Wadge - Grindcore Lu'au

Wadge is a long-running grindcore project from Canada, which has fallen into its very own self-styled "surf" grind. It sounds like a ridiculous gimmick, and I guess, to be honest, it probably is. What separates this however, from "bands" like Caninus or the fucking Grindmother is that this shit is actually fucking decent, and not just a stupid fucking meme set up to make money from people who don't actually listen to grindcore anyway (okay, that might be a bit harsh, but you get my drift). 

This is nothing short of pure grinding genius; the song titles alone are worth heaps of praise. The drum programming is spot on and when everything else piles on like extra rings of pineapple on an Hawaiian burger, this is one serious wall of grinding noise. This was also the first release on Jay Randall's Grindcore Karaoke net label.

Tetrahydrocannibal - Putrescent Whiffs From The Thrice-Used Dildo Bong

I recorded this beast over a year ago and I still haven't written to ya'll about it because I'm a festering bloody idiot. Hot off the heels (lol) of my first EP on Grindcore Karaoke, I decided to make hay when the sun was shining and go straight into recording a Tetrahydrocannibal full length whilst the gimmick was still fresh. Weed-themed grindcore is nothing new, even in the minuscule gorenoise department (I'm thinking Boggy Bong, A Man So High Floating In Outer Space, etc. etc. - there's probably more) but I've not come across a project yet that uses genuine bong inhales as vocals. Hence, there was a gape in thon market and THC was born.

There's another band called THC but it's spelt Tetra Hydro Cannibal so it doesn't count. Plus, it's not as br00tal as my shit, so... Haha! I'm just kidding! But, this is messy gorenoise so who really gives a shit. Out of all the shit noise I have recorded this album has by far been the most successful. It's hosted online at various locations, is rife on the pirate music scenes (top fucking lol, it's a free album you dicks!) and has been downloaded thousands of times thanks to Neil at Legs Akimbo Records who not only hosted this on his website but also spread it like bad porn across the BitTorrent underworld. 

As always there are those of you who like to get physical (that's what she said) so I pressed up some CDr copies as well, but these are limited to 100 pieces only, and there's about half left a year or so later. If by some crazy chance you actually want one, or want to trade for one, drop me an email.

Facialmess - Total Liberation

Facialmess is a harsh noise project from Japan. Total Liberation is an EP that was released a few years ago on J Randall's Grindcore Karaoke, consisting of two tracks, a 7 minuter and a 13 minuter. "Suspicious Activities" starts off by oddly mashing together droning, machine-like background ambience with increasingly-erratic cuttings of harsh noise. It just jolts back and forth without any regard for your hearing, or sanity for that matter. It sounds to me like somebody has nominated a supercomputer for the ice bucket challenge, and we are listening to the resulting meltdown.

"Unremitting Exploitation" starts in a similar manner, only when the electronic short-circuitry cuts out, we are left with ominous silence. The way this all fits together I'd hazard a guess that this noise was constructed on a series of pedals rather than digitally (definitely seems to be a lot of delay pedal effects going on). The way the noise keeps cutting out randomly makes this release seem a lot longer than it actually is. I love the way that Facialmess is constantly fucking with your head but I'd be lying if I said it wasn't a little bit tiring.

All in all, a wicked harsh noise / power electronics release that's well worth a listen if you're into audible torture.

Human Touch - Human Touch

Wow, this fucking rules! Human Touch is some insane shit, playing grind-speed hardcore punk with frenetic, worryingly spastic female vocals. Imagine mixing Minor Threat with Despite You, or something. I'd absolutely love to see this band perform live, because after only 5 songs (only one which has any substantial length) I'm left a little shocked, and most definitely wanting more. 

The sound is spot on; definitely paying homage to true hardcore production styles of old but incorporating modern clarity. There's nothing worse than losing amazing grind or hardcore in a muddy, shitty mix, and thankfully that doesn't happen here. Apparently this EP was recorded in an attic apartment, so kudos to whoever recorded it, because it sounds great. 

I'll shut up now. Just make sure you press play. 

