Grief
...And The Man Will Become The Hunted
[Pessimiser]
This turned out to be Grief's last album, as they decided to call it quits
some time after its release. But before they did, they churned out another
utterly depressing record. Grief sound even more pissed off on this album.
Instead of the extra-slow, mind-numbing tempos of their previous records, the
guys applied their vast power-sludge heaviness to the more energetic and
relatively faster dirges.
It is as if prior to this album the band were constantly stoned and thus expressed their pessimism and hatred towards humanity through the prism of drug-induced torpidity. With this album it seems like they have caught themselves during one of those rare moments of sobriety, looked around, became even more enraged and immediately headed into a studio, figuring that if they don't spill it all out through their music, they will most likely take their ever-brewing anger out on some unsuspecting bystanders.
While in general sense the songs are not fast at all, for Grief they are more upbeat and impelling than usual, possessing more immediacy and delivering more punches. Only the last track, the 12-minute "When Rotten Ideas Break Free," is where the band completely stick with their past, totally slothful and extra-long approach. Otherwise, the visceral drive that the band excrete tends to move them closer towards the manic energy of Eyehategod rather than the intoxicated drowsiness of Sleep.
Out of three albums that I heard from this bunch ("Miserably Ever After," "Torso," and the subject of this review), this is probably Grief's tightest and most hardcore effort. Not that it will win them any new admirers, but the old fans sure as hell won't be disappointed.
© 2001 boris
It is as if prior to this album the band were constantly stoned and thus expressed their pessimism and hatred towards humanity through the prism of drug-induced torpidity. With this album it seems like they have caught themselves during one of those rare moments of sobriety, looked around, became even more enraged and immediately headed into a studio, figuring that if they don't spill it all out through their music, they will most likely take their ever-brewing anger out on some unsuspecting bystanders.
While in general sense the songs are not fast at all, for Grief they are more upbeat and impelling than usual, possessing more immediacy and delivering more punches. Only the last track, the 12-minute "When Rotten Ideas Break Free," is where the band completely stick with their past, totally slothful and extra-long approach. Otherwise, the visceral drive that the band excrete tends to move them closer towards the manic energy of Eyehategod rather than the intoxicated drowsiness of Sleep.
Out of three albums that I heard from this bunch ("Miserably Ever After," "Torso," and the subject of this review), this is probably Grief's tightest and most hardcore effort. Not that it will win them any new admirers, but the old fans sure as hell won't be disappointed.
© 2001 boris