Review by JD on December 21, 2008.

What do you get when you have some classic metal stylings that end up mixing with some real guttural death embossed vocals that is dripping with pure attitude and lyrical blood? Simply put, you get A Gruesome Find.

I was taken in by the seriously melodic guitar work right off the bat. They harken back to the heyday of metal to some degree, but they seem to have a new millennium kick to them. As they are brutal and completely overwhelming. They have melodies, harmonies through the length of their album, yet that are heavy as granite and powerful as anything. Complexity meets simplicity here, adding to the greatness of the band.

The album starts out with the amazing song titled 'Wretched Offspring Of Misery', where melody collide with brutality. It shows what you are in for in the first thirty seconds. Do you try to stop the assault? The answer is a loud and emphatic ‘No’! It is the corr, the heaviness that will keep you listen right through all fifty three minutes of this slab of pure and undiluted metal.. And will enjoy every last second.

Through the entire album, they do not stray or try to change one thing about themselves. They give you everything they have with both barrels and dare you to shy away. The thing is, you could not get away from them if you even tried. It is like a massive accident on the highway, no matter how much of A Gruesome Find that accident really is... you cannot stop yourself from taking a look.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 9
Atmosphere: 8
Production: 8
Originality 8
Overall: 8

Rating: 8.2 out of 10

Review by Allan on April 30, 2003.

For those who find themselves enamored by Scissorfight’s style of stoner rock, rejoice! Tortuga Recordings has treated us all to a five song EP, “Potential New Agent For Unconventional Warfare.” So it’s not the new full-length that you’ve been waiting for. But hey, fifteen or so minutes of music is worth something, right?

I’ll keep this short and simple. Scissorfight are one of the better stoner rock acts out right now. Not necessarily the best, but come on – they’ve got a good hand and no scoundrels are getting so angry that they’re going to pull out their guns and shoot these cowboys dead on the spot.

All songs on “Potential New Agent For Unconventional Warfare” are pretty killer. They rock like they should. It’s hard to imagine listening to any one of these songs and not nodding your head or tapping your feet along with it. It’s just catchy, and memorable. The riffs are solid and well composed. The vocals are a bit odd, but definitely fitting and acceptable. The rhythm is great. There’s not much more to it than that, honestly. Five really good songs with good musicianship, catchy, memorable…what’s not to like?

As far as gripes go, this EP is has about fifteen minutes of music. Yes, it is an EP. What did I expect? Well, about thirty minutes of music is always better. But really, the production on the guitars really needs some work. The distortion is pretty terrible sounding. It sounds more computerized than anything, half of the time. There isn’t a real heavy, rocking sound to it. It’s there, I suppose, but just not to the extent it needs to be.

Bottom Line: Scissorfight fans this one is all yours. Those of you that aren’t fans, maybe wait for the next full-length, or go to the back catalogue. “Potential New Agent For Unconventional Warfare” is a release that best suites those big followers of Scissorfight, not the semi-serious ones.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 8
Atmosphere: 7
Production: 6.5
Originality: 7
Overall: 7

Rating: 7.1 out of 10