“Right where you want them, at your meat magnet.“
Escuela Grind are a machine where the cogs never stop turning, as a live act they’ve popped up across America and Europe, becoming a thoroughly toured band. Since their debut in 2020 there has been a constant stream of music, most recently the impressive Memory Theatre. Intertwined within all this has been a sort of series of EPs that has seen Escuela Grind put forward their take on various genres that influence their sound, the previous entries being GGRRIINNDDCCOORREE and PPOOWWEERRVVIIOOLLEENNCCEE, and the third iteration now aptly titled DDEEAATTHHMMEETTAALL.
While an immediate interpretation might be a sound alike Cannibal Corpse or Entombed, opener “Ball and Chain” shows that still is still very much Escuela Grind with their grindcore and hardcore brutality, but now with the death metal influence turned up a notch. The rapid double kicks and a snare that is likely torn to shreds rips through the ear, on both the opener and on “Punishment Ritual“. Fierce, marauding riffs give DDEEAATTHHMMEETTAALL noticeable weight.
The production, once again by Converge’s Kurt Ballou, has been adjusted to fit the crushing influences of death metal, with the beefier moments cutting through and the ever furious vocals from Economou holding a commanding presence. The EP comes out swinging on “Abyssal Plane“, with punching instrumentals that will leave a nose or two bloodied with its swinging riffs.
Closer “Meat Magnet” will see itself become a gem in the wider discography, featuring Napalm Death frontman Barney Greenway, and sees DDEEAATTHHMMEETTAALL depart on a memorable note. The vocals of the pair neatly compliment each other. Rather than a stark contrast in vocals that can be jarring on features elsewhere, both Greenway and Economou‘s ranges sit neatly alongside eachother. Along with the continuation of the wall of sound that Escuela Grind produce, this makes for a track that many will see themselves returning to.
With DDEEAATTHHMMEETTAALL, Escuela Grind have used the death metal influence to enhance and innovate on their sound, which has kept them fresh and adds that tinge of excitement of what is to come from the next full-length from the group. What Escuela Grind have cooked up is a hard-as-nails listen that does what it says on the tin.
7.5/10
DDEEAATTHHMMEETTAALL releases January 12th via MNRK Heavy and can be pre-ordered here.