Scorched - Ecliptic Butchery (2018)

Second release this year (Here's my review of their first) but first album for Scorched. Ecliptic Butchery is confirming how good they are for doing the old school death metal thing (with a strong slayeresque trashy feel). If you're in need of blast beats, sick solos, and headbanging inducing putrid riffing look no further. Really cool album.

The BC page.

Hank von Hell - Egomania (2018)

Egomania is the first album from Hank von Hell who used to be Turbonegro's singer as Hank von Helvete (Helvete is Norwegian for Hell). It's fun and feel good hard rock in pure Turbonegro style, no surprise for sure, but who would complain since it's so good?
A convincing comme back!
Turbonegro with Hank von Helvete was good of course but now  in 2018 we have a good album from Turbonegro ("Rock'n'roll machine") and a good Hank von Hell album, "Egomania", so everything is good and well. Double fun double rock'n'roll!

Hank von Hell website

Husmanskost - Solstice (EP 2018)

If you read my list of favourite grindcore released this year (HERE is the list) you found there the latest album from Husmanskost called "Ambi-valence". They end a really good year with this EP called Solstice. The four songs of this EP sound like a death metal turn (we're talking about good old school death metal here), the grind roots are kept but the band on these tracks sounds more death-grind than grind-punk, in this they push further a trend that was already heard in their latest album. And why not? Since the quality is still definitely there I don't mind. If this is just a try for this EP it's ok, if this is their new direction, it's ok as well.
Another enjoyable release from Husmanskost.


The promovid on Youtube

Favourite grindcore in 2018

Here's for you my list of favourite grind released in 2018, whoohoo, and in time for Festivus/Saturnalia! hooray!

16 releases from some bands that already had been on one of my best grind list (like Sissy Spacek, Six Brew Bantha, Warfuck, Husmaskost, Beaten to Death), and from new bands or newcomers in my grind lists as well

I give it in alphabetical order.
Clik on the link to read my review (and there find the BC page link most of the time).

Feel free to comment, suggestions will be welcome.


Abjured – Absolutist

Beaten to Death - Agronomicon

Bifid Corpse – Enter the Corpse

CrippleBastards – La Fine Cresce Da Dentro

Deathgrave– So Real its Now

 

Facada– Quebrante

Hordur– Hubris

Husmanskost– Ambi-Valence

Maggot Cave – st EP 

Napalm Ted – Mouthfull

Ramuh – Glowing Civilization

Repulsione – Desecrating

SissySpacek – Ways of Confusion

SixBrew Bantha – Blight

The Atrocity Exhibit – Exctinction Solution

Transient + Bastard Noise  – Sources of Human Satisfaction

Warfuck – This was supposed to be fun

Cripple Bastards - La Fine Cresce Da Dentro (2018)

Oh shit, I love Cripple Bastards and alwats expect great stuff from them, but witht their new album they managed to impress me, La Fine Cresce Da Dentro, is even better than what I expected. In this 7th album, after 30 years of grindcore, they managed to do more catchy, and even, yes, more melodic(!), songs  while maintaining their level of speed and relentless aggression. there was already a bit of that in the previous one, they just pushed it a bit further. It's surprising but it's working really well. A great album!

The BC page.

Majestic Mass - Savage Empire of Death (2018)

Majestic Mass and their first release Savage Empire of Death is another good find from caligari Records. Their garage speed metal sound a bit like a mix of Venom and The Lords of Altamont. Evil and Fun rocking. Yeah!

The Bandcamp page.

Operant - Harnessed to Flesh (2018)

Operant is a duo from Berlin and Harnessed to Flesh is their third EP (and third release), all on Instruments of Discipine (a good tech/noise label, also based in Berlin). Their music combines rythmic noise, power electronic and industrial techno, with various dosage in the different tracks, and they do it very well wether it's more noisy, more beats driven, with or witout voice/synths, etc. Dark and abrasive. Good stuff.

The BC page.

Maggot Cave - EP (2018)

This EP is the first release of the grinders from Sydney Maggot Cave (with at least one guy who was in the excellent Thedowngoing). This is old school raw grindcore, of a kind I really like and it's really done well, simple but hitting all the targets. So what's not to like? I'm sure most grinders will enjoy it as much as I do. Also I'm pleased to discover this new band and will follow closely what they will release next.

The BC page.

