Genre: Crustcore
Origin: Sweden
Released: 2008
Website: Massmord,
Label: Blindead Productions, Nakkeskudd Plater, Contraszt! Records, , Profane Existence
Uploaded: 18.02.09

So, M�ssm�rd�s became Massmord, and they�ve also lost their female vocalist Tijana and Sonny�s been forced to take over full responsibility for shouting. This has left a hole in their sound, but mainly because Sonny�s vocals doesn�t speak to me. I miss some more emotions instead of just �I wanna die�-agony screams. Musically they�ve remained pretty much the same, but with a more developed and full sound. What they do is mix the ever-so-popular From Ashes Rise-esque neocrust with a dose of Tragedy, and to add some brutality to it all a hint of Skitsystem. Each riff is emotional, and the guitar lines can be extremely efficient in evoking a majorly haunting atmosphere. That is demonstrated in I civilisationens skugga in particular, which has such marvelous subtle guitar work that really hits me, and grabs a hold of me. So I can easily state this is my favourite song of the lot. And my least favourite (�cause let�s be honest, there are no weak tunes on here) would be the following one, N�r skymningen faller. Here they slow things down and puts some more rock into it, which doesn�t suit me all that well. But let�s face it, it�s still good stuff. Lyric-wise they deal with everyday emotions and struggle set in a post-industrial world where the pressure to perform is extreme and expectations are high, so these are no lullabies. It�s presented in a thick sound, courtesy of Evil Grill, an almost legendary crust studio. Definitely the best stuff I�ve heard from the band, yet still missing just that little bit of extra kick to it.
And on the flipside we have fellow countrymen Shades of Grey, whom have only released a demo previous to this one, if I�m not mistaken. And they surely deliver for their first time around, and will probably gain quite a reputation in the scene. They seem to step in where Kontrovers left off, since said band seem to be on an indefinite hold. Solid, powerful crustcore, jam-packed with rage and anger. This too, presented in equally as thick sound since it was recorded in the very same studio as Massmord�s material. Here we have a lad and a gal sharing vocals duties, and instead of becoming predictable in terms of shifting (like some do) they use the two throats very efficiently, resulting in a very potent and adrenaline-inducing slab of ferocity. Shades of Grey sounds just as fed up with the world and their lives as they sound pissed off, pushed to the end of the line. They have stared down into the abyss and decided it wasn�t worth it, and took matters into their own hands to change their own destiny, and hopefully affect the world on the way. It�s difficult to know if you should feel emotionally exhausted or induced with will to change society. The music speaks two very different languages all at the same time, but it works extremely well. The semi-metallic riffs come off as a rumble of swallowed anger, built up for years and ready to be let loose. Combined with the power of the drumming you�ve got yourself a freaking great record. Eager to hear what will come of them next.

Tracklist:
Massmord:
01. P� pestens svarta vingar
02. Helvetesvandringen
03. I civilisationens skugga
04. N�r skymningen faller
05. Missn�jets ruiner
06. Jag d�r ensam i en v�rld av idioter
Shades of Grey:
01. Throw the first stone
02. Capitalism must come to an end
03. A vicious circle
04. Point of no return
05. Silence