II by Magrudergrind

Power-violence/grindcore outfit Magrudergrind rose to prominence back in 2009 with the release of their self-titled second full-length album. It was a project that brought fans and critics alike together with immense praise and respect for the groups ability to combine brutally crafted grindcore and power-violence with the use of vocal sound clips and many different stylistic influences. They have continuously managed to impress with their ferocity and hardcore aesthetics while also improving between each release since their inception back in 2002.

Following the release of their 2010 EP Crusher, the band dropped off the radar, and despite a couple of public appearances and reissues of former material, have left fans disappointed with their lack of output. The politically charged trio are back this year however, and with Converge's Kurt Ballou handling the engineering duties once again, Magrudergrind are looking to pick up where they left off and wreak havoc on any and all potential listeners.

What hasn't been done already within extreme music? There isn't much an act can do to be any louder or more chaotic than the music that came before it. In the case of Magrudergrind, they instead look to incorporate moments, like one found on the second track Divine Dictation, where the guitar playing slows down to a chugging pace momentarily, serving as a hardcore punk influenced break from the ferocity, something that reoccurs throughout the LP. With that being said, it's primarily earth shaking blast-beats, punk oriented guitar riffs, and blood curdling vocals that provide the barbaric nature of the music on II.

The biggest change from the band's last full-length to this one, is the disappearance of the sound clips, which were one of the defining factors on their previous releases for me personally. They take advantage of the extra time allotted from the decision to leave out any vocal samples by instead delivering 24 minutes of unrelenting force. It's that same bloodthirsty savagery that has garnered so many comparisons to British grindcore originators Napalm Death. While the band has been around for 30+ years and continues to put out fantastic material (see their Apex Predator - Easy Meat album released last year for any needed proof) they are getting older, and it appears that Magrudergrind may just be the right act to inherit the title of the biggest grindcore act.

The music that the American extreme outfit is crafting isn't necessarily for everyone, but it definitely serves it's purpose. For anyone who enjoys the kind of music that is guaranteed to make your ears bleed and turn you into a weeping mess of a human, this LP is a goldmine.

Rating: 4/5

Check out the track Sacrificial Hire from the new album below:

You can download the album at Magrudergrind's bandcamp page here.

Le Dernier Crépuscule by Chthe'ilist

Profound Lore Records became one of the most exciting labels for loud, ugly, and noisy music last year thanks to two fantastic releases from solo black metal project Leviathan and noise/experimental act Prurient. This year however, it's the long awaited full-length debut from French-Canadian technical death metal outfit Chthe'ilist that has people talking. The lyric sheets from the new album reads like a choose your own adventure novel, detailing dark fantasized stories in ways that only a death metal outfit can. Of course the vocals are not the focus of the sound they're creating though,  as their sheer brutality and lyrical creativity serve only as the cherry on this atrocious cake of an album.

From the moment that the church bells and loud footsteps of the opening title track give way to the band's booming drums and dark, operatic atmosphere, the Canadian three-piece look to grab the listener's attention. Whether it be through the animosity and chaotic nature of their sound, or by their impressive musicianship, they certainly succeed to that degree. They merge the seven track LP into a exhibition of their proficiency, not simply showing off as many technical metal acts tend to do, but also using intriguing song writing and composition to help showcase their capabilities. While at times the mid-song transitions do feel forced and sloppy, the trio often finds themselves able to prove the necessity only a few short moments later when they have already moved onto bigger, badder, and angrier things.

The band also experiment and take their fair share of risks throughout their debut, moments like the industrial inspired outro to the second track Into the Vaults of Ingurgitating Obscurity, one of the few if not the only weak track on the album, still manages to provoke the image of a snarling demonic animals, maybe even a being of another planet with the bizarre noises that appear while the song is approaching it's conclusion. With that being said, it's that same uncertainty of what you're going to hear and the unknowing of what is going to come next that keeps you on the edge of your seat in anticipation upon listening. The funky bass line found in tracks like The Voices from Beneath the Well and Vecoiitn'aphnaat'smaala is confirmation that the group's ability to incorporate bold stylistic choices help them separate themselves from other flashy, technical death metal outfits. The thirteen minute closing epic that finishes the project proves to be the ultimate climax, as the band drags you through one more dark forest on one more gothic adventure, and with a name like Tales of the Majora Mythos Part 1, it would appear as if it were also an ode to the iconic Zelda game Majora's Mask.

Chthe'ilist's first full-length release offers enough diversity to feel fresh throughout the full fifty plus minutes that it occupies, while also feeling familiar enough to lose yourself in the fantasied atmosphere found throughout. The album has been quite a few years in the making, and fortunately, it proves itself worth the wait. 

Favorite Tracks: Scriptures from the Typhlodians, The Voices from Beneath the Well, Tales of the Majora Mythos Part 1

Least Favorite Tracks: Into the Vaults of Ingurgitating Obscurity

Ratings: 4/5

Listen to Chthe'ilist's The Voices from Beneath the Well below:

You can download the album on the Profound Lore bandcamp page here.