IT'S HERE! New Zealand grinders FORCED STARVATION have dropped their debut release / debut full length(!) and it's a total belter from start to finish - don't even bother reading the rest of this, just go buy it!
Alright, in case you needed some convincing, FORCED STARVATION are NZ's premier active grindcore band and stylistically, they cover basically everything that makes REAL grind the perfect distillation of punk and metal. To name a few influences that come to mind - American legends INSECT WARFARE, PLUTOCRACY, early ASSUCK (albeit executed in a sharper and less messy fashion), and Aussie classics such as CAPTAIN CLEANOFF and INTERNAL ROT. As you'd expect, the album is mostly made up of fast, head-smashing blasters, but the songs are often punctuated with neck-snapping breaks that not only serve well to break up the blasting, but are excellent in their own right - breakdowns or powerviolence-style "mosh bits" are mostly eschewed in favour of churning, dense and slightly unconventional grooves. Perhaps the most easily noticeable influence is PLUTOCRACY in the inclusion of some clean guitar sections; however, these are pulled off exceptionally well, are short in duration and do not feel out of place at all. The maniacal vocal performance often switches from almost brutal death-like low growls to foaming-at-the-mouth high shrieks, and both styles are as well-executed as each other. Also of note is the bass guitar - on top of having a satisfying snarl, occasionally it deviates from the standard role of following the guitar's root notes, which helps it to further ground the rhythm section in addition to filling out modern grind's oft-ignored lower end. Something to be clear about is that while I’ve made references to a lot of established and well-known bands, FORCED STARVATION stand well out from the pack and often incorporate some twists and turns the likes of which you don’t expect nor hear very often. Another strength of theirs rarely seen over the last 15 years is that their songs are actually very memorable without skimping on the brutality – I swear I remember a bunch of these only from seeing them twice in Melbourne last year. Can’t say that about many bands of any kind, especially grind.
Overall, any grinder that isn’t a false should love FORCED STARVATION. The record's relative “accessibility” in that it has a legible, strong mix and (for the style, I should stress) memorable songs may even serve to convert some people who may not otherwise be die hard grind lifers. I’d have liked a longer runtime - 25min would have been absolutely perfect - but its shorter-than-desired length detracts nothing from an otherwise excellent record. Highly recommended and definitely a standout of the last 5-10 years. The CD is out now on RSR/Hate Ape with the LP coming soon, presumably alongside a full digital version.
Preview track here: