Caustic Wound – Grinding Mechanism of Torment Review

By Saunders

Back in the strange old days of 2020, Seattle’s Caustic Wound detonated a skin-blasting deathgrind debut, entitled Death Posture. It landed on my end-of-year list and has remained a staple since. Comprised of like-minded scene veterans, including members of Mortiferum and Magrudergrind, Caustic Wound skillfully weld brutal, old-school death and grindcore influences into a raw, gnarly, riff rumbling beast. Death Posture’s dirty, unrefined production and reeky, terrorizing attack lent it a dangerous, unhinged edge, complimented by its infectious riffcraft and ugly underground values. Fast forward to the present and Caustic Wound reappear hellbent to fuck things up in their wickedly violent, deranged way. The efficient, action-packed platter of splattery goodness gets the job done in under half an hour, rifling through sixteen sharp, savvy and utterly punishing deathgrind bursts. With all the pieces in place, can Caustic Wound back up their impressively savage debut and capitalize on their prior groundwork with a sophomore album to savor?

Grinding Mechanism of Torment picks up where its predecessor left off, albeit offering a freshly inspired take on the bare-bones aesthetics and raw buzz of the debut. First and foremost, this shit maintains the band’s brutally raging, guttural thrust and blast riddled form of deathgrind mayhem, featuring the thrashy, artery slashing hooks and gore spattered flair to do Exhumed and Impaled proud, Caustic Wound have sharpened their weapons of butchery and refined their sound, without compromising the blasty, grind-fueled punch and exhilarating blast of the debut. This is partly attributed to a cleaner, more refined, though still appropriately thick, beefy production job that stays true to their brutal underground roots. The tidier sonic aspects fail to diminish the savage old school charms and full throttle grind attacks that litter the album (“Advanced Killing Methods,” “Human Shield,” “Endless Grave,” “Dead Dog”).

Without discarding those classic death and grind influences of yesteryear, the influences reach a little broader, encompassing the occasional d-beaten Swedeath smackdown, hardcore stomp, and nods to the early days of legends such as Napalm Death, Cannibal Corpse and Terrorizer. Equipped with a bevy of killer riffs, the songs penetrate the memory bank. The buzzsawing, uppercutting riffs are uniformly strong, regardless of speed, but especially when Caustic Wound occasionally lay off the relentless pace and unleash the Leng Tch’e-esque groove and grind sections (check the sludgy, groovy crush of “Drone Terror” or insanely hooky riffs of “Blood Battery” as primo examples). Elsewhere, wild solos punctuate the chaos (“Infinite Chaos,” “Blackout”) and Clyde Lindstrom’s (Corpus Offal, Fetid) meaty, phlegmy vocal eruptions enlivens and adds a feral, guttural punch to proceedings, lending character and deceptive variety, not content to fall into being an unremarkable rhythmic afterthought. Not content to play it safe, closer “Into Cold Deaf Universe” dabbles in slow building, sludgy discordance, and samples before eventually mutating into a deadly deathgrind epic, unloading across nearly seven minutes of blasting and caterwauling noise, capping the album in momentously chaotic, violent fashion.

Despite the cleaner sonic palette, Grinding Mechanism of Torment packs a hefty wallop in the heaviness and brutality stakes, and is anything but a run-of-the-mill example of old school deathgrind. Chase Slaker and Max Bowman wield their axes with feral abandon amid lightning bursts of speed, vice-tight interlocking riffs, and divebombing solos. The riffs are a constant highlight and the deeper emphasis on thick, headbanging grooves unlocks some seriously chunky, infectious moments, such as the vicious outro of the grindy “Sniper Nest,” and swaggering grooves of “Horrible Earth Death.” Amidst the speedy focal point and blast riddled displays, the rhythm section of bassist Tony Wolfe and drummer Casey Moore do a bang-up job of driving this deathgrind killing machine and locking down the mean, violent grooves punctuating the album.

Death Posture established Caustic Wound as a deathgrind powerhouse to be reckoned with, embracing classic death and grind values, executed with fresh and frenzied flair. Some of those endearing, caveman charms of the debut cannot be recreated in the more refined format. As such Grinding Mechanism of Torment may lose some of the wild, unhinged edges of the debut. However, the album compensates through its addictive riffcraft and diverse, though still plenty brutal display of deathgrind lunacy, expanding their songwriting scope and marking a grisly, bone-crunching, and righteously infectious return.

