Right from the beginning, grindcore was always about brutal riffs, scary-fast tempos and sickening harsh vocals. Much of these characteristics came from crust and hardcore punk, but bands like Napalm Death and Repulsion pumped those genres up with steroids and played loud as f
uck, much to the chagrin of parents everywhere. It was the perfect music for the Reagan era, but just as the world changed at the end of the decade, so did the genre; many bands slowly began to infuse death metal, thrash, and noise into their grinding onslaught. Some purists considered these changes to be the result of bandwagonning and selling out, but there was at least one great thing to come out of this period: Terrorizer's
World Downfall.
Composed of members Nausea and Morbid Angel, Terrorizer began working out the kinks on some rehearsal demos before releasing their 1989 debut. Jesse Pintado's guitar work is simple but effective, utilizing typical tremolo picking and power chords to amass a wall of sound. His playing is surprisingly clean and tight (which goes for the rest of the band), showing that Terrorizer were far more advanced than their peers. What may be the main draw for this album, however, is Pete Sandoval. His drumming on
World Downfall is nothing but beastly; he compliments the riffs instead of trying to overpower them, blasting with a precision unmatched by most drummers, and without triggers. Got that, Marco?
Engineered by the legendary Scott Burns (who also worked on the best grindcore album ever,
Misery Index),
World Downfall is chaulk-full of amazing songs, sixteen to be exact. From theinitial double bass hits of "After World Oblieration" to the fade out of "World Downfall," the listener is barraged with images of corporate greed, nuclear war, zombies, and possibly your own sterility. Such themes (as typical as they may be) work well with the vicious riffing and Oscar Garcia's low grunts. "Dead Shall Rise" is the relentless highlight, never letting up in brutality and pace. Resisting to throw up the horns or claws to lyrics like "THE DEAD SHALL RISE FROM THE GRAVE TO DESTROY ALL MANKIND" is futile. Just try not to, you pansy. Much of
World Downfall's appeal lies in its consistency; you won't find a single weak riff, bum note, or botched drum hit anywhere on this album. It's an inalienable classic. F
uck off.
