Technical Grindcore with clean guitars and nice production sounds like an interesting concept, and VIOLENT OPPOSITION actually somewhat pull it off on their 2017 release "Utopia/Dystopia". Despite flawless execution, the music is unfortunately void of emotion, good songwriting or most substance.

Most tracks on here fly by with little or no identity, having the same style of Hardcore riffing spaced apart with technical wankery. After a while, it makes one wonder how even the band knows which song is which. It isn't until midway through the album when the band provides a song with somewhat identifiable riffing.

"Lies Pollute the Mind" is one of the longer tracks, clocking in just shy of six minutes. The band incorporates technical riffing to create actual atmosphere at one point. There is even noticeable repetition with some themes. The following track, "False Scarcity" is the musical equivalent to a photon machine gun, each riff being RINGS OF SATURN speed tapping. While the track can come off as annoying, it stands out as one of the songs that has character. Personally, I actually kind of like it.

"Possessions Foster Distrust" is the longest track, clocking in at almost six and a half minutes. While not as good as the other longer track, this has more to bite off. This track boasts nicely incorporated voice-overs, interesting riffing styles and technicality that doesn't slide by as just wankery (for the most part). These three tracks show the band's ability to write music the best. They all have decent repetition as well as themes that make each song stand as its own.

Other than these few songs, this album is BRAIN DRILL on the clean channel. While a couple tracks might have slightly better technicality, they are overpowered by the surrounding tracks, most of which run into one another, a problem that is half solved by the use of video snippets or samples at the end of most songs.

Outside of the album, the musicians are clearly talented. It takes a lot of experience to be able to play the riffs that are found on this record. Nevertheless, decent songwriting is important, as each track seems to lack repetition and any theme in the slightest.

As each track slides by with overly jazzy and outrageously complex riffs, the final product becomes nothing more than a trial. Unless you enjoy music that manages to touch almost every fret in less than two minutes, this album is exhausting, despite its short runtime of 35 minutes. And when it ends, it suddenly feels like nothing happened because it's just that memorable.