Unrest – Grindcore
The title says it all really, but this burning power trio brings an old fashioned grind asswhooping to the table on this, their debut full-length. No demo. No warm-up EP. From obscurity to obliteration is what this album should have been called, but in spite of my apprehension, there is no denying the attention to detail found within.
With members found in the ranks of Woe, Trenchrot and Crypt Sermon filling the positions, Unrest are no strangers to the front lines, so I think this is why this material works so well in spite of the fact that the album is fashioned after the Nasum (and the like) formula. Offsetting vocalists handle the higher end screams and a deeper growl/shout in a predictable manner and get the job done, but really the standout for me is the music. From full on grind to punk tinged D-beat, Unrest craft 12 well considered songs that you probably have heard before, but the fact that the riffs are so damn catchy really shows that they know what they are doing putting this material together. Strange chord phrases and other interesting twists in the musical composition as on the track False Brotherhood and others, do hint at subtle black metal appreciation and this helps inject a welcomed feeling to seep into the songs other than the rip your fucking face off all the time, which I must admit these guys also handle perfectly well.
Unrest have all the grindcore genre defining characteristics covered on this album, but inject enough of their own spirit into the mix to make this set of songs go from pretty enjoyable to “damn good”. Grindcore certainly isn’t dethroning any classics when I want to be assaulted by this style, but I do like this debut effort and plan on putting it all up in my Ipods nefarious business. -Marty
Unspeakable Axe Records
Worm Gear 