World Downfall

Terrorizer | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 25, 1995)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Earache Records
• ASIN: B00000582M
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #18,538 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #42 in Music > Indie Music > Alternative Rock > Hardcore & Punk
  • #68 in Music > Indie Music > Rock > Hard Rock & Metal
  • #77 in Music > Alternative Rock > Hardcore & Punk > Hardcore

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is the way it was meant to be..., September 7, 2005

By 

robotiq "robotiq" (UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: World Downfall (Audio CD)

A tip for those interested in exploring 'Grindcore' - assume that 99% of the genre is utter garbage and you'll save yourself a lot of time and money.

Remember that the genre exists for the sole purpose of being as inhumanely fast and ridiculously extreme as possible, making it very difficult to do with any conviction. 90% of the bands are just not musically talented enough to hold everything together. The remaining 9% fail either because they have absolutely no appreciation of song dynamics, or because they treat the music as a clinical exercise requiring a degree of mathematical precision that negates the naive charm and excessiveness that made it all so damn cool in the first place.

This of course, is precisely why you need to own *this* record, because 'World Downfall' is the pinnacle of the genre. Taking the basic elements of Repulsion and Napalm Death and beefing it up with one of the greatest drum performances of all time, captured perfectly under a murky Morrisound production. Brief (but recognisable) songs blur seamlessly into one another, climaxing with the incredible 'Dead Shall Rise'. Forget for a moment that the band shared members of Morbid Angel and Napalm Death, because this record is effortlessly superior to anything either band ever recorded, and I can pay no higher compliment than that. Utterly essential.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars After World Obliteration, Terrorizer will be there laughing, April 16, 2002

By 

Sean (Lakeland, Fl.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: World Downfall (Audio CD)

You cannot talk about Grindcore without mentioning the band Terrorizer. When Grindcore first started out, bands like Napalm Death, Carcass and Extreme Noise Terror where the godfathers of the genre. Then Terrorizer came, and blew the lid off everybodies heads! Terrorizer was what not only gave the early Grindcore bands the push, speed, and noise it needed, but as well gave them the modern day song structure. Terrorizer at the time was a Grindcore "supergroup" formed of Jesse Pintado(Napalm Death), David Vincent and Pete Sandoval (Morbid Angel), and Oscar Garcia(Nausea). Terrorizer is one of my favorite classic Metal bands along with Vulcano, Pentagram(Chile), Sarcofago, Possessed, Dark Angel, Nuclear Assault...etc. Evene though they released 1 album, it still beats a LOT of what everybodies putting out these day. If you are a Grindcore fan and have not listened to this, then just drop everything you are doing and purchase this classic album.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Original, seminal, influential, essential, and bah-roo-tal!, June 27, 2006

By 

A. Stutheit "Teyad" (Denver, CO USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: World Downfall (Audio CD)

Napalm Death and Bolt Thrower are often credited for being grindcore's godfathers, but Terrorizer were every bit as responsible for making and popularizing this type of music. In other words, if Napalm Death (who debuted in 1987) and Bolt Thrower (1988) planted grindcore's seeds, then Terrorizer watered them and helped them to grow and prosper. Thus, all three bands were at the root of grindcore's creation.

And Terrorizer were not only one of grindcore's first bands, they were also one of the first extreme metal supergroups. Two out of the four band members, bassist/vocalist David Vincent and drummer Pete Sandoval, would later become famous for their involvement in Morbid Angel, and guitarist Jesse Pintando was apart of Napalm Death.

All metalheads need to know the following two words: "World Downfall." This is the title of Terrorizer's first--and so far only--studio album (which was released in 1989). This disc is widely thought of as being immensely influential in the grindcore genre. In fact, it has got to be one of the most important metal albums in the history of extreme music. Terrorizer were, after all, the first American band to fuse thrash with death metal.

"World Downfall" kind of sounds like Napalm Death, circa 1987 (the "Scum" era), except these songs are longer and David's vocals are much more constipated. This record is one long, ultra-intense, giga-heavy, super fast maelstrom composed of walls of crushing guitar noise and constant, speed of light blast beats. It is so full of scorching riffs and walloping blast beats, one can't help but wonder if Jesse's fret board is smoking and Pete's bass drum is in splinters by the time the first song is done playing.

Jesse and Pete are incredibly nimble and skilled musicians. They never fall behind or get lost in the mix, and they both play an equal part in driving the songs' rhythms.

None of the songs ever cop into any kind of melody or slow tempos. Thus, when the album is over, about all the listener remembers is one long blur. But, if you listen closely, there are a few standout tracks here. "After World Obliteration" is the album opener, and since it is an onslaught of blindingly fast riffs and pounding bass drums, it sets the pace well for the rest of the songs to follow. Later, "Fear Of Napalm" is a fiery, churning steamroller, and "Corporation Pull-In" is backed by careening guitars and insane drumming. The last really memorable song is track seven, "Condemned System." Pete really gets to show off his talents, here (he goes berserk on his trapkit and creates an all-over-the-place, jackhammer rhythm.)

If you're just getting into Terrorizer (in 2006), you might not understand what the big deal is about, since there are louder bands out there nowadays. But bare in mind that "World Downfall" came before all of those bands. (Without this album, there would be virtually no grindcore as we know it, today.) So, if you've given this disc a couple of listens and you still (for whatever reason) don't get anything out of it, you should still give Terrorizer credit for being so influential. And if you're a Napalm Death, Morbid Angel, or extreme metal aficionado, there is almost no C.D. you need to buy more than this one.