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Exhale > Festerfiction > Reviews
Exhale - Festerfiction

A great little underground gem - 80%

Noktorn, December 30th, 2010

'Festerfiction' is one of those items which isn't extremely obscure but still seems to have very little information available about its nature. Exhale's only album litters online death and grind shops, but I've seen almost no one who owns or has commented on the album. Like a lot of Bizarre Leprous' Czech grind offerings, it seems to have only really made its way around the Czech grind scene itself, a sort of internally directed release interesting only to those deeply involved in the scene. This is too bad, in a way, and appropriate in another; while 'Festerfiction' is an extremely solid and engaging album, it's also one without many of the more obviously interesting trappings of many of the Czech scenes largest bands. Unsurprisingly, this also makes it an underrated gem that many of those fixated on !T.O.O.H.! should be listening to instead.

Exhale plays Czech grind at its purest: a fusion of blasting death metal, oldschool grindcore, more modern grind, and a hint of crust, but without the goofiness and unusual elements that tend to be found on such releases. Appearing to be the work of just two men, 'Festerfiction' is a blazing and aggressive release cut from a similar mold of minimal, quirky grind ala Pigsty at their most primal, packed with sawing tremolo riffs, a pounding and primitive drum performance, and an alternately screaming and gurgling vocal presence. The songs are short and compact, composed of a handful of riffs which wildly intersect (and dissect) each other, with little concern for subtlety and dynamics and a greater emphasis on bringing back the spirit of old Napalm Death or Siege in a modern context. It goes without saying that this is for fans of the style alone.

This is not to say Exhale is without interesting elements; bits of noise or ambiance help break up the storming grind, and rhythmic variation is all over the place, with blasts snapping into d-beats or other, more abstract rhythmic ideas while the surging guitars and vocals provide a distinct line with which to follow the songs. It's an extraordinarily aggressive release that follows in the footsteps of bands like Four Seats For Invalides and Mincing Fury without cloning anyone in particular in the Czech scene, and for that alone should be given more notice; while it is distinctly Czech, it also has much of its own flavor. The production, too, is worth noting, with its almost painfully hot drum presence, incredibly distorted and vicious guitar tone, and claustrophobic presence in general; it goes miles to increasing the power of the music, making it seem even more feral and dangerous than the songs alone would suggest.

'Festerfiction' will not in any way convince those who are not fans of grind already; it's simply too harsh and traditional to do so. For those who do love the genre, though, I'd say it's a very strong contender for second tier Czech supremacy. Get past the lack of novelty and weirdness and you'll find a release with a great deal to offer in its slim running time.