Gride - Vyzobat

Gride are no stranger to the Metal scene but relatively unknown due to ‘less hype’ and also some period of inactivity. Hailing from Czechia this 3 piece mix of traditional Grindcore and Powerviolence started in the late 90s and unleashed a rather ferocious, but fun mix of splits and full lengths before dissolving in 2020 and then coming back that same year as if to say ‘JK guys, were still got more to say…’ and they certainly do with 21 tracks on their new album “Vyzobat.” It should be noted that all the lyrics are not in English so there might be somewhat of language barrier, but each track is a burst of music that will shake the notions of what one thinks when they hear the term ‘Grindcore.’ These days people associate Grindcore with that of Napalm Death, Full of Hell, Walking Corpse, Morgue Supplier, etc because most Grindcore bands that are popular draw in a lot of Death Metal influences. Gride don’t really go that route and offer the more ‘back to your roots’ touch of mixing Punk, Grindcore, Hardcore, and a little bit of just random weird for a loud listen. Those who are expecting the traditional 3 minute or more tracks will not be pleased as most of these are anywhere from 34 seconds to 2 minutes; those who like Full of Hell’s more recent work over the last few years might be able to enjoy this on a less harsh noise level, and those who like the groove that was brought by Power Trip will also find this enjoyable.

The tracks are a mixed bag of barking, rowdy songs, slow build songs, and just random instrumentals, but due to their short length one has to really pay attention or they will miss it. The opening ‘Jotista’ starts this roller coaster ride and builds, but doesn’t just drop the listener into full blown Grind territory. That is more up to a track like ‘5-HTTPLR’ which is a smattering of drums and barked vocals with Brujeria like groove, and then suddenly it is over before it began. ‘Bod Zlomu’ is a bit more to digest and more of a ‘meatier’ piece with the drums still being the highlight, but it still avoids the typical ‘play as fast as you can Napalm Death’ style while still sounding a bit like Napalm Death in its own way. Then one gets the bursts of ‘instrumental filler’ that seems Industrial tinged like ‘V Myceliu’ which takes things for a bit of a loop and a bit out of the Grind elements, but throw things right back to it with the following ‘Obavy’ which is even shorter than the previous, but still fun raucousness.

For those who want truly random and to show that Gride may not be all Grind and serious (even though a lot of their lyric topics are serious), like Infant Annihilator they close things on a weird note like ‘Paholaiset’ which throws Grindcore out the window and opts for a more jazzy section of sax, drums, keyboard, and like a last laugh moment that is the final slow breather ‘come down off it now’ part of the roller coaster ride that is the album. Make no mistake when listened to in full “Vyzobat” is a ride that is hard to get off of in the middle simply with how the songs can tend to run together for a less than 25 minutes of an experience, but it is a fun experience that Gride stomps out versus an abrasive one that some of the bands mentioned earlier present. It’s a take it or leave it situation as your average Metal fan will find the songs too short or sometimes too random to enjoy fully, but those who are a bit more versed in the likes of Grindcore/ Noisecore/ Powerviolence in general or have heard the likes of Edge of Sanity’s “Crimson II” with its broken up format will probably enjoy this. There are a lot of mosh starters on this album, just not quite enough time within tracks to get a good mosh in.

3.5 / 5 STARS


1. Jitosta
2. Mykodiverzita
3. 5-HTTLPR
4. Bod Zlomu
5. Prospektor
6. Vzplanuti
7. Neodklane Odhodlani
8. Rana
9. Prokofiev
10. V Myceliu
11. Obavy
12. Klady
13. V Procesu Vytvareni
14. Na Konci Cyklu Fotosyntezi
15. Uder
16. Vyzobat
17. More Pokryctu V Kapoe Pravdy
18. Kmotry Unikovy Plan
19. Z Sifrovaneho Deniku
20. Touha
21. Paholaiset