Rating: 8.7

Country: Australia

Release Date: 2007

Record Label: Obscene Productions

Track list:
Disc 1
1.Intro
2.ThreeOhSevenOhh
3.PissStomper
4.TheKidsCanGetFucked
5.RockNRollJihad
6.BrokeAssBitch
7.MyspaceYourFace
8.AngryDragon
9.ILoveThePills
10.DusterDuster
11.TheNightTheyBurnedOld
EmoDown

Disc 2
1.TendonsSlicedForTransport
2.TheRichBreedFuckingCockhead
ChildrenWhoWillOneDayBeYour
Employer 3.TheWolrdAndEveryoneInItDeserves
ToDie
4.RecreationalKilling
5.BetterStartASeedBank
6.ChildLabourEconomics
7.BarrelChockFullOfDeadCops
8.CzechItOutIGotSomeRules
9.LustMord
10.OhMyMyRahindley
11.E55
12.RapedWithATyreIron
13.ISawYourDadSuckingOffAnother
DudesDad
14.OrgansForAProfit
15.StrungUpWithCockInHand
16.BalladOfHenryAndotis

Band Website: Blood Duster

Blood Duster - Lyden Na

Jason P.C. (Jason Fuller) - Bass, Vocals
Tony Lee Roth (Tony Forde) - Vocals
Matt Collins aka 'Lowpantz' - Guitar
Belt Thrower - Guitar
David Haley - Drums

Surely everyone'll've heard/heard of this by now. Grindrock luminaries Blood Duster have made a surprisin' label-change, callin' upon Czech label Obscene Productions to release their latest opus, Lyden Na, which is a bulgin', a triple-thick package o' genre-jumpin' self-indulgence that sees ‘em switchin' from one extreme side o' their Grind-coin to the other ‘tween discs, gratifying each fanbase faction whilst also moppin' up a wider fan-puddle. I love all the ol' stuff, so I haven't kept up with my daily fix o' Blood Duster since pre-Cunt, and I'm not a fan of multi-CD sets featurin' the works of a single band at the best of times. However, Lyden Na was a whole pile o' fun! I don't want to subject everyone to a double review (or a triple one, should download the third disc before I finish it), so perhaps I'll try and make a note somewhere to remind me to make some sort o' attempt at keeping it nice ‘n' concise.

Disc One: Volume I: The Father

The first album in t'set is rather a laudable exercise in Hard Rock (feels strange typin' a loose term like that within a DC review) which, as well as frequently harkin' back to the ‘70s and ‘80s, also contains a lot of diverse ‘n' experimental ideas with regard to instrumentation, composition ‘n' performance. The fun begins right away. After the Sabbath-nod in the ominous introduction, the band instigates immediate listener-appendage tappery with heart-warmin' balls-out riffin', cheerful percussion and snarlin' gentle-giant vokills. Aside from the standard four instruments, you'll also hear bagpipe highlights, piano entinklement and even some handclaps!

With traditional Heavy Metal ‘n' Hard Rock as its foundation, they've scattered their material with a few projectiles o' Punkish mucus, a puff or two o' Stoner Metal and a few smudges o' Glam, the resultin' cavalcade interspersed with a splash o' twiddly, noise-driven noodlin', all wonderfully rounded up by a liltin' acoustic piece. To this shit-faced reviewer, it'd appear the band have a huge, porridge-soft soft-spot for old-old-skool old-hands like AC/DC, Deep Purple ‘n' Black Sabbath, as well as a penchant for ol' Punk gold, perhaps Crass and maybe the Anti Nowhere League, but spritzed with hairspray  borrowed from dear ol' Motley Crue ‘n' WASP! Their retro approach and heavin' grooves give some o' this a Cathedral feel, while the vintage riffs thru a gun-metal guitar tone and catchy choruses via hoarse, articulate gutturals dress the songs in Six Feet Under t-shirts and Entombed jackets, each sportin' a few Pungent Stench ‘n' Mucupurulent patches.

