When we decided to attend the Grind Here Right Now festival as a family, it seemed like the perfect idea – combining a passion for extreme music, family time, and the debut of the Necro Records label and distro.
The plan was flawless: my wife and kid would manage the merch stand while I ran from stage to stage to catch every blast beat for this report. The trip was meticulously planned – we left early to avoid any stress or delays, and we booked accommodation about a 20-minute walk from the venue, which seemed like the perfect choice.
The drive to Trier was less stressful than expected. Snow and cold greeted us, but the roads were clear, and the atmosphere in the car was as optimistic as always. We arrived in daylight, early enough to settle in, rest, and prepare for the chaos of the festival. The apartment we booked had just enough space for everything we needed.
Of course, when things start going downhill, they don’t stop, and nothing went as planned. The day before departure, I slipped in front of my building and messed up my knee and lower back. At 190 cm tall, 120 kg, and nearly 50 years old, it was quite the fall. I packed a decent supply of painkillers, thinking I’d manage to power through both days. The kid wasn’t in the mood for any noise, likely due to the long trip and unfamiliar surroundings, and the entire idea fell apart. The carefully planned division of tasks turned into my solo adventure at the merch stand while my wife and little one returned back to the apartment. I could already hear myself thinking: “Never bringing the distro to a festival again!” Because, as nice as it is to show releases to the audience, grindcore festivals and gigs, at least for me, are ultimately for enjoying the music. On this occasion, I’m endlessly grateful to everyone who bought something from me.
With all these mishaps that happened, I also brought a new phone for recording and photography. Of course, being the idiot that I am, I didn’t test all the features at home and instead experimented on-site with 4K, 8K, HDR, and zoom. That’s why the footage is absolute crap and one of the main reasons I’m late with publishing this report, as I had second thoughts about publishing it at all. My apologies to the bands and the audience.
The Grind Here Right Now festival took place in the Tuchfabrik, which, as far as I found out, don’t host many underground events. This former factory, now a multifunctional venue, was perfect for what awaited the audience – two stages (which reminded me of (late) BLOODSHED FEST in Holland ) with plenty of distro and merch stands. But while others were enjoying blast beats and riffs, I was stuck at the merch stand.
The punctuality of the festival was a double-edged sword – if you were late by just a few minutes, you might miss an entire band. Ten-minute sets were not uncommon. Each band had a 30-minute slot, but many didn’t even use that much time. It reminded me of that meme with the guy sitting on a bench saying, “Ten minutes late to grindcore show, missed first two bands.” Overall, Friday was musically weaker than Saturday. Unfortunately, I only managed to catch CHRONIC PISSED, DISMALFUCKER, MIST, and TEETHGRINDER.
CHRONIC PISSED seemed to leave the stage almost as quickly as they got on it. If I heard correctly, they played maybe ten minutes. Whether that was their entire set or they just didn’t have more material remains a mystery.
DISMALFUCKER delivered an excellent d-beat crust session. The crowd was lively, even though it was just the first day of the festival. And that’s what defined the entire festival – mosh pit chaos, applause and occasional crowdsurfing. The number of bands that didn’t fit the festival’s musical concept or didn’t resonate with the audience could be counted on one hand.
MIST sounded like something I’d heard before, probably because they play a blend of modern powerviolence with elements of hardcore and punk. I wasn’t particularly impressed, but they didn’t leave a bad impression either. I think not being able to watch all the bands that day put me in a total slump.
For TEETHGRINDER, this was their final performance, as the band officially disbanded afterward. In late summer 2024, Gabriel Dubko (formerly of IMPLORE and recently the vocalist for WORMROT) joined as their vocalist. I’m not sure what happened with the sound at that moment, but it felt like someone else took over the mixer – it was a complete disaster. Gabriel was literally throwing TEETHGRINDER CDs from the stage to the audience, and they sold their merch on a “pay what you want” basis. I assume there’s a story behind this, but Gabriel mentioned in a brief chat that he’s starting a new chapter, whether with or without them. I didn’t want to dig into the details. We’ll wait and see.
