CoC : Lock Up - Pleasures Pave Sewers : Review

Lock Up - _Pleasures Pave Sewers_
(Nuclear Blast, 1999)
by: Paul Schwarz (8.5 out of 10)

Lock Up stand out prominently amongst the faceless many who pollute the grindcore scene, but _Pleasures Pave Sewers_, with its Andy Sneap production and all-star cast of Peter Tagtgren (Hypocrisy), Nick Barker (Dimmu Borgir, ex-Cradle of Filth), Shane Embury and Jesse Pintado (both Napalm Death), is no underground crust-fest. Instead, it kicks your ass with a crisp, clear production and assassin-like musical precision. Shane Embury has at last got off the happy-punk metalcore trip of the last few Napalm Death albums and instead belched forth nine of the best and heaviest compositions he has penned in the last ten years. Jesse Pintado's written-for-Terrorizer quarter goes some way to recapturing the spirit of that godly band, but this task would have been quite a feat to fully succeed in, and Lock Up collectively haven't managed it. However, Peter Tagtgren belts out some of his most violent and effective aural evacuations since _Abducted_ whilst Nick Barker lays down a virtual minefield of explosively destructive percussion. No attempts have here been made to significantly fuck with grindcore/death's basic formula, and though this leaves _Pleasures Pave Sewers_ in no position of uniqueness, it is probably for the best, ultimately resulting in an invigorating twenty-seven minute barrage of grindcore assault and battery.

(article published 5/3/2000)

ALBUMS
7/3/2002	P Schwarz	8	Lock Up - Hate Breeds Suffering