Alright! We got a demo in recently from an ass-kicking band from Bangkok, Thailand, called BLOOD THIRST SPIDER. Yes, that’s “thirst” not “thirsty”. They’re not exactly new, but if you haven’t been in Thailand in past year or so, you probably haven’t heard of them yet. Robert Collins gives their demo, entitled Rock’n’Roll Destruction, this review in the upcoming issue of MRR magazine:

Fukk Yes!!! Thailand punx deliver old school hardcore with sinister snarled vocals. The buzzsaw bass drives the whole band along, and there are some seriously demented and awesomely out of place guitar leads that make me just shake my head. Clean, almost surf guitars from time to time, and there are a couple of tunes that have a kind of old school R’n’R feel to them, like the good ’80s So Cal bands did sometimes. This is badass — the demo comes with a sticker and a patch, and I suggest you fire off an email to them right away! ed_rudy {at} yahoo(.)com

The latest news is that they’re recording a full-length (CD-only probably), and if you happen to be in or near Bangkok this month, you can try to catch them “covering a traditional Thai country song BTS style” at the Siam Old School show on May 22nd in Ekkamai.

From this month’s MRR magazine (#324 • May 2010)…

(photo by Wander Willian)

SPEED KILLS – demo
What we have here are five killer songs from this Brazilian band that sounds like a deliciously fast baby spawned by LIMP WRIST and some modern Italian hardcore lover that really isn’t around too much, but has left a genetic mark — whoa… The vocals are gruff, screamy and in Portuguese. The lyrics are about human waste, struggling again the odds and looking ahead, among other things, with references to Mad Max mixed in. This music is tight and fierce. Their track “A Cura” has some killer female vocals that made me stop what I was doing. The recording quality is great and it came with a cool DIY screened back patch that will probably be on my next vest. Try to get your hands on this, or at least watch out for this bands official release, cuz this is gooood! (Mariam) (5-song CD-R, lyrics included, myspace.com/speedkillsparanoia)

(photo by Karoline Collins)

Sometimes living in The Bay just rules, and you find yourself in a basement in West Oakland with 20 other people and you’re eating pizza and then these four dudes walk in wearing masks and blood-spattered clothes and they just blow you away with insanely catchy songs played at a deafening volume. MOTHERCOUNTRY MOTHERFUCKERS take the good things about ’90s melodic hardcore and make them better…and then throw in a video show and between song samples that are as much a part of the live show as the band itself. Total mystery act, but if you keep your eyes peeled, you might get lucky (like at Submission for the MRR Presents gig on May 20, for instance).

I am so fucking stoked on LA VOZ right now! They come out of the same LA “Raw Ponx” scene as bands such as TUBERCULOSIS, RAYOS X, RABIA AL SISTEMA, and POLISKITZO, and play high-energy, timeless yet fresh-sounding hardcore sung in Spanish.  I had the chance to catch them while in LA over the weekend, and before they played, I was told that seeing them would be “like 2001 all over again.” Given that some of my favorite hardcore came out during this era, and that the person telling me this doesn’t hyperbolize, I was already super excited to see them, and they actually exceeded my expectations live.  Comparisons to LIFE’S HALT go beyond the superficial.

Check out their MySpace page for the usual riffraff.  Not sure how many demos they still have, but a 7″ will be out soon on Lengua Armada.  I’m listening to these songs as I write this, and they hone the best elements of those on their demo.

LA VOZ + circle pit! (photo by OldHC Robert)

Also, I want to give a huge kudos to this scene.  I’d seen TUBERCULOSIS and RAYOS X up here, but seeing them in their own town and watching these kids, who probably have more reason to be punk than most, getting excited, dancing, singing along to all their friends’ bands, and making shit happen in general was rad and super inspiring.  Along with a bunch of great bands, this scene has also spawned a record store, radio show (not just an internet one either), and Fronteras Desarmadas, which is both a print and video zine with contributions from a lot of these kids.  For more info and updates, check out myspace.com/rawponxla.

Portland’s ARCTIC FLOWERS may be important to some folks based purely on pedigree. And yes, the skill and experience of guitarist Stan (ex-Signal Lost) and drummer Mike (of a million-and-one great bands, including, currently, Defect Defect) definitely shines through in this band. But the other half of the group, newcomers Lee and Alex, on bass and vocals respectively, land the knockout punch with killer, dark, melodic vocals — just the way I like ‘em — and a solid as fuck rhythm section.

Arctic Flowers’ sound is unabashedly UK anarcho, but not in a way that sounds derivative and hackneyed. The songs sound tough as fuck, and don’t delve into cliché, as this genre so often did in its golden age. Isn’t that the best we can ask from a modern age punk  band — take what we know and love, make it your own, and do it well? If we were giving grades, Arctic Flowers would be at the front of the curve.

Arctic Flowers, as seen in the MRR Photo Issue (photo by Paul Curran)

And for your listening pleasure, here’s their 4-song demo!

Arctic Flowers – “Slouching Towards Bethlehem” MP3
Arctic Flowers – “Neon Tombs” MP3
Arctic Flowers – “Blue Heelers” MP3
Arctic Flowers – “Technicolor Haze” MP3

You can contact the band at arcticflowerspdx {at} gmail(.)com

ZOMBIE DOGS is a raging all female, pro-bike, pro-skating, pro-caffeine, pro-feminism, pro-fun hardcore band from Brooklyn. The world (or at least the punk world) would be a better place if more bands fit this description. I’m gonna stop there and point you in the direction of their songs at myspace.com/zombiedogsnyc. Please tour the west coast, or at least play NYC when I’m out there in early May, preferably with DEATH FIRST and NOMOS. Thanks in advance.

Zombie Dogs! (Photo by Dave Sanders)

Here’s what Layla had to say about their demo in the July 2009 Maximum Rocknroll:

Really raw and rudimentary, (in the best sense of the word), all-lady-made hardcore from Brooklyn.  It comes with this rad lyric book/tape cover, with songs about creepy feminist for fucks dudes, street harassment and skateboarding!  It’s so refreshing hearing challenging, thoughtful feminist and goofy lyrics in this genre of hardcore.  So rad!!  Tamara has the coolest voice, it’s really tough sounding but not in a SPITBOY way, more like a more hardcore Jenna from MIKA MIKO.  She has a similar cool throaty/snotty thing, but this is way more aggro!  The guitar sound is so blown out, and listening to this just makes me think of the endless eternal sound of basement hardcore bands.  It’s a good feeling listening to a tape on which the riffs bring to mind Flex Your Head, but girls made it, so much cooler than another generi-dude band.