The master of middelclass dissection, John Updike, has passed away

Prolific author, poet, playwright, critic, commentator and Pulitzer Prize winner, John Updike, passed away last tuesday (January 27). Mr Updike suffered from lung cancer during the last years of his life, but died peacefully at a hospice in Danvers, Massachusetts. He was 76.

John Updike was a ruthless revealer of middleclass mediocrity and hypocrisi – a theme that dominated most of his massive production of novels, plays, poetry and articles. He is probably most well known for his Rabbit-series of novels (Rabbit, Run, Rabbit Redux, Rabbit Is Rich, Rabbit At Rest and Rabbit Remembered) that also landed him the Pulitzer Prize twice and the novel The Witches of Eastwick which was also adapted for cinema. Finally Mr Updike was a household name in the columns of the prestigious magazine, The New Yorker.

Mr Updike was a rarely gifted writer who had a unique insight into the mechanics of everyday life and everyday people that he used to portray the utterly clueless individual coasting through life without making any choices – strangled by a society that promotes mediocrity as the ultimate life goal. His extremely humorous, yet painfully serious, outlook on contemporary society will be soarly missed and there is no doubt that the literary and intellectual landscape has lost one of its greatest minds.

“The refusal to rest content, the willingness to risk excess on behalf of one’s obsessions, is what distinguishes artists from entertainers, and what makes some artists adventurers on behalf of us all.”, Mr Updike is quoted for saying. And he truly was an adventurer and an explorer of the human condition on behalf of the great silent majority.

John Updike (1932 - 2009)

The long-time-no-see + review post

Back again after a couple of totally chaotic months. I’ve been recording and gigging with my band FRANK SILVA and if you live in Copenhagen check us out on January 9 in Råhuset, Vesterbro. Also we’re close to the release of the LEATHERVEIN-record. Twelve tracks of fist-throwing, power-posing and soloinfused hardcore combined with the delights of NWOBHM and again, if you live in Copenhagen listen to LowCut Radio on sunday January 4, 6 p.m. for a sneak-preview.
On a personal note I’m finally back in my own appartment again, and just installed my stereo the other day which of course means home sweet home.

But enough about that.

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Review: A magnificently brutal debut
Artist: Dead Instrument
Title: Maksimal Destruktion
Label/distributor: Spild af Vinyl Recs.

Dead Instrument is a four piece Grind-outfit straight out of Copenhagen who used to play under the name Stalk of Death with the somewhat unfortunate acronym, S.O.D. This didn’t fly so the guys changed name and bass-player after having released a scruffy yet very promising demo a couple of years back.
On December 5 they introduced the most rescent outcome of their work together as a trio without bass - a full-length debut Lp intitled ‘Maksimal Destruktion’ (Maximum Destruction, ed.) – at a release-party at Copenhagens, Lades Kælder.

Front-man vocalist Jacob and guitarist Phillip

The release-show was the second time I saw Dead Instrument and what has overwhelmed me on both occations is the sheer intensity with which these guys light up a stage. Tons of people showed up – I didn’t even know that many people are into grind in this city – and the small stage at Lades was turned into a regular slaughterhouse-moshpit as front-man Jacob kept beating his own face in with the mic.

Musically ‘Maksimal Destruktion’ is fast as fuck grindcore in the vein of Discordance Axis and the likes. On tracks like Eyeless Wonder however, Dead Instrument turn down the BPM level and reveal a more heavy-set sound with sludgy riffs and sloppering drumbeats that make you think of kings of slow, Eyehategod.

Songs like Passive Target and the title-track Maksimal Destruktion are faster than anything I’ve heard from Denmark before and still no instrumental or vocal twist is lost in the chaos. The production is excellent and the engineering by Paw Koch pays minute attention to the details of every single sound-track without ever compromising the implicit brutality of the genre.

Maksimal Destruktion cover art by Jason Gardner

Dead Instrument’s demo was more of a chaos-grind project in my opinion (which may just have been due to the cheap production), but ‘Maksimal Destruktion’ really reveals these dudes as the extremely competent musicians they are. Whether it’s Emil’s amazing drumtracks, Philip’s insanely catchy almost rock n’ roll-like riffs or the vocal range of singer Jacob, Dead Instrument are impressive even if you don’t dig the genre (in which case you’re a complete tool anyway).

My advice is to get your hands on this sizzeling slab of vinyl a.s.a.p and remember to buy an extra copy for the kids as well. They might as well learn to appreciate radical stuff now, and that’s just what Dead Instrument brings to the party.

Check up on Dead Instrument here or here.