Oh boy, do we have a fiery fifty-five seconds of grindcore for you today. The City of Angels is the home of March’s noisiest musical offering, one being delivered by the brutes who go by Skullsmasher. Pairing with Polish extreme darling Selfmadegod Records, Skullsmasher are just about ready to let…
There are more than enough bands in this month’s Grind My Gears to keep you satiated for, let’s say at least an hour. Such is the fleeting, foxy nature of the genre that I commit fingers, keys, and wax-covered headphones to. Old, new, borrowed, blue – it’s all here. From…
January didn’t have an edition of Grind My Gears because yours truly was up to his nuts in boring, boring life bullshit. There’s little point in fixating on it – that wouldn’t be very grindcore, after all – so we’re slamming back into reality with a journey through the halls…
This gritty little ditty was released in January of this year but, for some reason, hadn’t made its way across my feed until much more recently. Given that it’s a ten-minute grind/core release, some will make the point that it doesn’t deserve a full review nearly twelve months later. Those…
Another wild year is coming to an end so it’s about time all you grinders scrubbed down your manky gears and made them all pretty looking for Satan Claus. This list won’t be exhaustive in the slightest, as there are hundreds of grind and grind-adjacent records that I just didn’t have the time to check out — there were just as many that I gave a cursory fifteen seconds listen and decided ‘NOPE’. This ‘year in review ‘will be focused almost entirely on bands that I’ve thrown into the scabby battle pit of Grind My Gears over the last twelve months, with the snarky titles and blunt force imagery used rearing their charming, cultured head yet again. If you didn’t enjoy any of it so far, you can go right ahead and browse Pitchfork’s Top 50 instead, you fucking wet blanket.
Seeing as we’re rapidly approaching the end of the year, this is probably going to be the last regular edition of Grind My Gears for 2018. There’ll be an “editorial” with a selection of my favourite cuts from the feature in December but for now, I’ve got to squeeze in…
There’s more than a touch of irony in the title of this crushing EP from Transatlantic mathgrind project Fawn Limbs. Press play on their second EP and you’ll be left as far from “calm” or “tranquil” as humanly possible. Imagine waking up from a night terror soaked in sweat, breathing…
What does one do when the genre-defining band they’ve played in for years, disbands? Most will pack up their instruments and kit, settling into another grind altogether – regular, boring ass working life. Not Richard Hoak. During the final days of Brutal Truth’s existence, Hoak obviously decided he hadn’t had enough. The melting pot of blasts and wicked arrangements in his mind finding a new home in Total Fucking Destruction. Nearly twenty years after the first release under this name, we find ourselves in a time where grindcore is more important than ever. It’s always been political, but the platform is sometimes a bit wobbly. Not in this case. #USA4TFD is a viral musical statement that no one is sharing. Yet.
A Scotsman, an American, and a Mexican walk into a bar. The Scotsman, wearing a Spazz shirt, compliments the American on his Discordance Axis cap, the American, in turn, admires the Mexican’s Insect Warfare patched jacket. All three order drinks, settling into a discussion rooted in their shared love of…
I love it when the three carefully selected acts I throw in this column all have an overarching theme that I didn’t realise until the very last minute, forcing my hand and ultimately ensuring the introduction I had previously written gets fucked right into the sea. Projects built over the Internet with friends, new and old – hence the title, I’m sorry but there is not a real Grind Symphony, yet – the next few bands Grinding My Gears range from veterans raising their fists at the sky, electric pink violence, and a new act that might just have released my favourite ten minutes of music this year.
