I Grind, Pt 1: Damage Digital

I was lucky enough to catch a Damage Digital show right here in Kuala Lumpur way back in 1997. It was probably their second visit to Malaysia. I don’t remember how I managed to miss them the first time they were here but I definitely didn’t want to miss them again, especially after hearing a lot of good things from people who managed to catch their first show. If I can remember well, Damage Digital was also the first Japanese band that I saw live. And it was really an experience.

Maybe I ‘m exaggerating things, but few can deny the quality of the bands coming from Japan. They might not be the most original but they made it up with other things, most notably are their live performance. From my very limited experience there are hardly any bad memories from watching a Japanese band… well maybe with an exception for Fuck on the Beach. But then again, they were horrible in the first place.

Although often time compared to Discordance Axis, Damage Digital (DxDx) is not a straight up carbon copy of Discordance Axis. Yes there are definitely similarities between them, and as far as I know, Discordance Axis was probably in Damage Digital’s long list of influence but they are definitely not a Discordance Axis rip off.

Damage Digital will definitely be on my top ten all time favorite grindcore bands alongside Napalm Death, Terrorizer, Brutal Truth and Discordance Axis. I can hardly find any new band that can match the sheer ferocity and OTT intensity that were produced by DxDx, be it on recorded material or live performance. Sure there are lots of new grindcore bands out there but quite frankly none of them interest me at all. But hey, I’m open for recommendations as long as the band is not affiliated with Relapse.

I think recently someone in the US was kind enough to release a DxDx LP. As far as I know Crimes Against Humanity is carrying ‘em in their distro. Check DxDx own website for details. Here a few mp3s from their previous releases.