Though it may only take you five or so minutes to read—well, one to skim, ten seconds to stare at the scores, another few to check whether the score safety counter still works, 30 seconds to draft a snarky “what is this site coming to” comment that you delete, a couple minutes to see what other bewildered folks have to say about something completely unrelated, and a final scan to skim the conclusions again—this article, and another 26 minutes to listen to Vntrve if you please, the beauty of Beaten to Death lies in that none of that will be enough time. In a genre of microblasts and unintelligible grunts and barks and bleats, this Norwegian exercise in twanged-out chaos delivers methodical and memorable vignettes of pure punk outpour. If there ever were a cure for stagnation, grindcore—particularly the buoyant and eclectic variety that Beaten to Death produces—would be it.
To this point, Vntrve true to legacy, Beaten to Death has never put out the same album twice. At first blush, between the booming Norwegian rap intro1 and groovier pacing to match (“Slosspit”), it feels as though Beaten to Death doesn’t even want to grind. The traditions of grind would, of course, feel like shackles to the wiles of these time-tested tricksters. Yet, blast-addled breakaways crash into reggaeton dembows (“Electrocuted by the Sky”), reverb-soaked sax wailing (“The Tolerator”), and twisted synth dial screeches (“Vntrve”). Near every song challenges the expectations of grind, right down to the continued inclusion of their trademarked “distort the bass only” aggression tactic, which Beaten to Death also manages to subvert with a doomy opening guitar boom on “Memento Sugo.” It’s Christian Svendsen’s (Doedsvangr, ex-Tsjuder) reckless kick and snare play, really, that keeps transitioning moments tied to the necessary whiplash of the base genre. If you know what’s coming next, it’s a result of repeated digestion of Vntrve’s nooks and crannies.
Even on first listen, Vntrve reveals its tendency for barbed hook and diverse expression. As if B2D didn’t already have an ear for unmistakable melodies, the kind of post-hardcore-imbued flutters that would feel at place scattered about a The Fall of Troy or Botch jam (“Electrocuted by the Sky,” “(Du er verken Jesus eller Buddha) Du er Ugmod”), their ability to frame these moments of beauty against crash cymbal overloaded gallops and tattered layers of barks allows each song’s thread to weave that much tighter. Now seven albums down this idiosyncratic path, Beaten to Death runs the risk of sounding too much like themselves. And it’s true that the main riffs to “The Tolerator,” “Scroll On, Homeboy,” and “Satan Spawn, the K-Pop Demon” wear that identity proudly. But when there are ten others songs that each bring their own ideas to the table, these brief retreads—and I do mean brief; this is still grind after all—do little to get in the way of frequent enjoyment, especially when that enjoyment means shouting “SCROLL OOOON! HOME-BOY!”
And a high frequency of playthroughs will reveal hidden treasures around every corner of Vntrve. On more than one occasion, as I played through the tapped-harmony transition of “Fångad i en Battle Vest,” I paused to find which Death song most fit as the proper object of homage and smiled as I could unite two legendary bands so closely in my head canon.2 The classic high and low vocal assault of “Fear of Being Included” rings very Napalm Death, which adds an irony to the track being the most straightforward grindcore piece of the whole set (and its stop-start uncertainty). And in stark contrast, the Abbath-ian croak that mic man Anders Bakke summons on “Sunburn Satanist”3 causes equal parts giddy black metal glee and pit-running abandon when it breaks back to grind on the back half. Though it’s easy to attribute parody to the cause, the play that B2D brings to their joking statements on aging in a metal world4 help bring each of these referential statements to a place of reverence.
In this stretch of the real experimental side of their career, their most progressive leanings spawning with 2020’s Laat maar, ik verhuis naar het bos, Vntrve strikes the best balance of simple structures with oddball asides. While the closing title track runs as almost the longest in the B2D discography, it showcases too how quickly Beaten to Death can flip a stuttering mosh rhythm into a panning, dissociating fizzle of sax and synth bound together by an urgent kick and scaffolding folk melody. Guided by speed, fueled by chaos, and honed by an undying urge to make it all work—you can call that a manifestation of an unyielding DIY attitude—Vntrve marks another triumph in the undercelebrated story of Norway’s best-kept secret.
