Customer Reviews

Human Harvest

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

upon first glance of the cover art of "human harvest", one might believe that CODC are just another boring and cliche goregrind band whose only means of existence is carcass worship. i was quite skeptical when i recieved this in the mail, and having never heard any of CODCs past work, i didn't know what to expect. so it came as a huge surprise when "a family tree to hang from" came blasting through my stereo. after months and months of listening to "human harvest", i can honestly say that CODC is one of my favorite grind bands ever.

not only do these guys completely dodge all the rules of a typical grind band, but CODC are pushing boundaries and setting new standards for the genre. CODC flawlessly blend grind, black metal, extreme death metal and hardcore into one solid entity, which sounds excellent. every song is strong, with no 2 songs sounding alike.

CODC possess one of the scariest vocalists alive. joe horvath easily switches from a extremely high pitch screech, a mid range growl, and an extremely low (and i mean looooow) gurgle. in fact, he's so flawless in switching between the 3 styles that one could easily be fooled into thinking that they're are 2 or 3 vocalists in this band. i may also say that his lyrics are an interesting read. rather than rambling on gore, horvath's writing is actually thought intriguing, and while you'll never be able to follow with him during the music, its still a relief to see some good lyrics in a great grind band.

the guitars are thick and heavy, and as i mentioned before, cover lots of ground when it comes to musical styles, jason andrews really adds to the dark aggression of CODC.

mike rosswog's drumming is excellent, he has some really nice pounding beats, but he can really turn up the speed when needed. he adds some great power to the 19 songs.

all in all, considering that during this recording CODC went in with only 3 members (no bassist), this sounds incredibly powerful, the production is solid enough to where the absence of the bass isn't a factor to the overall sound. if you're looking for a fresh look on grind, look no further than circle of dead children's "human harvest".

my favorite tracks - Salt Rock Eyes, Destiny of the Slug, Harvest at Dawn, King Cobra Vs. Queen Bee

I had no idea what to expect upon first hearing this band. This Album "Human Harvest" by Circle of Dead Children is my first encounter with them, and i must say i'm totally impressed. These guys make some sick music. The vocals being the most sickening yet impressive. Think AxCx mixed with Cattle Decapitation.

As for the music, if you like your grindcore fast then you will absolutely love this CD. Most tracks are around 1:30mins long, except for "Corsage of Fresh Meat and Rotten Pride" (2:58), "Mother Pig" (4:09) and "My Supernatural" (3:29).."Alkaline" technically goes for around 11 minutes, except from 1:50mins to 8:55mins, where it's just silence. It's worth fast forwarding the silence though, to listen to the total sickness that follows. This vocalist is truly talented for what he does. Very original.

The standout tracks on this CD are, in my opinion.."We Wear The Gimp Mask", "Salt Rock Eyes", "Bring Her A Mushroom Cloud Pt.1", "Sleepwalker"..which is my personal favourite, "Corsage of Fresh Meat and Rotten Pride", "Mother Pig", and "My Supernatural".

Like i previously said, if you like your Grindcore fast, you can't go past this CD. The vocals may not be for everyone, but they fit the type of music these guys play..Fast, Brutal Grindcore/Death Metal. This would appeal mostly to fans of the aforementioned bands AxCx and Cattle Decapitation, along with Dying Fetus, Psycroptic, Skinless, Vital Remains and even Cannibal Corpse.

When i first found out about codc i wasn't sure just what i was getting myself into and each song can either drain you or mess your mind up bad...Unless your ready to bear with it, like a review has mention before. The music here is full of blastbeats that i've honestly, never heard before followed by vocals that sound like they were made by satan himself... I got the chills while listining to this album and that never happened to me. Circle of dead children's "human harvest" is not meant for people who get offended easy nor its meant for weak hearted or people that have heart problems, do not attempt to listing to their music. The most chilling kind of grind that i've ever heard and i dont recommend you listining to it alone, at all. Strictly for grind fans and no one else like the review below me have said and he's right.

I'm not much of a listener of grindcore. I Listen mostly to Death meatl and industrial but this cd certainly has grabbed my attention and i recomend it to anybody who thinks they listen to music that kicks ass. This cd will kick your ass and leave you starring in amazement. So pick it up, put it in your stereo, turn off all the lights, and be amazed...

Horvath's vocals are off the scale on this release. Guitars and drums are the best that there have been for a Circle release. Where the hell is the bass?

