Band – Grab
Album – The Inevitable Filth of Mankind
Country of Origin – Greece
Genre – Black Metal
Release Date – March 23, 2021
Label – FYC Records
Author – Hayduke X
In their fifteenth year of existence, Grab bring us this feral creation known as The Inevitable Filth of Mankind. Filth is an absolutely appropriate word to use in the context of this album, as it sounds like it was written in the depths of filth. The production, though legible to the ears, if you will, retains that quality of, well, filth. I feel like I’ve been using a particular word too much to describe the album, so I’ll try out some others. The band’s sophomore album is raw, like an exposed nerve ending. It’s hyperactive, with riffs and rhythms that compel one to move in some manner (for me, my leg is steadily shaking along). It’s visceral and personal, as if the quartet found some intimate, personal core quality of the listener’s own being and carved it out to hold up to the light of many candles. Most of all, The Inevitable Filth of Mankind is real, or trve in black metal speak.
As I write this, the album has been out for three weeks already, though I had a promo copy early. Certainly this is partly due to a busy schedule, but Grab has also released an album which is hard to write about. This is the good kind of “hard to write about”, in the sense that it’s because it is consuming when I’m listening. On the surface, it’s certainly comparable to other black metal releases, with nods towards a raw, second wave sound. Tremolo riffs lay create a web of darkness for the howls to crawl over, while the drums pound a steady, mid paced rhythm, and the noticeable (especially for black metal) bass thickens the atmosphere into a dense miasma. The musicians who create this spell are Wrath (vocals), Bacchus (guitar), Goatlord (bass) and N.D. (drums).
The Inevitable Filth of Mankind hits hard, but also subtly. You don’t realize the damage to your psyche immediately, but slowly the vicious attack sinks in. The righteous hatred of humanity is strong, but restrained, methodical in its obliterating power. This is no lightning strike, then and then gone just as quickly. Grab bring sustained savagery to your ears on this release and it will get its hooks into you.
FYC Records has offered this newly essential release on cassette, the proper format for this sound. The art in bleak blacks and whites captures the feel of the music perfectly. There were 50 white and 50 black copies made. You can place your order via private message on the label’s Facebook page here or reach out via email at wrath_dodsferd@yahoo.gr. This is not one to be missed!
Biography: Hayduke X has been writing for MoshPitNation since June of 2016. He is also a contributor to The Metal Wanderlust. Prior to joining the MoshPitNation team, Hayduke published reviews on his own blog Rage and Frustration. In addition, he has DJ’ed an online metal radio show of the same name as his blog, written for TOmetal.com, done interviews for Metal Rules, and collaborated with The Art of B Productions to create video interviews with a wide variety of bands.
