First off, there should have been a Decepticon called Grindcore, not an Autobot, he is way too much of a bad ass to be a good guy. I don’t know what Hasbro was thinking on that one, his special ability should have been to make the other Transformers saw off their own fucking faces, or at the very least push their heads through walls. Either way, one can be certain that while these metal titans destroy and shred every inch of Cybertron, Soundwave can be found rockin' out to the sweet sounds of Brutal Truth resonating from his pectoral speakers.
The world of Grindcore is in massive debt, due to the fact that most bands have taken far too many riffs, lyrical contents and blast beats from New York’s finest quartet. Thankfully, bassist Dan Lilker left Anthrax (then guitarist) after the recording of their first album Fistful of Metal. He went on to form the thrash band Nuclear Assault,thrash crossover S.O.D (along with Scot Ian), and in 1990, The Birth of Ignorance demo was released by a new band under the name of Brutal Truth.
During the band's nine year stint they would release four full-length albums and a total of five Ep’s each designated to a particular sound of its own rendition of a 21-gun salute to Grindcore.
Extreme Conditions Demand Extreme Responses offered the listener songs mixed with elements of death, thrash and grind to produce a sound that, to this very day, separates the band from countless imitators, with songs like Stench of Prophet, Ill-Neglect, and the ever mighty Walking Corpse. BT's next release, Need To Control displays just that. The sound, though harder-hitting than a brick to the face, reveals a more polished production, with the guitars of Brent McCarthy cutting in clear over the dissonance of the raging bass machine known as Dan Lilker, while Richard Hoak continues to beat and tear away at his drum kit and Kevin Sharp dowses us in his vocals which reign down like pieces of shrapnel, a combination which leaves us broken, bloodied and begging for more. 1996's release of Kill Trend Suicide shows the bands transition into genres like punk and crust while still incorporating their earlier elements of metal. The album's title track fused a guitar-driven verse which led into a more straight forward bridge while Hoak’s drumming keeps the whole song in a constant state of grind.
At this point in the band's history it is doubtful to think that anyone could question the leaders of American Grindcore any further but just to ensure that every grindhead in the country owned at least one album by BT, the band released Sounds of the Animal Kingdom in 1997. This record would cement Brutal Truth as grindcore legends and would expose them to countless new fans all across the globe. As soon as Dementia begins to blare from my headphones, I can't help but envision a gorilla, just like the halfy on the front cover,punching the fuck out of trash cans, cars and any other make-shift percussion instruments he can get his primal hands on. From beginning to end this album never lets go of its choke hold and fails to disappoint. Unfortunately for all the fans of Brutal Truth, it was announced after the tour for SOTAK that the band would be on hiatus. As we wept and chewed on concrete like teething dogs in hope that they would reunite, Kevin Sharp and Dan Lilker would form Venomous Concept with Shane Embury and Danny Herrera of Napalm Death along with Buzz Osborne of The Melvins. Richard Hoak started Total Fucking Destruction where he fronts the band and supports it by playing the role of lead vocalist and drummer. Though the works of both bands would be enough to feed our appetites for a short while, it was impossible to deny the importance of Brutal Truth's music. We would continue to stay hungry over the next eight and half years until the release of four new songs on the compilation album, This Comp Kills Fascist Vol. I. This would be the first recorded material without McCarthy. That position was later filled by ex-Lethargy guitarist Erik Burke.
Soon after, the band entered Watchmen Studios in Lockport, New York to record Evolution Through Revolution. The guitar playing of Burke is a warm welcome to the choppy and yet subtle sound Brutal Truth has honed over the years. Songs like Sugar Daddy convey layered guitars which help shed a higher tone over the burly rhythm section. A grind album of this caliber has been long overdue and of course we have Brutal Truth to thank for it. Since the release of their latest album, BT has been busy with tours that has included shows all over the United States and last year, a few shows with Converge in Japan.
Burke's guitar comes in sharp like a razor over the sludgy, oozing and distorted bass lines of Lilker while Hoak displays his drumming mastery far beyond anyones expectations.
This is the BRUTAL TRUTH.
Al: "So if you guy's only had a choice between re-making a grind version of either Load or ReLoad, which one would it be?"
Erik: "God. They are both just so terrible."
Photos courtesy of THe BRENDINo and THe MANDEr.
Editing courtesy of THe HENRy.
