(Andy Synn presents a wake-up call in the form of the new album from Gvillotine)
For whatever reason, I’ve been having trouble sleeping for the last few days. More specifically, I’ve been having trouble getting to sleep, because my brain just won’t switch off.
The knock-on effect of this, of course, is that it’s been getting more and more difficult to drag my tired, sleep-deprived carcass out of bed each morning, because both my brain and my body just don’t want to wake up.
But, let me tell you, Gvillotine‘s particular blend of blistering Blackened Grind contains more chemical energy than 1,000 cups of the blackest coffee – with none of the associated carcinogens – and a quick burst of it to start the day definitely helps blast (and I do mean blast) away the cobwebs.
Despite the album’s brevity (collectively its nine songs clock in at just under 25 minutes in total) and in spite of the band’s preference for, whenever possible, maintaining a breathless, breakneck, burn it all down, pace, there’s actually a surprising (and pleasing) amount of variety to Hell Is Other People.
Of a certainty, there are more than enough short, sharp bursts of venom and vitriol – song after song dousing the listener in a torrent of frantic riffs, frenzied blastbeats, and frenetic, fire-breathing vocals – to keep even the most demanding of Grind-fans happy (well, as happy as they ever can be), but amidst all this belligerent catharsis and barely-controlled chaos the band somehow find time to explore, albeit briefly, a few different sides of their sound.
Whether that’s the prominent use of cut-throat melody and punishing intensity (with tracks like “Part II” and “Part VI” hitting that same sweet spot between hooky and heavy as bands like Ant Ritual and Hexis, for example), the occasional sundering slow burn of massive riffs (as makes up the early moments of the Ancst-esque “Part III”) that eventually builds towards a cataclysmic crescendo, or even the unexpectedly tense and atmospheric mid-section of “Part VII”, you’ll find that Gvillotine have more than a few tricks (including a few subtle electronic/noise embellishments) up their sleeves to help keep you on your toes.
Speaking of sleeves… it’s obvious that Gvillotine have no qualms about wearing their musical influences or their anarchist ideals where everyone can see them either, as lines like “Necessary violence as a means to an end / Words will form weapons when torn hearts can’t mend” and “Architecture / Replaces nature / No sight to behold” wouldn’t sound out of place being screamed at a Napalm Death gig or chanted at a mass protest.
So while I may have been (fashionably?) late to the party with this one – Hell Is Other People originally came out back in February – hopefully it’s not too late to invite some of you to join me.