The Deathgrind Thread

Cattle Decapitation - "Monolith of Inhumanity" (2012)

I certainly came in at the right time with San Diego-based extreme metallers Cattle Decapitation given that they didn’t come to my attention until their 2009 sixth album “The Harvest Floor” which I found to be a pretty enjoyable piece of deathgrind. I’d soon find out that the remainder of the band’s back catalogue wasn’t really up to the same sort of standard but 2012’s “Monolith of Inhumanity” is where things got really interesting & it’d go on to become a pretty big record for me that year. Cattle Decapitation’s most highly praised release sees them drawing upon all of the influences they’d presented throughout their career to the time & combines them with a few fresh new ideas & a highly professional execution to create a release that almost transcends its deathgrind genre-tagging.

Cattle Decapitation's seventh full-length provides a wealth of evidence that the band are a highly talented group of instrumentalists, whether that be through the inclusion of technical riffs structures & melodic sweep-picked guitar solos or the consistently jaw-dropping velocities & endurance of grindcore drummer David McGraw who benefits from a clicky, modern drum sound that showcases his incredible precision to a tee. The production is spot-on which gives the song-writing the extra oomph required to relentlessly slaughter any hopes the listener may have had around reaching a position of safety before they’re unceremoniously gutted in a public forum for all to see. But the main attraction here is front man Travis Ryan whose impressive array of super-gutteral extreme metal vocals is a constant source of interest. He reaches almost inhuman levels of depth at times & is a real breathe of fresh air (if that’s possible for a death growler). The use of Devin Townsend-style clean (well… screamed but clean-er) vocals is an interesting touch too, as is the use of black metal shrieks over tremolo-picked, open-string black metal riffs that remind me a lot of Emperor.

This is some pretty brutal stuff it has to be said. As someone who is forever on the lookout for ever more violent examples of metal music, this record was always going to tick my boxes. The tracklisting is super-consistent as there’s nothing even remotely close to a drop in quality across the 43-minute runtime. I particularly love the ultra-brutal “Forced Gender Assignment” but for me the highlight is actually the change-up track in the dark ambience of post-rocker “The Monolith”. I have to ask how many extreme metal bands are capable of that then, eh? It’s attributes like this that see “Monolith of Inhumanity” sitting in rare territory in that it will not only satisfy fans of savage deathgrind outfits like Cephalic Carnage, Misery Index & Circle of Dead Children but it also possesses enough class to break outside of those circles into a more sophisticated market. I’m not sure Cattle Decapitation have produced a better release than this one to be honest.

4/5

After revisiting the Cattle Decapitation album shown above I realized that I still haven't collated a Top Ten Deathgrind Releases of All Time list so I thought I'd remedy that this morning. Here's what I came up with:

01. Napalm Death - "Mentally Murdered" E.P. (1989)

02. Cattle Decapitation - "Monolith of Inhumanity" (2012)

03. Brutal Truth - "Extreme Conditions Demand Extreme Responses" (1992)

04. Napalm Death - "Utopia Banished" (1992)

05. Napalm Death - "Mass Appeal Madness" E.P. (1991)

06. Lock Up - "Necropolis Transparent" (2011)

07. Cephalic Carnage - "Misled by Certainty" (2010)

08. Damaged - "Passive Backseat Demon Engines" E.P. (1995)

09. Misery Index - "Heirs to Slavery" (2010)

10. Aborted - "Goremageddon: The Saw and the Carnage Done" (2003)

And before anyone says it, of course Terrorizer's "World Downfall" would have made the list if it qualified as deathgrind in our database. For the record, I agree with our database that it's a straight-up grindcore record though.

Full of Hell - "Weeping Choirs" (2019)

My knowledge of Maryland-based extremists Full of Hell began around a decade ago through their 2014 collaboration album with Japanese noise legend Merzbow & has continued in sporadic fashion ever since. Full of Hell are so prolific & have undertaken such a broad array of different musical styles & sounds that I’ve never committed to digesting their complete discography but the seven or eight albums, splits & E.P.'s that I have indulged in over the years have inevitably hit the mark. It’s strange that I haven’t fully committed to a detailed investigation of any of those releases to date though but my recently renewed passion for the deathgrind hybrid sound has seen me finally rectifying that omission via Full of Hell’s 2019 fourth album “Weeping Choirs”, an album I remember very fondly from the time of release.

