V/A - Gratis naar de Tering

Speaking of Dutch metal, here’s a compilation with an interesting focus – bands from around the city of Breda. The title is Gratis naar de Tering, which translates to “Down the drain for nothing” or “Fucked up for free,” depending on whom you ask. The point is that the compilation is free; the back cover says, “Never pay for this CD!” Strangely, though, when I asked if I could post every track, the record label said no. Thus, I’ll post tracks for which I got permission, and talk about and post links for each band.

With the exception of the folk metal of Ravenstorm, death and black metal make up this compilation. Both come in several varieties. Brutus does straightforward brutal death metal, Vermin takes a more technical approach, and Chainsaw Surgery, unsurprisingly, goes the gore-grind route. Black metalwise, Saeculum, Sick Human Art, Wiri Smokkor, and Grimland offer various takes on traditional, blastbeat-oriented sounds, while Dodenkrocht turns in some awesome depressive vibes, real wrist-slitting stuff.

A mixture of studio, live, and demo tracks, the songs vary wildly in sound quality. However, they’re all interesting, and with only two tracks from each band, the compilation moves quickly. Brutus stands out as top-shelf death metal, and Sick Human Art has great riffing. Unfortunately, drummer Maarten “Ploegbaas” Luysterburg, who was in both bands, recently committed suicide. Thus, these tracks might be some of the last he ever recorded. The live Vermin tracks sound rough, but the studio versions on their A Nihilistic Swarm album are well worth checking out.

I’m definitely exploring some of these bands further, as I encourage you to do also. This CD should be available from any band on it.

Track List

01. Brutus – Teloorgang
02. Brutus – Darmschurft (live)
03. Vermin – Falling Deathwards (live)
04. Vermin – Vertigo (live)
05. Saeculum – Genetic Failure
06. Saeculum – Benighted
07. Sick Human Art – Prologue (demo)
08. Sick Human Art – Buried the Old (demo)
09. Wiri Smokkor – The Dreaded Low Count
10. Wiri Smokkor – DimenXion Polm
11. Ravenstorm – The March
12. Ravenstorm – Beer for the Guests
13. Chainsaw Surgery – Preserving Decayed Organs
14. Chainsaw Surgery – Chainsaw Surgical Disfigurement
15. Dodenkrocht – Dodenkrocht (unreleased)
16. Dodenkrocht – Return to Sin (unreleased)
17. Grimland – Emily (demo)
18. Grimland – Melena (demo)