REVIEW: Captain Cleanoff – Symphonies of Slackess

Awww yeah! From the buzz of those warm, crusty guitars, the thick fuck off buzzsaw of a distorted bass, the old school snare sound and pounding kick in the intro track, you know this is gonna be good.

It's been far, far too many years that people have been waiting for a new Captain Cleanoff album but now we have it. Symphonies of Slackness is finally available through the now Australian-friendly Czech Republic label Obscene Productions. If the back inlay is anything to go buy, this CD has also been licensed or distributed through Tri-Star Recordings and Visceral Productions, though I've heard of neither.

If you're unacquainted with Captain Cleanoff I really only have one question: what the fuck is wrong with you? For years Captain Cleanoff have absolutely terrorized Australia with their style of sick mosh inducing, punked out, blasting, thrashing grindcore. Whenever you goto to a Captain Cleanoff show you can count on two things: that they'll have an absolutely monstrous and full sound, and that there will be one major fuckoff violent mosh pit from the first blast to the last final scream.

This album represents everything that we love about Captain Cleanoff; straight, unabated grindcore with some truly great grooves, sparse but effective breakdowns and catchy punk riffing. It's old-school grindcore in the vein of Napalm Death and Kill the Client but injected with new energy and life - and catchy as all hell! Muz proves once more that he is a one-pedal blasting maniac behind the kit, and Adrian has one of the most fucked up and unique vocal styles in all of grindcore.

The production is full and thick, yet both the guitars have a nice, crusty tube-amp warmth without destroying clarity, while the bass has a dirty cunt of a sound as it tears at the bottom end like a chainsaw. The drums are nice and full, with a natural, defined kick sound and an tight old school snare sound with a crisp snap and just a hint of reverb that reminds me of the snare on Carcass's Necroticism or Ghoul's Maniaxe.

Blunt Magazine just gave it a 9/10 and called it "arguably the greatest grind album in Australia's history". In case you haven't realised yet, this aint something to miss. For old and new school grindcore fans alike, you're a sucker if you dont already own this. And whenever these guys are coming to your town, dont be so stupid as to ever miss a show.

And don't forget their early discography has just been released through No Escape Records featuring their awesome self-titled release. I would advise you buy this too.

www.myspace.com/captaincleanoff
Obscene Productions