Zombie Hate Brigade

This is the last CD to be released by the German grindcore label Apathic View Productions, as they’ll concentrate on vinyl in the future. And this CD is a co-release between Apathic View and Getupandkill Music, a label I’ve never heard of and guess is just the band’s front for a label. Anyhow… Enough presentation of labels, let’s get down to business.

It’s obvious from the band name, track titles and artwork that this is made up of horror/slasher thrilled lads, paying tribute to the low-budget zombie flicks out there. And they do this with old school goregrind, probably drawing inspiration from Impetigo, and maybe even a dash of Repulsive and Pungent Stench. And Zombie Hate Brigade keeps it as low-budget and gore-drenched as the movies the worship; the sound is thin and weak, the music is back to basics without any of that fancy modern technicality.

I’m a bit torn, is it run-in-the-mill or great old school gore, I’m not quite sure. If you imagine acts such as Blood Freak, Gruesome Stuff Relish, Machetazo and Frightmare, you know pretty much what to expect. But Zombie Hate Brigade never quite reach the same heights of thrill and brutality. There are no real hooks to draw you in, and after the CD stops to spin it’s difficult to really remember anything in particular about their sound; just that it’s gory, dirty and old school. But nothing to make it stand out. However, it is still highly enjoyable. The gore and horror is present due to the vocals, which sound as coming from times past, and the drumming keeps to the roots without becoming overly blasting and technical. So you can imagine I’m a bit torn.

But unfortunately it falls a tad flat seeing as the sound is awful. The bass is just a distorted rumbling (and not in the good way), and the guitars seem hidden away in a sound of screechy distortion. It lacks any power whatsoever. But if you’re not too stingy and can overlook the sound issue, and of course love horror movies and brutal metal, I can highly recommend the record.

Originally written for http://www.mylastchapter.net