Antigama/Third Degree/Herman Rarebell "The World Will Fall Soon and We Will All Die" CD
[Selfmadegod]
Selfmadegod is really proving to be a damn solid grindcore label, and this three-way split from all Polish bands is an excellent example of that fact. First up is Antigama with six tracks of sludgy and punishingly heavy grindcore with a forceful recording and tons of tempo variation. The guitar tone is heavy and crisp, the bass tone is huge and well defined amidst its dense and distorted core, the vocals are guttural growls/shouts with nice texture, and the drums sound perfect for this style - tight and clear but still warm in presence. The actual songwriting ranges from classic blasting grind to dissonant midpaced riffing, slower rhythms with more of that sludgy undercurrent, or a few more caustic areas (see "In a Room With Blue Walls"). Overall their material here is very memorable and definitely among the finer grind I've heard in some time now. The bass tone is so fucking awesome, I'm telling you, this band rules! Third Degree is up next with four tracks of slightly more straightforward grind trading off between cackling high vocals and vicious growls, not to mention focusing more on constant speeds. Their recording is a little dirtier with midrange, but still pretty good, and the songwriting definitely has enough feel to work out. They're not just blasting away to the point where it becomes boring or anything. "Awareness" is more midpaced and discordant, with lots of varying tempos and strange layers of guitars - a damn fine track. Herman Rarebell closes out the disc with seven tracks very similar to those of Intense Degree, switching between high/low vocals, emphasizing speed a little more, and so forth. They, too, have a slightly rougher recording, but the mix is tight, the tones dense, and it fits what they're doing fine. The vocals are slightly overpowering, but I'm not bothered by that. I'd prefer to hear more growling as the sneering screams can get irritating, but the songs are short and to the point. They end with a cover of "Mutual Trust" by Defecation as well. The layout looks pretty fucking awesome, with lots of high contrast imagery (much of which is politically charged, with the cover mocking George W. Bush) and metallic silver printing, cool fonts, etc. The inner spread isn't as interesting, and it would've looked better if everything was done with the metallic silver and no color, but it's still a fine looking piece of work. No lyrics are included, just additional artwork, contact information, and credits for each band. All in all this is a damn fine split. No song hits three minutes and nothing ever gets stale, all of the bands just charge right through and don't fuck around. The Polish grind scene seems quite strong, and I'm thinking I need to do some more digging to learn more about the bands over there. Pick this one up, I'm into it, and all fans of the grindcore genre should find plenty to appreciate here.  (7/10)
Running time - 26:45, Tracks: 17
[Notable tracks: Imperfection, Search, Questions, Awareness, Iron Snake, Mutual Trust]
Selfmadegod Records - http://www.selfmadegod.com

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