Grindcore
| Grindcore | |
|---|---|
| Stylistic origins | Crossover thrash - Crust punk - Thrashcore - D-beat |
| Cultural origins | Mid-1980s England. |
| Typical instruments | Guitar - Bass guitar - Drums |
| Derivative forms | Powerviolence |
| Subgenres | |
| Noisegrind - Goregrind - Pornogrind | |
| Fusion genres | |
| Deathgrind - Cybergrind | |
| Regional scenes | |
| England - United States - Japan - Netherlands - Germany - Brazil - Scandinavia | |
Grindcore, often shortened to grind, is an evolution of hardcore punk, most commonly associated with death metal and crust punk. Grindcore is characterized by heavily distorted, down-tuned guitars, blastbeats, hardcore punk and crossover thrash influenced riffing, short songs, and a vocal style consisting of growls and higher-pitched vocals, often similar to those found in black metal. Lyrical concepts range from social and political issues to gore and horror to humor.
Historical roots and influences
The genre was pioneered during the mid-1980s in the United Kingdom by bands such as Napalm Death and Sore Throat, the name "grindcore" having actually being coined by Napalm Death's drummer Mick Harris, though its roots are in American hardcore punk and hardcore punk influenced heavy metal bands, such as Siege, D.R.I., Deep Wound, and Repulsion.
Many of these early bands were seen by their contemporaries as part of the anarcho-punk and hardcore punk scenes, as many anarcho-punk and peace punk bands in England and hardcore punk bands in the United States had already incorporated elements of metal into their music. Many of these early bands were, and still are, obscure. For instance, the hardcore punk band Siege only released one do-it-yourself demo entitled Drop Dead, and Repulsion was posthumously exposed to the world in 1989 through the album Horrified, which was released in Europe through Carcass-owned Necrosis Records, despite having originally been recorded in 1987.
Influence
Grindcore, while remaining an underground phenomenon, has had a significant influence on other genres of music. This can be heard in the recent explosion of mathcore bands, such as Daughters and The Dillinger Escape Plan, making use of grindcore elements, which is a direct result of Brutal Truth's and Discordance Axis' later, more experimental material. This new metalcore/grindcore hybrid has created a divide, with many death metal, hardcore punk, and grindcore fans claiming the genre does not represent grindcore's simplicity or punk ideologies and bears little similarity to "true grindcore," while metalcore fans disagree, arguing the genre is an evolution of grindcore. Grindcore's influence can also be heard in death metal, with deathgrind and grindcore-influenced death metal bands being as common as traditional grindcore and death metal groups. Brutal Truth, as well as Assück, are considered pioneers of the deathgrind sound.
Microsongs
One well-known characteristic of grindcore and related genres is the "microsong;" songs lasting seconds. Clocking in at just over one second long, the Napalm Death song "You Suffer" is often credited as being the shortest song ever. In 2001, the Guinness Book Of World Records awarded Brutal Truth the record for "Shortest Music Video" for 1994's "Collateral Damage." However, others, such as the Cripple Bastards on their demo 94 Flashback di un Massacro and Agoraphobic Nosebleed on their 3" CD/10" LP Altered States of America, have taken this aesthetic to even greater extremes. Altered States of America contains 100 songs, with song length ranging from four seconds to, at most, one minute, adding up to a total play time of about 20 to 30 minutes. American grindcore band Anal Cunt, a project of Seth Putnam, has recorded an album entitled 5643 Song EP, an EP which contains 5643 "songs" in less than 15 minutes by way of creative multitracking and recording processes.THE BAT BOY INSPIRES US ALL EVERY DAY BUT TO SOME GRINDCORE GLADIATORS IT WAS MORE THEN INSPIRATION THAT FAIR WEATHERED NIGHT. A JOURNALIST FROM THE NEWS PAPER OF WEEKLY WORLD NEWS, THE PAPER WHO REVIELED BAT BOY TO US ALL, GOT A CHANCE TO ACTUALLY SIDE DOWN AND TALK TO THE BOY. HE WAS SCARED AND UNSURE OF WHAT THE FUTURE WOULD BRING HIM BUT THE REPORTED ASURED HIM IT WOULD BE FINE, AND HE COULD CHILL AT HIS PLACE. WHILE THE CHILLED AT HIS PLACE, GETTING HIGH AND JAMMIN', BAT BOY SHOCKED THE REPORTER BY SHREDDING NON-STOP! THE REPORTER STUCK IN HIS GAZE OF THE INPECKABLE SPEED IN WITCH THE HALF MAN HALF BAT'S FINGERS MOVED. AND WITH THAT BAT BOY PASSED ON HIS SHREDDING KNOWLEDGE WITH THE REPORTER AND THAT REPORTER FORMED A BAND...TACKLE THE BATBOY... WWW.MYSPACE.COM/TACKLETHEBATBOY YOU MAY EVEN SEE THE BAT BOY AT A TACKLE THE BATBOY SHOW!!!
Subgenres
- Cybergrind: Cybergrind is a form of grindcore heavily influenced by extreme electronic music that, aside from the instruments used in ordinary grindcore, uses computer generated sounds, synthetic instruments, and/or drum machines.
- Deathgrind: A grindcore/death metal hybrid, often with focus on the technicality of death metal and intensity of grindcore. Cattle Decapitation, mid-period Carcass, and recent Napalm Death fall into this genre.
- Goregrind: A form of grindcore characterized by pitchshifted vocals as well as gore and/or horror themes. Regurgitate and Reek of Putrefaction era Carcass may be the most well-known of the goregrind groups.
- Noisegrind: Grindcore with an emphasis on noise and/or speed rather than musicianship. Other features include feedback, out of tune or improvised instruments, and poor production. Most noisegrind bands consist of only a few members, normally a vocalist, drummer (or a drum machine), and guitarist. Examples of noisegrind bands include: Anal Cunt and Gore Beyond Necropsy.
- Pornogrind: Grindcore characterized by sexual themes, vocals that range from pitchshifted growls to absurdly high-pitched screams, and an emphasis on groove. Pornogrind bands include: GUT, early Cock and Ball Torture, and Gronibard.
Grindcore bands
- See also List of grindcore bands.
Influential grindcore bands include: Agathocles, Anal Cunt, Carcass, Extreme Noise Terror, Fear of God, GUT, Impetigo, Napalm Death, Nasum, Phobia, S.O.B., Sore Throat, Terrorizer.
Bands that inspired and helped to define early grindcore include: Amebix, Anti-Cimex, Cryptic Slaughter, Discharge, Electro Hippies, Lärm, Repulsion, and Siege.
Literature
- Albert Mudrian, Choosing Death: The Improbable History of Death Metal and Grindcore (Feral House) ISBN 978-1-932595-04-8