As I have noted before, there are many different strands to the noise scene these days. Among the most straightforward of them all is Terrorfakt. Last album Cold Steel World was notable for its sheer power, even if it was a little one-dimensional at times. However this takes it to another level entirely – that rare album that appears to dispense with subtleties, instead to rely on sheer brute force.

Terrorfakt

Teethgrinder
Label: Metropolis
Catalog#: MET435
Buy from: Metropolis Records

Listen on: Spotify
7/10

And in the most part, it works spectacularly. Opener Welcome To Hell starts with what feels like a blow to the head, and then just keeps hitting you, then Headcase and more particularly The Unknown keep up the attack. Skullfucker is simply brutal, while an edgy, almost sadistic streak appears with The Fine Art Of Killing Yourself, and then completely unexpectedly, the attack subsides with the dark ambience of Empire – proving that there is an extra dimension here somewhere.

The respite isn’t there for long, though, with Rhythm & Hate rumbling through destroying everything in it’s wake, and the punishing beats return for Stormbreaker and then the multi-armed assault of m15 – probably the pinnacle of what is trying to be achieved here. The stomping beat, when it arrives, on this track sounds absolutely monstrous and should cause some fun live.

After that, the power proves impossible to sustain, with Crown of Thorns and Do Unto Others sounding somewhat exhausted, while Sie Bringen Mich Um is submerged in a sea of static, and only Animal provides fleeting power before things are closed out by more dark ambience in the shape of We Gave Till We Bled.

Which is frankly a fitting title to end the album proper – any attempts at subtlety are drowned out by the power and rage that seethes through it. If this is what you want – and the chances are that this is what you are here for, great – but if you want something with more range and, dare I say it, intelligence, you may want to look elsewhere.