“Weeping Choirs” very much represents the short-sharp-shock style of grind-oriented extreme metal release with its eleven tracks only clocking in at a total duration of 25 minutes but I doubt even the most ardent supporter of the grindcore scene would argue that you need a deathgrind release to exceed the half hour mark. It would simply be overkill, especially when the music contained within is as extreme as it comes & with the tracklisting having been programmed specifically to see the listener presented with the most blasting & generally superior tracks at the start & the completion of the album.

Full of Hell’s sound sees them beautifully combining the relentless freneticism & psychotic screaming of grindcore with the down-tuned, tremolo-picked riffage & deep growls of death metal to great effect with their most intense moments leaving fans of the deathgrind subgenre feeling nothing short of exhilaration. The band change it up regularly though through the use of industrial power electronics sounds & a couple of lower tempo sludge metal-inspired numbers. The longest track on the record “Armory of Obsidian Glass” makes fantastic use of the sludge component to become one of the records true highlights while the tracks that include elements of power electronics tend to be the weaker inclusions, potentially due to my taste more than anything else. In fact, I find the most blatant noise excursion “Rainbow Coil” to be particularly tough going & by far the weakest moment on the record.

The production job is tailor made for this type of music so it doesn’t surprise me to see a few naysayers floating around the Academy. Personally, I’ll take this sound every day of the week & will come back for a second helping shortly afterwards. Deathgrind is quite simply meant to be abrasive & in your face so any expectation of subtlety should categorically be left at the door. But even by deathgrind standards, “Weeping Choirs” is a super-extreme example of its type & one that I hold in very high regard. The vocal & drumming performances are utterly insane & leave me with no alternative but to damage something… anything…. in salute of this bold & brash statement of malicious intent. Fans of bands like Knoll, Jarhead Fertilizer & Napalm Death need not hesitate to enter into this twisted house of the sick & barbarous. They should only rejoice that there are bands like Full of Hell out there that sacrifice their own physical well-being for the sake of their art.

4/5

My revised Top Ten Deathgrind Releases of All Time list now looks as below with "Weeping Choirs" having just pushed Aborted's 2003 "Goremageddon: The Saw and the Carnage Done" album out of the list:

01. Napalm Death - "Mentally Murdered" E.P. (1989)

02. Cattle Decapitation - "Monolith of Inhumanity" (2012)

03. Brutal Truth - "Extreme Conditions Demand Extreme Responses" (1992)

04. Napalm Death - "Utopia Banished" (1992)

05. Napalm Death - "Mass Appeal Madness" E.P. (1991)

06. Full of Hell - "Weeping Choirs" (2019)

07. Lock Up - "Necropolis Transparent" (2011)

08. Cephalic Carnage - "Misled by Certainty" (2010)

09. Damaged - "Passive Backseat Demon Engines" E.P. (1995)

10. Misery Index - "Heirs to Slavery" (2010)

This actually leads to a whole new discussion on its own.

I've been thinking that some genres should be tagged as combinations of more than one parent genre for a while now.  Having said that, it's best if we stay WITHIN SINGLE CLANS.  For The Horde, the decision is easy.  But when it comes to something like atmo-sludge, I've never really considered it a "post-metal" subgenre.  Most people on the RYM discussions consider it post because of length and atmosphere.  If that's literally all it took, why didn't they include atmo-black metal?

The "atmospheric sludge metal" discussion has been had many times here at the Academy with the unanimous position of our members being that it's much better suited to post-metal than sludge metal. I'm thinking about removing that subgenre too & simply having the releases tagged as post-metal (& sludge metal where necessary) but we can discuss that elsewhere. Let's keep this thread about deathgrind.

The "atmospheric sludge metal" discussion has been had many times here at the Academy with the unanimous position of The Fallen members being that it's much better suited to post-metal than sludge metal. I'm also thinking about removing that subgenre too & simply having the releases tagged as post-metal but we can discuss that elsewhere but let's keep this thread about deathgrind.

