Grunge
Grotesque Perversion
Grief was a sludge/doom band from Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1991 by Disrupt guitarist Terry Savastano and drummer Randy Odierno (who later switched to bass and later again left to join Bane of Existence). They broke up in 2001 mainly due to drummer problems - something that was an ongoing problem for the band from the start. They also cited what they called a "hostile environment for doom metal bands". They reunited briefly in July 2005 to play a cluster of reunion shows.
Grief's final appearance was at Emissions from the Monolith 8, a sludge/doom festival that took place in Ohio, May 2006. The band reformed in 2008 and toured the United States and Europe, but they soon disbanded again in March 2009.
A review to one of my favorite albums of theirs.
Review
x The heaviness of Grief’s music is astounding; the controlled aggression that comes with every mind crushing riff is the crux of Come to Grief.
x This is sludge at its finest. Dirty, punishing riffs, smothered in a very tolerable fuzziness that, rather than washing out the sound, gives it a delectable gritty edge.
x However, rather than simply delivering a plethora of riffs, Grief add to the diversity with occasional ‘wheeyous’ and similarly needless hooks to the guitar lines. Moments like the last minute of ‘World of Hurt’ are just fantastic in topping off the rough excess of face hammering; a heightened tempo and a sneer of belligerence in what is an infectiously groovy riff closes the track sublimely, and such scornfully awesome moments are abundant throughout the album’s hour length.
x Not diverging far from the aforementioned sound, the vocals are as coarse and granular as shredded wheat. Whether they’re dirty screams or vomited gutturals, such an intense and passionate performance brings the hatred filled lyrics to life. Lines like ‘Only one thing comes to mind / When I look into your eyes / I think of all those times / All I did was despise you / I hate you’ are so fervently hostile and antagonistic that you can’t help feeling like you want to go and beat the shit out of some pussy Cradle of Filth fans.
x The album ends with the line ‘I’ll screw you all in the end’, and yes, he was talking about you. Highly recommended.
Members
Jeff Hayward
Eric C. Harrison
John Heidenrich
Ray McCaffrey
Former members
Terry Savastano
Rick Johnson
Discography
Depression EP ( 1992)
Dismal (1993)
Come to Grief (1994)
Miserably Ever After (1996)
Torso (1998)
...And Man Will Become the Hunted (2000)
Myspace
http://www.myspace.com/officialgrief