Happy Face are a deathgrind band from France that specialise in fast, thick, heavy duty grind that also allows for a devastating slowing of the pace to increase effectiveness.
Many grind bands have the artistic direction of ‘as fast as possible in one particular direction and dimension’. These Frenchmen differ themselves from the rest of the pack by containing some truly hell-scraping low end and a slower edge that is probably more deadly than their speedy assault. It’s a thick production that also adds sludgy atmosphere and dread into the mix, making a murky thunder that helps to ensure a disturbing listen, coupled with indecipherable growls and gurgles.
The opening track, Prophétie De Fouines, showcases this slow pound in fine form, with tracks like Wrugh and
Le Tigre displaying the more ferocious speed that they are capable of. It all comes to a head in
Jupiter, a track that at only one and a half minutes long manages to showcases the speed, chug and growl that makes this band and album so great, along with some excellent stop start moments.
Fans of ‘Reek…’ era
Carcass and
Amoebic Dysentery will lap this up but other extreme music fans should take a look too, it’s a satisfactory 24 minutes blast that feels like being drowned in swampy water at a hundred miles an hour.
Also check out their newer album, Roars from the
Mangrove Swamp, more top notch grinding to be found there.
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