarming with grinding brutality.

The production and mixing of this album is what makes it stand out from the majority of other grind albums. The loose snare and somewhat-fuzzy guitar leads to a very satisfying crunch as if you're actually stepping on the heads of government officials with your black leather combat boots. Kill The Client isn't musically retarded either (unlike many grindcore artists). They actually know what they're doing with some of these riffs, employing interesting progressions and harmonics with relative ease. Due to the high speed of the tracks, this doesn't particularly become apparent until "Downfall" which is a chugging, instrumental monstrosity. In fact the last few tracks seem to slow the pace somewhat, which is disappointing, but it allows that crunch sound to come through your speakers that much more effectively. This releases' double-edged sword (or bullet?) if this album has one.

As an exercise in aggression, the album is one of grindcore's numerous plateaus of success. The mixing and production is absolutely superb and the energy with which Kill The Client performs their tracks is unparalleled. There are some qualms with the album in that it does somewhat weaken towards the end, and the blistering speed and aggression doesn't really allow much to soak in on one listen, but that's the whole goddamn point of grindcore. Oh, and the last track is an Infest cover. Go figure.

8.25 out of 10

Tracklisting:

1.	Divide and Conquer
2.	Retaliate
3.	Bullet Proof Vultures
4.	Christian Pipebomb
5.	Consumption is Intoxication
6.	Cleptocracy
7.	Test Tube Nation
8.	Product of Misinformation
9.	Dog Tagged
10.	Evidence of Injustice
11.	99 Percent Turnover
12.	The Lies
13.	A Mockery of Guidance
14.	Downfall
15.	False Flag Attack
16.	Red State Redneck
17.	Spartacus
18.	Terminal Nation (Infest Cover)

This one's a classic. Everyone knows it, everyone loves it. "Oratorio In Grey" and "The Necropolitan" are some of my favorite grindcore tracks and these guys may have had a passing influence on the gods known as Crowpath. So I figured I'd give it a proper review as well since I was already reviewing Kill The Client's Cleptocracy.

Discordance Axis' The Inalienable Dreamless. What an album. This is a grindcore album that has it all - vocal range, creative dissonant riffing, aggression and energy, and a bone to pick with the world. The lyrics are relatively ambiguous compared to other grindcore albums with their "fuck the man" attitude. I found that to be somewhat interesting for a grind approach, but the whole album is seething with a unique flare. Songs like "The Necropolitan" begin with several dissonant tritones (redundancy my ass), "Oratorio In Grey" has a classic headbanging rhythm, and "Jigsaw" has a bunch of semi-melodic riffs uncharacteristic for grindcore. The screeching vocal work of John Chang is pretty sweet and his performance has remained one of my favorites in grindcore. I think the only modern band really exhibiting a similar style would be Noisear.

The only weakness of the album is the track "A Leaden Stride To Nowhere," a 4-minute conclusion to The Inalienable Dreamless. It's not an exciting track by any means and really offsets the pace and rhythm that the album had going prior. Despite this, the album is still great as a whole and pretty much required listening for any fan of grindcore. It's just such a shame that Discordance Axis had to split-up so early in their career.

8.25 out of 10


Tracklisting:

1.	Castration Rite
2.	The Inalienable Dreamless
3.	Sound Out the Braille
4.	Oratorio in Grey
5.	Vacuum Sleeve
6.	Angel Present
7.	The Necropolitan
8.	Pattern Blue
9.	The End of Rebirth
10.	Loveless
11.	Radiant Arkham
12.	Use of Weapons
13.	Jigsaw
14.	Compiling Autumn
15.	The Third Children
16.	A Leaden Stride to Nowhere
17.	Drowned