Narcosis

Narcosis came together in the usual way for most groups when four novice players convened in pursuit of startling or offending audiences, yet their especially abrasive and toxic strain of grindcore allowed them to outpace many others in that objective. The North Country town of Wigan served as the starting point in 1995, where the band tracked multiple demos and locked in its core lineup of vocalist Peet Dandy, guitarists Chris Caterall and John White, bassist Paul Priest, and drummer Simon "Brody" Brotherton. A 2002 collaboration with fellow grinders Morose produced the first in a series of split EPs, while the following year brought the debut album Heart Slows Down together with further splits involving Melt Banana, Archer and Midget Parade, all backed by relentless shows across the U.K. and Europe. Narcosis prepared another full-length in 2006, weighing several prominent producers and even tracking material overseas before ultimately finishing the misleadingly titled Romance back in their hometown of Wigan. Longtime frontman Peet stepped away shortly afterward, and although replacement Jamie Webster kept the group going briefly, momentum faded until the members chose to disband in late 2007. Earache Records later gathered the bulk of their recorded history into the aptly named Best Served Cold collection, issued in 2008.