Stigmata High-Five

Album Review

"Ottawa's grind/metal powerhouse F*ck the Facts impacts with the subtlety of an atom bomb on their Relapse debut, Stigmata High-Five." How can you possibly top an opening statement like that (off the group's press release)? From beginning to end, F*ck the Facts rarely let up the intensity — whenever a tranquil detour occurs (such as in the album opener, "La Derniere Image"), it's only because the band is biding its time before they can bludgeon you over the coconut some more with extreme metal. Good old-fashioned grindcore is the name of the game here, and the Canadian group plays by the rules throughout — metronome-precision drumming and riffing abound, as well as vocal screams and growls. No ballads here, folks — tracks like "The Wrecking," "The Sound of Your Smashed Head," and "Dead in the Ruins of Your Own City" will annihilate any American Idol-esque boy bands on sight.