This is an American Grindcore release with a slight twist. Eclectic influences rear themselves from time to time and it’s rare, if not for bands like “JaKa (Japanische Kampfhörspiele)”, for grindcore bands to have anything different up their sleeve than utter hard edged chaos. Enter Complete Failure (aka ComFail)…whilst their name doesn’t actually do them justice, the music on this latest effort is something different and this may test your grind music “ethics” or heritage. It actually has a bit more hardcore punk in it than anything (but with a grind guitar tone), especially the US influence from the 80’s with less clear and precise vocal lines.
Straight ahead bruisers like ‘Errant Social Mile Marker’ and ‘Exitist’ warm your cockles and put your “dancing shoes” on, but the mention of off the wall influences in the PR material starts to enter ones mind-set when you hear tracks like ‘Drag Migrator’ and ‘Hero of the Church Herd’. There is more of a touch of sludge to this, New Orleans style. The main difference is the disjointed chords and a non-standard arrangement that unfairly (in my mind) breaks the grindcore mould and thus provides me with something of an enigma. I prefer my grind to be grind; it will simply depend upon your own personal taste on this one…but once the rhythm or tempo is increased I prefer not to slow down for anyone, but that said, it is not a frequent event.
The old school hardcore and grind is cool, it’s vibrant, angry and nasty…just what you would expect…maybe this is the real problem. I don’t feel this actually is that much different, the other styles and influences are not that ground-breaking, they are more of an annoyance that you wish to end ASAP and get to the real matter of interest. Be prepared for a few breathers amongst ‘The Art Gospel of Aggravated Assault’ in which the momentum is stifled momentarily with random interventions, but if you look beyond this, then you may find a comfortable release in your palms, but nothing more.
(6/10 Paul Maddison)
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