It’s Monday and Mondays suck, so let’s grind it out with Holy Grinder’s Eradicate All Scum.
There’s something to be said about an album in the grind genre that can inspire frothing rage and meditative heaviness in an incredibly short span time. London, ON’s (Canada) Holy Grinder manages to find a balance amidst the noise and violence, all the while the recording is as raw as possible.
Holy Grinder is an interesting band because on the surface they’re what you’d expect from a grind unit these days. But really, they’re not. If you let this pass you by as background noise, you’re going to find a satisfying, noisy, pissed off album. You might not give it much more thought. However, Eradicate All Scum has some dirt and blood under its nails. There’s an adherence to form here, but it’s not…traditional.
Holy Grinder follows its own path. Noisegrind/grindcore it certainly is, but it sounds like an interaction of Bastard Noise has been worked in to the gears. The noise element is fierce, and ties the album together like the Dude’s rug in his apartment (see: The Big Lebowski, I mean the noise really ties the album together). It’s the constant that’s always on, even if its only in the background. It adds to the dark moodiness that’s always looming, like a sinister moon in the sky. It keeps things from ever feeling safe or…even conclusive, if that makes sense. That is, until the album is over.
Eradicate All Scum is a fast album, for the most part. It has its blasting sections, but Eradicate All Scum is like cheese grater torture, with the heavier stuff really standing out. When “Flesh Prison” kicks on, it’s a heavy-as-nails, noise-laden trudge. This is a song that walks slowly like it dragging a heavy burlap sack behind it. Of course, the band is noise, a five-string bass, and drums. So, yeah, the heavier stuff comes down on your head like painter’s scaffolding. The title track and “Human Garbage” are especially heavy songs that will crack the jaws of even the most jaded grind listeners.
Holy Grinder has fire in its belly. I first heard this release in early January 2017 and its been on regular rotation ever since. Unfortunately missed the tape sales and the first run of shirts, but life goes on. Holy Grinder is the band I’m looking forward to the most right now for future releases. Eradicate All Scum is a savage bastard of an album. Hell, it’s one of the most refreshing things I’ve heard in a while. In an era when rawness and intentional underproduction are on the rise, this band is a cut above most. Grind your goddamn head in.
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