Label: Wooaaargh / Downfall Records
According to the press release, Hyperakusi is a Swedish word meaning “sensitivity to everyday sounds”. Should that be something you suffer from, then you might want to steer away from this split between Finnish bands Resonance Cascade and Järnbörd. Whilst their versions of grindcore may not exactly be considered “everyday sounds”, they are most certainly not suited to those with sensitive hearing. Dirty, loud and uncompromising, both of these bands offer up slightly different sorts of blistering grind, making this split a riotous half hour that fans of the likes of Napalm Death and Nasum will surely enjoy.
Resonance Cascade take the first half of the split. Their grindcore is on the shorter, faster end of the spectrum, with eight of their nine songs clocking in at less than two minutes. It’s heavily reminiscent of Nasum, with a sense of groove hidden within the hyperspeed riffs, and shifts in tempo and emphasis to keep the songs interesting as well as powerful. Grind may seem like an easy style to write songs for – just put together some fast riffs and drumming for a minute and call it done, right? – but Resonance Cascade demonstrate that there’s more to it than that, as there’s more going on here than just speed and strength. There’s no disguising that they are the dominant elements though – as would be hoped for from grindcore – and even if they’re hardly reinventing the wheel, Resonance Cascade’s side of Hyperakusi is a strong, storming slice of grind.
Järnbörd’s side of the split is much dirtier than Resonance Cascade’s, with a crusty, d-beat feel to their grind. The songs are (slightly) longer, with a raw production that almost sounds like a live recording – it’s a great sound for this sort of grindcore, giving the songs plenty of energy and making the passion of the band clear. This is grind as an evolution of punk rather than of metal, where dedication and spirit matters more than technical skills (not that the band are poor musicians, by any means). There’s a sense of danger and barely controlled chaos that’s never far away, and that’s exactly how I like my grind to be.
Hyperakusi is a great split overall, showcasing two distinctly different – yet related – styles of grindcore. Grind is a genre that I often find a bit dull, where the speed and energy of the musicians doesn’t always translate in to something worth listening to, but both bands here have recorded great songs that deserve to be heard.
Hyperakusi is set for release on 24 February 2017, and can be pre-ordered on vinyl and CD at Woooaaargh and Downfall Records; it can also be pre-ordered digitally on Bandcamp.
The Sound Not The Word 