Grindcore has got to be one of the least accessible genres of metal ever conjured. But, I’ll be damned, I just have a special place in my heart for those short, thrashy, angry songs.
Over the years, grindcore has played a huge role in the undercurrent of the heavy music scene. Some of your favorite bands were very likely influenced by it, but it remains outside the mainstream. And that is perfectly fine. Grindcore is right where it belongs: functioning as a counterculture agent, forcing the Zeitgeist to take a look at itself.
With that in mind, let’s talk about some great grindcore albums throughout the years. Specifically, the best ones from each of the past four decades.
‘Voices’ by Wormrot (2016)
Interestingly, Wormrot has really only existed since just before the 2010s, and they have the best grindcore album from that period. Formed in Singapore in 2007, the band has been through lots of lineup changes over the years, but currently consists of co-founders Nurrasyid “Rasyid” Juraimi (guitar) and Arif Suhaimi (vocals), along with longtime drummer Fitri. He joined the band following the exit of original drummer Rasid A. Said.
In 2016, the band dropped their third album, Voices, and it is, frankly, a modern grindcore masterpiece. Half the songs are dark bursts of chaos, and the other half are methodically crafted from rhythm to riff.
‘Terrifyer’ by Pig Destroyer (2004)
I will tell you straight up, this was not the easiest choice on the list. The 2000s had a lot of really good grindcore, like Cattle Decapitation’s Humanure (2004), Agoraphobic Nosebleed’s Altered States of America, and Nasum’s Human 2.0 (2000).
Pig Destroyer’s Terrifyer, though, really is the best grindcore album of the 2000s. Hell, I’ll even go so far as to say that it’s a top 5 all-time grindcore album.
These Virginia boys came out strong in the late 90s, but really changed the landscape of grindcore with this 2004 album. The guitar tones are so deep and fuzzy, the tracks are fast as hell with a little sludge tossed in here and there, and the vocals swing from shrieking to throaty and occasionally guttural. It’s satisfyingly confrontational.
‘Extreme Conditions Demand Extreme Responses by Brutal Truth’ (1992)
As grindcore was really coming into its own inthe early 90s, New York City’s Brutal Truth was there to make sure the genre stayed defiantly on track.
In their entire career, Brutal Truth never missed. But their first album, Extreme Conditions Demand Extreme Responses, is a glaring standout across the pantheon of grindcore albums. It not only met a standard that fans were coming to recognize from the genre, but it also pushed things further without any hesitation.
Frankly, there are only a few grindcore albums I would say are better than this… but there is one…
‘World Downfall’ by Terrorizer (1989)
I get that not seeing Napalm Death on this list is probably a shock/surprise for a lot of fans, but the truth is, World Downfall by Terrorizer just edges out ND’s Scum for best grindcore album of the 80s.
From start to finish, the album plays like a blueprint for the genre, from the blast-beat drumming and Motörhead-on-speed riffs to the growling vocals and socio-political awareness, with an emphasis on opposing religious indoctrination. There is no denying that World Downfall was a necessary album.
Honorable mention: 2020s (so far) – Consume/Deny/Repent by No/Mas
Only halfway into the 2020s, we already have some killer grindcore albums, but if you’re not jamming Consume/Deny/Repent by No/Mas, you’re missing out on the best one.
Hailing from Washington, D.C., there’s no question why the guys have a lot to be p***ed about and a lot to say. I had a chance to see them play live in the past couple of years, and they put on a hell of a show. If you see they’re coming through your area, make sure to pull up and headbang yourself into oblivion.
The post The 4 Best Grindcore Albums From Each of the Past Four Decades appeared first on VICE.
