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Ass To Mouth – Degenerate

Ass To Mouth Degenerate 01. 44&41 02. Under The Razor’s Edge 03. Sentenced To Grind 04. We Are The Pigs 05. One Shot Too Far 06. Drunk

11 years ago

Ass-To-Mouth-Degenerate

Ass To Mouth

Degenerate

01. 44&41
02. Under The Razor’s Edge
03. Sentenced To Grind
04. We Are The Pigs
05. One Shot Too Far
06. Drunk & Stoned
07. One Mackerel Drama
08. Mama I’m Not Coming Home
09. Here Comes Mr. Pig
10. Alcowhore
11. Dead Kaczynskis
12. Brainless Retards
13. Suffer The Hangover
14. Idiots Crusade
15. The Good, The Bad And The Dead
16. Generation GrindCore
17. You Have 0 Friends
18. 13
19. Degenerate
20. Scumbag

[02/18/14]
[Selfmadegod Records]

Some bands make it hard for themselves by trying too hard to make themselves the poster boys of a genre. Some bands make it hard for themselves by trying to bridge the gap between genres and ending up sucking at both. Some bands have names that make them almost impossible to search for unless you want whistles blown and flags raised – thus we have Poland’s Ass To Mouth. These guys are not grind heavyweights in the vein of Pig Destroyer or Napalm Death but their latest offering Degenerate is a foot to the floor, piss-drunk joyride that has no pretense about what it’s intentions are, regardless of it’s shortfalls.

First and foremost the band’s sense of humor is to be relished and appreciated. Several Nicholas Cage soundbites from his Oscar winning performance in Leaving Las Vegas are used throughout and notably to open the album itself. From an outside perspective the mood and attitudes of Ass To Mouth are made loud and clear with these alcoholic ramblings and song titles such as ‘Alcowhore’ and ‘Suffer The Hangover’. If ever there was an occurrence that required a grind album to be put on at a party Degenerate would tick all of the boxes required to make it a room filling classic. The room would be full of inebriated, sweating grinders at a moments notice, obviously, but this is what this album is for.

‘Drunk and Stoned’ changes up the pace for a grind release and has a pummeling throwback riff which sways back and forth at a tempo perfect for swinging from a light fixture. ‘Here Comes Mr. Pig’ almost begins like a Mustaine penned song but delves back into grind territory before long. Throughout twenty songs there are moments of inspired musicianship and riff writing but there is an abundance of middle ground punk influenced grind material that  hits the mark but not by much. Sometimes three or four tracks will have passed before the realization that the song is over hits. Cowbell intros and mid section bass noodles keep things fresh in ‘One Shot Too Far’ and ‘Idiot’s Crusade’ respectively but all too often the songs are indistinct from each other, not a hilariously big deal in the context of grind but still a point to be made.

The riffs and vocals throughout the album are par for the course but are aided greatly by a gritty production that makes Degenerate feel somewhat aged – in a good way. Audio samples drop out quickly to be replaced by blast beats and wails and the guitar and bass tones are aggressive without losing clarity. Like all good grind the snare drum is abused like it belongs to a broken home. The variety of tempos that Ass To Mouth like to mess around with need forward thinking drum patterns and the fills and beats are executed expertly. There are unfortunately not enough moments for individual members to showcase their particular skills. Sadface.

All in all, this is a party-proof, punk tinged grind release that will no doubt be spun many times around the world by band-patched denim jacket enthusiasts. Fans of grind and it’s many fallout genres should take notice and give it a blast. There are marks that are missed but this full length is proof that while there may be an upcoming Behemoth release waiting to fall on heads from above, Poland has a lot more to offer for fans of extreme music. Na zdrowie!

Ass To Mouth’s Degenerate gets…

3/5


3/5

-MM

Matt MacLennan

Published 11 years ago