review :: Royce Icon
"Brute Force" is the name of this new cd by Victoria, BC based psychos Griefer, and it's a damn applicable title, as brute force is pretty much what you get here, in the form of a pure death industrial/ power electronics asskicking. From the initial raid siren opening and junky noise pounding to all points thereafter, this beast keeps a firm grip on your skull and genitals for the entire 40 minutes of it's existence.
There are 8 tracks here, and each one has a somewhat different sound, though brooding drones and thumps, random low end noise and scrapes, maniac distorted voices and general distortion abuse tie the tracks together in theme. And in this case, that sure as fuck isn't a bad thing.
I'm not sure about the particulars of this recording, but it has a very live sound, which is one of the main reasons I like it; listening to it evokes the feeling and energy of a live show, and you can almost see two guys beating pedals and randomly hitting shit in front of you.
One of the other qualities that "Brute Force" has that makes me appreciate it is it's usage of atmosphere and space. It knows when to let an ominous drone ring out, and it keeps moving and changing so you don't get bored. Nothing ever goes on for too long, nothing is ever too short. As soon as you find yourself drifting off into the calm low end ambience, they slap you with a sheet of noise that peels your eyes back open to the main course.
In short, Griefer were able to hit that nice audio g-spot of having everything sound just right, that perfect balance, and I definitely envy it. I don't think I've ever released a record that managed to sound spontaneous and live yet so well produced and put together at the same time. Highly fucking recommended for sure.
