Reviews

Absolute Contempt

Malicious Algorithm Progress cassette

Pretty standard grindcore/powerviolence affair here. Sludgy and crusty at times. In what always seems to be the case with these grind albums, it’s the drums that captivate me the most. Super-tight and fast as hell. The dueling vocals also add to the dynamic and help to keep things interesting with their call-and-response technique. If you can’t tell from the band name and album cover, MALICIOUS ALGORITHM’s entire shtick revolves around technology and its direct aiding of the impending apocalypse. If you’re someone like me who grows more anti-tech with each passing year, then you’ll appreciate this, too. The robots are coming for us, folks.

Zero Azúcar Zero Azúcar LP

I’ll say it again. It’s funny as hell to me that I got assigned records from ZERO AZÚCAR and NO SUGAR in the same month. It’s gold. Unlike the NO SUGAR record, this one and I are getting off to a fantastic start. It’s punk, but it’s a little poppy. That said, I would not call it pop punk. Mid-tempo and super catchy, it’s got some sort of organ or synthesizer that they use enough that you notice it, but not so much that it’s a distraction. It gives it a little bit of an early new wave feel. It’s all in Spanish and I speak some Spanish, but not at the level that I understand much of this. But I can say that the vocals are strong and perfect for the music here. Really nicely put together. A complete package. At its core, this is punk rock.