Rumpelstiltskin Grinder - Living for Death, Destroying the Rest

February 20, 2009

Reviewer: J. A. Burt

Wow, when I put this new Rumpelstiltskin Grinder album on, I immediately had to double check to make sure that what I was hearing was, in fact, the same band that made Buried in the Front Yard almost four years ago.  That album (the Pennsylvania band’s debut) was a quirky, tongue-in-cheek, retro-sounding collection of thrash tunes that I enjoyed, but always felt was a wee bit too hokey.  Well, Living for Death, Destroying the Rest IS the same band, but it seems they’ve decided to make a few changes in the way they do things, and the result, though dramatically different in style and sound, is actually very solid and enjoyable.

The first major change evident in Rumpelstiltskin Grinder is the almost total shift in musical direction.  The silliness of Buried In the Front Yard is largely toned down here, making for a more serious sounding approach, and the very classic thrash style of that album is replaced by a far more modern sound.  Vast improvements in production value on Living for Death, Destroying the Rest have the band sounding much fatter and heavier than the thin and, at times, slightly weak production of the debut.  Also new is a very prominent New York hardcore punk influence.  I’ve heard the album referred to as ‘metalcore’ but I don’t really see it that way.  Rumpelstiltskin Grinder definitely doesn’t sound like they are trying to go all Swedish on us, instead achieving something similar to bands like Merauder, or even mid-period Biohazard.  The thrash is still there, but it now includes heaps of gang chants, stomping moshy parts, and big, burly tough guy breakdowns.  I realize that last sentence may instantly turn a lot of people off, and to tell you the truth, it might even turn me off if they didn’t do it so damn well.  Still, the purists will wail.  

Another big change for the band is the difference in vocal style.  Previous vocalist Eli Shaika, whose voice was relatively high pitched, and more akin to the thrash rasps of the days of yore, left the band, and the mic duties are now being handled by much lower and rougher voiced bassist Shawn Riley.  Riley does a great job in the position, and his gruff, shouted vocals are, in this reviewer’s opinion, a great improvement for the band.  The vocals on the debut often became irritating, while Riley, who approaches a very quality death growl at times, is extremely effective and fitting for the bands’ new style.  The guitarists have obviously been busy the last four years.  Ryan Moll and Matt Moore pack every song with several memorable, vicious riffs while trading off impressively intricate solos.  Every track had me banging my head.

Any band that makes a dramatic change in their sound is undoubtedly going to have to deal with people who hate the new direction, and Rumpelstiltskin Grinder is no exception.  They’ll probably lose some fans of their first album, but the fact of the matter is that the band seems to be more comfortable and effective now than they were in their previous style.  Should be interesting to see where they go in the future.  Recommended!

Release Date: January 20th, 2009
Label: Relapse Records

TRACK LISTING

1.   Nothing Defeats the Skull
2.   Graveyard Vandalization
3.   Brainwasher C. 1655
4.   Fiends in the Mountain,
       Ghouls in the Valley
5.   Spyborg
6.   Traitor’s Blood
7.   Beware the Thrash Brigade
8.   Sewers of Doom
       (Dethroning the Tyrant Pt. 1)
9.   Darkness Never Ending
       (Dethroning the Tyrant Pt. 2)
10.  Revolution of Underground 
       Legions (Dethroning the
       Tyrant Pt. 3)

Total playing time: 43:39

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