In today's climate its almost impossible to imagine and radio one dj like John Peel playing something like grindcore on his show. But "peel sessions" are legendary things, particularly in this case. "Grind madness at the BBC" features 118 tracks over three discs and is essential for anyone who is a fan of this genre.
The bands featured are Napalm Death, Extreme Noise Terror, Bolt Thrower, Godflesh, Carcass, Heresy, Intense Degree and Unseen Terror. Napalm Death are always the first band that spring to mind and the intensity of the sessions makes it easy to see why. Early Napalm in the studio is terrifying stuff but this takes it to a whole new level. The same goes for ENT whose even more extreme sound is given an extra raw element here. In the case of Carcass, their sound on here is somewhat clearer the their studio output at the time, but in does not take away anything from the sound and the riffs are heard better than on the debut Reek of Putrefaction album, which suffered from a very muddled production.
With the lesser know bands like Heresy and Intense Degree, the sound is not quite as groundbreaking, they still sound very good and in the case of Godflesh, their very brutal sound is defineately given an added kick, with the version of the song "Pulp" on here, being a noteable work by itself and out of the context of the studio version. The added saxophone on the track is defineately something that sticks with you for a while. Bolt Throwers sound on here is not as different as their studio recordings but still sounds solid and powerful.
Grind Madness is an important historical document and still definitely is an intense listening experience nearly thirty years later.
Definitely recommend.
Nathan.
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