Here’s the demo review for Syracuse, NY’s HUNTED DOWN from the current issue of MRR!

After a quick classical piece, this thing tears into some seriously fucking blazing, falling apart, wild, rampaging, flailing, adjective-inspiring hardcore, that, to be honest, I didn’t expect and caught me completely off guard. I knew this Syracuse band was gonna be at least up my alley in some way, but holy fuck is this evil and furious. The vocals are screaming and reverbed to all fuck. The guitars and bass are buried in just enough fuzz to sound rotten yet not fall into the box of “noise punk.” And the drums, well, they’re kinda hidden in the whole mess, save some cymbal hits and theses occasional huge Godzilla-like thuds, that I can only assume to be tom hits. What a monster. It looks like I just found another cassette addition to my 2011 top ten list. (hunteddownhc.blogspot.com)

Kevin Manion‘s review of this band’s 4-song CD-R in this month’s MRR magazine.

I bet the Guinness flows like fucking water when CHEAP FREAKS deliver their superb fuzzed-out garage jams to unsuspecting bar patrons around Dublin. Second release from this Irish quartet and it’s definitely a winner. Four trashy rock ‘n’ roll stompers sure to make denim-clad punks bounce off the walls and spill stout everywhere. Top-notch production, a bit dirty without sacrificing intensity or stepping on the singer’s vocals. Sounds like they dig the MONKS just as much as the REATARDS. An LP is set to be released, and if it’s anywhere near as good as this, CHEAP FREAKS will be huge in a couple months.

Starting to play gigs around December last year, STAB is a new band coming out of the current London straight edge crowd, playing fast, raw,  blown out, politically aware hardcore, taking a heavy influence from UK hardcore heavyweights such as Ripcord and Heresy.  I was lucky enough to be visiting the UK when they played their second gig in a cramped practice room and unleashed a hectic and blinding set that blew me away.

They’ve just put out a killer 7-song demo tape that covers topics from the current rise of the right wing in Britain and beyond, and the use of drugs for social control and cultural imperialism. It hasn’t left my tape deck since getting my hands on it.  You can get a copy at the band’s blog which also has one of the demo songs for download, along with a practice room recording.  Apparently, a 7″ is in the works that I can’t wait to get hold of, as well as a Spanish tour — so if you live in Spain make sure to check it out!

(photo by Daniel Knott)

Our friend Ray Suburbia, the bassist of AUTONOMY, was visiting the Bay Area this last week and handed me this CD-R demo. “I just made these shitty first-run demos at Office Max. Want one?” Am I glad that he handed over a stack because this is a great demo and a band to watch out for. These guys are from Carbondale, IL, an overlooked college town surrounded by corn fields at the tip of southern Illinois that has had a vibrant punk scene going on since the ’80s, with bands like DIET CHRIST and the DIY venue/punk house that is still going after all these years, the Lost Cross house. (See Ray’s Carbondale scene report in MRR #322, March 2010.). Along with the many other bands that have kept the scene going, one of the newest is AUTONOMY, which is best described as a dark, anarcho punk, like early JOY DIVISION with the original grit of WARSAW (sans electronics but all the atmosphere) meets a faster PROLETARIAT, with early Wax Trax Records-era vocals. Whew! These tracks are atmospheric and gloomy, but still raw and punk. There is less polish on these five tracks than some of the similar sounding stuff that has been developing as of late and some wonderfully atonal moments, all which lend these songs to a rawness that points to the origins of this band as deeply rooted in punk. If you like current bands like ICEAGE, RANK XEROX or BELLICOSE MINDS, this might be the next thing you will be singing along to. Great demo and a band to watch out for.

Check out their blog and listen to one of the demo tracks off at autonomyband.blogspot.com

Email them for more info: withouthatredwithoutfear {at} gmail(.)com

Perfect proof that 2011 is gonna hurl some exciting new sounds across my city, THROWING UP is a brand new band from London, England. This vomitous triad only formed in September, have been sharing their songs with the world for less than 24 hours, and I’m lovesick already.

