Reviews

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Please send one copy of vinyl (preferred), CD, or cassette releases to MRR, PO Box 3852, Oakland, CA 94609, USA.

Maximum Rocknroll wants to review everything that comes out in the world of underground punk rock, hardcore, garage, post-punk, thrash, etc. No major labels or labels exclusively distributed by major-owned distributors, no reviews of test pressings or promo CDs without final artwork. We reserve the right to reject releases on the basis of content. Music without vocals or drums will not be considered. All music submitted for review must have been released (or reissued) within the last two years. Please include contact information and let us know where your band is from!

168 By Myself & Damaged Again cassette

168 is a solo project out of Houston, Texas, with Ryan Preble-Gaitz handling absolutely every aspect: writing, performing, recording, mixing, and mastering. That’s an incredibly impressive undertaking, especially considering the sheer scope of this release. This cassette clocks in at roughly 90 minutes long, consisting of two very long LP-length recordings, one on each side of the tape. It’s an enormous amount of music to throw at a listener, especially when it spends so much time hopping between genres. But before I start complaining, there is a lot here worth celebrating. The coolest thing about 168 is how genuine it feels. There isn’t an ounce of posturing here. It feels like someone making exactly the kind of music they want to make, simply because they love punk, not because they’re trying to impress anyone. When 168 sticks to its strengths, it is legitimately good. The ’80s USHC-worship is convincing without feeling like a carbon copy. The guitar tone on the instrumental surf tracks is perfect, making the songs feel pretty damn timeless. Even some of the novelty street punk songs, mostly centered around aging and laughing at yourself, are entertaining, funny, and surprisingly memorable. Across this tape, I counted fourteen songs that I would call anywhere from solid to genuinely great. Sounds like a glowing review, right? Well, there are 47 songs on this cassette. Yes, I understand it’s technically two full-length albums bundled together, but that doesn’t make it feel any less exhausting. Whatever happened to leaving people wanting more? Even if you think your songs are all incredible, do you really believe each of these albums needed to run more than twice the length of The Crew by 7 SECONDS? My biggest problem isn’t even with the runtime, it’s the constant detours. Pop punk, screamo, acoustic songs, mandolin-driven folk-punk, atmospheric noise, novelty sea shanties…it’s as if the project refused to leave a single musical impulse unexplored. The frustrating part is that the great material is buried under so much of the merely okay and outright forgettable. When all is said and done, 168 is an impressive project whose output is mostly simply not for me. The high points are high enough that I’m probably going to make myself a new tape with just the songs I enjoyed and see how they flow on their own.

Altar of Eden The Grotto Screams II LP

In 2020, ALTAR OF EDEN (assembled from members of …AND YOU WILL KNOW US BY THE TRAIL OF DEAD, NOSFERATU, CREAMERS, and more) released The Grotto Screams full-length. Returning in 2026 with The Grotto Screams II, ALTAR OF EDEN has once again created a deathrock soundscape that heralds the apocalyptic descent of our world. Ten songs full of thick bass, screaming jangles of guitar work, and jazzy but primal drumming that support a lyrical delivery that is spot-on for Rozz Williams. In all, The Grotto Screams II is a creeping, dark journey that occasionally lets ALTAR OF EDEN loose to create immersive, danceable, macabre rock. Absolutely check this out if you’re into CHRISTIAN DEATH.

Billy Batts & the Made Men DCxPC Presents Live, Vol. 41 LP

Here we have Atlanta’s BILLY BATS & THE MADE MEN ripping through 21 tracks of scrappy dual-vocal punk reminiscent of GUTTERMOUTH or even the QUEERS, but not as good. The double vocals keep things interesting; without them, I’m not sure I would have gotten as far as I did. You get what you expect with songs like “Long John Silver’s Feud in Augusta,” “My Job Sucks,” and covers of BLACK FLAG, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, and…BILLY IDOL. Their drummer Nub Nub rips behind the kit and helps keep it all together, but it does nothing to minimize the juvenile nature of some of the songs. At the end of the day, it’s refreshing to see a young band touring their asses off and giving it their all. While the music isn’t my favorite flavor, you can hear that these dudes rip live and are absolutely doing their part to keep punk young. The more of these DCxPC records that I hear, the more I love them.

