Album Review: Medium - Medium
Reviewed by Tim Finch
When thinking about, or indeed looking for, a new grindcore band to listen to the one place that doesn’t really spring to mind is Argentina. Have we been overlooking this fine country and it’s musical exports all of these years? With their self titled album, Medium aim to change the way we look at Argentinian metal, thrash, death and grindcore.
The squeal of feedback from guitars and an ensuing audio sample leads us slowly into a dark and mystifying track, or so it would seem. Then opening song ‘Skullcomet Sorcery’ really kicks in. It’s not the advertised grindcore though. This is a death metal number with accompanying growl, maybe a hint or two leaning towards the way of grind but this is brutal death metal at its best.
‘Maximum Rampage’ ups the pace, the simplistic ferociousness of grind kicks in. Guitars, drums and bass combining in a cacophony of noise, a wall of sound both brutal and deafening. Still the song hints at more than a tinge towards death metal, maybe even black metal at times. The Argentinians combining styles in this rage fuelled onslaught.
The albums continues in the same vein, the undercurrent is always grind but each song offers something else as well. ‘El Gigante’ starts oozing thrash metal influences in an intro of fret board wizardry at its fast paced finest. ‘Black Future Patrol’ has a general heavy metal feel, a slower pace and wondrous repetitive riffs but Luciens barking vocals ever present.
For a band most of us will not have heard of before, this album is a snarling beast of an introduction into Mediums world, and the world of Argentinian extreme music. There is so much to offer in one short album, fans of black metal, death metal, thrash metal and grindcore will all find solace in this well rounded creative work.
Medium release 'Medium' via Transcending Obscurity Records on March 6th
