Divided We Fall

Excruciating Terror is not a band I visit regularly in "my days" of aggressive music, but the fact that I give this album the highest rating is enough preamble to make my case that Divided We Fall is a perfect album of grindcore and aggressive music in general.

With his debut called Expression of Pain I had been satisfied, it is an album that is characterized by sick voices, incredible riffs that sound so heavy that you end up with your face crushed. Their sound is very abrasive and brutal, however on Divided We Fall the band took a turn in their sound, creating a less suffocating but much more aggressive tone. If the debut album already left you devastated, this one is capable of making your head explode.

As soon as the first track of the album entitled "Disease" begins, you already know exactly what you will find in this work. In general terms, the songs do not exceed three minutes in length and are more structured, unlike the debut album where there is a release in that section. Here the forceful riffs are left aside but others are more catchy, which play with the rhythms of the drums. The drums are also something different here, it sounds even faster and makes absolutely all the music tremble. The voice is still as aggressive and extreme as the previous album, although you can hear more variety in the performances, there are shrieks, screams, very serious gutturals, among other strange sounds.

The band opted for a louder, more hardcore-oriented sound. The aggressiveness and brutality is much greater, the guitars constantly play with riffs full of fury and not to mention the drums that shine completely. Unlike the debut album, Divided We Fall goes straight to the point, if it can rip your arms off with its sound it will, if it can break your ribs it will and if it can make you break everything around you, have for sure you will get it.

California has notably churned out some fantastic acts over multiple genres within metal and punk. The 90's was notable for many bands and scenes that have influenced bands for the last 20 years and Excruciating Terror was one of them. Bands like Repulsion and Napalm Death may have laid out a vague blueprint of grindcore in the 80's but Excruciating Terror took what they did and perfected it. Their previous album Expression of Pain is great but Divided We Fall takes what was good and worked out all the kinks. The elements that make up grindcore blend perfectly and create a furious sound that is like no other.

The album starts with the band playing with an effect on the EQ. It's tinny and shrill sounding and eventually the mix goes to normal and goes into the song with a fast syncopated beat that is one of the main beats. It's a small thing but it showcases the crust elements of ExTx and gives the songs a lot of momentum and drive. Overall the drumming is some of the best grindcore drumming for this styling. The blasts are fast and contain enough fills to make things interesting. The snare tone is crisp and cuts through just right. A lot of grindcore bands can have too much of the 'ping' sound in their snare as a way to ensure their snare cuts through but ExTx never has that issue. On top of the crushing blasts and dbeats you have the occasional double bass and tom driven sections that give the songs a bit of flair. The song Suicide takes a slow riff that's played in the beginning and turns it into a rhythmic tom section that will be sure to make anyone head bang. The title track has a traditional dbeat section that goes into a quick double bass flurry that is seen a bunch one this album. The double bass is used sparingly but it just makes the times it does it more important.

The average song is about a minute and a half and they often have a lot riffs within them. ExTx are not the most technical band but the big thing that caught me was how memorable and catchy their songs are and overall production. Everything from the vocal phrasing to the drum fills works perfectly. The different riffs and songs flow naturally into each other. A good example is how the song Don't Care Who You Are goes into Por Que No Conosco El Miedo. It's done so well and the way the guitars start in Por Que No... reminds me of a chainsaw being started. The guitars on this album are thick and raw but sound very clear. The bass has a very clanky distorted sound but fills out the recording well. You have this solid sound and discernible riffs which often times is hard to find in grindcore as its usually one or the other.

On top of all this we have Victor Garcia who brings some of the best vocals in grindcore. He goes between two styles that are used most in grind, a gruff low and a throat-y high. His highs have this gross, phglem-y timbre to them that is unlike any other vocalist. It's harsh and sounds painful to pull off but it gives this band another layer of sound. His vocal phrasing is fairly basic if looked at through all the songs but for ExTx the lyrics aren't really as important as bands like Pig Destroyer or Assuck.

Overall this album is perfect from top to bottom. It's no frills grindcore. The songs are catchy and well crafted where so much comes off as sloppy and half assed. The production is raw but everything is audible and well balanced. If you are looking for more "underground" grindcore this is the album for you.