Greetings once again, dear readers. It’s time for another edition of Staff Infections, wherein we examine the listening habits of the Last Rites Staff over the past 30 days or so. Normally we’d take the album that appears on the most staff playlists and anoint it album of the month. However, as happens occasionally, we have zero crossover on playlists; not a single album appears more than once, so we’re going to have to improvise for album of the month. The only artist that appears more than once on this month’s staff playlists is Napalm Death, with one appearance each for From Enslavement to Obliteration (courtesy of Spencer Hotz) and Time Waits for No Slave, courtesy of yours truly. I reckon we’ll just call both albums the co-champs this month.
In honor of Naplam Death’s victory, such as it is, let’s talk grindcore for our discussion this month. I wouldn’t consider myself an expert on the subject, but I do enjoy the style. I think the first “extreme” metal album I ever purchased was From Enslavement to Obliteration. I didn’t really know the difference between death metal and grindcore at the time; I thought they were different names for the same thing. For that matter, I thought same about thrash and speed metal. Anyway, my only substantial exposure to death metal at the time was a copy of Obituary’s The End Complete that a friend had given me. Obituary was extreme enough for my tender young ears, so believe me when I tell you I was not ready for FETO. I don’t know if music got much more extreme at the time or even now. Eventually, though, I grew to appreciate and even love it. My favorite grindcore album, however, is Terrorizer’s World Downfall. Perhaps because it’s a little less noisy and a little more riffy—I took to it right away. On that note, in the comments please share your favorite grindcore album, or share a few if you wish. Also, be sure to share your own playlist and have a listen to the staff curated Spotify playlist below.
Take care of yourselves, get outside and play, and we’ll see you again next month.
- Andrew Edmunds
Fluids – Exploitative Practices
Samhain – November Coming Fire
Nak’ay – Cancer Aesthetics
Paradise Lost – Medusa
Black Sabbath – Heaven & Hell (2021 Edition)
Death – Individual Thought Patterns - Zach Duvall
Horrified – In The Garden Of The Unearthly Delights
Meshuggah – Chaosphere
Diskord – Doomscapes
Dark Tranquillity – Skydancer
Silver Lake by Esa Holopainen
Funkadelic – Standing on the Verge of Getting it On - Captain
Immolation – Atonement
EXIL – Warning
Stress Angel – Bursting Church
Airbag – Identity [2021 Remaster]
Boss Keloid – Family the Smiling Thrush
Helloween – Helloween - Ryan Tysinger
Sick Violence – Hegemonía de la Decadencia Humana
Necroripper – Amulepe Taiñ Weichan
Parkcrest – …And That Blue Will Turn To Red
Mayhemic – Mortuary Feast Of Skeletons
Darkspell – Into The Darkness
Apostasy – Death Return - Dave Pirtle
Thin Lizzy – Thunder and Lightning
Four Stroke Baron – Planet Silver Screen
The Cars – Heartbeat City
Bloodbound – Creatures of the Dark Realm
Empyrium – Über den Sternen
Artillery – X - Danhammer Obstkrieg
Arooj Aftab – Vulture Prince
Portal – Avow
Vouna – Atropos
Mdou Moctar – Afrique Victime
Dexter Gordon – One Flight Up
High on Fire – The Art of Self Defense - Spencer Hotz
Seputus – Phantom Indigo
Crimson Dimension – Crimson Dimension
Graveripper – Radiated Remains
King Diamond – The Eye
Pig Destroyer – Pornographers of Sound: Live in NYC
Napalm Death – From Enslavement to Obliteration - Lone Watie
Mal Hijo – Superstar Crematorium
Derev – Leap of Faith
Forbidden – Forbidden Evil
Sanctuary – Refuge Denied
Caligonaut – Magnified as Giants
Giant Sky – Giant Sky - Jeremy Morse
Steel Bearing Hand – Slay in Hell
Napalm Death – Time Waits for No Slave
Deicide – Legion
Decapitated – Organic Hallucinosis
Nevermore – This Godless Endeavor
Ravencult – Morbid Blood
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Horndal – Lake Drinker
Go Ahead and Die – s/t
Abominable Putridity – Parasitic Metamorphosis Manifestation
Earthless – Live in the Mojave Desert
Last Days of Humanity – Compositions of Decomposition
Red Fang – Arrows
Heads for the Dead – Into the Red
Morbid Angel – Altars of Madness
Hypno5e – Shores of the Abstract Line
Isis – Oceanic
Spectral Wound – A Diabolic Thirst
Negura Bunget – Om
Mastodon – Leviathan
Black Flag – Damaged
PORTAL – Avow
On the question of grindcore, it hasn’t been a genre I particularly gravitate to. I have trouble telling where grind begins and how it differs from thrash or tech death. At that level of fast brutal noise it is hard for me to distinguish into clear genres.
In terms of what I listen to: anything by Anaal Nathrakh and Genghis Tron would probably be the closest I get to the genre, and I like some of Pig Destroyer’s albums like Phantom Limb and Head Cage. A coworker recently put me onto Cephalic Carnage’s Xenosapien and I’ve been enjoying that – if enjoying is the right word for that sort of music.
Mare Cognitum – Solar Paroxysm
Silver Talon – Decadence and Decay
Domkraft – Seeds
Fear Factory – discography
Shadow of Intent – Reclaimer
Wolfbrigade – Run With the Hunted
Outside the standard bearers like ND, Carcass, et al. – my favorite grindcore albums? Pig Destroyer – Prowler in the Yard; Insect Warfare – World Extermination; Wormrot – Dirge.
Silver Talon – Decadence and Decay
Impure Wilhelmina – Antidote
Dordeduh – Har
Cross Vault – As Strangers We Depart
Meliah Rage – Kill to Survive
Forbidden – Twisted into Form
Sabbat – Dreamweaver
Seeming Emptiness – Bliss Entombed
Universally Estranged – Reared Up In Spectral Predation
Death – Individual Thought Patterns
Doja Cat – Hot Pink
Tomb Mold – Manor of Infinite Forms
Oldskull – Nether Hollow of No Return
Xenobiotic – Prometheus
Ferriterium – Calvaire
Hannes Grossmann – The Crypts of Sleep
Black Dahlia Murder – Ritual
Kreator – Endless Pain
David Gilmour – Live at Pompeii
Regarding grindcore, Brutal Truth has some killer albums. I just dont gravitate to grindcore regularly. But Terrorizor’s ‘World Downfall’–yes I forgot about that awesome album. Can’t believe that album is 32 years old.