John Zorn may have pioneered jazz-grind with his Naked City project, but Total Fucking Destruction have mastered it. Stepping up their game considerably from 2007s mediocre Zen and the Art of Total Fucking Destruction, drummer Rich Hoak and his merry band of pranksters have, in Peace, Love, and Total Fucking Destruction, delivered something truly bizarre and unique. Almost every song on here is instantly memorable, due to a combination of intelligible (and intelligent) lyrics and truly vicious melodies. Opener "Bio-Satanic Terroristic Attack" will have you running for the hills, shouting the lyrics the whole way, while both followups "Monsterearth Megawar" and "Non-existence of Self" deliver some infectious riffing.
Things get really interesting on "Grindcore Salesman," where the guitar melody morphs from a brutal crush into a jazzy little ditty that wouldnt sound out of place in New Orleans. The ability to switch instantly from grinding destruction to bluesy guitar harmonies is really what sets this CD off from other grind albums. Hoak does a masterful job of setting the pace, blasting away when the moment suits, but effortlessly switches to subdued kit work when the song calls for it (see "Let the Children Name Themselves, nary a blast on the entire song). The guitarist, when not churning out delicious melodies and riffs, is capable of some truly spacey work, floating ethereally above the rhythm section like the Northern Lights over the Arctic Circle. Even the bass has its place on the album, maintaining an audible harmony between the at-times breakneck drumming and occasionally kooky guitar work.
The lyrics, too, are a pretty interesting read. Im told that they tell the story about a child soldier, but I must have missed that, as they seem to be a much less specific, but no less important, call to action. Its the typical political rant, urging you to break free of the status quo, but are nonetheless delivered in an over-the-top ranting style, which makes them enjoyable to listen to. Many songs are comprised solely of a single lyric yelled over and over again, lending the whole album a mantraesque feel, and is ultimately responsible for the discs' memorableness. My only complaint about the entire effort is the final 7 minute long experiment "Last Night I Dreamt We Destroyed the World." Its a too long psychadelic trip with lots of feedback that makes the seemingly interesting monologue indiscernible. It closes with a pretty solid piece of music, and could have been made stronger if the lead up had just been cut. That being said, Peace, Love, and Total Fucking Destruction is like nothing Ive ever heard before, and I cant imagine hearing anything like it in the future. Except for the next TFD release.
-Pete
download: Total Fucking Destruction - 2008 - Peace, Love, and Total Fucking Destruction.zip
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