Horrible Earth – “Horrible Earth/Psycho split”
I first found out about Horrible Earth four years ago.
Though, I did find out how horrible the earth could be many years ago.
“You see, it was back in Kindergarten, when I shit in the urinal…”
I did enjoy their music then and do enjoy their music now. And I did enjoy picking on their name, about how could anyone not realize, as Joey Ramone and Louis Armstrong once sang, “What A Wonderful World,” it is?
But, in a truly wonderful world, Joey and Louis would be much more appreciated then they are and bands like Horrible Earth more respected, too, instead of the corny, country pop, lifeless indi, vapid dance club music so much more popular today.
“You see, I had never been in a public restroom before in my life…”
I’ve described Horrible Earth as, “metal a punk boy, like myself, can rap his ears around.”
They’ve described themselves as death grind but have now added power violence to their tags. And as I’ve noted before- sure, I hear the differences between grind and power violence and D-beat, but I think they have much more in common. Namely- they’re all sharp, abrasive punk influenced metal music, which this band happens to do great!
So instead of dwelling on “Childhood Laboratory Traumas” (which happens to be the name of Andy and mine’s new power violence/salsa band.) Let’s, as Vincent Van Gogh once said, lend an ear:
Starting with a sound sample from the worst person in America, if not the world, “Congenital Breath,” erupts with a gushing, death growl over a stampeding, hardcore rhythm and bazooka blasting, buzzsaw guitars. The vocals soon switch to an exasperated, emotional black metal yelp, augmented with some rat-a-tat beating drums. This song is flush with momentum, pushing excitement coupled with intense, anguished vocal/screams. There’s a drum break or maybe just a breather for all to take a moment, before the finish of this great, explosive, tune.
With the sound continuing from the last cut, common in the power violence genre, and three hits from the snare drum, “Vultures Picking At Vultures,” is off on a rampant, rambunctious course- severing ear drums and intestines with a willful disregard for human comfort or the living room upholstery. Death vocals, simple propulsive rhythms that move onto a doom like breakdown with aggressive, death vocal belches. This song is potent and powerful and cooks up a pot pourri of doom, death, hardcore and power violence along with emotions like rage, passion and in your face realness.
“Self Fulfilling Doomsayers,” starts with a doom-y, metal lick and a high pitched scream answered by low, death grunts until the song cruises off into a hardcore joy ride. This song slams hard against your sensibilities much like being in the center of a multiple car crash accident. There’s a short return to the beginning before this perfect, twenty-four second song ends.
“Leaderless Resistor” springs out like an old-school punk song, with one hit to the beat rhythms garnished with just a dab of death growls and a side order of- great, guitar lick. This song rocks hard and packs the wallop of an excellent, current hardcore/metal tune.
“Fattened For Sacrifice,” continues the aural assault of voice and instruments, this time answered by a sinister, burbling bass line. The drum hits the beat over the head until it relinquishes to a doom-y section with death shouts while the recording ends with a simple drum roll and a slithering, snake like guitar.
“When the teacher asked who did this and assured us that nothing would come of harm to anyone of us, I wisely kept my mouth shut.”
This recording is part of a split with the Boston grindcore band Psycho. A great band that was on the first Boston hardcore album, “This Is Boston Not L.A.”
I’m sure their contribution is equally as great but I could not find it. What I did find is that Horrible Earth, much like Crystal Methodist, is a band that once showed promise to me, and has now, exceeded my highest expectations, by far.
But these bands don’t need my words to validate them. I’m sure they know they’ve chosen the right paths. And what you need is not my words, either, but the music these bands deliver.
This is music that is not pretty or calm or soothing.
It’s hard, brutal, aggressive and sometimes- hard to take.
But that description is apt for life, also. Which is why this music reflects life more accurately, and why it rates so high on the scale of art.
This is some powerfully real, challenging, intense stuff.
But if you give a listen, you’ll know that.
(Slimedog)
