Violent Opposition – Violently Enforced Poverty (2015)

violent_opposition_-_violently_enforced_poverty

Violent Opposition presents a one-man grindcore assault that upstages the milquetoast nature of recent underground music. This one musician plays the Jesus out of each instrument with raw pure aggression. The bass and drums are punchy and give the recording a lot of energy and verve. His song names are realist and take a strong stand against empire and against state sponsored violence.

Violently Enforced Poverty has a classic sound like very early Napalm Death, is catchier than a band like Benumb, and yet plays those catchy riffs paired with aggression and substance. This individual is showing really good musical and song-writing skills here while having lots of substance also, showing leadership and promise. The paranoiac “The Pentagon’s Pedophilia Problem” and cynical “War Is A Racket” are a potent combination. This is a rare release in that I really have nothing negative to say about it. It’s rare for me to get amped up on a recording these days but this one really obliterates.

Violent opposition is from San Rafael, California (up past the Berkeley area — a hotbed of political discussion traditionally). And with so much public dissent in the streets these days, the stage is set for bands like this to take on heightened import. It will be interesting to see where he takes his musical direction from here . He clearly knows grindcore like the back of his hand, and he also claims Zappa as a big influence. Personally I think it would be neat if he eventually adds in some thrash like Napalm Death did on Harmony Corrupted but there is a purity to his grindcore songs that would perhaps be threatened by that.

Impressive drumming (tight, aggressive) drives a sound that never lets us, but the album continues improving as it runs. Instead of having to reach for the Advil after track three, your attention stays on the music and its savage delivery. Be sure to listen to the whole album on this one.

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