Yeah, there are some bands I don't even consider sludge at all.  Namely Rosetta.

But as far as deathgrind goes, then my vote's easy: go for it.  Lots of deathgrind feels like death metal to me anyway.

Napalm Death - Mentally Murdered EP (1989)

Genres: Deathgrind, Grindcore, Death Metal

The Napalm Death legacy is a weird one in which people are constantly battling over which ND albums are the best because of the various sounds they've covered in different eras, save the experimental scene in which they produced subpar albums during the early 90's.  The 1980's and the 21st century are totally different stories where most of the wars take place.  Me, personally, can't stand the fact that it took Napalm Death more than 30 years to create an album up to my standard of fine making: Throes of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism.  This album has death, blackened crust, metalcore, industrial and more.  The problem with ND albums is that they make 40-fifty minutes of the same song on each album, usually.  And it gets on my nerves.

This EP doesn't have any of that stuff to worry about.  This is the kind of album a deathgrind album should be, not close to an hour but short and powerful.  I admit, I might've liked it to be a little longer, but thanks to the 2.5 minute average of these six songs on this EP, none of the ideas overstay their welcome.  It must also be said that the production of this album is noisy and dirty, which brings out the most of the punk attitude and the metallic vibes.  This helps make this one of their heaviest releases.  I love the fact that the percussion is so powerful on this album.  I mean, on Harmony Corruption, they were so weak I wanted to puke.  And people actually like that album.  I guess if I had to pick a favorite track, it would be Walls of Confinement.  It displays everything the albums about, fast, mid-paced, violent, hardcore and metallic.

Sometimes, all you really need is a short burst of heaviness to keep you going.  You draw that out for too long and it loses its effect.  I mean, why not?  So many punk genres along with their metal mutants build themselves on the EP instead of the album.  This is more than welcome to me.  It's got the brutality of Suffocation's Human Waste, although it could have slightly better production as it drowns in its own noise sometimes.  But 90% of the time it's very clear what's going on.  And even if it gets noisy, that's when it becomes one of the heaviest releases in either punk or metal.  A lot of lengthy ND studio albums could take a few cues from this EP.  I mean, yeah, there isn't a lot of differentiation between tracks... but this is only fifteen minutes.  And honestly, I'd scold myself for being so obsessive over fifteen minutes.  After hearing so many samey deathgrind albums, the variety-cultist in me wants more, but the critic in me won't allow that to be considered a con.

95.

"Mentally Murdered" is actually on my playlist for the next week or so. It's been a while since I last revisited it so I'm interested to know how it’s held up.

So "Mentally Murdered" didn't end up living up to my nostalgic feelings to be honest. It's very much a grindcore record with the death metal component being mainly in the vocals & production. I love the blast beat sections but many of the thrashier hardcore riffs sound pretty generic. I like it but I don't love it. It's a 3.5/5 from me.

Here's my adjusted Top Ten Deathgrind Releases of All Time list:

01. Cattle Decapitation - "Monolith of Inhumanity" (2012)

02. Brutal Truth - "Extreme Conditions Demand Extreme Responses" (1992)

03. Napalm Death - "Utopia Banished" (1992)

04. Napalm Death - "Mass Appeal Madness" E.P. (1991)

05. Full of Hell - "Weeping Choirs" (2019)

06. Lock Up - "Necropolis Transparent" (2011)

07. Cephalic Carnage - "Misled by Certainty" (2010)

08. Damaged - "Passive Backseat Demon Engines" E.P. (1995)

09. Napalm Death - "Mentally Murdered" E.P. (1989)

10. Misery Index - "Heirs to Slavery" (2010)

Napalm Death - "Harmony Corruption" (1990)

I picked the Birmingham grind godfathers third album up on cassette upon release after quite liking all of Napalm Death's previous material. They'd started to incorporate elements of death metal into their sound for 1989's "Mentally Murdered" E.P. but took those influences much further here. In fact, most people seem to agree that "Harmony Corruption" is a death metal release but I'm gonna have to question that theory. To my ears there's still easily enough grindcore in their sound for it to qualify as deathgrind. I'd actually suggest that it's a better example of the deathgrind subgenre than "Mentally Murdered" was because that record was basically grindcore with death metal vocals whereas "Harmony Corruption" sees them playing genuine death metal riffs mixed in with blasts of grindcore. The influence of bands like Death, Obituary & Deicide is really obvious.

