Review of V/A - Illegal Grinding CD

From http://thenoisecorner.blogspot.com/

***VA- Illegal grinding, an international grindcore gathering, Co-production 2009
Bought some copies for me and my distro from Luca Jennifer Grind records. The names on it were promising, so I thought "Why not get some?"
There are 6 bands on this release, from Europe, Asia and America.
The first band is Bloody Act Of Terror from Indonesia. I didn't know them before, so it was a nice surprise, as they play 5 tracks of a good mixture between Death metal and Grindcore. I don't like the mix of the instruments, but the result is good and powerful anyway, and it hasn't got a ton of boring technical stuff. Their sounds recall to mind some Assück, in the way guitars are distorted, in the screams, and in some mid-tempos too. Also the titles seems to have that politic/ironic feeling, but there's no lyrics in the booklet. If you like this kind of stuff check them out, I think they have the skills to make something really good, so let's keep an eye on them.
Following the Indonesians there's Goner, a grindcore duo with no bass from California. Same as Bloody Act Of Terror, I've never heard them before, plus there are not many infos about them in the booklet. They have 4 tracks on this cd, and their sound is brutal as fuck. Short songs with 2 vocals always alternating and insane drum speed, too bad the guitar's sound is a bit to low when the drums blasts. I don't know if it's one of their first recordings or not, but I would like to hear more from them.
Then it's the turn of Haemophagus, Italian horror Death/Grind trio in the vein of the Austrian masters Pungent Stench. 3 tracks for them, one of which (Grotesque laceration of mortified flesh) is a General Surgery cover, all well recorded and with a clear sound. Personally I really love their sound and their style, as they melt death metal with grindcore but with that punk feeling that makes it old school and headbangable as fuck. So be sure to check them out if you like Pungent Stench or that kind of gory death/grind.
From Italy to Turkey with Sakatat. Sakatat are a grindcore trio and they're about to tour Europe in late August/September. They are a grindcore whirlwind, fast, intense and raging. 6 tracks, with a S.O.B. (Humanity of stupidity) and a Rot (Game of hypochrisy) covers , all in less than 4 minutes. The first 2 tracks are from the upcoming split with Cut Your Throat, the other 3 from the split with Slaughter Of The Innocents. Can't wait to see them live, check them out if you don't know them yet or you will regret!
After Sakatat another band who has toured Italy some time ago, D-Compose from Amsterdam. Here they have 3 tracks, with a Ramones cover (I'm not Jesus). Honestly it's not my cup of tea, I don't really like that dissonant guitars and that polished metal-like sounds. All the songs are taken from their debut album. I liked them live because of the great energy they spread, but on cd they don't seem to get my attention and they sound like a well produced metal band. That's a matter of tastes, so give them a try if you like dissonant guitars, double vocals and brutal stuff you might like them.
Last band for this is Splattered Mermaids from Malmö, Sweden. 4 tracks of splatter brutal death metal with some grindcore touches. This stuff is the most technical on this cd, fast parts alternated with slow moshing parts and riff changes. It's surely powerful stuff and it's even listenable for me, that I'm not a fan of the genre and I get bored after a few minutes of it.
So finally you can get an idea on what's on this cd. It's a good start if you're more into metal and want to check out what grindcore is, plus, if you don't know the bands, the stuff on here is more than a good starting point, since there's a good range of different sounds/styles.

Deathrats Demo - Review in MRR #316

One of the best hardcore demos I've heard in a long time. DEATHRATS plays "dark and heavy" hardcore that is likely influenced by bands such as DROPDEAD, DEATHREATS, TO WHAT END?, and SKITSYSTEM among others. The songs have a lot of great riffs, cool instrument breaks, crucial feedback at exactly the right moments, and vocal phrasing that works really well with the music, all played a bit faster than usual for this style. Chrstine's livid vocals seriously send chills down my spine, and there's a refreshing earnestness and intelligence to her anger, as she takes on people that project their own misery onto how they treat others, how the male gaze keeps her from developing a positive self-image on her own terms, and how the need for girls to stop hating each other and band together is just as relevant now as it was in the heyday of riot grrl. All of this servers as further proof that girls/women in punk have more reason to be pissed than their male counterparts. Upcoming 7" on To Live A Lie Records, but get this in the meantime.

Sakatat & Death Toll 80k Tour 2009

SAKATAT (Turkey) & DEATH TOLL 80K (Finland)
Grindcore Roadkill - European Tour August/September 2009

Old school grindcore band SAKATAT from Turkey team up with Finish grinders DEATH TOLL 80K for an ultimate grindcore tour across Europe! Fans of old NAPALM DEATH, FEAR OF GOD, AGATHOCLES, SOB, ROT and alikes, be sure to visit one of the 20 gigs including performances at Play Fast or Don't Fest and Mountains Of Death Fest!

Aug 21 Fri CH - Mountains Of Death Fest*
Aug 22 Sat CH - Mountains Of Death Fest*
Aug 24 Mon NL - NEED HELP!
Aug 25 Tue NL - Leiden @ Sub 071
Aug 26 Wed NL - Amsterdam @ Occii w/ KRU$H
Aug 27 Thu BEL - Knesselare @ Idem Squat
Aug 28 Fri BEL - Zonhoven or Alken @ TBA w/ KASATKA
Aug 29 Sat NL/BEL/GER - NEED HELP!
Aug 30 Sun GER - Berlin @ TBA
Aug 31 Mon GER - Freiburg @ KTS
Sep 01 Tue IT - Milan @ Villa Vegan Okkupata w/ BESTIAL VOMIT and SUPPURATED
Sep 02 Wed IT - Bologna @ Lazzaretto w/ DIORRHEA and REPULSIONE
Sep 03 Thu SLV - Beltinci @ Ambasada
Sep 04 Fri CZ - Play Fast or Don't Fest
Sep 05 Sat CZ - Play Fast or Don't Fest
Sep 06 Sun CZ - Ceske Budejovice @ Velbloud w/ THE ARSON PROJECT and ONANIZER
Sep 07 Mon CZ - Praha @ Motoraj w/ THE ARSON PROJECT
Sep 08 Tue POL - Wroclaw @ Wagon
Sep 09 Wed POL - Leszno @ Czerwona
Sep 10 Thu POL - Poznan @ Rozbrat Squat
Sep 11 Fri GER - Leipzig @ TBA
(*without DT80K)

More info at:
www.myspace.com/sakatat
www.myspace.com/deathtoll80k
http://sakatat.atwebpages.com

TLAL in Decibel #59's Debutante Ball

Here is the best image I have of the article until I get it scanned.