Belgium’s Leng Tch’e is a no-concession death metal/grindcore band. In other words, it’s really in your face. The songs are also measured in seconds rather than minutes, but for anyone who is familiar with grindcore, that is a must in the genre. The bands is composed of 5 belgians, with outrageous names : « B. El Bastardo » vokills, Nikki G and the « spleenventer » on guitar, Sven at the drums (Yes, if you’re familiar with the Belgian death metal scene this should ring the ‘Aborted’ bell…) and, last but not least, the great Nico on bass. This IS grindcore, but the instruments are used in an efficient to-the-point way. I think that « Process of Elimination » is interresting in that special effort is brought to the record so that it doesn’t sound like a lot of those underground grind bands: boring. Indeed, the result is quite varied and anything but repetitive. Of course, there will always be people out there who will call Napalm Death’s ‘Scum’ annoying and noisy... However, « Process of Elimination », does belong to that same repertoire, but comes out differently from ‘Scum’ in terms of a much better production, and more elaborate compositions. This is of course due to 20 years of bands polishing the genre and the whole scene naturally evolving.

There is a definitely color to this album, where ultra-fast and hysteric riffs and much heavier chords alternate. I’m a little stunned by Sven’s demonstration on the drums… I had always seen him as a vocalist and this is a pleasant surprise. « Glamour girl concubine » is one of my favorite songs on the album, because it mixes groove and in-your-face grind. However my numero uno is « motorgrinding » because it shows inspiration and control, even in the frenetic riffs. Once more, a great balance in between all the elements that we love in grindcore. Throughout the album you can stumble upon a couple little oddities : like a short organ solo, or some very rock and roll guitars. Some tracks, like « Schematic », remind me of the cross-breeding between Sublime Cadaveric Decomposition and Mortician. Leng Tch’e can also, to a certain extent be compared to Gronibard. However, although both bands share the same predilection for musical delirium, there are some obvious differences. First, Leng Tch’e is a lot less « porno » and in my opinion doesn’t push as far lyric-wise. There is no holding back : there are some very basic elements (although this is also expected of grindcore), some even completely out of place and retarted lyrics… I’m thinking of « This is the fucking fist » and other more weird lyrics like “Another eight hours of listening to the radio… they even redo old songs”, for example.

Leng Tch’e confirms the emergence of Belgium on the death metal/grindcore scene. This is especially refreshing since Belgium was mostly famous so far for its waffles, mussels, and black metal scene, with bands such as Enthroned or Ancient Rites, who are without compromise, yet excellent. Thanks to Leng Tch’e, Belgium demonstrates its lengendary sense of humor, with this release that takes itself less than seriously. In other words, an alternative to your everyday grind. This record deserves to be in your grindcore playlist.

written by Audrey Dujardin

Playing time: 33.19