3-24

 Today is mother fucking 324! Fuck 420. Smoke weed all day and listen to 324.
SMOKE
GRIND(324)
SLEEP

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.

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

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!

Every Woman A Mistress of Pain

Another classic thrash album from the late 80's in San Fransisco, CA. Even today amazing bands flow out of the Bay Area. Here's an old standard to ape from. Death Angel.
I have to start with the awesome album title on here. It's so fucking metal. "The Ultra Violence". Tell me that's not one of the best of the era. Sound wise they play standard fast thrash. The standard line up had four Philippine cousins. Big fucking surprise, right? A great band made up of Asians. And from California? Never saw that one coming. But I digress. These guys incite so many hair whips and so much head banging. Honed thrash with yelled then fucking screamed vocals. Nut wrenching but awesome. Death Angel has obviously taken pages from the Priest/Maiden book but made them contemporary for their time.Fast drum beats and shredding, wailing guitars. Of the eight songs, three are instrumentals, or instrumentals with easy to figure our lyrics but each is obviously crafted with care and isn't super sloppy like a lot of bands. Or maybe that part gets lost in the screams, shrieks, wails and feedback. True punk rock style right there.
I found this cassette a few years ago and I've been enthralled since then. I found it sitting in a game store for like two dollars. That loser had no idea what he had. I also found a copy of the Misfits "Earth. A.D" that day. It was a good one. Ice Cube had nothing on me.



KILL AS ONE!

Thrash metal. It comes in many forms from many places. California being the most common, and often has above average bands. But Japan is the last place you would expect to hear straight up speed metal. Iron Maiden, NWBHM style thrashy, speed metal nonetheless. But somehow Jon Chang and Matsuraba put together a sick band of fun lyrics ala 80's hair metal with blasts and riffs only true shredders can play. There's solos, harmonizing just fucking fast music. Did you read that correctly? SOLOS! Like the first Gridlink album, this is all basically Chang doing high vocals that shred your ears like the guitars. There is a little bit of talking/whispering on the second album but that's about all the vocal variation you get. The low end on here is tight and rad. Syncopated drums with awesome fills. They stand out like most of Chang/Matsuraba's other projects. Oh, and the blasting, did I mention that? These guys really take epic songs that are meant to be Iced Earth epics, but play them retarded fast and cut the time in half. Imagine Maiden playing "Wicker Man" all the way through double speed in two and a half minutes. Unthinkable? No dude, this is it. Dig it.

Not relevant to anything really, but Invincible Gate... came out on my birthday. Suck it thrashers.

Headbanger's Club Dangerous Fire
Invincible Gate Mind of the Infernal Hell Fire...Or Did You Mean Hawaii Daisuki?

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

Sunday Songs to Do Bong Rips

Since I've started listening to 324 I find myself always listening to the 3-Way Split they did with Discordance Axis and Corrupted or this album. "Boutokunotaiyo" is the full-length I would expect this band to evolve into from their 7" and split. It's the same fast, aggressive, heavy grind-crust from before, just amped way up. The energy and urgency went way up on this record. I wish I knew what they were upset about but but Masao just rages in Japanese the whole time, which makes it all the better. His vocal patterns are all over the place here with my favourites being where he just fucking yells at you non-stop the whole song. Check out "Swinging Skull" as a prime example. Short, fast, loud and fucking aggro at all times. Just the way I like it.

I have to admit that I only uploaded the first half of this album for brevity, but this is an intense 11 minutes. And "Broken Clock" is already on the 7", so you don't need that twice.

Nippon Grind-Crust

Thursday Song To Do Bong Rips To

Metalsucks is lacking again, so here we go.
I once again can't remember where I downloaded this 7" at but it's really fucking good. 324 are a Japanese grind band and have put out two EPs and 2 LPs as well as this. I've yet to listen to their other stuff but if it's like this seven minute 7" then I'll shit myself in glee. These dudes play their grind with lots of contrast between blasting and mid-paced grinding. The singer is has a Barney Greenway feel to him, but I'm okay with that as the music isn't very Napalm Death. It kind of has a crusty hardcore feel in the guitar and bass with the blasting and vocals. I've really gotten into this since I downloaded it, so should everyone else. It's hard to pick a favourite but "Idealize" or "Waterdrop" get my vote.
I'd love to look at some lyrics, so if anyone has some let me know.



Waterdrop!