Manic Scum- Better Left Undead -E.P.

     Tennessee: The new heartland of grind.....well, maybe not, but Manic Scum have offered up something that will certainly get old school grindcore and even death metal fans to sit up and take note. These guys play with a true old school death grind mentality, bringing the grit and fire of classic acts such as Repulsion, but never forgetting the almighty groove, a la Carcass. This five piece outfit is doing some things that a lot of other bands that share the same genre description have forgotten how to do, and they're doing them well. Aggression is in no short supply on this seven song EP, but not at the expense of highly catchy riffing. A great blend of tempos are addressed as well, despite none of the tracks breaking the three minute mark. As far as production values go, this record delivers, bringing a raw and DIY feel without losing anything in the mix, a thing not always worked toward when talking about bands of this style.

      I'm interested in seeing these guys grow. While they aren't the most forward thinking grind band to ever grace this planet, they have a strong base to build on and their tribute to the genre greats of yore shines through in every note they play. Cheers fellas, and thanks for the crushingly fun tunes.


7/10 ruptured eardrums

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agtKgJJdRRw