| Murderworks | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 4 June 2002 | |||
| Recorded | December 2001 – March 2002 | |||
| Genre | Grindcore | |||
| Length | 28:33 | |||
| Label | Deathvomit | |||
| Producer | Mieszko Talarczyk | |||
| Rotten Sound chronology | ||||
| ||||
Murderworks is the third studio album by the Finnish grindcore band Rotten Sound. The album was recorded at Soundlab studios with production by Mieszko Talarczyk.
Murderworks was released in June 2002 through Deathvomit Records (a subsidiary of Necropolis Records) in the United States, and Century Media in Europe, where the album's artwork was censored by manufacturers in Germany, who considered the original cover and band photos too disturbing for German consumers. [1] As a replacement, the cover was re-colored in shades of red and white, with a note on top saying, "Check booklet for original artwork." [2]
The album also includes two live videos for "Seeds" and "Strongman," and the "Targets" music video, which later appeared on the Murderlive DVD, released in 2004. [1] Murderworks was reissued by Relapse Records in 2005, [3] and regarding this re-release, critics have different opinions. While a review in the Exclaim! magazine defined this reissue of Murderworks as "essential to the grind[core] fan," [3] Kevin Stewart-Panko from Decibel quoted it with a question, which says: "The easiest reissue job ever?" He also noted that "the actual recording doesn't appear to have been remastered" and concluded his review stating, "Maybe the advantage with Relapse reissuing this is that, this time, it’ll actually get released." [4]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [5] |
| Chronicles of Chaos | 6/10 [6] |
| Exclaim! | (favorable) [7] |
Allmusic writer Alex Henderson, stated that "from start to finish, Murderworks is an exercise in sensory assault for the sake of sensory assault." [5] Henderson defined the band's tempo as "insanely fast", and criticized their "one-dimensional" musical style, comparing with Rotten Sound's previous releases, saying:
After you have heard the opening number, "Targets," you've pretty much heard it all; headbangers who like their metal albums with a lot of variety won't find it here. But despite the CD's obvious limitations, Murderworks is, in its own way, exhilarating—that is, if you have a taste for this type of extreme metal. [5]
Evaluating all aspects of Murderworks, Chronicles of Chaos reviewer Aaron McKay gave the album six out of ten stars, saying, "Fourteen tracks of single-word titles rip unforgivingly and in a way such that enjoyment can be easily gained from every cut to some degree." [6] He also stated, "Anger, violence and aggression are, of course, the staples on which Murderworks fuels its insatiable appetite." [6] Exclaim! writer Greg Pratt praised the album stating, "Not since Nasum's last album has there been a grindcore onslaught as relentless and energetic as Rotten Sound's Murderworks." Pratt also praised the "crushing production" of Mieszko Talarczyk "that is as heavy as it is clear." [7]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Targets" | 1:58 |
| 2. | "Void" | 0:44 |
| 3. | "Revenge" | 1:49 |
| 4. | "Lies" | 1:08 |
| 5. | "Doom" | 1:47 |
| 6. | "IQ" | 3:17 |
| 7. | "Insects" | 0:28 |
| 8. | "Seeds" | 2:20 |
| 9. | "Suffer" | 0:11 |
| 10. | "Obey" | 3:15 |
| 11. | "Edge" | 1:39 |
| 12. | "Lobotomy" | 2:41 |
| 13. | "Insane" | 2:02 |
| 14. | "Agony" | 7:36 |
Grindcore is an extreme fusion genre of heavy metal and hardcore punk that originated in the mid-1980s, drawing inspiration from abrasive-sounding musical styles, such as thrashcore, crust punk, hardcore punk, extreme metal, and industrial. Grindcore is considered a more noise-filled style of hardcore punk while using hardcore's trademark characteristics such as heavily distorted, down-tuned guitars, grinding overdriven bass, high-speed tempo, blast beats, and vocals which consist of growls, shouts and high-pitched shrieks. Early groups like Napalm Death are credited with laying the groundwork for the style. It is most prevalent today in North America and Europe, with popular contributors such as Brutal Truth and Nasum. Lyrical themes range from a primary focus on social and political concerns, to gory subject matter and black humor.
Nasum was a Swedish grindcore band from Örebro, formed in 1992. The band released four studio albums and developed into "one of that country's premier metal acts". They disbanded after the December 2004 tsunami killed the band's frontman, Mieszko Talarczyk.
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Pig Destroyer is an American grindcore band formed in 1997 in Alexandria, Virginia. The band was formed by vocalist J.R. Hayes, guitarist Scott Hull, and drummer John Evans. Throughout the band's earlier history, they were a three-piece group until sampler Blake Harrison joined in 2006, notably had no bassist until the inclusion of John Jarvis in 2013, and went through 2 past drummers with the role currently held by Adam Jarvis. Pig Destroyer is one of the most well-known grindcore bands in the genre due to Hayes's poetic lyrics, Hull's incorporation of thrash, punk, and doom influences in songwriting, and technical drum work.
Rotten Sound is a Finnish grindcore band from Vaasa, formed in 1993. The band comprises vocalist Keijo Niinimaa, guitarist Mika Aalto, bassist Kristian Toivainen, and drummer Sami Latva. The band has released eight studio albums and "earned a reputation for being one of the most intense bands on the Scandinavian death metal/grindcore scene".
Mieszko Talarczyk was the lead singer and guitarist of the Swedish grindcore band Nasum, Genocide Superstars, and Krigshot. Known for his engineering and production abilities, he co-founded Soundlab studios with Millencolin guitarist Mathias Färm.
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Shift is the fourth and final studio album by the Swedish grindcore band Nasum. It was released on October 26, 2004, by Burning Heart Records in Sweden and on Relapse Records in North America. Two months after this album was released, Mieszko Talarczyk died during the 2004 tsunami, resulting in the disbanding of Nasum.
38 Counts of Battery is a compilation album by the grindcore band Pig Destroyer, which was released on November 28, 2000 through Relapse Records as part of their Underground series of albums and reissues. The recording collects nearly every release the band issued up to this point in time, including their debut Explosions in Ward 6 album, their splits with Orchid and Isis, and their 1997 demo tape.
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Agorapocalypse is the fourth full-length studio album by American grindcore band Agoraphobic Nosebleed (ANb). It was released through Relapse Records on April 14, 2009, in the United States, and April 20 internationally. The album was recorded by ANb's guitarist Scott Hull at his Visceral Sound studios; Hull also wrote the drum parts using Toontrack's Drumkit from Hell in his digital audio workstation. This is also the band's only album with vocalist Katherine Katz. Agorapocalypse's cover artwork was designed by German illustrator Florian Bertmer.
Revocation is an American technical death metal band from Boston, Massachusetts, consisting of guitarist and vocalist Dave Davidson, bassist Brett Bamberger and drummer Ash Pearson. The band has released eight studio albums, two EPs, and ten music videos since their formation.
Victims were a Swedish hardcore punk band, originally hailing from Nyköping, at the end of their career they were based in Stockholm. The final line-up consisted of lead vocalist and bass player Johan Eriksson, drummer Andy Henriksson, guitar player, vocalist Jon Lindqvist and guitar player Gareth Smith.
Enemy Soil was an American grindcore band from Sterling, Virginia, first formed in 1991. The band played a style of grindcore that was influenced heavily by hardcore punk, and featured many line-up changes throughout its run, with frontman Richard Johnson acting as its core. Because the group initially was unable to find a suitable drummer, earlier Enemy Soil recordings featured a drum machine. The group's music was also politically-motivated early in their career, however later recordings instead featured introspective topics for lyrics.