Cánidos Dis-cografía (2017–2025) LP

Although this Tijuana-based three-piece has apparently been going for eight years, I had never heard of CÁNIDOS prior to this review, which is a bit of a shame since the band evolved in the dense, busy, brutal D-beat crust galaxy, a place inhabited by studded punks with a questionable sense of hygiene who I feel close to. This record is a discography—or rather Dis-cografía—with twenty songs, so it might be a bit much to take in one sitting (not for me though, I am no poseur). The remastered version of “Canis Latrans” opening the LP stands as especially convincing. Stylistically, CÁNIDOS knows what they are doing and displays solid dispositions for the genre. I am reminded of bands like CONSUME, local crust mafia heroes COACCION, or indeed COP ON FIRE, who they wisely choose to cover. I like the expressive gruff vocals and the galloping D-beat crust style they go for, with that typical cymbal play that gets the fist pumping. I have no idea whether or not these perros were involved in other bands before, but I’d love to know. It’s a yes for me.

Clayface Nichts Ist In Ordnung LP

Nürnberg’s CLAYFACE cranks out thirteen tunes of politically-wired hardcore punk as their second release. These songs hit with the urgency of classic German punk while keeping one foot planted in modern crust-leaning punk. The lyrics tear into militarism, reactionary politics, social media brain-rot, and middle-class complacency without sounding like a lecture. As for the music, they keep everything moving with sharp riffs and just enough rock’n’roll swagger to appease non-hardcore listeners. Furious punk that sounds like it actually has something to say.

Dead Finks New Plastik Abyss cassette

Let’s get this out of the way. “Anodyne” is the best song of the year so far, and I don’t think it’s particularly close. That track is the reason this review is like a month late; I simply could not get past it. The student loans of amazing post-punk. There is tension, there is release, there is a catchy-as-hell chorus and urgent guitars. With that being just the second track, it was almost impossible for the rest of the album to live up to what came before it. But that said, the rest of the album is indeed great. The energy and desperation in the vocal performances are consistently brilliant, the guitars continue to feel urgent, and the battle between tension and release rolls along from track to track. A behemoth of a record that may peak early, but I think you need the last seven tracks just to come down from the heights you reach early on anyway.

Faulty Cognitions Demo 12″

Although they’re from San Antonio TX, FAULTY COGNITIONS have a ’90s(-ish) NorCal pop punk sound and a today(-ish) SoCal pop punk sound blended together—I guess into a Central Texas pop punk sound. Look, I dunno. At its core, this re-released demo tape, now on vinyl, has some memorable, humble, simple, “best pals hanging out in a basement” pop-punk-influenced songs. Undeniably catchy while both silly and heartfelt. And my golly if the final track, “Let the Kids Have the Scene,” doesn’t just hit me between the eyes. This 12” has sensation laced throughout the lyrics, quilting a perfect feeling that isn’t sorrowful or cathartic; maybe wisdom is the word I’m looking for. I could also be full of shit and it’s just a good record. You be the judge.

Gutbugs S/T cassette

Four-song debut cassette from this kooky egg-punk project out of Toulouse, France. The tracks are surprisingly long given the usual frantic, short attention span nature of the genre GUTBUGS has chosen, with each song averaging almost three-and-a-half minutes. Quirky, spastic, sound-effect-heavy songs all with driving drum machine beats, short halted barked vocals, and more warbles than a broken Speak & Spell. I make a point to only write reviews from listening to physical cassettes, which feels important to me. You get to experience the release as it was meant to be, analyzing the cover art, inspecting the lyrics when included (none here), and taking in the release as a complete package. With GUTBUGS, however, I had to review the songs through their Bandcamp page because the tape I received is completely blank on both sides. Limited to 25 copies; I have no idea how many of them actually contain the recording.

It’s a Setup Bleeding Out at Recess EP

Spokane, Washington’s IT’S A SETUP played their first show in 2024, which makes the confidence on this EP genuinely impressive. Eight chaotic hardcore songs in ten minutes, screamo vocals pitched high enough to read as almost androgynous, and a low end heavy enough that the speed never comes at the expense of the weight. They’ve got both, and they swing between the two with the kind of powerviolence tempo shifts that keep you off balance. You can hear a little IN/HUMANITY in the DNA, that same fast and furious streak, but IT’S A SETUP keeps things blunt and right in your face. It’s not the heaviest record ever made, or the fastest, or the screamiest, but it sits in a really good spot that’s fucking infectious, and the production is dialed in exactly right for these songs. The politics are just as sharp: fuck the NRA, fuck the arms trade, fuck religion in government, fuck the tough-guy posturing, fuck the elites, and fuck the borders that trick people into forgetting we’re all the same tribe. These kids have their heads screwed on straight, and it gives me some hope for the future.

Les Feüílles Mörtes Las Ruinas de Bizancio LP

Spain’s LES FEÜÍLLES MÖRTES deliver some darkwave and post-punk-infused electro-punk that gets your body moving. With its mood swings between gloomy to energetic, it’s not hard to find something you like. I personally wasn’t really moved by it, but I’m sure more devoted fans of the genre would appreciate it more than I did.

Magic of the Marketplace The Spectators are Leaving CD

This has to be the worst album cover I have seen all year. My god, what were they thinking? It truly baffled me when I started the record, and I was greeted with some throaty gravel vocals and melodic pop punk. “When the Story Ends” sounds like a more safe and polished LARS FREDERIKSEN AND THE BASTARDS B-side. You could also make comparisons to LEATHERFACE or even OFF WITH THEIR HEADS, although they don’t quite have the songwriting chops of the latter. If you’re a fan of any of those bands, you will feel right at home with this. I kind of hate it, but can’t deny there’s a fanbase out there aching for this kind of shit.

Meanwhile A Conflict of Memory EP

A Conflict of Memory is proof that D-beat doesn’t need to be reinvented. After eighteen long years, MEANWHILE rips into classic D-takt with enough power to remind you why the style refuses to die. Four tracks of DISCHARGE-worship done right: chainsaw distortion, killer D-beats, and bleak melodies that owe as much to the masters of dD-beat as they do to the band’s own decades-long legacy. The black-and-white cover is stark and symbolic, with its fractured imagery echoing the title’s meditation on memory, conflict, and historical amnesia. Uncompromising hardcore delivered by lifers who still sound like they’re playing because the world keeps giving them reasons to. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!

One Reason to Rise Lost & Found CD

Calling Bogota, Colombia their home, ONE REASON TO RISE combines early the ’90s Fat Wreck sound with melody and a relentless guitar-and-drums aural assault. Lost & Found delivers personal lyrics while maintaining a sense of humor and humility. There are enough slower songs and hints of hardcore, ska, and rock riffs to make this a fully-realized, fist-in-the-air punk rock album.

Problem Green Sorry I Don’t Matter cassette

This is an interesting one. The music is sort of poppy punk and the female vocals are soft-ish and kind of pretty, but the lyrics are intense and focused on isolation and not belonging. Here and there, you get teased with the Australian accent. Sometimes mid-tempo and sometimes slowed down a bit, it’s always catchy. I like it when punk gets back to its roots of anger.

