Greasier, mangier, and snarling a bit louder this second full-length album Portland, Oregon-based heavy/thrash metal trio Soul Grinder may very well pick up where their debut left off in terms of neon-glowing retro globbin’ kitsch but that doesn’t mean they’ve chosen plain iteration over progress made in the years between. The goalpost has shifted very slightly in terms of bringing a sharper enunciation to their brand of thrash-fed 80’s heavy metal, a less extreme undertaking which still feels entirely over the top in its exploration of classics minded, Troma-touched radioactivity but now manages catchier arena-size pieces here and there to shake loose the goo and grit their work naturally accumulates.

The path of the Soul Grinder began circa 2016 and it has thus far been a linear thought, a vision which clarified itself quickly as rooted in the most nuclear-hot 80’s heavy metal traditions wherein the band approach mid-paced traditional heavy metal scalded with the neon grime of classic thrash metal. That wasn’t the whole story to start, though, as their debut mLP (‘Terraflesh‘, 2017) seemed to want to muddy the waters with a slower pace and some peripheral sludginess that’d made its exit for the sake of a more ‘old school’ feeling rush on their debut full-length ‘The Prophecy of Blight‘ (2019). Hard to sum but readable upon first sighting the gist of the Soul Grinder sound is rooted in thrash metal rhythmic voicing, an act of punkish aggression which heavily benefits from vocalist/bassist April Dimmick‘s charismatic style. On the first album her style was more reliant upon a growled tone which’d intermittently pulled out a bit of vibrato to give a sort of 80’s heavy metal kitsch to their affect. My general takeaway or elevator pitch for the project at the time had been “death metal heaviness, thrash metal riffs and traditional heavy metal songs“. A song like “Beasts of Chaos” more-or-less sums the affect of that debut, a mélange of classic traditions merged to suit their idea in a dark, neon-glowing ugliness; From that point it sounds like they’d focused on honing their enthusiasm for sub-genre down to a more readable thrashing heavy metal focus, more recently releasing an mLP (‘Queen Corrosia‘, 2022) which’d previewed some of the stylistic shift you’ll find on this second album.

The first impression made is inarguably strong as we cut into ‘Filth Encrusted‘ as they’ve smartly front-loaded the running order with three of the most memorable and representative songs we’ve gotten to date from Soul Grinder‘s crew starting with the riling kick of opener “Melting Spree”. At this point the compositions of the band have technically refined on a note-by-note basis but the effect of their songcraft is simpler, reading a bit like a circa ’86 thrash/speed metal group with a B-movie bent as the opener cracks the lid, a crossover adjacent beat and a steady set of riffs act in support of the vocalist’s delivery. The vocals are a big plus here, now reading a bit clearer and with more of a snarl than a growl this time around ah via Wendy O’ Williams circa ‘Coup D´Etat‘-era Plasmatics (see: “Chosen”) if taking cues from the diction of Blackie Lawless (or Leather Leone, if you will) by way of ‘So Far, So Good… So What?“. That might be a tough twist of the mind to visualize but the main point is Dimmick‘s vocals achieve a nastier yet easier to read expression here which constitutes a major gain in personae for the band.

The big song to rope me in up front was “Siege Breaker” wherein the main riff has a certain heavy-as speed metal’d ever been sorta “Lethal Tendencies” arrangement to it up front as they warm up to the pit ready double-bass socked chorus of the piece. There is a nuclear anthemic feeling to this song that might be referential in the mind of a well-trained 80’s heavy metal ear but certainly stands out amidst the grimier side of retro-thrash adjacent music today. The death-metallic heaviness of the band is still there this second time around but in much simpler, straight-forward craft with “Your World is Ours” sounding a bit like an early 80’s heavy metal band attempting death metal in the late 80’s without a reference beyond gruff vocals and an unholy attitude. That might sound like a slight on paper but from my perspective it is one of the coolest things about jumping into this record head first. The song itself isn’t the most tuneful overall but has a certain chugging extremity that it’d likely work well in in the back half of a live show.

The peak of the heavier side of ‘Filth Encrusted‘ for my taste hit right at the mid-point with “Overload”, a speedier jogging piece peppered with higher shrieks from the vocalist and a mid-80’s German thrash feeling to its riffs. If we’re touring a certain era for heavier chunks hitting upon light nods to Hallow’s Eve, Holy Moses and a hint of Megadeth ain’t a bad feeling to pull from and I was definitely on board with what Soul Grinder v.2.0 was up to… then the eh, ballad hit? “Plague Pilgrim” was an instant skip beyond the second full listen and just didn’t stack up to similar songs on the band’s debut. The hall-shaking metal anthem “Chosen” probably should’ve been on Side A but it does a fine job of picking the energy all the way back up with one of the most memorable choruses on the full listen. They’ve avoided like, ‘Pat Benatar does thrash metal‘ levels of crowd pleasing simplicity here but much of the second half of the album sticks to steadier, simpler heavy metal pieces which feel less urgent and inspired than the cluster of brutality that kicks off the record. That said, this album ends up being doubly memorable for tighter songwriting and stickier hooks any fan of the gamut of 80’s extreme and traditional heavy metal should appreciate.

Though I didn’t feel like their strike at variety entirely paid off in terms of the full listen Soul Grinder have honed in on a best-yet version of their gig with ‘Filth Encrusted‘. Plainly stated as some of the most key pieces are on this record the whole thing smacks of refinement, particularly when we look to charismatic performance as the major feat of characterization achieved herein. It offers a fine example of classic heavy/extreme metal fandom’s willingness to personalize the craft beyond the guidance of surface level acts to a point where songwriting and performative personality are essentially, purposefully linked and potentially even more enriching. This record might not yet be one for the ages but a few songs are still stuck in my head and I generally I appreciated where the trio are headed in terms of honing in on catchier songwriting and an even more over the top personae. A moderately high recommendation.

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