Staff Infections – June 2021

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

Posted by Jeremy Morse

Riffs or GTFO.

  1. 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

    Reply

  2. 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

    Reply

    1. 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.

      Reply

  3. 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.

    Reply

  4. 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

    Reply

  5. 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

    Reply

  6. 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.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.