Published on Apr 20, 2000
I remember the halcyon days of my college education well. The
late nights spent trying to decipher my “Law And The Media” notes,
the numerous racketball games with my buddy Brian, the night I got
completely snookered and turned one poor schlep’s room into a
vomitorium… but I digress.
I also remember re-discovering the love of speed metal – music
that made driving on the Autobahn look like Florida roadways on
Senior Citizens Day at Food Lion. Hearing groups like Napalm Death
was a true spiritual purging – and I enjoyed every brutal minute of
it.
That’s kind of the feeling I got again when I listened to
Pleasures Pave Sewers, the debut release from Lock Up. (Note
to the faint-hearted: this isn’t the same group that released
Something Bitchin’ This Way Comes a few years back.) With
the core of Napalm Death – guitarist Jesse Pintado and bassist
Shane Embury – guiding the path, drummer Nick Barker sounding like
he’s having an epileptic seizure behind the kit, and Hypocrisy lead
singer Peter Tagtgren growling out the vocals, you have all the
makings of the next generation of grindcore. Welcome home, boys –
missed you.
In true grindcore fashion, I didn’t understand a single word on
this disc – and, believe it or not, I’m not complaining. As strange
as it may sound, I don’t need to understand what Tagtgren is
bellowing on tracks like “Submission,” “Pretenders Of The Throne”
or “Salvation Thru’ Destruction” – even though I’ll admit to being
curious after reading promotional material saying the lyrical
content was a bit “lewd”.
Confused? If you’ve ever even dipped a toe into the grindcore
pool, you know that, often, the sheer energy of the performance is
enough to seal the deal. Of course, it sometimes doesn’t mean shit
if the musical aspect is neglected – and fortunately for Lock Up,
the songwriting and performances are just as strong, making this a
killer disc.
Normally, I’d rant at this part of the review about a disc being
far too short – and, clocking in at under 30 minutes, you might
expect me to do the same. (Full disclosure: I’m working off an
advance copy of the album; the track listing I saw on CDNow lists
one track I don’t have. So, the running time of the disc might be
over 30 minutes with this addition – and you’ll be hearing the full
album. Another reason for me to go out and buy another copy of this
disc.) Nope – not this time. It almost is as if Tagtgren and crew
knew exactly when to stop tape and let the work speak for itself –
something you don’t often see in the day of 77-minute CDs padded
with more crap than the dog run at a public park. In the case of
Pleasures Pave Sewers, less truly is more.
Besides, it is so easy to get caught up in tracks like “Triple
Six Suck Angels” and “The Dreams Are Sacrificed” that you lose all
track of time. It could be 30 minutes, it could be 30 hours, but as
long as the music is so good, you don’t really care.
Pleasures Pave Sewers is the kind of album that not only
will restore your faith in metal, but will also remind you of just
how enjoyable grindcore could be at its best. I’ll always have a
soft spot in my heart for the Lee Dorian-era Napalm Death, but Lock
Up has definitely earned a prized spot on my CD shelves. Here’s
hoping we’ll be hearing much more from this partnership.