Vim Fuego One of the cool things about grindcore is that while, yes, there are certain parameters which define the genre, there’s nothing to stop a band colouring outside the lines. Russian avant-garde imbecile grindcore (their label, not mine!) act Поцелуй Бомжа (Kiss the Hobo) has done that right here, with a left-field cover of Paradise Lost’s “Say Just Words”, retitled “Спиздани” (“Spizani”).

Paradise Lost caught a lot of flak when this song was released, the first single from their 1997 album “One Second”, because it had strayed so far from the band’s doom/death roots into Gothic dance/rock. It didn’t seem to bother the band that much, as their future work drifted even further from the metal path. Kiss The Hobo’s Weh.r Kexitt twisted the song even more. While Kiss The Hobo is technically a two man band, M.David-jewnior was not involved, as he is the band’s lyricist, leaving Kexitt to mash this song to a messy pulp. Most grindcore is played at near light speed, which often covers any technical deficiencies in the musicianship. Not this time. This is played at a slightly bouncier pace than the original dirge. The main riff is taken up by an accordion, the bass is a tuba or something similar, and then the guitar kicks in. there are mysterious strings, and possibly a toot of a flute somewhere in the mix too. The overall effect is something like a demonic polka.

Kexitt has a poor grasp of English, and only a faint acquaintanceship with melody, but you can’t hold a keen man back, as he gives this his best pitch-shifted gargle, and added strangled screams for good measure. There’s some ghostly backing vocals near the end of the track too.

This shouldn’t work. It should sound like an ill-fitting mish-mash of random styles, ill-advisedly thrown together, forming a tuneless lump of noise. But this odd misinterpretation of a controversial excursion into Gothicism is like lightning striking Frankenstein’s monster. It breathes new, if slightly creepy, life into a collection of dull, dead parts. This is not much more than a harmless novelty, but it should raise an imbecilic smile on all but the most jaded metal fan’s faces for at least a few minutes.