With drums & guitars done in Cleveland OH, bass guitars in Vancouver, BC and vocals laid down in Tel Aviv, Israel; this is truly an internationally made album and band. Dirk Verbeuren (SOILWORK) is doing double duty with the guitar, it shows he’s more than just a drummer. He wrote the damned album! DEVIN TOWNSEND laid down some solid bass lines & Sven De Caluwe (ABORTED,SYSTEM DIVIDE) well, does what Sven does! The band has since added SHANE EMBURY from NAPALM DEATH as the new bassist for the next album, which they are already working on. Originally self- released last fall, it will be re-issued this summer by Tankcrimes in a special package. It’s grindcore at its best. Clocking in at 17 minutes long, it gets to the point on every song. Let’s check out Noistalgia right now.
If you get the physical CD, the booklet has one sentence introductions to each song, just so you’re not misled by anything. From songs about blast beats like “Blast Beat Barrage” and technological advances in“Digital Disaster”, you are also treated to all the social commentary you’d expect since this is just one big ole love letter to the genre. It basically says that in the name of the title track, “An homage to grindcore and noise”. As fun as short songs are, I do wish the song “In One Word” was longer. I would’ve loved to hear what other band names they could have tossed in there. Based on just the bass line alone, “Sustained Idiocy” just makes me want to punch something. Dirk’s SOILWORK band mate Sylvain Coudret, comes in and throws a cool guitar solo in your face on “Dead Meat”. “Fool for Life” is the longest track (4:06) and gives the album some added weight. It ends with a lovely rendition of “Bullshit Propaganda” in honor of the mighty EXTREME NOISE TERROR.
They managed to cram this album full of greatness in a short amount of time. I’m not sure if throwback is the right description for this, but this does make you remember the early days of grindcore (only with better production- thank you Devy!). With Noistalgia, BENT SEA came, saw and kicked ass. Not only did I like it, I bought it!
Extreme Noise Terror-Holocaust In Your Head (Candlelight)
Originally released fresh for ’89, Holocaust In Your Head served as one of the blueprints for U.K. crusty grind, dueling it out with Brummie bashers Napalm Death for Britain’s most extreme brand of noise.
While Extreme Noise Terror are equally sloppy as early Napalm in terms of chaotic aggro, their Holocaust attack has probably served as more of an influence to legions of punk rockers than your average, everyday death metal fan who digs on The ‘Death. Still, the end results here still sound as pissed ‘n proud as it did so many years ago, blurring the lines between extreme crust and thrashy grind with the greatest of ease.
What’s impressive about Holocaust is how Extreme Noise Terror keeps the energy level up the entire way through, effortless darting back and forth between blast and D-beats while the dual vocals of Dean Jones and the departed Phil Vane bully the listener into punishing submission. Candlelight hasn’t done much to clean up this album’s raw production, either, with all of the Holocaust grime and filth set on display for all to hear and appreciate once again in 2011.
Grinders, punks and crusties alike: now’s the time to put your little grubby mitts on Holocaust In Your Head if you haven’t done so yet: a true testament for classic, late 80s U.K. grind.
TRAP THEM is – hands down – my favorite band in the world. My first experience with the band came at the 2008 Los Angeles Murderfest. Through the recommendation of NAPALM DEATH’s Barney Greenway, I watched them rip through their 30-minute set with raw, visceral, crusty grindcore that was heavier than Gabourey Sidibe. Now TRAP THEM are crafting their third full length, which happens to be their first since they entered into a deal with heavyweight Prosthetic Records.
The band is currently holed up inside of God City Studios with CONVERGE icon Kurt Ballou and have also announced plans to tour with two other Metal Army favorites: EVERY TIME I DIE and HOWL!
After the jump you will find pictures from the band’s recording sessions. The album, rumored to be titled ‘We Craft in Darkness’, is expected to be released in early 2011. For now, stay tuned to TRAP THEM’s official blog for more news from the studio!
