Pornogrind Explained

Pornogrind
Other Names:Porngrind, pornogore
Cultural Origins:Early 1990s Germany and U.S.

Pornogrind (also known as porngrind or pornogore) is a musical microgenre offshoot of goregrind[1] [2] that lyrically deals with sexual and pornographic themes, hence the name.[3] [4]

Characteristics

The genre is related and similar to goregrind but does bear distinguishing features. Besides the eponymous emphasis on graphic sexual themes in lyrics and album artwork, which "would keep [these records] out of most stores", from a technical perspective pornogrind songs are often simpler, slower, and more rock-like[2] than other grind genres.

Zero Tolerance described pornogrind as "the most downright perverted of the lot, often adding a dollop of filthy groove and vocals straight from the toilet."[5] Natalie Purcell, however, in her book Death Metal Music: The Passion and Politics of a Subculture, suggests that pornogrind is defined solely on the basis of its lyrical content and unique imagery, its focus on pornographic content. Rolling Stone has said that it's "basically just grindcore, but with an over-the-top, juvenile obsession with sex, violence and the ways the two could combine on a woman’s body. Think samples from porno movies, lyrics about sexual violence and gross-out album art."[6]

Notable bands of the genre include Gut and Cock and Ball Torture.[7]

Controversy

Pornogrind saw some limited mainstream media attention after the 2019 Dayton shooting when it came to light that the perpetrator, Connor Betts, performed live vocals in the pornogrind group Menstrual Munchies on multiple occasions.[8] After the attack, Vice published an article entitled "It’s Time to Stop Making Excuses for Extreme Metal’s Violent Misogynist Fantasies" criticising the lyrical content of pornogrind as "reflective of a sexist society",[9] [6] and the shooting also prompted heavy metal outlets like MetalSucks[10] and Kerrang,[11] and bands like Devourment[12] to re-examine the lyrics, with Svalbard's Serena Cherry saying the genre "represents an utterly stupid, thoughtless, cartoonish misogyny".[13] Conservative columnist Rod Dreher later expanded the blame on the band The Acacia Strain whose hoodie Betts was wearing;[14] MetalSucks addressed this by adding "The Acacia Strain are heavy, sure, but they aren’t violent".[10]

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: Brown, Jonathon . Everything you ever wanted to know about pop (but were too old to ask) . . 16 June 2009 . London . 6 September 2007 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090923213816/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/everything-you-ever-wanted-to-know-about-pop-but-were-too-old-to-ask-463915.html . 23 September 2009 . dead .
  2. Book: Purcell , Natalie J. . Death Metal Music: The Passion and Politics of a Subculture. McFarland. 2003. 24. 0-7864-1585-1. 28 November 2007. https://web.archive.org/web/20130527213253/http://books.google.com/books?id=6ZErQs5hCUQC&pg=PA24&dq=%22gore+grind%22&sig=oCv_Tn0ZvXBHf7Yq3NdRfs6lqxA#PPA24,M1. 27 May 2013. live.
  3. News: Anderson, Vicki . Running the musical gauntlet . . 16 June 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090923205705/http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/lifestyle/166537 . 23 September 2009 . live .
  4. News: Hess, Amanda . Brick and Mordor: A record store heavy on the metal spins its last gloom and doom . . 16 June 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170203080531/http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/arts/article/13034822/brick-and-mordor . 3 February 2017 . live .
  5. "Grind Prix" (2005). Zero Tolerance #004, p. 46.
  6. Web site: WEINGARTEN . CHRISTOPHER . WTF Is Pornogrind? . 7 August 2019 . . 5 September 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190809154829/https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/pornogrind-dayton-shooter-band-868429/ . 9 August 2019 . live .
  7. Mincemoyer, John. "Gore International" (2002). Terrorizer #98, pp. 19-20.
  9. Web site: It's Time to Stop Making Excuses for Extreme Metal's Violent Misogynist Fantasies. Jill. Mikkelson. 21 January 2016.
  10. Web site: Op-Ed: Unpacking Dayton Shooter Connor Betts' Connection to Metal and Pornogrind. Vince. Neilstein. 6 August 2019. MetalSucks.
  11. Web site: How Brutal Death Metal Is Confronting Its Misogyny Problem. 29 August 2019. Kerrang!.
  12. Web site: Devourment Members Call Out Their Own Misogynistic Lyrics in the Past. Vince. Neilstein. 29 August 2019. MetalSucks.
  13. Web site: On the Hot Topic of Pornogrind.... 27 August 2019. MetalSucks.
  14. Web site: Connor Betts And 'Pornogrind' . 5 August 2019 . 5 September 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190905081436/https://www.theamericanconservative.com/dreher/connor-betts-pornogrind-dayton-murder/ . 5 September 2019 . live .

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