Metal Lifestyle Presents: Versus
Match #01: Organ Dealer, Nerve Grind, Invertebrate Preorder the split here.
Welcome to the first ever (official) match-up for Metal Lifestyle’s “Versus” series. Since this is our first time doing this segment, allow me to explain: when a split release comes out, whether it be an LP or an EP, I am going to be comparing the sides. This isn’t as much of a competition as it sounds; just an analysis of each side. When we come to our conclusion,a winner will be picked. For example, allow me to look back at my first split review: If we did this series when I reviewed ‘sabella and Kaonashi’s Never Home split (review here,) it would look something like this:
Organ Dealer is a New Jersey-based grindcore act, who if you’ve followed Metal Lifestyle long enough, would know is no newcomer to the site. I reviewed their split LP with grindcore legends Birdflesh last year (read here); if we followed this format then, Organ Dealer would have won by quite a long shot. These guys pack a serious punch performing abrasive, techy, in-your-face deathgrind. They had a stellar debut LP, Visceral Infection, followed by an incredible showing on that split. Now, after a year’s break, they are back with six brand-new tracks. I have not heard of either band prior to this release, but from what I can gather, Nerve Grind is a three-piece grind act from California who is on their fourth split and fifth project now. They bring three new tracks to the table. Finally, Invertebrate is an experimental four-piece powerviolence band who formed in 2012 and have released a number of projects since then. This will be their first release since their split with Seatless Pants back in 2016. They come striking back with nine new joints for this project. All together, we have 18 tracks in just 11 minutes in typical grindcore fashion, so: let the games begin! Organ Dealer’s tracks on this split take up a large chunk of the run-time, being that they’re the only band of the three that writes songs over a minute long. This certainly gives them an advantage in memorability, having tracks that you can listen to in isolation. This is the punkiest Organ Dealer has ever been, stripping of the tech and math elements for an angrier approach. Even the vocals are more frequently yelled than screamed, as on their previous work, but the band is as confrontational as ever. Being they’re a grindcore band, you can still expect insane blast beats, and this thing’s six-minute timespan still leaves an impression. “Feed” is an incredible way to begin the split, letting you know what to expect right away. “Contour” is a very nice punk jam, which will certainly get you in the mood to mosh. My biggest issue is that I feel like it isn’t long enough to flesh out what Organ Dealer want to do. I understand that this is an EP - an EP split three ways, no less - but I feel this punkier direction requires more time than this project allows to show off the band’s new tricks. As it is, the sound feels a little compromised in an effort to let the other two acts shine a bit more, so I hope their next record explore this sound to a more satisfying extent. I am, of course, more than excited to see what Organ Dealer has up their collective sleeve, because we are going to be in for a treat if they perfect this sound. Nerve Grind’s section is three songs in under two minutes. This thing comes and goes, but not without making an impact, as these tracks are truly fucking out there, to say the least. They are textbook brutal, with not a single second wasted on any breaks, and will wind you out very quickly. This band’s vocals are absolutely gnarly, even animalistic, backed by angry, high-energy instrumentals. The only thing is I don’t really have much else to say about it. It’s fucking intense, but as soon as I was getting really into it, it ended. I now know I have been fucking up by listening to Nerve Grind sooner and will be keeping an eye out for them, because I desperately need to see what they bring to the table after this. Invertebrate has more songs than both the other acts, but their songs are also all under a minute, leading their side at roughly four minutes. These guys perform a pretty typical style of grindcore, getting both the metal and punk influences at a pretty equal balance. We have some really good death growls on this project, and the yelling backup vocals offer just enough contrast, but I can’t deny that this third of the split kind of blends together. Invertebrate insert samples from time to time as segues, which works nicely to differentiate songs, but it doesn’t quite save their part of the split from coming off as formulaic. Organ Dealer and Nerve Grind push fairly new ideas, beside which Invertebrate’s style just feels a little predictable. There’s nothing inherently wrong with following a tried-and-true format, but nine tracks of it gets boring, even if it only adds up to four minutes of music. “Fuckface” is worthwhile, and got me pretty pumped, but the hype dies the second this side of the split ends. I think Invertebrate will need to work on their songwriting next time around and branch out a bit more if they want to be noticed. If you are a fan of grindcore and/or powerviolence, you should definitely check out this EP. These three bands undoubtedly love their genre. I don’t think this thing will change your mind about grindcore and/or powerviolence if you aren’t a fan already, but if you are, these are three bands you should keep on your radar. This split officially comes out July 1st, and you can get it digitally or physically at the link above. THE WINNER/VERDICT: In under two minutes, Nerve Grind completely blew me away with their sheer intensity. Organ Dealer is working on a more punky sound, and I am excited to see where they go with it. I hope Invertebrate tinker with their sound in the future, because they have some serious potential.
- Alex Brown
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