Originally written by Jason Jordan.
George W. Bush will not be remembered by his triumphs, defeats, or frequent linguistic blunders, but by the album covers he’s appeared on: Megadeth’s The System Has Failed, Ministry’s Rio Grande Blood, and enough compilations to fill an ocean liner. Cast in a negative light yet again, Bush is featured on artwork of the debut EP from Virginia’s Drugs of Faith, who live relatively close to the U.S. political hub known as Washington, D.C.
There are two conclusions to draw from the fact that this release is on Selfmadegod Records – 1. it’s grind and 2. it’s short. Drugs of Faith fulfills both requirements. The eight songs have trashy grind limbs with a rock skeleton holding everything in place, and it’s a mildly impressive record considering that it functions primarily as a first glimpse. At the same time, however, Drugs of Faith seem immersed in an acidic cesspool in which guitar, bass, and drums flail wildly, become entangled, and then get untangled, causing one to think they’re sloppy musicians due to the resulting, jumbled sound. Though comfortable at mid-pace or breakneck speed, occasionally the threesome will tug on the reins, pull alongside you, and bludgeon you over the head with a nasty, bass-fortified club like in “No Sense of Occasion” and “Burning.” Nonetheless, the most satisfying moments are created when Drugs of Faith complement one another in “Eyes Closed” – undoubtedly the sum of practice and fine-tuning – which is the highlight of this particular offering.
Selfmadegod has a decent roster of grindcore outfits, and the group in question do indeed meet the standards set previously by current and former artists on said label. Despite the occasional muddled section, loose instrumental assault, and choppy tempo change, these two guys and girl are pretty good. While the notion of short songs is familiar to the grind aficionado, thankfully Drugs of Faith is being introduced as an EP, rather than a sorry excuse for a full-length (see: Wojczech’s Sedimente, Antigama’s Zeroland, et cetera). The other options are a bit uneven too, if not unremarkable (read: Third Degree’s Outstay, Catheter’s Dimension 303, among others), so it mainly depends on whose sound you enjoy the most. It just seems as if there’s always at least one stumbling block in the way of Selfmadegod, rendering the perfect grind album out of reach. George W. Bush will not be remembered by his triumphs, defeats, or frequent linguistic blunders, but by the album covers he’s appeared on: Megadeth’s The System Has Failed, Ministry’s Rio Grande Blood, and enough compilations to fill an ocean liner. Cast in a negative light yet again, Bush is featured on artwork of the debut EP from Virginia’s Drugs of Faith, who live relatively close to the U.S. political hub known as Washington, D.C. There are two conclusions to draw from the fact that this release is on Selfmadegod Records – 1. it’s grind and 2. it’s short. Drugs of Faith fulfills both requirements. The eight songs have trashy grind limbs with a rock skeleton holding everything in place, and it’s a mildly impressive record considering that it functions primarily as a first glimpse. At the same time, however, Drugs of Faith seem immersed in an acidic cesspool in which guitar, bass, and drums flail wildly, become entangled, and then get untangled, causing one to think they’re sloppy musicians due to the resulting, jumbled sound. Though comfortable at mid-pace or breakneck speed, occasionally the threesome will tug on the reins, pull alongside you, and bludgeon you over the head with a nasty, bass-fortified club like in “No Sense of Occasion” and “Burning.” Nonetheless, the most satisfying moments are created when Drugs of Faith complement one another in “Eyes Closed” – undoubtedly the sum of practice and fine-tuning – which is the highlight of this particular offering. Selfmadegod has a decent roster of grindcore outfits, and the group in question do indeed meet the standards set previously by current and former artists on said label. Despite the occasional muddled section, loose instrumental assault, and choppy tempo change, these two guys and girl are pretty good. While the notion of short songs is familiar to the grind aficionado, thankfully Drugs of Faith is being introduced as an EP, rather than a sorry excuse for a full-length (see: Wojczech’s Sedimente, Antigama’s Zeroland, et cetera). The other options are a bit uneven too, if not unremarkable (read: Third Degree’s Outstay, Catheter’s Dimension 303, among others), so it mainly depends on whose sound you enjoy the most. It just seems as if there’s always at least one stumbling block in the way of Selfmadegod, rendering the perfect grind album out of reach.
