It’s been six years since The Sound of No Hands Clapping dropped, and Hewhocorrupts made a good decision in picking up 7000 Dying Rats. Their latest – Season in Hell – is an entertaining release even if it’s a tad too scatterbrained for its own good. Stylistically, 7DR play an eviscerating form of grindcore that, honestly, I wish I could’ve heard more of. When they’re not grinding, they put humor to use in true Crotchduster fashion, and that’s why SiH is at least somewhat disjointed.

With 28 tracks on tap, there’s quite a bit to digest. The most enjoyable tunes found on this long-player, however, are the grinders – “Altar of Goat Skulls,” “Hack to Bits,” the plodder “Bigfoot Destroy,” “Annihilator the Devastator,” “Satanium Bloodlust,” “Balls of Bigotry,” “Death Hammer of the Bearded Ones,” “Horrible,” “The Wound (Gapeth Open),” “We Had ‘Dying’ in Our Name Before All Those Metalcore Cocksuckers Came Along,” “Grind Fluffer,” etc. There are also several humorous tunes worth noting such as the clean-sung ballad “Your Studied Indifference is Duly Noted,” the pseudo-Candiria rap “We Want Weez-E,” southern rocker “Rock ‘N Roll Weapon,” electronica Black Sabbath cover “Paranoid,” and the Nintendo-esque “Ballad of Chico.” The remainder, I’m afraid, consists of pointless interludes. Selections known as “Argument at Your Local Indie Record Store,” “Eddie Money,” “Alzheimerz,” “Baby Crusher,” “Blondies,” “A Real Kneeslapper,” “Jesus Farted,” “Forced Boat,” “Funeral March,” “Hellcatcher,” and even “Outro” could be left by the wayside and Season in Hell would be better for it.

Typically I prefer my grind without humor and my humor without grind – lyrics aside – but 7000 Dying Rats keep each of the above-mentioned separated, which was a wise move on their part. Still, unless you’re a tolerant individual who doesn’t mind sitting through 30-second clips between longer bursts of grind, then you’ll most likely find yourself skipping through much of Season in Hell to get to the real meat. The replay value doesn’t seem to be too high either, though that’s a minor gripe in this case. Despite being a solid unit, I kept hoping 7DR would eventually quit fucking around, and, as they say, grind on. Maybe that’s just their allure, or more precisely, their shtick.