I didn’t stick around for INHUMATE, as I had recently seen them at KRACHFEST, where they absolutely killed it. With my leg and back aching despite the painkillers, I packed everything into the car and headed back to the apartment.
The morning after was spent visiting some of Trier’s most famous landmarks – the oldest city in Germany. The ancient Porta Nigra and its imposing walls stood in stark contrast to the festival’s energy, while Karl Marx’s statue, surrounded by tourists, served as a symbol of opposites – philosophical ideas versus the unfiltered rawness of extreme music. Unfortunately, due to limited time, we couldn’t visit his house, but even a short tour of the city was well worth it.
Along the way, we stumbled upon a restaurant with a local menu and rustic ambiance, which turned out to be a great choice. The flavors of regional cuisine provided an ideal break before I headed to the festival. The second day of the Grind Here Right Now festival began at 3:30 PM, with the venue opening an hour earlier. Despite a rather quick lunch, I almost missed the first band of the day – I SCREAM PROTEST – which would have been a major disappointment since they were one of the acts I was most eager to see live.
When I arrived, I SCREAM PROTEST was already on stage, kicking off the second day of the festival in the best way possible. This Dutch-Belgian trio, alongside MY MINDS MINE, replaced SIXSCORE, DIE MITTAGSPAUSENBAND, and VICIOUS THREAT, and they absolutely lived up to expectations. No introductions, no unnecessary breaks – just energy and brutality from start to finish. The trio sounded like a well-oiled machine, with the two vocalists alternating styles, creating the impression that there were at least ten people on stage. Every second of their set was maximized, which isn’t surprising given their decades of grindcore experience.
After their set, I quickly moved to the smaller stage to catch the French band TEIGNE. This trio from Lille, comprised of members of INSANE ORDER and UNSU, proved their worth as rising stars on the scene. Their style is grindcore with touches of death metal, hardcore, and groove, interspersed with breakbeat sequences that added dynamics to their performance. A petite girl on vocals absolutely crushed the small room with her raw, brutal voice, while killer riffs and precise blast beats kept us constantly moving. The smaller room was packed, and the sound was perfectly balanced, amplifying the overall impression. This is one band I will definitely follow more closely in the future.
Once TEIGNE delivered their crushing set, I returned to the main hall for KARNICKELMESSER. Their groovy death metal was an interesting change of pace compared to the rest of the festival lineup. A mix of heavy, massive riffs with occasional blasts and d-beat rhythms. However, their audience was smaller than I expected, as their slower tempo and longer songs didn’t quite resonate with the grindcore crowd.
I hurried back to the smaller stage to grab a spot for MOLD. I had never heard this band before, but that’s part of the charm of festivals – sometimes it’s better to go in blind and experience everything firsthand. After all, there’s no better way to get to know a band than seeing them live.
From the first riff, it was clear that MOLD doesn’t hold back on energy. The vocalist was like a spinning top – not only moving as if driven by his own blast beats but also jumping in and out of the mosh pit, singing along with the crowd. Their set was short but explosive – they delivered a barrage of raw, fast songs in just 15 minutes, including an unexpected cover of Black Sabbath’s “Symptom of the Universe.” This mix of hardcore energy and metal history made them one of the day’s pleasant surprises for me. If you ever get the chance to see them, don’t miss it – it’s pure entertainment.
IDIOCRACY, a new Czech band made up of veterans from GRIDE, DEZINFEKCE, and RESTRICTION, delivered fastcore that hits you straight in the face with an incredibly energetic performance. As their tagline says, “We like it fast, short, and low-tuned,” and that’s exactly what they delivered on stage. However, sound issues dampened the overall experience – it felt like the mixing desk was actively sabotaging their performance. Possibly the worst sound of the festival so far, or at least it seemed that way at the time. Despite the technical setbacks, their energy and presence managed to break through the poor mixing and captivate the audience.
I started watching MØRTEL out of curiosity, but their set failed to hold my attention. Their blackened crust punk sound seemed like a solid idea on paper, but live, it just didn’t have the spark needed to make an impact. Perhaps the problem lay in the songs themselves or my own expectations – either way, I wasn’t impressed, and it felt like the band still hasn’t found its footing.
