Bolesno Grinje
Nitko Nas Ne Vidi... Ali Mi Ipak Postojimo
6.7
I'm not sure what cultural influences cause Eastern Europeans play grind the way they do. Maybe their location on the map allows for an intersection not found in countries more commonly known for exporting grind. Maybe it's the lingering post-traumatic stress of having entire countries rolled under by German Panthers. Whatever it is, it makes for truly intense, slightly bizarre and sometimes wonderful music. Croatia's Bolesno Grinje plays a satisfying hybrid of punk, death and grind with some interesting curve-balls that make what could have been a pretty run of the mill album into something memorable.
The interesting, and kind of frustrating thing about this album, is that while Bolesno Grinje show off a bunch of cool influences, they don't really do a great job of fusing them with a sense of purpose. Instead off being treated to a really solid fusion of punk, death, and grind, we get a series of tracks that seem to oscillate in style. On a track by track basis, this doesn't pose a problem, as each style is pulled off professionally, but the album as a whole suffers from this lack of continuity. But what's really disappointing is that Bolesno Grinje do Discharge a thousand times better than they do Terrorizer or Napalm Death. Creating resounding melodies with nothing but feverishly strummed power-chords, and confidently bringing acoustic guitars into the mix without a bit of gimmickry, Bolesno Grinje offer brief moments of pure grindcore bliss. Honestly, there are glimpes of truly inspired dbeat and epic hardcore to be found on this album.
When the band settles into a more traditional death metal holding pattern, the results are satisfying in their authenticity, but uniformly less exciting. Sadly, this band's apparent melodic sensibility and distinction seem to wash out as the intensity is turned up.
From a production standpoint, I think this album sounds great. It's functional and mixed well. Nothing is overly processed or refined, and as a result sounds about as true to the performances as you could hope for.
Ironically, I think Bolesno Grinje might be well served by turning down the death metal influence a touch and really refining their tremendous songwriting potential. This is an album that's about 25 percent remarkable, and 75 percent passable. Unfortunately, the 25 percent makes the rest seem almost disposable. Grind devotees might get their money's worth here, but I think this band is an album away from making a real impact.
Related
Bolesno GrinjeOd Nesvijesti Do Grinda
7/22/2006