ALBUM REVIEW: Socioclast – Socioclast
A socioclast is “someone who or something that goes about attempting to destroy or alter social convention, social ideals, or an entire society by way of savagely abrasive commentary or action.” Sounds complicated, but in the case of the California-based trio of the same name, the ‘savagely abrasive’ shoe definitely fits. Theirs is a particularly ferocious brand of grindcore, reminiscent of genre legends like BRUTAL TRUTH and DISCORDANCE AXIS. All this comes together on their self-titled debut album in 16 minutes and 15 tracks of sheer sonic terror.
The album opens with Surveillance, Normalization, Examination, which provides the only real moments of quiet on the whole record. It starts with ominous clean guitars and tinkering ride cymbals before tearing into a barrage of bludgeoning chaos. Here, the band quickly demonstrate their mastery of all the elements of the classic grindcore sound. Lightspeed blast-beats? Check. Thrashy buzzsaw riffs? Check. Barely intelligible guttural vocals? Absolutely. It’s all there, and it’s very much where the album stays for the rest of its runtime. Of course, this isn’t really anything we haven’t heard before, but it’s of a high standard nonetheless.
Socioclast‘s unrelenting brutality does make it tough to pick out individual highlights. 14 of the 15 tracks clock in at under a minute and a half, each passing by before you even know what’s hit you. That said, pretty much anywhere the band take a break from the blistering pace stands out. Examples include those heard on fourth track Eden’s Tongue, as well as eighth and ninth tracks Archaic Remains and Psychodrone. These tracks, and several others, all feature brief moments of more mid-paced headbanging breakdowns. Contrasted with the full-throttle speed elsewhere, they are a welcome inclusion, giving listeners something to grab onto amid the carnage. Not only that, but they serve to accentuate the utter mayhem of the record’s blastier moments even more.
If anyone deserves a shout-out on this album it’s the band’s drummer Cris Rodriguez. The record may be only 16 minutes long, but even so it’s tough not to be impressed by his sheer stamina. The first track’s brief quiet intro aside, Rodriguez barely pauses for a breath throughout. If he isn’t blasting away at whiplash-inducing pace, he’s adding weight and heft to the band’s sporadic mid-tempo sections. He also comfortably navigates the record’s many tempo changes and its occasional odd time signatures with ease. Guitarist Matt Gomes and bassist Colin Tarvin do a good job of keeping up, their riffs borrowing heavily from thrash and death metal. Tarvin also handles vocal duties on the record. For the most part, he opts for low gutturals, but there are a few moments where he throws in some higher screams for welcome variation.
Much like their obvious influences, the band seem to have just one aim on this record: constant, punishing violence. That’s totally fine. It’s something they’re clearly highly capable of, and should be more than enough to satisfy avid grindcore fans. It does mean however that the album can run the risk of washing over listeners with its relentless grinding heaviness. Fortunately, this is something the band seem to be aware of, with the brief runtime ensuring they don’t outstay their welcome.
SOCIOCLAST claim to be out to “alter the genre’s course for years to come” with this record. It’s not exactly clear how they’ll manage that with this. After all, it feels almost entirely in keeping with the classic grindcore sound that’s been around for a few decades now. The album’s political lyrics aren’t particularly new to the genre either – not that you can make many of them out. Laying that aside however, there’s no denying that the band have a firm grasp of the grindcore essentials. Socioclast is a well-executed, well-structured record which doesn’t sit too far from some of the genre’s pioneers. More than that, if the band’s ambitions are as large as they suggest, you can be sure we’ll be hearing even more interesting things from SOCIOCLAST in the years to come.
Rating: 7/10
Socioclast is set for release on February 19th via Carbonized Records.