Black Hole of Calcutta #2

Black metal South West Asian grandma fits way too well

Black Hole of Calcutta are just one of those bands that have my number. Upon first listening to their latest record, simply titled S/T #2, I was shocked at how the band effortlessly followed my own subconscious wishes as to how each song might progress... it's as if I've been scanned...

BHOC effectively quashes any notion of overachieving with the first track alone as elements of sludge, grindcore, and hardcore are meshed perfectly. The slow start, the furry in the middleand the melodic hooks 3/4's of the way through, flesh out a well devised plan of grindcore meets hardcore with an affinity for riffs.

"Cirrhosis" is another great flag marker as it's the closest thing of  a grindcore band's homage to  2nd wave black metal you'll find. The grim touch of black metal permeates throughout the band's sound, whether it's in the vocals or guitar work, the small dose is just the right amount as it doesn't cut down on the band's voracity.

S/T #2 lacks nothing and has a whole lot of everything. Thrashing grindcore with nods to hardcore and black metal find BHOC doing all that I could ask for with this all but too short LP.

Peep the whole thing on their Bandcamp (which is streaming above).