Thursday, November 18, 2010

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.

32 comments:

Anonymous said...

Kill the Client. Gridlink is a weaker DA knock-off filled w/ dudes aping DA glory w/ diminished effect. Plus Gridlink blows dead dogs live.

324.

Sayyadina.


Nashgul.

gamefaced said...

gridlink
324
sayyadina
nashgul

i like magnicide. a lot. but if 324 doesn't win this matchup - i'm going to personally hunt each and every opposing commenter down and gnash faces off with my teeth.
just kidding.but seriously
the unhory grave upset was just too much guys. too much.

SunnyvaleTrash said...

NA - Kill The Client. As much as I like GridLink, KtC are just ferocious.

A&A - No Vote

Scandanavia - Afgrund's thicker sound just does it for me.

E&UK - No Vote

Bill Willingham IV, Esquire said...

America: Gridlink.

Have done some homework on KtC, and I go with GL. KtC are ferocious, yes, but also monotonous. GL excite me in a way that KtC does not.

I promise it has nothing to do with Morgan's love of Ron Paul. :)

A & A: Not familiar enough with 324 to call it. I love Magnicide's LP, but for all I know it's just rehashed 324.

Scandi: Sayyadina!

Both bands are rad, but Sayya have the edge. The crustiness in their sound keeps them from being pure Nasum-clones. The only thing keeping Afgrund out of that category are their occasional stoner-rock bits (which I actually enjoy). Both good bands, but I actually voted Arson Project over Afgrund, and I dig Sayya more than AP, so logic dictates...

Europe: Still don't know enough about BiB, so I'm abstaining.

orfee said...

Hey Ron Paul is from Texas and so is Kill The Client. As much as I love Texas, I'll go with GridLink because they're not elitist jocks and it's the closest thing to Mortalized.
Sorry, that was uncalled for, but no apologies.

324.

"predis"

DRJones said...

na - one album that brings me no pleasure against the band i believe is the at the apex of modern grind. ktc all the way.

a&a - i'd date 324... but i'd be thinking of magnicide.

scand - album and a comp vs two quality albums. no contest. afgrund by technical knock out.

ce/uk - this one is tough. both have a comp and an album to their name, and all merit repeated listens. i side with blood i bleed, if only because i have crossover roots, making me more inclined for high octane thrash.

Flesh Monolith said...

N.A. Gridlink
Kill the Client are boring, Gridlink kick dick. I really shouldn't have to say more, but I'll just point out that I've never heard 12 minutes like Amber Grey that's so dynamic, memorable, and gripping.

Asia. Swarrrm
I love 324, but don't know dick about Magnicide.

Scandinavia. Sayyadina
Tough one, but when they're both awesome, and different, what's making the case is Afgrund's cleanly polished production not being punk enough.

Cont. Europe/UK
Nashgul
I just love this band.

Anonymous said...

N.A: Gridlink
I agree with Flesh Monolith here that Kill the Client are boring.

Asia: 324, I tried to like Magnicide but it did not work, so far.

Scandinavia: Afgrund, I listened to Sayyadine a bit before but never went back, seeing them live did not help.

Cont. Europe/UK: Nashgul, I have not listened that much to Blood I Bleed but the name really sucks and that alone give this round to Nashgul.

/gk

Alex Layzell said...

North America - Kill the Client
I have to go on Kill the Client on this one, they have numerous fantastic releases, Gridlink have only the one.

Asia & Australia -324
324 still are the masters, but Magnicide are getting their.

Scandinavia -Afgrund
I think this I have made clear.

Continental Europe & U.K - Nashgul
Blood I bleed I have checked out recently, not much though and it fails to create a drive to want me to hear more, which Nashgul do.

geeheeb said...

North America - Kill the Client

they rip live and on record! the best think about gridlink is the drumming...hmmmm?

Asia and Australia - 324

324 rips, Magnicide is coming along too.

Scandinavia - Sayyadina

No fucking contest? Afgrund is weak live, and just like the other series of Gadget-wannabe bands. Also, Amalgamated: Sayyadina has two full lengths, two splits, three comps, a demo, and a compilation of oldies. Afgrund has two limp full lengths and a split.

Continental Europe and the United Kingdom - Blood I Bleed

Both great bands, but Blood I Blood is more my thing.

Unknown said...

Kill the Client IS vicious traditional grind. But they get old after a while. Close to 20 songs leaves too much room for filler on an album. Good band, but not good enough. Gridlink.
I'm really getting into Magnicide, the S/T rips super hard and I'm buying their splits as we speak. But 324 wins all. Maybe if they combine forces......
Sayya because Afgrund suffers the same problems as KtC. Monotony.
Nashgul, hands down. I want to hear the BiB LP but Nashgul anyway. Those guys have a promising grind career ahead.

Alex Layzell said...

@Shanetera
Magnicide have splits?! I have to check those out.

Anonymous said...

