Hanging Rotten "Your Cheatin' Heart" LP
[Putrid Filth Conspiracy]
Here's some dirty grindcore from who knows where (there's no contact information) with a little bit of a sludgy vibe going on through the occasional nod to Eyehategod via Black Sabbath. There are lots of samples flying around and in most cases these are really short songs full of filthy distortion textures, throbbing basslines, and awesome throaty vocal screams. "Staggered" is one of the definite standouts, running slower and longer with some distortion over the vocals and an overall darker, more forceful feel. The nice quiet breaks driven by the rhythm section add some diversity as well. "Regret" breaks out some total death metal riffing for a split second, while "Body Hammer" is pure grindcore at its finest (think Terrorizer). And just check out the unrepentant heaviness of the almighty "Bossman Complex"! You can't lose with that one. Tempo changes are definitely among this band's strengths. Contrary to side A of the LP, which throws down 12 tracks in about 10 minutes, side B offers up a mere two tracks in about the same amount of time. First up is the unbelievably awesome instrumental "Kudzu Jesus", complete with brutal thrash riffs, slower picking patterns and drum beats, and a massive dose of sludgy chugging fury. Then it's on to "Mongoloid", which starts out with some blaring harsh noise and samples that flow into some southern fried sludge mastery the likes of which Soilent Green would be proud of. The recording is pretty damn good. The drums sound crisp and natural, the bass tone is really smooth and pulsating (a nice contrast against the dirty guitars), and the vocals rest right in the heart of it all with the music. I don't have any problems. For what they're doing, this is the right sound. The LP comes in a black and white sleeve with a black and white insert, and all of the graphics are high contrast. All of the lyrics are included on the insert, sans the title track (whose lyrics were penned by Hank Williams) and a few others, along with a band photo and a thanks list. It's pretty simple, but it looks alright to me. Most of the lyrics are fragmented and succinct: "Fragile, Naïve, Wither and die, The fatal result, Of your greed and lies..." For the most part this is great record. In all honesty I think these cats should play at moderate paces more often, because the grind material is not their best work by any means. The longer, slower tracks are absolutely destructive, and if they were to focus on that direction this LP probably would have made me shit myself. I like the tempo variation a lot, but damn... the slower riffs are just fucking sweet! This LP is worth it for the two songs on side B alone. (7/10)
Running time - 20:00 (approximately), Tracks: 14
[Notable tracks: Staggered, Body Hammer, Bossman Complex, Kudzu Jesus, Mongoloid]
Putrid Filth Conspiracy - http://fly.to/putridfilth/

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