Personally, I'm Progama
I really admire guys who can write cogent, meaningful reviews of grindcore albums. I simply don’t have the required skillset to pick out all the subtle differences as they flash by in 0:20. It doesn’t help that I’m grossly under-educated about the genre and have very little practice writing about it.But when it comes to deathgrind, like Antigama, I’m a little more comfortable. Stop the Chaos is a 15-minute EP from the Poles. It’s my first experience with the decade-plus old band, but from what I gather, their recorded output has had a spotty reception. You’d never guess it from the confidence displayed on this EP.
The songs are constructed from short, in-your-face blasts and much shorter pauses. I don’t think they know how to be subtle. But then again, Polish metal is never subtle, and that’s the way it should be. The five real songs on this record (not excluding the mostly ambient 4 minute closer) stick around long enough to make an impact, and they have plenty of memorable moments.
It’s furious, and awesome. But it has one problem. Doom aficionado that I am, I still feel like these 2-3 minute cuts are too long. I’ve complained that some grind (like Wormrot) goes by too fast to notice it, and to let it sink in, but after hearing this I’ve begun to understand why they keep it so short.
A song should go on as long as it needs to, whether that be 30 seconds or 80 minutes. In this case, they went a little too long. But the music is still very good, extreme shit.
The Verdict: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Also, I'm not sure how available this will be in the US. The import on Amazon
is pricy.Selfmadegod
selfmadegod ships directly to the u.s. i've been ordering through them for years.
ReplyDeletei think this ep succeeds because they've shed so many of the other distractions they would normally lard their albums with. it's a matter of addition by subtraction.
also, thank ye kindly for the nice words.
If you're into digital it's also available on the Selfmadegod Bandcamp. Added to Metal Bandcamp here.
ReplyDeleteMax: Thanks for that!
ReplyDeleteAndrew: I added a link to their page. And you're welcome.
I prefer their last full length The Warning myself. It's more densely detailed and wiry. Stop The Chaos is pretty good though.
ReplyDeleteWhy is this "death-grind"? I'm not being facetious, I've really never understood the label (beyond the obvious of course).
Well, if you want to believe the most cynical definition of the term I've ever read, deathgrind consists of either death metal songs that are too spastic and unfocused, or grindcore songs that go on too long. So . . . this would probably be a prime example of that. In truth, it's probably such an irrelevant distinction as to be mostly unnecessary. But I find it helpful. My understanding is, pure grindcore is more punk-oriented, Magrudergrind being a good example, while deathgrind describes grindcore with a very strong death metal element.
ReplyDelete