The Underdogs Philosophy - GetUpAndKill Music
Agathocles is mighty mince core from Mol in Belgium.
Motherpig is old-school grindcore from Sarajevo in Bosnia & Herzegowina.
MeGrindGood’s humble opinion: For a grindcore ‘zine, it’s taken us a frighteningly long time to review anything from Agathocles. I don’t know where it went wrong, but we finally got a submission with the Belgian mince core gods. And Motherpig; well, I’ve heard of these guys, but when I went to check out their player on MySpace, Tom and his goons decided it wasn’t gonna happen for me, and researching these Bosnian grinders remained in my to-do pile. But it’s finally getting to-done.
  So Agathocles. There really isn’t anything to say about their seven (technically nine) tracks for this split. You can’t expect too much diversity from a band that releases two CDs for every episode of Family Guy you watch. It’s straightforward grindcore with vocals that even I can figure out some of the words to. It’s the anti-social, anti-establishment message that these guys are known for and not terribly well-produced. The vocals aren’t that great, but there’s a high and a low, both reminding me of early Napalm Death… but you’ve heard all this before, haven’t you? The tracks are still entertaining as hell from a band that’s been in the genre longer than I’ve been aware of it.
  And in this reviewer’s opinion, Motherpig is a fan-spanking-tastic match for the lords of grind. They’re the same angry, dirty grindcore that Agathocles stand for. It’s raw. It’s gritty. It sounds like it was recorded with a tape-recorder soon after music made the leap from mono. The vocals are a mid-shriek, that cracks and warbles, over punk-influenced grinding angst.
  There really isn’t anything new happenin’ on The Underdogs Philosophy. It doesn’t even sound new, yet the lack of production fails to disappoint me in the slightest. Not everything has to be squeaky-clean and multi-tracked. It’s kick-arse to remember where your favourite genre’s roots are. You’ll get the same kick out of this split as I do if you love “true-to-its-roots” grindcore. I should tell you that GetUpAndKill Music’s having a sale on this disc (and others) ‘til they’re all gone. Get early-sounding grindcore at an early-grindcore price.

Harassment:
www.myspace.com/xagathoclesx
www.myspace.com/motherpig
www.myspace.com/getupandkillmusic

Instruments: 8/10
Throat: 8/10
Originality: 6/10
Production: 9/10 (I like the lack of it)
 www.grindertimes.com
www.myspace.com/grindertimes

Demo 2008 - Brickintheface Anesthesia Recordings
Infuriated grindcore from Washington D.C.
MeGrindGood’s humble opinion: I’m an idiot. An imbecile. An ignoramus. For months I’ve had this disc in my TGT to-do pile—I’m not sure how long exactly—but this whole fucken time I could’ve been listening to this demo! I’m fucken retarded.
  Okay. With that said, I’m gonna move on. I’ve been kickin’ myself since around halfway through track one (30 seconds) and now it’s time for me to get on with it.
  Drugs Of Faith have been featured in The Grinder Times before, but last time Grinder McDeathToll had the pleasure of reviewing their split with Poland’s Antigama…. Which I still haven’t heard, sadly. At any rate, this three-song demo is rapid-fire, shrieking grindcore. It’s aggressive, it’s a little progressive, and it’s uncompromising. The guitars are a maelstrom of chord-oriented discordance, with a slight black metal feel at times. The bass is heavy and distorted, lending the overall sound the rumbling low-end that the guitars are lacking… good idea that! Bass lending… bass. And the drums, while performed by a session musician, fit like a glove, and are either flat-knacker fast, or groovy, dependent on the need of the music, but always tight like a tiger. Over all of this musical angst is a high-pitched yelling, which is allowed to crack and warble in a somewhat adolescent way. I love it, personally. It feels like someone standing on a street corner in a busy city screaming out everything that’s wrong with the world. Which is pretty much what Richard is doing. He does go a little lower into a mid-range that, doesn’t necessarily sound like, but reminds me of, Barney Greenway (Napalm Death). I love how he shrieks “without the fairytale!“ in the last track “The Age Of Reason”. This demo is over in less than five minutes, which I think also lends it’s own aggressive approach. It’s “get on, scream about shit that pisses you off, then get off”.
  I really can’t pick anything wrong with this demo. It’s well-produced, well-executed anger and frustration. It’s hyper, but also lumbering, while still keeping elements of “grind ‘n roll“. If you’re into well-rounded, clean-ish pissed off grindcore, you should check out the links below… and pray that these tunes make it to a full-length… or at least a split.

