Release Date May 29th, 2026
Format: 4CD
Genre Grindcore, Deathgrind
Origin International
Lock Up formed in the late nineties when Shane Embury decided to assemble a wrecking crew of extreme metal titans. The original squad featured the late Jesse Pintado (RIP) on guitar, Nick Barker on drums, and Peter Tägtgren handling the screams, creating a pedigree that most bands would kill for. Over the years, the lineup shifted to include vocal legend Tomas Lindberg (RIP) and guitarist Anton Reisenegger, maintaining a high-velocity output that bridged the gap between death metal and pure grind. This collection serves as a massive vault of their most essential era, capturing the lightning of their studio work and the violence of their stage presence.
If you want a lesson in how to strip metal down to its most violent essentials, "Brethren Of The Pentagram" is the textbook. This box set brings together the first three full-length blasts of noise and a live set from Japan that sounds like a riot caught on tape. Listening to "Pleasures Pave Sewers" again reminds me why Peter Tägtgren was such a beast in this setting; his range is absolutely disgusting. The production on these early tracks is raw and keeps the focus on the speed, making sure every blast beat from Nick Barker hits like a hammer to the skull.
Moving into the Tomas Lindberg (RIP) era with "Hate Breeds Suffering" is where things get truly mental. His voice has that iconic scratchy rasp that makes tracks like "Feeding On The Opiate" sound absolutely feral. The addition of bonus tracks like "Satan’s Generation" and live versions of old favorites adds some real value for those of us who have owned these albums on separate discs for decades. It is a tribute to a man we lost too soon, and hearing his performance here is a reminder of the absolute power he brought to the microphone.
The third disc, "Necropolis Transparent", shows the band didn't lose any speed as they aged. Anton Reisenegger fills the shoes of Jesse Pintado (RIP) with riffs that are absolutely lethal, especially on the title track. The inclusion of rare flexi-disc tracks and split material means even the die-hard collectors are getting something they probably missed. This isn't just a lazy repackaging; it is an organized assault on the senses that covers every base of the band's peak years.
The live disc from Japan is the real treasure here, capturing a level of intensity that most "supergroups" can only dream of. You can hear the sweat and the feedback, and it proves that Lock Up was never just a studio project. The whole package is a violent, fast, and necessary reminder of why grindcore still matters. It honors the memory of the brothers they lost while providing a definitive collection of songs that will still be blowing out eardrums long after we're all gone.
Damage done @: 8.5
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