Rumpelstiltskin Grinder - Buried in the Front Yard (Relapse Records) 2005
1. "Stealing
E.T." (4:11)
2. "Orange And Black Attack" (5:00)
3. "Grab A Shovel (We Have Got Bodies To Bury)" (4:50)
4. "The Day Merman Met Todd The Harpoon Wilson" (4:25)
5. "Unleash The Troll" (3:46)
6. "Grinder" (4:16)
7. "Let The Fools Cheer" (3:40)
8. "Ode To Tanks" (4:10)
I was anxious to hear this band after reading glowing comments such as "Buried in the Front Yard is a wonderful homage to classic 80's thrash bands like Exodus, Kreator, Destruction, Violence, Death Angel..." and "Rumpelstiltskin Grinder are the perfect combination of Dissection and Kreater-esque thrash metal." The most common review seems to be "...this band signals a comeback in 80's thrash". Truth be told, being a huge classic thrash fan, I was expecting a certain sound and that is not exactly what I got. Certainly Rumpelstiltskin Grinder are good musicians. This metal band from Philadelphia knows how to play their instruments! Their drummer is excellent; his double bass is fast as hell and his beats are simple, yet work well for each song. The thrashy vocals would probably have sounded good on any Death or Possessed CD. No doubt these guys have a lot of thrash metal influences. I would be willing to bet that these guys eat, breath and sleep heavy metal. Bands like Death, Destruction and Kreator most certainly inspired them. However there is something about this band that doesn't scream "thrash" to me. I get that same feeling from other modern thrash bands like The Haunted. There's just something lacking that bands like Exodus and Kreator had. I may commit blasphemy here, but I almost hear more in common with the current crop of metalcore bands than with the classic thrash bands. That's not to say this CD sucks eitehr. There's actually plenty of metal here including the addicting "Orange & Black Attack" with its sing-along chorus, "No! We're Not F**king Around!", or the insane guitar aggression of "Grab a Shovel (We've Got Bodies to Bury)". As might be expected from the song titles, the lyrics are pretty goofy and expletive filled. Overall, a satisfying album, but not exactly what I was expecting or hoping for. Rumpelstiltskin Grinder are an intense, aggressive metal band.
Speed 'n Spikes Vol. II (Relapse Records) 2008
SIDE ONE (Rumplestiltskin Grinder)
1. Brainwasher C. 1955
SIDE TWO (ABSU)
2. To the Gallows
3. ThrashtormsLimited edition 7" red vinyl release as part of the Speed 'n Spikes split EP series. Nothing more than a collector's item for the thrash metal enthusiast. Vol. 1 sold out in less than a month. Unfortunately I didn't hear about these until just before Vol. II was released, so I was able to order this one, but unable to obtain Vol. 1. Apparently there are some clear vinyl versions floating around as well.
Pressing info: 100 clear, 400 Yellow w/ Red Splatter, 500 Red.