Graveslime Album "Roughness and Toughness"

An Album I bought some years ago from Benni of Skatar while he was working in the Smekkleysa shop.

Graveslime members :
Alli – bass, vocals
Kolli – vocals, guitars
Óli – drums, percussion

Graveslime @ work @ Sirkus
The songs of the Album Roughness and Toughness
1. The punch fucking drunk fuck and the fucking goat
2. Double damage [free mp3]
3. I love you, really I do
4. 362 days till christmas
5. Yo, my lord, what´s kicking in San Francisco
6. Awesome nights in Reykjavik [free mp3]
7. Chariots of fire
8. 5 legged buzzard and lots of love
9. Gasoline
10. American Sleeper
11. Eborg Ebogleson
Information
Graveslime was formed out of a conversation between three friends in a Saturday-night party, ‘till you puke-party. The reasons for forming this band were two, the first was to play a cover of Vangelis’ “Chariots of Fire” and the other one was to be in a band called Graveslime. Having played together and apart in such bands as the black metal-band Svört Verða Sólskin (Óli was kicked out of the band after vomiting on the drum-kit on a drunken spree during a show), She-Male, Skorpin Tunga, Þrír Hressir and Thundergun (featured Alli on bass, Kolli on guitar, I Adapt’s Birkir on drums and Mínus’ Bjössi on the microphone).
Building on similar foundation as Thundergun, which was heavily influenced by Iron Monkey and Eye Hate God’s feedback laden sludge and Melvins’ accuracy and tight song structures Graveslime rushed to find rehearsal-space in late 2000. As soon the right space was found in early 2001 Graveslime began practicing the first song “Punch Fucking Drunk Fuck and the Fucking Goat” and then “Chariots Of Fire” and the first show was played as an opening act for longtime friends Sofandi (the other band on Grandmothers Records). More songs were written; a few popped of them like popcorn but others were seen the light of day with the same feeling when you’re “crawling from the sewer”. What maybe differs Graveslime from afore-mentioned sludgerockers (excluding Melvins) is their very sound-layered songs who often have more melodic approach to them, f.e. Eborg Ebobleson could be a song written by Nick Drake or Elliot Smith (Kolli wrote it after hearing it in a dream one night and picked it up when he woke up).
Graveslime played shows with mostly friends and familiar bands in and around Reykjavík throughout 2001 and ‘till summer 2002. It was not uncommon that they mocked other Icelandic bands during their shows; they often introduced themselves as other bands or had their friends to pretend they were in known Icelandic bands. It was when Graveslime warmed up for Fucking Champs and Trans Am in Reykjavík in the fall of 2001 that they decided they had to make a record and that Tim Green (Fucking Champs, Nation of Ulysses, Young Ginns etc.) was the man for the job. After many conversations, e-mails and phonecalls the guys decided to contact Tim and ask him if he would like to come over to Iceland and record them. The recording session wasn’t something they look back on in bliss. To begin with they had to borrow or rent almost all the equipment (a broken tape-machine, a mixing board, guitar amps, a drum kit, microphones etc.) carry it to the second floor where the studio is located. Then they had to fix what had to be fixed… yeah, we don’t wan’t to hear about the bad stuff. The good thing is that they managed to put all the hardwork on tape. The band unfortunately didn’t survive to follow this awesome record, it surely is awesome, and they played their final and loudest three shows in late August 2002. Like Big Black once wrote: “Hey, breaking up is an idea that has occurred to far too few groups. Sometimes to the wrong ones.”
ROUGHNESS AND TOUGHNESS was committed to two-inch analogue tape by Tim Green at Studio Veðurstofan, Reykjavík. Tim at his Louder Studios in San Francisco mixed it and John Golden mastered it. J.J. Golden did some additional mastering and editing. Guðlaugur Kristinn Óttarsson (a.k.a. Godkrist, The Third Ear and GKÓ), formerly of one of Iceland’s best post-punk bands Theyr and Kukl added guitars on “American Sleeper”.
Review of the Album Roughness and Toughness in Grapevine www.grapevine.is
by Bart Cameron
Published in Issue 6 on May, 2005

Okay, so you don’t like bands with names like Graveslime. And you don’t like hard rock. Get over it. This band’s 2003 release qualifies as one of the best Icelandic albums of the last ten years. The album contains a range of genres, but it sticks mostly with impeccably constructed slow grindcore. They compare favourably with the Melvins.
All of the 11 tracks on Roughness and Toughness hit their target early on, so it can be a little daunting to have to listen to 10 minute tracks, but on the second and third listens, the songs live up to their time. The few tracks where the band goes schizo, like 362 Days until Christmas in which we hear the relaxed buzz of early-90s Flaming Lips tunes, impressed us the most, though.
Also, kudos on the design—best album package and design without Björk on the cover in the last decade.
If you can find this album, pick it up.
Worth six beers. Costs four beers. Winner.
For more Graveslime, go to: www.dordingull.com/graveslime