I don't have too many issues with the infamous production job other than the strange pitch-shifted guitar solos & Barney's monstrous vocals are a definite improvement on Lee Dorian's efforts. There are some great moments across the album too, particularly when they go to the two extremes with chuggy half-time death metal sections & frantic blast-beat driven grindcore savagery. I do struggle a touch with the groovier hardcore riffs at times though so "Harmony Corruption" has never seemed like an essential release even if it was as good as anything Napalm Death had released to the time. These days I'd probably put it on par with 1988's "From Enslavement To Obliteration" sophomore album but would take the elder sibling if pushed.

3.5/5

Here's my updated Top Ten Deathgrind Releases of All Time list with Misery Index's "Heirs To Slavery" slipping out to make way for "Harmony Corruption":

01. Cattle Decapitation - "Monolith of Inhumanity" (2012)

02. Brutal Truth - "Extreme Conditions Demand Extreme Responses" (1992)

03. Napalm Death - "Utopia Banished" (1992)

04. Napalm Death - "Mass Appeal Madness" E.P. (1991)

05. Full of Hell - "Weeping Choirs" (2019)

06. Lock Up - "Necropolis Transparent" (2011)

07. Cephalic Carnage - "Misled by Certainty" (2010)

08. Damaged - "Passive Backseat Demon Engines" E.P. (1995)

08. Napalm Death - "Harmony Corruption" (1990)

10. Napalm Death - "Mentally Murdered" E.P. (1989)

Napalm Death - "Mass Appeal Madness" E.P. (1991)

I have an admission to make. The early Napalm Death releases have never floated my boat as much as they have for others. I've always respected them for what they represent & can honestly say that I've found them to be universally appealing but I've never found them to be records that I feel like coming back to time & time again, despite having been introduced to them very early on in their career & during my more formative years. I'd probably had a good year or two with Napalm Death by the time 1991's short "Mass Appeal Madness" E.P. appeared as I'd bought all three of their albums prior to its release so I'd certainly given them a fair chance but I wouldn't find myself enticed into laying out my hard-earned money for "Mass Appeal Madness", instead recording all of the songs individually off the radio over the first few weeks following its release. I remember having a bit of fun thrashing around my room to them too but I can't say that the (mass) appeal was long-lasting & I haven't returned to it in many years now. Given that I've recently revisited all of Napalm Death's earlier records in months gone by, it'd be remiss of me to overlook this one if only for some perspective.

"Mass Appeal Madness" is a four-song affair that was dedicated to the memory of recently deceased Atheist bass player Roger Patterson & includes two brand new songs in the title track & "Pride Assassin" as well as two re-recordings of songs taken from Napalm Death's 1988 sophomore album "From Enslavement To Obliteration" ("Unchallenged Hate" & "Social Sterility") which was their best full-length to the time in my opinion. It would also be the last Napalm Death release to feature legendary drummer Mick "Human Tornado" Harris who would leave to focus on mainly non-metal projects like Scorn moving forwards. That fact alone makes the E.P. somewhat of a turning point for the band given the impact that Harris had had on the Napalm Death sound that he'd virtually single-handedly defined on those early grindcore releases.

The short nine-minute duration means that "Mass Appeal Madness" is all over before you know it & this makes repeat listens very easy to accommodate. Unsurprisingly, the newer material takes on a slightly different stylistic format than the re-recordings with the title track & "Pride Assassin" being the more significant pieces which define the sound that "Mass Appeal Madness" will be remembered for. Both of those tracks take on a deathgrind sound that's not too dissimilar to that which we heard on the last album "Harmony Corruption" &, to a lesser extent, 1989's "Mentally Murdered" EP. The re-recorded tracks maintain their original grindcore sound only they've been given a slightly more deathly edge by the production & the vocals of former Benediction front man Mark "Barney" Greenway who had only recently joined the band for 1990's "Harmony Corruption" album. The change in approach between the two pairs of songs is subtle enough to pass the casual listener by without causing too much disruption but it also gives "Mass Appeal Madness" the opportunity to appeal to both the diehard grindcore fans as well as those that need a bit of death in their grind to add a touch more darkness. As a point of reference, I'd suggest that the E.P. sounds kinda like Terrorizer & Lock Up style deathgrind meets Terrorizer & Repulsion style grindcore.

