Living for Death, Destroying the Rest

Buried in the Front Yard, the debut from Pennsylvanian thrash oddity Rumpelstiltskin Grinder, probably reaped in a little more credit and hype than it deserved, but keep in mind that the star of thrash metal was rising once more, and as Relapse's official entrant to the dance, they were offering something slightly more unusual and palatable than their emergent peers. Granted, I was no huge fan of this debut, I found it uneven and all too easy to forget in short order, but clearly the band had some talent submerged beyond their fairy tale facade, and Living for Death, Destroying the Rest grabs the spearhead of potential and thrusts it like a cantankerous phallus into the face and ears of the disbeliever.

Essentially, this sophomore takes all of the elements of the debut and escalates them to a denser, fibrous platform which hits a lot harder than the reservations of that predecessor. The traces of metalcore/thrash that were hinted at there are expanded with bigger riffs and more forceful ministrations like "Nothing Defeats the Skull", "Fiends in the Mountain, Ghouls in the Valley" or "Traitor's Blood", which dominate bands like Shadows Fall, God Forbid and Lamb of God at their own game, with far superior technical musicianship and fetching guitar riffs aplomb. It's unusual to have such a 'tough guy' aesthetic pounding in a tongue tie with such an airy penchant for melody, but against all odds, the Pennsylvanians make it function. What's more, you've got a few tracks like the acrobatic "Spyborg", and the more driven, deathlike taint of the "Dethroning the Tyrant" trilogy that seals off the album (especially "Sewers of Doom", which are genuinely engaging and interesting.

I'm not sure that Living For Death, Destroying the Rest is necessarily a 'good' album, but having no expectations whatsoever, it was a pleasant improvement over the first in almost every single category. Better leads, better riffs, and a superior production mark for a more intense listening experience, and the album only rarely feels overly 'silly' (the unneeded crossover anthem "Beware the Thrash Brigade" being a noted exception). The quality of the tracks is quite uneven, and I wish there had been more with the caliber of writing found on "Spyborg" or "Sewers of Doom", but overall even the worst of the bunch are comparable or slightly better than what the band were writing years before this, so there is indisputably an upwards evolution here that might one day bear some truly tasteful fruit.

-autothrall
http://www.fromthedustreturned.com

Amusing for the name, Rumpelstiltskin Grinder are neither the stuff of fairy tales nor infact a grind band, but a band focussed on the current thrash revival with a heavy influence taken from the metalcore (in it's original, proper incarnation) persuasion - think DRI, Cryptic Slaughter, SOD and maybe even a little Deceased for good measure too. Unlike many of the current thrashing generation, RG are more than just thrash, including in the mixture a healthy dollop of old school death metal (see the Deceased influence) and the aforementioned hardcore/crossover/metalcore influence, in both the vocal department and speed of the punked-up riffs. It is this influence, which apart from bearing a close similarity in tracks like "Beware The Thrash Brigade" to the style of Municipal Waste, which ultimately stands RG apart from your Evile's and Gama Bomb's of this world.

On album no.2, "Living For Death, Destroying The Rest", Rumpelstiltskin mix their fare more proficiently than some of their contemporaries to ensure the albums 43 minutes are engaging throughout. Shawn Riley has the perfect voice for the band's intentions: a raw shouting style that when allied with the more hardcore moments in the likes of "Revolution Of Underground Legions (Dethroning The Tyrant Pt.3)" and "Friends In The Mountain, Ghouls In The Valley" the conviction, albeit lightly humoured, is palpable. There is also sufficient variation between the songs on offer so those with a short attention with also be pleased to get their crossover fix so concisely with RG, if however they are prepared to accept the overall difference in quality with the originators of their style. Yes we come to expect it these days but the superior sound quality of Rumpelstiltskin Grinder, Gama Bomb, Evile et al against their 80's peers only serves to rob these new records of quite the same passion and garageband nature which was so appealing in our Vio-Lence's and SOD's. A necessary furtherance you could say but the chances of more pure balls to the walls records like "Speak English Or Die" seems to be diminished by this technological occurrence.

Let's not beat around the bush, however, as I know many of you will disagree on my principles of the technological advancement of underground music (damn, that should've been my dissertation topic). For a modern-day crossover record "Living For Death, Destroying The Rest" is certifiably dosed high enough in both the metal and the hardcore fragrances to (hopefully) attract both crowds in unison being a damn fine example of some good ol' Punk-Thrash n' Roll.

Originally written for Rockfreaks.net

I have to admit, I didn’t like this one at first, but it really grew on me after a few listens.

In case you’re wondering, yeah, this is crossover thrash, though these 80’s worshippers weave their way from crossover thrash to pure thrash metal to hardcore, and even some old-school Judas Priest moments, bringing it up to todays speed with top-notch production, and a wide variety of vocals ranging from crossover thrash yells to full on
modernized thrash screeching.

On the pure thrash metal side, you’ve got your cutting pedal tone alternating attack supported by running double bass drums. On the pure hardcore side of things are there simple chords jumping up and down the guitar neck like these guitars were doing their best Minor Threat impersonation, but for the most part the album is a beast of both worlds melded together by 80’s toxic waste dumping.

The whole album is wrapped up in hooks and fun, and even an extra bit of inspiration every now and then when they add a off-kilter touch. Though I have to say that I personally found the oldest sounding moments to be the ones that stood out the most.

Originally posted at www.waytooloud.com