Circle of Dead Children

Circle of Dead Children are a breath of fresh air in the underground extreme music world. The band, which hails from California, manages to mix up a motley array of sounds on the 17 songs on The Genocide Machine. Clocking in at just less than 30 minutes, the Circle keeps things short, fast and intense. While the overall feeling is one of grindcore, there is also sludgy power violence, hardcore, noise, spoken word and, oddly, a slight black metal vibe at times. However, the band isn't out to confound listeners with a technical nerd-fest, as things get sort of sloppy and goopy at times. The production sound feels a bit haphazard somehow, but in a way that adds to the urgency of the album. The main thing here is the overall feel, which is pretty emotionally intense: the record deals with how we are all part of the genocide machine, slowly destroying the earth. Lyrically intense and sonically devastating, they'll have you sucked in and spat out in under half-an-hour, annihilated but wanting more. Numb, you'll just nod your head in permission.