Recorded live over two days, the newest offering from Danish progressive grinders Piss Vortex has a run time of eleven minutes. Just. Eleven. Minutes. Future Cancer covers more ground on the extreme front during this time than most will in a lengthy career. Taking off exactly where they left with their debut record, there is nothing left standing when Piss Vortex put down their tools. Sonic assault is rarely this fun but these Danes can throw their hat in with the best in the business. In this case, business involves dissonance, ferocity and decibel worship. Business is good.
It will take several listens through of Future Cancer before it’s even obvious where the track breaks are, that’s how organic this sliver of genius feels. The false end in “Default Face-Filtered Rot” will catch 99% off guard, just like the jarring introduction and final moments of “Bug Chaser”. In context, the acoustic drums and grime fuzz guitars make these organic transitions sound even more genuine. Entirely disgusting and equally brilliant. The slipstream of grind, noise and sludge bellows and tears through every track ’til the closing moments of “Patterns of Repetition” The coup de grace of modern European grind, smashed into the longest track on this release. It’s maybe a bit too obvious to draw comparisons to nightmare metal lynchpins Pyrrhon, but there are definitely some links between these two band’s sound. Both love to create and destroy space with the power of sound. Noise and dissonance being the major components of the sound involved.
There hasn’t been as awesome a grind vocal display since early last year on the new Napalm Death record; no joke, the set of lungs that screech and growl through Future Cancer are mighty impressive. Imagine a man with nothing left to live for but everything left to say. Vocals, bass and guitars crashing all over each other on an analog feel record might sound too cacophonous, but it ain’t. It’s blistering and dense, yet nuanced in the few moments where the band pull back and let tracks breathe through the power of feedback and percussion breaks. Words have to be put down in honour of the ability of these gentlemen to keep short tracks like these barreling forward into the dawn. These eleven minutes will be played repeatedly by any who choose to enter the Vortex. There’s something new to find in every second of the track, whether it’s a gargling bass line that gets missed first time round or a series of cymbal hits that help push the next jazz influenced riff into play.
Yeah, it’s eleven minutes long. Yeah, it’s grind. Yeah, it’s perfect. Using a small amount of tools (guitar, bass, vocals and drums), the music on Future Cancer destroys grind tradition, erases the negative aspects of sludge and improves the sound of sludge; all in one short, stabbing effort. The Danes proved that they were onto something with the release of their self titled released and have now planted a stake in the modern extreme music landscape. A big, nasty stake embroidered with the all power full name of Piss Vortex.
Piss Vortex – Future Cancer gets…
5/5