Grindcore Bracketology: Round Four

Ok. Now I know you guys are just fucking with me. Are you guys getting together somewhere and conspiring to deadlock your votes? I blog my fingers to the bones for you ingrates and this is how you thank me? Are you trying to make me prematurely gray(er)? Three weeks in a row with a tie. Same category too. Once again, I must employ the wisdom of Solomon. Or flip a coin. Whatever.
Here's how it all went down in round three.

THE GEEZERS

More Metal
Unlucky number 13 a piece for both Repulsion and Terrorizer. Clearly you people couldn't make up your mind and I'm torn on this one too. I probably enjoy Terrorizer more, but cmon, none of us would be here without Horrified. So Repulsion wins by one rotting maggot in a coffin.

More Punk
Scum is probably the first grind record worthy of the term grindcore, but that apparently only takes it so far in your affection. Assuck's Anticapital snuck past Napalm Death by 14-12.

THE UPSTARTS

More Arty
This is the one I thought would probably be the toughest call but despite a vocal contingent singing the praises of Prowler in the Yard, The Inalienable Fucking Dreamless cruised to a comfortable 16-11 victory.

More Farty
No contest here. Insect Warfare's World Extermination crushed poor 324 by a commanding 23-3.

So we are at the penultimate week of voting and it's time to decide the greatest of the Geezers and the freshest of the Upstarts. As always, voting is open until Sunday here or at the Facebook page. May the best band win.

THE GEEZERS
Repulsion-Horrified v. Assuck-Anticapital

THE UPSTARTS
Discordance Axis-The Inalienable Dreamless v. Insect Warfare-World Extermination

Grindcore Bracketology 3: Round Three

Not content with a deadlocked ending last week, you had to go and do it again. Good job, guys. This is why we can't have nice things. So for the second week in a row I was forced to employ my dictatorial powers to call the victor. Who did I just condemn to perdition? Read on.

THE GEEZERS

More Metal
Once again the more metal category gave you fits with Terrorizer's World Downfall and Brutal Truth's Need to Control knotted up at 10 a side. So by the power vested in me by the state of insanity, I'm advancing Terrorizer to the next round. Plus, I'm afraid Gamefaced would beat me up if they lost.

More Punk
Assuck (anti)capitalized on their opportunity to bump Brutal Truth out of the running, squeaking past Extreme Conditions Demand Extreme Responses by 11-9.

THE UPSTARTS

More Arty
Dephosphorus put out a beast of a record with Night Sky Transform, but who are we kidding? It's up against Prowler in the Yard. Pig Destroyer took a decisive 18-2 win.

More Farty
In the battle of Asia experience triumphed over youthful energy as 324 snuck past Wormrot by 11-9.

So that brings us to the end of the initial rounds and the updated brackets are available for your viewing pleasure here. Now it's time to get serious. It's time to decide who's the most metal, who's the artiest, who's the fartiest. Who will triumph in each category? As always, you have until Sunday and you can vote here or at the Facebook page.

THE GEEZERS
 
The Most Metal
1. Repulsion-Horrified v. 3. Terrorizer-World Downfall

The Punkiest
1. Napalm Death-Scum v. 5. Assuck-Anticapital

THE UPSTARTS

The Artiest
1. Discordance Axis-The Inalienable Dreamless v. 2. Pig Destroyer-Prowler in the Yard

The Fartiest
1. Insect Warfare-World Extermination v. 5. 324-Boutoku no Taiyo

Grindcore Bracketology 3: Round Two Part Two

Well this is a fine predicament you people left me in to start off round two. A tie. Who's all knotted up and how have I resolved it? Read on.

THE GEEZERS

More Metal
You guys split dead even at 12 apiece for Repulsion's Horrified and Assuck's Misery Index. So I will employ my dictatorial powers to call this one. As your benevolent(ish) dictator, I hand the victory to Horrified. Not only is it widely viewed as the first true grind record, but my decision was all the easier knowing that Assuck still live to fight another day with Anticapital still in contention.

More Punk
Though the early voting suggested we'd get a pretty stunning upset, Napalm Death and Scum gutted it out with a late surge to roar past Disrupt's Unrest by 17-6.

THE UPSTARTS

More Arty
No matter who loses, Jon Chang wins this one. You guys decided The Inalienable Dreamless is a better record than Amber Gray by a pretty comfortable 19-4 margin.

More Farty
Another no brainer, Insect Warfare's World Extermination declared war with Kill the Client's grindcore, squashing Cleptocracy by 20-3.

