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I absolutely can't wait to get my hands on this and this review once again proves why.

Better than Phantom Limb (yet lacks tracks that match Loathsome, Heathen Temple or Thought Crime Spree), but not as good as Prowler, and nowhere near Terrifyer in terms of quality.

Hull is at the top of his game in terms of intricacy, as you said, but he never hits his stride in entering into a beatdown riff like I want. All day, every day.

The question becomes with Richard Johnson and Kat Katz on this, and ANb songs becoming longer: what's the difference between PD and ANb besides Jay Randall on the latter?

90 for me, kicks much ass.

I disagree. This is a good album, but... This album is nothing new to grind, which is fine, but they are not innovators of grind. I actually would say they have sorta contemporized grind which is the opposite of what it's supposed to be IMO. This album doesn't make me cringe or be overpowered with abrupt nastiness. Napalm Death's newest album and Brutal Truth's newest are both better and more innovative IMO. I love Pig Destroyer, but I would say that it is quite tame in comparison to Napalm Death or Brutal Truth. Agoraphobic Nosebleed on the other hand was definitely pushing some limits and creating something fresh. The best parts of this Pig Destroyer album are the vocals by the ANB crew. I'm guessing about that, but I have faith in my ability to recognize the voices. Pig Destroyer's best album was Prowler in the Yard and they haven't reached that greatness since. If they weren't such great executors and super groovy I may pass it up. Sorry PD, but the latest from Afgrund (A top ten IMO), Napalm Death (A top ten IMO), Brutal Truth (A top ten IMO), Insect Warfare, Anaal Nathrakh, Lock Up (A top ten IMO), and Gaza are all better grind albums. My rating is an 83. Good but not great and definitely not gonna offend or shock you in anyway like a great grind album will. It's good stuff, but Pig Destroyer has become gateway grind IMO.

Oh my. You might be pointing to my hesitancy with the album. I honestly prefer when Katz is singing, but I also have a total crush on her vocals (separate from her adorable womanness). The guys definitely seem to be on autopilot, which may be broken up when the ANb crew join in, like on Bug, for example. Phantom Limb very much seemed like an album that was phoned in, barring a few moments, and this might suffer from that same issue. But the groove is still there and I really don't think anyone has ever matched that in terms of grind. Regardless, Hayes' macabre poetics need to be mentioned and that alone puts them heads above the bands you mentioned in my book.

Does Insect Warfare have a new one and I need to check that Afgrund out?

Well, faster-than-humanly-possible drum machines, for one thing. But is this even a question that we really have to ask? Go back and have another listen to Agorapocalypse and then tell me it sounds anything like PD. I personally don't think it does. Agorapocalypse has a much thrashier base for it's riffs, while being much faster, due to the drum machines, as I said. It's got it's own sound.



Are you telling me that the other albums you listed, like Utilitarian, honestly shocked and offended you? Come on. Maybe that's what Grind was about 20 years ago, but we're well past that. Utilitarian was a fucking great album, I'd give it a 95 as well, but that shit's not shocking or offending anyone who doesn't attend sunday school. Neither is any of the other stuff you mentioned (all of which I think is bloody great music, mind you).

The genre's moved past that. These days it's just about how brutal and catchy (and in this album's case, technical) you can make this very extreme form of music without straying too far from the blueprint and becoming death metal, and it's about punk attitude. And for me this album delivers all that with flying colours.



Sadly, Insect Warfare broke up shortly after the first full-length.

IMO it's all about the riffs with PD.

Never thought a grind album would bore me but jesus this album is fucking boring.

True, that I am not really offended by anything these days, but I remember when I heard ANB's Razor Blades under the Dashboard for the first time. I was shocked in a, I can't believe he just said that sort of way. I think crazy stuff like that too sometimes. Or the song Dick to Mouth Resuscitation when he says "I don't wanna fuc# your face, I wanna wrap my dick, around your neck and choke you, fuc#ing choke you." I think that is still shocking and I'm no prude so whatever. Plus, he says it with conviction. He makes me believe it. What I meant was the power, abruptness, and downright grittiness of bands like Napalm, Brutal Truth, etc... strikes with more punch and raw grit. No one touches Barney's vocals when it comes to raw power. Kevin Sharp sounds like a zombie gargling blood. J. R. Hayes's lyrical content is abstract and artistic, but it seems more appropriate content for CSI Miami haha J/K, but seriously it doesn't convey power or rage to me. When he screams it sounds more like whining to me. Like someone with repressed internal issues and struggling artist syndrome. Napalm feels like getting hit by a truck and the lyrical content suggests true anger and frustration. Barney knows what he wants to say and he says it. J. R. Hayes's is the poetic artsy type which I appreciate for what it is, but it is not what I look for in Grindcore. So I guess I'm just not a fan of J.R. Hayes is all. ANB on the other hand, is completely different and one of my favs. I would be happy if all of Hull's efforts went toward ANB.

I thought Agorapocalypse had real drums.

Nah. Hull programs them, which is pretty fucking impressive given that drum solo on Question of Integrity. Best programmed drugs ever? And I love Hayes. I love the true crime/angsty teen boy lyrics and I don't think his vocals are at all bad, but I also really don't like the guys that you mentioned approvingly.

Burning Palm!?!?!? Baltimore Strangler. 2 of my favs off this one. Can't understand how anyone would find those boring, of all things.

Don't forget Bug or Eve. So good.

Look, I'm not gonna argue against Barney being amazing (I mean, look at my avatar). But I will say he can lean very far towards the artistic side as well, lyrically speaking. He always has a point, but to say he get it across in a strictly straightforward way would just be inaccurate. The guy's a poet.

As for not liking J.R., well that's fair enough. Can't make you like that. I still think what I said about Hull's work on this album being really fresh is accurate.



Again, fair enough. I personally would love ANb and PD albums in quick succession all the time. The more Hull, the better.



This. Plus all the other tracks I put under Killing Songs. So many riffs of glory. The last thing this album is, is boring.

Did you guys check out the ANb split with Despise You from last year? If not, I'll write a review of it. I don't know how publicized it was, but it is fucking sick.

Upon further listenings it finally clicked. I don't think i was in the biggest grind mood when I gave it the first spin, then i went back and listened to a lot of their older stuff, came back to this and it snapped my neck. So I take it back. I didn't like Baltimore but Burning palm is insane.