With perfect timing, HAGGUS may have just created the optimum soundtrack for a summer of civil unrest. Exponents of “mincecore” — a filthy, DIY strain of grindcore, first created by the legendary AGATHOCLES in early ’90s Belgium — these balaclava-wearing anarchists have made their position on the current state of things more than clear. We may not particularly need another band telling us that humanity is fucked and the system is rotten, but “Destination Extinction” makes those points with such exuberance that, assuming one is okay with the politics, the notion of manning the barricades and hurling a Molotov cocktail or two now seems fairly reasonable. Those who are immediately turned off by the idea that bands might actually care about stuff: well, that’s just weird. Stop it.

Any band that finds themselves in cahoots with the fine people at Tankcrimes knows that their music is in safe hands. HAGGUS have had countless low-key releases over the years: a basic necessity for any aspiring mincecore crew, not least because AGATHOCLES have released more splits, EPs and one-offs than most people have had showers. But whether deliberately or not, “Destination Extinction” is receiving vastly more attention than any previous release and feels like the band’s most significant effort as a result. Lucas Valtenbergs‘s eye-grabbing artwork adds an additional air of professionalism to the whole thing, and Greg Wilkinson‘s production is noticeably bigger and sharper than previously, but in every other respect, this is as brutal, snotty and foul as any of HAGGUS‘s previous studio albums, even including the gore-focused, sub-CARCASS chaos of their 2017 debut “Gore Gore… And More Gore”. This is, as frontman Hambone would almost certainly gargle through a megaphone, fuckin’ mincecore, bro. But, do you love it?

Of course you do. “Destination Extinction” is a fast, furious and utterly filthy blast of defiance. With ten songs across 25 minutes, HAGGUS clearly don’t have the time to be subtle. Instead, this a short, sharp wallop to the back of the head. From the opening hurricane of “Rotting Off”, the brakes are off and nobody’s windows are safe from flying bricks. The riffs are disgusting, thuggish and dumb, but the execution is razor sharp. Songs like “Bound By Realms Of Cruelty” and “What’s Fucking Left” weave death metal, blistering melodic solos and grubby shards of traditional hardcore into the mix, but HAGGUS never truly stray from the path of mince. As harrowing skirmishes like “Lobotomized Compliance” and “Malignant Boomer” whistle past like rubber bullets, the incendiary punk rock spirit at its heart is plain for all to see. “Do you love mincecore?” they enquire during the aptly titled “Do You Love Mincecore?” , before noting: “Because I fucking love mincecore!” Given how horribly entertaining “Destination Extinction” is, why the hell wouldn’t you?