Warfuck/Neantification/EveryDayHate/2013 CD Review

  Warfuck  are  a  duo  from  France  that  plays  a  very  fast  form  of  grindcore  with  elements  of  crust  and  power  violence  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2013  album  "Neanifacation"  which  was  released  by  EveryDayHate.

  Breathing  sounds  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  very  fast  and  brutal  grindcore  direction  along  with  some  blast  beats  and  screams  and  there  are  also  some  slow  and  mid  paced  parts  as  well  as  some  spoken  word  parts  being  added  into  the  music  at  times  and  the mid  paced  sections  bring  in  elements  of  hardcore  into  the  bands  musical  sound.

  As  the  album  progresses  more  power  violence  elements  as  well  as  a  small  amount  of  crustcore  style  shouts  are  added  into  the  bands  musical  style  and  all  of  the  musical  instruments  have  a  very  powerful  sound  to  them  and  the  band  is  also  not  afraid  to  add  melody  into  their  fast  and  brutal  parts  when  needed  and  after  awhile  you  can  also  hear  a  small  amount  of  death  metal  style  growls  being  utilized  and  you  can  hear  a  small  amount  of  saxophones  on  the  last  track.

  Warfuck  bring  back  the  old  school  power  violence  style  to  grindcore  as  well  as  having  a  musical  style  that  mixes  both  the  modern  and  old  school  elements  of  this  genre  together,  the  production  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  a  mixture  of  English  and  French  and  cover  life  and  modern  society  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Warfuck  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  grindcore,  crust  and  power  violence  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  duo.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Till  the  Bones"  "At  Least  I  Hope"  "Abusey"  and  "Route  bloody  Route".  8  out  of  10.
  

Human Cull/Stillborn Nation/Wooaaargh/2014 CD Review

  Human  Cull  are  a  band  from  the  United  Kingdom  that  plays  a  very  old  school  and  crusty  form  of  grindcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Stillborn  Nation"  which  was  released  by  Wooaaargh.

  Heavy  distorted  noise  starts  off  the  album  before  the  music  goes into  a  fast  crust/grind  direction  along  with  blast  beats  and  a  mixture  of  screams  and  growls  and  on  the  second  track  the  bass  guitars  start  sounding  very  powerful  and  the  music  also  starts  to  get  more  brutal  along  with  some  melody  and  elements  of  power  violence.

  After  awhile  the  band  starts  bringing  in  a  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  while  the  main  focus  remains  mostly  on  a  fast  and  brutal  sound  and  all  of  the  tracks  except  for  the  last  one  are  very  short  in  length  and  are  mostly  under  2  minutes  and  one  of  the  later  tracks  bring s in  a  brief  use  of  guitar  solos  and  leads.

  Human  Cull  play  a  very  old  school  style  of  crust  and  grindcore  that  is  heavily  rooted  in  the  90's  style  of  this  genre  and  the  music  is  also  very  raw  and  aggressive  sounding,   the production  sounds  very  heavy  and  powerful  while  the  lyrics  cover  violent,  hateful  and  political  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Human  Cull  are  a  very  great  sounding  mixture  of  crust  and  grindcore  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  those  musical  genres,  you  should  check  out  this  band.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "The  Sentence  Is  Death"  "Death  Rituals"  "Anger  Inferno"  and  "Echoing  Silence".  8  out  of  10.      

Disturbance Project/Grita Mientras Puedas/EveryDayHate/2014 CD Compilation Review

  Disturbance  Project  are  a  band  from  Spain  that  plays  a  very  fast  and  brutal  form  of  crust/grindcore  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  compilation  album  "Grita  Mientras  Puedas"  which  was  released  by  EveryDayHate.

  Radio  sounds  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  very  fast  and  brutal  grindcore  direction  along  with  a  mixture  of  noisecore  style  screams  and  deep  death  metal/crust  growls  along  with  some  blast  beats  and  they  also  slow  down  at  times while  the  main  focus  is  on  speed  and  brutality  and  you  can  also  hear  the  energy  of  punk  rock  in  their  musical  sound  at  times.