Rating: 4.0/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Profound Lore
Website: Bandcamp
Releases Worldwide: April 25th, 2025

#2025 #40 #AmericanMetal #CausticWound #CorpusOffal #DeathMetal #Deathgrind #Exhumed #Fetid #Grindcore #GrindingMechanismOfTorment #Impaled #LengTchE #Magrudergrind #Mortiferum #NapalmDeath #ProfoundLore #Review #Reviews #Terrorizer

Grindcore, el caos como consigna: 20 álbumes recomendados | vía #NaciónRock

https://www.nacionrock.com/grindcore-el-caos-como-consigna-20-albumes-recomendados/

#anaalnathrakh #assück #brutaltruth #carcass #cattledecapitation #cloudrat #discordanceaxis #escuelagrind #especiales #exhumed #fullofhell #genghistron #gridlink #grindcore #insectwarfare #magrudergrind #nails #napalmdeath #nasum #pigdestroyer #repulsion #terrorizer #wormrot

Earthburner – Permanent Dawn Review

By Dolphin Whisperer

There’s a sect of grind-lovers out there that say Terrorizer’s World Downfall represents the ideal to which grindcore should aspire, with many simply asking “Why hit anything else?” At its base, grindcore is a fusion genre of metal ideas against the speed and fury of fully torqued punk. And when bands like Terrorizer, Napalm Death, and Repulsion were making a name for the scene, the emergent flavor that spilled into their sprint-speed d-beats, hammering skanks, and flurried fight riffs was that of a nascent death metal. And on this foundation, Broken Hope veteran Jeremy Wagner seeks to unleash Permanent Dawn with his long-cooking Earthburner project in this time-tested vein of pit-churning burst of grinding rage.

Though Earthburner’s origins lie in the year 2001, Wagner never did much with the name save for some EPs and singles until 2023 when he recruited friends to finally make a true first strike. With family in the rhythm section—bass helmed by stepson Tyler Affinito and kit crashed by Broken Hope drummer Mike Miczek—and the trendy growl of Devin Swank (Sanguisugabogg) on the mic,1 an air of familiarity ties Permanent Dawn’s concise expression together. Wagner’s primary outfit Broken Hope has never been the grandest attraction on a festival billing, but the draw of their chunky, no-frills death metal stewed in the barbarism of the early 90s scene stands simple and odorous. So too in Earthburner does Wagner find the uncomplicated elegance of accelerating, punky riffs, and full-force kit abuse with tracks like “Broken Head” and “Perception for Profit” carrying the rebellious torch of classics like World Downfall (Terrorizer) or From Enslavement to Obliteration (Napalm Death) all too well.

At its core, Permanent Dawn expresses itself near line-for-line the classic grind playbook. Continuing a wordly exploration of progenitor inspiration, some of this debut’s more punishing run-offs come at the lower-tuned rumble of early Carcass gore-tifications (“Facelift,” “Hunger Pains,” “Slave to the Screen”). Finding a sneering, higher-range bleat to counter Swank’s low and gruff death bark, Earthburner plows through twenty minutes with little waste. In this construction, it’s neither the solo nor melodic lead that guides each tumble through its uphill scuttle, but rather quick intros and interludes of hefty four-string chatter (“Like Dogs,” “Positive Outlooks”) or loudness-driven guitar tricks (“Broken Head”) that break up the constant forward march to reset rattling heads. Some frustrating tropes of the scene remain too hard to shake, though. Whether a nod to the olde or otherwise, drummer-driven intro counts can be incessant—Miczek does switch up his snare pounds for hi-hat taps every now and then, at least.

In a divergence from the course of its influencers, Permanent Dawn finds its tones hitting modern in uncomfortable ways. Not all the sounds that composed the clamor of the fledgling grindfathers represented the pinnacle of amplified hunger, but many of them shared a shattered, organic nature that provided an urgent snap to the questionable distortion of guitars and unintelligible rapid-spew gurgles. And while I think Swank’s oral abuse and Wagner’s churning stacks—as compressed into clipping segments as they may be—do a fine job at capturing the rough exterior of the genre’s scrappy roots, the polish of kick and sheer pow of snare feel meant for an act more lumbering. Now, Miczek’s kit never feels behind or slogging, but in its excessive volume and booming presence, it robs part of the stage from the already ceiling-scraping guitar lines that find ugly fuzz in open rings and ear-zapping zips on sliding scrapes.

