Maniac Killer "Amusing Anecdotes for the Depraved" CD
[No Escape]
Jesus, 43 tracks of blazing one-man drum machine grindcore in 37 minutes, compliments of Neil Smith (also known for his contributions to Frightmare, Lord Gore, and Whore).  Expect your usual dose of blazing speeds, blasting drum patterns, churning midpaced rhythms, samples galore, and vocals that jump from growls to screams to shrieks and everything in between in quite a frantic fashion.  The songs are well written and well performed, but admittedly the recording is a little hard on the ears.  It's not bad, but there's a lot of noise in there, so it can be hard to decipher the guitar riffs amongst the overbearing drum machines, vocals, samples, etc.  It also sounds like there are some overloaded input levels going on at times because things seem to cave in to a hint of distortion, which clutters things up and adds a lot of muddiness.  The guitar tone is heavy but has an unnatural bite to it that can be distracting as well, and I don't really make out any basslines at all, but the mix is pretty thick so they're probably in there somewhere.  All of the songs were recorded in bedrooms and garages in July and December of 2001, so of course it's understandable that things sound raw, and considering the circumstances I'd say this is actually a pretty efficient end result.  A little rough for my ears, but I'm picky with this genre anyway, so those fans more dedicated to the style won't likely have a problem with it.  The latter set of songs isn't mastered as loudly, which can be frustrating, but oh well.  I tend to get tired of samples being overused in grindcore, but most of the clips used herein are mildly amusing, and they're used all over the place - not just as intros or outros or anything like that, and that's cool.  Writing-wise there are a shitload of riffs covering a range of influences, all of which tend to be fast and rugged, but the playing is pretty precise so that's great.  I like the rhythms that throw in some odd dissonance or a few midpaced breathers to give things a little more space, but overall there are a couple of issues contributing to the fact that there aren't that many songs that stand out - but shit, with 43 tracks that's not a real surprise, you know?  "Catharsis Through Utter Vaginal Disfigurement" is among the slower and sludgier tunes, immediately jumping out as a result, as do the thrashier stylings of "Splatter Holocaust" or the churning atmospheric intro to closer "The Resurrection and the End..."  But there aren't that many songs that really stand out from the pack as a whole.  Honestly, it tends to be the slow riffs that do it, too.  Every now and then a midpaced break will drop and you just think to yourself, "Ahhh, there it is," you know?  Visually it's a little choppy and inconsistent (lots of photos from horror flicks and whatnot), but not bad.  No lyrics are included, of course, but with song titles like "Torso Fucktoy" or "Sexually Mutilated With a Power Drill", among others, do you need lyrics?  This isn't a bad collection of tunes at all, but it's a little boring for me to sit through in one dose.  I'd probably be more into this as an EP that had a more focused approach, selecting some of the best tracks from this massive set for a quick blast, but there are certain to be those diehards out there who will eat this up.  The dude's definitely got a knack for taking care of business all on his own, that's for sure. (6/10)
Running time - 36:55, Tracks: 43
[Notable tracks: Gutted Bitch Porno, Gallery of Mangled Whore Flesh, Catharsis Through Utter Vaginal Disfigurement, Torture, Splatter Holocaust, The Resurrection and the End...]
No Escape Records - http://www.noescaperecords.com

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