The lyrical matter is also nice ‘n' varied, featurin' stories about rampant drug-abuse, unemployment ‘n' decline, as well as a prominent abhorrence of all things Emo, which involves funny enbashment of MySpace fringe-folk and malicious arson attacks upon their gig venues!

I read somewhere on their website that this album is an analogue recordin', but the production-job polish-up is nevertheless of a high gleamin' standard, with enormous crunchin' guitars, arrestin' up-front vokills and a clear ‘n' cuttin' kit-sound.

Although many hardened Grindheads may baulk at the eclectic antics on this recordin', then make straight for disc two and probably baulk at that as well due to bein' already disenchanted by the ‘sell-out' nature o' disc one, I'd still recommend this to all those who enjoy Death Metal/Grind, but also derive entertainment from all the older styles of Heavy Metal and Hard Rock that preceded it. The only thing I can pick holes in here is the length, which I think was just short of half an hour, which isn't quite enough for the band to fully explore ‘n' exhibit their more melodic, non-Grindcore side. Other than that, great fun!

Disc Two: Volume II: The Unholy Ghost

In stark contrast to the first disc, Volume II erupts, verily, into a relentless, heads-down, high-speed Grindcore assault, full o' digit-shreddin' guitarwork, cherry-red screams ‘n' husky gutturals and nigh-on continuous blastin' terror, so when you switch ‘tween the two discs it's like a chucklesome role reversal, with the band firmly establishin' their sizeable skills within both styles, thus displayin' to us that their sense o' grindin' intensity is easily as keen as their sense o' upliftin' melody! But this is their Grind album, so you won't find anything of a melodious nature on it whatsoever. In fact, they've also expurgated from it almost all of the groove friendly Grindrock riffs or infectious vokill patterns that feature in regular Blood Duster stuff, whittlin' the sound down to its component grinds, blasts ‘n' howls. Crunchin' yer cranium off with unadulterated Grindcore pugnacity, each tune pushes hard toward the highest tempos of which the musicians are capable, affordin' you a modicum of breathin' space by occasionally reinin' in the chaotic clattery to make way for a small blob o' catchiness, afore ploughin' ahead with lots more speed-infatuated capers.

Given that it revives the severity ‘n' intensity of their earlier output, you can expect the obvious Earache stuff like the fastest bits o' classick Napalm Death, Terrorizer, Brutal Truth et al, as well as a few elements o' stuff like Pig Destroyer ‘n' Nasum in the delivery, perhaps even a little o' their fellow Aussie grind-merchants Fuck…I'm Dead or Captain Cleanoff.

The lyrical content is nicely bisected; one half is gory, misogynistic daftness, and the other displays strong-minded political views, which makes for an entertainin' lyrical lucky dip. You could get an unequivocal backlash to child labour, or you might get a tune about lust-driven mastectomy, then again you might get an anti-cop song!

I read probably in the same section of their website as that stated in the previous section o' this review that, in contrast to the tape recordin' o' disc one, disc two was recorded digitally, but the quality remains just as clear ‘n' scythin' as its companion album.

So, to complement the melodic warmth of the first disc, ‘the Grind album' contains standard, monochromatic Grindcore with an emphasis on straightforward structures, belligerent delivery and excessive tempo, which is sure to appeal to Blood Duster fans who have a greater admiration for their grindier side.

Disc Three: Volume III: The Son

Now then, the third album in the trilogy is only available from the Downloads area of their website, where you can access the material by completin' a sentence from the liner notes of the release. Of course, this is a special treat just for Blood Duster fans who've bought the album, or looked at a friend's copy, or peeked in the booklet at their lokill metal store, so I don't want to say too much about it or I'll ruin the surprise. All I'll say is that it's sluggish, desolate ‘n' you won't be getting into it very quickly!

In summary, Lyden Na is a shrewd, innovative idea, all wrapped up in an exceptionally well executed lil' package. Call ‘em ‘sell-outs', or ‘traitors to Grind' if you must, but you might have trouble holdin' together a cogent argument what with the content of disc two, and the enormous Death/Grind voks that feature across the whole work. Very nice indeed.

January 25th, 2007