Harassment:
www.drugsoffaith.com
www.myspace.com/drugsoffaith
www.selfmadegod.com

Instruments: 9/10
Throat: 9/10
Originality: 8/10
Production: 9/10
www.grindertimes.com
www.myspace.com/grindertimes.com

Demo - self-released
Maniacal grindcore from The Philippines
MeGrindGood’s humble opinion: I have no idea what Gilinganne means. Hell! I don’t even know how it’s pronounced correctly. Maybe it’s Filipino for “Fucking intense”. Whatever it means, this is a frenzied whirlwind of blast beats, trebly-guitar, artificial harmonics, shrieking and bellowing.
  Everything about this seven-song demo is just a pummelling barrage of musical insanity, which is completely misleading from the symphonic intro of track one. From the constant high-BPM of the tracks, to the white-noise sound-quality. From the length of the songs, to the length of the song-titles. Even the ferocity of the samples chosen (mostly violence and one violent porn… I think) that bring in every song. Maybe Gilinganne means “short ‘n sweet“, or “sweetly short”. The drums are a simple layout of blasting, with the cymbals being lost in the hiss. But you can hear the kick and snare, which for this dude’s style, is all you need. The guitars are very trebly, with the difference in chords kind of lost in the mix, too. You can hear the pinch harmonics clearly, and that’s about it. The bass… I had to check the MySpace to see if there even was one. There’s no bass, but I wouldn’t have been surprised if it was just deeply entrenched in this grind-wall. All of this is mostly shrieked over, with the instigator trying to squeeze in as many words about the subject in under a minute as he can. This definitely lends mania and aggression to these little ditties. The grind-neck isn’t all high-pitched, though. He puts in the odd gut-wrenching bellow; not real low, but fuck is it powerful!, and some cool inhales that aren’t all that well-executed, but sound kick-arse regardless.
  This is grindcore done simply for the love of grindcore. It sounds like the band was recorded with an old tape-recorder, in one take, in the bottom of a giant-sized aluminium rubbish bin (where the found the tape-recorder) with the lid closed… But it’s great! If you don’t care what the production’s like as long as it’s grind, definitely check these blokes out. I, for one, can’t wait to hear what they do next!

Harassment:
www.myspace.com/gilinganne

Instruments: 7/10
Throat: 9/10
Originality: 7/10
Production: 8/10 (like deep-fried chocolate wrapped in bacon; so bad, yet so very, very good)
www.grindertimes.com
www.myspace.com/grindertimes

Mundo Cripta - No Escape Records
Slightly melodic, old-school death/grind from A Coruña, Spain.
MeGrindGood’s humble opinion: I know that “melodic” in the description about has probably made a few of you unreceptive to what I’m about to write. But let me assure you, this is old-school death/grind. It’s all about the horror and the blast beats. The melody comes from some of the (inanely quick) trem-picked riffage that’s offered. It’s not a notey album from an emotional band. They just write some damned tasty riffs that are a little harmonious in approach. Good enough for you? Awesome. Then let’s move right along.
  So this is the mighty Machetazo’s fourth full-length, yet 18th release, including a best of, a few EPs and some splits. So they’re obviously busy… at least in the studio. This CD is damned well-produced. It’s a great mix of drums, guitar, bass and vocals (done by drummer Dopi), which is easy to follow. Ain’t no whacky time-signatures or arrangements that lose you ‘til you memorise them on this disc. Drums are mid-paced, but highly energetic. Guitars flit from being chord-oriented to trem-picked notes. The bass is mostly felt in the mix, yet has the odd moment of distorted audibility. And the vocals are predominantly throaty, with a low, a mid and a high, and fails to settle into any range long enough to become boring. Despite being a horror-worshiping band, the lads really take it easy on the samples, and the ones chosen don’t go on too long. Samples can annoy me with even the best grind act around, and these blokes failed to irritate me with theirs. I really don’t have any complaints about Mundo Cripta to be honest, except that, at times, it would drift into the background while I was occupied with other online shenanigans. Not too often, though, therefore not even approaching boring. Standout for me was actually really early in the album. A kick-arse, catchy riff that appears in the first track “Exorcismo” that I’ve actually caught myself humming to myself throughout the day. It’s even got some cool, random bellows and screams somewhat in the background.
  So, if you’re into old-school horror-inspired death/grind with a newer production and a solid approach, I’d take a serious look at these grinding Iberians.

