Grindcore » Album review http://www.grindcore.org Grindcore music, grindcore bands, grindcore musicians, grindcore album reviews and more at GRINDCORE.ORG Sun, 11 Oct 2009 00:54:42 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 Electro Hippies – The Only Good Punk http://www.grindcore.org/2009/07/10/electro-hippies-the-only-good-punk/ http://www.grindcore.org/2009/07/10/electro-hippies-the-only-good-punk/#comments Fri, 10 Jul 2009 23:06:42 +0000 infested http://www.grindcore.org/?p=94 (Contribution by CK – Contact us if you’d like to contribute!)

Electro Hippies are an oft-overlooked group that was very underground and short-lived, lasting only 4 years since their inception in 1985, and are usually only noted for having Jeff Walker of later Carcass fame as their bassist.

The Hippies’ music was no-nonsense crust punk: the exposed, fleshless bones of grindcore. Protesting with sonic power the evils of groups such as McDonald’s and embracing your typical, wholesome DIY values.

The Only Good Punk gives us a look at the influences surrounding the Hippies at the time. They released a split 7″ with Napalm Death, both tracks being jokish 1-second micro-songs.

The Only Good Punk... Is a Dead One

© Peaceville, 1987

Track Listing:

  1. Faith (0:39)
  2. Acid Rain (2:53)
  3. Run Ronald (0:40)
  4. Scum (1:05)
  5. B.P. (0:47)
  6. Unity (1:59)
  7. Terror Eyes (2:40)
  8. So Wicked (0:46)
  9. Profit (0:54)
  10. Freddy’s Revenge (1:47)
  11. Mistake (0:43)
  12. Things Of Beauty (4:05)
  13. Protest (0:30)
  14. Gas Joe Pearce (0:54)
  15. Lies (1:55)
  16. Tortured Tears (1:31)
  17. Turkeys (0:56)
  18. D.I.Y. (1:01)
  19. Suck (0:42)
  20. Deception (2:53)
  21. Could You Look Me In The Eyes (1:42)
  22. Sometimes I’m So Glad (2:03)
  23. At The Edge (1:02)
  24. Reject (1:26)
  25. Escape (0:58)
  26. Mega Armageddon Death (0:05)
  27. Mother (Live) (2:16)
  28. Faith (Live) (0:22)
  29. Unity (Live) (1:58)
  30. Sheep (Live) (1:22)
  31. City (Live) (0:55)
  32. Acid Rain (Live) (2:52)
  33. Run Ronald (Live) (0:32)
  34. Chickens (Live) (0:41)
  35. So Wicked (Live) (1:02)
  36. Profit (Live) (1:06)
  37. Meltdown (Live) (1:51)
  38. Mega Armageddon Death (Live) (0:07)
  39. Mega Armageddon Death Extended (Live) (0:24)
  40. Silver Machine (Live) (3:49)

Most of the tracks themselves are punky, simple, but show a semblance of riff organization to be found in later grindcore bands and songs by the masters of crust-metal, Amebix. Not just that, but the tracks bleed into one another (especially Acid Rain/Run Ronald/Scum), with the dying gasp of one track’s end seeding the life of the next, which could be unintentional, but is notable anyway.

It’s difficult to sit through the entire album, but this compilation has the best of the Electro Hippies, so you’re free to skip around some of the slower tracks.

]]> http://www.grindcore.org/2009/07/10/electro-hippies-the-only-good-punk/feed/ 2 Insect Warfare – World Extermination http://www.grindcore.org/2009/06/07/insect-warfare-world-extermination/ http://www.grindcore.org/2009/06/07/insect-warfare-world-extermination/#comments Mon, 08 Jun 2009 06:37:27 +0000 infested http://www.grindcore.org/?p=78 Insect Warfare didn’t stray too far from the beaten path on this album for the sake of “innovation”, which was probably a good thing. The riffs are churned out with factory precision, while each riff sequence returns with unsettling certainty and force. The percussion exhibits punk and death metal vocabularies with the usual blastbeat filler chopping up the whole mix while articulating the simpler guitar elements. The songs can seem to draw on sometimes, but the variant patterning and rhythmic speed manage to hold the listener’s interest.

© 625 Thrash, 2007

© 625 Thrash, 2007

Track Listing:

  1. Oxygen Corrosion – 00:53
  2. Self Termination – 01:25
  3. Enslaved By Machinery – 01:08
  4. Manipulator – 01:49
  5. Zone Killer – 00:20
  6. Decontamination – 01:09
  7. Street Sweeper – 00:13
  8. Dead Inside – 01:01
  9. Human Trafficking – 01:19
  10. Hydraphobia – 01:36
  11. Mind Ripper – 01:21
  12. Armored Virus – 01:20
  13. Mass Communication Mindfuck – 01:19
  14. Nuclear Deterrence – 01:20
  15. Paranoia – 01:18
  16. Necessary Death – 00:51
  17. Protection Maze – 00:54
  18. Lobotomized – 01:18
  19. Internet Era Alienation – 00:42
  20. Evolved Into Obliteration – 01:12

Total Length: 22:28

Again, there wasn’t anything truly new on this album, as far as grindcore goes. The lyrical themes and art are typical, but welcome. The riffs, drumming, and so forth are all reminiscent of Brutal Truth or Terrorizer, but aren’t too cliché. All of this said, the innovation well has been dry for years, and World Extermination was probably the most refreshing and well-executed grindcore album to come out in recent years.

(World Extermination was re-released on Earache Records, March 2, 2009)

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