It’s Monday and Mondays suck, so let’s grind it out with Mass Extinction’s Never-Ending Holocaust.
Animal rights are no stranger to hardcore/punk, grindcore or crust. The genres repeatedly call out for their liberation and plenty of bands support animal rights groups. For some, this can be a touchy subject but nevertheless is an interesting one to explore. It can be seen as weak or as an unimportant issue. But that’s not going to deter or even make Mass Extinction blink, as they would probably tell you it is one of the strongest, most moral stances one can take. And one of the most pressing issues of the time.
Over ten tracks, Mass Extinction do not relent or make anything but their intentions clear: stop killing animals for food, stop breeding them for food, and stop keeping them incarcerated against their will. Political as hell and driven purely by passion and vitriol, Mass Extinction turn over one of grind and crust’s most intense records of the year. Never-Ending Holocaust might bring to mind the likes of Dropdead and produce just as much ferocity.
The band’s sound is heavy on the dirt and the energy builds song to song. Even if one has no stance on animal rights, one cannot deny how crushing this record is. When “(A)bstain // (A)bolish” rears its head, the track comes at the listener like a ballistic missile. It is ugly music for an ugly, yet necessary topic. Other tracks like the more varied “Profit-Driven Misery” mix up some hardcore/punk vibes into the crusty grind mix that sounds like something off a Tragedy record. Breaking things down but keeping that edge and giving it an epic feel.
Though not mixing it up too much, Mass Extinction play the genre like pros. The writing it consistent and spot on for grind/crust. The album has a wholly punk attitude and the BPM is constantly trying to break the sound barrier. Even when things do slow down, it is never much and never for very long save for the last track. Again, it is very reminisce of bands like Dropdead and that is never a bad comparison.
When “Industrialized Murder” hits, it feels like a fitting outro. The track takes it slow for its four-and-a-half-minute run, avoiding turning into a machine gun blast, which is a good contrast to the rest of the album. Anti-human quotes follow the entire track and paints a proper picture the human race being horrific and, well, wholly inhumane. Nevertheless, Mass Extinction march forth.
Even if you are not into animal rights, Never-Ending Holocaust is one of the best grind/crust records to come out this year. It does nothing new, but what it does it does very well. And paints a picture of horrific hell that almost no human will ever know. Get grinding on this!
All proceeds from digital sales will be donated to Skylands Animal Sanctuary & Rescue in Wantage, NJ
