Alvin M. Keeling 
There have been a lot of ups and downs for all of us in 2021. One pandemic has ended, another has started and they even got an old boat stuck in the Suez Canal! But enough about my sex life, let’s get to what you’re really here for: an arbitrarily put together list for you and your friends to shit all over Facebook! Now, here are Blast Worship’s 21 favorite grind / powerviolence songs of 2021!
“Seize” by Knoll (from Gap)
New to the grind scene, Memphis, Tennessee’s Knoll is releasing one of the most visceral feature films of 2021 with Gap, which saw the group combine elements of grind, doom, and harsh noise to give a full blast. “Grasp” is the centerpiece of the album, seeing the band plunge into the depths of jarring doom with a broken-sounding melody that sounds as if it could be pulled from a vintage record of Clinging To The Trees of a Forest Fire. Tough, indeed.
“I pray for death” by Human Obliteration (from the split with Vile Species)
Cali-based Human Obliteration continued to roll with their skate-punk-influenced grindcore on their split EP with the Greeks Vile Species. Their half was filled with memorable and creative moments, but most striking for me is “I Beg for Death”, a song that succinctly balances their ’80s metal influences with absolutely eviscerating and precise explosions.
“You will pay the bill at the Styx” by GUMMO (from A fresh breath on the neck)
Seemingly coming out of nowhere, Frenchman GUMMO released one of the most underrated grind feature films of 2021 in A fresh breath on the neck. “You’ll Pay the Bill to the Styx” is the most remarkable track for me, with a snarling, snotty hardcore snap that ends a crispy bass grindcore that creates something seriously ANTHEMIC.
“Tissue failure of the hematopoietic system and lymphoids” by Last Days of Humanity (from Horrible compositions of decomposition)
The Dutch godfathers of the Last Days of Humanity goreblast made a hole in the universe with their latest installment Horrible Compositions of Decomposition back in March. The album featured a modernized take on what the band is known for – absolutely inhuman goregrind spewed out at maximum speed and volume. The opening of the album “Hematopoietic System Tissue and Lymphoid Fail” set the tone early on for what the mood is: pure, relentless disgust.
“Valientes Sin Armas, Sociedad Sin Miedo” by Bayt Lahm (extract from the single “Valientes Sin Armas, Sociedad Sin Miedo”)
Epic in scope and concept, Bayt Lahm’s standalone single was a newcomer to the race, but takes its rightful place on this list due to its dynamics and creativity. The song runs for over two minutes, oscillating between doom, grind and psychedelic sludge, while doing so with a strong political message about the current situation in Colombia.
“Short Work” by Interne (from Primordial state)
The most powerfully violent track on the most powerfully violent album of the year lives up to its name. “Short Work” takes the listener short, leaving you bruised, beaten and beaten in under 21 seconds.
“Quelaag” by Neon Hiss (from shame)
Synth-grind-beatdown might not be a combination of subgenres we’re used to, but if this Toronto-based unit keeps releasing albums like shame, we may have to do it. I can’t say for sure what settings all of the computerized instruments are in “Quelaag” on, but I do know the overall effect is like the Locust is trying to write a hardcore badass song. If that doesn’t sound like something you like, well, I’m sorry you have such a bad taste.
“XWizardxBlizzardx” by Will Cope (from A try)
It seems like it’s an annual tradition that I have to include at least one powerviolence song that starts with an anthemic fight riff, explodes into punk chaos, and then ends with the same anthemic fight riff. Well, go ahead, you dirty animals.
‘Cannibalized Alive’ from Ptomatopsiaa (from Parturition)
Connecticut gore fiends released hypergoreblast album of the year with debut EP in pandemic era Parturition. There really isn’t much to say here other than the snare pings, the gurgling vocals, and the guitar sounds you play with a soldering iron. Pretty sweet if you ask me.
“Solve the equations of life and death” by the deterioration (of Transcending Human Limits)
One of the most subversive and irreverent releases of the year, Deterioration’s Transcending Human Limits EP brought the usual craziness we expect from Midwestern maniacs. The closer album “Solving the Equations of Life and Death” begins with a hilarious sample that really sums up some of the nonsense of the COVID era, then explodes with frenzied explosions before turning into one of the riffs most memorable gore / thrash on this side of the morgue.
