No Gods, No Cops

 I've still been destroying my ears listening to +HIRS+ ever since I've invaded their home turf of Philly. I've yet to hang out and burn a fat joint with the two dudes in the band, but my time will come. In the meanwhile, I'll continue listening to their 100 song discog and having my face crushed in. Starting with the one sided 7" I posted previously, this LP goes on a drum machine grind spree. My favourite albums featured on here are the aforementioned one sided 7", their all covers split with Hulk Smash and their Dimebag 5.5" that had soundclips of the late Sir Dime and a Pantera cover medley that DESTROYS. This discog also chronicles the band's career with mentions of their short Australian tour this summer in the song "Gaycation" and just a shit load of ripping drum machine grind. Overall the lyrics are acute and to the point, the drum machine doesn't sound fucking stupid, the vocals are raw and tortured and the guitar playing just plain rips. These dudes fucking shred and grind then lay down massive amounts of groove when the time is right. The way grind should be.
 It becomes apparent pretty quickly that +HIRS+ is a Big Boys style crossing dressing, gay band. Especially once doing some internet research, and talking to one of the gay dudes you work with that has seem the band multiple times. I think that's fucking awesome. Not enough people are open with who they are and what they are about in the DIY grind scene. The guitar player from Cretin (Martina Ramierz) getting a sex change blew my mind and made me stoked to be able to tell people about it. That opens up all sorts of new doors for our beloved scene to flourish. 

Getcha' Pull!

Your Pain Ends Here, On the Internet

Magnicdide obliterate ten short bursts of eastern Asia inspired grind on their "S/T" cassette tape. They are often touted as the Malaysian answer to 324 and that's a pretty fair assessment. Both bands have shared the stage several times in the geographical region and have a similar sound, however, 324 is more punk and crust sounding and Magnicide is has a more buzzsaw metal sound even if their riffs are hardcore punk as fuck. Gruff vocals over violently fast blast beats exceeding obscene speeds, though that description does glue them to a 324 reference. One would have a hard time saying they don't sound 324 but I would prefer to just use that as a base reference for Magnicide. I also hear traces of American hardcore in their sound. They utilize some New York style beatdowns a couple times and that shit fills me with energy and the desire to get into a pit.I'm actually REALLY curious to find out how many of the three guys in the band actively listen to American hardcore on the reg. Each of the ten tracks grinds in your fucking head with little variation of speed. This band adheres to Rule 324 just like other truly good bands. One of the few true hallmarks of a great metal/punk band.There are moments of start/stop grinding but it achieves a great effect instead of a pace impediment. This S/T tape is a precursor to their longer, more 324 influenced full length I've talked about before. I personally love being able to see a band's sound evolve, and you absolutely see that when comparing the two tapes. The songs on "Rise to the Annihilation" are generally longer with a more 324 feel to them. Straight up they sound 100% more like 324 on the follow up to this amazing tape. Listen and compare for yourself.

"Exceeding boundaries of mankind analogy"

Atheist Worship Music

  Here is some way sick grind from Philly. These two guys(+HIRS+) have been at it for a couple years playing fucking devastating grind. They know when playing fast is good and when playing slow is good, really exentuating each part for maximum effect. When they slow down for slam parts I just want to headbang my skull into the fucking wall or onto a table until the concussive force knocks me out. Then the fast parts hit. Fuck. +HIRS+ uses several small elements to set each track on this 7" apart, besides awesome sound clips. Squeels, pinch harmonics and fucking fast grinding. For a one sided 7" they really pack in the riffs, slams, blasts, breakdowns and pure unadulterated rage. These dudes use a programmed machine but they really stick out for me as just pummeling and driving forward towards oblivion the whole time. It's hypnotic and compelling. This type of drum machine grind is sort of hit or miss for me but this band fucking rips. I kind of get a feel of Agoraphobic Nosebleed and a little Kill the Client when I listen to this band, but I like +HIRS+ way more then either of those other bands. I just don't get bored somehow. The vocals are raw and tortured, and the guitar and bass tones are dissonant and crushing. I could probably go for a little bit more chunk and heft in the guitar mix, but that's just dickhead nit picking and I'm not going to get too far into that.
 +HIRS+ is another band that has links to download links to everything they have released so far on their website, just like Crucial Unit. How fucking cool is that? What's that? They're both from PA! Huh, figures. Must be something in the water.


"I PRAY TO YOU, DOG!"

