Nostromo - Ecce Lex

Nostromo was a Swiss band that formed in the late ’90s and called it quits around 2004. With its odd meters and polyrhythms, the group sounded like if Meshuggah played grindcore. It put out an EP and three full-lengths, including an all-acoustic (!) CD/DVD called Hysteron Proteron. Ecce Lex (on Overcome) came out in 2002 and was produced by Nasum’s Mieszko Talarczyk (RIP).

In vocal approach and general ethic, Nostromo was at heart a grind band. But from its early days, the band had Meshuggah-esque complexity in it. This aspect grew over time, culminating in Ecce Lex. The arrangements in these clips are interesting, with great grooves that get steamrolled by blastbeats coming from nowhere. In “Sunset Motel,” they don’t drop until right before the end, an unexpected kick to the teeth. The drumming is sick, as it needs to be to pull off this kind of stuff.

Nostromo – Lab of Their Will
Nostromo – Sunset Motel

Ecce Lex might be hard to find if you don’t live in Europe. Your best bet outside of Amazon UK/FR/DE is to order from the label. If you’re not down with the français, email the label directly.