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.