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Friday, August 19, 2011

Weekend Nachos - Worthless : Album Review

After being disappointed with the highly acclaimed Powerviolence band, Capitalist Casualties, I had no plans on checking Weekend Nachos (due to the Powerviolence tag) till my fellow reviewer convinced me to, and I believe that was a pretty good decision. Formed in 2004, the band has come up with 3 full-length albums and few EPs and a split album. Being still unfamiliar with the underground Hardcore Punk / Powerviolence movement today, I can comment no further on the band's background, except that the band still appears to play in small venues, yet has a good following.


Weekend Nachos play a very heavy version of Powerviolence. Like every powerviolence band, their playing speed usually borders on grindcore. I would usually disregard a band that plays fast but nothing particularly memorable or even good, but Weekend Nachos aren't your regular grind-away-till-the-album-finishes band. When not raining your face with chaingun riffs,  the band brings in the tank - slow, heavy, sludge riffing similar to Noothgrush and Grief. Even if not reaching the heights of the mentioned bands in terms of creativity, the sludge sections are what make this album a treat to listen to. Coupled with the heaviness and power of the heavily feedback-laden guitar sound, those portions crush the brains out of the listener's skull. Vocals are nothing new. The vocalist screams in a hardcore fashion - at the top of his lungs with utmost rage and disgust. The drums too are quite typical hardcore/grindcore (in the respective sections of a song). Bass guitar is audible but plays exactly the same as the guitars. Never once during its course does the album lose intensity or ideas. Riffs are aplenty and their transition into sludge doesn't sound out-of-place or broken. The only place where they sound unoriginal is the middle portion of the song "Worthless" (the main riff is clearly lifted off Noothgrush's Hatred For The Species). Nevertheless, the album is thoroughly enjoyable for at least a few continuous listens. The song lengths are appropriate, most of them clocking at 1 minute (plus or minus 30 seconds), except 3 songs, which are above 3 minutes long and the longest being 7 minutes 21 seconds long, which is a completely Sludge song and makes for a good closing track.

This album is appropriate for fans of Grindcore, Powerviolence and even Sludge. It's not top-notch when in comes any of them, but is enjoyable due to the sheer power it packs, and the adrenalin rush it induces because of that.

7/10

















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