  All  of  the  songs  are  very  short  in  length  with  the  longest  one  being  under  2  minutes  and  they  stay  away  from  all  modern  trends  and  stick  to  a  mid  90's  style  of  grindcore  as  well  as  having  some  heavy  bass  guitars  and  there  is  no  melody  or  anything  humorous  about  this  bands  approach  to  grindcore.

  Disturbance  Project  create  one  of  the  most  fast  and  brutal  grindcore  albums  that  I  have  heard  in  years  and  they  play  grindcore  the  way  it  was  meant  to  be,  the  production  sounds  very  heavy  and  brutal  while  the  lyrics  are  written  in  Spanish  and  cover  violent,  hateful,  and  everyday  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Disturbance  Project  are  a  very  great  sounding  heavy,  fast  and  brutal  grindcore  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Caja"  "Minigrind"  "Leti"  and  "Eco".  8/5  out  of  10.      

Run With The Hunted Interview

 

 

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording of the new album?

We recorded "The Sieve and the Sand' back in September. Since then, we've been laying kind of low, doing all of the things required to release an album. Finalizing artwork, layout, promotional stuff, interviews like this. Lately, we've been practicing a lot gearing up for all the shows we'll be playing to support the record. 

2.You have a new album coming out in June, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical direction of the new recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you have done in the past?

This record is a lot more musical than our previous ones. We've always been a hardcore band and that will still be very apparent to people who hear this record but we really kind of let go this time around, we stopped trying to force ourselves to sound a certain way and just let the songs develop as organically as possible. We all listen to a lot of other genres outside of punk and hardcore and I think many of those influences found their way into the music as well. 

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer music?

I would say the record deals with the pain of acknowledging our true singularity as individuals. We can surround ourselves with loved ones and give and receive love as much as possible but at the end of the day, we only really have ourselves. I think embracing that is a vital step in anybody's personal growth, at least it has been for me. It seems scary but really I think it's the foundation of being a complete and happy person; you have to learn how to accept your loneliness as an inevitable part of the human condition. The record also deals with the idea of universal truth and attempting to understand why people believe what they do. Ultimately, I believe, there are no universal truths and the things people subscribe to like religion or culture are just attempts at control; all we have are our choices and we can always choose to be someone or something different than what we're told. Recognizing the inherent freedom you have 

4.I have seen this band on a lot of straight edge and vegetarian websites, what impact does this lifestyle have on the music that you play?

I would say it's had some impact on the style of hardcore we play for sure. Run with the Hunted has never been a vegan straight edge band; we never set out with that agenda or any specific agenda really other than attempting to express ourselves. Some of us are straight edge, some of us are vegan and these ideals are incredibly important to us but it's never been the focus of the band. But we all agree that hardcore is at its best when it has a political consciousness; in my experience, that often means a vegan or straight edge band. 

5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Run With the hunted'? 

Run with the Hunted is the name of a collection of stories by author Charles Bukowski. When the band formed, a few of us were really reading a lot of Bukowski at the time and his writing style really embodied what we wanted to do with our new band; he was raw, emotional, gritty, sometimes ugly and hard to swallow but always poetic. I think that just really resonated with us. 

6.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?

Hm, the most memorable shows for me are probably Rainfest in Seattle, WA in 2011, Fluff Fest in the Czech Republic in 2012 and the final Seven Generations show in San Diego, CA in 2009. All of them were just incredible; hardcore has this very special energy that is indescribable, I've never come across another style of music that even comes close. When a hardcore show is going off, you can literally FEEL the energy in the room, it's palpable. 

7.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?

We have 4 record release shows planned, in AZ and CA and we will definitely tour in the fall but nothing is set in stone yet, stay tuned. 

8.The band is currently signed to Panic Records, can you tell us a little bit more about this label?