So that's the first half of round two. Before we move on, you can peruse the standings here. So let's get to the second half. As always, vote here or at the Facebook page. Once again, you've got until Sunday to make your thoughts know.

THE GEEZERS

More Metal
3. Terrorizer-World Downfall v. 4. Brutal Truth-Need to Control


More Punk
2. Brutal Truth-Extreme Conditions Demand Extreme Responses v. 5. Assuck-Anticapital


THE UPSTARTS

More Arty
2. Pig Destroyer-Prowler in the Yard v. 4. Dephosphorus-Night Sky Transform

More Farty
2. Wormrot-Abuse v. 5. 324-Boutoku no Taiyo

Grindcore Bracketology 3: The Start of Round Two

Ok, we started with 32 classic albums from all of grindcore's eras and now we're down to the Sweet Sixteen. Round One is over and the bands have been reseeded. The matchups only get uglier from this point on. You guys did a great job because there's some absolutely fascinating pairings coming your way in the very near future. Who's going to rise to the top of the fray?

Meanwhile, here's how round one came crashing to an end.

THE GEEZERS

More Metal
Brutal Truth left Carcass to Reek of Putrefaction because the New York grind freaks Need to Control everything around them, rising by a vote of 11-7.

More Punk
This one surprised the hell out of me. I had Siege picked as a contender to win it all but they dropped dead in the face of Assuck's anticapitalist sentiments, 11-8.

THE UPSTARTS

More Arty
Night Sky Transform is barely a year old, but Dephosphorus upset one of my favorite grind albums ever, Agoraphobic Nosebleed's transformative Altered States of America, by 10-8.

More Farty
Japan's crustcore deities 324 pulled it out in squeaker. Boutoku no Taiyo edged past Suffering Mind's eponymous effort by 9-8.

So with all of that in the bag, the matchups and been reseeded and here's how Round Two is going to play out. Check it all out here.

THE GEEZERS

More Metal
1. Repulsion-Horrified v. 7. Assuck-Misery Index
3. Terrorizer-World Downfall v. 4. Brutal Truth-Need to Control

More Punk
1. Napalm Death-Scum v. 6. Disrupt-Unrest
2. Brutal Truth-Extreme Conditions Demand Extreme Responses v. 5. Assuck-Anticapital


THE UPSTARTS

More Arty
1. Discordance Axis-The Inalienable Dreamless v. 6. GridLink-Amber Gray (That's right you picked between Matsubara projects only to get stuck with Chang on Chang)
2. Pig Destroyer-Prowler in the Yard v. 4. Dephosphorus-Night Sky Transform

More Farty
1. Insect Warfare-World Extermination v. 6. Kill the Client-Cleptocracy
2. Wormrot-Abuse v. 324-Boutoku no Taiyo


So all of that is prologue to this week's matchups. Once again, you have until Sunday. Vote here or at the Facebook page. Have at it.

THE GEEZERS

More Metal
1. Repulsion-Horrified v. 7. Assuck-Misery Index

More Punk
1. Napalm Death-Scum v. 6. Disrupt-Unrest

THE UPSTARTS

More Arty
1. Discordance Axis-The Inalienable Dreamless v. 6. GridLink-Amber Gray

More Farty
1. Insect Warfare-World Extermination v. 6. Kill the Client-Cleptocracy

Grindcore Bracketology 3: The 4-5 Matchups

Despite Jon Chang's laughably desperate attempt to stuff the ballot box by voting twice, some of his favorite records just got torched. I call that justice. Everyone savor the tears of his failure. Which sons of bitches met their mortality? Read on.

THE GEEZERS

More Metal
S.O.B.'s Gate of Doom met its World Downfall at the hands of Terrorizer, falling by 16-2 (and I only counted one of Jon's votes).

More Punk
Disrupt disrupted S.O.B.'s second entry in the contest when Unrest stomped all over Don't Be Swindle by 13-5.


THE UPSTARTS

More Arty
No matter who goes down, Takafumi Matsubara won this round, and you guys decided GridLink's Amber Gray was superior to Mortalized's Absolute Mortality 2 by 14-4.

More Farty
Kill the Client's Cleptocracy stole the show, outlasting Agoraphobic Nosebleed's PCP Torpedo by 9-6.

As always, the updated brackets are available for your perusal here.
So that brings us to the last batch for the first round. Here are the 4-5 matchups. As always, you have until Sunday to vote either here or at the Facebook page, whichever suits you. Just a friendly reminder, you only get to vote once (*cough*Chang*cough).

