INFANTICIDE

It is that damn tasty sound representative of vintage crust/grind that gets me every time. It is the quick explosions of cranked 'n' crunchy guitars and nihilistic attitude that makes "Extinction Scheme" from Sweden's INFANTICIDE such a treat. Darn reliable, but in no way inventive, the band follows in the well-trodden footsteps of Sweden's better crust stompers.

For the most part, "Extinction Scheme" is speed, speed, and more speed, mixed with the occasional mid-tempo and punky groove. The vocal style is unashamedly Greenway-esque, mixed with those patented NAPALM DEATH screams. The attack? Just plan vicious. At 23 songs clocking in at just shy of 30 minutes, pretense is thrown headfirst through the living room window in favor of fuck-it-all destructiveness. The group is rather adept at briefly interrupting the breakneck pace for the aforementioned gnarly grooves, such as on "Do Not Think/Do Not Act" and "Misanthropic Approach"; so basic, yet so satisfying. A more purely crust punk — albeit still residing next door to (old) NAPALM DEATH/TERRORIZER grind — delivery is heard on tracks like "Shitstorm" with its pointed and almost catchy chorus (it's all relative, folks) and "Snaran Runt Halsen". And when you attempt to catch a breath during the opening seconds of a gloriously fat-ass and mid-paced section on "Existence on Repeat", the boys step on the gas and resume beating the snot out of you with speeding intensity.

Lovers of the kind of racket produced by some of Sweden's finest will not be surprised by "Extinction Scheme". Most fans would agree that this is a good thing. Besides, INFANTICIDE has got the style down cold and does a fine job of crushing, killing, and destroying. How can one complain?