Harassment:
www.myspace.com/bandamachetazo
www.machetazo.org
www.noescaperecords.com

Instruments: 9/10
Throat: 7/10
Originality: 6/10
Production: 9/10
www.grindertimes.com
www.myspace.com/grindertimes.com

Sex Drugs & Death metal - Waco Productions
Rock star death/grind from Chicago, IL.
PlanCalledDead’s humble opinion: Well first off, I would like it to be known that these guys are true death metal rockstars, and they know the true meaning of the word party. They put on one of the best live shows you will get from a death/grind band; drinking 40’s and rockin’ out to some good old fashion glam rock.
  Now, on to the album. With a title like Sex Drugs & Deathmetal, what’s not to love? It’s eight tracks of relentlessly crushing death/grind. Amazing guitar riffs, speedy drums and vocals to make any wannabe death/grinder jealous. Stand-out tracks include the title track “Sex Drugs & Deathmetal” which includes a sweet ass 80’s-style scream and a sample at the end saying “nobody fucks with the Jesus”. Other stand-out tracks include “Nothing In Common With Us” and “Evil Force“. The production on this is great. Whoever did the mixing on this did an amazing job. Everything is very clean, sounding unlike many of their death/grind brothers.
  I very much-so enjoyed this album and would recommend it to anyone who likes death metal, grindcore or death/grind. The only thing bad I can say about this CD is having the best song last left me wanting more, which some may not consider bad. Check these dudes out live and you will for sure be hooked.

Harassment:
www.wacojesus.com
www.myspace.com/wacojesus

Instruments: 10/10
Throat: 9/10
Originality: 8/10
Production: 10/10
www.grindertimes.com
www.myspace.com/grindertimes.com

Porn Delusions/Der Zellwuchs Stoppt - Rotten Roll Rex
Both bands are porno cybergrind from Germany
MeGrindGood’s humble opinion: It’s always been so very hard to please me in the cybergrind department. There’s an extremely fine line between interesting, kick-arse cybergrind, and crossing that line into another grindcore sub-genre, and therefore not being cybergrind at all. Like appreciating a mime who whispers; now you’re just watching a quiet-spoken attention-seeking knob-end in artsy corpse-paint and a hilariously funny hat. No longer a mime.
  Bitch Infection sadly, came nowhere near that line. The opening was a frustratingly long porn sample involving non-ejaculatory secretions of some description, which then became a song with select clips from the sample used as vocal lines. Very bizarre, and went on way too long. In fact, it was actually kind of hard not to skip their tracks to find out if the other band offered more. But, since reviewing is my job, I sat with it. Honestly, the best song was the last one “My Way With Utopie”. It got a little chunkier, and the vocals got a bit more interesting in their rhythm. Otherwise Porn Delusions is a drum-machine with terrible cymbal-sound, a barely noticeable guitar that’s all drowned out by mumbling, gurgling vocals.
  Anus Tumor brought a bit more variety to this split with their half Der Zellwuchs Stoppt. There was a few porn samples, one that made me feel more uncomfortable than hearin‘ my parents bumping uglies. But feeling it was fan-spankin-tastic. Even if it’s a negative emotion, I love experiencing it due to the tunes. This half was fairly well-mixed. Vocals were a little too loud, but otherwise everything’s audible. The cover of Meat Shits’ “Sex Not War” had a sample of a bloke imitating metal music that cracked me up when it was reverbed and put on a loop to close the track.
  All in all, it might be worth buying this cyber-split to hear the second half. But that’s completely up to you. If you do, you might want to offer up a prayer of thanksgiving to the gods of grindcore for the bloke who invented that handy-as-hell forward-skip button!

Harassment:
www.myspace.com/rottenrollrex
www.myspace.com/bitchinfection
www.myspace.com/anustumor
www.rottenroll.de

BITCH INFECTION:
Instruments: 3/10
Throat: 2/10
Originality: 1/10
Production: 3/10

ANUS TUMOR:
Instruments: 5/10
Throat: 6/10
Originality: 4/10
Production: 6/10
www.grindertimes.com
www.myspace.com/grindertimes

Killing Games demo - self-released
Old-style death with a splash of cybergrind from the US.
MeGrindGood’s humble opinion: It was kind of hard for me to decide whether I was going to review this in the beginning… one of the reasons it’s taken me so long to get around to it. The vast majority of the material is old-school death metal with a drum-machine, which I guess is what gives this demo a definite cybergrind feel to some of it, too. But I ended up thinkin’ that you grinders can do a bit of death right?
  Right?
  So here I am, listening to this one-man demo from 2008. The music’s fairly straightforward, the vocals a consistent low gurgle/mumble deal, and it‘s all on time. No minor metronomic malfunctions and such. The production’s okay, with everything being audible, but the vocals keep bottoming out my headphones. And before you ask, these are decent wireless headphones. Not something I found stuffed in a dead hooker’s throat that one time when I was 23. The samples kinda piss me off ‘cause they’re a little long, and I have more of a penchant for short, comedic samples. These are all from movies, including a long intro from Saw (‘III’ I think) which is a decent bring-in for a demo titled Killing Games. Makes sense, huh? But if you dig being reminded of horror movies you’ve seen in your time, then they’re sure to please you.
  At the end of it all, there’s nothing to slag about this demo, yet nothing to recommend it to my regular rotation, either. It’s okay; not terrible; not great. If you’re into old death and some cybergrind besides, you should check out Chris and his project Eaten, linked below.

Harassment:
www.myspace.com/eatenbrutal

Instruments: 7/10
Throat: 4/10
Originality: 4/10
Production: 5/10
www.grindertimes.com
www.myspace.com/grindertimes

Collection 2005-2007 - BlastAsFuk Productions
Grinding violence from Austin, Texas.
MeGrindGood’s humble opinion: I’m surprised I’m not into powerviolence more than I am, to be honest. I always enjoy it when I hear it, yet never look for it when I’m CD-shopping, nor when I’m scoping out new bands to get into. It’s weird, but there you have it.
  Anyhow, HS is more than just powerviolence, really. There’s definitely a majority of that genre in their sound, particularly in the vocals, but they’re also grindy in their own way, and delve a tiny bit into some doomier movements. This album’s the assorted recordings of some EPs, splits, compilation tracks, and demos, and each album seems to have a distinct level of aggression to it. The whole enchilada—35 tracks—for the most part, opens with the newer, and closes with the older. There’s a cover of Napalm Death’s “C.S. (Commercial Shithead)” that is on a tribute album that’s never seen the bright lights of release, plus covers from Agnostic Front, Disrupt, and Despise You. The drums are forceful and energetic and definitely influenced by the genres the band represents, the bass is distorted and a bit more to the fore than most bands would allow, the guitars are rapid-fire and mostly chord-oriented, with dual guitar-tracks lending an exaggerated heaviness to the overall sound, and therefore the mood. The vocals, with a couple of exceptions are a roared-yelling that adolescently cracks from time to time… adorable! I really dig the odd warble in a scream, or a yell, and always have. A highpoint for this album, and therefore the band, was the eventual employment of a female vocalist, which is something I haven’t heard in powerviolent grindcore, and for me, sets them somewhat apart. Lowpoint was the FUCKING GUITAR FEEDBAAAAAAAAACK!!!! Uh-hum. Excuse me. But really, there was more feedback than a suggestion box at a KFC staffed by morons… that doesn‘t narrow it down too much, so hopefully I just dodged a law-suit.
  But overall the album’s decent, aggressive and ear-battering. If you’re into grindcore on the punkier side of things and/or powerviolence, you’d definitely get a kick-out of this.

Harassment:
www.myspace.com/hatredsurgetexas
www.myspace.com/blastasfukgrindcore
www.geocities.com/blastasfuk

Instruments: 8/10
Throat: 8/10
Originality: 7/10
Production: 7/10
www.grindertimes.com
www.myspace.com/grindertimes

