Afgrund Vid Helvetets Grindar
Willowtip Records WT-071 19 May 2009
By Jason Jordan
The aspect of Swedens Afgrund I like the most is their ability to lay down an infectious hook, forcing one to either nod or bang their head in agreement. Sure, the thick, meaty sound of Vid Helvetets Grindar (or, At the Gates of Hell) is great, as is the musicianship, but give me a groove like the one from 0:40-1:03 in No One Gives a Fuck Anymore and Im good. This, their sophomore album, also proves that they excel at time changes, and theres plenty of variation to cement this notion, which keeps the listening experience interesting. As they say, thats half the proverbial battle.
Adhering to the grind M.O., the trio delivers fifteen songs in approximately twenty-seven minutes, so youll need to play Vid Helvetets Grindar repeatedly to give it a fair shake. Hints of death metal appear here and there in the mid-paced, chunky riffs, but Afgrund usually favor the grind side of things. In addition to the second track, other notables include The Empire, the diverse The Great Cover-Up Apocalypse, Kärnvapenbestyckad, and the double-bass-riddled Death Lovers. VHG is a recent favorite of mine in the grind category, and you grind hounds among us would do well to check this out posthaste.
Official Afgrund MySpace
Official Willowtip Records Website
Willowtip Records WT-071 19 May 2009
By Jason Jordan
The aspect of Swedens Afgrund I like the most is their ability to lay down an infectious hook, forcing one to either nod or bang their head in agreement. Sure, the thick, meaty sound of Vid Helvetets Grindar (or, At the Gates of Hell) is great, as is the musicianship, but give me a groove like the one from 0:40-1:03 in No One Gives a Fuck Anymore and Im good. This, their sophomore album, also proves that they excel at time changes, and theres plenty of variation to cement this notion, which keeps the listening experience interesting. As they say, thats half the proverbial battle.
Adhering to the grind M.O., the trio delivers fifteen songs in approximately twenty-seven minutes, so youll need to play Vid Helvetets Grindar repeatedly to give it a fair shake. Hints of death metal appear here and there in the mid-paced, chunky riffs, but Afgrund usually favor the grind side of things. In addition to the second track, other notables include The Empire, the diverse The Great Cover-Up Apocalypse, Kärnvapenbestyckad, and the double-bass-riddled Death Lovers. VHG is a recent favorite of mine in the grind category, and you grind hounds among us would do well to check this out posthaste.
Official Afgrund MySpace
Official Willowtip Records Website
