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Grimfist
Ghouls of Grandeur
There's no beating around the bush here, Grimfist's debut "Ghouls of Grandeur" (featuring members of Immortal and Deride) wastes no time in tearing your head off. I barely got the CD in the player before "Primal Aggression" roared to life and threatened to consume my soul.
This CD fits my mood perfect this week. Pissed off and craving blood! Track 2, "Outlined in Black," is just as brutal. Vocally this album runs the gamut of extreme vocals from Corpsegrinder-ish death growls to high pitched Impaled Nazarene-like shrieking. And then there is some indescribable demonic voice as well.
The guitars sound excellent. One moment they are fast and distinct, and then the next transcending into heavy chordal chaos. The riffs here are first class. The production kills, but what else would you expect from Abyss Studios.
Just when you think you've got this album placed, "A World of Wrath" throws in some clean vocals and makes you wonder where this trip is headed. But make no mistake, this song is awesome.
This CD is dynamically interesting as well, while it never wimps out, it changes tempo and direction frequently which definitely helps keep the songs from getting stale.
There is a kind of Slayer type groove going on here. I don't mean they sound like Slayer (although I guess maybe there are some similarities) but some bands in this style sound flat and unanimated. Here we have a CD that feels as though there is a flowing movement, a groove, that doesn't require sacrificing brutality to make it work. In other words it makes me want to mosh like a madman in a fist-flying frenzy of doom.
Take Immortal's "Battles in the North" CD for example, a classic black metal album. I love that album, but it does not have groove, it is just pure brutal force. Grimfist is the bastard child of "Battles in the North" and Slayer's "Diabolus in Musica."
Fans of extreme music take heed: Grimfist is here to wreak havoc on the world of man. This cursed slab of malevolence will be the soundtrack for the dark days to come. Join the horde or fall before this juggernaut of metal!!!!
