Challenge the status quo. Shake up the culture of fake outrage. Break free from the bonds of self-defeating ignorance. There’s no reason to despair within this dystopia; we have the power to escape mindless obedience. This is the primal punk-style message at the heart of AMERICAN GRIM, a heavy music battalion whose sinister “shock rock” is aimed squarely at conformity.

     AMERICAN GRIM stand against those who would exploit our insecurities and exacerbate our social media driven hunger for validation. The New Jersey trio makes anthems for the downtrodden, the dismissed, and the dispossessed. They champion independent thought, individualism, and above all else, freedom of creative expression. Like Emma Goldman once famously said, “It’s not my revolution if I can’t dance to it.” Or in this case, smash shit to it.

     Music is their weapon. The stage is their battlefield. AMERICAN GRIM conjure the rich history of theatricality found in cinematic horror and dark literature, with the unrelenting energy of traditional hardcore, the massive propulsive hooks of post-industrial, and the unashamed weirdness of classic nü-metal. Devotees of Slipknot, Korn, Rob Zombie, and Marilyn Manson have all found a home within AMERICAN GRIM’s music, while fans of groups like Hatebreed recognize something familiar about the delivery and aggression.

     AMERICAN GRIM is more than a band, operating as an almost entirely self- contained creative collective, with singer Ryan Grim directing the group’s evocative and enthralling music videos and guitarist Mike Morello engineering and producing their sophomore album, Ultra Black, himself.

Freakshow was a diverse mix of heavy styles, all blasted through the prism of AMERICAN GRIM’s unique point of view, resulting in a devilishly fantastic sound with complex power. Their chaotic debut introduced the world to “Burn Hollywood,” “Dr. Doc,” and the devastating title track, as spotlighted by Revolver Magazine. As they toured relentlessly behind the album, supporting Mushroomhead and turning heads at major festivals, the guys wrote the follow-up in hotel rooms, on mobile rigs, with newfound focus.

A cohesive record with a unified theme, one of turning despair into triumph, Ultra Black is a brilliant display of Ryan Grim’s vocal range, Morello’s guitar and programming prowess, and the raw invective summoned forth by Grim’s younger brother, drummer Tres Sins. Songs like “Nightmare,” “Ghost,” “Gods and Kings,” and the title track are united in darkness, ferocity, and a fight toward the light at the end of every tunnel. This is monstrous music for monstrous times, but the bottom line is always strength in diversity.

     There’s hope buried within the bleak bombardment. AMERICAN GRIM makes music for the outsider, offering solidarity and bravery to like-minded girls and ghouls the world over who aspire toward a better world than the one that exists around them. These songs challenge, provoke, and inspire. Like the mixed martial arts fighters who wear the band’s shirts into the cage, the heavy music community is invited to use AMERICAN GRIM to get ready for battle against the demons in their lives, in our culture, and in our minds.