As an album so indebted to the past, Permanent Dawn finds an easy home in the ears of anyone seasoned in the arts of these punkified metal outbursts. However, in ease of expression through the lens of its influences, Earthburner forgets the all too important sentiment of expressing a vision all their own. Without a message to tie together its eleven tracks of societally challenged titles, its short runtime can feel frequently unnecessary in order and, consequently, in totality. Though not explicitly a cover band, the level of homage that Earthburner holds in its capable hands falls flat in reverence to its tones that don’t provide a unified bolster. I don’t consider myself that guy—you know, the World Downfall guy—but by the end of Permanent Dawn’s transient passage through my grind-hoping ears, I really do find myself wondering whether I should just stick to Terrorizer.

Rating: 2.0/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: M-Theory Audio | Bandcamp
Websites: officialearthburner.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/earthburnergrind
Releases Worldwide: November 8th, 2024

#20 #2024 #AmericanMetal #BrokenHope #Deathgrind #Earthburner #Grind #Grindcore #NapalmDeathCarcass #Nov24 #PermanentDawn #Repulsion #Review #Reviews #Sanguisugabogg #Terrorizer

Ripped to Shreds – Sanshi Review

By Saunders

Four albums deep into a promising and increasingly impressive career, California’s death mongers Ripped to Shreds continue to hammer away and chisel a jagged path to the hearts of old-school death-loving folk. Following back-to-back bangers, the band’s prolific mastermind and guitarist/vocalist Andrew Lee (also of Azath, Houkago Grind Time, Draghkar amongst a plethora of other projects) readies his battle-hardened companions for another sick, ugly dose of grind-injected old school death mayhem. Quality writing and a deft hand at intertwining classic influences with an unvarnished modern twist, has trademarked an engaging, consistent body of work. Lee lives and breathes the musty airwaves of death metal’s storied, murky past, but composes and plays this shit better than most. Can the fourth album Sanshi capitalize and expand upon the sturdy groundwork and scene cred the Ripped to Shreds brand has so far established?

Despite the occasional proggy foray, this latest platter of crusty nastiness, breakneck speed, and gnarled hooks finds Ripped to Shreds refining a formula that seeks the advancement of their signature style, without muddying the waters with bold attempts at innovation. Few modern acts nail the retro aesthetic and rancid, fleshy appeal as well as Ripped to Shreds without leaning too heavily into derivation or tired recycling of old ideas. Ripped to Shreds sounds invigorated and full of punky, gritty aggression and songwriting flair. The roots of the Ripped to Shreds sound feature the classic vibes of the buzzsawing Stockholm and swampy Floridan scenes of yesteryear. Throw in a healthy dose of early Pestilence and vintage grindcore influences, think prime Terrorizer, and some flashy melodic shreddery, and you have a recipe for awesomeness.

Overall, the grind influence is more pronounced, unloading some of the band’s nastiest work to date, balanced by the increasingly noteworthy use of extravagant melodic solos and leads. The tradeoff vocals from Lee and the backing efforts of his bandmates work a treat, blending nasty guttural grunts and higher-pitched explosions with anguished van Drunen-isms and all manner of rip-roaring variations. Sanshi opens ambitiously, launching a six-plus minute juggernaut courtesy of the multi-pronged “Into the Court of Yanluowang.” Length isn’t an issue due to the propulsive energy, structural shifts, and an action-packed blend of death, grind, and thrashy melodeath influences, touching on some Horrendous vibes. The punky grind meets the thrashing death punch of “燒冥紙 (Sacrificial Fire)” jams swaggering grooves and melodic guitar embellishments into a violent tornado. Ripped to Shreds balances its crisper melodic tendencies and production values expertly with its feral, abrasive instincts. Balance is the key to much of Sanshi’s success. The album’s varied songwriting palette is showcased through blunt force grooves colliding with riff-driven thrashy death (“冥婚 Corpse Betrothal”), compact, blazing deathgrind numbers (“Force Fed,” “Perverting the Funeral Rites, Stripping for the Dead”), and brutish beatdowns punctuated with heroic shredding solos (“殭屍復活 [Horrendous Corpse Resurrection],” “Cultivating Towards Ascension”).

