Gouge - Beyond Death [2015]

Gouge received the honor of being crowned 'band of the week' by Darkthrone's Fenriz back in 2012 when I was reviewing their debut EP ''Doomed to Death'', and with their anchor moored in Hell's Headbangers harbor, one of the best labels that breed the kind of gnarly and devilish concoctions of fields of death, thrash, black and grindcore, the Norse come with full force with ''Beyond Death''. The album hits the listener immediately as an insignificant stylistic departure from EP in its bare-bones, fleshed tirade of death, thrash with a sprinkling of grindcore by the laws of gods such as Repulsion and Terrorizer, but that's not to say it's not fun.  Indeed, these guys now how to impress, and weren't nominated by the esteemed metal god for good no reason...

Gouge improves upon the quality of the production and some of the intensity, and not much else really. In a savage nudge to fans of this kind of old school metal circa 1988-1992, there's actually a ton of nostalgia to be felt, ranging from ''Hell Awaits'' era Slayer to ''Horrified'', from early Death to Autopsy - the Norseman know how to synthesize influential (though by this time more generic than one might like) proto-death/thrash sounds into a combustive modern mix with the visceral attitude of deranged undertaker hacking and pummeling carcasses with rusted chisels and hammers where he should actually be set on his deplorable task. Gouge falls into that marginally spurious territory or gruesomeness and sheer wreck-it fun, with slew after after slew of ceaseless tremolos, razor sharp chord diatribes or just bloody fucking chug fests that go about nicely with tracks like ''Morbid Curse''. The drums similarly generate nice, clear blast beats in rapid succession with great ecstasy, but fail to keep up in terms of variation. Yet even punk and hardcore earn their place in the surprisingly straightforward sound they eschew - surprising particularly because you'd expect a greater temperance towards an album like ''Mental Funeral'' from a band whose song titles and sonic texture literally scream 'Autopsy'. Even so, the Autopsy influence seeps somewhere down there, most prominently in the vocalists' raucous howls, or during some of the sludgier chainsaw banters like on ''Chaos and Horror''.

In the end, scarcely a riff here is re-engineered to be held a candle to some of the peerless classics of primordial gore mentioned above, and you're bound to forget nearly the entire album just seconds after you've stopped listening to it, but the consistency and peppy courting with crackled skulls and age-old speed metal aesthetics makes this somehow worthwhile, and certainly a lot more entertaining than feeling your scalp get torn down by a hacksaw. The tracks here typically get barred behind the 3-minute mark, making them rather excellent pieces if you're in the mood for some frenzied incision, with only the title track reaching close to 5 minutes; and at less than half an hour in total the album's about as long a round of poker... among other things. So there's really no sense in complaining about its length. What would really have made my day would have been a veritable revaluation of the music in all its ghastly components, even though it is definitely far from subpar and sounds fresher than a whole bunch of other bands playing in the same medium. That said, I won't be so generous the next time the samey sanguinary formula and random mesh of horror flicks arrive on my dinner plate in the form of splattered brains and skull bits.


Highlights:
Breath of the Reaper
Butcher Attack
Morbid Curse

Rating: 73%

Bone Sickness - Alone In The Grave [2013]

The fact that the album art, song names and album title (not to mention the band's name itself) reek of cloudy, repetitive old school death metal may put off even the most zealous of listeners, but for those of you who are still tedious about giving this a listen: don't worry because Bone Sickness make for a surprisingly entertaining death/grind feast. Certainly, the OSDM revivalists today can be broadly aggregated into two groups; the bulging, murky ones whose heads are deep in an unmitigated avidity of Incantation, and the more bombastic groups who mainly emerge from Sweden, portraying the chainsaws and gnawed bone necklaces exactly the way their Swedish forefathers had envisioned in the late 80's. Of course, there is lesser margin in between these two coarse classifications - bands who drool over the sloppy connotations of Autopsy, Obituary and  similar horror-worshiping gods of death. Bone Sickness' formula adheres with the latter, with some additional influences that should gather Repulsion and Napalm Death fans under a gory, corpse-strewn banner.