Seven Crowns Haunted Head LP

Holy cow, this rules. Stick with me here, because this doesn’t make much sense on paper, but SEVEN CROWNS somehow combine the grooviness of Dio-led BLACK SABBATH, the energy of THURDAY/Black Sails-era AFI, and the absolute musical chaos of MR. BUNGLE, melded into one big ball of timeless, melodic hardcore porridge. The musicianship is great, but the vocalist stands out among the rest due to their versatility, range, and (please pardon the cliché) pure attitude. The moment the singer kicked into gear during their first track (“Haunted Head”), I came to attention and stopped everything else I was doing and just listened. A perfect way to interrupt your day—listen to it now! Make sure you check this out on Bandcamp, as there’s a special bonus remix of their song “Side Effects” with an intro that sounds like it came straight from Pure Moods Vol. 2!

Shop Talk Shop Talk LP

After a handful of short-form releases, New York’s SHOP TALK finally delivers their first full-length, produced by James Mechan of the SLEEVEENS. The three-piece gallops through ten songs in twenty-six-and-a-half minutes, led by Jonathan Garcia’s psychobilly-inflected guitar playing and his singing that lands somewhere between Jello Biafra’s nasal sneer and Leonard Graves Phillips of the DICKIES, and I mean that as real praise. But under the snottiness, there’s a genuine power pop instinct, the kind those Denton bands have, driven at a punk rock pace. The record manages to sound old and new at once, aware of its history without being ruled by it, and it’s really fucking good. My favorite moments are where they loosen their grip, like the tail end of track eight, “Golden Afternoon,” where things come apart in the best way. Definitely worth your stinkin’ time.

Tank Division Chewin’ Ice EP

This EP Austin’s TANK DIVISION features four re-recorded demo tracks and four new songs of ugly, dour hardcore that is fairly manic and hectic. Listing bands like Rollins-era BLACK FLAG and OUT COLD and shouting out CHEETAH CHROME MOTHERFUCKERS and GORDON SOLIE MOTHERFUCKERS (in the same song) gives you an idea of where their heads are at. On paper, this sounds like something I’d really dig, but it just didn’t do much for me. I’ve given it a couple of spins, and maybe it’s the ranting vocals or the unusual song structures, but overall, this one’s a pass.

Twisted Teens Florida Water Blues LP

Folks fucking love this band. Read anything about the New Orleans duo, and you’ll find them held up next to all sorts of giants: GREG CARTWRIGHT, BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, the GUN CLUB. YellowGreenRed even asks you to imagine them as GEORGE THOROGOOD under the influence of SWELL MAPS and NEU! They’re simultaneously reviving and reinventing down-home garage rock! And I sort of get the hype. There is something undeniable in the timbre of singer Caspian Hollywell’s voice and the soul he’s able to effortlessly impart to these compositions, and Razor Ramone’s woozy pedal steel really helps tie together the dusty scene they are painting. The pair also cut quite the dashing figure on the covers of their records, each of which sticks to a simple but striking aesthetic. Dudes have nailed their branding! And when I disengage with all of this and the music on Florida Water Blues just enough—like softening my focus to let a Magic Eye poster reveal the image of hobo carrying a bindle—I can sort of buy in, maybe even think something like, “huh, neat!” The second I give it any thought, though, that illusion of depth is shattered, and the branding is kind of all that’s left. Personally, I find the whole train-hopping, Southern-fried yarn-spinner schtick corny as hell. I’ve always felt similarly about SPRINGSTEEN, so I get that comparison. But as much as I dislike his music, the Boss can write the hell out of song. With Florida Water Blues, I don’t so much have a problem with the tunes, but these lyrics—holy shit! They range from a smattering of hacky tropes (swamps, old highways, cans of beans), to PARQUET COURTS-style tedious cleverness (“Concealed Weepin’” can fuck right off!), to outright crimes against language (“I know you’re wetter than a drowning fish / So I’m coming right over just to eat your dish”). And while I can hear the comparison points mentioned above (except for NEU! and SWELL MAPS…seriously, what!?), I was also reminded of a bevy of much lamer bands: SOCIAL DISTORTION, FLAMING LIPS, BECK, or WEEN. I even caught a whiff of SUBLIME on the album opener! Which is not to say they’re trying to sound like these bands or even that it’s bad to. Look, I know I’m going against the tide on this one. But my honest opinion is that this shit is a mix of just fine and decidedly not for me…and also that some of y’all need to calm down.