Formed of Claire and Camille, formerly of all-girl rage troupe Headless, and world famous fashion photographer (wait I turned into Tyra Banks for a second there) and excellent mosher Ben Rayner, Throwing Up make super cool snarly stripped-down punk that sounds to these ears like a catchy post-grunge echo of DC’s Chalk Circle mixed with a bit of that lo-fi Messthetics-style hustle bustle.

TU has plenty of vomexperience on which to draw, as bassface Clare recalls, “I woke up in the middle of night and projectiled all over my bedroom. That included my ex-boyfriend’s face, dick, slippers, and all the clothes on my rail. When I finally made it to the loo there wasn’t even any vom left in me.”

We can but hope that this is not the case for Throwing Up and that they do indeed have plenty left to spew forth. No release plans as yet — first show “soon!”

I’m feeling a little lightheaded with all these sick metaphors, time bow out here and just say LISTEN (and here’s their Tumblr.)

Throwing Up – “Mother Knows Best” MP3

A heads up on a great new band, from our demo reviewer xYosefx in the new issue of MRR — out now!

I generally avoid playing the ex-members game, but when members of two of my favorite Aussie bands of the past decade — SCHIFOSI and PISSCHRIST — join forces, I get a bit excited. The KROMOSOM demo features the first recordings of said band, and I have to say I’m relieved that this kicks as much ass as it does. Seven songs of Japan/Scandinavia-loving, no frills, noise drenched hardcore punk attack that’ll make you want to charge your hair, dig that bullet belt out of the back of your closet, and get in a pointless fight with one of your friends, beating each other bloody until you’re both laughing hysterically.

Write to KROMOSOM at: Hardcore Victim, Yeap, 464 A Smit St., Collingwood, VIC, Australia 3066 or email dbeat_holocaust {at} yahoo(.)com. Check out their MySpace page HERE and their website HERE.

VILE BODIES demo review by xYosefx, from the upcoming issue of MRR!

This totally blew me away. With the odd collaged image on the cover I was pretty much expecting some raging hardcore in the vein on CULT RITUAL or other current Youth Attack-style bands. I was wrong. While this is definitely some raging shit, it falls somewhere on the spectrum between hardcore and post-hardcore—if that’s still a term. I hear influences from FUGAZI in parts, BURN and other early ’90s post-youth-crew Revelation bands in others, and even some MINUTEMEN (or am I just imagining that?), but the songwriting tend to be more straightforward and, well, hardcore than that of the aforementioned bands. Even with these influences (if those are their influences), VILE BODIES maintain their own identity, and all the songs presented here are well crafted and powerful. I’ve listened to this five times now and it just gets better. This is one of the best demos I’ve heard this year. For those who care, it features members and ex-members of some good bands that you like or maybe don’t. Whatever, just do yourself a favor and order a copy of this tape.

You can download the demo HERE, or order the 7-song cassette for $5 ppd (in the US) from: 6 Wadleigh Place, Boston, MA 02127

Trans-national hardcore ragers PETTYBONE have been shaking things up in London for the past few months, injecting some much needed socially conscious girl rage into the largely boy-centric punk scene in this city. Ivona, Amy, Lianna and Zel make up Pettybone, from Czech Republic, Germany, London and Cornwall respectively!  Their music is fairly unclassifiable in the best way, but mixes bits of ‘big’ sounding metallic hardcore that’s heavy on the chug with mid-paced, almost crusty sounds and a dose of ’90s-style impassioned melody. It’s just really exciting.

Of their name, they say:

We’re named after the artist Raymond Pettibon with a feminine twist [...] One of most – if not the most iconic artist in punk rock. Although a few people have asked if we are Undertow / Edge Of Reason tribute band after John Pettibone. However this is not true.

They’ve just recorded an album in Putney with Sam Thredder, which has been mixed by Kurt Ballou, and are currently looking for someone to put it out.

You can listen to their demo, being given away at shows, currently here.