Anaal Nathrakh - Passion

Homemade, DIY bands are becoming increasingly popular, but finding one of any significant value is almost impossible, as nowadays any old turd with a guitar and ProTools can make "music" while taking a shit. Bands like Cloudkicker and Agoraphobic Nosebleed have mastered the craft of "bedroom metal", but no one does it quite as ferociously and epically as Anaal Nathrakh. This necrotizing duo of esoteric filth are still leading the pack of grind infused black metal, and their sixth offering, Passion, is definitely no exception.

Despise You/Agoraphobic Nosebleed - And On And On...

This brand new split EP has been highly anticipated by nearly everyone familiar with grindcore. It features undeniable titans of the genre Agoraphobic Nosebleed and one of the originators Despise You. Apparently, this is the first new material from Despise You in over ten years, which is exciting, except I had never heard them before this release and was honestly more excited for new ANb material. Regardless of my familiarity (or lack thereof) with 50% of this split, 100% of it rules, and I'm definitely glad I gave it a shot.

Feastem - Fear In Concrete

It's rare that I come across a relatively new grindcore band that truly blows me away. That's not to say that I don't like and support up and coming bands, but most that I find are good and not great; they don't stand out from the pack if you will. Feastem, on the other hand, are definitely not one of those bands. Sure, they're not doing anything groundbreaking here, but their style of old school crust and grind is executed perfectly, and it's utterly palpable. And they're from Finland, too. Home of fellow grinders Rotten Sound. So yeah...

Rotten Sound - Cursed

With a career spanning nearly 20 years, Rotten Sound are a force to be reckoned with in the field of grindology. As much as I love grindcore in all its forms--good or bad, long or short, fast or slow--almost no band in the scene plays with as much heart and ingenuity as these Finnish grindologists. From their blisteringly fast less-than-a-minute songs to their sludgeified grind epics, every release offers up something new and refreshing and Cursed is far from an exception.

Benighted - Asylum Cave

What do you think of when you think of France? Baguettes, croissants, other breaded pastries? Well now you can add brutality and musical innovation to that list as well. The French are some seriously crazy and creative dudes when it comes to metal. The country's been churning out some of the best metal acts in years with the likes of Gojira, Gorod, Kronos, and of course BENIGHTED!