Gruesome Stuff Relish-Teenage Gaillo Grind/Horror Rises from the Tomb
(No Escape Records, 2008)

What we have here are two discs of Spanish goregrind being re-released by No Escape Records.

Teenage Giallo Grind was originally released in 2002 I believe and is presented here with the inclusion of 5 bonus tracks. The album shows the bands Impetigo meets Carcass sound in all of its raw glory. Although the album seems somewhat primitive when compared to the follow up it was a blistering slab of extremity when it was released in 2002 and still holds up very well right now. The songs are all quite short and while some of the songs do sound fairly similar to one another the band keeps things interesting throughout with their manic energy.

Horror Rises from the Tomb is a much better album on pretty much every level. The song writing is a lot more varied and while the overall sound of the band hasn't changed much, it seems like they put a bit more effort into the writing this time around. The production is a bit more raw than I would have liked with the guitar tone having a bit too much bite at times. The sound definitely captures the energy of the band but a bit less treble overall would have been nice. The album also includes 2 bonus tracks not on the original version of the album.

Looking at these two re-issues it basically boils down to if you have the original versions you don't really need the re-issues. The bonus tracks are nice but these are essentially the same albums released by Razorback with Horror From the Tombs being not even a year old yet. If you are new to Gruesome Stuff Relish however both of these albums come highly recommended. Both are excellent examples of modern goregrind with a classic twist to it.

Putrescence-Sledgehammer Holocaust
(No Escape Records, 2008)

Putrescence are a band that may have a humorous side at times, but musically the band goes straight for the throat. Sledgehammer Holocaust is 14 tracks of chaotic and memorable grindcore infused with perfect amounts of death metal. This is the third full length album from the band and it is quite clear that the band is just getting better with each album.

The album is certainly speed driven yet there are a surprising amount of tempos on display. The band toys with slower tempos throughout, keeping things from being a total blur throughout the entire album. Shades of classic Brutal Truth collide with a more death metal based sound resulting in a sound that is just as likely to throw a crust inspired riff at you as it is a tremolo picked death metal riff.

Modern productions have a tendency to take the energy and human feel away from bands on this nature and that thankfully isn't the case here. The album sounds phenomenal but has a very raw live feel that really lets the speed smack you upside the head with a thunderous impact. A balanced mix allows everything to ring through clear and the vocals and drums never overpower the mix, which can also be a problem with this style at times as well.

It's fairly easy to say that if you like grindcore and extreme metal in general you'll dig Sledgehammer Holocaust. This is an explosive album that may not take the genre to any new places but is extremely satisfying none the less. Press play and just you try to count the bruises.