Exocrine - Molten Giant (2018)

All the praises this album is receiving is deserved. Molten Giant, released with Unique Leader records is the third, and best album of the French Exocrine. This is high quality brutal and technical death metal, somewhere between Morbid Angel and Obscura. Not only good riffing and grooves and nice leads but also well-written memorable songs that are catchy yet brutal. Really good stuff.

The Bandcamp page.

Christian Kjellvander - Wild Hxmans (2018)

This one's quite different from what I usually review on Blasting Days, but so far it's the album that made the strongest impression on me this year. Really. Christian Kjellvander (from Sweden) already impressed me a lot, that was with his first album "Songs from a Two-Room Chapel" back in 2002, but then I was disapointed by his second album (although it's good, but after the tour de force of the first I had big expectations), and I lost track of him. Until I listened to his new album "Wild Hxmans", and whoah! it's maybe even better than "Songs from a Two-Room Chapel", excellent folk-americana with a great voice and vibrant atmospheres. But with "Wild Hxmans" it feels like the music is given another dimension with some brilliant parts that are exploring new directions that could maybe be described as embracing some post-rock/free-rock elements. The music gets heavier, trippier, stronger. (from my exploration on Bandcamp of what he released between his second and latest album those elements are starting to appear on the previous album "A Village : Natural Lights".)
Wild Hxmans is an awesome album and I can't recommend it too much.

The Bandcamp page

Transient + Bastard Noise - Sources of Human Satisfaction (2018)

The idea of combining grind and noise is sure a good idea, but too often the result isn't so spectacular and sometimes it sounds a bit like a gimmick, not adding much. But no worry with Sources of Human Satisfaction, the album resulting of the collaboration between Portland's Transient and Bastard Noise (Eric Wood). I knew both before this album and thought they were ok, but not so exciting. So I expected something ok but not special and I've been really taken off guard. Yes this album is especially good, with twists and turns and all the intensity needed, the collaboration worked excellently. I enjoy it a lot and sure will go back to it many times. Among the best grind / hardcore albums this year.

The BC page

The Cosmic Dead - Psych is Dead (2017)

The Cosmic Dead is a Scottish band and a grand purveyor of quality psych rock. Their latest album Psych is Dead is quite different than the previous one Rainbowhead, it's slower, darker and noisier, which can't really be wrong isn't it? (altough I have to say Rainbowhead was a really album as well). Psychis is Dead is three long tracks with long quiet trippy parts alternating with heavy and noisy parts, The Cosmic Dead showing they're also good at being harsh and aggressive if they want to. Good stuff.

The BC page.

Soul Assassins (DJ Muggs) - Dia Del Asesinato (2018)

DJ Muggs is back (never really left actually, but...), not only with a new Cypress Hill album but also with another Soul Assassins album which means an album produced by Muggs with various MCs collaborating. Dia Del Asesinato is twelve tracks of typical DJ Muggs sound, old-school and dark and the MCs are high class, especially you have Kool G Rap on a track and Raekwon and MF Doom on two tracks. No wonder the overall result is really solid and enjoyable. Another excellent album from DJ Muggs.

The Atrocity Exhibit - Exctinction Solution (2018)

The Atrocity Exhibit is a band from UK activz since 2010 with a few releases and here's the new one called Exctinction Solution (released with Wooaaaargh). What they do is old school grind-punk with an obvious Napalm Death influence (which is ansolutely ok, and moreso when the result is so good!). Adequate production (clear enough, grind enough), good drumming, riffing and songwriting makes really good and catchy grind songs and an excellent album that will very probably take place among my best of grind releases for 2018. Fellow grind lovers, I warmly recommend it to you!

The BC page.

La Muerte - La Muerte (2018)

La Muerte is a Belgian band that released five albums from 1983 to 1994 and are now back with a new, self titled, new album. Honestly I  didn't knew about their old albums but I will definitley try to find it since the new one is so awesome. Their music is an excellent kind of le'ts say "heavy garage noise rock", sounding like somewhere between Entombed, The Stooges and Unsane. sounds good eh? well, they do it even better than what you can expect. Super strong and addictive stuff.

their webpage on the Mottow Soundz website.

Skinless- Savagery (2018)

Savagery is the sixth album from skinless, still on Relapse. Their death metal is not one where what matters is the atmosphere, no, they're all about the brutality, the heaviness and the groove and their excellent songwriting skills is at it best for combining both, brutality and groove, to make memorable songs. Savage indeed... and the way I like it. Excellent album.

