You Suffer

"Australia's grindcore scene is the equal if not better than anything else going on the face of the planet. What sets us apart is the individuality – bands here do their own thing and don't just follow the herd. There's also a real community here – bands will help each other out and support the scene and there are people that start their own labels to make sure good bands get heard. Grindcore is the music of the underground, no one does this to get rich, 'cause that's not going to happen; there's no commercial value there. Everyone is involved because they love the music and being part of the scene.”

Deathgrind drummer Jay Jones himself has been busily beavering away for the grind cause in recent months. Along with fulfilling vocal duties for the rapidly rising noise terrorists Fuck…I'm Dead, he, along with his band mates in The Kill (named after the Napalm Death song of the same name, just in case you were wondering) have released their second full length LP and first since 2003's A Soundtrack To Your Violence (which was actually more a mini album). It bears the catchy title Make 'Em Suffer.

“This is definitely the best thing the band has done,” enthuses Jones. “We recorded the album with Jason from Blood Duster. What can I say, it's fifteen tracks of pure, blasting grindcore and it sounds great.”

While The Kill revel in intense blasting, don't for one minute think that their music is one dimensional or mindless. Jones reveals that the band is happy to borrow from a number of genres.

“I listen to a wide range of music and I think our music shows that we have an open attitude to things,” he says. “There are a lot of thrash riffs on Make 'Em Suffer because they sound great when paired with a blastbeat. We've even included a cover of Slayer's Necrophobic. There's also a punk edge to some of the tracks and, of course, a real death metal influence. We're happy to take different things in order to create something that's ours.”

This approach mirrors the people drawn to the grindcore scene. As Jones explains, they're actually a pretty diverse bunch.

“I think it's a misconception that people who listen to grindcore don't listen to other styles of music,” he says. “Grindcore is all about speed, intensity and power – and that draws in a lot of people. At our shows we get crust punks, straight up punk rock fans, metalheads, death metal fans – you name it. There's an honesty to grindcore that attracts people and everyone gets on well at the shows.”

Grindcore's detractors also overlook the physicality of the genre. Grind bands put themselves through inhuman feats of endurance playing a style that moves at the speed of light. Are these people nuts – or just masochists?

“I actually love getting on stage and blasting,” laughs Jones, who as the drummer has the most physically demanding job. “When we play, our guitarist keeps looking over at me and shouting, 'Faster, faster, faster' – he loves getting to the point where it becomes hard for him to play the riffs. We have fun when we play because we don't treat it like a job – we get out there, blast and let it all hang out.”

Jones is particularly psyched to be playing the upcoming East West Deathgrind 4 festival. “The bill is great, a lot of diverse bands are playing and it's a great chance for people to check out what's happening in Australian grindcore. These shows don't happen very often and that makes them really special. As I said before, the Australian grindcore scene is as good if not better than any scene in the world. That we can put on shows like this proves it. Everybody should come down and check it out – we've got the blasts ready.”