I’ve read a few reviews in the last several years – and I’ve written one of them – stating that Italy’s Cripple Bastards has quietly been creeping up to become one of grindcore’s leading lights.
And that’s not entirely true.
Because there’s nothing quiet about this, or about anything these Bastards have ever done.
It’s more accurate to say that Cripple Bastards has very loudly, very violently pushed themselves to a spot at the front of the grindcore scene. But then again, what else would you really expect? This is grindcore, after all, and “loud and violent” is exactly what we’re here for.
Of course, as you can probably infer, the other part of the opening statement is true: After a quarter century, after five full-lengths and five times that many splits and other releases, these last few releases have fully established Cripple Bastards as a top-tier grind outfit. If there was any doubt of such an accolade, then let Nero In Metastasi resolve that issue completely. This is thirty-five minutes of absolutely head-bashing modern grinding, delivered with vicious sincerity by a band at the top of its game.
In 2012, the Bastards released a blistering 7” in Senza Impronte, so Nero’s anger and its quality should really be of little surprise to anyone who’s been keeping up. With its markedly improved production values, Senza showed a band long evolved from its beginnings as a hardcore-birthed noise-core outfit, although that evolution has been a steady one, and again, no surprise to anyone keeping up. Where once the band was rudimentary and raging, now they’re far more polished and raging, their anger made even sharper and more destructive through increased focus. (For those who missed it the first time or who just don’t jive with the vinyl-only releases, the entirety of Senza Impronte appears again on Nero.)
Like grindmasters Napalm Death and Brutal Truth, Cripple Bastards has enough skill to balance the signature fury of the style against the need for memorable riffs and hooks, and thus they avoid grindcore’s inherent “noise barrage” wall-of-sound limitations. Also like those bands, they’ve moved beyond the parameters of pure grind into a more metallic hybrid, blending death metal, hardcore, and crossover thrash into their grinding attack, each of those inflections providing subtle but necessary shading within the all-encompassing aggression. Blastbeats give way to dissonant arpeggios or thrash riffs, giving the listener a moment of breathing room before the chaos begins anew, and it’s those little breaks that keep Nero moving ever forward.
Of course, it also helps that Nero In Metastasi has no shortage of killer cuts – “Fumo Passivo” (literally “Passive Smoking,” which I’m assuming translates roughly to “Second-Hand Smoking”), the mid-tempo drive of “Occhi Trapiantati” (“Transplanted Eyes”), “Regime Artificiale” (you can figure that one out)… “Promo-Parassita” treads closest to the band’s hardcore side, whilst the blast-happy “Passi Falsi” breaks stride long enough to flirt with a single instance of a great down-tempo riff that is regrettably left behind in the Bastards’ relentless assault.
Longer than most grindcore EPs, and almost as long as a few alleged full-lengths I own, the nine-minute “Splendore E Tenebra” (“Splendor And Darkness”) is Nero’s most impressive moment, and it’s most unusual. That track starts slow and brooding, before pushing forward into a spiraling riff that in turn moves into more typical grindcore waters before dropping into a steady gait beneath an epic, semi-melodic riff – it’s further testament to the band’s skill as songwriters that they can keep these nine minutes from collapsing, using “Splendore” perfectly to ease the listener out of Nero’s bludgeoning attack. Of course, these are the Bastards, so you’re not leaving until one final punch is swung, landing hard in the seven-second explosion of “Morti Asintomatiche.”
Nero‘s Fredrik Nordstrom-helmed production is the best that Cripple Bastards has had so far, which is what you’d expect, given Nordstrom’s track record. The drums hit hard; the guitars are sharp and thick. Vocalist Giulio the Bastard growls and screams and barks, but ultimately the album’s highest points belong to guitarist Der Kommisar, and particularly to his endless array of riffs, some dissonant, some punkish, some twisting, and each top-notch.
Nero In Metastasi is such a solid album that new favorite moments and new favorite tracks emerge over repeated listens – those that stood out in the beginning step aside to allow their brothers room to shine. There’s no wasted space, no mis-fires or mistakes.
Grinders, take note – these Bastards keep getting better, and here, they’re at their best. 2014’s first grindmonster is upon us.