The Bandcamp doesn't have a regular track listing, so here it is for you if you decide to download.
 WORSHIP
1. CIS SIX SIC
2. TRAIN WRECK
3. SELFISH AND ARROGANT
4. I PRAY TO YOU, DOG
5. UNSYMPATHETIC
6. RAPE WHISTLE PART II
7. DONATION TO THE DEAF
8. HUMYN RIGHT
9. BURNED DOWN / PISSED ON
10. KUATO LIVES

Sunday EP to Do Bong Rips To

  The "Chapters" EP by Implosive Disgorgance was not only my first real exposure to the punishing hybrid of death/grind but is also probably my favourite and the go to example I give out to people when discerning the fine lines between death metal, grind and the coalesced hybrids they produce. This short mama jamma of pure speed and rage came out way back in 2005 and has continued to feel like a punch in the face with every subsequent listen ever since.
  Three man detuned death influenced grind. Straight up, packed with lots of fucking stupid blasting with heavy as fuck slamming breackdowns. The vocals are amazing and inhuman, reminding me of a less squeely Joe Horvac(from CoDC, whom is over deserving of a post from me) and were done when these guys were 17. 17! I knew back then these kids had a future, and a bright shining one it's been. If this EP was much longer I could see it becoming rife with formulaic song writing which would render it almost boring and leaving no impact on me. They do a lot of gutteral vocals/riffs/blasting into sludgy heavy as fuck breakdowns, though it's varied a little from song to song showing their maturation and desire to write good songs. I could try to pick a favourite song but really each one has one or two parts that makes it stand out so it's not worth my time to go into details. You should just get high and grind.
 Florida produces tons of amazing bands, and this is just one more of them. If Cellgraft would have been around in the early 2000's I could have seen them sharing members, and maybe Maruta being a little less boring. No offense Maruta. You were a great band, but I could get bored with your 2+ minute songs. But I digress. Implosive Disgorgance was a short lived, amazing band worthy of your praise. They put out an album after this EP but I've yet to hear anything from it, although I know for a fact it does exist. I've seen it floating on the internet here and there but have always been unable to catch a good version of it. There also appear to be a couple other EPs floating about with their name on it, but again I haven't actually heard any of the music.

"INHALE! THIS REEFER!"

False Grind Alienation

 There are usually a couple different measures of quickly figure out why you enjoy a band more then you think you should and/or why everyone you've ever met loves that band. One big easy one, for extreme music, is to put that band on at around 70% volume when with a large group of people and see how fast they all start making faces of disdain and disgust until someone finally asks you to turn it down or change it completely(usually to something fucking stupid and mainstream everyone else in the group likes). The faster this happens, the better the band usually is. The other way is that "Holy shit" effect certain bands haves upon listening to a song or riff or blast beat, no matter how many times you've heard that song before. Every time I hear the Torture EP I get that feeling with John's voice or the fucking outrageous blast beats. Insect Warfare is no different other then me having the "Holy shit" moment in almost every song, sometime more then once. That is the true brand of a band that blazed through their perspective genre, and all music in general. This may just be the cannabis, but certain aspects of bands truly do transcend one aspect of media and art, and permeates into others. Insect Warfare is, for me at least, a prime example of true artist talent in a tight package not meant for everyone because it's visceral and in your face musically, lyrically and in the album artwork itself. Can you really think of one IW 7" that doesn't have fucking amazing artwork? What aspect could possibly be a downfall and dethrone them from basically being kings of grind, even posthumously? Few bands playing straight grind like they do as efficiently as they do. Little room is left for filler. Insect Warfare is one of those bands I can post easily about to spread the music, but I have a really time explaining why they are one of the best bands ever to exist on this planet. It's easy to pick out and name their influences as reference, but the band covers all that material already in a very literal sense so there's no use in talking about all the sweet bands they sound like. And despite posting about them already I'm having a hard time trying to figure out the best start off point for introducing people to this band, even after six years I still don't know where to start. Is that another hallmark of a truly great band. I guess I'll let the grinding blasts and shredding riffs do all the talking.

