DB HOF NO. 18

The making of Brutal Truth’s “Need to Control”

released: October 25, 1994

label: Earache

—————————————————–

When New York grinders Brutal Truth released their debut, Extreme Conditions Demand Extreme Responses, bassist extraordinaire Danny Lilker (Anthrax, S.O.D., Exit-13) had just severed his ties with Nuclear Assault. Teaming with metal journalist Kevin Sharp, drummer Scott Lewis, and former Nuclear Assault guitar tech Brent “Gurn” McCarty (nicknamed after a Steve Martin character on Saturday Night Live), Brutal Truth became priority number one. After Lewis left, the band drafted Ninefinger skinbeater Rich Hoak and recorded their finest effort—Need to Control. Between their didgeridoo drones and staticky interludes, a love of weed, blast beats, and destruction commanded blasterpieces like “Godplayer,” “Brain Trust,” and “Bite the Hand.” It was a different sound for the band—slower songs, jazzier breakdowns, more space—and, in many ways, it forced grindcore into its adolescence. When the group disbanded in 1998, they left a legacy of grind few have matched. And with a cover of Eyehategod’s “Sister Fucker Parts 1 and 2” coming out soon on a tribute comp, as well as an impending reunion show (sans Gurn) in Chicago, the Truth’s future looks best when taking a puff and looking back at the past.

—Kory Grow

To read the entire article, purchase this issue from our online store.