Hungry Like Rakovitz – The Cross Is Not Enough

Hungry Like Rakovitz

The Cross Is Not Enough

by H.P. Buttcraft at 05 December 2014, 11:40 AM

No, the name is not a DURAN DURAN satire. As a matter of fact, I have not been able to find a clue as to who this Rakovitz person even is. HUNGRY LIKE RAKOVITZ, which is one of the most offsetting band names in my history of writing album reviews, is a grindcore crust band from Italy. Their sound is extremely raw, angry and strong so keep reading. Prepare to have your perceptions of popular culture smashed to smithereens before your very eyes on their latest album ‘The Cross is Not Enough’.

Some songs on this record are really stellar. Songs from HUNGRY LIKE RAKOVITZ can go from epic like on "Please, Tom Selleck Drive Me To Hell" to militantly aggressive like on "Anders Suhm" and the maniacally whirlwind songwriting on “Pornographers of Violence”. And who can’t love the Breaking Bad sample-laden track “The One Who Knocks At Your Door”?

Like most of grindcore I come across, I have no way of telling you whether this is good grindcore or bad grindcore. There are certainly people who will jump at the opportunity to be the grindcore expert but I am not one of those people. However, I feel like I am a good critic of what is good music and what is bad music. And "The Cross is Not Enough" was an album of great music wearing bad music’s clothing. For a genre with no limits or rules, this band seems to be way too methodical to be just shear chaos that exists beyond the realm of judgment.

As far as modern grindcore goes, HUNGRY LIKE RAKOVITZ seems to direct its style towards the crustier, gutter punk side of the scene and with "The Cross is Not Enough" somehow build a functioning carnival there that is run and operated by freaks and tweakers that populate their world. Yes, its risky and yes, you may contract hepatitis, but trust me, it’s a good time.