Despite Gravehill’s rotting exterior, the band seems to be made up of musicians who are having a blast doing exactly what they are doing. This attitude adds to a fun atmosphere when a band seems be laughing louder than the screams of its audience. From sunny California comes Gravehill, bastard metal who seem to have no primary loyalty aside from playing as fast and menacing as possible. It is the sound of evil and it rips like a motorcycle engine.

There are moments in Death Curse where there are just rhythmic animal growls. Noticing this is not difficult as Gravehill embodies a primal spirit where beer, Satan, and ritual murder- suicide seems to be the coolest thing to do at the moment. The band has adopted a very raw persona yet one which seems equally lighthearted without being a total parody. There are maniacs running around the woods with knives in songs like “Open Their Throats,” but just like the aforementioned imagery, there is a manic excitement which comes with terror. Songs like “Cruicifed” may seem stragne when first encountered but there is charm in its gang vocals and hardcore spirit. Death Curse may not be the easiest to peg down with standard genres but its anarchic spirit puts it in a heroic hall with other barbaric lawbreakers.

It is not difficult to smile when listening to Death Curse. Currently the band is gearing up for a tour with Diocletian and is even playing dates with the very chaotic Cemetery Lust. Gravehill gives one to root for in the death/thrash/black race as a band who couldn’t be happier if more people came to worship at the altar of filth. Death Curse is somewhat short in its running time but one does not have to stay long to notice the miasma of heavy metal which literally gives no fucks.