THE GEEZERS

More Metal
4. Brutal Truth-Need to Control v. 5. Carcass-Reek of Putrefaction

More Punk
4. Siege-Drop Dead v. 5. Assuck-Anticapital


THE UPSTARTS

More Arty
4. Dephosphorus-Night Sky Transform v. 5. Agoraphobic Nosebleed-Altered States of America

More Farty
4. Suffering Mind-Suffering Mind v. 5. 324-Boutoku no Taiyo

Grindcore Bracketology 3: The 2-7 Matchups

Round one is in the books, folks. I don't think there were any surprises with this one, but here's who will be hitting the showers early.

I don't  think any serious grind fan will discount just how awesome and quietly underrated Enemy Soil's Casualties of Progress is, but Horrified is a grindcore cornerstone. Repulsion trounced them 20-4.

In a matchup of early punky grind, Napalm Death's Scum ran all over Extreme Noise Terror's A Holocaust in Your Head by 19-5.

We all appreciate what Matt Widener did with Liberteer, but cmon, Discordance Axis' The Inalienable Dreamless is The Inalienable Fucking Dreamless. (I'm kinda a fan of this record). This one wasn't even close at 22-3.

Finally, I was curious how this one would go down since I juiced the rankings to force proteges Cellgraft to square off against masters Insect Warfare. I thought this might be the best chance for a spoiler, but I underestimated your love of World Extermination, which stomped all over External Habitation by 22-2.

So that was round one. You can keep tabs on how the brackets are shaking out here. Meanwhile, here are your 2-7 matchups. Once again, you have until Sunday. You can vote here or at the Facebook page. Have at it.

THE GEEZERS

More Metal
2. Napalm Death-From Enslavement to Obliteration v. 7. Assuck-Misery Index

More Punk
2. Brutal Truth-Extreme Conditions Demand Extreme Responses v. 7. Unseen Terror-Human Error


THE UPSTARTS

More Arty
2. Pig Destroyer-Prowler in the Yard v. 7. Nasum-Helvete

More Farty
2. Womrot-Abuse v. 7. Sakatat-Bir Devrin Sonu

First!

Your mom or your local shampoo purveyor probably told you at some point during your impressionable youth that you never get a second chance to make a first impression. While your mom probably meant you shouldn't scratch your balls and spit on the floor during your job interview, it's also applicable to our own little grindcore realm.
As I become older and more crotchety (you damn kids stay off my blog's lawn!), I'm starting to lose patience with albums that take for-fuckin'-ever to really get ramped up. It seems like two out of three records these days start off with an overly long movie sample, a squall of feedback or a slow motion riff that explodes into blastbeats after a few seconds. There's nothing wrong with that per se, but unless you've dreamed up something as cool as Pig Destroyer's "Jennifer," it's probably best to just get straight to the blasting. That's why we're all here.
While I've tackled the ongoing blight of grind bands ending albums on slow songs, I want to be more positive with a tribute to those who know how to put their foot in the door straight away.

Grindcore Bracketology 2: Goalllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll!

You have no idea how much this picture pains me.

I'm going to go ahead and give you a hint. The winner's initials are S.H. Not much help, I know.
But before we get to the grand unveiling and crown the prom king and queen of Grindcore High's class of 2012, we need to look back at how we got here.
We started with 32 guitarists, selected by me (modified by many of you who were not slow to correct my oversights). Here's who's been left on the wayside already, as voted by you.

28. (tie) Pindgum (Total Fucking Destruction)
28. (tie) G. Toshimi (S.O.B.)
28. (tie) Chris Richardson (Kill the Client)
28. (tie) Ryan Unks/Paul Nowoczynski (Creation is Crucifixion)
28. (tie) Mika Aalto (Rotten Sound)
26. (tie) Ryan Page (Body Hammer/Robocop)
26. (tie) Mitch Dickenson (Heresy/Unseen Terror)
23. (tie) Marissa Martinez (Cretin)
23. (tie) Shinji (324)
23. (tie) Kurt Habelt (Siege)
19. (tie) Kapo (Swarrrm)
19. (tie) Mitch Harris (Napalm Death/Righteous Pigs/Defecation)
19. (tie) Mieszko Talarczyk (Nasum)
19. (tie) Sebastian Rokicki (Antigama)
17. (tie) Rob Marton (Discordance Axis)
17. (tie) Eduardo Borja (Maruta)
16. Chris Arp (Psyopus)
15. Richard Johnson (Enemy Soil/Drugs of Faith)
14. Steve Burda/Shane McLachlan (Phobia)
13. Rasyid (Wormrot)
11. (tie) Dorian Rainwater (Noisear/Kill the Client)
11. (tie) Matt Olivo/Aaron Freeman (Repulsion
9. (tie) Steve Procopio/Jim Baglino (Human Remains)
9. (tie) Bill Steer (Carcass/Napalm Death)
8. Papirmollen (Parlamentarisk Sodomi/PSUDOKU)
7. Erik Burke (Lethargy/Brutal Truth/Sulaco)
6. Beau Beasley (Insect Warfare)
5. Jesse Pintado (Terrorizer/Napalm Death/Resistant Culture)
3. (tie) Brent "Gurn" McCarty (Brutal Truth)
3. (tie)Takafumi Matsubara (Mortalized/GridLink/Haiyano Daisuki)

