BLOOD DUSTER

There are very few bands playing grind'n'roll — off the top of my head I couldn't name more than a dozen. And this despite the style's obvious appeal, both commercially and musically. That's why all (okay, not all, but most) grind'n'roll heroes are well known to connoisseurs of fun-filled carnage. BLOOD DUSTER hold one of the top spots among them, and considering that these hot-blooded guys hail from distant Australia, I think that alone earns them every bit of respect. They started back in 1991 with nearly pure grind and gradually began incorporating more and more rock'n'roll elements into their work. Despite a considerable number of mini-releases, this album is only the band's second full-length, and it clearly marks the convergence of two creative phases: the early grind period and the later grind'n'roll era (I'm referring to the next album, which could easily rival any rock'n'roll band in terms of sheer fun). Those who aren't particularly fond of grind's hysterical chaos (I myself, by the way, dislike pure grind for exactly that reason) can rest easy — there's barely any of it here. The music is heavy in a death metal way; while hysterical grind screams are present, the main vocal delivery is a rather fierce and thick growl. The rhythm section is extremely dense yet equally crisp, never blending into a mushy mess with the other instrumental parts, so even the most highbrow metal aesthetes (myself included) will find the musical material quite refined and pleasant to the ear. To sum up, this release has absolutely no shortcomings and is strongly recommended both for fans of the style and for those encountering the term grind'n'roll for the first time.