Album Review: Gripe -In His Image

Gripe

In His Image

*** out of *****

The slamming Grindcore band Gripe is calling it quits and going out with a real bang on In His Image. The Athens, Georgia based band has a collection of 18 tracks that run a mere 23 minutes as the audio assault rarely lets up. Blast beats pound the listener and guttural screams work for vocals; this is some raw, bad ass shit right here.  

The minute long "Sick F--" is a devastating whirlwind of noise and destruction while the screeching guitars and drum pounds make "Assisted Genocide" sound electric, like a lightning bolt to the forehead.  "Mind and Machine" continues the fireworks shooting out like lasers while "Devolved" slams with more of a song structure including a bass lead stomp part before a crushing conclusion. The vocals with this kind of thing is a tricky act on certain tracks ("Cotton Fever") the nonsense screams match well on others ("Botgrinder") they seem to distract. When songs are as intense as "This Land Is Nobody's Land" or "Future Pig" and they burn out after merely seconds the throat shredding is an apt addition.

The title track is blast beat-riffic with its thundering drums and warbling guitars while the real key is in the groove the band pulls out for tracks like "Force Of Habit" and "Save a Life, Kill A Cop". Eardrums will be bludgeoned and with brute force on In His Image respect The Gripe.  
________________________________________________________________________
Raw, that's the word that kept popping up listening to In His Image. This music obviously for everyone but if you are into the heavy give it a listen.

Support the band here, stream/download the disk here peep some video below of the bands earlier release: