Honky Reduction is Agoraphobic Nosebleed’s first full-length album, although at less than 20 minutes, the “full-length” designation might seem misleading. Actually, considering the detail involved in the drum programming, the lack of repetition in the guitar parts, and the overall level of violent aggression in the band’s music, 20 minutes is about the right length. The group’s sound ties together guitar parts reminiscent of early Earache label fare such as Carcass and Napalm Death, as well as a little bit of Reign in Blood-era Slayer, with humanly unplayable, squared-off-sounding drum machine beats and hoarse-throated yelling and shouting in the vocal department. The idea behind Agoraphobic Nosebleed’s music is to hit listeners with a repeated series of short, seemingly chaotic (but actually carefully organized) blasts of sound, never allowing them to get comfortable or get a real grip of what’s going on. As a result, it takes many listens to get to the bottom of this album, since very little of it could be considered “catchy.” Not everyone is going to want to put in that effort — not even grindcore fans — but it’s generally worth it even if the primitive drum machine sound is an acquired taste. – William York
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