CHOOCHOO-
SHOESHOOT
Choose Your Own Romance
(Kythibong)

COFFINS
Buried Death
(20 Buck Spin)

ASRA
The Way of All Flesh
(Black Box)

ONE STARVING DAY
Broken Wings Lead Arms to
the Sun
(KNBVI)

OBSKURIA
Discovery of Obskuria
(World in Sound)

KLIMT 1918
Just in Case We'll Never Meet

Again 

(Prophecy)

HEAVY HEAVY 
LOW LOW
Turtle Nipples and the Toxic
Shock 

(Ferret)

MORE REVIEWS

Music doesn’t have to progress. At least not necessarily. I am getting sick of listening to all those modern sounding and super polished releases by melodic death metal bands.  It’s all sounding the same by now. Don’t get me wrong it’s good that musicians are putting so much work in refining their chops and to some extent, it’s cool that underground music is attaining such level of professionalism. But on the other hand, such approach dissipates the spirit of raw death metal, drains brutal music’s blood and results in sterile sounding records with too much shine and not enough grit.  So it is greatly refreshing to hear a band as straight forward as Brooklyn’s Asra; who like it low fi, rough, violent, straight ahead and brutal.

The Way of All Flesh is this trio’s debut and is all about grinding shit to tiny molecule size pieces. Clearly, it doesn’t bring anything new to the table, but asking for that would be missing the point. It’s great that out of all the extreme genres, grindcore seems to be the one that’s retained its main core values (anarchic speed and relentless brutality).  Sure thing, some bands have evolved, but even the most seminal ones who at one point offered a more accessible sound ended up opting for a return to sheer brutality (read; Napalm Death). And that’s what Asra is about; a grindcore sound that’s not been filtered. A throwback sound with a nod to the late 80’s and early 90’s. This is dirty music in need of no wiping; it’s a controlled mess that lacks total harmony. And because of that it works.

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