Think of a grindcore record in which movie samples are used in every song. You'll probably be able to narrow down your list to about 12 billion albums. Now imagine a grindcore record where movie samples are placed ingeniously throughout songs in a way that doesn't awkwardly interrupt the flow of their incredibly fast pace, while simultaneously enhancing the stupidly action-packed feel of the album. That's a Gorlock album. Destination Time Yesterday is the first in the "Destination Time" trilogy, and while I think that Graf Orlock perfect their movie sample-driven grindcore on the second instalment (Destination Time: Tomorrow), these maniacs have created one hell of a grindcore experience with this record.
Graf Orlock, who take their name from one of film history's most infamous black-and-white vampires, have taken the use of movie samples to new heights, working them seamlessly into the songs themselves. Take Captives of the Thuggee for example, a song that samples Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Halfway through the song, we hear that evil priest / amateur heart surgeon chanting "Kali Ma… Kali Maaaa" just before the song tears into a break down in which Gorlock scream the words "KALI MA, SHAKTI DE!" Yeah it sounds kind of stupid when you read it like that, but its also what makes Graf Orlock so goddamn fun to listen to. Oh yeah, did I mention that all of the band's lyrics are ripped straight from the film scripts of the movies that they sample? Goddamn fun.
Don't mistake this album for being a novelty act though. Graf Orlock are also an amazing grindcore band and they sure as hell don't need to lean on their use of samples as a gimmick. The duelling vocals are some of my favourite in my entire collection of extreme bands. Kalvin Kristoff's strained, frantic scream paired with Jason Schmidt's roar (they even take turns yelling at each other, "fuck you!" "No, fuck YOU!" on Panic At The Galleria) makes for some of my favourite vocal deliveries in the genre. The song-writing is best described as spastic, never lingering on one riff for longer than 30 seconds, before moving on into a completely different, but equally awesome idea. Songs are short, fast and very chaotic. And yet, there are so many memorable parts of this 25 minute-long album.
That's all I'm going to say about Graf Orlock for now, god forbid I get another album from the trilogy playing next on shuffle and I'll have to repeat myself all over again. Follow the link above to get to the Gorlock Bandcamp page and take a listen for yourself. I'm eagerly awaiting their next cinema-grind project.
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