Feind - Ambulante Hirnamputation

Angry Metal Guy

Sometimes fate deals a winning hand. I’m just taking a little stroll around Bandcamp, browsing for new hotness but not expecting to find anything in particular. A sick piece of artwork catches mine eye. With no idea of what’s in store, I clock seventeen tracks before me. What? Oh, they’re all a minute or less; that makes more sense. Now I know that this has got to be grindy, and I’ve had a hankering for a sleazy bit of grind for my whole goddamn life, it feels like. I smash that heckin’ play button. Hair? Blown off the dome. Pants? Fully shitted. Spine? Oh, you mean that little pool of bone GoGurt that just exploded out of my butthole into my aforementioned pants? Yeah, that’s a lost cause. All thanks to German deathgrind anomaly Feind’s Ambulante Hirnamputation. I really should’ve sprung for the premium health plan…

A debut LP that defies every expectation for overall quality, Ambulante Hirnamputation manages to do something that grind hasn’t done since 2018: activate the patented Ken hype machine. The anonymous, extremely hard-to-find German trio launch an all-out assault on institutionalized religion, late-stage capitalism, Internet culture, and any number of other societal dysfunctions in a scant thirteen minutes, and yet each new assassination makes a memory. Wielding the sheer intensity of grind legends Napalm Death, the indelible wacky hooks of Anaal Nathrakh, the mad experimentation of Cripple Bastards, and the uncompromising technical heft of Aborted, Feind hammer every rusted spike into the coffin with a wildness that would make even those who eat nails for breakfast (without any milk) feel threatened. There’s just no stopping this monstrosity, and its destructive nature demands my full, undivided attention.

Ambulante Hirnamputation by Feind

Knowing that only three songs on this rabid beast dare cross the minute line, picking out standouts and lowlights poses a distinct challenge, but the solution turned out to be simple. There are no lowlights. Ambulante Hirnamputation is a singular triumph of creative riffs, adventurous structures, and subversive whimsy. Take my favorite track, “Planet der Affen,” as an example. Fifty-six seconds of techy, almost melodic deathgrind about Jeff Bezos being a dick and doing ridiculous things with his vast fortune, “Planet der Affen” swaggers with a downright bluesy second half that wraps up with a silly, but immediately memorable chorus. “3DPD” makes light of gross misogynist men trolling on the internet immediately after the preceding title track closes with a cutesy anime sample that I don’t recognize. Earlier in the runtime, “Originale Nichtskönner” slams, jams and grinds with the best of them, all to desecrate the ground with a viscous loogie. Moments like these show how irreverent and cheeky Feind really are. Musically, Ambulante Hirnamputation stands up without any cheap gimmicks or frivolous frills. Killer hits like “Es ist Muttertag,” “Arbeistiere,” “Toxic Positivity,” “Christlich Demokratische Ulcera,” and “Natur pur erleben,” among many others, wipe the floor with lesser grindcore acts via devastatingly gnarled riffs, unbelievably versatile vocal performances, and a vast assortment of percussive patterns.

Finding points of improvement or opportunities for criticism with Ambulante Hirnamputation presents a herculean task for this reviewer. The record’s minuscule runtime and blistering pace are partly to blame, but neither is a bad thing. In fact, they’re yet another way that Ambulante Hirnamputation seals the deal. By structuring the record in such a perilous manner, Feind guarantee that I’m going back to spin it again. Some records of this kind don’t offer much to reward repeated spins, but this one peels back layer after layer after layer. Throughout those deceptively detailed layers, Ambulante Hirnamputation moves with an inhuman athleticism and flexibility, allowing the band to perform acrobatic feats of songwriting gymnastics worthy of Olympic accolades. And yet, I want more. What should absolutely be enough content to satisfy even the most ravenous grind craving falls just short of sating mine.

I never expected to come across this record. It wasn’t even a properly sourced promo. Even so, I wasn’t about to wait several months before I could hype it up in an official capacity. Ambulante Hirnamputation is an unqualified triumph of fun, brutal, cantankerous deathgrind. This review is just another excuse for you to check it out. Scratch that. It’s an order!

Rating: Excellent!
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Self Release
Website: feind.bandcamp.com
Releases Worldwide: August 5th, 2024¹

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