Originally released on 625 Thrash Records back in 2007 and now re-released by arguably the original grindcore record label, Texas’s Insect Warfare continue where the monstrous grindcore recent efforts of fellow Texans Kill the Client, Maruta, Captain Cleanoff and Napalm Death, left off.
Basically, Insect Warfare is like my mother in law; short, explosive, loud, violent and only tolerable in 20 minute bursts. The 20 tracks on World Extermination range from 13 seconds to an epic 1:49 culling from only the most classic of grindcore and none of this spazzy Nu grindcore bollocks. This is no compromise, no bullshit, ultra fast power chords, blast beats like early Napalm Death (From Enslavement to Obliteration) or Terrorizer on steroids (heck, even the album title and cover reminded me of Terrorizer’s World Downfall). No experimentation, no samples and nothing that comes close to Napalm’s Death more sonorous, controlled and progressive take on grindcore, just sheer, blistering seething cacophony wrapped in a gritty, powerful, raw production. The vocals are simple, to the point mix of deep (but not comically so) growls and fevered screams-standard but effective and primitively savage.
There are no memorable or standout tracks and no filler, just a 22 minute beat down, that’s actually far more destructive than the peers mentioned above, as there’s not a single iota of catchiness-just a sonic high colonic. Only “Decontamination” and closer “Evolved into Obliteration” take the foot of the throttle for a few beats as tracks like “Human Trafficking”, “Mind Ripper”, “Armored Virus”. “Nuclear Deterrence”, “Protection Maze” and “Paranoia” just to name a few, simply rip at you like an escaped, rabid Pit Bull and you were wearing a Michael Vick jersey.
Congrats to Earache for gaining back some grindcore respectability after almost 20 years.
I’ve had this album for a few years now and I agree 100%, it completely rips! I wouldn’t say it outpaces the likes of Kill the Client by any significant margin but its apples and oranges really, both bands are excellent and succeed marvelously at playing no bullshit relentless grindcore.
on Mar 13th, 2009 at 17:04They were a great band…
Good to see Earache on the ball releasing an album not even 2 years old.
on Mar 13th, 2009 at 19:19Ha!, mother-in-law, high colonics and a rabid pit bull attack. This one really got you on a roll, Erik. Sounds like my kind of grind, still a newer genre to me.
on Mar 21st, 2009 at 11:58