Well this is quite the slab of death tinged crusty grind core that will undoubtedly help 2017 get off to a smashing start. Washington’s The Drip are absolutely playing for keeps with their debut release The Haunting Fear of Inevitability.  “Blackest Evocation” get things off to a face ripping start. Brandon Caldwell’s vocals remind me of Sven Caluwe from Aborted mixed with Ben Falgoust from Soilent Green/Goatwhore in terms of having a similar mid-range type of delivery with a great deal of annunciation. This really borders in between grind and death/grind. I absolutely love the production. The Haunting Fear of Inevitability was produced by Joel Grind of Toxic Holocaust and mastered by Brad Boatright (Skeletonwitch, Gatecreeper, Weekend Nachos),

“Painted Ram” my favorite track on this. It opens with intense trem riffs accompanied by relentless double kick. There are definitely elements of other grind core present (Nasum, Rotten Sound, and maybe even some older Carcass). That being said this tune builds to a chorus that is quite melodic and adds sharp contrast to the rest of this track and album. The crystal clear mix does an excellent job of representing the intensity of The Drip.  The comparison to Aborted can also be made in terms of song arrangement and delivery as a lot this album reminds me a great deal of last year’s Retrogore. That is by no means a bad thing.

Tracks like “In Atrophy” demonstrate the ferocious drumming of Shane Brown who demonstrates excellent versatility throughout this thirty one minute plus assault. The Drip are an interesting group in that to me, they do not like a straightforward political grind band. Definitely as musicians these guys have broader influences than just grind. Death metal kids might like this but not think it is the heaviest thing. Grind core fans might find this too clean and too well played, but I digress, this rips! I do believe that these guys are also growing into their sound.  There are so many different ideas going on throughout this and for the most part they are quite focused and well locked in in terms of song to song architecture and composition. Complex and violent with chops indicative of a group that has been together for a while. I must say I have not heard any of their previous three EP’s but definitely will have them on my radar.

“Bone Chapel” closes the album out with a fuzzy bass intro chugging Bill Steeresque Carcass worship. This tune definitely demonstrates The Drip’s multifaceted ability to go from one style of aggression into another. Break out the trocars and slice open a vein. The chunk riffs and harmonies and solos throughout make The Haunting Fear of Inevitability a unique hybrid of grind, crust and death. I can only imagine where these guys would be had they debuted on Relapse Records ten to fifteen years earlier. Great production. Great song variety. Sky is the limit and I think these guys have only begun to scratch the surface of what they are capable of.

[Visit the band's website]

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