Brutal Truth - Evolution Through Revolution
Relapse Records
Grindcore
20 songs (41:17)
Release year: 2009
Relapse Records
Reviewed by Goat
Major event

The culmination of a wave of excitement in the Grind-o-sphere that started back in 2006 with the first news of the legendary Brutal Truth’s reformation, Evolution Through Revolution is all that was expected and more. Twenty songs, forty minutes, and the American four-piece (including Nuclear Assault’s Dan Lilker and Total Fucking Destruction’s Rich Hoak) have reset the boundaries on Grind yet again, just as they did back in the day with classic albums like 1992’s Extreme Conditions Demand Extreme Responses and 1994’s Need To Control. Really, the only Grind band superior to Brutal Truth at the moment are Napalm Death, the original and best, but that Brutal Truth have released an album this good proves that they still have much to offer the scene.

Chaotic and brutal, yet with underlying melodies that become clearer the more you listen, Evolution Through Revolution is not afraid to take its time. Although the opening blast of Sugardaddy counts in old-school style and is catchy in comparison with some of the other ‘songs’ here, it’s still a visceral, churning assault that will remind as much of Converge as it does of the Death Metal parts of Grind. Any melodies are fleeting and more the result of your desperate ears trying to make sense of it than specifically written hooks, but there are many moments where your brain will catch a passage that just makes sense. Despite this, don’t expect an easy listen, I wouldn’t recommend this to Grindcore newcomers at all.

However, the veterans will be in heaven. Although most of the tracks barely pass the minute-long mark and the longest present is just under four, they all have something distinct to say, all take a subtly different path. Even instrumental Semi-Automatic Carnation is pretty darn good and strangely creepy. New guitarist Eric Burke (also of Nuclear Assault) does a great job, cheerfully spasmodic leads and ferocious riffs riding the chaos, whilst Rich Hoak and Dan Lilker batter away behind. Kevin Sharpe is amazingly varied; from the spazzcore croaks of Powder Burn to the Crowbar-esque Sludge yells of Detached, to the more usual growls, he’s one of the most underrated vocalists out there. Really, the band as a whole are impossible to criticise – even the production, which starts out seeming weak, soon makes sense and improves the effect overall.

“You know I’ll never compromise,” snarls Sharpe on the surprisingly technical Lifer, and it’s hard to argue after listening to this album. This band refuses to take the easy path, and the result is Evolution Through Revolution, a call to arms that’ll last long on the playlist and is sure to top many Grinders’ Best-Of lists. It doesn’t quite beat Napalm Death’s last album in my estimation, and isn’t quite as experimental as the band’s older albums, but it is an excellent slice of Grind that can sit next to Brutal Truth classics with pride. Not all band reformations are a good idea, but Sharpe and company have proved that it can sometimes produce killer albums. As I commented on the forum, this album grinds the shit out of you, and that sums it up pretty well.

MySpace
Killing Songs :
Sugardaddy, On The Hunt, Get A Therapist Spare The World, Detached, Humpty Finance, Itch
Goat quoted 87 / 100
Other albums by Brutal Truth that we have reviewed:
Brutal Truth - End Time reviewed by Goat and quoted 83 / 100
Brutal Truth - Sounds of the Animal Kingdom reviewed by Aaron and quoted 79 / 100
Brutal Truth - Need to Control reviewed by Aaron and quoted CLASSIC
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