Cripple Bastards - Desperately Insensitive

Prior to the acquisition of such a Crust/Grind recording, one always knows exactly the kind of musical expressions that are stored upon the pre-recorded platter. Italian overlords Cripple Bastards rarely fail in the deliverance of delicious Crust, and the 'Desperately Insensitive' album is a veritable smorgasbord of this particular strain of political Grind. My personal all-time favourite from the Cripple catalogue has to be the seventy-odd track expedition, 'Your Lies in Check', but the here-reviewed release does in fact come rather close to it.

All the archetypal elements are of course present and correct. Fast, infectious riffs, surging basslines, robust blastbeats and chalky gutturals twinned with vitriolic howls. However, these 'old faithful' CrustGrind techniques are almost surpassed by the innovations, experimentalism and production values that have been adopted by the band. Though it indicated a promising if slightly bridled willingness to expand their Grindcore methodology somewhat, my other Cripple Bastards album, 'Misanthropo Senso Unico', failed to satisfy my adrenal craving with the same Crust-fixes that prompted my repeated listens to 'Your Lies in Check'. I therefore derived much enjoyment from this release seeing as it is successful in capturing and commingling the two objectives of grinding cranial carnage and inspirational, uplifting diversions. The inclusion of a re-worked 'Being Ripped Off' sits at the very peak of this intention, whereby the band have taken a timeless old favourite and sewn up the raggedy edges for it to sit comfortably amongst the multifaceted new material.

Instead of opting for a conventional blast-beat eruption or heavily distorted swagger, the opening track displays unashamed flouting of age-old Grindcore regulations, introducing the album with an entirely unexpected passage of mid-paced, Doom inflected lurch, complete with ethereal keyboard highlights. Comforting chaos and reassuring raucousness is of course only but a few chords away, the sizeable contrast ensuring it has reinforced impact upon arrival.

After executing a little research on the bands activities regarding this release, I discovered they had replaced guitarist Alberto the Crippler with new Bastard, Der Kommissar. This line-up modification is one of the main contributing factors to their compositional progression, the guitar parts no longer relying upon a rhythmic barrage continuous overdriven chromatics, instead opting to build upon them with cyclic harmonics, elasticised figures, and sudden, unexpected scales. The rest of the band have also applied some effective ideas, particularly in the vokill arrangement, which includes rapid, hysterical throat threshing mantras and even a bit of spoken word alongside the usual enraged bluster.

The production is certainly not the kind I would have expected from a Cripple Bastards album. Having become accustomed to the grainy, fuzz-choked guitars, boxy rhythm section and muffled-out, under-the-duvet vokill mic technique, the entirely representative, clear-cut scything sound of 'Desperately Insensitive' came as a pleasant surprise. This review must be cut somewhat short, seeing as I do not have a copy of the album inlay, so I can't pass judgement upon the artwork and lyrical content.

Upon closure of the album, we are treated to a recording of an entire live performance, which features all vintage classics as well as standouts from 'Desperately Insensitive'. A welcome, if slightly stodgy addition to the album, allowing the listener to enjoy the latest recorded Cripple output along with nostalgic Crust of yesteryear as part of an energetic live set.

Though uncompromising fans of the familiar unequivocal and under-produced Cripple Bastards sound may be dubious of this record in print or even on their first listen, I highly recommend it to all Grindcore lovers, particularly those who are growing weary of 'more of the same' releases.

March 7th, 2006