Water Torture - Pillbox

I've always loved Water Torture's mix of harsh noise experimentation and grinding bass terror, but Pillbox reaches new heights (or is that depths) of bassgrinding skullduggery, if you can imagine such a thing exists. I recently caught some bare-bones incarnation of this band on tour (kinda like The Melvins when they tour with a reduced line up) , which was missing the harsh noise element. This was okay live, but the harsh noise parts of Pillbox are really interesting, and provide an atmospheric foil to the claustrophobic bass'n'drums powerviolence. There's a particularly awesome harsh noise track a few minutes into the record, called "Product 1". Another, much more chilled ambient track "Creature Of Repitition" rather randomly reminds me of Blues For The Red Sun by Kyuss before it kicks in. 

Comparisons to Man Is The Bastard and/or Bastard Noise would be too easy, or possibly lazy of me, but if I'm entirely honest, it's hard to sound original when there already is a massively influential band that mixes bass/drums grindcore with harsh noise in existence. Water Torture does sound different though, which is actually quite something of a feat considering how similar both bands are in theory. Water Torture is kinda like the MITB for the current generation of crusties, grinders and hardcore kids into powerviolence.

When I caught 'em on tour, vinyl copies still hadn't come in, but you can pre-order with the label Nerve Altar who are putting it out. In the meantime, the entire thing is streaming on Bandcamp so do yourself a solid and listen to this shit, it's so brilliant.

Suppression / Noothgrush - Split 5"

Suppression are quickly becoming one of my favourite grindcore acts. I mean, how long have this band been around? And I only heard of them a few months ago! What an idiot! Despite this fact, I've had the mp3s of this split on my computer for ages thanks to Grindcore Karaoke, but listening to it always got pushed back because I have so much stuff to get through...which is a curse as well as a blessing.

 

On this wee little 5", Suppression resort to a very Man Is The Bastard-y mix of harsh noise followed by bass-driven grind madness. I know Suppression have their own thing going on, but MITB definitely springs to mind whilst spinning this. It's over in a fecking flash, unlike Noothgrush's side which drags out a bit longer. Noothgrush take a much more traditional full-band approach of just ripping out a track for us. Very sludgy!

 

All in all this is a pretty awesome 5", but as you would probably expect it doesn't last very long. This piece of wax exists thanks to the good people at Blow The Reactors and Fuck Yoga. My version is the simple black one, but 150 of these little buggers come with a 48 piece puzzle. These editions are pretty rare, but you can still get one for around £10. 

Atomçk - Never Work

Can you imagine how excited I was knowing that the next Atomçk record was gonna drop as a physical copy thanks to Hygiene Records? No, probably not. But I was pretty fuckin' happy, I'll tell you that. As much as I love sites like Grindcore Karaoke (seriously far too much good shit for one website) I am a total sucker for physical copies. Grindcore Karaoke could have a download link to 320kb mp3s of every single album in the world and I'd still want to buy my favourites in the flesh as well.

Atomçk are back with a new drummer and a professional studio sound (huzza!) that really makes Never Work stand out instantly as my favourite shit by them. You can expect the usual sci-fi grind nuttery, but there is a whole bunch of longer songs thrown in here as well. Opener "Desert Blast", which is also used to open live gigs, if my memory serves, is dangerously close to sounding like something altogether more Kyuss. That is, of course, until the vocals kick in. "No Sleep 'til Trutnov" is another long 'un, comprising of a simple drum beat and a wailing guitar repetition, before giving way to some nice 'n' nasty harsh electronic noise.

This edition on tape is fairly limited, and quite possibly even sold out already (June 2013 update: yep, all gone). Yikes! However, you can still stream and download the entire thing for free from Grindcore Karaoke and various other sources. Stream endless, baby!

Gets Worse - Gets Worse (10")

I've had this EP (or mini-album?) for a while thanks to Grindcore Karaoke, and considering it is powerviolence to the core I really enjoy it. I can never seem to shake the comedy value behind the "low" powerviolence vocals (and this is coming from a guy who loves goregrind), but sometimes the music is so awesome that it all just fits together and I totally see where the sound is coming from.

