Unholy Grave

Hey, look, another studio release of tossed-off punk/grind from these Japanese discography-builders (seriously, two live albums already this year?). Grind fans never tire of this energetic and insanely enjoyable band, never ones to take themselves too seriously. It's not like the tunes don't shred, as they manage to take the same three riffs that make any punk/grind release good and play them into the ground, with great results. But they do the shredding with a bit of a knowing smile, which is where the band's charm lies. You have to be in the mood for some raw stuff to get into this, and be willing to accept that it all sounds the same ― there's no difference between "Morbid Dark Angels" and "Grind Faith," except one has a slightly more awesome title and one has sloppier snare rim accidents. "Free from Fear" has some memorable, and horrible, vocal ideas, which were certainly done with a smirk on vocalist Takaho Komatsu's face. While not groundbreaking in any way, Grind Killers is a great grind release and is perfect for those in need of something to combat overproduced, sterile grind.