a long and grinding road [Weekly Mixtape 38]

PSYCHONEUROSIS • Unborn Suffer • Violent Opposition • Mass Extinction
The Human Race Is Filth • Ripped To Shreds • Mortify • Crypt Walk • NERVE SAW
Filthy Christians • Shock Narcotic • Scheletro • Choke • THE ARSON PROJECT • Nails
Assück • Human Cull • Herida Profunda • Bayht Lahm • Retortion Terror • Formless Master
Rottenness • SkullShitter • The Body + Full of Hell • Wormrot • False Church • bone tower
WAKE • Brutal Truth • Total Fucking Destruction • Fuck The Facts

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Episode 153: Fuck The Facts

Here is Dreams of Consciousness Podcast Episode 153, featuring an interview with Mathieu "Vil" Vilandré of Fuck The Facts.

Cover photo by Anndy Negative.

The podcast is available through the following streaming services (click to listen):

Bandcamp Picks 183 - Nightfell, Mortiferum, Graveyard, Skullshitter/Bleeding Out

Even without knowing that Todd Burdette (of Tragedy and His Hero Is Gone fame) was half of Portland duo Nightfell, there would be no ignoring the similarities to his past bands. The mid-paced doom/death of A Sanity Deranged revolves around his solemn, post-punk influenced guitar lines - the kind that reshaped hardcore and created the "dark crust" movement. That said, Burdette's vocals (which were always remarkably guttural, even during his time with HHIG) are at their most inhuman here, and show that he should have started a project like this decades ago. Crossover of the best kind. [$7.77]



After their making waves with their 2017 demo, Olympia's Mortiferum are ready to take their doomy death metal to a wider audience. Their first full-length Disgorged From Psychotic Depths keeps it old school and filthy, but wisely employs regular tempo shifts and acoustic interludes to avoid the monotony that most bands of this ilk get mired in. I'm generally not a fan of this style, but this is a surprisingly well-crafted album. [$8 CAD]



There's no confusing Barcelona's Graveyard with the Gothenberg band using the same name - though the Spaniards arguably sound more Swedish. Hold Back The Dawn (their 4th album) is classic death metal through and through, with plenty of salutes to the frantic thrashings of early Entombed, Hypocrisy, and Merciless. As former flagbearers abandon the old school revival in droves, the Spanish Graveyard's commitment is as admirable as their music is enjoyable. [€7 EUR]

Skullshitter return with another dose of brain-damaging deathgrind. On their new split release, the NY trio traffic in unpredictability and psychedelic freak outs, bringing back pleasant memories of the sorely missed Brutal Truth (who were clearly ahead of their time). The back half of the split features the debut of Toronto-based Bleeding Out, the new band from Fuck The Facts guitarist Johnny Ibay. The project's first 8 songs reign in the genre-hopping of Ihay's previous band, but still include enough thrash and hardcore flourishes to elevate Bleeding Out above generic grindcore. [Name your price.]

Top Ten Canadian Metal Albums

In honour of Canada Day, here is a list of the best metal albums from our friends in the Great White North. [It's aboot time, eh.]

Fuck The Facts Interview

I first discovered Fuck The Facts at the Knitting Factory in New York back in 2008. The band left an impression on me with their eclecticism, stubbornly ignoring boundaries by mixing death, grind, crust, and doom at will. They've yet to slow down since then, and they've also yet to disappoint. With an impressive new album out through their own label Noise Salvation, it seemed like a good time to finally reach out to them. I sent some questions to the band, which guitarist Topon Das and drummer Mathieu Vilandré took turns answering.

Bandcamp Picks - Fuck The Facts, Alda, Anopheli, Myrkur

DoC faves Fuck the Facts return with their best album yet. Desire Will Rot sees the always eclectic québécois quintet diversifying their sound further with some OTT metal moments on top of their usual mix of grind, death, doom, and hardcore. A band that breaks the mould and then stomps it into dangerous little shards. Magnifique. [$4 CAD]


Alda, one of my first ever Bandcamp Picks, finally deliver their long awaited (by me at least) third album. Passage continues where its predecessor left off, combining atmospheric black metal and folk, with more confidence and stronger performances (particularly with the vocals). An album for long walks in the woods; it may not deflect any Agalloch comparisons, but it shows the band is coming into their own. [€6.90 ]


It's amazing what a difference one instrument can make; Oakland CA's Anopheli might be just another band following in Tragedy's footsteps if it wasn't for the addition of a cellist. The Ache of Want puts her front and centre and lets her drive the music, the end result being even more apocalyptic than this kind of dark crust usually is. One of the best, most compelling hardcore albums I've heard this year, and it's available as a "name your price" download.


Well, the cat's out of the bag on Myrkur's Amalie Bruun; her dance pop and shoegaze background is now common knowledge. Honestly, Myrkur's full length M would benefit greatly from embracing that background a little more. The straight ahead black metal moments are a little generic, and songs that lean too heavily on her (admittedly pretty good) clean vocals dredge up comparisons to the Ghosts of Goff Metal Past (anyone who got a Century Media Identity comp back in the day will know what I'm talking about). But the album's sublime opener (not to mention their contribution to this year's Adult Swim singles collection) suggest that Relapse's faith in the project isn't misplaced, just a little premature. [$10.99 ]

Bandcamp Picks: Fuck the Facts, The Atrocity Exhibit, Sick/Tired, Cryptic Yeast and Girlsnames

Fuck the Facts' new EP was self-released as a limited edition cassette and 7" to coincide with their current European Tour; good for Europe, I guess, but here in SEAsia I'll have to settle for the Bandcamp version. Showcasing the Québécois quintet's knack for writing catchy grind, Amer is Fuck the Facts at their most versatile, topped off with Mel Mongeon's Jake Bannon-esque shrieks. Though at under 15 minutes, it's less a substantial meal than an appetizer for FTF's next full length. The seven song EP is available as a digital download for $4 Canadian (or $3.78 US according to Paypal)



You can't blame Brits The Atrocity Exhibit for sticking to the classic grind template when the results are this good. What Time Hidden Death couldn't be described better than by the bands own motto: "fast, slow, more fast". The seven song release is available as a "name your price" download.



Sick/Tired always seem on the verge of careening out of control, veering back and forth between  seasick rhythms and blistering grind. King of Dirt is aptly titled - the guitars and bass sound completely filthy. Strangely enough, they really remind me of my buds Tools of the Trade - now that's a tour I'd love to see. The album (including a cover of COC's "Rabid Dogs") is available as a "name your price" download.



And now for something completely different... the split EP Blender Children features two bands who are definitely trying to subvert the grind template. Cryptic Yeast's unrelenting drum programming starts to take on the repetitiveness of gabber music, though much more enjoyable. Meanwhile, on their side Girlsnames take the Locust's spazzed out Atari grind one step further with some deliriously hyperactive vocals. The split EP is available as a "name your price" download.