 

The record initially comes on in a very similar vibe to Shoot The Bastard, whom Gets Worse kinda share personnel with through the medium of The Afternoon Gentlemen. The drum sound is very similar, but after an small settling in period, Gets Worse takes on a whole new violent form of its own; crushing, grinding power at it's purest! The guitar sound is one of the crunchiest I've come across in some time, the bass is Repulsion-grade fuzz and the drums are sprightly and bright enough to soar over the mix. The vocals are a dual-attack of powerviolence lows and more typical screamy highs, which keeps things interesting enough for me.

Mad props (yo) to the label here, the fantastically-named Evil Purple Bastard, as this 10" only cost me £7 with £2.80 postage, but the postage label reads it cost over £5 to send. Having been fucked in the arse at the Post Office many times myself, that got me right in the feels.

 

I would recommend this record to anyone who is into heavier hardcore or grindcore music. You can stream the entire thing for free below, so there's no excuse, tuck in my pretties! It's strictly limited to 200 physical copies though, so if you want one I'd act fast. Evil Purple Bastard sells the purple version that I have here but if you buy directly from the band you can get your hands on a red version.

Dead Neanderthals - Dead Neanderthals

There is no other band in the world that sounds like Dead Neanderthals (although 7000 Dying Rats and Rich Hoak's solo experiments do come close in their own little ways). Jazzgrind? Or is it saxgrind? Who the fuck would have thought it? Not me, that's for sure! Trust the Netherlands! Ha ha.

This is one of the original Bat Shit Records pressings of the 7" EP, limited to 105 copies (I have number 92). It is a simple affair of a printed and stamped card sleeve, folded to house a plain black 7". You have to look at the disc etching to figure out what side your playing! This is a basic, and excellently D.I.Y as fuck collectors item that I am proud to own. This is well out of print, as is, I believe, the repress, but you can still download it for free from Grindcore Karaoke.

On the ears, Dead Neanderthals first come across as extremely lo-fi and abrasive, but once your ears adjust you can truly appreciate the gorgeous racket that is going on here. Once you are over the absence of guitars  and vocals (just a saxophone and a drum kit here) you can properly begin to enjoy the tunes on offer. I imagine that Dead Neanderthals sound a hundred times better in a volatile live environment, and I was absolutely crushed to realize that I recently missed their brief UK tour. Totally gutted is an understatement!

These guys have a full 10" out now being distributed by Burning World records, which is a big deal, and I'm glad to see them getting some well deserved attention. I really think that Jay Randall's enormously successful Grindcore Karaoke label has a huge part to play in the international success of many bands, including Dead Neanderthals. I for one, to be sure, had never heard of these guys until I downloaded their record off that site. Excellent stuff all round!

 

Agoraphobic Nosebleed / Total Fucking Destruction - Split 7"

This here is the brilliant split between Agoraphobic Nosebleed and Total Fucking Destruction; two of modern grind's finest acts coming together on one short record. It was originally released in 2007 by Bones Brigade Records on a press of 1500 copies, 1300 on blue and 200 rare ones on green. It was repressed in 2009 on another 1000 red copies. Not sure how many people realize this, but the record is actually marbled. You can't see it normally because of the unusually thick blue colouring, but hold it up to the light and it looks boss:

Musically, this is about the time when ANb started veering away from the flat-out Randall-fronted cybergrind of old into more, how should I put it, "progressive" territory. It's still horrible, aggressive music, but the longest song here is 3 minutes; a precursor of what was to come with later ANb splits and albums. Pete from Benumb, a long time collaberator, lends vocals to the second track on the ANb side.

This split was my introduction to the weird and wonderful world of Rich Hoak's Total Fucking Destruction. Featuring a lengthy track spanning the whole side of the 7" (barring their quick Exploited cover at the end) entitled "Last Night I Dreamt We Destroyed The World", TFD spazz out over repetitive vocal patterns and odd noise arrangements. It's not of their usual hyper-fast grind stock, but it's definitely worth a listen.

You can pick up the repress easily these days, and you can still get the original blue one fairly cheap on Discogs, although I have never come across a green one, ever. In fact, I didn't even know they existed until I did some pressing info research on this release. I highly recommend this 7" to any fans of grindcore and the related genres.