Back to the Grindstone: Brutal Truth - Need to Control

Angry Metal Guy

Back to the Grindstone is a love letter feature dedicated to the appreciation of all things grindcore. This most extreme of extreme niche genres has been kicking since the late ’80s, growing in underground stature as the years march on. The rule of thumb to this feature is simple; spotlight will be on grind albums old and new, though will not include releases from the past five years, or albums previously covered on this website. Genre classics, underappreciated gems, old school and nu school will be covered, highlighting albums aimed at established fans and curious listeners interested in diving into the cesspool of the grind scene.

Despite being a big name in the history of grindcore, arguably New York’s legendary Brutal Truth is a touch underrated. While the band split in 2014, they left behind an excellent catalog of game-changing grind, highlighted by their first two LPs, 1992’s stone-cold classic, Extreme Conditions Demand Extreme Responses, and the subject of this feature piece, their experimental, wildly innovative sophomore album, 1994’s Need to Control. Already boasting an early grind classic under their belts courtesy of the nasty, precision slice of death powered grind of the debut, Brutal Truth turned the genre on its head with Need to Control. Originally, I planned to write this piece as a double whammy, Yer Metal is Olde/Grindstone feature in 2024. Unfortunately, after chasing my tail again, it didn’t eventuate. Nevertheless, seems the time is right to dust off Back to the Grindstone to applaud and unpack the grind masterwork well ahead of its time.

Need to Control by Brutal Truth

Need to Control both encompasses and rejects grindcore conventions. Daringly expanding on the genre’s early groundwork, while spitting jagged shards of noise, industrial, death, and punk into a brutally violent, nuanced, and thoroughly demented mutation of grind’s core values. The line-up of Kevin Sharp (vocals), Rich Hoak (drums), Brent McCarty (guitars), and legendary bass slinger Dan Lilker (ex-Anthrax, Nuclear Assault, S.O.D., Venomous Concept) captured a lightning in a bottle moment. Kicking off a bold sophomore effort with a decidedly non-grind song was a ballsy move that paid off. “Collapse” illustrates Brutal Truth’s bold adventurism outside grind parameters, its clanking industrial death stomp, dual powered vox, and ominous mid-paced grooves striking with an iron fist. Deviations from the out-and-out gold-plated grind blasters (“Black Door Mine,” “I See Red,” “Bite the Hand,” ‘Brain Trust,” etc) dominating the album fail to compromise cohesive flow or blunt the band’s visceral attacks. The atmosphere is intense, the energy electric, while the varied pacing and experimental flourishes serve to add increased potency and creativity to the finished package.

Featuring brighter melodies, hooky riffs, and groovier accessibility, the didgeridoo-adorned “Godplayer” is the closest thing to a metal hit the Brutal Truth boys ever approached. And it works a treat, still packing a heavy wallop atop a typically unhinged vocal performance from Sharp. It’s another fine example of the album’s ahead of its time class, nestled amongst the album’s overarching grindy chaos, which also includes an overdrawn noise experiment (“Ironlung”), fun punk cover (The Germs “Media Blitz”), and crust punk-grind crossovers (“Choice of the New Generation”). The album is a non-stop blast, deftly balancing raw throat-grabbing grind attacks with innovative turns and burly industrial death stomps. Streaked with dark melodic flourishes and an innovative, technical and unhinged flair, Need to Control exhilarates in weird and wild ways.

Need to Control holds up remarkably well, remaining a cutting-edge example of the genre some thirty-plus years later. Brutal Truth continued to carve a unique pathway in the grind field during the subsequent years of their career. However, the blunt force thrust of energy and precision death-influenced grind of their debut and infectious genre-scrambling innovation of Need to Control remain the band’s greatest achievements.

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