At this point, my wife and kid arrived at the festival, so we spent the next hour taking a break and hanging out. We shared impressions, wandered between merch stands, and soaked in the atmosphere both inside and outside the venue.
Just before LOST, I found myself alone again with my beer. The members of LOST, also from ABYSSTHRONE and ABJURED, kicked off their set with riffs that promised something serious. Their sound evoked the best moments of the Swedish extreme music school, where grindcore rawness intersects with melodic death metal elements, layered with a gritty texture reminiscent of early NASUM records. Live, they were uncompromising – every riff and blast beat hit like a punch in the gut, while melodic moments added necessary dynamics. They fit perfectly into the festival, and their set was one of the day’s pleasant surprises.
Then, MY MINDS MINE took over the stage. From the moment they began, it felt like the entire venue shifted into a different dimension. Brutal and direct, perfectly rehearsed, and precise. The songs flowed seamlessly, with riffs and blast beats hitting like a relentless storm. Their straightforward and incredibly effective approach really demonstrated why they’ve been on the scene this long. They performed everything with such ease and passion that it was impossible not to be impressed. I told them after their performance that they were the best band of the festival so far – and that opinion didn’t change until the end.
MY MINDS MINE absolutely wrecked me, but there’s no rest while the festival continues – it was time for the next band. DOUBLE ME from Italy took the stage and delivered their set in just about ten minutes, with no pauses. Perfection. Later, I spoke with Mirco, their vocalist, and he jokingly said: “People asked me after the show why it was so short. I told them – try playing that many songs in ten minutes, and you’ll see why.” 🙂
JIGSORE PUZZLE from Germany brought something entirely different. Their energy on stage was infectious, and their set lasted significantly longer than scheduled – at least more than half an hour, or so it seemed. The audience enjoyed the combination of fast, chaotic songs and humorous banter between tracks, while samples of German dance hits from the ’90s added a touch of absurdity to their performance. It was a hilarious show.
The French band JODIE FASTER, on the other hand, slightly lowered the “intensity.” Their energetic hardcore punk, enriched with technically intricate arrangements, felt like a mix of the wildest moments of underground punk and some alternative musical poetics. Their undistorted segments and stripped-down parts made it impossible to stand still – at moments, you’d even catch yourself dancing on the spot. Definitely one of the festival’s most entertaining bands.
By this point, the combination of beers throughout the day and painkillers was taking its toll. Loss of focus and frequent sitting turned me into a potted plant by the end of the night. I managed to watch SKIPLIFE, but I’m not even sure I paid them as much attention as they deserved.
I completely skipped MOOM from Israel, choosing to prepare myself for the evening’s finale: HORSE BASTARD and P.L.F.
Instead of HORSE BASTARD on the small stage, I found myself in the large hall where P.L.F. was setting up. I initially thought HORSE BASTARD wouldn’t play because the schedule had been tightly followed throughout the festival, and I only realized they performed later when I saw recordings from other attendees. A real shame.
Taking over the drums was Tonio from WHORESNATION, who played as if he’d been part of the band from the very beginning. Flawless, precise, with double pedals grinding everything in their path, while Dave started the show with: “We are P.L.F. from Texas. Let’s grind!!” Throughout the performance, he rampaged across the stage, moving from left to right and only approaching the microphone when he needed to sing. The audience was in delirium, and rightfully so – everything sounded as if ten band members were playing on stage. Kudos to the organizers for securing this exclusive performance. The set lasted just under half an hour, with an encore track added for good measure.
To wrap up, the atmosphere and people at the concert were more then friendly and welcoming. It was heartwarming to see familiar faces and meet new ones. The crowd spanned all generations – from young fans to seasoned veterans. However, if they continue serving 0.33-liter beer, this trend won’t end well. 🙂
The date for the next GRIND HERE RIGHT NOW festival is already set: January 9–11, 2026, and the first band has been announced: GROIN (USA)!
Follow Facebook event page here for more infos — don’t let it be “I didn’t know, I didn’t see!” later!