Review by Krys on January 26, 2002.

16 mind-crushing tracks in 30 minutes; that's what Jesse Pintado, Shane Embry, Nick Barker and Tomas Lindberg present on their sophomore release "Hate Breeds Suffering". And while an all-star line up doesn't guarantee success and in my case it even raises expectations and exposes our prodigies to the more selective and critical ear of a listener, Lock Up was not only able to fortify their positions as a driving grindcore machine but strengthen it.

From the first to last note, this album doesn't let go and keeps listeners gasping for air. Nick Barker once again proves that he belongs to the top ranks of skin-molesters in the world and with his signature double-bass and extreme blastbeats mixed into each track, he kills your brain cells with every stroke.

Exceptionally fast guitar work by Jesse and Shane can only leave you wondering how many bloody marks they left on their guitar frets after slicing their fingers through the strings. And while unsurprisingly, most of the riffs remind you of early stuff produced by Napalm Death or Terrorizer (what a coincidence) those guys were still able to develop fresh ideas that will make your head spin. And Tomas, what can I say, this man just screams his balls off and without taking anything away from Peter, Lock Up actually benefited from the vocalist change 'cause Tomas' voice just rips through the lyrics with a more grind oriented feeling than his predecessor.

The only thing that takes 1 point away from this great album is originality. I know, it's not supposed to be too original, just pure old school grindcore, but... as good as it is some bands (like aforementioned) did this a long time ago.

Bottom Line: I only hope that Lock Up is not just another all-star side project and they’ll continue to grow, ‘cause right now they are one of the best grindcore outfits on the market.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 10
Atmosphere: 9
Production: 10
Originality: 7
Overall: 9

Rating: 9 out of 10