So that's how the last three months have shaken out, as decided by you, my not-so-loyal minions. (Rob Marton is 17? Really? Mieszko Talarczyk is only 19? C'mon people! Don't make me come down there.) But I have resolved to forgive your apostasy. Thank you to everyone who has participated. You all are the ones who make all this possible. I hope you've enjoyed the process.
So you the voters have spoken and the greatest grind guitarist is...

Unholy Grave!

That's right. They overcame the fact that they weren't even included to win it all in a stunning come from behind victory.
Sorry. Couldn't resist pulling that one out. Again.

But seriously now. We're down to Steve Heritage of Assuck and Scott Hull of Agoraphobic Nosebleed, Pig Destroyer and Anal Cunt.


After carefully tallying your votes and tossing out some obvious trolling by the French judges, the best guitarist in grindcore is:

A TIE!

I shit you not. Though Scott Hull led through most of the voting, Steve Heritage mounted a last minute insurgency and managed to knot it all up at 12 votes a piece. So what should we do now? I have no clue. Would an extra week of voting settle this? Should I flip a coin? Rock, paper, scissors? Or all you all cool just to leave it as is? Personally, I like it. It speaks to the different impulses that drive grind and keep it vital, the past and the future knotted up together.
You make the call. Meanwhile, please enjoy the after party in the Jan Frederickx Memorial Cocktail Lounge.

Grindcore Bracketology 2: There Can Be Only One

One week from now we will award the Stanley Cup of grindcore: the oh-so-coveted G&P Grindy, famed in story and song. One man will be crowned the best guitarist to ever ride a blastbeat with whatever bragging rights come with winning a totally arbitrary popularity poll on the internet. I cannot overstate the honor involved.
But first we have to explain how we got here.

The Old Guard v. The Innovators
Brutal Truth's Gurn was a brilliant guitarist who left an indelible mark on grindcore's transitional phase from the first wave of innovators through what we all know and love today. But with all of that gussying up his C.V., Gurn was no match for multi-band modern phenom Scott Hull who powered to a convincing 10-5 win on the strength of his varied body of work.

The Punks v. The Technicians
While we all agree that Takafumi Matsubara is one of the most ridiculously talented musicians to ever pick up a guitar, the Japanese auteur's work did not stand up against Steve Heritage's punked out playing, which is about a subtle as a jab to the nads. The Assuck mainstay moves on by 11-5.

Which brings us to the end of the line: Two men enter. One man leaves. Thunderdome. Both Hull and Heritage, seeded number two in their respective brackets, have advanced to this final round. Only one can claim the title of king of the grindcore guitarists. You've got until Sunday to argue your case.

Scott Hull (Agoraphobic Nosebleed/Pig Destroyer/A.C.)

vs.

Steve Heritage (Assuck)

Grindcore Bracketology 2: The Fantastic Four

Things got worrisome there for a minute. We looked to be heading for another tie, but a last minute vote (seriously, eight minutes before midnight) broke the deadlock, forcing me to rewrite this whole post. But at least we can move on to Round 4. We started with 32, but only four guitarists are still standing. Here's how it broke down.

The Old Guard
The brutal truth? Pintado went down in a squeaker. A last minute vote broke the tie as Gurn ground it out 11-10.
Gurn is the best of The Old Guard.

The Innovators
Not even close. Hull trounced Papirmollen by 19-1.
Hull is the best of The Innovators.

The Punks
The forces of past vs. present were pretty evenly arrayed, but Heritage triumphed by 12-8.
Heritage is the best of The Punks.
The Technicians
Even the people who voted for Burke admitted it was a futile protest. Matsubara winds handily 15-5.
Matsubara is the best of The Technicians.

