Casualties of Progress

An out of print but highly regarded 7" from 1995, Casualties of Progress found new life in 2008 as a CD reissue from Relapse. (These tracks did not appear on 2001's select discography on Bones Brigade.) The release added historical liner notes, three previously unreleased tracks, and a cover of "Unchallenged Hate" by Napalm Death, an obvious influence on Enemy Soil's brand of pissed-off, politically minded grindcore. Unlike their forebears, however, Enemy Soil used a drum machine. It originally arose out of difficulty in finding a drummer, but it became an Enemy Soil trademark. Its relentlessness was a perfect setting for anguished screams and filth-encrusted riffs — imagine Godflesh at twice the speed. Of course, the drums sounded fake, but that was the appeal — robot percussion as a metaphor for life's unyielding drudgery. ("Trapped in a Routine" sounded exactly like its title.) The CD's remastered sound was punchy and surprisingly un-dated. Perhaps this was due to Enemy Soil's role in helping birth the drum machine grindcore subgenre. Acts like Agoraphobic Nosebleed (featuring an ex-member of Enemy Soil) and Octis would take the band's mechanized aesthetic to new heights, ensuring the continuing relevance of Casualties of Progress.