UMUR "Kill Trend Suicide" is a MCD release by US grindcore act Brutal Truth. The MCD was released through Relapse Records in October 1996. "Kill Trend Suicide" was re-released by Relapse Records in 2006 along with "Sounds of the Animal Kingdom (1997)" on one CD, which makes the material slightly easier to get a hold of.

The 10 tracks on the 33:51 minutes long MCD (about 10 minutes of the 15:09 minutes long closing title track feature silence though) are in the typical challenging and adventurous grindcore style that Brutal Truth are known for. While some grindcore releases are one-dimensional blast fests, Brutal Truth have always sought to write varied and memorable material. They can certainly blast away when that is called for, but also master mid-paced death metal grooves and odd spastic ideas. The latter element thankfully do not earn them the arty farty label (This is still filthy and raw grindcore), but rather ensure that the entertainment level is kept high at all times. The tracks on "Kill Trend Suicide" are not nearly as sophisticated as the material on the last major release by Brutal Truth though. "Need to Control (1994)" is to my ears one of the most genre pushing and unique sounding grindcore albums of the 90s and while the material on "Kill Trend Suicide" is intriguing and delivered with fierce aggression and conviction, it doesn´t quite reach the heights of "Need to Control (1994)". This is also in some part due to the production values. Where "Need to Control (1994)" featured a relatively clear yet powerful sound production, "Kill Trend Suicide" features a more murky and raw ditto.

"Kill Trend Suicide" bridges the gap between "Need to Control (1994)" and "Sounds of the Animal Kingdom (1997)" quite well though, but I don´t find it as important or necessary as the full-length releases. Of course if you are a fan, the MCD is a mandatory listen, but to the more casual listener I´d recommend a purchase of one of the full-lengths instead. Still Brutal Truth are in a league of their own, and even one of their less interesting releases of course deserves a 3.5 star (70%) rating. Actually I would have given a full 4 star (80%) rating if it wasn´t for the annoying 10 minutes of silence before a couple of minutes of noise that closes the MCD. Fooling people into believing that this release is 33:51 minutes long when in reality it´s only about 20 minutes long (that´s if you, like me, don´t count silence as music), is not just annoying, it´s downright offensive.