Thematically, they stand against corruption and the arrogant domination of oppressors. A danceable Pantera-esque groove is The Dark Prison Massacre’s forte, while on their latest EP, Conviction, they have shown that they are keen on progression by incorporating Egyptian soundscapes into the mix. They consistently show that break-neck riffs and bestial vocals know no borders, as they turn any live house into a cyclone of limbs with massive circle pits and walls of death. The Chinese godfathers of slam, Tianjin’s The Dark Prison Massacre, have been at it since 2005, cementing a name for themselves as a must-see band if you ever visit China. Have a listen and shout “NIU BI” (fucking awesome) at your computer screens as I recap five of the most brutal bands China has to offer. While the genres of slam, grindcore and brutal death metal are not as popular in China as folk, thrash or death metal, there is still a scene that is very much active with fans who are enthusiastic about the most extreme sounds a guitar, bass, drums and a vocalist can produce. At shows such as this one, just a few dozen people out of the 20+ million who live in Beijing could take inspiration from one another and exchange ideas amidst the country’s notorious environment of censorship, participating in the darker, more extreme side of China’s musical underbelly.

The group is Chinese pornogrind band Cave Have Rod, who have since disbanded, but plenty of footage of their antics remains (search for their set at the Obscene Extreme festival). As the performance goes on, the singer’s clothes come off, and by the last song only a pair of little boy undies and a tampon stuck up his ass remain. His bandmates wear matching blood-soaked maxi pads on their faces like Bane-styled anti-germ masks. A vocalist wearing a tight blue gown and an inflated rubber lifesaver from the kid’s swimwear section of Wal-Mart prances onto the stage and starts dancing wildly, yipping lyrics and grinding the mic stand like it’s a steel phallus.

Top slamming brutal death metal bands