As we winnow the field further, Round 4 will be Old Guard vs. Innovators and Punks vs. Technicians. You can check out the updated brackets here. As always, the door slams shut on comments on Sunday. Let the best man win.

The Old Guard v. The Innovators
Gurn (Brutal Truth) v. Hull (ANb/Pig Destroyer/Anal Cunt)
Extreme grindcore demanded an extreme guitarist. The other altered the state of grindcore. Who has contributed more?

The Punks v. The Technicians
Heritage (Assuck) v. Matsubara (GridLink/Mortalized/Hayaino Daisuki)
Do you prefer your grind stripped down and bare to the bone or intricately layered with endless fractal depths to explore?

Grindcore Bracketology 2: Round 3

Round two creaks to a close, but this batch of matchups hardly seemed to phase you. This was one of the more lopsided lots of the whole shebang. Hopefully the choices get harder as we whittle away the chaff.

The Old Guard
The closest of the lot, but Gurn's extreme riffing demanded an extreme showdown as he snuck past Steer by 7-6.

The Innovators
You guys sent the Grindfather to the leaky, moldy retirement home with nary a look a back as you advanced Hull by a commanding 12-1 edge.

The Punks
You didn't look back in anger. You looked back in love, paying tribute to grindcore's past while telling grindcore's present to patiently bide its time. Heritage advances past Rasyid by 8-4.

The Technicians
No contest Burke ran the table with a perfect 11-0.


Shit is about to get serious now. Check out these brackets. These are the kinds of debates that ruin friendships and end marriages. This next round will determine who is king of each category. The clock stops on Sunday.

The Old Guard
3. Gurn (Brutal Truth) v. 4. Pintado (Terrorizer/Napalm Death/Resistant Culture)
Gurn and Pintado both picked up the thread from the first two Napalm Death records and pushed the grindcore formula forward to keep it from going stale at birth. Who gets to be king of them all?

The Innovators
2. Hull (ANb/Pig Destroyer/A.C.) v. 6. Papirmollen (Parlamentarisk Sodomi/PSUDOKU)
Two guys who relentlessly push themselves beyond grindcore convention with every project they undertake. Who does it better?

The Punks
2. Heritage (Assuck) v. 6. Beau (Insect Warfare)
This is a fascinating matchup. You'd arguably probably not have an Insect Warfare without an Assuck. But who best embodies that punk spirit that animates grind?

The Technicians
1. Matsubara (Mortalized/GridLink/Hayaino Daisuki) v. 3. Burke (Lethargy/Sulaco/Brutal Truth)
Two consummate musicians who never let technique get in the way of writing a good song. Which fretboard magician will rise above them all?

Grindcore Bracketology 2: Round 2 Week 2

Round two kicked off with the rise of the underdogs...to a certain extent. Here's who you say will be moving on.

The Old Guard
Repulsion have been riding one damn good album for decades now, and apparently that isn't enough to compete with Jesse Pintado's plethora of outfits over the years. The J-man squeaked out the grave robbers by 9-5.

The Innovators
Human Remains were grindcore prophets of the new flesh, but we live in a transhuman era and Papirmollen is the acolyte of extraterrestrial grind. The Norwegian prodigy advances by a vote of 8-6.

The Punks
Phobia are a grindcore institution who seem to be on the upswing after a pretty fallow middle frame, but they still got scorched by Insect Warfare's Beau by 12-2.

The Technicians
And here's where the underdogs' momentum came slamming to a halt. Rob Marton's untimely demise at the hands of Rainwater is avenged as the Noisear noodler got served by the tentacle rape tuneage of Mastsubara by a commanding 9-5.

The brackets have been updated and the visually minded them can peruse them here. Meanwhile, it's time to get down to the second half of Round Two. Arguments close on Sunday.

The Old Guard
2. Steer (Carcass/Napalm Death) v. 3. Gurn (Brutal Truth)
Can Steer drive Gurn from enslavement to obliteration or is he about to face a brutal truth?

The Innovators
2. Hull (ANb/Pig Destroyer/Anal Cunt) v. 4. Johnson (Enemy Soil/Drugs of Faith)
Two drum machine innovators who have plenty of other tricks in their tool boxes. Only one gets to move forward.

The Punks
2. Heritage (Assuck) v. 5. Rasyid (Wormrot)
I don't envy you here. Assuck represent the best of grind's past, but Wormrot are the future. Who's more important?