Soothing and serene Goner is not. The follow up to EARLY GRAVES’ smashing 2008 We: The Guillotine debut is all metal shavings, chalkboard fingernail scrapes, and iron clanging racket wrapped up in a big box of death, crust punk and grind. It is not psychotic music for a lost generation; it is migraine-inducing neurosis for a human race that continually screws itself. You’re all fucked; get used to it.
But Goner is no noise-for-the-sake-of-noise exercise in absurd art house meanderings, it is a raucous blend of ENTOMBED, CONVERGE, and crust punk nihilism and by god it grooves too, albeit like a locomotive “grooves” down the tracks at 90 miles per hour. Mostly fast and furious, the songs are performed in off-the-rails fashion with ear piercing guitars and frequent reminders of bands like MISERY INDEX, EXTREME NOISE TERROR and TODAY IS THE DAY as well. In other words, there is some damn good songwriting going on amidst the bloody knuckled controlled chaos.
And good golly is that a cover of MINOR THREAT’s “Seeing Red” smashed into the front end of “Old Bones?” Are you kidding me? How perfect is that? Within these 10 short, shocked, and sharp tracks are moments when the pace is slowed to a measured meat grind on “May Day” and grooved up on the stop-start-scrape of “Rot,” making for a well rounded bout of brain battering. Remember kids; pain is just weakness leaving the body. Suck it up!
Any chance the shiny happy people may have had to live lives of quietitude spent painting wildlife pictures in pastels has officially been shattered. The fact is that there is no escape from Goner. Have you already forgotten? You’re fucked.
One can debate all they want the appeal and/or continued relevance of MASTER’s vintage death metal style (and I say “vintage,” not “old school,” because MASTER are the school), but the honesty with which the music is played and the lyrics are sung is undeniable. Vocalist/bassist/founder Paul Speckmann has always walked it like he talked it, never compromising, never throwing in the towel, and never giving anything but 100 percent dedication to a style of metal he helped create. And if you’ve been paying attention, you know that he sure as hell doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to his views on the corrupting power of government and the dangers inherent in allowing institutional representation of the citizenry to go unchecked. Those sentiments are written all over MASTER’s excellent 10th album, The Human Machine, as was the case with its masterful predecessor Slaves to Society. Brutally honest, hard as iron, and ugly as sin; The Human Machine, Paul Speckmann, or both? Find out below!
MAA: You just finished a European tour with SIX FEET UNDER. How did it go?
Paul Speckmann: Actually, the tour went well for SIX FEET UNDER for the most part. The audiences were crazy and fanatical as usual, but this wasn’t a MASTER tour. I was selling merchandise for the support band ILLDISPOSED, as well as the other support acts. I had a blast, but things were difficult at times as always on tour. On my last excursion with SFU, the support bands sold more merchandise, as well as my personal MASTER merchandise selling much better. I am feeling the economical pinch these days as well. I hope things improve in the near future for all musicians. MASTER will be supporting SIX FEET UNDER and ILLDISPOSED at the end of June for five festivals in Scandinavia and Germany, so I certainly look forward to this my friend. I have to say as a closing statement, on the subject of SIX FEET UNDER, that this is the third time I have traveled with Mr. Barnes and the rest of the crew and they are one of the most professional acts I have ever had the pleasure of working with; and for all the silly stories about the guys, they are untrue. This is a professional traveling machine and it’s great to be a part of this.
MAA: You’re heading down to South America for the cleverly named Master of Destruction tour. I would assume that MASTER is greatly appreciated in an area like South America, as they usually pay their respects to true metal in whatever form.
Paul Speckmann: A few months ago MASTER traveled to Brazil and stayed there for six weeks playing 20 concerts and traveling over 15,000 km. The audiences were fanatical and really appreciated the shows. Many clips can be found on You Tube if anyone cares to look. I mean the journeys were up to 12 hours a day many times, but once we arrived it was well worth the travel in the end. I signed many of the MASTER releases on vinyl throughout the journey and you could tell the people really enjoyed the shows. We will be leaving at the end of July for six concerts, three in Venezuela, a first for me and another three in Columbia. I am looking forward to this; only this time we will be there for a mere 12 days and this will be much easier. (more…)