Lee’s skills as a composing architect, accomplished axe-slinger and chief vocalist are well established, however, there is an argument Lee is really coming into his own with a fully-fledged line-up of like-minded souls. The whole band fires on all cylinders, the material fueled by ripping tempos, technical precision, and gritty, yet undoubtedly infectious songwriting. Brian Do’s sick, blasty drum performance is worth noting, while the addition of second guitarist Michael Chavez proves a masterstroke, adding firepower, showmanship, and a potent dual axe dynamic to the formula, emphasized through the string of stunning solos and memorable riffs, touching on thrash, death, melodeath, and grind influences. I could use a little more fuzz and grime to the guitar tone, and the bass drums are a little clicky, otherwise, the production adds sharp edges and crisp punchy tones to compliment the album’s rawer charms.

Ripped to Shreds remain as consistently solid as ever with this latest opus. Sanshi takes the ingredients that have worked so effectively for Ripped to Shreds thus far and ups the ante to reveal some of their most potent, impressive work to date. Lee’s songwriting skills are reaching increasingly esteemed heights and the expertise in which the band wield speed, melody, abrasiveness, chugging grooves, and catchy writing is top-shelf. Every Ripped to Shreds album has delivered quality, teetering on the precipice of greatness. Sanshi keeps the consistent trend going, though takes it up a notch and showcases the Ripped to Shreds juggernaut operating in peak form.

Rating: 4.0/5.0
DR: N/A | Format Reviewed: Stinky Stream
Label: Relapse Records
Websites: rippedtoshredsdeathmetal.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/rippedtoshredsband
Releases Worldwide: September 27th, 2024

#2024 #40 #AmericanMetal #Azath #DeathMetal #Deathgrind #Draghkar #Grindcore #Horrendous #HoukagoGrindTime #OldSchoolDeathMetal #Pestilence #RelapseRecords #Review #Reviews #RippedToShreds #Sanshi #Terrorizer

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#BraveWords
Today In Metal History 🤘 August 22nd, 2024🤘
ALICE IN CHAINS, LIVING COLOUR, RATT, DEICIDE, LAMB OF GOD

https://bravewords.com/news/today-in-metal-history-august-22nd-2024-alice-in-chains-living-colour-ratt-deicide-lamb-of-god

#AliceInChains #LivingColour #Ratt #Deicide #LambOfGod #LayneStaley #JuanCroucier #VernonReid #DCCooper #LAGuns #EnuffZNuff #TheGathering #Gorod #TheHumanAbstract #MiserySignals #Terrorizer #Unexpect #WallsOfJericho

Full of Hell – Coagulated Bliss Review

By Dolphin Whisperer

If you’ve been following the modern grindcore scene in any fashion over the past fifteen years, then you’ve at least heard of Maryland’s high-output, low-trend grindmongers Full of Hell. Collaborating or splitting space with everyone from tough punks Code Orange1 to Japanese static spinner Merzbow to pneumatic pulse demons The Body, Full of Hell scrapes ideas from every corner in the extreme music space to fuel the iterative process of the twenty to thirty-minute burners that are their “full-length” releases. In the truest sense, this eclectic and thirsty act follows the crack of their own whip, but when it comes to the stage that bears only Full of Hell in title, the path steers a touch more straightforward, though not quite predictable. Nevertheless, with the dial cranked to grind and a color palette that screams anti-monochromatic, does Coagulated Bliss amass all the right parts?

