Just out is the first ep of the Belgian band Grim. I anticipated this one eagerly. I was already familiar with their demo. And also liked it a lot, that’s why I wrote about it here. The ep came out on vinyl and was pressed by Open Up Records.

Musically it’s very surprising to hear. With the breakdowns here and there but especially when you least expect it. The riffs are varying from faster to slower. Every screaming or singing voice is well-placed, and comes just in time or in the correct order. Very talented musicians that are made for the harder and heavier work.

The last two songs, have guitar intro’s that make you feel you are listening to a 90’s band. Also noteworthy are the clean vocals. Very well done by the singer in the first place but also well-recorded and produced for sure, as there are more people involved in a recording than the band members. It was recorded at Hightime Studios by K. Foesters.

Dark green vinyl

Pre-order cover above the regular cover

Grimy atmosphere in the lay-out, paled-out color schemes. But the atmosphere in the lyrics is great also. Dark mindsets written down as a way to get rid of them. But also showing the darker side of things, that are present everywhere. And giving kids that dwell in darker thoughts an opportunity to identify to the older band members and not be alone with those grimy thoughts. But be not mistaken, for me as an older person it’s still great to…

I also talked about it with two people on the net and they are also positive about it. Bart said “with this ep there’s finally something new to be heard”. DMZ gave a very intelligent remark about it, he was a fellow blogger a while ago. He said that “the properties of the bands are good but a band can’t keep having that character if they want to evolve and grow larger. And those current characteristics are inconceivability and unpolished sound”. I think he gave an excellent insight into early and still original hardcore  in relationship with getting bigger in the genre. I thought by myself it would be a shame if they changed into a more accessible and more polished sound. But I also realize that is my personal preference and love for original hardcore being close to the demo-phase.