Adult Learners Nothing to Do EP

Wow. This is off to a great start. Female-fronted pop music with some (a lot) of organ/keyboards and a ton of energy. Five cuts, they all rock, and not a single one of them is over two minutes long. Now you’re speaking my language. Super catchy and just fun to listen to. The vocals are both pretty and interesting. While this is poppy and pretty, make no mistake, this is not sticky sweet; it’s got some guts.

Bödel Dödsbringaren LP

When you have a visibly decaying (very) grim reaper on the cover of an album by a Swedish punk band, you can bet your one good kidney that they are going to unleash dark and heavy galloping hardcore for the masses. Well, your kidney is safe, because BÖDEL plays straightforward, beefy käng with enough shades of D-beat speed to keep things interesting for twenty minutes. It sounds how it is meant to: relentless, punishing, and energetic. Let’s not D-beat around the bush here, because BÖDEL does not endeavour to innovate and modify a formula that has been working since a bunch of scruffy kids came up with the systematization of a very specific beat in Stoke-on-Trent in 1980. Know who I mean? In the grand spectrum of the D-takt, I would place these Göteborg punks somewhere around early VICTIMS, WARVICTIMS, or GEFYR for a modern reference, with a great, heavier production highlighting the unstoppable vibe of the music. A couple of moments of the LP suggest a fondness for the more epic, moodier side of WOLFBRIGADE, which I do not disapprove of. Very classic and predictable but in a good way, and the fantastic female vocals, angry and manic on the verge of explosion, do take the band to the Premier League of käng hardcore in my opinion. A very enjoyable album that undeniably stands as one of this year’s strongest instances of this peculiar subgenre.

Calamity Calamity LP

This Hamiliton, Ontario four-piece dropped this LP earlier this year, and it’s full of power pop-ish rock’n’roll. It’s ten tracks, and most of them blend together. I could chop it up to the production and use the song “Stone Cold” for example. It’s got a riff, it’s got a chorus, and both blend into each other without any real dynamics. It never really hits, and had me ready to hit the ol’ skip button. I think with some better production or dynamics, this would come across a little more rocking. They mention a heavy Flying Nun influence, but aside from a couple of moments that I had to really look for, I don’t hear it. It’s a shame, because if that influence would have been front and center, I may have enjoyed this a lot more.

Dryacid / The Slads split EP

Alright! Here’s a killer split that pairs up two bands that know what the fuck they’re doing and don’t muck about getting to the point. Split releases almost always beg comparison, but that’s no issue with these two burgeoning titans of Oi! Both sides will surely leave deep boot prints on your ass. DRYACID may just be Japan’s answer to the TEMPLARS, blasting out two tunes that feel like instant classics. Crack a cold one and flip the wax for two more cuts of rock’n’roll-tinged street anthems from the SLADS. Tuneful, with the perfect balance of grit and gravel, these earworms will burrow deep. Pure punk; a total package front to back and side to side.

Ekibyo The Final Goodbye EP

Although “ekibyo” is the Japanese word for “pestilence,” this band lives far from Osaka—Tampa, Florida, a place with significantly more shorts than crust pants. The Final Goodbye is the band’s third (and hopelessly not final) recording, and they haven’t changed in terms of influences, nodding lovingly to the distorted, crusty hardcore sound from Japan. This is a rather lo-fi affair, and I can appreciate that they don’t try to go for the total blown-out crasher crust and are probably closer to a spontaneous and energetic blend of LEBENDEN TOTEN and UNARM, and I can’t help thinking of ANTIPRODUCT, too (possibly because of the shouted vocals). At times, I don’t totally understand what they are going for and it can get a little messy, but I certainly like the raw DIY spirit of the band (shoutout for the sloppy cut’n’paste cover that I absolutely love), and would grab the EP if I came across it.

