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P.L.F. - Pulverizing Lethal Force review



Reviewer:
8.3

5 users:
8.2
Band: P.L.F.
Album: Pulverizing Lethal Force
Release date: October 2007


01. Pulverizing Lethal Force
02. Have The Will To Stand Alone
03. Siege Of The Headbanger
04. Veteran Of Looserhood
05. Instant Disintegration
06. Human Shield
07. Pinnacle Of Weakness
08. Black Robe
09. Strangled In Icy Dreams
10. Fighting The Urge
11. A Grim Afterthought
12. Ripping Tighter
13. The Highest Honor
14. Imprison Yourself
15. Shrapnel Decimation
16. Webs Of Entanglement
17. No Escape

Pretty Little Flower, or PLF are a grindcore band from Houston, Texas (hey, that's where Insect Warfare come from!) with PLF's drummer Frank having actually played for IW in support of their 2005 At War With Grindcore EP. The band typically performs as a duo with Dave Callier on guitar and vocals and Frank Faerman on drums, with a couple of bassists having joined their ranks at some point, but have all left, currently leaving them without a bassist, however considering their style of music, they don't really need one. The difference between IW and PLF is that PLF's onslaught of noise is more straightforward, but always destructive and merciless.

Perhaps that is why they chose their name, because their music is absolutely the complete opposite of it, though they prefer just "PLF" now. The only aesthetics you'll find here is in the art of grinding your fucking head in ( Kittie also utilize this "weak name" technique, but you really can't compare them, can you?). Pulverizing Lethal Force is like a soundtrack to a mass city riot or a gargantuan monstrosity demolishing everything in its path. All of the songs are less than two minutes, allowing each and every one of them to make an energetic and brutal outburst of energy before it shifts to the next. The guitar tone is raw and filthy, when collided with the drums emitting a savage and furious sound that keeps pounding in your ears. This brings me to the drummer. Frank is a goddamned beast, the drum sound is very well mixed here, with the snare sounding chaotic and equivalent to a hammer striking your skull. As is to be expected, the music is entirely riff-oriented (with one brief solo in "Pinnacle Of Weakness"), whether it be a messy wall of noise or some distorted grinding grooves, some manic tremolo picking and buzzsaw strumming, many times somewhat thrashy even (they've been referred to before as "the illegitimate marriage of grindcore and thrash metal," not without reason), but always ready to snap your neck. There are two vocal styles: the ferocious growl and your typical shrieking, at times coming off a little low due to the instrumental assault.

As mentioned before, this sounds a lot like a straightforward, no slowdown Insect Warfare with thrash breaks, but if you are also a fan of the anarchic force of Assück, the grinding attack of Phobia or if you enjoy violent, out-of-control music, then get ready to march into the pit for 20 minutes of pure aggression. Although not a very original album, plus the blasting fury might get tiresome after a while (do not take in large doses), it is definitely worth a listen. If it doesn't sound like your thing, check out "Black Robe" (probably the highlight of the album) and go back to listening to what you regularly do.


Rating breakdown
Performance: 9
Songwriting: 8
Originality: 7
Production: 9

Written by vezzy | 08.12.2010




Guest review disclaimer:
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.



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