WEEKEND NACHOS

"Worthless" is an album that must be reviewed, based on band name alone; well, maybe not "must", but it does tend to pique one's interest. As it turns out, I'd heard the name bandied about along with descriptors like "powerviolence" and "grindcore," which together do in fact serve as an apt summation of "Worthless", an album with sky-high levels of ugliness and rage, yet one of only medium-sized staying power.

Comprised of 14 tracks, only three of which break the two-minute mark, the attack is direct and convincing, alternating as it often does between shrapnel blasts and thickly 'n' sickly sludge plods. A big, bouncing, and beefy guitar tone coupled with the thunder-thud drumming makes for some serious moments of heaviness. That is particularly true when WEEKEND NACHOS breaks it on down, which happens more often than not, no matter the speed of a track at any given moment. The needles pushes both ends of the speedometer during the 40-second "Old Friends Don't Means Shit", a tune that tends to stand out every time I spin the disc and the 54-second "Frostbitten", as well seven-minute bookend "Future". The pace never does quicken during the five-minute title track, the first half of which is feedback, the second half bottom-feeding crawl. A somewhat purer hardcore vibe rears up on occasion as well, as is the case on "Obituary" and the spoken sections of "Jock Powerviolence".

The 25 minutes of "Worthless" are worth a fair amount more than the album title might suggest and works wonders for purging purposes after a rough day at the office or a dope-sick day on the streets. Otherwise, it's not the most exciting powerviolence or grind album I've ever heard, but its glass is at least bullet proof and its walls reinforced. Do you follow? It's not essential; it's just decent. If I could I'd add a quarter of a point for the title of "The Fine Art of Bullshit".