Circle Pit of Defeat

  I got to watch Circle of Defeat(hopefully named after that Nasum song) play a show the last night I lived in Lawrence, Kansas right before moving back to OH. The venue was a basement called The Overlook and has all different kinds of bands play all the time. I saw Catheter there and Phobia played an aftershow there. My first interaction with the band was when I noticed the singer Alex had on a new Assuck shirt with the sleeves cut off. I commented how I liked it and he said, "I really like it a lot more now the sleeves are cut off". I fucking appreciated that. Of course there were only like 20 people there and we were all just hanging out downstairs and up on the porch drinking brews and smoking fine grade cannabis. I know this was also the very last time I got to circle pit. Circle of Defeat's set was almost over, they had the energy and I just had to grab Dustin and Sean to run in circles while the band played blasts. It's not often you get to initiate a pit with two close friends before you move twelve hours away, but this had to be done.
 Before moving on to the grind band I wanna say that Meat Mist was an older band I'd never head before that played fucking thrash and ripped it up. Beta Maxx is an 80's style hardcore band made up of ex Weekend Dad members that might have a future ahead of them. And my bros all in Methhorse. I saw them two nights in a row. One night with a bunch of shit bands at the Jackpot and then this night. Steven is a great drummer and  my bro Sean has been playing in doom and d-beat bands since he was 15. Noah is an old school punk active in several KC area bands(check out Sarah Palin's Retarded Baby, you won't regret it) while the singer Dustin is another close friend of mine. This is his first band singing but every show his voice gets stronger and his presence grows. I really hope these guys keep it up and do some sort of split with No Master. Along with Sucked Dry these three bands are the best in the KC/MO area in my opinion.
 Musically these dudes rip out Assuck/Insect Warfare worship grind. Not like Cellgraft however which is why I think they're interesting. Still a three piece but Circle of Defeat have a bass player so that low end is kicked up a notch. This style of hybrid grind worship is full of blast beats and energy, two very old stand by friends I rely on. They utilize fret manipulation like pitch harmonics and other awesome music theory tech stuff I can't even describe as I lack the knowledge. See "Incompetent Fools".
 The CD version of their most recent album "Victims and Vengeance" starts off with a combination sound clip
/song and then rages with a scream and blast beats, hardly letting up over the twelve and a half minute run time. There is some groove to appreciate and a couple slow parts, namely in the last track which has a stupid long run time even though it ends in a sound clip from Burn After Reading. I love the vocals on here. They are usually low with some high variations, not at all akin to Cellgraft. While both bands take the same formula they get out completely different versions of music. The screams here are sort of punky raw(see "Corporate Bullshit")  and I admit all vocal styling is quite death metal. They use rhythms and riffs that come off well thought out and I can see these 3 practice a lot. Maybe that's why each sound clip is perfectly placed to accentuate the grind. Oh and there's fucking pick slides. You never get enough of those.

Blast O Mat approved!

Bonus! Split with Orphans
Fuck the border!

And if you're crazy they have an Insect Warfare cover on their Myspace. But fuck Myspace.

100th Post Good Luck Happy Fun Party Time Riot Extravoganza Vacation Slide

 So I was going to do this big huge mixtape of my 100 favourite covers and I have like half of it all written up and was going to finish it but I fucked up and deleted it all with no way of recovery to instead I'm just posting the In Disgust/Mass Grave split 7". I've been listening to this(well only In Disgust) a lot lately. Watching all the In Disgust Speed Trials videos and hearing/watching their split with Godstomper there were always songs played I never heard. Years of listening and wondering where these stupid heavy songs were. Finally I found this thing buried in my external hard drive. The glory. This band really does embody all that is/was/will be grind. They slow it down and play heavy as fuck riffs but I would hardly call them power-violence like some people like to. We can settle on grindviolence but that seems pedantic despite the awesome word it creates. There's only around five minutes of music on here(obviously, it's a 7") but as we all know, that's more then enough time to lay waste to entire cities. This is that top shelf grind with minimal yet effective sludge parts. The highlights for me are the scream on "Chemical Blackout", sweet whammy bar abuse on "Heavy Handed" and "Die Slow". "Die Slow" again with the fucking skull pummeling breakdown at the end. Walking down the street, it makes me want to punch the first guy to make the mistake of looking at me wrong, right in his face. Watch the Speed Trial video I posted before to see what music like this does. Other bands like Ringworm, Shark Attack, Integrity, Gordon Solie Motherfuckers!, Bad Brains and countless other make people go uncontrollably insane with their energy and vibe. Bands like this were too short lived with not enough small energetic output.
 The Mass Grave side is not at all bad, I just don't have a soft spot in my heart for them like I do In Disgust. There are three songs of death infused grind. I may only say that because of the vocal style as the guitars are punk as fuck. The last song is two and a half fucking minutes though and that makes up the bulk of their side. It's not a bad song I just get bored like I usually do with this style of grind. Sorry bros, I still think your part of the world is really awesome though and I'd love to watch Mass Grave play there if I ever visited.
 Anyway, this shit is fucking ridiculous, so happy 100th post! This would have taken longer but I've had a few people badgering me to post again. Sorry it took so long guys. I moved back to OH a few months ago and have had a real hard time getting work. In punk fashion I'm sleeping on the floor of my mom's living room because we live in a one bedroom apartment above a deli above a bar beside a drive thru. Oh and the hot water all runs off the same line, so yeah. No privacy with lack of drugs and significant lack of record player have left little to write about, but too much free time. I also recently came out of a relationship so been feeling sensitive with feelings lately. I'll do what I can to keep this up though.


Saaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaannn  Joseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Hayaino Grindsuki

 So "Orphan" came out way back at the end of winter this year. I've been trying to keep it in rotation to fully digest it and get a feel for what's going on. What I like and don't like. The recording method (each song live in one take), production, mixing, all that jazz. At first listen, and reinforced by subsequent listening, I got a huge Hayaino Daisuki(Hi-No Die-Ski(or did I mean Hawaii Daisuki?)) feel. There's just sick speed metal shredding with Chang's high screams and fucking raging blast beats. Obviously faster with shorter songs then Hayaino Daisuki, and some of Chang's older low growls, there's not much of a difference to casual extreme music listeners. I'm not one of those and there's still not much difference. This isn't the Gridlink that fucked my skull a couple years ago, this is Hayaino Grindsuki. Chang and Matsuraba really outdid themselves on this album though. Everything is insane in speed and technicality. Where Hayaino Daisuki win in song writing Gridlink wins in skill and precision. Song lengths have been literally quartered. Gridlink's longest song on here is 1:28 with Hayaino Daisuki's shortest being just under 2:30, but averaging more at three minutes which is twice as long as any Gridlink song. Another huge difference is just production. The Hayaino Daisuki EPs sound crisp with an acute metal sheen of shredding seven string genius. They're the CD quality metal you would expect from Hydra Head circa 2002. Meanwhile this twelve song full-length is just as long as the new HD EP. Like stated earlier this album was recorded entirely live with each song being done in one take, this is very obvious in the four count that precedes almost every track. Think about that for a sec because it's incredibly impressive. Two footed blasting kept in time with staccato shredding riffs. This takes incredible amounts of practice to achieve. This very well may be what sets this LP apart from the previous "Amber Gray". A whole level of confidence and power. This record is several planes above "Amber Gray" in all aspects and it shows. All the hard work these dudes have put in yielded a truly insane piece of grind gold. "Orphan" is quite a fabulous record to sit down to sober or stoned. My favourite tracks are probably "Scopedog" and "I Accept Your Last Wish". I can't express why I like so much this time, but they stick out the most on repeated listens for me.
 A fun experiment to do is listen to the four Chang/Matsuraba collaborations in order. HD, Gridlink, HD, Gridlink. There's an obvious progression one can see and hear.

Scorned for Ska

 Le Scrawl is not a band for everyone to listen to. They take thrashing, deathy, grindy metal and splatter it with bits of skas more surprising elements such as saxophone, organ and skanking 4x4 beats. This is for sure experimental music, but not in the vein most people think. There's no droning seven minute songs, no keyboards/synth/electro elements, no "atmosphere". Just grindska. Or skadeath. Or skagrind. Or thrashska. I really don't know what to call it besides enthralling and catchy as fuck. Could this be another case of music by location? Le Scrawl are from Belgium, which might have something to do with it. Wedged between France(prominent language in Belgium), Germany, The Netherlands and the English Channel with the UK to the North it makes sense where their influences come from. England was the start of the punky ska movement once it got exported from the Caribbean and Germany is a thrash/death metal Mecca. It all makes sense. I have no clue where their experimental impetus came from but man am I happy they found it.
 The thirteen songs presented here on "Eager to Please" start off with energetic metal that bounces and makes you wanna skank until the death metal slaps your face again. The first six songs do really well at alternating tempos and moods with middle songs slowing down to more mid-tempo and letting the organ and horns really shine through. The first three or four times you listen to this you'll ask yourself and those around you "Is this a joke? Are these guys for real?" The answer is fuck yes. It's for real. You probably will chuckle at what seems to be absurd, but you'll eventually go "Oh shit this is really good!". I personally love the metal riffs with guttural vocals that transition into the ska parts that are more light-hearted, with the sick guttural vocals. This interplay of atmosphere gives me the same feeling power-violence bands that play blasts into breakdowns give me.
 So do yourself a favor and get adventurous and experimental without listening to Boris.

"One by one, you will die"

Murder Metal

 Macabre is to me another incredibly underrated band, just like Cryptic Slaughter. I hear their influence in many, many bands (even if it's not really there sometimes) and feel it's criminal how overlooked they get. Macabre have been weaving tales of about serial killers and mass murderers for upwards of fifteen years and have never had a line up change, but somehow people still overlook these modern metal geniuses. After many splits and LPs (including with PV's prodigal sons, Capitalist Casualties) this is quite a feat, especially in such a trying musical venue such as metal. Countless hours touring and crafting insidious tunes have garnered tremendous respect for this band from me. And to me their milestone has to the be "Dahmer" LP.
 Most Macabre albums focus on one person per song, but the "Dahmer" album is solely about the life of Jeffry Dahmer. The album is arranged in chronological order to tell a full story, from childhood to his death in prison at the hands of Christopher Scarver(who gets his own song). It's 26 songs in just under fifty-two minutes, in true grind fashion. Most songs are mid-paced metal jams(ungrind) though some kick up the speed notch. When not playing fast(most of the time) Macabre is just grooving out making your foot tap or head bang. There are a few sludge moments to change pace, but I'm not a big fan of slowing down and usually skip those couple songs. A night with some Yeti imperial stout and this record will give you a serious bangover. Something I think that's fun is how the band utilizes some traditional songs(folk and otherwise) to craft songs. "In the Army Now", "Grandmother's House", "Jeffry Dahmer and the Chocolate Factory", "Coming to Chicago" and "Scrub A Dub Dub" are all takes on traditional songs you will recognize, but made to fit with the Macabre murder metal motif. My personal favourites are "Blood Bank", "McDahmers" and "Do the Dahmer", with "Hitchhiker" as a secondary choice. "Hitchhiker" just has a fucking huge and heavy riff in it. Just TRY to not bang your head against a brick wall from the heaviness. A sludgey song I can get behind!

Odd fact: Producer Neil Kernon, who's worked with Cannibal Corpse and Nile amongst other death metal bands made himself rich and popular by engineering and producing the first three Hall & Oats albums. 

"Everybody do the Dahmer!"

5,000 BPMs

So in my trying to put something awesome up for getting a small milestone I contemplated a band that used 5K BPMs. Now, this is physically impossible by the human body. Dave Witte can only do 1,000 and I think the most I've seen on Youtube is like eleven or twelve hundred, and that's two handed snare rolls the whole time, not using the rest of the kit. The closest thing I can think of is NOISM. Grindy metal played at inhuman speeds by two Japanese dudes with a guitar, computer, and drum machine.
I downloaded this demo(album?) from Cephalochromoscope a couple years ago and bust it out every now and again when I want to just be floored by what music can do. Truly complex, truly technical and truly fucking fast. There is some noodly wankery here, of course, but I like that every now and then. Like I said, I want to be floored not feeling indifferent. Bands like Brain Drill and Discordance Axis push the boundries of human made music, NOISM pushes all the rest.
They list Candiria as a point of inspiration. Didn't see that one coming did you?

Brutal Autonomy

Videos To Do Bong Rips To

Alright guys, this is In Disgust. There are way too many words written about this three piece already, and if you're not a fan already then there's something wrong with you. What the fuck man? How could you not know already? Are you from Utah or something? In chronological order, here are some sick videos. The first two are ID and Godstomper playing a split set. The last two are UGZ speed trials at 924 Gilman St. The 2009 video is them playing all What Happens Next covers. Can, you, dig it!

Rotting In America

 So everyone's favourite fresh new band Wormrot recently released their sophomore full-length through Earache. There have been a lot of expectations thrust on them by our internet grind community. We longed for more greatness and not lackluster grind. We prayed to Merlin, Glycon and Crom that their signing to Earache was the impetus to bring the band and label to new heights of grind glory. And to be honest. This record fucking rules.
One highlight I really like is the new mix on Arif's vocals. It really sounds much more powerful to me this time around. Well I guess starting on the I Abhor split, but still better production all around. It could a little further in the back so Rasyid's guitar can truly slay with Fit's drumming. Fit by the way fucking rips it apart on the album. His shit is tight, fast, energetic, upbeat and just plain impressive. He can blast or play the groove parts to counter Rasyid's sick guitar slaying. That guy just drops awesome riffs out of his dick. Just all over the place too, really letting us have the proverbial "money shot". Songwise I love the varied lengths and the awesome song titles. "Deceased Occupation" takes it for me groove-wise. It's the "Murder" of the album. I wish it could be seven minutes of the riff at the end of the song. "Murder" was the gallop riff at mid pace, "Deceased Occupation" is start/stop rock and fucking roll. When was the last time you heard a grind band just rocking? A friend brings up an interesting point with this new songwriting direction. There's a lot of power violence going on here along with an upped Insect Warfare influence. I even hear some mincing! When did the 'Rot start mincing! I like it on all fronts. This release is aggressive, powerful and fucking grindingly fast.
 My respect for this band only increases every time they have an album come out. I'm aware that in recording this record the band was basically tossed into the studio and forced to bang out these 25 songs in their allotted recording time. The fact that under this immense pressure from a founding force in grind and DIY music they still produced such a blitzkrieg of awesome music demands even more respect. I only wish I had the chance to go see them while touring in america. Two tours, two shows I can't make it to. Maybe Scion will pay for them to tour next year, but we can only hope. I'm personally hoping for an Unholy Grave, 324, Magnicide, Wormrot tour. "Rot Over America".

