Grindcore
 | This article possibly contains original research. (November 2007) |
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| Grindcore | |
|---|---|
| Stylistic origins | Crossover thrash - Crust punk - D-beat - Thrashcore |
| Cultural origins | mid-1980s England |
| Typical instruments | bass - drums - guitar - vocals |
| Derivative forms | Powerviolence |
| Subgenres | |
| Goregrind - Noisegrind - Pornogrind | |
| Fusion genres | |
| Crustgrind - Cybergrind - Deathgrind | |
| Regional scenes | |
| Australia - Brazil - England - Germany - Japan - Netherlands - Scandinavia - United States | |
| Other topics | |
| Extreme metal | |
Grindcore, often shortened to grind, is an evolution of crust punk, most commonly associated with death metal, a very different though similarly extreme style of music.
Grindcore is characterized by: heavily distorted, down-tuned guitars, with crust punk-influenced riffing; hardcore punk and thrash metal drumming, with many bands focusing on blast beats; songs rarely lasting more than two minutes and often seconds long; vocals which consist of growls and higher-pitched vocals, similar to those found in black metal or hardcore punk. Lyrical concepts range from social and political issues to gore and humor.
Historical roots and influences
The genre was pioneered during the mid-1980s in the United Kingdom by bands such as Napalm Death and Carcass, the name "grindcore" having actually being coined by Napalm Death's drummer, Mick Harris. Many of the earliest grindcore bands were featured on the Earache Records compilation, Grind Crusher.
The genre's roots, however, can be traced to earlier developments by UK crust, American hardcore punk and hardcore punk-influenced heavy metal bands, such as the UK's Discharge and Amebix and the US-based Siege, Deep Wound, Cryptic Slaughter, and Repulsion. Post punk, such as Killing Joke, was also cited as an influence on early Napalm Death.
Many of these early bands were seen by their contemporaries as part of the anarcho-punk/crust punk and hardcore punk scenes, as many anarcho-punk and peace punk bands in England and hardcore punk bands in the United States had already incorporated elements of metal into their music. Many of these early bands were, and still are, obscure. For instance, the thrashcore band Siege only released one do-it-yourself demo, entitled Drop Dead, and Repulsion was posthumously exposed to the world in 1989 through the album Horrified, which was released in Europe through Carcass-owned Necrosis Records, despite having originally been recorded in June of 1986.
Influence
Grindcore, while remaining an underground phenomenon, has had a significant influence on other genres of music. This can be heard in the recent explosion of mathcore bands, such as Daughters and The Dillinger Escape Plan, making use of grindcore elements, which is a direct result of the later, more experimental Brutal Truth and Discordance Axis material. This new wave of grindcore-influenced metalcore has created a divide, with many death metal, hardcore punk, and grindcore fans claiming these genres do not represent grindcore's punk ideologies and bear little similarity to traditional grindcore, citing songwriting, a penchant for erratic displays of musicianship, and an aesthetic from which grindcore abstains and which can be more easily compared to art punk, noise rock and post-hardcore. Proponents for the placement of mathcore amongst the pantheon of post-grindcore musical movements argue that these extreme metal bands portray an evolution of grindcore; albeit there is very little evidence or traceable remnants of grindcore or grindcore sub-culture to support this, such as hardcore punk and thrash metal influences, or the DIY ethic and distribution of crust punk.
Grindcore's influence can also be heard in death metal, with deathgrind and grindcore-influenced death metal bands being as common as traditional grindcore and death metal groups. Brutal Truth, as well as Assück, are considered pioneers of the deathgrind fusion genre.
Microsongs
One well-known characteristic of grindcore and related genres is the microsong; songs lasting seconds. Clocking in at just over one second long, the Napalm Death song "You Suffer" is often credited as being the shortest song ever. In 2001, the Guinness Book Of World Records awarded Brutal Truth the record for "Shortest Music Video" for 1994's "Collateral Damage." However, others, such as the Cripple Bastards on their demo 94 Flashback di un Massacro and Agoraphobic Nosebleed on their 3" CD/10" LP Altered States of America, have taken this aesthetic to even greater extremes. Altered States of America contains 100 songs, with song length ranging from four seconds to, at most, one minute, adding up to a total play time of 21:44. North American band Anal Cunt, has recorded their 5643 Song EP, an EP which contains 5643 songs in less than 15 minutes by way of creative multitracking and recording processes.
Subgenres
Crustgrind
Crustgrind is a grindcore/crust punk fusion genre. It is typified by a less frequent use of blast beats and metallic riffing than other forms of grindcore, but harsher vocals than most crust punk. Examples include Disrupt, recent Phobia, and early Extreme Noise Terror.
Cybergrind
Cybergrind is a form of grindcore heavily influenced by extreme electronic music that, aside from the instruments used in ordinary grindcore, uses computer generated sounds, synthetic instruments, and/or drum machines. As a result, there are many electronic, techno and even jungle influences on many of these groups. It usually overlaps with speedcore and, less often, with industrial metal.
Deathgrind
Deathgrind is a grindcore/death metal hybrid, often with a focus on the technicality of death metal and intensity of grindcore. Assück, Brutal Truth, Cattle Decapitation, Cephalic Carnage, recent Napalm Death, and later Nasum fall into this category.
Goregrind
Goregrind is a form of grindcore characterized by pitchshifted vocals, riffing influenced by late '80s death metal, and gore themes. Regurgitate and early Carcass may be the most well-known of the goregrind groups.
Noisegrind
Noisegrind is a grindcore subgenre with an emphasis on noise and/or speed rather than musicianship. Other features include feedback, out of tune or improvised instruments, and poor production. Examples of noisegrind bands include: early Anal Cunt, Gore Beyond Necropsy, Fear of God, and some material from The Gerogerigegege.
Pornogrind
Grindcore characterized by extreme sexual themes, vocals that range from pitchshifted growls to absurdly high-pitched screams, and groove-based riffing. Pornogrind bands include GUT and early Cock and Ball Torture.
Literature
- Albert Mudrian, Choosing Death: The Improbable History of Death Metal and Grindcore (Feral House) ISBN 978-1-932595-04-8