First looks at Travølta / Boom split 7"!!!

Balance of Terror - World Laboratory (Ghastly Music)

Today's offering is the debut record from Balance of Terror - This release is 8 tracks of brutal death metal from the north of France, put out by Ghastly Music.

This came to me packaged up in a professionally done CD - admittedly, it's been a long time since I've actually opened a new CD (I’ve been spoiled by records and cassettes), but this has the look and feel of a very well put together release. Sadly, the global postal system STILL hasn’t figured out how to not break things… Anyway. I really like the art - to me, it seems like it’s a bit more appropriate for a black metal release, but I think that’s probably because of the cold colors that were used; it makes it feel winter-y to me, and my mind automatically goes to black metal. But, the art is very well done, and it does suit this release quite well.

How does it sound? Let’s find out. We open up with an intro that just kicks you right in the face with a slow death metal build up. It’s here that we get to hear the tone of everything before we break into the madness. First of all - this is a REALLY well produced release. The guitars are clear and present, the drums are tight and punchy, the vocals are brutal and right up front, and the bass brings that low end, springy feel to it. After the intro, we break right into a hyper speed blast beat and a nasty technical riff - yup, this is definitely death metal. The mix here stays consistent, and it’s really a pleasure to listen to a well mixed release every once in a while. Past the actual sound of it - how are the songs? Well, for one, they’re long. Most tracks are in the 4 to 5 minute range, and as a grindcore reviewer, this feels like an eternity. There are a LOT of really well put together riffs and transitions here, but for my tastes, I wish they cut out a lot of the filler and just kept the brutal parts. The blasting parts definitely have a grind feel, but after the first few tracks, it’s gotten pretty stale waiting for those parts.

I just want to make it clear here - if you’re a brutal death metal fan, this is a really solid release. It sounds great, and it’s good death metal. But, for my grindcore based tastes, I can really only enjoy a track or two from this release before I get bored. Listening through the whole thing kind of felt like a chore, if we’re being honest, though I started off being really into it.

Rating if you’re a brutal death metal fan: 8.5/10
Rating if you’re more of a grindcore fan: 6/10 Balance of Terror bc Balance of Terror fb Review by Nick Vecellio

Haggus / Inopexia / Pulmonary Fibrosis

I really love when a few nasty bands gather together and do splits or compilation or whatever. Originally this is an old split, it was released on tape a year go. Hard to understand why, but that wasn`t enough for the bands and labels, so they decided to release a vinyl version of it as well. This fresh release has different cover art and was released on a heavy one sided LP. The new art is so fucking cool, it looks a million times better than the old cheesy corpse art, ha! The guys from Rudolph (Рудольф) band did a great job, this mutilated monster looks bloody good! Blue background, black and white characters and band logos together they look fantastic! The autopsy of the visual side is over, now let`s dig in and cut some pieces from this noise. First blast, first riff belongs to Haggus! The American Mincegore tornado from California. Groovy, dirty, punky and full of all of the fun that Haggus usually has. Goofy riffs, simple structures and loud sound will grab you face first and pull you in the pit. There is nothing special about the guitar sound or the distorted vocals, but together they create a very great combination. Oh yeah, the hellish sound of the snare, it almost makes me deaf, haha. Russian Noise Grinders Inopexia are second in line. I've known these fucker for many years, and all the times they have suffered from line up changes. I'm glad that these troubles did not stop them. Maybe this material does not have the best sound, but it's definitely rad! The crazy blasting is literary melting my mind. The guitar is heavy and has a low tone, its buzzing sound fits really nice into this mess. And yes, this band uses pitch shifted vocal too. Pulmonary Fibrosis is closing this bile vomiting party. French Grinders know how to create high quality bulldozer noise. After all they have more than 20 year of experience, hehe. This part has all the main attributes of good Goregrind. Machine gun blast beats - yep, low and massive sound - in here! Ugly, boiling water vocals - of course. Nasty guitar - done. Every one of these songs has a light taste of LDOH, but that makes this noise even spicier. And the bad stuff, Pulmonary Fibrosis added a piece of live recording…. Well that song sounds awful, haha! I will never get why these maniacs are using live tracks with such minimal quality. Rating: 8/10 Haggus / Inopexia / Pulmonary Fibrosis

Remember guys,keep the underground music scene strong by supporting the artist/band/labels. Get your physical copy HERE! 

