No One Knows What The Dead Think - No One Knows What The Dead Think REVIEW

In high school, I had a brief dream of being an astrophysicist. Already excelling at my science classes, I took an astronomy class that really opened my eyes to the magnificence of the stars. However, it was the far-off cosmos that invigorated me the most: nebulae, hypervelocity stars, and of course, black holes. The almost mystical majesty of massive celestial bodies moving at millions of miles an hour motivated me to an extent I hadn't found before. This was until the pivotal factor of the subject came into play; math. I have an analytical brain, but the amount of brainpower needed to excel in this field is far beyond my comprehension, and I subsequently buried the idea of becoming an astrologer or a profession in a similar position. Some part of me, however, will always want to look up at the stars and discover something magical in the eons beyond. 

Now, while the lyrical content of the self-titled debut record from New Jersey-based technical grindcore group No One Knows What The Dead Think may not necessarily match up perfectly space theme (I can't tell), there is undeniably an astronaut falling to their doom upon a massive celestial body. The sprawled limbs and ragdoll figure of the character spell out the imminent tragedy about to occur. Mixed with the bleak, dark and dirty background, a haunting image is painted before we even jump into this 18-minute freight train of destruction. Half of legendary grindcore outfit Discordance Axis make their reappearance on this album, along with the company of the drummer and founder member of Japanese death/grind outfit Abort Mastication. While I have not listened to either of these projects, they sure fit together well.

No One Knows What The Dead Think mixes what many classic deathgrind bands like Terrorizer, Assück, and even Discordance Axis established before them, and gave it even more of a sci-fi edge than their previous project. Even with the final Discordance Axis's lyrics about popular 90s anime Neon Genesis Evangelion, the technological vibe really shines on this project, and not in the Rings of Saturn kind of way. Rather, it feels extremely reminiscent of groups like Vektor and Vattnet, and with alienlike melodic guitar lines and screeching vocals that remind me of Japanoise groups like Endon and Hanatarash, No One Knows What The Dead Think culminate an extremely catchy and technically performed grindcore album.

Most tracks, such as openers "Yarho," "Autumn Flower," and "Dagger Before Me" send the record into a blitzkrieg free-for-all, while tracks like "Rakuyo" explore a more melodic NOKWTDT. But do not be fooled; this album does not slow down. Each track has decisively and briskly played guitar and drums passages, with no track exceeding more than two and a half minutes in runtime. What really sets this album apart from the rest of the Wormrots and Napalm Death's of the world is Rob Marton's guitar tone. When every song sounds like TIE and X-Wing fighters racing through the galaxy as laser beams shoot back and forth between them, you know you have found yourself an engaging listen.

However, this is not to discount Jon Chang's perfect vocal delivery on each one of these tracks, as well as Kyosuke Nakano's expert drum work. Each member of this band contributes equally to the unrelenting alien head-smashing that occurs on this short album. Chang's screeches and howls mimic those of extraterrestrial exoskeletons hissing and whining as they are slashed through, and Nakano's machine-gun snare work is just that. If No One Knows What The Dead Think were hired for the run-and-gun Dead Space ripoff, I am almost certain the music would remain the same.

It isn't strange to me that I have listened to this record so many times, due to its run length. However, that is this album's biggest flaw! I understand it is hard to make a grindcore release longer than 20 minutes, but it is more than welcomed in my eyes. Even Nails' You Will Never Be One of Us is 21 minutes long!

All jests aside, this is a damned good grindcore album. This genre doesn't always stick with me, as its fast-paced energy sometimes overwhelms and gets pushed aside for a bit more melody and songwriting. But No One Knows What The Dead Think is a keeper. Though recently released, this album has not seen a day off from my hungry ears, and it probably won't for a while. I can listen to the first half of this album when walking to class, and the second when walking back. It is a fantastic extreme metal record and should find its place easily of AOTY lists. Additionally, the band was extra kind and provided a digital karaoke version of the album so you can sing along at your office parties!

Final Verdict: I will channel my inner Aggretsuko at the next party I attend.

Favorite Songs: "Stars Hide Your Fires," "Sayaka," "Yorha"

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You can support this band on their Bandcamp