The BC page.

Oltretomba - L'Ouverture des fosses (2018)

This one's definitely scary enough for the Halloween night. Oltretomba is a funeral doom band from Marseille (France) and on their new album L'Ouverture des fosses (with the really good Caligari records) they excell at crafting horrific and mystical atmospheres, and they're doing it in an unusual way, not exactly avant-garde but different and weird, and in a good way. Really strong and interesting stuff.

The Bandcamp page.

Ancient Lights - Ancient Lights (2018)

Ancient Lights is a doom trio formed by Adam Richardson (11 Paranoias, Ramesses), Ben Carr (5ive, INTRCPTR), and Tim Bertilsson (Switchblade), they released this year, with Ritual Productions, their first, self-titled album. Their doom is of the slow, mostly instrumental, quiet and psychedelic kind, not really heavy (ok, sometimes it is actually! heavy feedback droning guitars), not really groovy, but highly trippy and hypnotic, closer to Bong or Earth than to Blask Sab' or Electic Wizard. It also sound more original than most psychedelic doom album, sometimes sounding a bit like post-rock or shoegaze played with a doom rhythm section. Maybe it's just because their molodies are not just the usual recycling of Sabbath riffs. Anyway it's an excellent album you'll enjoy getting lost into.
Recommended!

The Bandcamp page.

Chiens / Dead Instrument / Whoresnation split (2017)

This is a split between three bands I like, Chiens and Whoresnation from France, and Dead Instrument from Denmark, and I'm not disapointed by the results, each bands proposing tracks of the quality we could hope. Chiens and Whoresnation are more on the old school grind punk side of grind whereas Dead Instrument have a more modern sound and are more relentlessly fast. One thing worth noticing on this split release is that it's not one band then another then the third but the tracks are in mixed order and there's never two tracks of the same band in a row, and I'd say it works well. It's a really good split split with really good bands and I really recommend it. It's released by I Feel Good records, Amertume, Bones Brigade, and Everyday Hate.

The BC page.

Coffin Sore - Vile Gut Hell (2018)

Coffin Sore is a US one man band with machine drum (at least it sound like it is), Vile Gut Hell is its first album released in january 2018 (another good one followed in march).  It is an interesting combination, with a bit of slam but also death-doom parts, the common denominator being the heavy groove. With also an horrific atmosphere with the machine drum adding to the cold and inhuman feel. Good stuff.

The BC page.

Author & Punisher - Beastland (2018)

Beastland, the sixth album from Author & Punisher (the first on Relapse) sounds quite similar to Melk En Honing, with also those melodies shining through the industrial sound. Is that a problem? not really because Tritan Shone is really good at doing this and it results in another great album. But still I expected more change, maybe a subtle addition of some new elements and I feel slightly disappointed it's not really there. But maybe next album will be more surprising, and for the moment I'm happy to have this new excellent album for A & P to enjoy.

The BC page.

Gas Chamber / D.O.C - split7'' (2017)

This excellent split released last year is sadly the last release from Gas Chamber which doesn't exist anymore. They were one of the most original and brilliant hardcore bands and we could say that in a way they did to powerviolence what Refused did to hardcore. These four short songs are another testimony of that (those basslines are awesome!)

Disciples of Christ (who I hope are still active!) is another excellent band, more brutal and grindpunk, they are more traditionnal but they are really good at what they do and their four songs on this split are also really good.

Highly recommended split!

The BC page.

Systemik Viølence - Anarquia​-​Violência (EP 2018)

Anarquia​-​Violência is the EP released this year by the Portugese Systemik Viølence, a band that is taking the d-beat / crust punk scene by storm since 2016, delivering it at its rawest and doing it the way it should, with all the reckless energy and rage needed, using the potential of the style for maximum effects. This EP is thirteen minutes of pure wild raw punk excellency.

The BC page.

Iron Lamb - Blue Haze (2018)

Blue Haze is Iron Lamb third album, another one filled with excellent hard rock sounding half Motörhead half Swedish hard rock (Turbonegro, Glucifer, etc.) with a good balance between all out straight forward rocking and some more melodic songs. I guess you already know by now if it could be your kind of stuff, my advice is, go for it!

The Bandcamp page.

