Artist: Depression
Album: Dekade(nz)
Type: Album
Label: Bloodred Horizon Records

Upon pressing play on the new album from Germany's Depression, I was misled to believe that they may have changed their sound since I'd last come across them. The only material of theirs that I'd heard up until this was their gnarly 10 year anniversary compilation of early demo material 'Chronische Depression'. How wrong could I be? OK, so the epic symphonic intro really does sound out of place amongst the rest of the album, but I can forgive them once I’ve heard the pleasantly face-removing (over)dose of battering death/grind that these guys force down my throat for the remainder of the album. Depression aren't re-inventing the grindcore wheel, but they obviously enjoy what they do, as they do it convincingly well. While there's a good portion of fast paced stuff here, they do mix their sound up with slower, trundling death metal depth charges, as well the rare splashes of a vomit flecked Discharge styled hardcore if you listen hard enough (well, it is grind – what do you expect?). Stuff like the track 'Sailor' pretty much sums up their sound – an angry cross breed between early Napalm Death and Benediction, with pounding crust battered bass, vein popping growled and screamed vocals and the ever present chainsaw guitar that sounds like it's about to break through your speakers and spin clumsily towards your face.

It's incredible to think that this is the band's 20 year anniversary album. Fair play to the guys for never stopping playing what they believe in, plugging away with splits, demos and EPs (similarly to Agathocles I guess, but not quite on the insanely prolific level!). Strangely though, it seems that this is only considered to be the bands 3rd full length studio release (even though what is seen as their 'debut' was the aforementioned compilation of early material 'Chronische Depression' – it's all rather confusing).

Whilst not likely to become a world leader in either the death metal or grind scenes, these heavyweights certainly hold their own amongst the fresh faced upstarts and fellow old farts alike.

http://www.myspace.com/depressiongrind
http://www.depression-grind.de/