In Grind We Rot!

Pretty Little Flower is not exactly straight thrash, but sick and fast nonetheless. There's lots of variation on here which is great because of the large track selection. Full length albums, especially in genres that easily become monotonous, tend to get boring and need to be mixed properly to insure repeated listens so that you don't miss the real gems.This is a basically a discography of the band up to the CDs release which explains the long track list.
Having ex-members of Insect Warfare is no small feat, so these dudes really up their game. Think "Endless Execution..." era IW with that heavy thrashy Razor influence. Add some DRI, Discharge and Napalm Death as well as the bands covered, and you have an easy foundation of thrash grind. Speaking of covers, do enough bands really do sick Repulsion covers? The answer is no. These guys, ND and Nashgul. I digress. Circle pitting thrash is what we're talking about, no proto gore/grind/death. Most all the songs are fast and very hardcore influenced grinding thrash and I like it. Dig in.

Utter and complete, grindcore annihilation.

Fairytale Beginning Ending

 So after much delay(not a complaint) today I received my Magnicide "Rise to the Annihilation" cassette. This is the fifth or sixth time I've ordered something from a foreign country. I've ordered from TVG (Germany) and an independant t-shirt company in England. But my favourite packages always come from south east Asia. I ordered my Wormrot LP straight from the band and I'm still pumped to look at it. Starting last month and culminating today I've received two packages from Magnicide. My first package was their split LP with Toxic Revolution that had some show flyers and stickers in it. On a flyer was a note from Jali that he mailed the cassette separately to insure integrity of all product. I for one fucking appreciate that. A band that cares. Imagine. I bring this up because it's interesting to me the lengths at which people go to receive products. It takes over a decade to obtain a car if you live on Hawaii. It usually takes upwards of two months to receive blast beats in the mail from Malaysia. The waiting, pining, anticipating for that square shaped, thin cardboard box or small bubble wrap packages. The processes the product goes through. Writing international addresses, putting on correct postage. There are even Customs Declaration stamps that the proper authorities must see.

StrainEyes No. 6

 And then finally you open your package to find its contents. In this instance it was a rad yellow pro cassette with a lyrics booklet rubber-banded on.  This is another example of the essence of DIY. I know how hard it is to track down specific parts. The plastic case is an example. Where the fuck do you just go buy a bunch of empty cassette cases? And for records it's even harder. How do I make this 5" record fit into this 7" bag? How do I package this 3" CD? For most bands it's using ingenuity and their own hands to put things together. They will print 100 5" cases, fold every one and bag them. They will screen print their own patches or 7" cases then glue every case together one by one.All this labor goes into a tiny little package only a few select people will seek out to hear. This tape will bring me much joy to listen to in my bakery, and everyone else is left saying "Hello Misery".

straineyes@gmail.com
www.myspace.com/straineyes

 For me when I sent the band money I was worried I fucked up the address. I'd never sent a letter to the other side of world in a physical sense. Let alone money I worked for. Things are different in the digital world. Wi-fi banking, ATMs, credit, debit. I can't do any of these things because I have no bank account so it's the old school DIY way for me of contacting bands directly and waiting.

Old computer gets a speed upgrade.

Top Ten of 10'

So instead of pretending I know what the best albums of last year were I'm just listing the records I listened to the most at home and at work/in transit. The first list is a concise list of ten full length CDs, EPs and 7"s I listened to eternally on my iPod. Each one got well over four hundred plays. The second is a hand picked list of 12" LPs and 7"s I blasted at home when my ex-roommate wasn't around and when the neighbors baby wouldn't shut the fuck up. There are some trends to note, for instance things I have on both formats I still listen to excessively. I spent way too much time last year listening to Krallice. Hours and hours. I also sorted some bands with multiple albums together because choosing is for gays and this is my list.
324-3 Way Split, Across Black Wings
No surprise here, one of my favourite bands with two solid releases to keep grinding to. Get into it.
Hummingbird of Dead/-Chainsaw to the Face split 10", HoD side only
Six songs in eight minutes. Intro, shredding, blast beats, Koro cover. What more do you want?
Insect Warfare-Endless Execution 7"
Speaks for itself.
Le Scrawl-Eager to Please
Grindska? Skagrind? Jazzgrind? Grindjazz? I mean, what the fuck. It's catchy, makes me want to dance and is full of metal.
Weekend Nachos-Punish & Destroy EP
Stupid fucking power-violence from the grain belt of america. No wonder this shit rips.
Implosive Disgorgance-Chapters EP
Five songs of death influenced grind. Has sludge parts, has songs about cannabis, all songs are short and fast. What more do you want? Oh, these kids were 17 when they recorded this. Fuck. Later went on to Maruta. What?
Krallice-S/T LP
Amazing epic black metal. Sweeping, fast, kvlt. Long mohawks, shredding metal.
Black Sabbath-Vol.4/Masters of Reality
I don't need to explain this.
Wormrot-Abuse
Southeast Asian grind. It's fun. It's DIY. Fucking get into it. New LP this year.
Cellgraft-S/T
Even though this is digital only and they have a newer full-length I love this album. Assuck, Napalm Death, Insect Warfare worship. These guys do it right. Like Wormrot.