Rating: 4.0/5.0
DR: 45 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Mas-Kina Recordings
Websites: beatentodeath.net | beatentodeath.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/beatentodeath
Releases Worldwide: October 23rd, 2026
Alekhines Grind
Genre-defying, progressive, inscrutable, idiosyncratic, bizarre, and avant-garde are but a few of the superlatives laid at the feet of the Beaten to Death body of work. And why not? Since their first full-length in 2011, these Norwegians have dedicated their entire careers to upending and rewriting the building blocks of grindcore with manic glee. Waving middle fingers at genre conventions with tongue planted firmly in cheek, the band have unleashed one platter after another of fast-paced, ADHD-riddled music which offers up a cascade of color and sound that incites as much joy as violence upon the listener. Seventh album Vntrve reveals its mission statement in its title; itself a sendup of the ludicrous saturation of letter-abuse in modern-day metal nomenclature while being utterly self-aware in doing so. But this long into such a forward-thinking career, are the jokes running thin? Or do the boys still know how to make you smile through the pain?
If you’re new to the B2D sound, you may be surprised to learn that despite the outfits’ run-of-the-mill violent name, the music on offer is positively teeming with color and life, or at least pleasant surprise. Vntrve continues that trend, with the band gleefully snatching the listener from melodic leads and colorful tones to sudden, bone-savaging grooves without breaking a sweat. While personal favorite Laat Maar, ik verhuis naar het bos furrowed brows and turned frowns upside down thanks to weird sample use as much as song ideas (that dial-up tone, anyone?), for this outing B2D have stayed relatively stereotypical in their toolkit and pressed the gas on the competency of the compositions themselves. Highlight “Electrocuted by the Sky” alternates between melodic twanging and blackened leads only to punt in an eastern-sounding breakdown for no clear reason besides to show that they can, and it works. “And it works” is easily the best summary of their sound, as any selected track will have a sudden tonal shift, highlight, or riff switch-up which would be grounds for accusations of disjointed lack of focus in the hands of any other outfit.
One of the distinguishing factors of B2D is their unapologetic sense of humor. From the curious sporadic English lyrics peppering “Fanged i en Battle Vest” to straight-up subgenre parodies and goofy song titles, there’s small, blink and you’ll miss them references to various bands and sounds throughout the sphere of all things metal, all delivered with a knowing smirk. “Sunburnt Satanist” switches up its vocal stylings into much more Immortal-ized flair, coming replete with decipherable declarations of “rimfrosted kingdoms”. “Satan Spawn, the K-Pop Demon” doesn’t merely reference Deicide by way of Cannabis Corpse wordplay but goes so far as to double-track the vocal presentation to sound ripped right off of Legion (or Deicide, obviously). Even without direct and simplistic parody, there is a sparkling sense of delight in their compositions, as the vast majority of tracks come with clean tones, major keys, and melodic sheen both in contrast and companionship to all the bludgeonings which await.
And the bludgeoning exists in abundance, as each and every cut comes packed with at least one moment of raw violence, tweaked and sculpted to fit into the record’s dizzying and Vntrve nature. “The Tolerator” offers the most straightforward curbstomping breakdown, before sliding into a delirious saxophone crashout courtesy of Bendik Brænne. This is no Rivers of Nihil knockoff, as the sax resurfaces during the closing title track “Vntrve” in a climactic build of glorious, jazzy delirium. Beyond the expectedly-unexpected progressivisms, you also get swipes at djent (“Scroll On, Homeboy”) and straightforward hardcore (“Du er Umgod”) to say nothing of sporadic blackened leads and whammy abuse. This “chuck it in the blender” approach should be ghastly and unfocused, but B2D proved their identities as aural alchemists long ago, and Vntrve is a celebration of the band’s masterclass in whimsical wielding of the unpredictable and exuberant.
The last touch complimenting Vntrve is an appropriate one: a closing chime of bells, like a venue saying “thanks for coming out.” Beaten to Death keep their remarkable streak of creativity alive, offering up yet another release that makes for an enthralling, charming listen. Not every track smacks of the same cover-to-cover gloriousness, but with most landing in the traditional grind run of one to two and a half minutes, they at least each come with a highlight worthy of repeated listens and make for a package that could easily be called grin-inducing as much as mosh-worthy or violent. And how many other grind albums are you gonna find with psychedelic-looking flamingos on the cover? Beaten to Death remain as committed to the bit as ever, using a stereotypically ruthless subgenre to convey imagination and adventure with pulverization in equal measure; a remarkable declaration that though they can brawl with the best of them, they will always remain utterly Vntrve.
Rating: 4.0/5.0
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