Here’s a pleasant little surprise from Portugal’s long running Simbiose; classic Discharge, Doom, Extreme Noise Terror, Driller Killer, Terrorizer and Righteous Pigs styled grindcore/crust with no frills, no pig vocals, no squawking chaos, no breakdowns, just earthy, punky power chords, grooves and a hint of catchiness.
Granted, this is far from earth shattering, but it does bring back some nostalgia of the late 80’s early 90’s underground with its simplicity and vitality. The politically charged themes sometimes delivered in the bands native tongue, fit the charged music and with guest appearances from Dean Jones (Extreme Noise Terror) and João “Gordo” (Ratos De Porão), the band certainly are not ashamed of their somewhat archaic influences.
The 10 songs are short but sweet, delivering their assault in less than 30 minutes, but it’s a gratifying 30 minutes that’s focuses and surprisingly memorable, a rarity from today’s ADD addled so called grindcore bands. Some of the tracks are deftly catchy such as “Crippled”, “Ideia Deliróide” and closer “Inglorious Victory” will have you thinking “Wow this is archaic and unoriginal” but at the same time going “Hell yeah!” and banging your head furiously.
If you are looking for something complex and challenging, look elsewhere. If your looking for some well done, old school grindcore/crust, I suggest Simbiose.
