Grimfist
Ghouls of Grandeur
7.9
We all remember the first time we heard it . . . the ultra heavy riffs, the insanely aggressive vocals, the thunderous drums - I am, of course, talking about Pantera. Don’t even try to deny that the first time you heard Vulgar Display of Power, you were blown away and grabbed by the balls. Nostalgia aside, Grimfist is like another, well, grim fist grabbing you by your manhood and slamming you down on a bed of nails. The ball-grabbing part is due to the members (no pun intended) of Deride, and the bed of nails is because of none other than Horgh of Immortal. As stated, the first thing you’ll notice is the unstoppable power of virtually every aspect of the band. Heavy is the key word here. Grimfist fuses ultra thick, meaty rhythms with warp-speed leads creating a cyanide-esque level of lethality. From the moment the album starts with the aptly named "Primal Aggression", the brutality doesn’t let up for a moment. The second track, "Outlined in Black", basically describes the band for what it is: a brutal, semi-melodic death metal band that is outlined in black metal. Great, non-hardcore breakdowns are scattered throughout the album, most noticeably on the track "From Hell and Back". Excellent grooves are also to be had, showcased by the title track. And, as you will learn in this track, it’s not “Ghouls of Grandeur” - it’s “GHOULS OF GRANDEUR!!!”. All in all, this album has something for everyone, aside from the elitist prog-head or the cock-rocker. While the songwriting is not super-deep, it’s more than heavy, and a furious listen. When Ghouls of Grandeur injects its venom into you, you won’t want the antidote. Let it take over your central nervous system and drive you into convulsions. Let it dissolve your brain with its infectious glory. There’s a level of pure, unadulterated aggression here that is attempted by many but matched by few, a true vulgar display of power. There’s enough heaviness to blast in your car to scare old women or idiot hip-hop fans, yet enough intricacy to sit back and absorb through intense listening sessions. If Pantera still had balls, this would be the album they’d make. If they were shoved into the blast furnace to blacken them just a little bit, they would also end up in the same place as Grimfist. Either way, I think you get the point, so buy the album if you’re the aggressive type. Not convinced yet? Well it was produced by none other than the legendary Peter Tägtgren. And you’re still sitting here reading?
Outlined in Black - A great, über-heavy, old-skool-Pantera-sounding song Lesser of Two Evils - Probably the most black metal song on the album, good shite
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