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SLAVE TO THE GRIND

Slave To The Grind: A Film About Grindcore is a 2018 Canadian documentary film, directed by Doug Brown The film is an exploration of the musical genre Grindcore from the origins of the specific sound, to the intricate history of underground bands such as Repulsion and Napalm Death, to other subgenres that have sprouted from its global fandom. It also features live performances from PLF, Rotten Sound, Haemorrhage, and Agoraphobic Nosebleed.

SYNOPSIS

The film opens with a crowd of Grindcore fans watching a homeless busker using jars and boxes as an improv drum kit.

From there, it chronicles the Flint, Michigan band Repulsion and their experiments with "speeding up their sound" in the 1980s. Around the same time, Napalm Death was also a band exploding onto the Birmingham scene. Subsequently concerned that their drummer was too slow, the UK band switched to Mick Harris, who would eventually coin the terms "blast beats" and "Grindcore".

Napalm Death gained momentum from the media after their first album Scum was released on Earache Records. They did further recordings for John Peel Radio which would be played on a BBC national broadcast. Their influence reached back to American bands such as Brutal Truth and Terrorizer, who would both sign with Earache Records and become legends of the genre.

At first, Grindcore seemed to be viewed as speed metal mixed with leftist punk politics; until the arrival of Anal Cunt, who's amoral and nihilistic dark comedy would become (to some's disappointment) synonymous with the genre. The band's frontman Seth Putnam would become a controversial figure for his lewd outbursts, offensive song titles, and sometimes violent behaviour.

With Anal Cunt becoming infamous for pushing the envelope, later bands of that generation such as Quebec City's Deche Charge, Think Shit, Mesrine , and Fistfuck took cue. At the Obscene Extreme Montreal music festival, a live performance by Deche Charge wearing balaclavas quickly turns into the band indecently exposing themselves to the audience and destroying all their own equipment.

On the other side of the spectrum, bands like Discordance Axis were trying to incorporate more traditional musical elements like melody and hooks, opposing their contemporaries. However, this was met with dismay and deemed "pretentious" by critics and fans. Their first live shows were performed in Japan where bands like S.O.B. and Unholy Grave were more receptive to the sound.

Australian bands like Warsore were touring Japan and South-East Asia to promote their sound, while Swedish bands like Nasum would find their careers cut short by natural catastrophes.

At the peak of Grindcore's popularity in the 90s, Earache Records were about to sign a deal with Columbia Records to potentially make the genre mainstream. When this failed, Earache bands like Brutal Truth felt negated, as they were left out of the negotiations, and ended their relationship with the label. They would switch to a rising American label called Relapse Records instead, creating conflict with their formative label.

Meanwhile, subgenres of Grindcore started to emerge in other parts of the world with bands like Belgium Agathocles calling themselves "Mincecore". Another offshoot called "Gore Grind" would find its way into the pantheon, thanks to members of Napalm Death starting bands Carcass and incorporating horror movie characteristics.

By the later 2000's, key bands would be met with tragedy that would have drastic effects on their future: Brutal Truth would break up with no reunion in sight. Napalm Death would lose their guitarist Jesse Pintado to liver failure. Seth Putnam of Anal Cunt would die from a suspected heart attack.

With the future of Grindcore in question, bands such as Agoraphobic Nosebleed would take a different path, utilizing electronic elements such as a drum machine into their set. The film ends with the band performing live for the first time ever.

KICKSTARTER

Slave To The Grind launched its campaign on February 8th 2015. Initially requesting $16,000, the film would receive $19,682 thanks to endorsements from both Kickstarter and Metal Injection magazine.

FESTIVALS

The documentary first premiered at the 2018 Calgary Film Festival. It has since been screened at festivals and privately all over the world. Notably, it played in 25 cities in Indonesia.

RECEPTION

As of November 2019, the film has an 8.2/10 rating on IMDB and 3.4/4 rating on Letterboxd.

The documentary has received generally positive reviews. Denise Falzon of Exclaim! praised the film for “[taking] a comprehensive look at this very special, yet often misunderstood, genre.” Gene Meyer of Decibel Magazine stated “this movie fucking rocks.”

Cassidy Robinson of The MacGuffin said that though the narrative tension fit the type of music, that the film’s structure “exhausts the audience quickly as they’re jumping from topic to topic.” The website Disposable Underground also criticized the film’s narrative structure, but ultimately concluded that the film would “hold your attention and it’s entertaining”.

ACCOLADES

It was awarded Audience Favourite, Scumdance, 2018; Audience Favourite, Festival Music Film, 2018; Best Documentary, Stuff MX Film Festival, 2018.

RELEASE

The film is currently being independently released by Death By Digital with DVD copies and digital downloads available on their site.

A twenty-minute bonus film is available on the DVD called “Slave To The Grind: B Sides”, featuring unused interview footage and B-Reel