German death metal band Soul Grinder was formed in 2018 by members who have played in a slew of other groups, and they’ve kept a steady stream of heavy hitting material coming out ever since. With two EP’s and two full lengths under their belt, the latest of which is this year’s Anthems From the Abyss, it’s clear that the band remains laser focused on refining the intensity and diversity of their material. With a sound that often recalls early 2000s Earache Records death metal as well as some Vader and Deicide for good measure, Soul Grinder channels a familiar take on the genre while still varying up their ideas often enough to be worth your time.
One of the main things this group does well is vary up their attack, as where a lot of other death metal bands either go full blast beat or chugging groove for entire albums Soul Grinder shakes things up in ways that come across as a bit less unpredictable. The title track kicks things off with an appropriately brutal, slower groove and then switches over to a flurry of blast beats and thrashier riffing that feels very close to more modern Vader. It’s a sound that remains appealing to me when pulled off well, and these guys are able to do so with precision and dynamics that work in their favor on these earlier tracks. There’s an early 2000s era feel to the production of Anthems From the Abyss, as the drums have this mechanical and semi-compressed sound that reminds me a lot of the Earache Records roster from that time period, especially bands like Blood Red Throne. I would’ve been happy had Soul Grinder stuck with this groove and blast beat combo for most of the album, but “Soul’s Mirror” and “Supreme Enemy” shake things up with melodic/symphonic leaning elements that still keep the material rooted in old-school death metal but hint at those other genre variants. It’s a strong showing that offers some surprises like this early on, though admittedly the second half of the record doesn’t vary as much from this formula and there aren’t quite as many tracks that stand out individually. But given the appropriate forty-two-minute length there isn’t much that overstays its welcome and this is an album that can be spun from beginning to end without having you feeling like things are dragging.
Two of Soul Grinder’s members contribute vocals throughout Anthems From the Abyss, bringing a mix of high and low pitches to the material. The primary style is a guttural growl that’s very full and is capable of towering above the already dense and heavy hitting instrumentation, but there are also raspier screams and shrieks that sometimes add a bit more of a blackened death metal feel to the group’s sound. Songs like “Soul’s Mirror” also inject some ominous spoken word and slightly cleaner tones into the music, showcasing that Soul Grinder are able to put just as much variation into their vocals as the instrumentation. I’d expect a band with a name like this to be heavy hitting and powerful in every aspect, and these guys don’t disappoint in that regard.
Soul Grinder’s sophomore effort pulls in elements of old-school American death metal and some of the more mechanical sounding European releases from the early 2000s, making for an album that’s brutal from start to finish. The injection of melodies and some other diverse elements works in their favor, and while the second half doesn’t quite live up to the first the level of polish and stand-out moments makes this one hit the spot. With a few tweaks and shake-ups to the way the melodies, grooves, and blasts flow album number three could be where Soul Grinder hit that A level, but for now they’ve still kept me returning often. Anthems From the Abyss is available from MDD Records and Kernkraftritter Records.
-Review by Chris Dahlberg