@orfee. why are ktc elitist jocks? haha. I know them and they will think this is funny. they have been supporting underground music for years and are really nice guys. I think grindcore would be the wrong music to be playing if you are elite and a jock.

anyhow here are my picks

NA - KTC
asia australia - 324
scandanavia - Sayyadina
Europe - NAshgul

Ryan Page said...

Anon I totally agree that they are cool. Whoever called them jocks, obviously is confused. Not my style, but much respect...

orfee said...

I did say it was uncalled for, because it is, I don't know the guys personally.
I also said "no apologies" even though I started my sentence with "sorry".
Any who, I did got this from someone whom I trust deeply, and it wasn't the first time I heard it, when in Texas, do as texans do.
It wasn't my intention to stir shit up so, my apologies people ;) music is the only thing that should matter... although, I'm not as much into Bathtub Shitter after Masato "harrased" me for typing his band name on the blog [in fact, paranoia is getting the best of me from typing those very words right now, extra future apologies to Andrew, just in case].
All in all, shit does happen, now, I'm going to buy a shovel, dig a hole and spend the night there, see you guys in the finals :)

"cholin"
aye-ya!

brutalex said...

Gridlink, without a doubt. I like KTC for what they are but they don't come close to what Gridlink are doing.

324. Magnicide are the shit but they obviously wouldn't be a band without 324. Magnicide may be faster but until 324 officially break up, the crustgrind throne will always belong to the O.B.'s(original blastas).

I'll abstain. Neither bands do anything for me, for some reason I can't get into most Scandinavian grind.

Nashgul. I really dug BIB's latest album but Nashgul write the kinda grind take makes me want to rip people's faces off.

DesiccatedVeins said...

North America- Gridlink. I really like Kill the Client, but 1.) Their new one didn't live up to Cleptrocracy or Escalation of Hostility and 2.) As intense as they are, they still can't bring the creative brutality that the 'Link rock.

Asia and Australia- 324. Even though they've fallen off a little bit in recent years, Magnicide don't have the quantity quite yet to take on the throne.

Scandinavia- I'll abstain from this. I know and listen to both bands, but I don't have enough of an inclination toward either offer a fair vote. I'd vote for Afgrund if I did, but I don't want to taint the ruling in The People v. Andrew Childers, 666 G.P. 324 (2010).

Blood I Bleed vs. Nashgul- Nashgul. I've really been digging Gods Out of Monsters lately, but Nashgul still has a certain swag that makes them really enjoyable. It's tough for a band to play Repulsion-core without sounding like copies (even Cretin fall victim to that upon occasion), but they manage it pretty respectably. Also, someone has to use sweet old movie samples besides shitty deathcore bands.

Wooderson said...

North America - This is a tough one. I LOVE both Kill The Client and Gridlink. Set For Extinction is smokin' good but the teasers from the new Gridlink sound just devastating. Overall though I have to give the nod to Kill The Client simply for the fact they have yet to disappoint me with 3 full lengths, an ep and a couple of splits. That new Gridlink will be crushing though...mark my words!

Asia & Australia - Have to give this one to 324.

Scandinavia - Another tough one but Afgrund has a slight edge. My ass is still recovering from their last album.

Continental Europe & UK - Can we call a tie? No? Ok..Blood I Bleed then.

deathgrindfreak said...

This is tough but:

gridlink
324
sayyadina
nashgul

t3c said...

one word: gridlink

others: too close or don't care. 324 vs magnicide is tough.

PatrickDM said...

Kill the client..i like both. I agree ktc can be boring at times, but i dont want grindcore to be so noodley like gridlink. Some is good, but occasionally.

324..no explanation needed

Sayyadina...i thin they are more awesome than nasum. afgrund, not bad, but i dont see anything special.

blood i bleed. i havent heard enough of nashgul, but what ive heard from BIB i really like.

Bill Willingham IV, Esquire said...

@ Dessicated: Hey, props on doing a Bluebook-proper case citation!

daynpitseleh said...

North America- Gridlink
Asia/Australia- 324
Scandinavia- Sayyadina
Europe/UK- Nashgul

JAAAP said...

kill the client
324
afgrund
nashgul

GrindNinja said...

Gridlink
324
Sayyadina
Nashgul

no time to explain, its 6am.

Bill Willingham IV, Esquire said...

@ Andrew: You need the number for the reporter, then the page number.

There's no way we could find that case, bro.

Andrew Childers said...

sorry. we use a different citation style at work.

Ryan Page said...

My girlfriend is currently in law school, and I don't know this. How are you guys so familiar with it?

Andrew Childers said...

my excuse is my day job requires me to spend a lot of time sifting through court cases, mostly in the d.c. circuit. so ya gotta have some familiarity with legal writing and filing systems.

Bill Willingham IV, Esquire said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Bill Willingham IV, Esquire said...

@ Ryan: Should you ever find yourself arrested in Alabama, let me know.

What year is your girlfriend? If it's her first, my condolences.

DesiccatedVeins said...

My excuse is that senior Journalism majors are required to take Media Law before they graduate, so I'm all but neck deep in citations at the moment.