This is the friggin craziest heaviest brutalest stuff around. Some sick breakdowns too. If you like grindcore.......BUY IT!!!! If you don't like grindcore......BUY IT!!!! This is one of my all time fav's, and I've only had it an hour. Buy it and GRIND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And I thought Pig Destroyer was brutal.

I discovered Circle of Dead Children after discovering fellow Death/Grindcore band Cattle Decapitation a few years back. At first when I discovered the genre of Grindcore it was a difficult transition; the style of music sounded too chaotic, and unstructured for my taste. The songs' formats never really measured up to what I had come to expect from standard metal bands. However, after a few listens, bands like Cattle Decapitation had become some of my most frequently listened to groups. Circle of Dead Children's overall style grew on me much quicker than that of other Grind bands have such as Cattle Decapitation, Aborted, Phobia, Leng Tch'e, Kill the Client, or Pig Destroyer.

Circle of Dead Children utilizes very short play-lengths for their tracks, a characteristic very common to Grindcore bands such as Agoraphobic Nosebleed. The speed of the songs varies, but the majority of the album "Human Harvest" is hard hitting, and fast paced. The songs flow into each other quite well, and a series of three or more one minute long tracks actually songs more like one full length track. The transitions occur so smoothly, that at times it can be difficult to determine where one track ends and the next begins. This is one of the reasons why listening to a Grindcore album from start to finish can be quite a unique experience.

Joe Harvath, the lead vocalist for the group, has quite some range to his style of screaming and growling. Songs transition from extremely low grunts and squeals, to much higher pitched growls and screams. His range is quite good, and at times the listener may think that the band has two vocalists, one for the low grunts and squeals, and another for the high pitched shrieks and yells.

The majority of the album is extremely fast paced, with tracks such as "Harvest at Dawn", "Mother Pig", "The Buzzard Blizzard" and "White Trash Headache" which utilize high counts of double bass drumming, fast paced guitar riffs, and a great mixture between growls and squeals that also occur at a high speed to match the accompanying background music perfectly. Other tracks slow down the tempo, and provide a sound resembling more standard Death Metal tracks, these include "Sleepwalker" and "Shadow of the Narcissist". These tracks are slower than the majority of the album, yet still provide a faster tempo than what other bands usually perform, showcasing that even when Circle of Dead Children changes tempo, they still provide heavy and fast music that Grind fans have come to expect from the band.

The main shining force I found with "Human Harvest" is with vocalist Joe's overall range and complexity between growling styles that are consistently changing throughout the album, at times even changing as quickly as one second to the next. The majority of the vocals are performed as low grunts, a range shown rarely by most bands. The ability to shift between highs and lows as freely as he does makes Joe's vocals truly stand out from other groups. His low guttural grunts are reminiscent of the deathcore band I Declare War, whose vocalist is also capable of some shockingly low grunts. The speed in which the vocals are delivered also greatly varies from track to track. Some tracks showcase Joe using slower tempos with his vocalization, while others can be quite sporadic and chaotic with faster tempos and frequent vocal changes.

Overall, from start to finish, "Human Harvest" will provide a mixed listening experiences that walks the line between tedium and amazing. The chaotic pace, the intensity, and the brutality provide one of the heaviest onslaughts that your ears may hear in a long time. The vocals are great, but at times may grow repetitive to some listeners due to the inability to comprehend lyrics. However, if you're just looking for a heavy hitting Grind album, look no further than "Human Harvest", it will not disappoint.

Circle of Dead Children are one of the heaviest bands on the face of the earth. Their music is mind-blowingly heavy. Unrelenting, harsh and intelligent. They are not the typical, Cannibal Corpse-like, blood and guts deathgrind band. They speak in tongues of demons, yet they know that there is something much larger controlling what you hear and see. Imagine a version of Napalm Death, with no holds barred and no peers.

This album is in the eyes of most fans I've talked to, the bands best, and I agree. Every track is worth its weight in gold. Nineteen in total, and with tracks as short as 6 seconds, to over four minutes. Not epic, like say Nile, Vital Remains or Opeth, but in their own field.
My personal favorite album for the past couple years.

Ugly music. Pure ugly.

wtf? is that a whistle or surgically modified vocal chords. holy crap buy it and find out! it rocks!

This is wicked modern grindcore. Chaotic, gets the blood flowing, what more do you expect? It's grind? The blastbeats are excellent. If you're wanting a modern grind release that never gets tiring, buy this.