We have a chat with two English grind projects putting out radical, one-of-a-kind music and two of the parties behind a forward-thinking split put out by Manchester-based label Anti-Mind Music last month.
GENDERISTHEBASTARD
Who are you? Tell me some facts about yourself.
GENDERISTHEBASTARD is a solo project from Danny Page, who also plays in grindcore duo Victim Unit. They're a vegan, a fizzy drink enthusiast, and avid reader whose favorite book is Poppy Brite's Exquisite Corpse and favorite author is Angelo Jonoffsky.
What influences do you take for your music?
The goal of GENDERISTHEBASTARD is to blend powerviolence, noise, cybergrind, and jazz in a brand new way, so Page tries to avoid intentionally taking specific influences or utilizing preconceived notions.
What's your favorite genre to listen to?
It varies with mood, but the big genres on repeat are grindcore, cybergrind, noise, and jazz.
Do you play live?
The first GENDERISTHEBASTARD live shows happened at the end of 2023 - one recent memorable gig was at a pub-turned-art gallery and poem stage.
How did you get into metal and hardcore music? What's your opinion on the state of the scene?
Page grew up with death metal and eventually broke into grindcore and hardcore. They enjoy the comradery aspect of hardcore, especially within the powerviolence/grind/noise side of the scene.
What led to you creating the GENDERISTHEBASTARD project and moving into the cybergrind space?
Page has a history playing in bands and occupying different music roles that they feel has had a positive influence on their autism; their work with their partner in Victim Unit led to a desire to start a solo project in a more noise-driven space where they could "more throw paint at a canvas."
Worm Hero
Dildwuar Esquire requests that all grammatical choices are his own and are to be kept in. Any resemblance to real life figures are merely coincidental as this is a work of non-fiction from a separate galaxy.
What are 3 hobbies you have?
D.A.V.R.O.S: Gaming, TV, going for earth walks. Thank you for your inquiry, I am preparing my circuits for the next question.
Dildwuar Esquire: Sound design, walking amongst the wonderful fauna of flora of this wet rock that you call Erf! I escaped from a Saints drug raid on Shpongle II with only a paperclip and spoon.
Countess Chellibal: Gaming! Gaming! Gaming!
Xandra Shitquark: Playing with my worm, making CDs for bands. In Andromeda, I was known as the Buttqueen of the Western Quarter in Heralac I for my work in DIY plastic surgery services I offered for a very small fee.
What influences do you take for your music?
DA: For me, early Parkway Drive, Cattle Decap, Whitechapel, noise and grindcore, Iron Maiden for fills, and so many others. Thank you for your inquiry, I am preparing my circuits for the next question.
X: Based in my roots in nu-metal with bands like Static-X, Marilyn Manson and Rammstein. I eventually moved on to much more out there music like The Locust, Cardiacs, An Albatross. The latter three has a big influence on Worm Hero in particular.
DE: I found Iced Earth's Pure Evil in the game Brutal Legend which we had a pirated copy from the transgalactic Pirate Bay on the Marauder from there on my influences got heavier and heavier. Once I came to Erf I found bands like Cannibal Corpse thanks to an Earthworm called Professor Leighton and from there I branched out into other Earthworm music such as Weather Rapport, Frank Zipper and other wondrous Earthworm sound vibrations.
What's your personal favorite genre of music?
DA: Somewhere between metalcore and death metal. Thank you for your inquiry, I am preparing my circuits for the next question.
X: Mathcore, Braindance (IDM) or Jazz Fusion. Can't pick a favorite but it's between those.
DE: The Mogri people don't see genre as our attention span is that of the domestic house parrot.
Have you toured or performed live? If so what are your favorite memories of it?
DA: The first memory playing with Worm Hero live was dogshit because my window got smashed, my satnav was stolen and still to this day I don't have a sound system in my car. Favorite memory? Dunno. Thank you for your inquiry, I am preparing my circuits for the next question.
X: First day of our most recent tour seeing Victim Unit perform was incredible and our performance was offkilter too - we sold the most merch we've ever sold in a day that day.
C: No particular memory from a tour because every night and venue was lovely. I would say Balter Festival for me was my favorite memory in general due to it being our first outdoor festival and the atmosphere being unreal!
DE: My exploration of this planet has been vast, from the Yang Sea to the Danube, but my favorite of all is touring the Celtic Isles of the UK with inhabitants of this celtic isle such as bands like Lure In, Victim Unit, Vicarage, and Sevenyearwaitinlist.
What are some favorite live moments of other bands?
DA: Sevenyearwaitinglist covering one of our tunes from early days on the first night of tour. Thank you for your inquiry, I am preparing my circuits for the next question.
