Oh shit, this is nice. Grindfest from Poland keeps popping sick Cds like a fat rabbit milady. Holland’s masters Intumescence collect here 6 years of insane sludgy goregrind (of which admittedly a good part are live tracks). Total respect for their choice of covers (Carcass, Exulceration and Dead Infection, the fourth one is by that super shit gay band called goatsnake – no capital letters for this fags, this shit is so fucking trendy today), which are pretty explicative of the kind of grind they offer, a kind of goregrind with an imprint which it seems has been forgotten nowadays, a work of a real band with real drums and a honestly sewage sound – not studied beforehand to sound vintage at all costs, you know, shit like Striborg etc. The vocals here are a grume of blood and spittle, deep and sticky of yellowish phlegm, the sound super-low and grating, almost in the vein of Carnival of Carnage even if not THAT noisy. I like the fact that the guitarwork too is not crusty or rock’n’rollish either, the riffs are totally unmelodic and twisted, even if quite simple. I got a bit bored of all this happy party sludge grind for east Euoropean post-festivals: this stiff is really sick and disharmonic, as grindcore used to be in the beginning, and I mean late eighties. Even the live tracks have their own fascination, not particularly worse sounding than the “studio” tracks. The sound manages to stay thick, and the whole thing reeks of mold and shit, absolutely cool. Good blasting and goregurgling like this genre is meant to be. Full thumb up for me. Buy or die etc etc. The packaging is the only kind of weak spot, difficult to read, and quite basic, just song titles and little else, with paper a bit too thin to stay rigid in the booklet, but otherwise not real terrible after all. We need more goregrind like this.

• Japan’s Amputated Vein records has planned two new releases out today! Malodorous‘ “Amarathine Redolence” and Vulvectomy‘s “Putrescent Clitoral Fermentation”. Get this stuff straight from the label.
• Earache has just released a deluxe version of Napalm Death’s classic “Utopia Banished”. Don’t ask me, I prefer the first two (as usual) but that was a great album nonetheless.  Comes with an extra DVD!
•  Brutal truth is recording a new 7″ for bones brigade. A limited amount will be printed on white vinyl (300 copies). The title is “Machine Part +4”

The vinyl factory initially told me that it would take just 3 weeks to prepare the records once they got the layout material. However I got a message from them right yesterday (one month after they got it ALL – material and money) that it will take one more moth before the records are delivered that makes 2 months in my world. Whatever. Prepare to see the Ep out in mid September (hoping they are doing it all straight – I had two specific requests for the layout).

Just got back from Hamburg and the Sadistic Intent show. Needless to say it was one of the best shows I have ever seen in my life. The air was charged with the vibrations of DEATH. I also managed to meet ad drink along with Jeff Becerra of Possessed, an hero of my childhood. It was great to see a Death Metal warrior still 100% into extreme metal after all these years. Long live the king.

I am discussing with Will Rahmer the possibility to start an Italian chapter of the NYDM brotherhood. Italian guys interested please get in touch for more details.

A new issue of Necromaniac ‘zine has finally been released – I stock a few copies in my own shop for those interested – real good zine with interview with killer bands.

Hacker (ex-Unholy Terror) started a label called OBSCURE DOMAIN – its new release Headhunter DC “Spreading God’s Cancer” is out now. Get it damn!!!

• Grindfest production just released a cool 3″ Cd by bulldozer noisegoregrind masters Carnival of Carnage. The Cd comes with a 4 full color page booklet. Longsleeves are also available from Urethra rex. Price for the Cd is 4.50 euros plus shipping.

• Antaeus/Aosoth out now on Battlesk’rs productions. Includes some rare tracks from Antaeus including live shit.
• Power It Up released a collection of old Haemorrhage singles (see review), also from the same label out soon a double Cd from Mesrine, 16 tracks with real lyrics (the band just barfed nonsense before this album) plus 21 tracks taken from a live performance at the “Giants of Grind” gig.
• Abacinate/God Rot split Cd from New York ad New Jersey out now on Epitomite productions.

I have realized that for the most part, I am so slow at writing reviews becouse most of the albums I have in queue are either terribly ordinary – or worse. Of course having a fanzine has its own share of fun, but also some responsabilities. I cannot just thrash all the mediocre stuff and review only the coolest. But yet I decided to give it a small turn. When I am not in a mood for new music, I’ll just review some old item from the past. After all there are plenty of forums and webzines around if you need informations on a recently released album. Of course I will still do my hoeworks and give a shot at all the promo material I have, but since there are so many good releases and bands around today – why not listening to them instead of *insert name of a random east-european grindcore band with Czech name here*.

Let’s face it, the “old school Death Metal” trend is just that, a trend. But a trend that is giving birth to a lot of extremely cool bands, like the new Tribulation, Degial, Vomination, Crucifire etc. Just like the Sarcofago/Hellhammer trend of 6-7 years ago brought us Goat Semen, Rites of thy Degringolade or Levifer. These are trends I support eh eh.

Back on us, more old school shit to follow, and at last some interviews as well. Let’s give this fanzine a REAL face.