25th February 2026

Review: “One” by Scratch One Grub

A twelve legged beast hailing from the deepest, darkest depths of South Wales, Scratch One Grub have been found guilty of arson. Starting fires with their furious live energy and genre blending sound, they’ve left venues burnt out across our green an pleasant land alongside Dead Flesh, Continents and Confessions of a Traitor to name but a few. Drawing from a poison well of influences bassist Zac Cross, drummer / vocalist Lewis Griffiths, sampler / vocalist Sean “The Grub Man” Barry, vocalist Aled Trigg alongside riff lords Evan Cook and Alex Lewis have not only completed work on a debut album but tested the waters by performing these songs in the Metal 2 The Masses competition with the hope of playing the New Blood stage at Bloodstock Open Air Festival…

The charm offensive begins with the eerie introduction to “Swamp Scum” that finds Barry adding sinister embellishment to an old school Death Metal riff and with Trigg offering some unhinged, almost schizophrenic vocals it very much sounds like the band have escaped from Arkham Asylum. The dark atmospheric of raging, throat splitting vocals and weighty guitars is only broken by the lightening strike that is the solo from Cook which curiously enough clearly has its roots in Traditional Heavy Metal. That helps give the piece an interesting contrast before the quirky pomp and circumstance of “Vagabond” begins. Sonically reminiscent of bands like Kissing Candice with that industrially tinged sound and slick riffs, this one has a distinctively welsh spoken word in the mid section before slipping in a momentary ambient flirtation. By the end the track becomes something of an angry anthem, the vocalists taking it in turn to spit venom into the void of ethereal darkness. “GTFP” bleeds early Slipknot inspirations with 90’s break beats and chugging riffs, spoken word moments, rap screams and powerful riffs before moving into an almost anarchy punk direction with some quirky moments. What’s interesting about this one is that it’s politically charged and socially aware, the band escaping the trappings of introspection to while they inflict their damage. Haunting 80’s science fiction horror movie style keys give “Absolution” and entirely different atmosphere before programmed beats and clean vocals flip the script on what came before it in dark experimentation. The rich melody bleeds melancholia before the guitars smash the clock in fear for a screamed chorus. As impressive as that is sonically, it also feels a little rougher than the earlier tracks like it was pulled from a demo and lacks polish. That being said, it is an interesting experiment that works well and offers something considerably different to sink your teeth into.

Blurring the lines between sub-genres once more “Bad Habit” has an almost Hair Metal style main riff before the synths take it in a completely different direction, borrowing from “The War Of Art” era American Head Charge with a whispered vocal that bursts into stompy guitars and visceral screams. A melodic break might make you question your sanity before the roar back, the leads from Cook seriously impressive on a track that sounds like an accompaniment to a bad acid trip. There are distinctive self titled era Slipknot vibes to title track “#1“, the powerful introduction an almighty curb stomp before the insanity of the tune unfolds in violent turbulence. Synths and vinyl scratching add to the chaos, all three vocalists screaming at various points to create something that borders on idol worship. That being said, it is great fun, in the darkest possible way, even if you expect them to burst into “Eyeless” at any given moment. The last thing you might expect after that gut punch is clean guitars and wind chime like keys but “Ysbryd” has both during a sombre and sobering introduction that builds into crushing guitars that move through a myriad of different styles while some how managing to remain cohesive and not lose the atmospheric. Sirens sound a warning about impending nuclear war as the weighty grooves of the pummelling “Planet Killer” begin to take shape. A thunderous tune with what sounds like orchestral embellishments, it pushes the band towards Extreme Metal territory before the quirky programmed mid section and ambient mood drop off which feels like it was influenced by “The Cold Sun” by Loathe. A curious brew of unsettling ideas, this will make you want to see what they can do live [7/10]

Track Listing