Mammoth Grinder - 'Extinction Of Humanity'

Death metal with a hardcore punk mentality that takes the listener on a wild ride through the decay and filth of society’s underbelly.

As the holidays draw near, and the end of the year is creeping upon us, the metal releases dwindle down to the bare minimum. Most people are looking ahead to the New Year already, cranking out “Best Of 2009” lists and gearing up for those hotly anticipated albums of 2010. What better time for an underrated gem to be released than at the end of December?

Mammoth Grinder’s sophomore album Extinction Of Humanity is that shining gem, a throwback to raw, old-school death metal, with a hefty load of hardcore attitude to boot. The seven tracks are tightly structured and stripped to the bare essentials, with no room for melody or upbeat tempos. The grimy production gives weight to the distorted, feedback-centric guitar melodies, akin to the sound of crushed shards of broken glass.

While sticking to hardcore punk early in their career, the death metal influences illuminate the brightest on their second full-length release. Vicious cuts like “Total Extinction” and “Life Returns” have the subtlety of a shot to the head with a cement block, while their old sound peaks out in the brief punk vibes of “Devoured By Fear.” The music is simple, with a solid rhythm section backing the sharp riffs and harsh screams of frontman Chris Ulsh.

It isn’t all ferocity and chaos, though. Mammoth Grinder tries their hand at opening up their sound with the creepy, sluggish instrumental “Resurfacing” and puts an emphasis on wicked lead guitar work on “Frozen.” The band does slow down the tempo at select moments to evoke an uneasy, queasy feeling within the listener, as if their skin is being slowly torn apart vein by vein.

It may be too late for Extinction Of Humanity to be on any end-of-the-year lists, but Mammoth Grinder has put out a scorcher guaranteed to knock the crap out of any jolly bastard in the holiday spirit. The album ends too quickly, barely gracing over the 20-minute mark; however, when the only complaint is that there aren’t enough songs, it is the tell-tale sign of a great metal album. It may be that time of year to look ahead to the future, but the metal community would be wise to lean an ear towards the present to hear a glimpse of the next big thing in death metal.