- Elementary Revolt

3/18/2008

Robinson - The Great City

Tracklist

01. 1 [0:29]
02. 2 [0:46]
03. 3 [0:53]
04. 4 [0:50]
05. 5 [0:51]
06. 6 [0:48]
07. 7 [2:09]
08. 8 [1:01]
09. 9 [1:59]
10. 10 [10:46]

Info

Grindcore; recent years have seen a revival of sorts for a genre that was once reserved only for crusties with speed fixations and a love of squatting. Thanks to the likes of Discordance Axis (who redefined the blueprint), and more recently the spastic art-blur of the Locust, grind has found itself moving further and further to the forefront of the extreme music hierarchy.

Ohio's Robinson offer forth a platter of high-octane chaos on this, their first proper musical outing. A remastered version of their 2005 demo (with three added tracks), ‘The Great City' is an blasterpiece of epic proportions. Split into four ‘chapters', the album opens with the original seven tracks from the demo (each track is numbered, rather than named) and drawing on a wide range of influences, from Converge and Orchid to Red Sparrows and Isis, the band smash their way through all of them in little over 8 minutes. Fusing understated technical ability and a drummer who just wants to be fast all the time, the band create a sheer wall of noise that recalls the likes of hardcore legends Reversal Of Man for sheer guitar chaos and depth, but with the punk attitude of someone like Spazz or the later Brutal Truth material, a non-stop barrage of face-melting speed. Even the slower, more doomy moments are littered with blasts (strange considering the meandering, solemn hanging chords) and the intensity just doesn't let up - it's like being trampled by a herd of raging buffalo.

The final three tracks pick up where the demo left off, each track representing another chapter in the story. Lyrically (and also artistically) the music follows a story of sorts, a poetic rambling of apocalyptic imagery, which works wonderfully with the dark, barren artwork in the CD. As the tale unfolds and ultimately climaxes the chaos gives way to a more hypnotic, brooding aftermath, the last chapter being a single eleven minute atmospheric sludge fest. For the first time, the chaos and uber-speed is gone, leaving the smoking, charred remains to fester and unfold before us in a sickening manner.

Robinson really have given us something special. Littered with enough hooks to satisfy ‘the kids', and dark and dirty enough to satisfy even the most underground of grind nerds, ‘The Great City' is one twisted ride into the unknown. Evidence enough that evil still exists in music, even if it does have a name that recalls Simon and Garfunkel.

Montagpress

Listen: 3

3/18/2008

eraser at 4:55 p. m.