Metal and Politics have been inseparable since the inception of the genre. While bands have gotten neutral over their political stance and expanded over to various territories in terms of lyrical inspiration, few bands still have the guts to stand up and speak up their free minds. Bands from the Grindcore realm are no exception to this.
Here comes the Sludgy crust/grind abomination The Human Race is Filth from York, PA, USA. Conjured by longtime friends and bandmates Kasey and Paul, they have been playing and releasing tons of music together with their other bands: Bittered, Police State, Mans Plague, and Split/Cross. The EP “Echo Chambers” is the third release of THRIF. Throughout the songs, the three-piece tackles political, social, religious, economic, and even personal subjects.
The opening track “Nation Pipe Bomb” wastes no time in smashing your face with pulverizing riffs, in a groovy old-schooled fashion along with aggressive blast beats on drums. The vocals are harsh high-screams, rage-fuelled, and almost channeling the inner hardcore kid! “Happiness From Stressful Dysfunction” captures the violent, hostile in the verses while relying on thick sludgy, doomy riffs in the chorus. The nihilistic pulverizing tones filled with discordant and dissonant atmosphere make tracks like “Justice for Profit” and “Mindless Thoughts” incredible. The hardcore/punk side of the band is reflected in tunes like “Abuse of American Hands”. If all the lethal overdoses of traumatizing discordant riffs at disjointed tempo were not enough, “Shit States USA” makes the final blow and puts the nail to the coffin.
Throughout its running minutes, THRIF raises its voice to oppose the corporations’ dirty scheme of monetizing capital gain over political and social causes. For a track reflecting the dark truth of the foundation of America, the sound of the record precisely justifies that. In short - THRIF shows the harsh reality while leading the listeners into a vortex of insanity.
Rating: 3.5/5.0
Website: THRIF Facebook
Genre: Crust/Grind/Sludge
Worldwide Release: July 22nd, 2022.
