BLOCKHEADS - Trip To The Void [2021, Lixiviat Records; Bones Brigade Records]

 

After some time of being too much into Powerviolence and exploring what the scene has to offer, I completely forgot what good old-school Grindcore is about. In general, nowadays most of the grindcore bands are experimenting a lot and not many bands are actually playing grindcore the way it was back in the day. These 5 dudes from the legendary band BLOCKHEADS, who have been in the scene for 30 years now (it seems that they still are not planning to slow down any time soon), reminded me what's up with top-notch old-school grindcore and got me out of the never-ending Powerviolence rabbit hole in which I was stuck for some time now.

The 8th addition to their discography does not disappoint. And while it does not introduce anything new and groundbreaking to the genre, it shows that you do not need to reinvent the wheel to make badass grindcore, proving that the original style of music still stands up to the current grindcore bands, which tend to experiment a lot more. 

The album starts with a noisy sample, which works like a charm and sets the mood for the whole album perfectly. Afterward, without any further adieu, skull-crushing blastbeats take over the stage accompanied by sick guitar riffs and show what brutal music actually is. After a while some different elements are being introduced, short and very brief "trick" breakdowns, which are quickly going back into those ridiculously fast blasts and even crusty parts as well. Similar elements are heard throughout the whole album and the main few tricks are revealed in the first 5 songs, with subtle differences occurring later on in the album.

Nonetheless, the whole album is very manic and chaotic, but somehow controlled and tight at the same time; has these very swift pauses, which seem impossible to actually perform, but these guys can pull it off! In addition to that, different parts of the tracks are composed in a way, that stops them from constantly sounding the same and helps the listener to avoid zoning out because of the continuous blasts. As it is now usual, the lyrics touch upon different social and ecological problems, which are now more relevant than ever, considering the direction the whole world and society is going towards to.

It was very refreshing to listen to this album, as it was a very long time since I’ve heard NEW old-school grindcore done right. There was a big variety of different moments to enjoy, although there are some minor downsides, which are very subjective and it will not bother most people. Due to my stupid millennial short attention span, the whole album was a tad too long for me (especially after the whole Powerviolence phase), therefore I enjoyed it much more by "consuming" the whole album in a few times. It made me enjoy those short segments much more and I did not get bored so quickly. That would also be my suggestion to those people, who are used to listening to way shorter albums, as this record is 28 minutes long.

Anyway, it was a blast listening to this album and I am looking forward to the official release! The album is out on the 15th of November via Lixiviat Records and Bones Brigade Records and will be available on CD, Tape, and Vinyl. 

Here is the single from the upcoming album:

Follow Blockheads: https://www.facebook.com/blockheadsgrind

Lixiviat Records: https://www.facebook.com/lixiviatrecords

Bones Brigade Records: https://www.facebook.com/bonesbrigaderecords