Peter Brötzmann & Heather Leigh - Crowmoon (2018)

For some time I was thinking about reviewing a Peter Brötzmann album (if you don't know him he's one of the most important European free jazz musician, a saxophonist), I had to do it, he's among my favourite musicians, but wasn't decided about which one to review (he's releasing many albums, in studio and live). This one convinced me. It's called Crowmoon and released this year, it's a collaboration (he's doing collaborations most of the time) with a pedal steel guitar player called Heather Leigh. it's a one hour long track but a diverse and immersive enough experience to keep your attention. The pedal steel guitar, quite unusual in a free jazz context, is doing mostly drone/atmosphere building while Brötzmann is providing his famous powerfull sax blowing but also shows how good he's also at playing it more quiet, how a complete musician he is. I really enjoy this one. If you wanna try one of his recents releases, I recommend it.

 

Husmanskost - Ambi-Valence (2018)

Ambi-Valence is the third Husmanskost album  and this time again they improved on the previous one. Their old school grindpunk is even more catchy and straight to the point, stripped of all unecessary stuff like sample intros and with a bigger dose of heavier thrashy mid tempos parts letting you breath between the blast/d-beats. They also added a few more melodic riffs and choruses, a bit like in neocrust or in Nasum, and it works well.  Ambi-Valence is a really enjoyable album that is doing well everything I like in grindpunk. Like their previous one this album is among my favourites grind albums of the year. Highly recommended!

The BC page. 

Cognitive Dissonance video

HØRDÜR - Hubris (2018)

HØRDÜR is a new French grind band, and Hubris (released by the also new, good, and French grind label LIXIVIAT Records) is their first album. They play some old school grind, raw and simple, with a drumming alternating d-beats and blasts and some riffing with some neocrust and black metal kind of melodies (this is not super melodic as you guess, but I mean this is this kind of riffs...). They are good at doing it and if you like the more old school and punkish kind of grind you will very likely enjoy this album. I do!

The BC page 

their LIXIVIAT Records page

Oxygen Destroyer - Bestial Manifestations of Malevolence and Death (2018)

Bestial Manifestation of Malevolence and Death is the first album of Oxygen Destroyer from seattle. But what they play is not really US style, their old school thrashy death metal reminds mostly Vader, and also the South-America black/death/trash scene, with also a modern touch with hyperblast drumming to speed up things even more. It's a style of death metal I like very much and since they do it really well, with excellent riffing, drumming and songwriting skills, it makes an album I enjoy a lot.  I will listen to it many times with pleasure. Highly recommended!

The Bandcamp page.

H880 - Self-Perception (2018)

H880 is a French producer that combines his techno beats and industrial/noise/dark ambient music. His new album Self-Perception (with the good German label Instruments of discipline) is another testimony of his skills at producing that mix with some more straight-forward beats driven tracks and some more ambient ones. I especially likes how he discreetly adds eerie unsettling sounds here and there, like it's coming from a great distance, from some forgotten memories or from deep under water, to contribute to his mysterious and dark atmospheres. Good stuff.

The BC page.

The Icarus Line - All Things Under Heaven (2015)

I really should have reviewed All Things Under Heaven back in 2015 because it's awesome. This latest The Icarus Line album carries on the wake of The Stooges (the rocking parts but also the most trippy noisy parts with saxophones), and reminds also a bit Destruction Unit and even Brainbombs. A beautifull psychedelic and noisy garage rock masterpiece. Possibly their best one after Penance Soirée.

Their website.

Napalm Ted - Mouthfull (2018)

Napalm Ted is a Finnish grind trio and Mouthfull is their new cassette (9 songs for a bit more than 20 minutes). This is grindcore with some death/gore elements. Everything is well executed and they're quite good at writing dynamic and catchy songs. cool stuff!

The BC page

Uniform - The Long Walk (2018)

Last year the first Uniform album made it to my favourite albums of the year list. The Long Walk, their second one, is just following the same way. It just take you to the guts and doesn't let you go, I listen to it every day and each time I like it more. How does it sounds? perfect indus/noise metal, with an immersive sound, but also catchy riffing and impressive vocals. Everything is excellent. What's new since the first album? Unlike the first album all the drumming is not programmed, just some parts, Greg fox (drummer for Liturgy, Ex Eye, etc.) has been added to the band and so there's a more live feel and dynamism to the songs. I had no problem about their digital only drumming, but I think it's now indeed even better. I very highly recommend this album. Awesome stuff!

The BC page.

