I’m Richer for Knowing P.O.O.R.

This is the first paragraph of Shawn Macomber’s new Deciblog post about P.O.O.R.:

“Last September the frenetic Ventura, California quartet P.O.O.R. — i.e., Point of Our Resistance — released Extinction of Trust, which just so happens to be one of the great grindcore records of the last several years. Yet despite featuring members/ex-members of Fatalist, Dirty Dead, Decrypt, Stump, and Burning at the Stake, and a slew of gigs opening for such luminaries as Nasum, Rotten Sound, Exhumed, Phobia, and Fuck the Facts, this diverse, churning, creative slab of blast n’ roar still has not quite received its proper respect.”

Macomber is right in every regard — because Extinction of Trust IS awesome, and the band obviously are not getting their due… ’cause I’d never even heard of them before Macomber’s article. Mr. Macomber, I raise my metaphorical internet glass to you.

Extinction of Trust is the kind of grindcore that can induce anxiety; as both the album’s title and the names of the songs (“Christian Science Fiction,” “White Collared Noose,” “American Idolatry,” etc.), it’s powered by a wariness of mainstream societal values so extreme as to border on paranoia. It often feels like rage born not of malicious intent, but, rather, of fear, hopelessness, and just plain old being at then end of the rope. Trust might even have been an unpleasant listen, if not for the band’s ability to write truly righteous grind riffs. A guitar solo by Exhumed’s Matt Harvey on “Flip the Scripture” perfectly exemplifies the entire album’s vibe: it’s a smooth ride headed straight off a fucking cliff.

You can stream Extinction of Trust below, and purchase it here. (It’s just five bucks! Do it!!!) But I also strongly encourage you to check out Macomber’s Deciblog piece, which features guitarist/vocalist Neil Burkdoll explaining six of the album’s twenty-four tracks in much greater detail.