Our good friend Timm runs Panic Records out of Seattle, WA. He plays guitar for Trial which was kind of surreal for us at first because they were our favorite hardcore band. Then we got to know him and he wanted to put out our records and we've been working together ever since. 

9.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your newer music by fans of hardcore, punk and metal?

So far, people seem really moved by The Sieve and the Sand. I've had several people write to me directly and say they don't listen to much hardcore anymore, they don't even really pay attention to what bands are doing these days but this album made them feel alive again in a way they haven't since they first got involved in the scene. A few people have told me it brought them to tears too; for me, nothing could be more satisfying. It means people are really connecting with the record. 

10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

Hard to say really. We don't plan on writing again for awhile. 

11.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

We were pretty heavily influenced by technical metallic 90's hardcore like Turmoil, Converge, Botch, Threadbare and Deadguy. Nowadays we all listen to a lot of other styles a lot more than hardcore. Off the top of my head, I think the other guys have been into Failure, David Bazan, Pearl Jam, Interpol and Slowdive lately. 

12.What are some of your non musical interests?

We all have pretty active lives outside of the band; Jason and Ian practice Jiu Jitsu, JP does Krav Maga, Matt is a competitive bowler and I rock climb. 

13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

I just want to encourage everyone reading this to get involved in their hardcore scene in whatever capacity they feel their talents are best used. Not everyone needs to start a band; equally important are promoters, venues and community organizers. DIY punk and hardcore only exists because people care enough to try. We all have something to contribute!

 

Super Fun Happy Slide/Drop Your Pants And Grind/Blastasfuk Records/2014 CD Review

  Super  Fun  Happy  Slide  are  a  band  from  Australia  that  plays  a  very  fast  and  old  school  form  of  noise  gore/grind  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Drop  Your  Pants  And  Grind"  which  was  released  by  Blastasfuk  Records.

  Classic  rock  style  guitar  leads  and  party  sounds  start  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  very  fast  and  brutal  grindcore  direction  along  with  blast  beats,  crust  style  shouts,  growls  and  screams  and  they  slow  down  a  bit  at  times  to  make  the  diverse  sound  more  diverse  and  heavier  as  well  as  the  screams  adding in  more  noisecore  elements.

  As  the  album  progresses  the  music  starts  becoming  a  mixture  of  crust  and  grindcore  as  well  as  having  a  very  dominating  sounding  bass  guitar  on  a  few  of  the  tracks  as  well  as  some  songs  taking  samples  from  motion  pictures  and  the  music  also  gets  more  brutal  as  the  album  progresses  as  well  as  adding  a  brief  use  of  guitar  leads  into  certain  sections  of  the  recording.

  Super  Fun  Happy  Slide  go  back  to  the  mid  80's  to  early  90's  day  of  grindcore  and  sticks  to  mostly  a  primitive  and  brutal  style  of  this  genre  and  ignoring  the  modern  trends  of  this  genre  to  create  one  of  the  better  grindcore  albums  in  months,  the  productions  sounds  very  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  gore,violent,  hateful  and  humorous  themes.

  In  my  opinion  Super  Fun  Happy  Slide  are  a  very  great  sounding  old  school  grindcore  band  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  this  musical  genre,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Napalm  Shower"  "The  Funky  Smell  Of  Fuck"  "True  Love  Is  A  Bloody  Cock"  and  "What's  that  Taste  in  My  Mouth".  8  out  of  10.

Brutal Blues Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?

Fervently heartfelt delta blues from Mississippi with members from Norwegian grind and noise bands such as The September When.

2.Recently you had released a mini album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?

It has chords and rhythm. Sometimes it also has rhythm.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?

Our lyrics are mainly about personal experiences and mostly about love. In different ways you know. It could be something quite romantic but also something dominated by anger and jealousy. There are many sides of this feeling to explore, and usually in our composition process we build both music and lyrics like an inseparable mixture. As we like playing with "lights and shades" in our music style, we love to use heavy contrasts in our lyrics.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Brutal Blues'?

