It’s Monday and Mondays suck, so let’s grind it out with the premiere of Total Fucking Destruction's …to be alive at the end of the world.
As the world (mostly) sits at a standstill and people anxiously jostle in their abodes, Total Fucking Destruction has been back at it cranking out some weird experimental grindcore. Formed from Brutal Truth member Richard Hoak (drums/vocals), the band has been twisting vertebrates since 1999. Their previous release #USA4TFD was another brilliant addition to their massive discography. And now, via Translation Loss Records, the band has picked the perfect time to bring …to be alive at the end of the world to the stage.
From guitarist Pingdum: “…to be alive at the end of the world is to truly be alive, to be aware, to see the light and to feel the pain. Upon re-entering the cult of total fucking destruction, upon coming out on the other side, I felt it imperative to scream to the world, to warn of the signs so clearly being displayed. While the Earth works to heal itself of the fatal virus of humanity and to destroy the ‘World’ as a political construct, total fucking destruction perches gently atop the razor’s edge separating visionaries from lunatics. We seek to clarify the prophecy and to catalogue the slow-motion apocalypse as it transpires.”
Some context for what you are in store for. And the title track is very much a slow-motion apocalypse, and the second-longest track on the record. Once the listener departs this, “Violently High” blasts in like a torpedo and the record fires down a more familiar path. “Light_pain” is a similar piece though more punked out, even a little rock and roll at times. But still returning to those familiar blasting grinds. Actually, it almost sounds like it’s channeling some Slip It In-era Black Flag.
“Sound On Sound” sounds like a surf rock piece. Like it should be on a split with Wavves. Lighter distortion, a playful guitar rhythm that never goes grindcore. “Attack of the Supervirus 1138” meanwhile kicks things into more grind. At this point, you might notice this album is ridiculously diverse. No two tracks sound similar yet they all mesh well together. According to bassist/vocalist Ryan Moll: “This is Total Fucking Destruction’s rawest and yet most diverse batch of songs ever. I would also care to note that with every passing day the overall lyrical content and atmosphere is more and more profoundly relevant to the current miserable human state of affairs.”
What’s more, two tracks are what make the bulk of this record up. “The Star Spangled Banner” closes the album off at over 11 minutes, yet the track is mostly silent. TFD throw in their rendition, sounding appropriately apocalyptic and around four minutes in a slow stream of noise builds until finally, it finishes off the record.
…to be alive at the end of the world is a helluva journey from a helluva band. And it could not have come out at a better time. Get grinding on this with a final word from Richard Hoak: “Fuck music. Get a life. Peace is the victory. Long live the virus!”