Tough Riffs Magazine #6

This is an unusual write up for me, because I`m trying to cover one very cute printed zine. Tough Riffs Magazine is the child of one crazy guy from Belarus who lives in France. This pro-printed zine is mostly dedicated to the death metal scene, but I think many of Grind heads will find something interesting in this issue. I was lucky enough to get a copy of the sixth issue, black like resine, with ugly monsters on the cover, well... Our first look gives the right impression - this is Death Metal magazine and there is no doubt about it, ha! Like I said before everything is pro printed and has nice quality. Format A4, more than 60 pages with sick interviews and tons of reviews (where you may find a few reviews from GGGG). Black and white colors, the whole concept is pretty much old school, so old guys will be happy with it. You will find interviews with band like Sadistic Intent, Broken Hope, God Macabre, Cryptic Slaughter and many more. This magazine includes reviews on the most badass albums, interviews with bands, and of course news from the Death Metal scene.

This zine has good structure and plenty of content for the readers. This isn’t just some magazine you pick up, and flip through when you go to the bathroom.
Rating: 8/10 Tough Riffs Magazine fb

Remember guys,keep the underground music scene strong by supporting the artist/band/labels

Unstoppable Pulmonary Fibrosis!

Hørdür and Satan on tour!

Moscow! Don`t miss this show!

Split Pulmonary Fibrosis / Chikara / Maggot Bath will be out very soon!

Big news from Eclectic prod!

Ukrainian label is going to re-press 2 most disgusting albums from the last decade! More info soon, stay tuned! 

Debut album from Hørdür is on the way!

Inhumate and Teethgrinder are going to visit Japan!

New EP from Vomi Noir!

You can check this noise HERE!

Insect Terror / Gossel Split Lp!

Out very soon at Grindfather prod, Crustatombe Records, AxRxLx, 

Deaf Death Husky Records, Subzine Records

Tpe version of "This Was Supposed To Be Fun" will be out soon at Grindears Records!

more info soon

Warfuck - This Was Supposed To Be Fun

More than five years after the mindfuck speed grind trip that was “Neantification”, the crazy French duo Warfuck return with this new piece of noise. But, not only is this a new one from this band, these guys just started their own label, Lixiviat Records, and this CD is the labels debut release. Every inch of this CD is covered with gloomy, black, and psychedelic images. The colors are dark, but I can't say the same about this music. I don't know what kind of technique was used here, but it looks very close to brush drawing (which is rare for grindcore artists). 

I should warn you, “This Was Supposed To Be Fun” is in nightmare territory with blasting grind, and all of the ensuing consequences. I found a few good changes at this album - Warfuck has made their sound more hardcore/metal; and it's clear and heavy, which improves the quality of the album. Plus, these guys improved their playing technique, and I can feel it. This long awaited album consists of grindcore, hardcore, and metal elements, which are tightly connected. This album could be compared with running at the battlefield during massive gun fire. Every blast beat sounds like a string of bursts -  the drums are crazy fast and do an excellent job keeping up with the fast riffs. And of course, the screams are great too. The vocals are mostly in one style, but it perfectly fits with this fast noise. 

There is one negative thing with this kind of grind however... Sometimes this never-ending blasting becomes a little bit boring. The songs start to sound very similar to each other, but this album is still good, believe me. “This Was Supposed To Be Fun” isn't an album I play all the time; it's more like one that gets a spin once every few months or so… 

Rating: 8/10   Warfuck fb 

This CD was released by Llixiviat Records

Pulmonary Fibrosis is going to LATAM!

First look at Purulent Spermcanal / Pulmonary Fibrosis split!