Where they from?
Portland, OR. I’ve previously mentioned Portland’s role in as a northwest hub for bootleggers during the prohibition era but did you know it was also one of the focal points of the West Coast Waterfront Strike of 1934? Dock workers up and down the West Coast went on strike in June of that year as part of the International Longshoreman’s Association and were able to successfully arbitrate hourly pay increases and a 30 hour work week despite numerous incidents of small-scale violence between the strikers and the police.
What do they sound like?
Not really like any other band but I would call it Dark, psychedelic sci-fi grind if I had to?
Why the hype?
As part of this column I have to do a lot of research, and by “research” I mean “listen to a ton of terrible grindcore adjacent projects that are posted on the internet”. The breakdown usually works like this: 70% of the bands I come across don’t play actual grindcore, 20% of them suck, 8% of them are just ok and 1% of them are actually really sick. That leaves us with 1% remaining, and what constitutes that 1% you ask? It’s grindcore bands that are both really sick AND manage to put out an album that stands out on it’s own as a solitary unit of art, meaning they don’t just slap together a demo of some bangers but actually create something with an atmosphere and a statement all it’s own. I come across this type of album maybe once or twice a year if I’m lucky and I believe this Portland duo, who dub themselves “deathgrind/stonerviolence”, have released just that: an actual grindcore album that stands on it’s own.
Latest Release?
A Todo Madre O Un Desmadre, which actually came out last year but somehow I am just finding out about it now. From the opening warped sample of “Desmadre” to the darkly epic closer “Outside Looking In”, this album has an atmosphere all it’s own that makes it feel like more of a bleak psychedelic mushroom trip than an actual grindcore album. Musically the band has a lot in common with Texas’s Kill The Client, but where that group suffocated the listener with endless bouts of blasting, BADxMOUTH like to eviscerate you with the fast parts but aren’t afraid to punish you with groove and bounce. I especially like the punch the kick drum delivers here and the vocals are exceptional. The previously mentioned album ender “Outside Looking In” is probably going to go into my personal library of moody grindcore songs to listen to when I’m feeling overwhelmed with alienation. Cheers!
