Drumming is a truly artistic endeavor, to be sure. Rhythm is the backbone of music, and the drummer sets the beat. But drumming is also hitting, and sometimes hitting is less about finesse and more about how fast and hard you hit something. Napalm Death didn't invent the Blast-Beat but they were the chrysalis that led to its apotheosis: Grindcore. Adam MacGregor, in a review of Grindcore giant Agoraphobic Nosebleed, offers this description: "The blast-beat generally comprises a repeated, sixteenth-note figure played at a very fast tempo, and divided uniformly among the kick drum, snare and ride, crash, or hi-hat cymbal." It's not exactly creating a beat you can dance to, but it does get your heart rate up.
Like hardcore punk (which lends the "-core" to both this and many other subgenres) Grindcore's lyrical content is largely political. Cattle Decapitation and Carcass both use the genre to point out what they consider despicable human behavior (Cattle Decapitation's members are all vegetarian, for example).
Not always though. Agoraphobic Nosebleed and Pig Destroyer (both fronted by Scott Hull) focus more on violence, gore, and otherwise "offensive" content. Cephalic Carnage are famous for piss-taking, usually at the expense of other genres.
Of course, they got nothin' on the AC. If Anal Cunt doesn't offend you, you're a fucking liar. But, that's sort of their thing.
R.I.P. Seth
\m/
Prof. Organgrinder
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