You know that atom bomb during the Second World War had to have done something over there in Japan. This is the country that gave us Mr. Miyagi yet at the same time also gave us hentai, rape simulators for the PC in the disguise of Dead or Alive rip-off 3D fighting games, those weird girls in the fake suntan, and some of the shittiest television shows we have to hear losers go crazy over. Then you have the metal that comes out of the country. Catasexual Urge Motivation is not just brutal, but it’s ridiculously sick, demented, and the lexicon epitome of vulgar as well. I fucking love Japan; you’re all insane but in such a cuddly way!

Like so many acts, I grabbed Bathtub Shitter’s Lifetime Shitlist on a whim while surfing through Willowtip’s distro. Unfortunately, it took me months to finally getting around to hearing it, as I was too busy messing with the Alienation Mental collection Four Years…Time Full of Brutality. When I did get around to hearing Lifetime Shitlist I smacked myself for taking so long to get to the cd. What we have here is a batch of rhythmic, yet unrelenting grindcore that is well written, speedy carnage but still has enough time to slow down, smell the flowers, and even mess with the occasional traditional metal vibe. Vocally, I could do without the screams; they go ridiculously high and retain very little brutality in their execution. If there was ever a reason for dissenters of Jon Chang’s vocals to appreciate his style of high-end screams, it would be in contrast to the higher screams of Bathtub Shitter. However, the majority of the time the vocals take a lower, gurgling delivery and the screaming doesn’t take away the appeal of the deeper style. Bathtub Shitter’s main strength lies in their ability to write well structured, varied songs that have the extremity of the classic grindcore we know and love yet at the same time have melody and mid-paced groove not unlike Nasum (in terms of ability, not in terms of sound). Also, check out the catchy Witchfinder General cover!

Bathtub Shitter is another notch in the rank of Japanese metal acts. The grind is smooth, the sound is harsh, and the songs go down as good as sake. There’s no shit aftertaste involved with these guys.

Written By: Necro-tron