The first grind record I ever bought was Napalm Death's "From Enslavement to Obliteration". The first track, "Evolved as One", begins with Lee Dorrian doing a bit of spoken word over some drums and bass before he begins to scream "WEAK MINDS!" as a sludgy guitar begins to ring out. That was and is still awesome! Since then over 20 years have passed and the genre hasn't really changed all that much. Bands have gotten better equipment and better production but one could argue that contemporary bands like Wormrot, Insect Warfare (RIP) and others are just re-releasing what Napalm did on their first two records.
Despite grind's lack of innovation, the 3-piece Denver band Clinging to the Trees of a Forest Fire (CTTTOAFF) took a swing at it last year on their debut Prosthetic full length, "Songs of Ill Hope and Desperation". With 13 tracks clocking in at a little over 30 minutes CTTTOAFF created an immensely emotive record that conjured up Neurosis' "Through Silver in Blood" during its darker moments but didn't allow themselves time to get bogged down. I recall one writer describing the band as "funeral grind" which seemed to fit well. This month the band releases a new vinyl/MP3 only ep called, "Visceral".
On Tues, July 19th, CTTTOAFF will be in Seattle at the Black Lodge. Performing with them will be Transient, Scourge Schematic, Numb and Reproacher. All ages. Doors are at 9pm.
by Roy Culver
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