TERRORIZER - World Downfall

Artist:  Terrorizer

Album:  World Downfall

Year:  1989

Genre:  Grindcore

Due to the game-changing nature of this record, I have a clear recollection of how Terrorizer entered my life.  From the years 1988 to about 1991 I was in total music annihilation mode and only trying to find the most devastating sounds on earth related to heavy music.  Mostly, this introduced me to death metal bands that were really pushing boundaries of the genre.  Lucky for me, Earache, Peaceville, Nuclear Blast, Wild Rags and a few other record labels were also interested in the same extreme music adventure.  This search led me to my go-to store (which I’ve worked at in some capacity to this day since 1992) and to a guy that was well ahead of me finding new bands.  I specifically remember entering the shop, him seeing me and calling me over to the “T” section of the cassettes.  Before I could see any title, I had Terrorizer’s World Downfall in my hand.  He did a little up-sell with very few phrases which contained things like, “Pete from Morbid Angel is the drummer,” and “It’s the fastest heaviest album ever.”  OK.  Sold.  My crappy car had a good cassette player (that shit was important) so I instantly popped in the tape.  18 year old me was not ready for what came out of the speakers.

At this time, I had very little experience with true grindcore.  I had heard the first two Napalm Death full lengths and I sort of liked them; but sort of didn’t.  Grindcore was new at the time and it took a little bit to process what was happening.  When World Downfall kicked in, I was expecting another extreme death metal record.  I was dead wrong.  Instantly I heard thrash-punk rhythms which morphed into the most furious and crushing blast parts that just sound like insanity being put to tape.  I remember being baffled once again as to whether this was good or just noise.  Another listen to the whole album laid my confusion to rest, and ever since then, World Downfall has not only been in consistent rotation, but also had a powerful influence on songs I would write in the future.  This album scorches the earth all the way through and does not let up.  Ever.  The Discharge-inspired lyrics are barked out perfectly for this record as Oscar Garcia’s use of short, sharp grunting outbursts create and intensity not heard on a record to that point.  There are blast beats for days, but they manage to break it up with circle pit inducing tempo changes that generally lead you right back into grinding chaos.  If being brutal was Terrorizer’s goal, they achieved it in droves.  The production is primitive enough to drive the music, but clear and dry enough that nothing gets too lost; even when the band is travelling at lightspeed.  This album was a gauntlet thrown down to all others challenging their peers to be as extreme, heavy, fast and destructive as Terrorizer were.

World Downfall brought things to light and made me understand what Carcass, Napalm Death, Repulsion and Siege had been creating.  Now and again I’ll see that former employee, whom I now call a friend, and every single time I will thank him for introducing me to the what I believe is the best and most important grindcore record ever.

Listen to "Fear Of Napalm" here.