The Technicians
3. Burke (Lethargy/Sulaco/Brutal Truth) v. 5. Arp. (Psyopus)
Arp may be the most technically adroit of all these fretboard wizards, but does his work stand up against one of the great grind innovators in Burke?

The Dirty (Baker’s) Dozen: Look Back in Anger

When I started this blog six or so months ago, I assumed a real quick countdown list would help me pad out the posts for the five of six weeks, giving me a ready stock of copy to pull from when I couldn’t write something fresh. Here we are half a year later and it’s finally come to an end after I revised, revisited and rethought the countdown I had hastily assembled in advance. Essentially, I thought this list would help me explain to people (if anyone gives a rosy red rat’s posterior) where I was coming from musically, give you some insight into why I’m likely to praise some albums and pan others. But what I didn’t expect was how much I would learn from this process. (I’m about to get selfish and introspective, so deal with it or just skip ahead.) I’ve spent half of my life obsessively following the purveyors of blast beats, greedily hunting down any album with a completely sick song-to-length ratio to add to my collection, and the reflection this last has forced me to over the last few months has not only reaffirmed my love of grind, but forced me to really listen to some of my favorite albums with fresh ears. Try to think back to the first time you threw on your first Napalm Death album (1992—Utopia Banished on the b-side of a friend’s bootleg copy of Suicidal Tendencies’ debut). Or getting your grindcore cherry handed to you courtesy of the medicinal madmen in Carcass. Now that I’m in my 30s, going back and listening to these albums has allowed me to recapture that youthful sense of rage and abandon that made them so vital and so fresh originally. Hopefully you feel the same. If you’re still reading. If you care.
So first, a quick recap:

13. Anal Cunt
Morbid Florist
Relapse
1992
Grind’s clown princes.




12. Assuck
Misery Index
Sound Pollution
1996
Crucial, punk as fuck metal. [OK, in retrospect Anticapital probably deserves this spot. Fuck it. Buy both. They’re equally awesome.]



11. Agoraphobic Nosebleed
Altered States of America
Relapse
2002
Technogrind misanthropes, tune in, turn up (the bpms) and drop kick your ass.



10. S.O.B.
Gate of Doom
Toy’s Factory
1993
Grindcore ninja commando team from the land of the rising sun.




9. Siege
Drop Dead
self released
1984
A classic Boston beatdown that laid the cornerstone for the genre.




8. Pig Destroyer
Prowler in the Yard
Relapse
2001
House band to the stalker convention.




7. Terrorizer
World Downfall
Earache
1989
Toca rapido o muerte.




6. Brutal Truth
Sounds of the Animal Kingdom
Relapse
1997
A graduate degree in grind but plenty of time to smoke up with friends.



5. Nasum
Helvete
Relapse
2003
Hellaciously tight Swedish grind saviors and one of metal’s most revered martyrs.



4. Repulsion
Horrified
Necrosis
1989
Soundtrack to the greatest zombie flick Romero never made.



3. Carcass
Reek of Putrefaction
Earache
1988
These medical malpractitioners are more cloned than Dolly the sheep.




2. Napalm Death

Scum
Earache
1987
And the machine they built still rolls on 20 years later.

The Dirty (Baker's) Dozen Number 12: Assück

Assück
Misery Index
Sound Pollution
1996

At a time when genre forerunners Napalm Death were cursed to crawl through a series of questionable stylistic shifts, these nimble Floridians dropped a doozy of a mini-album to keep the grind flag flying.
Anchored by sometimes Discordance Axian Rob Proctor’s no-nonsense blast beating, Assück hit and run with 15 tracks in 15 minutes, snarling their way through screeds about war, human rights and economic justice with lyrics that out-Napalmed Napalm.
The album’s eponymous index was created by economist and presidential adviser Arthur Okun as a measure of how unemployment and inflation were taking its toll on the American people. (The current misery index is 7.46 percent, well below the national high of 21.98 in June 1980.)
The misery index for 1996 when Assück stormed the studio was a fairly manageable 8.34, but that didn’t deter the band from raging against the “prostitution in everything wrought” (“Salt Mine”), “force fed notions of nation” (“Wartorn”) and “another generation of slaves and masters coughed up and reswallowed” (“A Monument to Failure”).
The little album that could’s reach is still being felt more than a decade later. The album’s title was swiped for another band’s name and these 15 tracks still resonate for anyone with a jones for no-frills grindcore and depressing economic indicators.