In many ways Coagulated Bliss is the Full of Hell we’ve come to expect, its bleeding extremities of punch-and-cackle powerviolence (“Doors to Mental Agony”), playful industrial deathgrind (“Fractured Bonds to Mecca”), drag ’em bleeding sludge (“Bleeding Horizon”), and unshackled grindcore (“Vomiting Glass”) congealing into a boisterous sonic injection. However, much like higher-treble back half of 2021’s Garden of Burning Apparitions and the whole of 2022’s Aurora Leaking from an Open Wound continued, Full of Hell has adopted a stronger penchant for groove and noise rock-infused, treble-loaded licks. No, Full of Hell does not suddenly sound like Melvins or The Jesus Lizard, but this incorporation of twangy, tasty tunes does help them come across more like the barking, manic side of Today Is the Day on a mystery bag of pills with one labeled ‘grindcore’ (“Coagulated Bliss,” “Gelding of Man”).2 And though the average BPM may render a bit lower than the most aggressive Full of Hell releases, but that doesn’t stop them from sneaking in a Discordance Axis riff or six.

A shift like this requires smart songwriting and a production job highlighting the force of new convictions. Freed from the chains of Kurt Ballou’s (Converge) hammering soundboard touch, both the growling lows and warm, twisting highs find new space to hook with vicious intent (“Half Life of Changelings,” “Coagulated Bliss”), ironically in the manner similar to 00s Converge classics like Jane Doe or Axe to Fall. And though Dave Bland’s (Jarhead Fertilizer) kit has remained reliably savage throughout Full of Hell’s catalog, booming industrial reverb cranks the assault of the most martial tracks (“Doors to Mental Agony,” “Fractured Bonds to Mecca,” “Gelding of Men”), and the traditionally speedy numbers, murderous cymbal crashes lay littered with interjecting tom scatters and cymbal drives that drill the ears with loving precision. Whether Full of Hell is channeling Thou (“Bleeding Horizon”) or Terrorizer (“Gasping Dust”), the space and pace of each moment feels natural in its intensity, a stark contrast to the oppressive landscape in which this band has previously existed.

However more approachable it may seem, Coagulated Bliss isn’t a turn toward the accessible. If anything, this breezier distillation of Dylan Walker’s paint-stripping shrieks and gutter punk tongue-lashing puts his inimitable incantations3 at the forefront in a frighteningly catchy way. With rhythms to which you could reasonably twerk, 4 it’s easier than ever to pick up a lyrics sheet and at least try to croak (inadvisably) along to the hypnotic swing of “Doors to Mental Agony” or provide the demonic guttural accompaniment to “Schizoid Rupture.” At first, this did make Ross Dolan’s (Immolation) punchy verse contribution on “Gasping Dust” and Jacob Bannon’s (Converge) goblin garble on “Malformed Ligature” feel like slightly lesser cuts. But with time and repeat exposure, the resplendence that Full of Hell can find in this soured worldview pours through these late-album swings all the same.

As a long-time enjoyer of Full of Hell, I’ve always hoped to come across one of their records that could feel like an ‘any day’ kind of jam. These contemporary torchbearers have always seemed to scoff at the notion though, with each of their efforts brimming and bursting with a talent so raw and crushing that the zig-zag experience would come across as impressive rather than attachable. Expansive in soundscape, focused in its weird expression, and reliable in foothold to the grind, Coagulated Bliss feeds a shredded, rocking, great time effortlessly.

Rating: 4.0/5.0
DR: N/A | Format Reviewed: Stream
Label: Closed Casket Activities | Bandcamp
Website: fullofhell.com | fullofhell.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/fullofhell
Releases Worldwide: April 26th, 2024

#2024 #40 #AmericanMetal #Apr24 #ClosedCasketActivities #CoagulatedBliss #Converge #Deathgrind #DiscordanceAxis #FullOfHell #Grind #Grindcore #IndustrialDeathgrind #JarheadFertilizer #Melvins #NoiseRock #Review #Reviews #Sludge #Terrorizer #TheBody #TheJesusLizard #TheMelvins #Thou #TodayIsTheDay #Turian

Arthouse Fatso – Sycophantic Seizures: A Double Feature Review

By Dolphin Whisperer

First, 2024 gave us NASCAR-themed heavy metal, then shortly thereafter Mortal Kombat-themed heavy metal. In this world of extreme tunes and extreme niches, artists look even more granularly into their fascinations for artistic inspiration. In turn, Arthouse Fatso, chooses Orson Welles—acclaimed and controversial American filmmaker—as its hammering theme for an industrial deathgrind adventure. It’s not often that such a grimy genre finds a muse in a figure that’s not a serial killer or something fictional and equally macabre. But Fatso seems ready to revive Welles as an industry outsider fit for patch-vested punk fixation . “The classy gangster is a Hollywood invention.”

