Creative Waste - Slaves to Conformity

Guest review by BreadGod from Servile Insurrection

Artwork by Hamad Al Najjar

Creative Waste is a deathgrind band from – of all places – Saudi Arabia. Not only that, but they've been around since 2002. To be more precise, the band members were writing music as early as 1999, but it wasn't until 2002 that they saved up enough money to buy some instruments. Due to the hostile environment they resided in, an entire decade passed before they manage to release a full-length debut. It's called Slaves to Conformity, and it's awesome.

This album is raw, ravenous, politically-fuelled deathgrind. The drums sound like an engine of total destruction, constantly releasing a torrent of rapid blast beats and relentless double bass. The snare has this gritty quality that gives it a greater impact, and the double bass sounds like the galloping hooves of a thousand iron horses. Talal al-Shawaf does a great job on the kit, especially when he throws in a couple fills, but I also enjoyed the guest performances of former Dying Fetus drummer Kevin Talley. He appears on the songs “Cradle to Grave” and “Novus Ordo Seclorum”, and he adds a different mood to the music. Whereas the other drums are raging assaults, Talley's performance is like a storm that builds up before unleashing unholy terror upon you.

The vocals consist of a low, hoarse shout that reminds me of Misery Index, another deathgrind band that's well-known for being politically-charged, so that vocal style fits in quite well with what Creative Waste has made. They're the angry cries of an entire generation that's sick and tired of being oppressed, lied to, and sold into debt slavery. They're revolting against the government, the cronies who support their tyranny, and the international bankers who control them both. The guitars are awesome as well. They have a thick and crunchy sound that again sounds similar to Misery Index. The riffs are a simple mix of death metal and grindcore that are designed to be aggressive and sound great. There's a touch of groove to them and there are certain moments where they take on a black metal sound. It's a cavalcade of excellent brutality.

I never expected something this awesome to emerge from Saudi Arabia. I'm also quite surprised at how vocal they are about their hatred of the government and the status quo. These are brave men, I tell you what. I love the music too. Everything about it is excellent. It's a brutally honest display of unrelenting fury and you need to listen to it right now.

[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]