Grind Killers

When it comes to grindcore, the UK scene was the most important in the creation, development and popularization of the genre. The contributions of other scenes shouldn't be overlooked. With big names like Terrorizer, Brutal Truth, and Repulsion along with more obscure acts like Defecation and Righteous Pigs, the US is the obvious choice for second place in terms of influence, but I submit that that honor go to the Land of the Rising Sun. GISM and S.O.B. made landmark albums in extreme music that left their mark on grindcore, despite the former not playing grind and the latter moving onto other genres after their second album. Butcher ABC and Obliteration Records, the label run by its guitarist/vocalist, keep the goregrind flame burning while C.S.S.O., Gore Beyond Necropsy, and Sete Star Sept explore grind's nexus with noise. Viscera Infest and Hydrophobia push the limits of brutality ever further. Then there's Bathtub Shitter whose name is Bathtub Shitter.

Yet no Japanese band has been as consistent in their dedication to grind as the long-running Unholy Grave. Though I'd been aware of the band for some time, it took awhile before I gave them a listen and Grind Killers was the entry point. A live album isn't the optimal place to start with a band, but luckily this LP's quality is high enough to do the band justice. Each instrument is nice and audible. The bass, which is equipped with a fair amount of distortion, fares better than usual, punching through the mix but not in an obstructive way. However, the guitar is thin, though not to the degree it robs the playing of all definition and power. Drums sound good, though tend to overpower the mix during blast-beats which admittedly are frequent. Overall it's a bit flat, but this is neither a genre nor a format you'd expect (or want) a pristine production.

Musically it's grindcore to a T. Many short songs—most below two minutes but only a few below one—that flow into each other, featuring mush-mouthed death growls, quick riffs and blast-beats aplenty. Aside from the spoken logues, pro and epi, only one track doesn't contain a blast-beat and that's the cover of the Ramones' “Beat on the Brat”, an impeccably faithful cover that's also a rare instance where you can kind of understand Takaho Komatsu's vocals (and not just because we all know the lyrics). It's also not the only song with a classic punk feel. “Pay the Price?” and “Motorcharged” have sections of simple, energized rock that would make Darby Crash proud. As a band with a name inspired by Scream Bloody Gore it's only natural that there's also many deathly riffs. Thrash is represented in a smattering of songs and we're even treated to some mid-tempo beatings in “Death by Terror”, “Free from Fear” and “Justice?” showing Unholy Grave aren't against getting groovy. Everything is tied together cohesively with the effect being one of variety rather than mindless eclecticism.

The performances leave little to be desired. Hisao Hashimoto's drumming is as good as you'd expect from someone with his pedigree of playing in bands like Butcher ABC and the great Intestine Baalism. He throws in plenty of fills and rolls. Even his blast-beats are kept interesting with varying speeds and changing up the cymbals he uses and the force he hits them with. This is not Takaho's greatest delivery with him rarely hitting those loony highs he uses frequently on other recordings. I do like the few times he sings cleanly. It sounds similar to Sakevi when he'd do the same, such as the end of “Nih Nightmare”, and is equally goofy in an endearing way. As this is a rehearsal, there's no crowd noise and no stage banter nor even the band talking amongst themselves between songs.

If you're new to Unholy Grave, best go to their debut LP Crucified first, but Grind Killers wouldn't be a terrible substitute. And if you're already a fan, this is definitely one of their live albums worth checking out. The copy I have is a reissue, but the only differences appear to be it comes in a jewel case and the cover is a shade of teal instead of white. You can't go wrong with teal.