Magrudergrind
II
Relapse Records
Release Date: 12 February 2016
Review by Alex Sievers
Ah, Magrudergrind, you insane bastards – how I’ve missed you.
This grind-power violence-crust outfit is back for their first new album in over six years (essentially a lifetime in the music biz nowadays), and it goes by the simple name of II. And sweet mother of eight titted Mary, this record is the very definition of crazy.
Fast and unrelenting in its tempos and rhythms, ferocious and punchy in it’s instrumental delivery, raw and beautifully chaotic in its mix and soundscape. This 15-track album flies you by in about 20 glorious, cacophonous minutes. And that’s exactly how I love my crust-punk-grind-power violence-whatever the f*ck you want to call this style of music.
The hallowed screams of Avi Kulawy, the crunchy bass tones and head carving low end, the harsh surging guitars, and the break neck drumming, all confirm that Magrudergrind are really just the new age version of Converge (but with a vocalist that can still scream) Hence why Converge’s guitarist, Kurt Ballou produced this album, and that extra knowledge and skillset in the production department really shows, especially when you go back through their discography and you come to realise that potatoes must have been used to record those releases.
Seriously people, chaos has never sounded so damn good.
However, while I really, really like this record, it isn’t perfect by any means. See, I feel that II is not quite as eccentric or as memorable as their last record, their ridiculously insane self-titled beast, and ultimately that’s probably the better record of the two here but II is seriously solid effort no matter how you spin or turn it.
