It seems that all Metal that comes out of Greece will tie you up and abuse you . . . but, you know, in a good way. From Stoner to Doom to Black Metal, Greece just knows how to forge their metal. Black Metalists GRAB is no exception to that rule. Formed in 2006 in Athens, Greece as a project, GRAB has recently evolved into a foursome and now claims "band" status. Collectively, they have two demos, one split, one EP, and two full-length albums to their credit. Their second full-length, "The Inevitable Filth of Mankind," was released on April 17, 2021 on Fucking Your Creation Records.

The album comprises six tracks, spans just over forty minutes, and is mastered with an old school analog vibe which gives the album a nasty, lo-fi vibe. Ah, the beauty of Black Metal-could be a crappy mix or it could be a mastermind at the board who intentionally made it sound that way. Betting on the latter.

As it turns out, "grab" is German for "grave." I'm completely baffled on the etymology that got us from "grave" to "grasp," but whatever. Despite what I was taught in American schools, I guess not all linguistic roads lead to English. Thematically the band says their philosophy is "Anti human, anti mass, anti religious; Chaos, Death, Misanthropic propaganda against all!!!" (Lack of hyphens and the proliferation of random capitalization are original text and cannot be blamed on the aforementioned American school system). Musically, they crank out nasty, distorted riffs paced against infectious tempos and accented with harsh, articulate vocals with just a hint of Thrash. In short, this is some serious bad ass Black Metal.

Standout tracks are "Altar of Revenge," "Standing Breathless from a Structured Space," and title-track, "The Inevitable Filth of Mankind." I'm not sure I was ready for the Doom proportioned "Our Star of Chaos Shines Supreme," but I'm certain it'll appeal to someone out there. I should also call out the impressive logo and artwork by Bacchus. The black and white grayscale cover art looks like it was rendered with a chunk of charcoal, some bone scrapings, and the brain grease of a ghoul. Evocative, chilling, and way cool.

Each single member of GRAB brings forward a legacy that has more legitimacy than most metal bands could hope to garner across their entire careers, so maybe expectations are high for this band. The good news is from the opening salvo of "Standing Breathless from a Structured Space" to the last guttural utterance of "Our Star of Chaos Shines Supreme," GRAB delivers. I don't know what they're pumping through the water system in Athens, but damn, just damn.