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Funny
how the best album Earache has put out in at least a
decade is the one that was recorded between 1987 and
1990. Grind Madness at BBC is an absolute must to
anyone with an interest not only in grind, but in
extreme music as a whole. And it will totally satiate
anyone’s hunger for grind. Grind Madness at BBC is a
three disc, 118-track mammoth of a release. These
recordings were captured by the much missed John Peel
between the years mentioned above and were recorded by
the DJ at Maida Vale Studios in London.
The crop of
bands included here really represents. Here we can find Napalm
Death at their nastiest and most envelope pushing. There was no
other way to rock for this Birmingham classic. The guitars sound
like a broken bass and the bass could be lost amongst all the
racket but the blast beats sound wild and the vocals range from
the guttural to the hysterical. Their songs go for less than a
minute so you get more than a handful of them. Carcass go the opposite way. Already
incorporating guitar solos and writing songs that go over the 2
and 3 minute mark. Parts of their tunes have more control too,
but more often than not, Walker and friends just went for total
nastiness and lyrical grossness. And damn me, if they didn’t obtain it.
Godflesh were
kings then and are kings now. They were also pioneers. These
industrial gods sound massive here which is not unlike their
released recordings, however this numch has more of a live feel.
Classics from the Streetcleaner era get aired here so bow down
and show appreciation for the masters. The last few years have
seen a new wave of reverence for Bolt Thrower so the Grind
Madness release is timely as all the war themed metal records.
Straddling that line between grinders and extreme metal, these
Coventry natives gained quite a following with the battle-ready
awesomeness Realm of Chaos and the songs here included show you
why. These are the sounds of battle. Extreme Noise Terror’s
crusty grind seemed to have two rabid dogs at the mike and a
speed freak at the guitar and in my book, that’s cool as fuck.
Unseen Terror on the other hand were formed by Napalm Death’s Shane Embury
and even though their sound has dated more than that of the rest
included, it is nice to have them around one more time.
Less known but
not for that worse or less are Heresy who hailed from Nottingham and
whose vocalist Reevsy vocalizes like only a mute man can. Their
hardcore punk sounds lighter than the fart fuzz of the previous
bands, but the sense of chaos is just as scorching. Intense
Degree may be the least known band. They hailed from Mansfield
and have more of a straight up super fast hardcore sound. Their
politically charged music may have gotten lost with the speed
but the vocals were natural, like an apple.
All in all,
it is strange to hear such solid performances across the board.
The recordings themselves are crisp and powerful. Easily
rivaling and surpassing the quality of most records registered
at the time. A fucking must.
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