Thrash Night

Whenever one of those nerdy discussions about the origins of grindcore unfolds, Japan's S.O.B. are usually uttered in the same breath as Repulsion, Napalm Death and Siege, and quite rightfully so. There is no denying that they at least played an important role in birthing the style, and I don't think there's anyone who will be denying that. Their speedy approach to their art has indeed inspired many noiseniks throughout the years.

In style, S.O.B. are more of a thrashcore band inspired by the faster bands in the hardcore genre such as Septic Death, early Agnostic Front and The Accüsed, but sped up immensely, straight into expeditious insanity. To put it simple: this shit is fast!! The drummer plays the basic hardcore/thrash 'skank' beat, but performs it with all the fervour of an octopus on speed, keeping to a simple straight-forward battering performance, devoid of any frills or any other unnecessary percussive hoo-ha. This raging performance propels the hyper aggressive (and short!) songs forward like mad, while providing a more than sturdy base for the simple-yet-furious guitars and frantically barked vocals to do their thing. The distorted bass is pretty much embedded into the pulsing mass of chainsaw riffing and jackhammering percussion, and is only audible when there are no drums going. It's an unfortunate detail for sure, but the abrasive music and performance (that can get a little rough around the eges here and there) fill up that hole quite nicely. Bolstered by a production that captures the band's ferocious energy in glorious fashion, this EP almost explodes with manic power and conviction, and does not fail to impress.

Featuring re-recordings of old material, this release was their first offering on Lee Dorrian's then newly founded Rise Above label. This is a damn good selection of songs for sure, although the Napalm Death cover wasn't really such a necessity for me personally, but it was still nice to hear Dorrian's rough thundering grunt on it. The material is certainly there, and as mentioned above, it all sounds great, oozes energy and is a fitting entry in a discography already not for the faint of heart. Or the delicate of hearing.

A raging dose of high octane hardcore/thrash, fiercely delivered at a frothing-at-the-mouth grindcore velocity. What else could one ask for, really?