The fact that we're not getting direct vibrations of Entombed, Grave and Dismember is pleasing notion, but it's not like the band is reinventing the wheel here. On the contrary, Bone Sickness' aesthetic facets lean directly towards the less frequently rehashed riffing patterns of the bands listed above, which makes for only a slightly more fresh listen. But despite the odds, I was impressed by the fairly diverse range of dynamics here; the band can braise simple chugging patterns with utterly dilapidated production values to churn out something messy, and, with the added clamor of the spiking drums, something sicker and catchier than you'd expect. I think the real treat here was not the range of riffing - we've all heard a good many of those sloppy, carnal ruptures - but the band's ability to shift so easily in between tempos, and providing the ultimate gate feast that's robust enough to draw the attention of even the most unwilling of listener. Take ''Alone in Grave'', for instance; the tune begins with rumbling death/doom trudge heavy enough to shake your bowels, and then promptly dives into mid-paced territory, followed by a razor-sharp flurry of flailing bones and limps and frivolous leads, and finally settling back to the turtle pace it had started with.

The lyrics and themes are nothing out of the ordinary, vivid images of gore, violence and ghastly tales from the grave that rock with such a staunch and monstrous attack of riffs that I'm almost reminded of Entombed/Nihilist. In addition to the doom-trodden preferences, Bone Sickness also deliver a chock load of punches with infectious, yet crunchy thrash momentum (''Tied To The Stake''), or completely straightforward grindcore impulses redolent of ''Horrified'', ''Horror Of The Zombies'' and ''Impulse To Destroy'' (''Strange Obsession''), but with tracks no longer than 3 and a half minutes, you'll get the idea anyway. Unfortunately, I felt a little uncomfortable about the length of the material with just seven tracks ranging at 18 minutes. Last but not least, the vocal inflections that constantly shifted from bulbous Chris Barnes gutturals with the occasional nasty barks to throatier Van Drunnen-esque screams were no way near terrific, but I would consider them to be an unwanted aspect, either. ''Alone In The Grave'' can be therefore more closely associated with a newer string of bands like Black Jesus, Abysme or Gruesome Stuff Relish rather than directly being associated with the aforementioned gods of death and grind. It's certainly not without its flaws, but it's still something relatively fresher than the stuff we're smothered by these days.

Highlights:
Paranoid Delusions
Alone In The Grave
Death and Dismemberment

Rating: 76%

Gruesome Stuff Relish - Sempiternal Death Grind [2013]

I had a nice run with Spain last year: Ataraxy, Necroven, Proclamation, Tsar Bomb, Mass Burial, and Banished From Inferno's excellent ''Minotaur'' the year before to top it off. So, naturally, the same kind of aping that was previous nearly exclusive to the States, Australia and Finland has swollen, and tumor-like, the Spanish death metal scene today has grown into a feral, rehashing mega-factory that commits its self to nothing what their masters Entombed, Dismember, Autopsy, Death and Bolt Thrower succeeded circa 1988-1993, and yet another protuberance in the ever widening arboretum of old school death and grind emerges; Gruesome Stuff Relish. Let me just make it clear that Gruesome Stuff Relish are hardly confronting the laws of physics as far as grinding chainsaw buzz goes, and this could have easily been the sophomore album for Rogga Johansson's newly born Humanity Delete if you exchanged the deep inflection for a sneering timbre of frivolous voracity, barking about.

Their sophomore was entirely dedicated to Terrorizer, Carcass and Repulsion, a bludgeon of Swedish chainsaw anchoring the barricade of riffs, but the Spaniards expend their retinue to a somewhat higher level here, enriching the chord patterns by letting a manifest of melody and crunchiness gush through the gory, bloody context as if the caveman's wooden bat earned itself a few sharpened nails along the way. Gruesome Stuff Relish have surprisingly prominent dominance over their dynamics, forging carnal tunes that could not only revive a band of decapitated zombies but also has a certain beat to it, which means they've stepped up their game by a margin, introducing even more accessible guitars that rip with a horrendously sodden chomp, catchy grooves, and the vocals, all gurgles and snares. One thing that I found rather queer was the band's aural preferences along the way. ''Sempiternal Death Grind'' is all bones and decomposed corpses from start to finish, but I found them to have growing sympathy for more spectral, doom-laden moments - well not exactly doom like, but rather a sludgier gait - wherein the band jumps right into a hollow, eager to deliver the murk with higher resonance. Something that we're experiencing way too frequently these days.

