Listening to everything that Belgian grinders Agathocles put out is practically impossible, the band having put out eight splits, two compilations and an EP so far in 2011 alone. Yet what comparatively little I hear is always great, and this is no exception. Having being going since 1985, you’d expect the band to be pretty darn good at what they do, and indeed This Is Not A Threat... is a great introduction to the band’s brand of ‘mincecore’ for those new to it. Agathocles straddle several subgenres, having deathgrind’s meaty, deep growls and d-beat’s punky drumming, all in all being very old-school and something like a less chaotically deranged Brutal Truth in some ways. It’s the sort of album that has no story to tell, no overriding theme, just punky grind blast after blast. Most tracks are under a minute long, and rarely leave you wanting more, but there’s enough out of the norm to keep experienced grindheads interested – although the main attraction here is, without doubt, the sound of an expert band doing its thing.

I can never quite believe that Agathocles are a three-piece, although plenty of grind bands are and make equal amounts of noise. The heavy likes of Bits And Chips suggest more than guitar, if nothing else, vocalist/axeman Jan Frederickx cranking out the noisy riffs without missing a grunt. People’s Property breaks down nicely into a slow, rotten crawl, followed by the outright hardcore punk of Gaszilla. It’s a more varied album than you think at first, growing on you as you listen – few could really dislike the short but sweet likes of Financial Cris-Ass, although it might take a few goes before you learn to love them. In some ways This Is Not A Threat... is like a collection, certain tracks seeming to be mixed differently than others to these inexpert ears – Motherfucker (Swing That Axe) for example. The centrepiece of the album is the quirky God Save The Real Green Crocodile, interjecting its grind with a lovely ska chorus, which works brilliantly and gives its surrounding tracks that extra bit of enjoyability.

There’s really not a great deal more to be said about This Is Not A Threat... other than grindcore fans who prefer punk to prog will love it. Very old-school, very pissed-off, and very fun. A threat? No, a promise.