Grindcore is a genre that, despite press-labelling induced perimeters, continues to be (at the mercy of some artists at least) a thrillingly diverse genre. Napalm Death’s own experimentations, their appearances on John Peel in the early ‘90s, Godflesh’s assertion as a grindcore band in their early career, and the fact that bands like Brutal Truth and more recently Cattle Decapitation off-shoot Murder Constructs have carved their own, definable niches means that (and without too much hypocrisy and journalistic nihilism, one hopes) Grindcore has become a scene capable of throwing up blood-boiling surprises.
Since their conception in 1998, Canadian five-piece Fuck The Facts have not been disorientated by any suggestions that it may be a one-dimensional scene they’re appropriating. Their prolific output (Desire Will Rot is their 10th LP in 17 years) perfectly encapsulates their rigorous DIY approach. Again, a fiercely independent kind of realism is certainly not uncommon in Grindcore, but that the embodiment of those same sensibilities exists within Fuck The Facts’ ethos and that of their surrounding Canadian scene (of which the band will talk excitedly about at any given opportunity) is righteously concrete proof of the genre’s endurance.
Desire Will Rot is their first full-length since being released from Relapse in 2011 following Die Miserable, and their first LP to be released on their very own Noise Salvation records. They sound like they’re pulling absolutely no punches, as well; all that previous confidence comes through on this album, and more often than not they sound focused. However, to suggest that the originally pilloried Grindcore aesthetic may have its claws in too tight would be at once sad and also slightly truthful.
Opener “Everywhere But Nowhere” throws an expert punch in the name of clinical precision. It’s pristinely produced, and vocalist Mel Mongeon and bassist Marc Bourgon’s interweaving duel savagery sounds like a deathly siren call. “The Path of Most Resistance” offers a satisfying groovy take on Fuck The Facts’ archetypal sound, and the use of catchy, almost triumphant melody on “Storm Of Silence” hints at a more Hardcore-indebted inflection and brings in the band’s favouritism of tunefulness for the first time here in a refreshing manner.
Fuck The Facts save the two most innovative moments for the closing salvo. “Circle” is 8 minutes of hellish industrialism that reaches from ghostly melody to unearthly dystopian abuse. Meanwhile “Nothing Changes” is 6-and-a-half minutes of doomy, wholesome nihilism.
Unfortunately though, aside from these stand-out moments, and despite the band’s technical efficiency, everything sticks to a somewhat conservative sound that strands them in the middle-ground. “Shadows Collide” is largely Napalm Death-lite crust ferociousness, and “Prey” and “Solitude” are hardly remarkable if you’ve been listening to Terror or Converge for years. You can’t hugely fault Fuck The Facts though; for their die-hard fans, this will be another solid bullet in their recorded belt, full of the kind of negativity and lavish brutality one has come to expect.
Rating: 3/5