Originally published in ‘zine issue #41, 2010
by R. Mason
Agathocles Mince Core History 1996-1997
(Selfmadegod)
As the title suggests, the latest in the series of Agathocles Mince Core History compilations released by Selfmadegod covers the band’s usual slew of 7”es and LPs released between 1996 and 1997, and it’s more or less exactly what you’ve come to expect from the Belgian grind crew. While the mid-‘90s saw AG occasionally trying their hand at incorporating metallic crust and crude death metal elements, the core sound remains the same: a raw and effective (if typically sloppy) hybrid of troglodyte grind and raw hardcore. You should know by now if you’re interested in Agathocles’ brand of impassioned, hastily written/performed grind; if you fall on the “not interested” side of the fence, it’s extremely unlikely that anything on this disc will change your mind. While you have to really admire their unwavering dedication to DIY grindcore, when you’re as absolutely hellbent to commit every riff you’ve ever written to vinyl as Agathocles seem to be, you’re inevitably going to pay the price when it comes to the overall quality of your output, and subsequently there’s been a fair amount of Agathocles material over the years that simply does not merit repeated listens. Luckily, this latest entry into Selfmadegod’s series of Agathocles archives mostly avoids that, as it’s packed with fairly strong material across the board. To boot, the CD includes extensive and entertaining liner notes by Jan AG, and is a must-have for the AG completist. ■
Conquest Of Steel Storm Sword: Rise of the Dread Queen
(No Face)
As much as I love epic metal, this relatively boring stab at a power metal concept album misses the mark due to a ponderous lack of interesting riffs and extremely similar, repetitive mid-tempo parts that seem to crop up in every song. Despite the relative brevity of the tracks (most hover around the three-minute mark), Storm Sword sort of goes on and on without any real variation (aside from a few run-of-the-mill intro parts) and leaves you with the impression of a rather rushed affair. Bottom line: solid players, undeveloped songs. Stick with your Brocas Helm and Omen CDs. ■
Harpoon Double Gnarly/Triple Suicide
(Interloper)
When it comes to drum machine grindcore bands, these guys are no doubt among the elite with a debut album teeming with a seemingly endless barrage of solid, savage (and even occasionally tricky) riffing and a sick, buzzsaw guitar tone. Interesting: it sounds like they’re playing in standard tuning (or close to it), which not only keeps the riffs distinguishable, but also gives them a nice, thrashy vibe. The drum programming is top-notch, and unlike a lot of grind bands who employ drum machines, the machine doesn’t obscure the guitar riffs the moment the blasts kick in. It’s refreshing to hear a drum machine grind band so clearly committed to putting out such strong, well-thought-out material, and while Harpoon may not have much to offer aesthetically, I’ll take a nondescript album cover and lyrics any day over the played-out, pedestrian, “shocking” misogynist or gore lyrics so typical of drum machine grind bands. Harpoon are no doubt far superior to the XXX Maniaks of the world! Definitely worth checking out. ■
Under Pressure Come Clean
(Escape Artist)
Fuck yes!!! Do you remember Poison Idea? Under Pressure evidently does, and they’ve taken all of the tricks they picked up from their P.I. releases and other ‘80s hardcore classics to create a truly fucking killer hardcore album. Even more exceptionally, they manage to capture the vibe of Poison Idea without sounding blatantly derivative; make no mistake, Come Clean is not the hardcore equivalent of some dime-a-dozen retro-thrash band. The sincerity and intensity bleed through here, every track is honed to crushing precision—even the lyrics are thoughtful and interesting. Better yet, Under Pressure are smart enough to know how to get in, do their damage, and then get the fuck out while you’re still pulling your teeth outta the drywall. At just over 30 minutes, Come Clean is a compact, near-perfectly executed example that hardcore can still be amazingly, brutally vital. At the risk of sounding excessive hyperbolic, this is the best hardcore album I’ve heard in the last couple of years by a mile. ■
