Home Projects Reading About Links
TxNx 2021-2022
Ivan Shishkin - Oak Grove, 1887

Grindcore and catharsis in art

By TxNx

Originally published on 28/01/2022

Fast music

Seth Putnam, grindcore singer of AxCX

Seth Putnam (1968-2011), founder and vocalist
of USA grindcore band Anal Cunt

In the last few months I have been exploring the extreme musical domains of grindcore (Anal Cunt, Agoraphobic Nosebleed) and powerviolence (Despise You, Gasp, Crom). Now, for those who are unfamiliar with heavy metal and punk music terminology, the common characteristics of these two subgenres are: high speed tempo and screamed vocals; drums typically follow a blast beat pattern. Lyrics are about politics and gore but references to drugs and use of black humor are common. Songs are usually short, sometimes reaching just few seconds. (On a deeper note, grindcore is usually related to heavy and death metal while powerviolence is more an extreme form of hardcore punk). It’s clear from this short description, that this kind of music can be challenging and even unpleasant to the casual listener. So, my question is: why am I attracted to it?

Aristotle, Greek philosopher

Portrait of Greek philosopher
Aristotle; looks like someone
who would enjoy
grindcore, doesn’t he?

Catharsis, tragedy and Greek dudes

According to the Greek philosopher Aristotle (384 – 322 BC), it’s possible for a man to obtain a purification from his own passions through art: this phenomenon was called “catharsis”. So, participating emotionally in music or representation of tragedy, spectators could find relief and become better people.

Aristotle in a blast beat

In conclusion, maybe I found out what keeps me returning to this fast and violent music: through the screaming, the blast-beats and the obscene themes, it helps me purge myself from stress and letting go of negative emotions.




Discography

Gasp - Sore for Days

Cover of powerviolence USA band
Gasp’s demo “Sore for Days” (1996)

This is not meant to be an introduction nor an essential albums list of any genre; it’s just some music I enjoyed in the last few months that prompted me to write this article.