Parasight - At Leve Som Hvis Der Var Et Håb (2018)

Second album from the danish punks Parasight, called At Leve Som Hvis Der Var Et Håb, this is pure neocrust with all it's clichés but this time again (you can read HERE my review of their first album) it is excellent, their two albums posing them as one of the very best recent bands in that style.

The BC page

Dopethrone - Transcanadian Anger (2018)

Transcanadian Anger is the fifth album in ten years for Dopethrone from Montréal (as you guessed / know they like early Electric Wizard yes. oh and Darkthrone too, but it's less evident in the music). They take you on another journey in dirty and thick stoner/doom territory, filled with heavy groovy riffs. The sludge/black metal vocals fits well the miserabilist atmosphere of their music.
Compared to their previous albums nothing new but they maintain their high quality level.

The Bandcamp page.

Infuriate - Infuriate (2018)

Infuriate is the first and self-titled album of the eponymous band from Texas. This is a solid brutal death metal album that is rooted is the US death metal tradition but is also up to today's level of technical play. Nothing super special but  an enjoyable death metal album that can appeal to many. I'll be checking their future albums as well.

The Bandcamp page.

Facada - Quebrante (2018)

Brazilian grind band Facada is a band I follow since a few years now (but they started fifteen years ago) but this new album, Quebrante, their fourth one, is making a stronger impression on me, the other ones were good, but, I don't know, maybe this one is just better, or maybe my mood these days is more connected to their music. Anyway this is some really good old school grind and i enjoy it, and I suggest you do the same.

Night Verses - From the Gallery of Sleep (2018)

This one sounds cleaner and clearer than most of what I review here, but I enjoy this album and you could do as well. Night Verses is a band from LA and they released this year a great first album called From the Gallery of Sleep. Their music is instrumental post-rock / progressive metal, a bit technical but more about the atmosphere and songwriting. The guitar play reminds me a bit of Omar Rodriguez Lopez (At the Drive-In, The Mars Volta). Well written and well executed music, a really good album.

The Bandcamp page.

Shitstorm - Split 7'' with Radiation (2016)

I noticed just recently that the mighty Shitstorm from Miami released in 2016 their latest stuff, a split with Radiation, 7 songs in 6 minutes of super heavy grindcore (a bit like Cellgraft, also from Miami used to do). Draws from Napalm Death, but focusing on the faster and more brutal side (while keeping the punk feel).
Grindcore as it should be done, in my opinion. I can listen to it many times a day.
Heavily recommended.

As for the Radiation side, I just don't know, it's not online. I suppose it's ok...

The BC page for the Shitstorm side.

Ramuh - Glowing Civilization (2018)

Ramuh is a new grind band with Mauro Cordoba (Maruta) on guitar, Dylan Walker (Full of Hell) on vocals and Balázs Pándi (well known in the undrground noise/drum&bass/experimental scene, played with Merzbow, J.K Broadrick, Bill Laswell, Venetian Snares, Zu, etc.) on drums. As expected this EP (on the excellent Nerve Altar label) called  Glowing Civilization is not completely traditionnal grind but it's more straightforward than Maruta or what Balázs Pándi usually does. Fast and technical but keeping the simple intensity of grind in those 7 tracks played in 6 minutes. Good stuff.

The BC page.

Dead Neanderthals - Womb of God (2017)

Dead Neanderthals are experimenting a lot with different collaborations and different style but this time the core duo of DN (René Aquarius on drums and Otto Kokke on sax) are joined by one of their regular collaborators Colin Webster (on sax, he often takes parts in other various free jazz/noise projects) and with Womb of God they are not far from what is the basis of their music : droning and howling sax and hard beating drums. I won't complain since it's among their bests albums I think. This time they stessed the hypnotic, repetitive, droning side of their music and they really managed on those two tracks to slowly build a mesmerising trance that progressively get more frenetic and harder and culminate in a wild climax. Strong "psychedelic ritualistic" side effects, powerfull noise magic operating. you've been warned. Obviously not for everyone but I love it.

The BC page.

Deathgrave - So Real its Now (2018)

So Real its Now is the excellent first album (released with Tankcrimes) from Californians Deathgrave. Their deathgrind, taking from the Carcass school is really well done, brutal and groovy and the death/doom/sludge parts are also good, with some nice slow, dirty and heavy riffing. It's a really enjoyable album and I'm glad I discovered them. A new band to follow for deathgrind aficionados.

The BC page.