Grindcore Bracketology: Quarterfinals 1 Winners

That grindcore trophy is almost in sight and you’ve eliminated another four contenders from competition. Here’s who you thought should move on to the semifinal round to fight it out for the title of top dog in their respective region. As always, take a gander at the revised brackets here.

North America
If you cross Pig Destroyer with Brutal Truth you’d have Brutal Destroyer and that’s what happened to the New York institution: they got brutally destroyed by the porcine ones. Though it was the closest matchup of the round, you deemed BT’s brightest days were behind them while PxDx has smooth sailing ahead by a vote of 11-9.

Asia and Australia
This one wasn’t even close. Every so often I have to stop and ask myself if Wormrot is really as good as I kept telling people they are. Was I just overhyping them? Nope. Aussies The Kill couldn’t stand against Singaporean perfection as they cruised to a 14-4 clobbering.

Scandinavia
Ditto Finnish institution Rotten Sound who clobbered forward thinking Swedes Gadget by 15-4 in the most lopsided blowout of the lot. Even though many of you grumbled the band seems to have peaked at Murderworks eight years ago, their last couple of albums were still strong enough to keep William Blackmon and crew at bay.

Continental Europe and the United Kingdom
There are plenty of people who have written off post-Dorian Napalm Death, but apparently the Brummie bangers still hold enough of a reign on your affections to power them past German goofs Attack of the Mad Axeman by 14-6. Though they may have strayed from their straight grind roots and questionable death metal excursions, the four man band’s last few platters of crusty power seem to have hit the sweet spot.

G&P Review: Quarter the Villain

Quarter the Villain
Regicide
Self Released
Tech death mongers Quarter the Villain pound hard out of the gate with “Frontier Justice,” slamming face first into a scream and horse gallop riff that slams together Gorod and Luddite Clone in a supercollider, unleashing intergalactic cannibal beetles to burrow subcutaneously.
Those bugs get a work out because Quarter the Villain have notes to burn. Like a lot of tech bands, they firmly believe one good note deserves another 25. The guitars seethe and tweedle in a way that seems all random at first but must be carefully constructed to be that chaotic. Belying its titular mammal, “Choking a Sloth” throws up a sparkling fountain of notes that burble and sing over mournfully bent counter points. Proving their fearlessness in the face of traditional musical boundaries, Quarter the Villain cross pollinate “Sock Puppet Vendetta” with a stately waltz propelled by strident horns and tinkling keys.
Like a lot of tech obsessed bands, Quarter the Villain are brimming with ideas, but actual songs sometimes get lost amid the noodling, particularly for someone like me whose tastes run to simpler pleasures. I think Quarter the Villain is one of those bands I respect more than I enjoy, but tech-heads may find something interesting to latch on to here.

[Full disclosure: QtV sent me a download. Meant to make that clear earlier.]

Grindcore Bracketology: Quarterfinals 2

Here’s the second half of the quarterfinals. You’ll have until Tuesday to make your case in the comments.

North America
GridLink (2) v. Kill the Client (3)
A battle of aesthetics. GridLink are sleek, emotional and oddly positive for the normally grumpy world of grind. They’re like magically finding one of Japan’s legendary vending machines outside of your local 7-Eleven. Kill the Client just want you to die. Preferably exploded into little pieces. Subtle is one thing they’re not with their violent brew of blast beats and punk riffs.

Asia and Australia
324 (2) v. Magnicide (3)
Like Obi Wan and Darth Vader, this is a meeting of master and student. Has the circle been completed? Are Magnicide now the masters while 324 has laid idle due to lineup instability? Who wears the Asia crust grind crown at the moment?

Scandinavia
Sayyadina (2) v. Afgrund (3)
There’s no need to rehash old territory. We’ve had this argument before. I think Sayyadina represent the best of post-Nasum Swedish grind. Many of you offered up Afgrund instead. Now it’s time to make your case in the comments. May the better band win.

Continental Europe and the United Kingdom
Blood I Bleed (2) v. Nashgul (5)
Two of Europe’s most promising bands offer a fairly stark contrast. Holland’s Blood I Bleed embody the finest aspects of modern grind songwriting. Everything’s spiky and frenetic, strangled by deliberately placed static. Spain’s Nashgul, on the other hand, think grind peaked with Horrified and are content to keep it traditional. So do you prefer Coke Classic or New Coke. Wait, bad analogy.

G&P Review: Burning Ghats

Burning Ghats
Fool’s Gold
Self Released
The burning ghats of Varanasi are sacred sites for Indian Hindus. The crematory steps along the holy banks of the Ganges are the final farewell for your immolated loved ones.
The Burning Ghats of Vancouver is a quartet coming correct with a four song EP of be-Siege-d hardcore and chug-a-lug eddies colliding with desperate yelps that fall just short of articulate.
With longer songs than many of their peers, often in the three minute range, Burning Ghats take the time to completely develop their ideas musically while being mindful of not overstaying their welcome. With songs like “Ceremoniously Fuck You,” the band shows its often most comfortable working a mid-gear crush while “Speaking+’s” rangey reach lopes from hardcore rush through stomps and drones. If Chile had deployed “Missing Person’s” subterranean burrow sooner, they probably could have pulled those trapped miners back up to the sunlight a few weeks earlier.
It's here for your “pay what you want” consideration courtesy of Bandcamp, which means you have no excuse for not giving it a listen and, if the mood strikes you, throwing a couple of bucks at a promising young band.

