GRAVESEND

Methods Of Human Disposal

20 Buck Spin
rating icon 8 / 10

Track listing:

02. STH-10
03. Methods Of Human Disposal
04. Ashen Piles Of The Incinerated
05. End Of The Line
06. Subterranean Solitude
07. Unclaimed Remains
08. Verrazano Floater
09. Eye For An Eye
10. Trinity Burning
11. Needle Park
12. Absolute Filth
13. The Grave's End
14. Scum Breeds Scum
15. Concrete Feet


If anyone is searching for a reason to be cheerful, "Methods Of Human Disposal" is probably not the album you need to be listening to right now. For the rest of us, resigned as we are to the fucked-up nature of things, this foul and violent tailspin through the blood-spattered streets of the rotting Big Apple is exactly like the kind of reverse affirmation the doctor would have ordered, had he not already overdosed on morphine. Bless him.

GRAVESEND are a nasty bunch, and this is seething, unapologetic sonic savagery of the highest order. Thousands of bands deign to explore the darkest shadows of humanity, but very few of them sound even half as incensed and out of control as these native New Yorkers. Yes, there are strong elements of black and death metal wrestling at the core of the band's sound, but it's the fine, filthy details that make this such a purely horrible (and therefore wildly exhilarating) experience. With bursts of hissing noise, waves of suppurating synth and primitive but pugilistic sonic values, "Methods Of Human Disposal" teeters permanently on the edge of all-out war.

With an obvious debt to the grindcore classics of the late '80s, songs like "Ashen Piles Of The Incinerated" and "End Of The Line" embrace the same sense of blasting, maxed-out chaos that first made NAPALM DEATH so stupidly exciting. It's thuggish, swivel-eyed stuff for the most part, but GRAVESEND's deft weaving of primitive black metal tropes into the barrage is an intuitive masterstroke. The grinding bass tone that underpins "Subterranean Solitude" again harks back to the grind mothership, but the raging, whiteout assault that follows has more in common with REVENGE or even DARKTHRONE at their militant lo-fi best.

In fact, you could spend most of "Methods Of Human Disposal" noting the clever ways the band have smashed disparate ideas together. The reality, however, is that this is such a remorseless tornado of scabby-knuckled fury that the only sane response is to crank up the volume and be briskly pinned to the nearest wall. After all, we are, as a species, kinda fucked.

Author: Dom Lawson
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • reddit
  • email

Comments Disclaimer And Information

BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. To comment on a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story or review, you must be logged in to an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. You can also send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends).