Album Review: Gronibard - Regarde les Hommes Sucer
Reviewed by Patrick O'Reilly
French gore-grinders Gronibard are back after a 14 year hiatus to deliver more sick, twisted and comical grinding death metal. The title of the album translates as "Watch Men Suck"’ which could be a sexual reference as there is plenty of references to homosexual relations on this album or it could also be a self-deprecating admission by the band to a lack of talent. Whatever it is though one thing is for sure, this album certainly doesn’t suck!
Sixteen tracks are offered up at a running time of 37 and a half minutes, but this isn’t your average morass of super guttural vocals and barely audible riffs a-la the majority of gore-grind bands. In fact it may be a misnomer to call this grind at all as there are very few blasts on this album, most songs run at medium or slower pace with simple D-beat-esque drum patterns and clear production allowing the guitars and bass to really shine and impress. That’s not to say this album isn’t extreme, it’s still brutal and there is a real crunch to the guitar and bass tones, it just sounds very polished which really suits the songs and the tone.
The album does feature the deep guttural vocals associated with gore-grind but many of the songs also have comedic high pitched vocals both male and female which add to the catchiness and atmosphere of the songs.
Opening track ‘Fast Gays of Humanity’ is a stomping, hulking monster and is perfect to kick off proceedings. Stand out tracks include the punky ‘L’Enfer Des Zombites’ which opens with a rapid pastiche of legendary Italian composer Fabio Frizzi’s theme for Lucio Fulci’s classic zombie gore fest movie ‘Zombie Flesh Eaters’. ‘Finger in Anus’ which whizzes by in a blur of hardcore style moshing and ‘Sperm Holocaust’ which is probably the most gore-grind song on the album and sounds like a horrible tumour that has been cut out from Carcasses ‘Symphonies of Sickness’ album and kept in formaldehyde until this albums release!!
My only criticism of this album is that not being a French speaker I cannot understand the samples and skits that open and close certain songs, something which I love in my gore-grind but this didn’t hamper my enjoyment of the music in any way.
This album is a fun, exciting romp through some punk/hardcore infused gore-grind that will have you banging your head as well as smiling profusely
I would recommend this album in particular for fans of – Pungent Stench, Carcass, Crepitation, Birdflesh, Spasm, C.A.R.N.E
