Review Summary: An overlooked gem, and some of the most brutal, unforgiving power-violence out there.
Emo-Bashing Fastcore Pimps is the discography of powerviolence band Insult, and what it makes up for a perceivable lack of originality, it more than makes up for with it's fast-pace, near-unrelenting brutality, and varied guitar parts. However it's main downfall is the use of samples in almost every track, which really damages the flow of the record.
The vocals on the album are one of the definite strong points, prominently sticking to the high pitched barks common in the genre, and while some listeners may become annoyed by the seemingly monotonous vocal delivery, it in my opinion enhances the overall brutality of the record, with the almost constant enraged roar, pounding into your skull. The guitar is another strength of the record, every song features many speedy, brutal riffs, and although most of these are based around power-chord progressions, the two guitarists manage to keep the record sounding fresh, and not overly repetitive.
The rhythm section is very strong on the album, as is typical of the genre, the bass does not stand out particularly, and unfortunately it is almost inaudible for lots of the album, however this does not tarnish the sound especially, as the album still sounds well balanced, in that respect. The drumming on the record is almost machine-like, with every blast-beat or poly-rhythm being hit perfectly throughout the entire album. This provides a strong backbone, to the guitar and vocals.
As I mentioned previously, the overuse of samples is the main problem with the album. What makes this even more frustrating, is that some of them are quite a worthy addition to the song, but the fact they are used in every song, makes the album seem kind of gimmicky. The most prominent example of them being used well on the album, is in the opener, Modern Fascist Rednecks, the sample used is an extract from "A Clockwork Orange."
"There was me, that is Alex, and my three droogs, that is Pete, Georgie, and Dim, and we sat in the Korova Milkbar trying to make up our rassoodocks what to do with the evening. The Korova milkbar sold milk-plus, milk plus vellocet or synthemesc or drencrom, which is what we were drinking. This would sharpen you up and make you ready for a bit of the old ultra-violence."
I think the nature of this sample, especially considering the film it was taken from, sets the mood of the album perfectly, but after 5 or 6 songs where all of which feature a sample of some kind, it just gets irritating.
It would be very difficult to pick out standout songs as only two songs surpass two and a half minutes in length, however the ones which stick out most in my head, are Yellow and Payback, excluding the epic eleven minute closer, which goes without saying.
To summarise, I think this album is a very strong and consistent slab of powerviolence, it is fast-paced, noisy, and at times tumultuous, but in a good way. However I can only rate it a 3.5 as it gets repetitive at times and the samples diminish the flow and overall quality.
