Album Review: Blunt Knife Castration – Live Fast Die Slow (Self Released / Remorseless Records)

Blunt Knife Castration is the sludge metal project from Simon Bryant based out of Kent in the UK. Drawing influence from the sleaze and general smut of the horror movies and video nasties of the 70s/80s together with the underground extreme music of the 90s and 00s, BKC blends aspects of doom, death metal, stoner, punk and grindcore and drowns them all in sludge. The debut full-length album, ‘Live Fast Die Slow’ will be released on the 28th of February on all streaming sites, Bandcamp and also CD through Remorseless Records in the US.

As ugly as it is mean, and it’s really f**king mean, Live Fast Die Slow is not for those who treat the extreme side of metal with fear and disgust. As much as it might genre-bend, it is wholeheartedly from the nastier side of life, and if you enjoy it, you might just be a little ‘wrong’ in the head.

It’s a vicious start, where a crust punk vibe runs headfirst into a raw combination of stoner and death metal, and inch by inch, the sludge starts to rise around you. If you’re already finding yourself sickened by what you hear, well, this album might not be for you. Although you’d be missing out on the ferocious hit of filthy groove that Cut and Run offers. As well as missing out on the ‘thicc’ riffs and spicy doominess of the title track, the mood-altering aspects of Lung Fungus that give it a psychedelic edge, and the malicious intensity of Scunge. A good time to mention that a big factor of this album’s harsh sound comes from the scowling and growling vocals.

Varied as hell though, which isn’t often something you get to say about music that sits on the extreme side of things. Credit to Blunt Knife Castration and the creativity of Simon Bryant, many will be eagerly listening on, ready to experience a whole new set of horrors.

Horrors like The Misanthreeper, which arrives with a stench of old-school doom at the forefront (the tolling bell is great) but also delivers bursts of lively metallised punk too. Horrors like the chaotic heavy noise and sinister atmosphere that radiates from Crawl. Horrors like the salacious punk rocker that is Hard Times Come Sleazy and the rumbling and grumbling groove of Whiskey and Gristle.

It’s cool as f**k, and that’s before Leave Behind brings even more doomy noise to the forefront. A brash ending that puts a hefty exclamation point on things. Great job, Blunt Knife Castration!

Blunt Knife Castration – Live Fast Die Slow Track Listing:

1. Warhead
2. Cut and Run
3. Live Fast Die Slow
4. Lung Fungus
5. Scunge
6. The Misanthreeper
7. Crawl
8. Hard Times Come Sleazy
9. Whiskey and Gristle
10. Leave Behind

Blunt Knife Castration Links

Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube