Where they from?
Long Island, New York. I actually went to Long Island the other night because my friend invited me to go to an Islanders game with him and wow, I did not realize what a shithole that place is. We literally parked next to a strip mall that had three stores: a gun store, a tattoo parlor and a Papa John’s. That’s a Long Island Friday night if there ever was one. Also, most of the Jersey Shore cast is from there. That should really say it all.
What do they sound like?
Beatdown false grind but with that dirty LI stench.
Why the hype?
I’ll admit it took me a while to get into this band as I was a bit stuck up my own ass about liking something that could be boiled down to “Jesus Piece but with more blast beats”, but then I saw them open up for Pig Destroyer a few weeks ago and I realized “Holy shit: Jesus Piece but with more blast beats.”
Blame God have enough traditional grind elements to make them appropriate for this column and they marry these quite well with modern beatdown parts that are sure to get the Vein windbreaker crowd hype as fuck. All of this is done with an overall dark atmosphere that actually feels effective rather than a copout that so many contemporary bands utilize today. I think the turning point for me was seeing young kids get really excited for this band in a way that I have not seen in a long time. That and the breakdowns are just so FUCKING HEAVY live, it’s like being run over by a jagged bulldozer.
Latest Release?
Power and Control, released this past September. First of all, I love EPs. Does grindcore even need full-lengths? Who the fuck has time to listen to more than 20 minutes of a band anymore unless they are doing the dishes, in which case you’re probably better off listening to Stevie Wonder or some shit? This little nugget is filled with plenty of parts that make you want either pick up the pennies off the floor or windmill some fucking nerd to death but I honestly feel like my favorite passage might be the second half of “Arson In God’s Pasture”, arguably the most depressing and dismal two and a half minutes of music I have come across this year. Like I mentioned earlier, so few of these bands really get the noise/atmosphere element right but this band really nailed it out of the park here. But hey, that’s what happens when you work at the Papa John’s located next to the gun shop.
