(written by Islander)
Spreading the word about new music from Minnesota’s GraveSlave has become an NCS tradition. What else would you call it when we’ve hosted seven premieres in support of their releases since 2016 — today marking the seventh occasion?
To be brutally honest (which is the only kind of honest we know how to be around here), tradition is often a hollow thing, perpetuating events or activities that have often long lost their meaning or value. But not in this case. We continue welcoming GraveSlave because their music has so consistently been… welcome!
And so it is again today, when the occasion is the debut of a new video for a song from their most recent release, the Relinquish, Life EP that detonated earlier this year.
Then…
…and now
The song that’s the subject of the video, the third one in its running order, is “Stretched Until We Bleed“, which is pretty much how I’m feeling on the eve of our national election.
In a compact two-and-a-half minutes GraveSlave discharge a high-speed, head-spinning barrage of searing and slugging riffage, maniacal but razor-sharp drum escapades, magma-like and murderous bass lines, and a cavalcade of madhouse howls and torture-chamber screams.
Fingers and limbs fly fast, surging at derelict speed yet punctuated (or punctured) with quick starts and stops and head-butting grooves, along with shrill fretwork screeches. And as barbarically careening and crashing as the music is, it’s also technically impressive — and somehow precisely executed.
What we get in the video is a birds-eye view of the band tearing through the song in claustrophobic, equipment-stuffed confines. It’s as fun to watch as the adrenaline-fueled music is to hear.
You should also be happy to hear that GraveSlave are working on a follow-up EP. And with that in mind we’ll share guitarist Roman Non‘s comment about this song: “This track is fast, brutal, and fun to play, it’s made for the mosh pit. It aptly represents the gory intensity we’re bringing to both these EPs.”
GRAVESLAVE is:
Ashton – Lead Vox
Fernando – Guitar
Roman – Guitar, Vox
Josh – Bass, Vox
Ben – Drums
The video was filmed by Graveslave and Johnny Chavez and was edited by Roman.
The rest of the latest EP is also well worth your time, and you can stream and acquire it via the links below.
PICK UP “RELINQUISH, LIFE”:
https://graveslavemn.bandcamp.com/
STREAM/FOLLOW:
https://allmylinks.com/graveslave
https://open.spotify.com/artist/1fMaWj1gFlWA2PgKfMpLiK?si=0zHCRCOjThmOKM-5iExJsg
https://www.facebook.com/graveslaveMN/
https://www.instagram.com/graveslaveband