TERRORIZER — World Downfall (review)

TERRORIZER — World Downfall album cover Album · 1989 · Deathgrind Buy this album from MMA partners
5/5 ·
Vim Fuego
'World Downfall' is one of those albums often namedropped by extreme metal fans to grab a little kudos among their peers, and so they should. While the original line-up of Terrorizer only recorded the single album, it is still held in high stead because of the sheer quality of it.

Before 'World Downfall', grindcore as a genre was often dismissed as noise because it was often poorly executed, and always badly produced. The old formula was to take one or two riffs, a fairly simple bass line, a straightforward drum rhythm and politically charged lyrics, and basically smash out a song without any concern for the conventions of music. Terrorizer's secret of success was the band members could actually play their instruments. While still played at breakneck speed, the songs were longer, more complex, and held their instrumental definition better than most grind of the time.

There is still little room for subtlety. Blast beats abound, the lyrics pull no punches, and the shout-along choruses (if you're quick enough to spot them) are utterly bestial. At its time of release, the speed of the music on this album was almost unheard of, with only a few bands, like Napalm Death, Carcass, and Extreme Noise Terror doing anything which even came close. Unlike those bands, Terrorizer was an incredibly tight unit, and didn't need to rely on high velocity to cover any shortcomings in musicianship.

Terrorizer was a bit of a grindcore supergroup. Drummer Pete "Commando" Sandoval and bass player/vocalist David Vincent both played with Morbid Angel, while guitarist Jesse Pintado later joined Napalm Death.

This album can seem like a cyclonic blur from start to finish on first listen, with almost every track of the same consistency, but that's not to say they all sound the same. Standing head and decomposing shoulders above the rest of the album though is the legendary "Dead Shall Rise".

If you're a fan of grind, or of all things brutal, you NEED this album.
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