Stylized in name similar to an old film feature, Sycophantic Seizures: A Double Feature covers the unlikely ground of cinema-guided industrial deathgrind with a levity and irony-laced humor that rarely features outside of silly titles in the grind world. True to the gritty and punky arts it follows, Fatso chooses various samples from a Welles reading of his own 1943 essay Moral Indebtedness to frame the central character as an idealistic man in a power-ravaged, capitalist society. And throughout the album’s run, Fatso’s sole credited member, The Director, makes sure to echo Wellesian thoughts, like criticism of the increasing corporate presence in the film industry (“Endless Trash”) and exploitation of vulnerable groups in affluent societies (“The Royal Adventures of Andy and Jeff”).1

Sycophantic Seizures, thankfully, eschews being a sermon by supplying loads of funky fresh riffs with diverse accompaniment. Rather than leaning on anything overtly techy, Fatso uses the weight of jaunty but groovy Macabre bounces (“A Message to Ben…,” “a Limerick”), the scrawling fervor of Discordance Axis (“Scandinavian Delicacies,” “Famous and Unfunny”), and the tough guy grind of Terrorizer (“Suburban Suffocation,” “Sycophantic Seizures”) to display a breadth of intense riff-cabulary. I’d imagine The Director fancies themselves a guitarist first, many of the skronky six-string lines and relentless rhythmic pummelings find either full harmonies or extra forward pulse from warm, popping basslines, very much in the school of Demilich oddness—no burps, only brees though. Well, brees, many scattered backing barks, and sudden but welcome clean vocal gang choirs (“Sycophantic Seizures,” “Imperialist! Dream Burst!”)—the unpredictable incorporations in each track go a long way to solidify memorable identities. Yes, that includes an incredibly warped guest violin solo on “A Message to Ben and His Lovely Sister Abby.”2

Either by choice or necessity, Fatso has also leaned into its drum programming as an industrial feature. On grind-speed numbers, the kick layers render so fluttered that they’re a stuttering wall of sound (“Suburban Suffocation,” “The Royal Adventures…”), but Fatso knows when to throw back still with an engorged, punctuated groove (“A Message to Ben…,” “Tweets of the Sane”). Sycophantic Seizures finds its most experimental position in “[INTERMISSION],” though, which starts with an olde-timey call for popcorn and devolves into a hissing, screeching noise-addled manifesto that feels like it fell off a Full of Hell/The Body collab. And, in a move that we’ve heard a couple of times recently in adjacent death metal corners, the journey concludes with an industrial hip-hop beat under a Welles diatribe, lifting his legacy as a rebellious auteur—at least in The Director’s eyes.

Again, many of this album’s inherent traits that could easily manifest as flaws for listeners—the abrasive programmed drumming, the noise diversions, the reliance on an incredibly strange niche. Why, not too long ago, Bloodbox came about with a similarly contorted industrial grinding piece that landed mixed in these halls, but not for me. Arthouse Fatso leans into exactly what it is: riff-forward deathgrind that centers around the mystique and controversy of Orson Welles and warps his character with left-field death metal and gritty electronics. Most importantly, though, Sycophantic Seizures in its presentation of certain grind tropes—sub-twenty-second songs, a paragraph-length song title,3 humorous samples, a high-concept cover art with a low-brow joke—ensures that it never quite takes itself that seriously. However cynical The Director may seem, and however self-deprecating Welles might exist in this fictional re-imagining, Sycophantic Seizures maintains a core of wild riffs and structured swells. It may not be Citizen Kane, but I think Welles would forgive that.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Horror Pain Gore Death Productions | Bandcamp
Websites: facebook.com/arthouse-fatso | arthousefatso.bandcamp.com
Releases Worldwide: March 8th, 2024

#2024 #35 #ArthouseFatso #Bloodbox #DeathMetal #Deathgrind #Demilich #DiscordanceAxis #FullOfHell #GermanMetal #Grindcore #HorrorPainGoreDeathProductions #IndustrialMetal #Macabre #Mar24 #Review #Reviews #SycophanticSeizuresADoubleFeature #Terrorizer #TheBody