Denak's Grindcore LP, Mind As Prison's Maryland Grindcore 7", Copeater's Wisconsin Grindcore CD, Haemorrhage's Grindcore EP, Phobia's Grind Core EP and now Unrest's Grindcore CD. Maybe not the most creative genre for titling albums, but at least you know exactly what you're getting into. I was formerly unfamiliar with Unrest until discovering this 2015 release on Bandcamp. Unrest is throwing out some hefty chunks of melodic, crusty Grindcore. The band is playing songs split between the signature style of Nasum (which the band openly admits to paying homage) and that catchy riffing that would fall just short of the likes of bands such as Iron Reagan. Grindcore is a little bit of all the forms of the genre presented as a brutal grind mixed bag of nuts.
I didn't see any names or a current line up on the band's Bandcamp, but from what I could figure out Unrest is a three piece from Philadelphia and Brooklyn. They definitely sound much bigger than a guitar, a bass and a drum kit.
Unrest's heavy handed drummer skillfully marches through this album with a natural precision. He slings out d-beat runs and tempo switches that flow flawlessly between flurries of blast beats, stop/starts and some brief tribal drum filler. Some of the slower passages are marked with double bass rumbles and crashing doom style cymbal work that really shine on this album.
The guitar work on Grindcore might be the key to the album's grinding eclecticness. Songs weave their way amung various riffing styles while still keeping things fast and furious. They effortlessly shred through your stardard grind blasts while also detouring into doomy intros and breakdowns that are rich in thrash style chugging. These riffs add a lot of crunch, especially in tandem with the drumming. There are a few slower songs on this record that really take advantage of the more melodic and layered guitar sound.
This melodic guitar and the familiar vocals probably draw the biggest comparisons to Nasum. Just as varied as the grind styles on the album themselves, vocally Unrest mainly put into use low gutterals and screaming highs. Again, these dueling vocals are so Nasum-esque that comparisons can't help but be made. Unlike most grind bands, however, Unrest also apply some cleaner, hardcore vocals that are more reminiscent of early punk and crossover bands. All these vocals pop up randomly from song to song and add a nice depth and freshness to the album. It reminded me of when I first heard the vocal work on my first FUBAR 7".
Overall, this album is highly recommended. Production is on the cleaner side allowing you to hear everything that the band members are doing, definitely not a bad thing in my opinion. Again, The Nasum inspiration can not be over stated, so if you are missing Human 2.0 or Helvete, try this album out. I've already placed an order for my copy.
FFO: Nasum, Ramming Speed, Afgrund, Bloody Phoenix, Infest (the other one)
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