The Grindcore Thread

Naked City - "Torture Garden" (1990)

I find this John Zorn project's sophomore album to be genuinely unpleasant. I've only ever enjoyed one Naked City album which is the very solid 1992 drone metal piece "凌遲 (Leng tch'e)" but the rest 0f their back catalogue does absolutely nothing for me . I'd suggest that 1992's "Heretic: Jeux des Dames Cruelles" soundtrack is probably their least appealing release overall but "Torture Garden" would come in a clear second. I've never been able to get my head around the use of general silliness to create art & this is as prime an example as you'll find. You can expect 42 songs & 25 minutes of insignificant & insubstantial noise that utilizes avant-garde jazz as much as it does grindcore.

2.5/5

Full of Hell - Coagulated Bliss (2024

Genres: Grindcore, Metal

You read the genre-tagging right.  I'm calling this "metal" on top of calling it a grindcore album because for a good portion of the album, it is so diversified and out-there that it's a difficult one to really peg down.  I'm getting switches between some thought-provoking noise rock, drawn out and brutal doom metal with noisy metalcore backdrops, black and death working in tandem and even a little sludgy stuff here and there.  This is Full of Hell going batshit insane, but with catchiness and accessibility covering it all so it never goes too far like Naked City's Torture Garden.  Full of Hell have always been one of the most artistic bands of the modern age.  They helped to justify the existence of the otherwise passable Merzbow with their collabs, Sister Fawn and the self-titled collab, the former of which was my number 1 FoH and the latter of which was my number 3.  The album goes for more straightforward grindcore on a more consistent level after the seven-minute doomy epic Bleeding Horizon ends side A, but the first half is organized chaos, justifying its directionless genre-bending with the bandmates's personas dominating the album's brutal presence.

Of course, it's safe to say that half the tracks are grindcore, warranting the tag, but with that seven minute epic steering closer to that joke of a genre tag RYM calls "downtempo deathcore" than anything, it's safe to say that this album covers the multitude of bases within the realms of extreme metal and metal punk hybrids, with thrash and crossover thrash being absent, and leaving room for some Orchid-style powerviolence.  It's highly accessible despite its plethora of metallic flavors, so I think the best tag for this album would either be "metal" or "extreme metal" as opposed to choosing any one specific genre.  I think to do otherwise might be a little insulting to this testament to FoH's metal cabapilities.  Although next time, I'd like to see them do this and incorporate some of the industrial sounds of Sister Fawn. Otherwise, this album is basically FoH's "When the Kite String Pops."

100/100

Pestilence (AUS) - "Pestilence" demo (1988)

This one-off demo tape saw Perth-based punks Pestilence producing arguably Australia's earliest grindcore release. It does a very good job at it too & compares favourably to the acts that had spawned the scene on a global level over the previous couple of years. The performances are fairly loose as you would expect from an early grindcore release but the production is surprisingly clear. I particularly enjoy the deathly vocals & the out-of-control blast-beats. I've always had a soft spot for good quality grindcore & this old demo still ticks all of my boxes even if it's not something I return to all that often. It certainly made for good drunken fun back in the day too.

For fans of Unseen Terror, Amebix & "Scum"-period Napalm Death.

3.5/5

Death Toll 80k - "Harsh Realities" (2011)

As much as I enjoy the odd brutality injection of a good grindcore album, I cannot claim to be any kind of authority on the sub-genre. As such, Finland's Death Toll 80k were unknown to me prior to this, their debut full-length, crossing my path well over a decade after its release. Well, the four-piece certainly seem to know what they are about with this ticking all the boxes of what I want from a grindcore album. Cramming twenty-three tracks into its mere 25 minutes runtime, this is a relentless succession of short volleys of musical violence and aggression designed to have a cumulative effect upon the listener. Each track crashes into the previous one with barely a breath in between, that sees each new adrenaline surge adding to the wave created by the bloody rampage preceeding it, so that come album's end the listener is energised and invigorated by sheer biochemical energy alone. This does not imply, by any means, that all the tracks sound the same. There is a decent variety of riffs within the short run time, whether it be the hulking death metal blast of a track like "Taught To Consume" or the thrashy groove of "Empty Pose" there is enough variation to prevent any accusations of stagnancy, but of course this is all within the context of a grindcore album, so don't go in expecting too much light and shade or any degree of compositional complexity as you will be sorely disappointed.

Vocalist Oula Kerkelä is OK, let's say. He certainly isn't a Barney Greenaway and I would have to admit that his vocals sound very much the same all the way through with little nuance or inflection. Be it his guttural grunts or ragged screams, each sounds much like the previous ones, the only real variety being the proportion of one compared to the other during each track. This isn't deal-breaking really as his delivery is more than aggressive enough to convey the violent anger essential to the aesthetics of grindcore, but it is an aspect of the band's sound that could perhaps be better. Drummer Jori Sara-aho is also very much at the centre of things and his skinwork is technically capable and precise, often achieving blistering blastbeat speeds without any sign of faltering and delivering reasonably interesting fills when required. Guitar-wise it is all about riffs with no real soloing present, not even in short bursts. No, this is pretty much "just" a riff upon riff pile-up. Luckily, the riffs are great with a decent memorability factor and are tightly executed so pretty much hit the spot every time.

Overall I have to admit to being quite impressed by "Harsh Realities" and, vocal shortcomings aside, this is a top-drawer grindcore release that I am surprised hasn't gained a higher profile as it is capable of going toe-to-toe with all but the absolute best the genre has to offer.

4/5

I think I have enough experience with grind to publish a top ten list, even though it may be a bit basic with a few obvious selections. So here we go then:

1. Terrorizer - "World Downfall" (1989)

2. Carcass - "Symphonies of Sickness" (1989)

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

4. Napalm Death - "Mentally Murdered EP" (1989)

5. Napalm Death - "Enemy of the Music Business" (2000)

6. Repulsion - "Horrified" (1989)

7. Nails - "Abandon All Life" (2013)

8. Insect Warfare - "World Extermination" (2007)

9. Death Toll 80k - "Harsh Realities" (2011)

10. Nasum - "Inhale / Exhale" (1998)