Sewn Shut "Rediscovering the Dead" CD
[Selfmadegod]
Fuck yeah! A massive 29-track collection of this crushing Swedish grind act's vinyl output from 2001 - 2002 (during which time they were only a duo) that runs a mere 27 minutes! I love this band as they embody everything that vicious grindcore should be: Short songs, thick and nasty recordings, guttural growls and higher snarls, tons of tempo changes between blasting speeds and absolutely massive breakdowns, a sense of energy and consistency to the writing that doesn't get boring and does provide just enough variation to remain interesting, etc. Included herein are the band's split 7"s with Squash Bowels, Embalming Theatre, Ulcerrhoea, Mind Collage, Man in Shackles, and three songs from the "Polargrinder" compilation LP. I actually have pretty much all of this stuff on vinyl, but it's damn nice to have everything in one place like this, as I'll listen to the CD much more often than the EP's. "The Charade" has a great break with distorted bass and more rhythmic chord progressions, "Eruptions of Violence" blends fierce grind with throbbing crust punk tempos, etc. The first three (most recent) EP's on the disc have less variety than the earlier work, where "The Rebirth of Freedom" is a little slower and heavier than many of the other tracks (also among the few that hits a minute-and-a-half), but seriously, every track on the split with Mind Collage is fucking awesome, and that's definitely my favorite split 7" represented herein. Just check out "Children of Wonderland"... fuckin' brutal midpaced mastery! Then "After the Storm" is another that has more of a crusty hardcore/punk drive to its rhythm, "The Final Chapter" has some melodic lead lines that are very uncharacteristic of the band's work, and so on. The production varies in terms of overall rawness and could have been mastered better, but the listen is pretty consistent as a whole. The "Polargrinder" session is the only one that's muddy and a little lacking in that department. My guess is that some of the splits were recorded in the same sessions since a few of them sound almost identical to one another. Expect thick guitars and pulsing distorted bass regardless, creating a dense and gritty sound with raw but natural drumming, and vocal tradeoffs shifting in position - at times a little out front, other times perfectly blended with the music. Despite some ruggedness much of this work sounds significantly better than a lot of similar bands, and ironically I actually prefer some of the older work on the splits with Mind Collage and Man in Shackles both musically and for recording quality. Sadly no lyrics are included for the collection, so the layout keeps it minimal with bleak imagery, a thanks list, and credits for what releases the songs originally appeared on. Everything is in black and white except the band logo, but I think the art looks pretty fitting for this music. It would've been nice to see the original cover art from the 7"s as well as the lyrics, but this is not a perfect world, so... fuck it. Fans of the band and grind in general are very much recommended to pick this one up. (7/10)
Running time - 26:51, Tracks: 29
[Notable tracks: The Charade, Eruptions of Violence, Cretinism, Smear of Destruction, Fall to Extinction, Cycle of Despair, Dissension, The Rebirth of Freedom, Knives to our Throats, Children of Wonderland, After the Storm, The Final Chapter]
Selfmadegod Records - http://www.selfmadegod.com

This review has been displayed 2049 times.