The quality of the material is all more than decent with the four tracks possessing a solid consistency that makes it hard to pick out any clear highlights. If pushed I'd probably suggest that the title track would be my favourite, perhaps because it's the most lengthy & death metal-infused inclusion. There's not much between the four songs mind you so I can't see too many people losing interest along the way, particularly given the extremely short duration of the release as a whole. It's interesting that there's not all that many blast beat sections though which is a little unusual for Napalm Death & was a sign of things to come on future releases that saw them starting to expand their sound in a number of interesting ways over the next few years. I have to say that I do miss the blasting a bit & find "Mass Appeal Madness" to be at its best when it's at its most extreme. I guess I just don't think Napalm Death are as good at creating captivating tremolo-picked death metal riffs as some of the more premium death metal bands on the scene at the time & their groovier moments aren't really that well aligned with my taste profile.

Nonetheless, it's hard to be too critical of yet another respectable extreme metal release from one of the more important players in the underground & I can't deny that I've enjoyed the trip down memory lane even if I don't find myself recalling every single second of these tracks like I have with some of the other early 90's releases I've been revisiting of late. I tend to think that my higher scores for Napalm Death releases are still to come as I get stuck into their next few releases but it won't surprise me if I never quite get there. Deathgrind nuts should probably give "Mass Appeal Madness" a listen or two but I wouldn't expect to find your next holy grail.

3.5/5

Here's my updated Top Ten Deathgrind Releases of All Time list which sees "Mass Appeal Madness" dropping down from number four to number ten:

01. Cattle Decapitation - "Monolith of Inhumanity" (2012)

02. Brutal Truth - "Extreme Conditions Demand Extreme Responses" (1992)

03. Napalm Death - "Utopia Banished" (1992)

04. Full of Hell - "Weeping Choirs" (2019)

05. Lock Up - "Necropolis Transparent" (2011)

06. Cephalic Carnage - "Misled by Certainty" (2010)

07. Damaged - "Passive Backseat Demon Engines" E.P. (1995)

08. Napalm Death - "Harmony Corruption" (1990)

09. Napalm Death - "Mentally Murdered" E.P. (1989)

10. Napalm Death - "Mass Appeal Madness" E.P. (1991)

Napalm Death - "Utopia Banished" (1992)

Up until 1992, Birmingham grindcore godfathers Napalm Death had represented more of a novelty than a major player in my musical life. I'd happily purchased all three of their albums for that pleasure but found their two seminal 1980's grindcore full-lengths to be nothing more than a bit of fun. And while 1990's "Harmony Corruption" third record may have added some of my beloved death metal to the equation, it didn't exactly blow me away either. There had been a few pretty decent E.P.'s released between them too & I'd greedily lapped them all up, buoyed by the sheer extremity of it all, an attribute that I was actively seeking out in my music at the time (& no doubt still are). I have to admit though, nothing the band had done had quite stuck the landing up until that point with possible exception of their short 1988 "The Curse" single which I really dug. 1992 would mark somewhat of a new era for Napalm Death though with long-time drum legend Mick Harris having departed after 1991's "Mass Appeal Madness" E.P. & been replaced by Danny Herrera (Venomous Concept). This change probably would have had a few diehard fans on edge a little as Harris had played arguably the most major role in the creation of both Napalm Death & the grindcore sound in general. For me personally though, 1992's "Utopia Banished" album would be the first Napalm Death album that I'd purchase immediately upon release & it's arguably remained my favourite release from their entire back catalogue for all the years since so I think it's fair to say that Herrera's induction into Napalm Death was a rousing success.

