For 30 years now, BLOCKHEADS have set a course on the heart of original grindcore. Call it old school, call it political, all in all, they sticked to the idea of criticizing and analyzing the world as it is: cold, oppressive, and bleak. Now it is time to release their sixth album: “Trip to the Void”, and we’re stoked to give you the official first listen along with the band’s first hand track by track commentary below.
BLOCKHEADS are the pioneers of French grindcore and with their new offering there are no signs of creative slowdown. “Trip to the Void” comes as brutal as never before. BLOCKHEADS‘ sonic punishing blastbeat and trademark neck-breaking groove have never been sharper, refined on stage with the likes of Napalm Death, Carcass, or Mumakil, and condensed into the span of these 25tracks/28 minutes of sheer aggression.
With their darker work to date, BLOCKHEADS are back, uncompromising and straight to the point, as grindcore should always be.
“Trip To The Void” is out this month via Bones Brigade Records and LIXIVIAT Records.
ARTWORK / Art direction by Schlep, cover and inner pictures by Roberto Campos.
PROVOKED STARVATION:
A short and to the point track. One of these blastbeat /d-beat frenzies we like to put together. The title speaks for itself. Starvation is avoidable, yet sometimes consciously provoked, mostly by greedy bastards and dictators. But far away from Occident. For the moment.
WALLS:
A track that is kind of a loner on the album. Maybe more directly Nasum or death metal influenced. Lyrically, it might be a little bit abstract, but I really love these lines: “walls are everywhere / grey walls to teach you the line”. Just look at how mental walls are erected to divide the working class, by populists, by racists… The result is people kept in their most weak position: an individual separated from others, thus obedient.
THE DEVOURER:
A very nervous track, and maybe the most important lyrics on this album, at least for me. Every year, people escaping war, misery, violence die in the Mediterranean Sea. That is the Devourer of the title. And it feels like none cares.
WHEN YOU’LL BECOME A SHADOW:
One of these song with a big slowdown / moshparts. One of my favorite vocal parts by our drummer Nico by the way, who managed to articulate, shout fast and blast at the same time. Kudos to him. Lyrics kind of tell the imaginary story of one of these wealthy yuppies, so proud of their shit values like social Darwinism, turned into a shadow haunting the streets he used to despise.
DAMAGE CONTROL:
30 seconds or so blasting track, mostly blastbeating but with an attention to the structure and micro breaks. I’m pretty proud of this one. Another charge against demagogic speeches some people gather to escape their own responsibilities
