Walking Corpse - Our Hands, Your Throat

Transcending Obscurity Records is rather known for their more prolific ‘Dissonant Metal’ artists. From Serpent of Old with its epic, Ulcerate inspired crushing force to the more old school Dismember sounding Vomitheist, listeners come to these guys for the loud, twisted, and obscured. Very similar to I, Voidhanger records but they are reeaallly out there. Black and Death Metal tends to populate their roster, so it is a surprise when the likes of other genres show up, like Sweden’s Grindcore Walking Corpse. These guys have been around since 2017 so they’re relatively new, but they have something going for them, hence why Transcending scooped them up for their 2nd full length album, “Our Hands, Your Throat.” Being of a genre that’s usually set to extremes from the likes of compatriots like Pig Destroyer, expect this record to be just a furious ball of sound. But, there is more to this than less than 2 minute tracks, a hailstorm of drumming, and ferocious bellows, screams, shrieks, and grunts backed by jarring guitar. Yes, one will hear the Napalm Death and Pig Destroyer influences here, especially with the opening thrashing one gets from ‘Dreamflesh Navigator.’ It has all the usual tropes of what is expected of Grindcore, but the album only gets better from there.

Walking Corpse do their best to try and make the Grindcore elements strong, be it just Punk driven rhythms or just bursts of violent energy over and over from the riffs and drumming along with the vocals; just listen to ‘Forever Sleep’ and one will be hit with a smattering of everything with little room to breathe. It is relentless, and it is good. The drums are the highlight just because of how hard they pound. But, on the other hand, with the more Grindcore focused tracks that end up being less than 2 minutes, they are over as fast as they begin. Big bursts of brutality that unless one is used to the genre your average Death or Black Metal listener is going to feel there isn’t enough to really soak in. That’s what the longer tracks are for. Tracks like ‘The Wheel’ are longer and more varied; one can heard the Hardcore influences in there with the chugs and groove and yet still feel the violent side of the music especially in the shrieked vocal delivery that switches from the bellows. But, it is the 2 step mosh groove that really sinks in and lets listeners appreciate the bass and guitars aside from just the vocals and drums, and when things really slow down to almost Doom proportions so one can hear the double bass, it just kind of settles with the listener more and gives them time to come down from the high of just being pummeled by the pure Grindcore elements. Then there are the slow burn, almost Death Metal driven pieces like ‘Falling Through a World of Wounds.’ It rumbles rather than screams like an avalanche of sound and just stomps. Again, you don’t lose out on the musical elements at all, just more track length and an easier pace to absorb.

For those who enjoy the more ‘stop and go’ feel of the genre (or any Metal genre for that matter), ‘Nothing Grows Here’ has a very technical jar to it, but the star here is the guitars as they feel a little more proggy and all over the place, keeping that helter skelter Grindcore sound but showcasing more than just obliterating drums and vocals (even the drums feel a little pushed back in favor of the guitar and bass with this one). Of course, if one like drums in their face 24/7, ‘Last Laugh’ is pounding and rhythmic with just a thunder of a sound, and even sounds like it touches on the likes of groups like Aborted’s early work with its Death/Grind hybrid of sound. There is even some Origin technicality to the way the guitars whine on overdrive to keep up with the drums. Overall, this album is going to be a welcome listen for anyone who likes Death Metal, Grindcore, or wants to get into the Grindcore genre. While some consider Napalm Death the ultimate Grindcore introduction, some could be pressed to say with Walking Corpses’s approach on “Our Hands, Your Throat,” they could easily contend as a highly recommended listen for anyone who wants to get into the genre. It is raucous, angry, vicious, and yet tasteful and technical rather than feel like a smattering of sound that just destroys or too many choice cuts to really enjoy a full 30 minute album. This three piece should be very proud of the record they’ve put out.

5 / 5 STARS