Review - Gridlink

Gridlink
Longhena

Ok, it's finally happened - a new Gridlink album. Unfortunately, it is to be their final one - but hey, nothing can get me down when I've just found a new album by these guys. The record starts off with two lightning-speed grind tracks - both solid, though there's a troubling lightness to the guitar tone. Then, it's into atmospheric third track "Thirst Watcher." It's not often you find a soothing instrumental interlude on a grindcore album, but Gridlink have never been a band to take the obvious route. Then, the album slams you straight back into full-on grindcore with track four. The lightness in the guitar (you'll know what I mean when you hear it) actually sttarts to make sense at this point -it means that the actual riffs and musical structure stand out more, making the album a more satisfying experience than a lot of heavier records. Overall, Longhena is something that I never though was possible - a melodic grindcore album. When I say melodic, i don;t mean that they've given up on the blastbeats, the screams or the insane speed and technicality, but rather that, by removing most of the distortion from the guitar sound, they draw the focus away from the effect of the music (heaviness) and onto the music itself - not in a wanky, look-how-technical-we-are way, but in a way that turns even the most aggressive grindcore into a pleasant, sweeping soundscape. This album is more than a collection of songs - it's almost a long composition in its own right. Listening to Longhena from beginning to end is like hearing one peice in multiple movements, and all of those movements kick arse.

Basically, buy it. It's fucking cool.

Rating: 10/10