Reviews

Coups de Couteau

Gummo A Fresh Breath on the Neck LP

Hailing from Lille, France, GUMMO sets the brutality at eleven with their latest LP. Featuring eighteen throat-punching tracks, this three-piece focuses their ire at cops, internet trolls, people ruining the scene, and capitalists, to name a few, and leaves no doubt about where they stand on social justice issues. The title track refers to the guillotine, and implies it might be time to bring it back. The first track, a pandemic manifesto called “Where Was Gondor,” features some interesting, almost melodic bass and drum work that makes GUMMO stand out from most of the powerviolence and grindcore bands these days. “You’ll Pay the Bill to the Styx” almost veers toward New York-style hardcore terroritory (SICK OF IT ALL, GORILLA BISCUITS) with chugging guitars and chanting, anthemic vocals.

Horde / Out of Phase split LP

Split record from two East German purveyors of extreme heaviness. Grindcore band HORDE delivers everything I like about the genre: crisp, pummeling drums, bass-heavy, ultra-distorted guitar tones, and the filthiest vocals possible. Like INSECT WARFARE or NASUM, HORDE finds the fine line between hardcore and death metal and blasts it apart until their side is over. The snare work is crazy on all these songs, super-tight with incredible transitions that move from blastbeats to D-beats with ease, and a pounding cadence on “Soziopathy” that has to result in occasional torn drum heads. This is grade A grind with a few sidesteps into brutal death metal, like on the sludgy, gurgling “Zentro.” Total ripper. That’s a tough act to follow, but OUT OF PHASE fucking kills it as well, albeit in a different manner. They bring HIS HERO IS GONE-influenced crust that crushes with a thick, fuzzed-out low end, insane drums (do these bands share a drummer? Seriously some of the best I have heard in a while on both sides), and call-and-response anguished, howling vocals. Tracks like “I” and “IV” have snaky guitar leads that add texture to the chaos and make the whole thing sound even more menacing. This rules; a split release where both sides deserve equal play.