Grindcore Bracketology: Quarterfinals 1

Some of you may have jumped the gun on voting, but that just shows you’re eager to get with it, which is a good thing. I happen to know that one of the more prominent musicians featured here happens to be lurking and enjoying the conversations (include your guess as to who in the comments for bonus awesome points), so bring your A game as things start getting serious. Here’s your next round of matchups. Have at it. You’ve got until Saturday.

North America
Pig Destroyer (1) v. Brutal Truth (4)
From a pure songwriting perspective, these two bands pretty much embody the pinnacle of contemporary grind songsmithery. But who does it better? Do you give the nod to Pig Destroyer’s acid art nightmares or Brutal Truth’s resurrection of one of the strongest legacies in grind (keeping in mind we’re only talking the current incarnation here).

Asia and Australia
Wormrot (1) v. The Kill (5)
Two explosive, violent bands with their sound set to (*ahem*) kill that both exploded out of the East. I had to build a special brace to hold up my jaw last year after Wormrot dropped it to the floor. Can The Kill’s likewise likeminded assault stave off Singapore’s finest?

Scandinavia
Rotten Sound (1) v. Gadget (4)
I have no clue who will win this matchup, but I do know the winner will be a master blaster. Both Rotten Sound and Gadget have a need for speed (though Gadget are also that exceptional grind band that can also master down tempo dirges). I’m pretty sure William Blackmun is at least partially robot. And Rotten Sound seem to be genetically engineering inhuman drummers on a secret farm somewhere in Lapland.

Continental Europe and the United Kingdom
Napalm Death (1) v. Attack of the Mad Axeman (6)
Napalm Death’s post-Earache era has been a revelation and reinvigoration of the band’s sound and legacy, reaching backwards to embrace many of the aspects that made the earlier incarnations legendary progenitors of grind while keeping them forward looking and modern. Will that revitalization stand up against a bunch of Germans in fuzzy animal costumes who grind like motherfuckers?

Demo-lition Derby: Super Mutant

Super Mutant
Demo
Grab your Gatling laser and mow down some deathclaws and mirelurks, there’s a Super Mutant in the vicinity. Unfortunately for them, right now their hardcore noise is rather Average Mutant. The songs are a blur of yelps and mediocre drumming, overwhelming the guitar and bass and making their songs faceless. It’s hard to tell how good the tunes might be when you can’t really hear the riffs.
But on the positive side, Super Mutant show flashes of knowing what they’re about. “Gallows” busts out an unexpected ’70s style arena rock solo and “Your America” nicks from Hendrix’s version of “The Star Spangled Banner.” Super Mutant also nail that creepy, reverbed vibe that eeried up the Bad Brains on a cover of “Banned in D.C.”But the death grunts are at odds with the overall punk vibe of the tune.
Super Mutant have that punk enthusiasm in spades; now they just need to set that to tape (or bytes) in a way that’s audible rather than muddled. This is one that could use another run through the studio and a few more hours being honed in the rehearsal space. Decide for yourself here.

Grindcore Bracketolgy: The 4-5 Winners, Quarterfinals Preview

*Just a quick clarification: voting is not yet open on the next matchups. This was just a quick update to let you know where things stand now that round 1 is over. Sorry if I didn't make that clear. Voting kicks off for realz next week. Don't worry. I'll make sure you know when to go.*

Mark it down. Round one is in the books and here’s what you had to say about the 4-5 faceoffs. I don’t envy you guys having to pick between some of these.

North America
Total Fucking Destruction? More like totally fucking blown out. In a Hoak on Hoak matchup, Brutal Truth’s legacy and evolutionary revolution powered them to decimating 12-1 whuppin’.

Asia and Australia
With plenty of abstentions, The Kill strangulated Agents of Abhorrence to claim the Land of Oz crown by 5-3.

Scandinavia
With Crowpath’s status as tr00 grind called into question, Gadget ground the competition under foot. Their sleek take on the traditional Scandinavian sound claimed a 10-3 triumph.

Continental Europe and the United Kingdom
I don’t envy you having to vote on this one at all. Of all the matchups, this is the one I would have had the hardest time calling. In a narrow decision, conquistadors Nashgul lorded it over countrymen Looking for an Answer 7-5.

So after reseeding the survivors, here’s how the next bout of matchups will stack up. Thanks to your thoughtful participation, we’re looking forward to some real headscratchers. As always, you can view the brackets here.

North America
Pig Destroyer (1) v. Brutal Truth (4)
GridLink(2) v. Kill the Client (3)

Asia and Australia
Wormrot (1) v. The Kill (5)
324 (2) v. Magnicide (3)

Scandinavia
Rotten Sound (1) v. Gadget (4)
Sayyadina (2) v. Afgrund (3)

Continental Europe and the United Kingdom
Napalm Death (1) v. Attack of the Mad Axeman (6)
Blood I Bleed (2) v. Nashgul (5)