### Mumakil: Customized warfare

#### 27/01/09 || Kampfar

If you are a fan of welfare, hugs, kisses, Bambi, Jesus Christ, and life in general, I’m more than happy to report, as have happened before, that on “Customized warfare” there is nothing for you. It’ll make you ill, douchebag, as this Swiss quartet performs music for the cannoneer, not the kind of do-gooding cannon fodder who think we should all hold hands, sing songs, and generally heal the world. Die, hippie, die. In other words, if your idea of healing the world doesn’t include massacres and mass graves, get the fuck out of here and catch the A.I.D.S bus already.

Damn well knowing I write for a very manly site, one of the manliest there is, leaves me with a confident feel that most of you are still hanging on, utterly curious to find out what the mental disease known as Kampfar has dug up this time around. I will get to the music well before long, dear siblings, but before so happens I’d very much like to inform you that a Mumakil is what J.R.R.R.R. Tolkien named the race of gigantic warrior elephants described – when not going on about vast landscapes and fucking hills – in the drivel known as “The Lord Of The Rings”.

I hate it.

A very angry and disturbed man I am, everything bothers me, so it is no at all a wonder that I enjoy the company of Mumakil and their deliciously pissed-off so-called blast-core. Aloud and a lot. In plain English we are dealing with grind-core performed in such a convincing manner I can do little else than applaud and ejaculate huge wads of superlatives all over their effort. And some bullshit. In fact, just the kind of bullshit you won’t find any of, at all, on “Customized warfare”. This is namely a a masterly produced and blisteringly executed blast-feast exclusively, and, even though it spends most of its time in hyper-drive, say 85% or so, it close to never presents blasting just for the sake of it. Nor lazy-ass generic riffing. Hell no, focused, sharp, intense and mean is the name of their game and this lot never drops the ball. Only amphetamine, aplenty.

And then we have the last 15%, the very icing on this explosive meat-cake stuffed with violence, an icing, I’m happy to report, that doesn’t mellow down, sweeten up, or otherwise fuck about. At all. Take the pig-vocals, for instances, which in this case, believe it or not, actually adds to the br00tality instead of choking it. It’s a rare feat this, almost unheard of, but, as proved here, when “pig-in-the-midst-of-rape” shrieks are added with care and performed without the help of some stupid harmonizer, it can indeed add an edge of sickness without taking a piss and shit all over the music. Other than the vocalist delivers excellent growls and likewise shrieks, all in accordance to the tone and pace of the music. Just like Mr. Barnes never managed to, nor will.

Vocals aside, the last 15% are first and foremost shitty lots of breakdowns, most times into death territory, close to everyone of them kicking in at just the right time. Bravo. And the exact same can be said about the only blast-free tune, namely “XV”, which is pure deathster roughly smacked in the middle of the ride. One could say it is a chance to breathe. I wouldn’t mind, not at all, had there been one or two more of them exclusively heavy songs, but that’s about how much negativity I’m able to cough up regarding “Customized warfare”.

Hadn’t it been for the fact that I know about acts such as Nasum, Kill The Client, Insect Warfare, Morgue, blah, blah, blah, I’d score “Customized warfare” even higher. What I’m trying to say is that I know grind can be done even better than this. A tiny bit, that is.

8,5 out of 10.

- Information
- Released: 2006
- Label: Overcome Records
- Website: www.mumakil.ch
- Band
- Thomas: vocals
- Jéjé: guitar
- Taverne: bass
- Seb: drums

- Tracklist
- 01. I
- 02. II
- 03. III
- 04. Iv
- 05. V
- 06. VI
- 07. VII
- 08. VIII
- 09. IX
- 10. X
- 11. XI
- 12. XII
- 13. XIII
- 14. XIV
- 15. XV
- 16. XVI
- 17. XVII
- 18. XVIII
- 19. XIX
- 20. XX
- 21. XXI
- 22. XXII
- 23. XXIII
- 24. XXIV
- 25. XXV
- 26. XXVI
- 27. XXVII
- 28. XXVIII
- 29. XXIX
- 30. XXX
- 31. XXXI
- 32. XXXII