“Tlat-Melet” by Karkait (from Yevul)
One of the most hypnotic songs on this list, Isreal’s Karkait decided to close their masterclass of an EP Yevul with an almost five-minute funeral song that draws on exceptionally angular guitar work and rhythmic jungle drums to create a dark, swirling mass of agony that leaves the listener utterly mesmerized. Brood in anguish if you dare.
“Trojan Whore (Live)” by Pig Destroyer by The sound pornographers)
Putting that in here is kind of like cheating, but to be completely honest there probably hasn’t been a single song I’ve listened to more this year than the live version of it. Prowler in the yard clip. There really is no greater ‘KILLING EVERYBODY AROUND YOU’ moment than you can experience in a live performance as THIS RIFF kicks off around the 45 second mark. Complete shoulder dislocation music.
“Defiant” by Death Toll 80K (from The future is yours)
Nobody carries the militant grindcore torch better these days than these Finnish bastards. I’m sure they release new music every two years just to put all the other bands in their place. The future is yours is no different and “Defiant” begins the proceedings with the most relentless circle riff on this side of “World Extermination”.
“Dogmatic embrace” of Ixias (from tint)
Ixias from Baltimore brought the absolute heat on their feature debut tint, a disturbing sound collage of ultra-violent grindcore and haunting soundscapes influenced by Discordance Axis. “Dogmatic Embrace” perfectly personifies the two elements of the album, first eviscerating the listener with an inhuman circular saw of blast beats before evaporating into ghostly piano chords under a few topical samples on the dissolution of the fabric. Of our society.
“Goodnight Midnight” by Sugar Wounds (from Calico dreams)
By far the longest song to feature on any of these lists, “Goodnight Midnight” is a shimmering jewel that crowns Calico dreams, one of my favorite feature films from last year. Combining equal parts Deafheaven, Gridlink, and Agents of Abhorrence, the nearly eight-minute duration encompasses a wide range of emotions, but one sentiment seems to dominate them all: wonder.
“Scarlet” by Takafumi Matsubara (from Mortalized)
Look, the rules are pretty straightforward: If you put the Gridlink guitarist and vocalist on a track and publish it, it’s pretty much guaranteed to get a spot on that list. It also doesn’t hurt that this song features some of Matsubara’s most melodic and exceptional works, even by his high standards. Let it shine.
“Icaro” by Cognizant (split with Cryptic Void)
Cognizant’s split release with Cryptic Void was probably my favorite split EP from last year. Suffice to say that the two groups have taken it upon themselves to occupy a very spacious territory on this release, no better than on the closer album “Icaro”, which presents one of the most memorable melodies of grindcore this year.
“Product of my environment” by Jarhead Fertilizer (from Product of my environment)
Probably the biggest ass beater on this list, Jarhead Fertilizer’s magnum opus from the album of the same name simply takes no prisoners. It’s just one finger-after-finger caveman riff that will leave you completely bruised and beaten after his three and a half minutes of execution. Enter the fist.
“Eden’s Tongue” by Socioclaste (from socioclast)
Socioclast absolutely devastated the 2021 landscape early enough with its eponymous debut release in February. Playing only a mixture of the most violent elements of Assück and the first Deicide, the album is relentless, but the track that stands out is unmistakably “Eden’s Tongue”, which opens a murderous rumble and ends with an absolutely torrent. hellish that explodes in one. last block of agony. Bring pain.
“Fiery appearance of Full of Hell (from Garden of fiery apparitions)
Kings are back and are better than ever. Even by their own high standard Garden of fiery apparitions is an effort as strong as anything Full of Hell has ever made, as the band really seemed to take a step forward in incorporating more mathcore influence into the album. This technique is no better illustrated than on the near title track from the album ‘Burning Apparition’ which features some of the most vicious stop-start transitions to prepare for the cannon of grindcore.
“Septic Bloom” by Vixen Maw (from Four-way division)
2021 will remain a very experimental year for grindcore for me, as this list can attest. With that in mind, I can honestly say that no other moment has really blown me away like when I first heard this song from Vixen Maw’s four-way split with Thin, Slabdragger and Wallowing. “Septic Bloom” is a stained-glass kaleidoscope of the most marginal elements of experimental metal: theremines howl and voices howl in the darkness of another world as computerized drums fall into oblivion. But the absolute jewel in the crown has to be the end. I never would have thought of using the phrase “death metal dubstep” in a festive way, but 2021 was the year that taught us all to expect the unexpected.
