The words 'Progressive' and 'Grindcore' aren't often seen used together, but I can't think of how else really to sum up the sound coming out of my stereo's speakers. What I can hear is something that not only has the ambition and clarity of a Dimmu Borgir release, but stays true to the manifesto of a band like Nasum, while also being chocked full with plenty of tricks and tempo changes to either really hook you or just alienate you completely!
This is a release that dissects the past and present of its own genre before re-constructing it according to its monstrous future vision. From the moment you hear the fading-in intro '2012' you know that this isn't just the regular Grind tenet, and as you quickly progress through the track list, every trick the band pulls from up their sleeve hammers it home (the song 'Culture Shocked' features a brief appearence from a ukulele for Grind's sake!).
The album easily flows from Hardcore Punk to pseudo-Symphonic Black Metal and straddles nearly everything else in-between through it's sixteen tracks – all of which are exclamation points on an eight year journey to this release. But despite all this going on you still remain satisfied in the knowledge that you have, within the maelstrom, a fundamentally good Grindcore band. A band that despite all the grooves and hooks, are still straight to the point and no-nonsense at heart.
The album's opener 'Learn The Hard Way' is a sinister Napalm Death-a-like track that, as soon as it grabs you, melts into the Death Metal assault of 'Leave This Place' which same as before cuts you off, this time in favour of the swagger of 'IVth Time Lucky'. The progressive metal riff of 'Square One' all too soon is cast aside for the demented torrent of 'Delusional Patriotism' and after the next three-and-a-half minutes that encompass the afore mentioned 'Culture Shocked' and hammering 'Blue Blood' you’re halfway through with just as much variety yet to come.
Each track on the disc, despite being mixed as an album, works as a standalone offering, which does give it a strange “Hi, check out our portfolio!” vibe – especially as the album's final track, and crowning glory 'Past Six Years' is an eight minute slice of melodic death metal that would seduce any fan of Dark Tranquillity. But it is a forgiveable side-effect considering there is nearly a decade's worth of crafting at work here, but it is work that still needs to become sharper in it's focus if the band want to stand any chance of reaching the heights their ambitions are aiming for (and not get lost in the mass of interesting extreme metal bands nobody has heard of).
http://www.brainchoke.co.uk
http://www.myspace.com/brainchoke