Napalm Death's first two albums represent some of the purest & rawest examples of the grindcore genre you're likely to find so there was unsurprisingly a little bit of a mixed response when they incorporated some of the death metal sounds they were hearing around them on "Harmony Corruption". It wasn't, however, a clear-cut death metal record as such with grindcore still playing a strong enough role in the outcome to see me tagging it as deathgrind. "Utopia Banished" sees the grind component being drawn upon a little more than it was on its predecessor & resulting in a more extreme & relentlessly savage deathgrind record that's buoyed by a stellar production job from Colin Richardson. Everything simply sounds so in-your-face with the riffs maintaining definition under some of the most violent drumming the world had heard to the time & with the iconic Mark "Barney" Greenway (Benediction/Extreme Noise Terror) producing some his finest signature barking over the top. The sheer energy of this material saw it immediately grabbing my attention but it also possessed a class that we hadn't heard from a Napalm Death full-length before too. The riffs of Jesse Pintado (Brujeria/Lock Up/Terrorizer) & Mitch Harris (Defecation/Meathook Seed/Righteous Pigs) are more sophisticated & very capably executed while the song structures offer a touch more complexity. The blast beat sections are beautifully positioned to ensure maximum impact with Herrera producing a stellar performance in his own right &, in doing so, putting any fears that the loss of Mick Harris would derail the Napalm Death train to bed.

The cover art is some of Napalm Death's best with the striking red & blue image coming across as both rebellious & shocking at the same time. It brilliantly depicts what the band were all about at the time in my opinion with a collage of social injustices being layered in a way that presents the band as the leaders of the resistance. The tracklisting kicks off in emphatic style too with the industrial noise of "Discordance" proving to be the perfect aural equivalent of the image I just mentioned & when the band blast in with one of their finest works in "I Abstain" I find myself being delightedly crushed under the weight of sound being projected out of my speakers at extreme velocities. The brutal "Dementia Access" follows in quick succession & at this point I'm thinking that we might have a genuinely classic metal release on our hands but things do settle down a bit from there with only the spectacular "Upward & Uninterested" seeing those levels of quality revived. The remainder of the 15-track album is all very solid & unwaveringly consistent in its execution but I can't say that it reaches the same sort of euphoric levels as the tracks I've already mentioned. Each song contains a number of exciting sections but invariably has them offset by some more hardcore-inspired sections that offer me a little less appeal & that's always been a bit of an issue for me with grindcore as I can never quite get the best releases up into my top rating bracket due to my inability to get as excited about the bouncier punk beats. "Utopia Banished" is no doubt one of the stronger examples though as it doesn't present the listener with any real weaknesses, instead choosing to flex its muscles & embrace the sound that the band had been so instrumental in creating in the first place.

At the end of the day, "Utopia Banished" was a unanimous success in my opinion & it still feels like the record that best reflects Napalm Death's sound to me. I just wish that it had lived up to the potential that it hinted at from the commencement of the tracklisting as I really (& I mean REALLY) dig the violence & extremity but can't quite overcome my issues with grindcore's hardcore roots. If the band had opted for a shorter release that dropped that component & simply focused on the half-time, tremolo-picked death metal riffs & the ultra-brutal blast-beat grind sections then we'd probably have my ultimate extreme metal album but, as it is, "Utopia Banished" is still a very fine representation of what Napalm Death have brought to the world & fans of bands like Terrorizer, early Brutal Truth & mid-period Extreme Noise Terror should definitely stand up & pay attention.

4/5

Here's my updated Top Ten Deathgrind Releases of All Time list which sees "Utopia Banished" usurping Cattle Decapitation & Brutal Truth to gain top spot:

01. Napalm Death - "Utopia Banished" (1992)

02. Cattle Decapitation - "Monolith of Inhumanity" (2012)

03. Brutal Truth - "Extreme Conditions Demand Extreme Responses" (1992)

04. Full of Hell - "Weeping Choirs" (2019)

05. Lock Up - "Necropolis Transparent" (2011)

06. Cephalic Carnage - "Misled by Certainty" (2010)

07. Damaged - "Passive Backseat Demon Engines" E.P. (1995)

08. Napalm Death - "Harmony Corruption" (1990)

09. Napalm Death - "Mentally Murdered" E.P. (1989)

10. Napalm Death - "Mass Appeal Madness" E.P. (1991)

https://metal.academy/lists/single/223