C: Victim Unit, Lure In, Omnibadger/Don't Try! All these groups bring so much energy to their performances and I love their "in your face" engagement with the audience!
X: Missing out on all the slam bands I've ever played with to save my mental health from degradation from the beefy slams.
DE: I fondly remember the barrel surfing incident of LiverPool 2021 on our phenomenal tour with the amazing soundwave vibration ensembles of Lure In and Vicarage of Erf fame.
What's your thoughts on the state of metal, hardcore/metalcore and cybergrind?
DA: Been very few creative and decent metalcore bands in years since Caliban, for me. I'm not a fan of crowdkilling hardcore shows where the audience thinks they're all the main event. I like the music of hardcore a lot and the current state of metal is decent I just think the violence in the audience is a little too over the top sometimes. Thank you for your inquiry, I am preparing my circuits for the next question.
X: Metal's never been healthier, it's becoming more accepting depending on the subgenre you're involved in. Cybergrind has always been fun for me to hear and make and I've enjoyed the scene for years - and still do. Hardcore shows are fun so long as no one is hurting others on purpose, I enjoy seeing people hardcore dancing too as long as anyone who's hurt is involved in that dancing and not just someone standing away from the craziness. Overall it's pretty good I'd say.
DE: Aha! For the state of vibrations such as hardcore and cybergrind there has never been a much more fruitful and bountiful time for it to be created... my favourite metal is stainless steel, because it shiny.
How did you come to be involved in the Cybergrind scene and genre?
DA: I'm a robot. Cybergrind is just grind to me.
X: I'm an alien, not a robot so I don't have circuits. Can't really have an opinion on things I do not know. Thanks.
DE: I found my way into the creation of these vibrations through the means of conversing with my other offplanet associates such as Xandra and was convinced to join this ensemble as a potential to build funds to get back to the Marinara Trench. So far it has been fruitless venture for we (I) have been buying 1977 Greek pressings of Jethro Tull's Songs from the Wood with printing errors intact. Mmm... yummy vinyl.
Worm Hero and GENDERISTHEBASTARD's split with Omnibadger and Sevenyearwaitlinglist can be found on Anti-Mind Music's Bandcamp page. GENDERISTHEBASTARD's music can be found on Bandcamp with selected releases on streaming services. Worm Hero's music can be found on Bandcamp and streaming services.
Worm Hero provided the following Spotify playlist of influences and their favorite tracks of their own:
Page provided the following curated list of songs illustrating influences on the GENDERISTHEBASTARD and some of their personal favorite tracks:
GENDERISTHEBASTARD - I WAS CALLED A F*GGOT (PANSY ELECTRONICS, Hard Return, 2024)
GENDERISTHEBASTARD - XXVI (INFLAMED AMYGDALA, Anti-Mind Music, 2024)
Victim Unit - Spit & Spite (IF NOT, Y NOT, Affair Records, 2023)
Victim Unit - Thankyou (IF NOT, Y NOT, Affair Records, 2023)
Kayo Dot - Marathon (Choirs Of The Eye, Tzadik Records, 2003)
Naked City - Leng Tch'e (Leng Tch'e, Toy's Factory, 1992)
Ehnahre - The Man Closing Up (The Man Closing Up, Sound Devastationn Records, 2008)
Full of Hell - Pile of Dead Horses (Roots of Earth are Consuming My Home, A389 Recordings, 2011)
Chat Pile - Davis (Remove Your Skin Please, Self-Released, 2019)
fallingwithscissors - Atrophy:Angel (the death and birt of an angel, Future Sight Records, 2024)
Jesus Piece - Profane (...So Unknown, Century Media Records, 2023)
Weekend Nachos - Eulogy (Apology, Relapse Records, 2016)
Knifedoutofexistence - Cast A Shadow (Knifedoutofexistence/Plague Mother, Self-Released, 2020)
Dystopia - Self Defeating Prophecy (The Aftermath..., Life Is Abuse/Crawlspace/Misanthropic Records, 1999)
Infest - Where's The Unity? (Infest, Self-Released, 1988)
Sissy Spacek - Social Gimmick (Disfathom, Helicopter, 2016)
The Gerogerigegege - Hatsutaiken (Recollections of Primary Masturbation (338 Songs CD), Onkel Tuka Records, 1998)
Giacinto Scelsi - Konx-om-pax (1969)
Xiabalba - Soledad (Hasta La Muerte, Southern Lord, 2012)
Richard Ramirez - Anger Built Machine (Anger Built Machine, Realization Recordings, 1994)