Like most death/grind acts, Gruesome Stuff Relish have their ambient passages of multiple subjects circulating through horror and zombies rising from their graves, a little addition to the music that should be able to draw some attention for fans of spurious horror. This record was certainly a point earned for the group, but it's still not as strong as some of the major usurpers of gore and horror, and the Spaniards definitely have a long way to get there. I was hoping that they could rend the atmospheric inclination they showed here even more discernible to something that I at least favor more than straightforward, pulsing grindcore, but hell, even if I don't get my wish we've still got a dozen of worthy headbanging material, with an equal amount of horror segments attached to it. ''Sempiternal Death Grind'' is embracing the 80's in both ways. Just grab some popcorn and plug the headphones in. You won't regret it, not for a couple of spins, anyway.

Highlights:
S.O.S
Deadlicious Feas
Sex Drugs and Grind

Rating:  73%

Strong Intention - Razorblade Express [2012]

Maryland bad asses Strong Intention have a new album out, entitled “Razorblade Express” and yes, it is full of bad-assery. Combining classic Grind and Hardcore punk elements, Strong Intention delivers a hard hitting barrage of chaos on this new album.

 The only gripe about this album is that it's extremely short. In fact, it is under 20 minutes with only six songs. It's a little hard to even call it an album and would make more sense to be considered an EP, but someone decided this would be the album.

At least there's no filler.

 Having said the above, the music speaks for itself as it kicks your ass quick and good. The two openers being the title track and “Messiah Whore” slam you against the pavement and keeps crushing you with amazing riffs and killer breakdowns while “Holes in the Wall” is a mosh happy gem that would've worked great as a Cro Mags song. It reeks of old school New York Hardcore. “3^rd Space Gorilla Generator,” “Rat Factory” and “Slaughter Intelligence” takes you on a roller coaster through your intestines. There is nothing but rapid fire awesome going on here.

Strong Intention proves that even in this age where everything seems to have been done to death, bands can still pop out gems. The band is all over the place venting their frustrations and refuses to let go. This is a must have for lovers of old school hardcore and classic grindcore. “Razorblade Express” is one of those albums you listen to over and over again.

Rating:  70%

Written by Chris Butera 

Lucifer D. Larynx And The Satanic Grind Dogs of Death - Absolute Defilement

I’ve always enjoyed death metal, but for some reason, I’ve never been able to fully respect death metal’s rapid tendencies, and that’s why I’ve never been quite into grindcore. Sure, Terrorizer, Napalm Death and Repulsion are bands that I’ve found rather pleasuring, but other than those, I’ve always prefered the artivistic, droney and shattering side of death metal, neglecting many a grindcore band. Lucifer D. Larnyx, though, for some reason appealed to me more than I expected it to. Their near thirty minute debut album ‘’Absolute Defilement’’ is only marginally different from ‘’World Downfall’’, or ‘’Horrified’’, but such a crunchy churning of vivacious death metal and hardcore punk is a meal that must not be missed, especially if you’re a resident grindcore fan boy.

Almost every song has a brief intro, and them after that, you’re left with about a minute of pure grindcore soaked old school death metal, rushing, breaking, tantalizing with invidious aggression and undeniable speed; pretty much what you’d expect from a typical grindcore album. The reason the record appealed to me more is because I found the guitar tone rather fat and saturated, and on top of the speed driven templates, there are old school death metal tremolos and foul accents aplenty, so Lucifer always have something to keep both you and themselves busy. As I said, plain speed and demented aggression sounds like only noise, with almost zero musical quality whatsoever, but with a few small twists added into the carnal foray of the riffs, the music maintains a busier stance, continuously raping the listener’s mind with chaotic pistols, thriving and punching into the fat brick wall of the riffs. Such spectral nuances help the riffing attain a more sordid sound, even though the level of complexity and technicality is still not wholly convincing.

There may be slight distinctions along the way, but otherwise the music is as plain as it can get, enjoyable and old school nonetheless. The stamina and endurance the drummer has is unquestionable, playing a big part in directing the speed and ferocity of the riffs, though the vocals sort fall into a more modern line, switching between muffled barks and hoarse groans rather than chubby growls. ‘’Absolute Defilement’’ consists of nothing worth disputing for as every aspect is as plain as the name of the band. With such a vulgar and inexorable attitude they’ll surely prove to be a hard-hitting band, but besides that, Lucifer D. Larnyx did not impress me; only entertained me.

Highlights:

Slave To The Bodies Of Evil

Repulsive Impulse

Cut, Rolled And Smoked

Rating: 79%