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JOEL GRIND
The Yellowgoat Sessions

Self-released (2013)
Rating: 7/10

Despite not being born until 1982 Joel Grind is somewhat of a heavy metal veteran. Hailing from Portland in Oregon, Grind was one of the musicians responsible for bringing extreme metal back to the headbangers when in 1999 he formed Toxic Holocaust, an old school speed / thrash / death / black metal band inspired by punk bands such as GBH and Black Flag, and 80s metal bands such as Slayer, Bathory and Venom.

Joel Grind, under the moniker of Toxic Holocaust, puked out a batch of decent recordings which very much spearheaded the thrash revival which is still much in evidence today. However, Toxic Holocaust were, it is fair to say, far less accessible than some of the more humour-tinged moshers doing the rounds, and he keeps up that extreme metal trend with this latest offering, The Yellowgoat Sessions.

Some fans of Toxic Holocaust argued that the band had strayed from their blacker roots, and so The Yellowgoat Sessions will certainly appeal to those people who can boasts the likes of Bathory and Venom in their record collections.

The Yellowgoat Sessions, from its cover art right through to its primitive drum sound and harsh vocal sneer, is clearly influenced by those early Bathory albums – particularly the Swedes’ 1984 self-titled debut opus which came complete with hideous goat-headed demon on the cover.

Joel Grind then prepares us for another deadly dose of devilish metal, giving the album a rather unproduced and primal feel with the almost tinny sound percussion and embryonic riffs, which sound as if they’ve been plucked from Quorthon Seth’s (Bathory) bathroom of doom!

Sure, there is nothing original about these sessions; Joel Grind has clearly allowed himself to become engulfed by his influences, and I’m fine with that as long as it works. And for me this is a fine example of old school blackened thrash, thrown at us immediately with the punkoid crust of ‘Hell’s Master Of Hell’ in which Grind instantly becomes possessed by the spectre of Quorthon, spitting bile, vomit and venom over a rusty wall of sound that gives the impression of collapsing into a metallic heap at any moment.

The same could also be said for the satanic slurs of ‘Vengeance Spell’, with its punk riff and bath-tub production. However, Joel Grind really does get it right on the putrid slog of ‘Foul Spirit Within’, a number that chokes on its own clogging riff and caveman drum thump. Grind adopts a Cronos (Venom) / Quorthon rasp as he vomits nails, nuts and bolts from the heap of a drum kit he’s using to pound our skulls with; you can almost smell the black smoke that seeps from the furred-up speakers.

Elsewhere, there’s the brief stinky stint of ‘Black Order’; part-punk, part-swampy Motörhead, yet all evil with its black ’n’ roll riff and catchy dynamics. And that’s the key here, because just like those jet-black Venom and Bathory classics, Grind has managed to create hell on record and yet all the while comes armed with rusty hooks to entangle the listener.

The Yellowgoat Sessions is a rusty snare of a record that will no doubt be lapped up in feverish fashion by those sick to death of all the nu-school revivalists. Joel Grind clearly steals from his record collection, but at least the guy has the collection and knowledge to churn out such a bestial noise. This sounds as old as the bones of Bathory and Venom, and will no doubt add to the fires of hell’s unholy minions.

Neil Arnold

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