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.

Crippler Crossover

So before me or anyone else talks about any of these bands anymore: Crucial Unit, Municipal Waste, Hummingbird of Death, Kill Your Idols, Slayer, Leeway, Suicidal Tendencies, North Side Kings, or Capitalist Casualties, we need to talk about D.R.I.
Ultra old school, ultra fast, ultra D.I.Y. hardcore from Texass. The Dirty Rotten Imbeciles are one of the few bands to write the rules for crossover, thrash, hardcore, and fastcore. And probably indirectly for grind and powerviolence too. On this LP (The Dirty Rotten LP) they blow through 27 in less than an equal amount of time. Almost always keeping it interesting mixing in slower parts ("I Want More", "Violent Pacification", "The Explorer") with just rad fast hardcore. The drums are fast circle pit beats side by side with loud talking vocals. Not much yelling or screaming, just loud fast talking and some regular fast talking and a little normal talking, all discussing lyrics of various subject matter. Serious, fun and overall important things are discussed. Their guitar player shows nods to his favorite bands with Discharge ("Dennis' Problem"), and the staple DC and OC bands ("Closet Punk", "Commuter Man" etc.). These influences are good to have though since it keeps the ideas new and flowing but only in the circular constraints of awesomeness. Sort of like a circle pit. Album highlights for me are "Money Stinks", "Couch Slouch (The Crucial Take)", "I Don't Need Society", and "Snap". I can't explain that last one, that's just how it is.

"Money stinks, money stinks. Yeah it stinks."

Sunday 7" to Do Bong Rips To

First up, props to whoever I downloaded this from. You rule for showing me these dudes. Also props to my friend Teen Wolf for talking about them non-stop. It paid off.

Here's a sixteen track 7" in just just over eleven minutes of raging hardcore/fastcore/power-violence. The power-violence is mostly in the music though as WM have the strained hardcore vocals Weekend Nachos and all those other bands who have that awesome sound. Musically they have fast, really fast hardcore and then moshtastic sludge parts. I believe this is why WM calls themselves of power-violence band even though to me it's more hardcore/fastcore. And these guys actually know how to write songs with memorable parts. Like the double take on "Setec Astronomy" with a four count, then an eight count before the songs takes off. There is lots of groove on here that can mostly be attributed to the heavy bass presence. It's very thick and put in front of the guitar for optimum effect. Weak Minds apparently has an ex-touring member of Insect Warfare, but they're from TX so who is surprised there? It really shows though both musically in print, i.e. song titles. "Fucked Up on PSP's" is a good example as well as "Art Is the Bastard" and "Crowhurst". I also really dig their appropriate take on satire with audio samples from "The Big Lebowski" and video game references. I'd point them all out but if your geek isn't big enough to know already then listen to another band.
There's also a cover on here with some dude in some band. I'm not sure exactly what song, but I think it's the one that sounds like Macabre. I love hearing Macabre influences, don't you?


The one about Freakazoid

From Soft to Hard

Hatred Surge/Insect Warfare split 7"   
I found my copy of this online for like eight bucks , which I thought was a steal. I'm pretty sure mine is a second pressing (this originally came out in 2006) as the cover is white and the vinyl is transparent green. A few notes about the packing. The artwork on the front and back is SICK, Daniel Shaw is the man. And super big ups to Hatred Surge for giving Poser Disposer a shoutout. Those dudes are awesome. I found some of their 7" (which I own) online, if I find the rest I'll post it. Poser Disposer play a thrashy-grind, maybe akin to that of Macabre, which I hear in so many other bands I love. But I digress.
Hatred Surge is some Despise You style power-violence/grind that while awesome in it's own right, but has a hard time comparing to fucking Insect Warfare. Anyone unfamiliar with them with quickly learn they play Napalm Death to the extreme style grind fucking core. Rahi's demonic vocals and Beu's outrageous static guitar create a pummeling four minute orgasm. Obvious highlights are "Reanimated Horde" and "Hurricane Death", the latter having a tremendous amount of groove.

The correct track listing is also as follows:

1. Rot
2. Out of My Head
3. Pile of Shit
4. Funeral
5.Old and Tired
6. Farce
7.Negative Appeal
8. Obscene Creed
9.Reanimated Horde
10.But Now You Die
11. Hurricane Death

"Cut up the skin, drink from the vein. Obliterate the body, but the brain must remain!"

Sunday Song to Do Bong Rips

I think the best way to start a new year and it's correlating first post is with a rad cover. So I'm giving you guys the Insect Warfare version of "New Rotation". For me it's a fabulous song title to accompany the beginning of a new Gregorian calendar cycle. I have to say the best part of both version of this song are the blasts at the very beginning and end of the song. Short exhibitions of obscene speed when they are highlighted like this always have a place in my heart. This is the stuff that makes grind art. The bits that make you warm inside and light in the head.

"Gulf Coast/Nippon Invasion"