Published: 2 Sep 2024
Honky Reduction
- Release date: 1998
- Genres: Grindcore
- Rating: 2.5/5
- Originally written: ~4th March 2023
Some straightforward and trademark AnB drum machine grindcore insanity, although certainly far more bass-orientated and overwhelmingly violent and heavy, with vicious vocals often drowned out by the noise generated from the few instruments present. Perhaps a little repetitive and an exhausting listen (as most albums of this vein are, despite meagre length), but the few tempo variations here and there and aforementioned production keep this from being a footnote in AnB’s discography of sonic aural assaults.
Best tracks: The House of Feasting, Lives Ruined Through Sex (For Anita), Her Despair Reeks of Alcohol
Frozen Corpse Stuffed With Dope
- Release date: 2002
- Genres: Grindcore, Cybergrind
- Rating: 3/5
- Originally written: ~31st December 2023
Another helping of sonic aural terrorism, with the drum machine being the upfront presence and leader, not only blasting away but enveloping each song with non-repeating beats, fills and variations. It doesn’t always work, but when it does complement the riffs and vocals well, and even in the shortest of blasts, there’s plenty distinguishing one song from another is examined close enough.
There’s also the various handful of experimental tracks, and these are great at splitting up the monotony of the cyber/grind/core, ranging from a simple slowdown into sludginess (Doctored Results, Organ Donor), noise/ambience (Hungry Homeless Handjob, Chalking the Temporal God Module), and whatever the hell Machine Gun and Fuckmaker is.
Perhaps a little long for something this harsh and abrasive, but certainly is a worthwhile complement as the relatively ‘saner’ album vs. the subsequent Altered States of America.
Best Tracks: Bitch’s Handbag Full of Money, Kill Theme for American Apeshit, Doctored Results, Machine Gun, Time Vs. Necessity, Hungry Homeless Handjob, Organ Donor
Altered States of America
- Release date: 2003
- Genres: Cybergrind, Grindcore
- Rating: 3/5
- Originally written: ~31st December 2023
The trademark AnB taken to its most logical, anarchic, comical sound - a veritable machine gun blast/burst of firecrackers in audio form. It suffers from novelty overload and that there’s only so many ways to make 100 ‘You Suffer’s’ tracks interesting and distinct - and yet I can’t quite help myself from revisiting from time to time, mainly down the utterly irreverent attitude the album has, melding aforementioned blasts of noise with abrupt swerves into samples and other lyrical nonsense/topics. An exercise in comic maximalism.
Best Tracks: lol
Agorapocalypse
- Release date: 2009
- Genres: Grindcore
- Rating: 4/5
- Originally written: ~4th March 2023
AnB show off a different side of themselves here, going for a more technically minded grindcore sound. Its still loud, abrasive and chaotic as usual, but instead of blasts of insanity, instead we get fully-fledged, and supremely catchy, songs.
The amazingly polished production also allows each instrument and the trio of vocalists (which itself feels like a nod to powerviolence) present to really show off and have their own space in the mix, with Katherine Katz’ vocals being a particular highlight here.
A definite highlight in AnB’s discography, as you can get all the loudness and abrasiveness in something well-produced, well-written with the same AnB humour (see the track titles/lyrics as an obvious example) - only slightly more straightforward and digestible compared to the more unhinged cybergrind works earlier released.
Best Tracks: Agorapocalypse Now, Dick to Mouth Resuscitation, Question of Integrity, Timelord Two (Paradoxical Reaction)
