xdementiaPost subject: Griefer – Brute Force CD
Posted: Sun Jan 13, 2008 10:44 pmGriefer – Brute Force CD: http://deterrent.net/griefer/
Deterrent Industries: http://deterrent.net/
Overall Rating: B-
Composition: B-
Sounds: B-
Production Quality: C+
Concept: B
Packaging: A-
Here is my first exposure to Canada's Griefer being possibly the only nerd-core power electronics project I know of. I say that in jest of course, because there's really nothing very funny about these 8 brutal and primitive death industrial/power electronic tracks. Professionally packaged in a very heavy digipak with exquisite looking silver print on black stock I was really expecting a much more polished sound, but as soon as the package is unfolded the primitive setup of Griefer is revealed and it is clear that this is not some kind of weak EBM influenced industrial or anything of that nature.
The tracks here all have varied sounds but the quality is very similar marking their consistency. I will have no problem filing this under “lo-fi” but the sound is so raw which makes the production quite succinct. “Pentagon Takes Network Offline” presents a strange mixture of stifled distorted drones, with noisier elements fading in and out, combined with a contrasting industrial booming, not really played in any kind of rhythm. The “percussive” elements really sit at odds with the mix a bit and don't seem to fit in which makes things kind of awkward. Luckily tying it all together is the screamed vocals sounding much like someone screaming through a two-way radio or something.
Unfortunately these vocals are in every track and they begin to tire very quickly. The effect on them is almost always the same and this marks them as the weakest element on the album. By the 4th or 5th track I really feel like I can barely focus on the noise because my ears have been dulled like a knife cutting dirt by the droning vocals that are just always there. Luckily for the closer “Undetectable Virtual Machine” the vocals actually feature a different kind of sound and it's a welcome respite.
Griefer's general style lies somewhere on the boundary between death industrial and power electronics, I probably mainly only mention the latter because of the persistent vocals. I definitely here an influence from projects like Morder Machine, Atrax Morgue, Megaptera, and Militia with the junk percussion that is featured in tracks like the aforementioned “Pentagon Takes Network Offline” as well as “Fucking Douchebag” and “Malicious Iframe.”
The title track “Brute Force” is one of my favorite here using a feedback drone that literally sounds like some electronic motor trying to die. Muffled shuffling and very quick blasts of noise also accompany the drone to form a solid track that uses many methods that can be seen often in the album. A bed of noise or drone is usually employed, then joining it some kind of noise texture, or in it's place some arhythmic percussion and of course, vocals somewhere in the mix.
“Facebook” is another commendable track standing out against the rest with more of a wobbly synth vibe similar to something Atrax Morgue may have done. There are a lot of similar elements tooled around with here, a heavy use of delay and overblown distorted textures. “Malicious Iframe” is another strong track with some feedbacking delay elements that bubble and pulse in and out of the mix. This layered together with the percussive elements show that Griefer certainly pays close attention to his compositions, adding elements when things are starting to get dull and always presenting new qualities of his sounds to keep things interesting.
I feel like the only thing, aside from the vocals that really keep me from loving this material is the production quality. There's something about it that is just too “soft” and not harsh enough. Too much bass perhaps? Everything just feels kind of quiet and these sounds could just be so fucking punishing it kind of seems like a waste.
Griefer has crafted a solid album here that does have some overbearing elements, and a few pitfalls, but I think the good outweighs the bad with his attention to composition, unique subject matter, and effort applied to the overall package and vision. Recommended for fans of extremely primitive, raw, lo-fi death industrial/power electronics, code monkeys, hackers, and Internet kiddies.
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