The Best Grindcore Albums Of 2014... Probably

BEST GRINDCORE ALBUMS OF 2014


It seems all the grindcore blogs skimped on an end of year "best of" list for 2014. Lists that I usually rely on to show me what bands and albums I've slept on so I r go pick them up and jam them accordingly. After finally tracking down a majority of the grindcore releases for 2014 I've made my own list of my favorite releases of 2014. That being said, I'm going by the releases that came across my radar so I'm sure there are plenty of gems out there that I've missed, but whatever. Full lengths only. No EP's, no splits, no comps.

The Maybe Goodest of 2014
Top 10:


10) Archagathus - "Dehumanizer"/Super-Fun Happy Slide - "Drop Your Pants And Grind"
I tied Australia's Super-Fun Happy Slide and Canada's mincecore legends Archagathus since their offerings are so similar. SFHS gurgles out some pretty intense grind/gore-grind sounding awesomeness. Disgusting and fast. As for Archagathus, I'm not the biggest fan of mincecore, but this punk as fuck, raw, scabby slab of grindcore is definitely worth a spin. A little more dank and muddy and a little less eccentric compared to SFHS, but that's the way they like it.


9) Ass To Mouth - "Degenerate"
I was definitely surprised by this album. I wasn't familiar with this band before this album. From the band's name alone my first thoughts went to some terrible goregrind band or, God forbid, pornogrind. Instead we have songs about drinking and smoking pot. And Jeebus help me, I like this album. Grind with an undercurrent of grind n roll, but not in the shitty Blood Duster way. Vocally we have highs, lows, pig squeals, hardcore shouts and even gang vocals. Even the slow songs on this thing are good.


8) Human Cull - "Stillborn Nation"
This debut album from these UK grinders is a scorcher. This album is up and up grind. 23 songs in about just as many minutes. No frills crusty grindcore. It could be said that the songs here are indistinguishable and that these guys aren't exactly breaking new ground, but that should hardly be a bad thing in this genre.



7) Six Brew Bantha - "Intravenously Commodified"
I love this band. One of Canada's best grindcore bands going today. Extremely tight, spastic stop-start grind. This album picks up exactly where their 2012 self-titled album left off. Fast, lo-fi blast beat pings and slower, guitar heavy breaks. This band cannot fail.


6) Full Of Hell/Merzbow
This is not a split but a collaboration. And this collaboration is Full Of Hell's best effort to date. Merzbow lays down noise tracks under Full Of Hell's standard grind and sludge cocktail. Mainly corralled to intros, outros and breakdowns. As for Full Of Hell, the first act of this release hosts some quality blasts of grindcore. While the second half shows the guys returning to their sludge dirges. I didn't care for Full Of Hell's first album and I thought their sophomore release was okay. But this is gold.


5) Sick/Tired - "Dissolution"
Sick/Tired is an amazing band. I'm not aware of a bad release from Sick/Tired. Grindcore that ricochets from crust to hardcore to powerviolence, sometimes within the same song. This is low, dark and dirty grind. Really really nice. Better production than last year's "King Of Dirt" LP. Quick songs that destroy.




4) Gripe - "In His Image"
The final and posthumous release from the grind-violence legends out of Georgia. The furious blasts of scratchy raw grindcore that they're known for is in full swing here. Hate fueled grindcore powered by fuzzed out, gnarled guitar and ballistic drumming that turns on a dime. Top that off with the most tortured vocals you'll hear this entire year and you have the makings for an absolutely pummeling album.


3) Internal Rot - "Mental Hygiene"
Heavy, low and gruff. It's nice to see the spirit of Insect Warfare is alive and well in Australia. I've been patiently waiting for this since their self-titled EP in 2011. This fits right in with Blastasfuk Records other releases: PLF, Roskopp, Fuck I'm Dead, etc. This thing is dark and dirty. Guttural roars over machine gun drums. Really nice old school grindcore going on here.


2) PLF - "Ultimate Whirlwind Of Incineration"
Speaking of old school grind, the gulf coast grindcore gods return again this year with another totally devastating release. Lightning fast blast beats and the best thrash riffs in the genre. PLF are currently at the top of their game as well as at the top of the grindcore heap. After decades of grinding non stop, they've still got it. To be honest, in my opinion, this album felt a little subdued compared to PLF's back catalog. But don't take that criticism as a slight towards this album. It's still really good. This thing rips. Brutal. Keep them coming, please.


1) Gridlink - "Longhena"
Probably not a big surprise here. Arguably the fastest band in grind, Gridlink's swan song album "Longhena" is an onslaught. Blistering hyper-grind from some real veterans of the genre. Jon Chang's high pitch screeches are almost as unrelenting as Bryan Fajardo's mind blowingly fast blast beats. There is some real musicianship going on here. If Fajardo's drumming wasn't devastating enough for you, Takafumi Matsubara's frenzied, dissonant guitar work is just as unreal. He manages to keep things insanely fast, but on the melodic side. Gridlink just tore out a masterpiece with this one. Sadly, after recording "Longhena" Takafumi Matsubara was hospitalized with a brain infection and was left with paralysis in his hand making it more than likely impossible for him to continue playing guitar. A terrible turn of events, but his work on this album is transcendent.