Backslider
To Live a Lie
2010
By now you've probably heard me mention Backslider a few times as an up and comer you need to watch closely, but I've belatedly realized I've never given them their proper due with a post of their own. Please allow me to rectify that egregious oversight.
This Philly duo staked their claim to incipient grindcore mastery right out the gate with their 2010 eponymous 7-inch. It's 13 songs of crustified, hardcore-inflected grind that puts them in good stead with contemporaries Amputee and Cellgraft at the crest of the recent wave of no bullshit, no frills, head down grind. It's like Insect Warfare's all too brief run was a system shock to young grindcore bands who picked up the torch and started blasting away at their own breed of devastating material. Where some of their peers owe deep and obvious debts to the glory of the Assuck back catalog, Backslider bring in just enough of a hardcore vibe--especially the barking vocals and micro-breakdowns that litter their songs--to give them a unique voice in their particular microgenre. When Backslider do cool things out, like on "Encroachment," the stillness is like that ominous moment when that normally chill dude you know who never really bothers anyone finally stirs himself and delivers a richly deserved ass-beating.
But there's really no point in getting too wrapped up in taxonomy and critical analysis because it's best to kick back and let Backslider's confrontational aggression get up in your face. I dare you to talk back.
2 comments:
love this ep, you nailed it spot on about the in your faceness of it. They're a lot of fun live too.
They're playing a show with Iron Lung in the town I'm live in next month. Very stoked. Also hope they come out with a new record soon. Maladapted was a good holdover, but I want another full-length release.
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