WVRM: Grassroots Grindcore

Grindcore has always been inherently political. Even in first violent moments of life, NAPALM DEATH were using the loud and abrasive music to offer similarly loud and abrasive views against the powers that be. Birthed from the DIY punk scene, and never letting go of that identity for a single moment, grindcore has had to fight for its life from the beginning, and as such, is about as grassroots as you can get with music. Having formed in 2013 from a scene that didn’t even exist at the time, WVRM have been kicking and screaming for their right to exist and party for years now.

Literally building the scene around themselves and forming their own identity as relentless workers as a result, WVRM have been building their stock over the years and are looming on the release of their latest package of anger, Colony Collapse. Still as South Carolina’s only grind band and the sole reason the scene in that area exists, vocalist Ian Nix works hard to bring attention to causes, both musical and political.

Working closely with the Bernie Sanders Democratic election campaign, Ian describes political work out in America as “painful, stressful, also beautiful to. We just want to figure out what people want. I can relate, I grew up working class from the country, from the American South. It’s something.” And whilst Ian might not have immediate hope for the next four years, he has a long sighted optimism that is genuinely welcome in times like these. Ian talks about class consciousness finally being awoken, and indeed these are things that have been screamed about in grindcore for some time now.

The connections between Ian‘s political work and his musical work are easy to see. For someone who is as switched on and as passionate as Ian is it would be a shame for him not to front a band and take these messages to a wider audience. “The art begets the culture, and the culture begets the art. Sometimes those places are the only times you get to have these conversations.” The places Ian is referring to are the gigs and musical gatherings that have long promoted political discourse. There are stories of gigs in the heart of the key hardcore scenes across America where gigs would grind to a halt thanks to a heated discourse breaking out over the messages the bands preach. Grindcore, as a boiled down and extreme version of punk, still facilitates these topics, and fans are still eager to discuss them.

Ian goes on to talk about a time that Bernie Sanders campaigned near South Carolina, and WVRM played a gig before meeting at an after party with local fans and other band members. Being able to bridge the gap between the music scene and the political scene sounds like something Ian is very keen on building. “Kids that normally wouldn’t have gone to some sort of political rally where [at the after party] and seeing people talk and getting excited about it. People that they looked up to in the scene, being there, and being apart of [politics], it’s a beautiful thing.”

WVRM has always been a vessel for the greater good. Ian talks about how his parents tried to instil an activist mentality within him, but it was not until the 2008 economic crash and a church massacre in his local area that it became apparent to Ian that he needed to begin working for a better world. This, combined with Ian’s love for playing in heavy bands throughout the Southern States, became the melting pot for the creation of WVRM, with the band being made up of members Ian knew and played with throughout his early years.

Now, as the band approach their latest release, Ian mentions how much more focussed on the current climate WVRM are as opposed to the music they were producing initially. “In the beginning our music wasn’t so overtly political, it was more personal, which I still count as political anyway because the emotions and pain you feel, there’s a political basis to it. We explore themes of what it’s like to be working class and be in a rural community. There’s a lot of shame, there’s a lot of difficulty associated with it. And it affects every relationship you have. I tried to put a little bit of that in everything.”

Colony Collapse has the potential to be one of the most relevant and captivating records of the year. Hearing the eloquence and passion with which Ian speaks offers an insight into a man that thinks before he speaks and acts, and as such everything he does do bears genuine significance. The abrasive attack that WVRM are known for is the perfect vessel for a voice that is educated by his own time on the frontlines of the movements for change. WVRM are a perfect example of how extreme music is a force for genuine good.

Colony Collapse is out now via Prosthetic Records.

Like WVRM on Facebook.