A Norwegian extreme fish dish is Brutal Blues. Brutal Blues (Brutal=Brutal and Blues=trout) is fermented fish, most commonly made from trout/blues. Brutal Blues is made by storing the fish in a salt brine for at least 8 weeks. The longer the fish ferments and the more blood that is allowed to be fermented with the fish, the stronger the flavor. Brutal Blues is typically made early in the fall and is served as a delicacy for Christmas. This means the fish is allowed to ferment at low temperatures for 3 - 4 months. Brutal Blues is not recommended for pregnant women or the elderly. This is because minor errors in the preparation can make the fish toxic. Since the fish is served raw after fermentation it can potentially contain a very powerful neurotoxin. Brutal Blues is probably the most potent smelling food in the universe. The smell is intense and absolutely terrible. The flavor is very powerful but surprisingly very pleasant. Just make sure you are not around when the fish is taken out of the brine after fermenting for 4 months.

5.Currently there are only 2 members in the band, are you planning on expanding the line up in the future or do you choose to remain a duo?

Only two? Damn, thought we were more. We will discuss it now that we finally know exactly how many people we are in the band. Thanks for figuring that out by the way.

6.Norway has been known for other genres of metal but what is the grindcore scene like in your home country?

It's really good. Especially in Stavanger. They even play grind at McDonald's here. If you want your band to stand out in this town; don't play grind!

7.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of grindcore?

It has been good. We even have a manager in the States.

 

8.What is going on with the other musical projects these days that the band members are involved with?

The second PSUDOKU album is coming soon. Anders is working on becoming normcore.

 

9.When can we expect a full length album and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

We don't know but thanks for asking.

 

10.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

Brutal brass bands like Arsedestroyer, old Anal Cunt & The Scroungers to name a few.

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

Shopping.

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

Thank you for your interest!

 

Abaddon Incarnate/Pessimist/Candlelight Records/2014 CD Review

  Abaddon  Incarnate  are  a  band  from  Ireland  that h as  been  interviewed  before  in  this  zine  and  plays  a  brutal  mixture  of  death  metal  and  grindcore  along  with  some  black  metal  elements  and  this  is  a  review  of  their  2014  album  "Pessimist"  which  will  be  released  by  Candlelight  Records.

  A  very  distorted  and  heavy  sound  starts  off  the  album  before  going  into  a  very  fast  and  brutal  mixture  of  death  metal  and  grindcore  along  with  some  blast  beats  and  a  mixture  of  screams  and  growls  which  gives  the  music  a  very  old  school  feeling  but  with  a  more  modern  day  sounding  production.

  On  the other  songs  the  bands  sticks  to t heir  brutal  mixture  of  death  metal  and  grindcore  while  also  adding  in  black  metal  influences  to  make  their  music  sound  more  dark  and  they  also  do  a  good  amount  of  tracks  which  do  not  utilize  guitar  solos  and  leads  and  on  the  later  tunes  they  start  bringing  in  a  mixture  of  slow,  mid  paced  and  fast  parts  as  well  as  addign  in  a  more  straight  forward  Swedish  style  of  death  metal  but  done  in  a  lot  more  brutal  and  leass  melodic  manner  than  most  bands  of  that  musical  style  but  there  is  some  melody  beign  utilized  on  the  last  track  of  the  album

  Abaddon  Incarnate  remain  true  to t heir  brutal  death  metal  and  grindcore  mixture  while  also  being  a  bit  heavier  than  their  previous  recordings  as  well  as  keeping  around  the  black  metal  elements,  the  production  sounds  very  brutal  and  professional  while  the  lyrics  cover  Occultism,  left  hand  Path  and  dark  themes.

  In  my  opinion  this  is  another  great  sounding  recording  from  Abaddon  Incarnate  and  if  you  are  a  fan  of  brutal  death  metal  and  grindcore,  you  should  check  out  this  album.  RECOMMENDED  TRACKS  INCLUDE  "Yester  Hara"  "Fear"  "Nameless  grave"  and  "Funeral  Hag".  8/5  out  of  10.