Negative Approach 7"
Old school hardcore. Influenced everything you listen to.
Weak Minds s/t 7"
Bass heavy power-violence from TX. Has touring bassist from Insect Warfare.
In Defence/Motherspeed split 7"
In Defence is from Chicago and plays tough guy style hardcore with less chug and shorter songs. Love the lyrics on this. Fave is "In80'sdancepartays". Motherspeed is a hyperactive hardcore band from California. Fuck the fourth song, it's a take on Rage Against the Machine. Faves are "Boy And His Blob" and especially "Dudeside Assistance". All songs have rad lyrics, and the cover and general layout all rule FYI.
Misfits Bullet 7"
The song "Bullet" is a great precursor to modern aggressive music, no way around it. These guys have tons of song like that, but it's the only record I own, and "Earth A.D." only half counts. Well not really, but I have it on tape, so you know.
International Fight/Blast Comp. 7", Side B only
Has songs from tons of awesome grind bands on this side. Yacopsae, In Disgust, Nashgul, Insect Warfare, Matka Thersea.
HoD Show Us the Meaning of Haste LP and split 10" with Chainsaw to the Face, HoD side only
See above.
Krallice s/t and Dimensional Bleedthrough
See above
Nashgul-El Dia Despues Al Fin De La Humanidad
Awesome grind from Spain. Influenced by Napalm Death, Repulsion, awesome 80's movies, Repulsion, punk rock and Repulsion. The LP has a Repulsion cover, no surprise. The album artwork is really sick and done by their bass player Ivan . The record is a sick transparent splatter blue. It's such a beautiful package. Comes with Metal-Punk Division poster.
Hatebreed-Satisfaction Is the Death of Desire
Yes it's on Victory Records, yes they rip off Slayer and yes they inspired hundreds of horrible bands. But this is still a fucking good hardcore record. Circle pits, mosh parts, sing alongs. Dig it or not, I don't fucking care.
Black Sabbath-"Masters of Reality"/"Vol. 4"
Once again no intro needed. Just ripping metal of high quality. The best actually.

I also realize this post is "late". But fuck it.

7" to Do Bong Rips To

I've been seriously rocking the Birdflesh/Embalming Theatre split 7". If I could find a physical copy for myself I'd play the shit out of it but instead I've just listening to it nonstop on my iPod. Although I must admit I only listen to the Birdflesh side, even though Embalming Theatre do an Infest cover, and only the first four tracks. "Vikings From the North(Carnage From Beyond)" is good every once in a while but I usually skip it. The black metal vocals and tongue-in-cheek lyrics with the newer style Darkthrone music turned upbeat instead bleak and grim is entertaining but not a conducive to getting ripped and rocking the fuck out.
The rest of this side of the EP is some sick death metal influenced grind. Deep, gruffly growled vocals with thick, well produced blasts and chugging riffs. Kind of the Attack of the Mad Axe Men style if that helps, especially because i have this idea of both bands always playing with huge smiles the whole time. My favourite track is "Blind Butcher" because it has the most energy. The whole time I want to circle pit and fucking kick people in the face. There's even a violin solo and a hilarious sound clip. But don't take just my word for it. Smoke. Listen. Grind.

"I am so big and müscular!"

