Hey, geeks. Big Eyes here. We have a guest review today. Say hello to our favorite metalhead: Dead Guy!
Hello there, headbangers. Dead Guy here with a new review just in time for Summer’s end. Today I am covering the rockumentary Slave to the Grind – A Film About Grindcore by director Doug Brown.
As a music fanatic and devoted fan of the genre, I may be slightly biased. But I found this doc to be enjoyable and right up my alley. It all starts out in the early 80s, emerging from the at-the-time burgeoning hardcore punk scene. When punk and metal bands were competing neck and neck to see who could outdo each other in the realms of fast, uncompromising extreme music.
We explore the proto-grind bands like Seige that pushed the boundary of hardcore punk to breakneck speeds. As well as Repulsion who created of the musical aesthetic and technique. The way they thoroughly explain how they created these sounds using never before used techniques in heavy music is fascinating to say the least. And then onto Napalm Death, which nearly every member of the band’s formidable years went on to start other bands that went on to define the genre.
While to the untrained ear, much of this would just appear to be obnoxious, angsty, rage-filled bursts of noise, this film does a great job of exploring the sociopolitical themes that have come to define Grindcore as a genre. From the political activism of bands Napalm Death and Brutal Truth, to the irreverent anti-political correctness of bands like Anal Cunt and the gore-filled horror fantasies of Carcass, there was never a dull moment. And plenty of room for drama debate about where the soul of the genre truly lies. (Seth Putnam, vocalist of Anal Cunt was a significantly controversial figure in the film).
The film shows that there is way more substance than the average listener would believe for such an explosive, belligerent form of music. There is more than enough controversy, humor and tragedy in this documentary to keep the viewers interest throughout the 100 minute runtime. I can definitely see this as a triumph for fans of the genre who have long-awaited a proper documentation of the history of one of music’s heaviest and most uncompromising genres. I myself definitely found much endearment in the film. I can’t say the same would be felt by the casual music fan who is used to Top 40 radio hits. But if you are interested in exploring the more extreme side side of modern music, you couldn’t find a better film than this. I thoroughly enjoyed it and think any fan of the counter-cultural side of music would as well.
-Dead Guy