Sledgehammer Holocaust - No Escape Records
Technical grindcore from Winnipeg, Canada
MeGrindGood’s humble opinion: The first thing I noticed about this release? The song-titles! They’re each longer than you can say without taking a reinforcing breath… Well, they would be if you were like me and run up three flights of stairs, swinging the CD with one arm, and tryna pull toilet paper from the back of my jeans with the other to tell my wife about them. I kid, of course, but a pretty decent opening for a review, hey?
  The titles are by and large a long description of the song… pretty straightforward concept, right? Favourites include “Ukulele Player’s Drugged Out Machete Attack At The Flea Market”, “Forced To Ingest Caulking Up Nose & Down Trachea”, and “Moonlight Illuminates Limbs Forced Into Impossible Directions”. They’re all kick-arse songs. They’re just the ones that made me laugh out loud. Sledgehammer Holocaust is actually the fourth full-length—seventh release—from these Canadian grind-nuts. This album has a mass of different influences, especially when you consider the musician’s résumés: Dissolution (death metal), Diademegon (black metal), Lykeum (atmospheric/symphonic death) and Fuck The Facts (err… noise/ grind/metalcore/death/groove… and stuff?). This album’s music is all over the place, setting them somewhat apart, but the arrangements never really lose you, either. It’s easy to follow Putrescence from punky, groovy grindcore into a rapid black metal passage that debouches into a death metal breakdown before launching into a series of solo-swapping. I love music that does lose you like that, but this band isn’t one of them. The production of this CD is pretty damned clear, too. Nothing’s drowned out by anything else, including the layers of vocal tracks attributed by four of the five instigators. These guys seem to be trying to appeal to everyone who likes extreme music, and they may just do that since they seem to have left behind the annoying shit that each genre practices regularly. Mesh that with the aforementioned sound-quality and the humorous/what-in-the-fuck? subject matter, and you’ve got a fairly entertaining album. A highlight for me was truly, not being able to predict what was coming up; the movements of Sledgehammer Holocaust being harder to pick than Michael Jackson’s nose. Trust me… it’s not easy.
  I’d seriously look into this album if you’re not affiliated with any one extreme metal genre more than the others. If you’re a grinder, death-head, black-metaller, punkster and a thrasher, you’ll get this album. And if you don’t, then hock the disc so you can afford to re-dye your red fringe. Too easy.

Harassment:
www.myspace.com/putrescence
www.putrescence.com

Instruments: 9/10
Throat: 7/10
Originality: 7/10
Production: 9/10
www.grindertimes.com
www.myspace.com/grindertimes

Paraphilic Elegies - Rotten Roll Rex
Drum ‘n bass gigolo goregrind from Prerov, Czech Republic.
MeGrindGood’s humble opinion: I have to say that the Czechs don’t seem to be doin’ much wrong in the world of grind, and grind’s myriad of sub-genres. I have never—nor will I begin to—listen to bands based solely from where their roots took… well, root. That’s like eating anything, just ‘cause it’s edible. Or humping anyone that has boobs.
  But I digress. Spasm are pretty damned heavy goregrind, with some awesome groovy moments that show that these grinders have a tender side, before hitting the higher BPMs again and slappin’ anyone within arm’s (or sound’s) reach. There’s nothing particularly pioneering about Paraphilic Elegies but I have to say that they’ve learned their lessons well. The drums are solid, mid-paced and sit really well in the mix; not too loud, not too quiet. The bass is distorted and, I’m sure is being considered in some circles, to be making guitar somewhat obsolete. Not for me personally. Grind without guitar is like pissing without a fart: just plain don’t sit right. The vocals are cupped for the most part, and tackle the high, mid and low ranges, and actually employs a pig “oinking” technique that was fan-friggin-tastic! The samples were foreign, but minimal, and included a chick’s slowly crescending sex-noises arranged to fit the music superbly. The production on this disc is pretty damned good too. Better than a lot of drum & bass grind I’ve heard, but still has a little rawness tipping the needle into the red every now and again.
  Overall Spasm’s second full-length—it has to be said—was much better than I’d anticipated. I like the groovier side of grind, and don’t necessarily miss hyper-blasts if they’re not there… if the music’s interesting enough. If you’re the same and have a soft spot for little ditties concerning a “Menses Businessman”, an “Outdoor Snuff Derby” and “Shy Lesbians’ Defecation”, then you should really check out this CD. And if that didn’t do it for you, you know that “wet spankin’-it” noise you can do by pulling your cheeks apart and releasing them really quick? Yeah; around 14 seconds into the first track!

Harassment:
www.myspace.com/spasmgrind
www.rottenroll.de 

Instruments: 8/10
Throat: 8/10
Originality: 6/10
Production: 9/10
www.grindertimes.com
www.myspace.com/grindertimes