Saturday Discography To Do Bong Rips To/50th Post Grindtasticle Extravaganza

So it's Saturday. And this is my 50th post. With these two things happening simultaneously I'm going nuts with a discog to be stoned to all day, and if cannabis possession wasn't so illegal I'd be uber sure they would support the idea.
I definitely feel a crusty grind band is one of the most perfect ways to spend a day high, and 324 fits that bill. I have posted about them before, but here's a fucking doozy. I'm upping their (almost) entire discography. The only things excluded are songs on comps(which is a lot), their 97' demo as all its contents were re-recorded, the Venomous Concept split(couldn't find it) and the Slight Slappers 7" split flexi which apparently sucks and isn't worth listening to, not that I didn't want to find it. But that still leaves you guys with SIX 324 albums to grind to. My personal favourite full-length is Boutokunotaiyo, but Customized Circle is a close second.
I don't really know how to talk about the music anymore than I already have. Grind. Crust. Fast. Loud. Aggro. That's all you need to know. Just download and get crazy.
Okay I lied, I can talk some more. Like about the super thick, chunky bass grooves Babi plays. Totally on my top five bass players list off all time. I'm honestly a little miffed Mr. Childers left him off his list. This and their amazing drummer really showcase how the band is very low-end driven. Even in the deep yells of Masao help solidify this concept. His yells are deep, throaty, raw, full of energy/passion and I can't understand a god damn word of it because it's in Japanese. Merlin it sounds good though. This guy spouts it out like no one you've ever heard. These guys even use gang vocals a couple of times which is super hardcore, not very grind. And Sakata is not your average grind drummer. One could say he's to grind as Fenriz is to black metal. Punk as fuck and he knows both how to groove and how to move a circle pit. In a lot of their earlier records I also hear the same effect on his blasts as xDxAx. I refer to it as the "vortex effect of the blast". That kind of ringing from the cymbals during the blasts, you know the one I'm talking about. It makes you weep.
The Unlisted Track from "Across Black Wings" is a couple of the "Soulwinter" EP song re-recorded. It also has one of the only uses of gang vocals besides "Rebelgrind".
I'd love to give a short bio of these guys, but I don't really know anything. Their Myspace says some type of Kanji symbol I can't read, and I've already mentioned they're from Nippon(Japan). I don't even know if these dudes are in other bands, but I'd love to hear what they're doing. And if anyone can find the missing pieces to the discog or some fucking English lyrics, please let me know.

Here's the chronological order of albums posted:
Customized Circle EP
Soulwinter EP
Boutokunotaiyo
3-Way Split
Across Black Wings EP
Rebelgrind

Decontrol Drive

4:20 Grind Madness

I know I missed the holiday post by a day. My bad. I worked nine hours yesterday and spent the rest in a coma from baked goods. Sue me. Because of this you guys get this whole CD(-1) plus their two Black Sabbath covers(+2)!
Brutal Truth doesn't need much of an introduction. They have members in multiple well known bands, have written for "popular publications", and are all around advocates for things that are awesome. Like grind and cannabis. It seems only fitting to post a CD entitled "For Drug Crazed Grind Freaks Only!" on the day for celebrating cannabis' many uses. It was recorded in New Zealand during the "Sounds of the Animal Kingdom Tour" and has one new, totally worthless song at the end, so I cut it in lieu of these rad covers with Kevin Sharp telling you when to SMOKE. I do have to admit that I'm bummed no one says the line "Smoke it mother fucker!" in "Choice of A New Generation" during that sick bass run before they kick back into the Disrupt riff they use. The live sound production on this is fabulous also. You hear all the instuments. The snappning snare, vicious rumbling bass and dissonant guitars all with Sharp's throats and groans.
Both covers,like I said, are from Black Sabbath and came from an Earache Sabbath tribute("Lord of this World") and a Hydra Head Sabbath tribute ("Cornucopia"). I know both are on CD and I believe "Masters of Misery" is in LP form also. The "In These Black Days" comp was a series of four seven inches also, one of which is a double 7". I have three of them, not vol. III, it eludes me.
Anyway, rock this shit real loud when you get high next time.
SMOKE
GRIND
SLEEP

FISTING!

From Soft to Hard

Monday I received my vinyl copy of Wormrot's debut LP "Abuse". My iPod said I listened to it over 1300 times since first finding out about them in early December, so thank Merlin that wasn't the deal with the vinyl. It was imported however so there is a little damage to the cover, I mean TVG is in Germany. But oh wait, I ordered this straight from the band, so it came from fucking Singapore, so I'm not really bummed. I got one of the 552 black records, and TVG still has some of the red available, but there are only 110 so if you want one get it quick.
I don't know how to adequately describe what follows after putting needle to wax. One can hear the influences of Insect Warfare, 324 and Napalm Death. But having read interviews I find that there are lots of western pop influences in the band. The is blatantly obvious by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs cover. It's shocking how fucking good it is too. The upbeat tempo and energy out the ass, just their originals. I also love Arif's Engrish lyrics. Reminds me of Total Fury and the Burning Spirit scene, and I dig that shit!
These dudes just got signed to Earache who's reissuing this on double CD (Abuse+34) and vinyl. They have a couple of cool shirts too with cool package deals. I think I'm gonna buy the CD for the extra tracks. Well and because I think these guys are amazing and I can't wait for them to get huge. They are putting together a US tour for later this year, so try to get them in your city.

Abusive grindcore holocaust is right.