DICKLESS TRACY is a Death Metal/Grindcore band from Slovenia. "Grave New World" is the group's fifth full length album, released by Monsterbilly Records on September 15, 2021.

I was very proud of myself while listening to this album, as listening to it finally allowed me to fully distinguish the differences between Death Metal bands that have elements of Grindcore and "Deathgrind" bands. It all comes down to the song structure: Deathgrind bands like MORTICIAN write their songs as if they're Grindcore tunes but the riffs sound like a leftover from a MORBID ANGEL album, whereas Death Metal bands that have elements of Grindcore seem to take most of their inspiration from NAPALM DEATH's "Harmony Corruption"-era. The songs are longer, have multiple tempo changes and dissonant riffs, but focus less on technicality and more on pure brutality. Of course, the whole debate is rather pointless for three reasons: these genres evolved side-by-side, it's up to the bands how they classify themselves, and frankly, the nit-pickier you get into these stylistic divisions, the less likely you are to see any real changes between them.

Now, with my incoherent rambling out of the way, I will tell you straight up this is a very good band! The riffing on this album is absolutely primo, with hints of SLAYER, early DEATH, and SUFFOCATION leaking through. Tzeppo's voice is incredible, Tegla's drumming is superb, and Horzs's bass playing is powerful to say the least.

Some of my favorites from the track listing include "Dawn of the Living Dead," which is so fast I can barely keep up with it; the title track, which opens with one of the more melodic riffs on this album before going right back into the brutality; "Morphing Into Maelstrom," whose middle section is a veritable groove-fest; "Faydark Forest," which has a really cool pre-breakdown shout from Tzeppo ("Wake me, break me, forever enslave me"); and "The Curse of Michael Myers"/"The Darkside," the two most Grindcore-esque tracks on the album that take you for one head-spinning ride.

Overall, this is a very good album. It's not like DICKLESS TRACY are pushing the envelope of Death Metal at all, but they don't have to. They are masters of what they do: simple, effective, and most importantly, and devastating Death Metal. This album is a welcome addition to their discography, and I can't wait to hear the next one!