BLODSPRUT // FREDDY THE DYKE
Split Cassingle
(Drid Machine Records)


Short and sweet split tape from two future-grind bands from Norway. The Blodsprut side is a solid exercise in the art of grindcore, sweetened with some unusual instrumentation and song structure. Howled vocals, crazy militaristic drumming, and a guitar tone that sounds like it could be used for demolition work. It grinds, but it sounds really different from a lot of other grindcore bands I've heard. The interplay between the drums and the guitar really helps to separate them from other bands in this family of music. The drums are maniacal, and there's a lot of space in the music for the drummer to tear your speakers, and the guitar is wielded sparingly, getting you sneering at just the right spots.

BUT, the B side is truly the winner. Freddy the Dyke make The Locust look like they're trapped in the neolithic era. This two piece rips more than any other groups I've heard in a while. Crazy over-loaded effected vocals are delivered in tight barks, while the music moves deftly between fist-waving stoned dirges, gyrating tribal rhythms, and blasts of total noise. The second track pulls back a bit, and is a bit more of a math-y percussion workout, with some really distant vocals and a lot of space to zone out before they kick in the overdrive and hit you in the face. This comes highly recommended, I wanted to hear way more of this stuff and the tape wasn’t long enough to sate my needs, plus the artwork on both sides of the mailer box that came with the tape is incredibly rad. Pick this up. 


-- Timothy Johnson