World Downfall

World Downfall
Studio album by Terrorizer
Released	November 13, 1989 (1989-11-13)
Recorded	May 1989
Studio	Morrisound Recording (Tampa, Florida)
Genre	Death-grind grindcore
Length	36:14
Label	Earache, Relativity
Producer	David Vincent
Terrorizer chronology
World Downfall (1989) Darker Days Ahead (2006)

World Downfall is the debut studio album by American grindcore band Terrorizer, released on November 13, 1989, through Earache Records. It was produced by David Vincent of Morbid Angel, who also performed bass on the album, and engineered by Scott Burns at Morrisound Recording in Tampa, Florida.

Background and recording

Although the album's production is credited to David Vincent, Jason Birchmeier of AllMusic stated that Scott Burns recorded and mixed the album in two days. ^[1]

Music

Alex Distefano of OC Weekly wrote: "World Downfall is like a dystopian musical sledgehammer of noise that destroys listeners with its abrasive punk infused death metal, and an urgent message and political themes against oppression and corruption." ^[2] Jason Birchmeier of AllMusic said that "the album is a 16-track, 45-minute onslaught of prototypical grindcore à la Scum: the free-form songs, which range from about 1:30 to 3:30 each, are filled with blastbeats, growling, and solo-free riffing." ^[3]

Reception and legacy

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[4]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[5]
Kerrang!	(1989) [6] (2011) [7]
Raw	[8]
Rock Hard	9/10 [9]

Various publications have listed World Downfall as one of the greatest and most influential grindcore albums of all time. ^{[10] [11] [12]} Ex-Fear Factory drummer Raymond Herrera and Dave Witte, ex-Discordance Axis and Municipal Waste drummer, have both cited the album as an influence. ^{[13] [14]}

Jason Birchmeier of AllMusic wrote: "While Terrorizer was never well known, since the band barely existed, let alone toured or promoted itself, World Downfall has grown in stature over time and is regularly cited as a grindcore classic." ^[3]

Track listing

Side A

No.	Title	Length
1.	"After World Obliteration"	3:30
2.	"Storm of Stress"	1:28
3.	"Fear of Napalm"	3:01
4.	"Human Prey"	2:08
5.	"Corporation Pull-In"	2:22
6.	"Strategic Warheads"	1:38
7.	"Condemned System"	1:22
8.	"Resurrection"	2:59

Side B

No.	Title	Length
9.	"Enslaved by Propaganda"	2:14
10.	"Need to Live"	1:17
11.	"Ripped to Shreds"	2:52
12.	"Injustice"	1:28
13.	"Whirlwind Struggle"	2:16
14.	"Infestation"	1:56
15.	"Dead Shall Rise"	3:06
16.	"World Downfall"	2:37
Total length:		36:14

Japanese Bonus Tracks

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Strategic Warheads" (Demo Version)	1:53
2.	"After World Obliteration" (Demo Version)	3:24
3.	"Corporate Takeover" (Demo Version)	2:44
4.	"Misled System" (Demo Version)	4:02
Total length:		48:17

Personnel

Adapted from liner notes. ^[15]

Terrorizer

• Oscar Garcia – lead vocals
• Jesse Pintado – guitars
• David Vincent – bass, backing vocals
• Pete Sandoval – drums

Production

• David Vincent – production
• Scott Burns – engineering

References

Citations

1. World Downfall - Terrorizer | Album | AllMusic , retrieved July 27, 2025
2. "Top 10 Grindcore Bands – OC Weekly". March 4, 2014. Retrieved July 27, 2025.
3. World Downfall - Terrorizer | Album | AllMusic , retrieved July 27, 2025
4. World Downfall at AllMusic
5. Larkin, Colin, ed. (1998). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 7. The Archive of Contemporary Music (4th ed.). London : Macmillan. p. 5342. ISBN   978-0-333-74134-4.
6. Arnopp, Jason (November 18, 1989). "Rekordz". Kerrang! . No. 265. Spotlight. p. 26.
7. Ruskell, Nick (November 2011). "Terrorizer: World Downfall". Kerrang!: 666 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die!. Bauer Media Group: 113.
8. Alexander, Phil (November 29, 1989). "Albums Round Up: Quickfire Cuts". Raw . No. 33. EMAP. p. 45.
9. Stratmann, Holger (February 23, 1990). "World Downfall". www.rockhard.de (in German). Retrieved July 8, 2023.
10. updated, Dom Lawsonlast (August 31, 2016). "The 10 essential grindcore albums". louder. Retrieved July 9, 2023.{{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
11. "10 Essential Grindcore Albums". Revolver. May 1, 2005. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
12. "The 22 Most Essential Grindcore Albums". Kerrang!. August 11, 2020. Retrieved July 9, 2023.
13. Worley, Gail (August 2004). "Fear Factory's Raymond Herrara: Embracing the New Fear". Modern Drummer (297): 57 – via Internet Archive.
14. Brown 2018, 20:35–20:43.
15. World Downfall (booklet). Earache Records. 1989. MOSH 16.

Bibliography

• Brown, Doug Robert (director) (March 19, 2020) [First published 2018]. Slave to the Grind: A Film About Grindcore (Motion picture). United States: Death by Digital. Retrieved July 9, 2023– via YouTube.