Apartment 213 "Cleveland Power Violence" CD
[self-released]
Hell yeah. Whoever would've seen it coming that the mighty Apartment 213 would end up back in action, with damn near their original lineup no less, years and years after their final release hit the streets!? Well, that's what you've got here: Four tracks, six minutes, and the same brand of raw, violent grindcore the band churned out in their heyday. From the ferocious 18-second blast of "Headache" to the longer, slower, and more developed "BTK" - which offers up not only more breathing room to the tempos, but some recycled riffs and arrangements from the classic "John Wayne Gacy" tune off of the band's debut 7" some 10 years ago. Meanwhile, the similarly more menacing "Wife Beater" opens with pounding distorted bass and feedback and gradually picks up speed with some death metal-esque tremolo picking that has a great bite to it; and "Worthless Fucking Cunt" jacks up the pace right away with plenty of relentless speed before cranking out the token midpaced breakdown of the demo. But don't expect any chugga chugga horseshit, I'm talking nothing but nasty power chords and chunky picking patterns. All of this is accompanied by the band's patented barked, pissed off shouting with a few sick sneers here and there. Only one track hits two minutes and this fuckin' thing's over in a flash. The recording is actually pretty damn good, achieving a solid balance between the ruggedness of the band's early years with a slightly more contemporary crispness. The vocals stay back against the instruments, the bass plays a good role behind the guitars, and the drums sound fine. I'd like to hear a little more of the warm density that their first few records had in place, but this is definitely growing on me, and the edge that the guitar tone possesses really works perfectly in "Wife Beater". The CD-R comes in a slim jewel case without and real packaging per se, just a quick text insert printed off of a home computer. But this might not even be an official demo, and it's fucking Apartment 213, so who gives a shit!? A lot of people might not remember these guys from way back when, but for me they're the ultimate band for violent, serial killer inspired power violence/grindcore, and no one's ever sounded anything like 'em. This is great stuff that's 100% true to the band's roots, so look for more new material and a complete discography release coming soon! Fuck yeah! (7/10)
Running time - 6:06, Tracks: 4
[Notable tracks: Wife Beater, Worthless Fucking Cunt]
Apartment 213 - http://www.holyterror.com/213/

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