Review Summary: the Ted Bundy of grind
In four songs and five minutes flat the Canadian act Six Brew Bantha's self-titled full-length is an uncompromising slab of grindcore/powerviolence; with heavy metal's distortion and hardcore's sense of discord, you can do very little but watch in horror as
Six Brew Bantha rips out your throat, its murderous intent moving too quick to prepare reaction.
Six Brew Bantha is
much more grindcore than powerviolence - bonds to the more metallic side of the genre are strewn quite literally everywhere, (see opener "Perpetual Debt" for some deliciously deathly riffage) and even most of the album's more "hardcore" elements seem much further rooted in grind than the alternative. The vocals of lead singer Bryan have no small part in this; from filthy gutturals and throaty hardcore howls to frenzied shrieks, his schizophrenic performance often plays deeply into the perception of the music, a force which clearly dominates the overall vibe of the record.
Whether it be the straight-up blasting of "Violence Fuels Hatred" or the powerviolent dissonance of "From Vice To Crutch", there isn't really a "weakness" to be found on
Six Brew Bantha; the songwriting as well as its execution is superb. Sure, a few more songs
wouldn't have hurt, but its brevity is more a gift than curse - the four short yet concise tracks make this extremely easy to revisit. When it comes to providing quality grindcore, we can ask no more of this Canadian power trio.
