It’s Monday and Mondays suck, so let’s grind it out with Grind of the Dead’s No Lives Matter.
If it seems like the title is topical, and it is, remember that the whole anti-human stance has been around longer than the phrase itself. And if the phrase offends you or some bullshit, well, no one cares. This is an album with a bone to pick, an ax to grind and is ready to make some heads fly.
Some of you might remember Grind of the Dead from their 2005 stint, before going on hiatus for ten years. Some of you might remember them from their 2015 combeback, 40-track release Pussy Jamz. Things have changed a lot in these last two years. The band has gotten darker and the music way more pissed off. No Lives Matter is a slice of grind that has no pity or remorse for anyone or anything.
The album kicks off with “Death March” and the famous Jim Jones speech, “If we can’t live in peace, then let’s die in peace.” You’ve heard it used by Magrudergrind, Rotten Sound, Tech N9ne and others. It always sets the mood. The feedback kicks up and sustains. Then Alex “King Grindfuck” Aro’s scream belts on and the album is on full blast.
No Lives Matter is loud. When this album gets its aggression on, it starts to sound like it’s pounding from inside an oil drum. The very first beats of “Shit Planet” are like a sampling of the aural beating before really getting into the track. The piece kicks up the abuse and then gets choppy. However, it’s a moody little bass piece that really cranks up the heaviness on that one.
Loud and relentlessly abrasive as No Lives Matter is, the album is dark and cold feeling. Like it was recorded in the middle of a forest in winter. There’s a hollow, heaviness to it all that magnifies the intensity. The breakdown of “The Teeth of Consequence” is a mosh pit openers that’s just looking for a fight. Meanwhile, “Suburban Tombs” gets brutally deathgrinding at points, but still brings the heavier chug-a-chug into the fold.
It’s the track “Somewhat Damaged” that might be the most menacing though. A thick bass line brings in the track for a bit before the vocals crawl on. It’s not a fast track. It gets heavy, but it remains low and pissed. It’s the kind of song that stalks you. It breaks up the album perfectly while keeping things threatening.
Grind of the Dead has indeed changed, and for the darker. No Lives Matter is cold and deadly serious. Not to mention it goes out on a Heaven’s Gate quote, so suicide cults for the win. The album was recorded all on a single track in order to give it a more cohesive feel, and it shows. All in all, this album is an ass-kicking, misanthropic, nihilistic rager. If you already know it’s going to be a shitty Monday, strap yourself in and get grinding.
Upcoming Shows:
August 4th, Bungalow Bar, Manchester, NH w/ Parasitic Ejaculation, Party Cannon, Torturous Inception, Crepitation & more.
September 19th, DJ's Garage, Orrington, ME w/ Today Is The Day