False Front Valley Stomp EP

Seven minutes of pure floor-stomping hardcore. McAllen, Texas’s FALSE FRONT play stripped-down skinhead hardcore with one boot planted on WARZONE, NEGATIVE APPROACH, and the TEMPLARS, and another boot on newer bands like LIBERTY & JUSTICE (with whom they collaborate on track three), with additional blastbeats à la early AGNOSTIC FRONT and DEAD KENNEDYS surf riffs here and there. Each breakdown catches you off guard, as FALSE FRONT manages to make things groovier and more aggressive with each twist and turn. Lyrically, it’s all about protecting hardcore from tourists, poseurs, and fake scene politics, and these boot boys ain’t playing around, so they just might revoke your hardcore card.

Girth Control What Got You Stoked in the First Place 10″

I had no idea what to expect from a band calling themselves GIRTH CONTROL, with sleeve art of an over-served radical octopus, and songs like “Girthquake” and “Alright Mom.” To be honest, I had given up on ska punk for the last thirty or so years, until two friends added weight to what I thought was a dead sound. The first was a woman named Sally who lives in Kalamazoo MI. After she explained very plainly and unapologetically the nuances and positive psychological effects that ska punk can have on a person living in the gray, cloudy, Midwest, I was open to giving it another shot. The second was when Aaron P, one of my favorite drummers I’ve had the pleasure of playing with, told me that he’d been doubling his duties in TWO MAN ADVANTAGE and a new ska band he’d been playing with. I mean, if Aaron and Sally are giving it a shot, then who am I to pick something up and put it down in front of progress? I mean ska-gress. However, with no expectations, What Got You Stoked in the First Place has somehow landed exactly where it has to be, where there is no other place it could be. GIRTH CONTROL is exactly the right part of the fun, partying, honest good time, sip-swiggin’ ska punk band they need to be. I love the group vocals, mirroring all the best Rad Girlfriend bands, and the choruses have tunneled into mine brains to now live forever. I think it is important that the one thing that Sally, Aaron, and GIRTH CONTROL proved to me is that although ska punk songs can sound happy, silly, bouncy and so on, they can be much more than that with a reflective sadness, community, and authenticity blended in. Pick this 10” up and put it down on your turntable.

Jazz …Der Irrtum Hat Mal Wieder Gewonn! LP

I’ll hold your hand while I’m telling you this, but this JAZZ record? Well, it ain’t no jazz record. Bummer? No. Not really. It’s still an amazing record. The energy is unmatchable, and there is so much fun to be had in all of the thirteen post-post-punk bangers it offers. Expressive vocals, earworm bass lines, sharp guitars, clever drums, and creative synth parts just add up to something so unique, refreshing, and weird in a very endearing way. I absolutely adore everything about this record.

King Flamingo / The Thingz split EP

The THINGZ from Long Beach take the A-side with “Heavy Metal Back Pocket,” a lo-fi stomp run almost entirely on organ and bass, and the lyrics really capture a moment in four lines: “AC/DC concert shirt / Sit cross-legged in the dirt / You are mine eternally / Outside of society.” That’s the sound of being a kid next to your crush, and I was really touched by it. “Gastropod of Doom” follows as the theme song to a slug invasion, with vocals that reminded me of the B-52’S. KING FLAMINGO, a California duo who describe their music as “astro surf” or “goo wop,” take a more laid-back approach on the flipide: “Astro-Blast-Off/Re-Entry” lays spoken vocals and organ over twangy reverb, and “Moonbeam Beach” drops the tension for something prettier, a half-sung memory of a night on the sand. They’re going for atmosphere, where the THINGZ are going for a house party. It’s a good pairing, though I kept flipping back to the THINGZ side.

Life’s Torment / Merked Regurgitated Misinformation / Life Wants You Dead split EP

LIFE’S TORMENT is out of Las Vegas, and their dual-vocal delivery reminds me of CIRCLE TAKES THE SQUARE, but way more punk (is that possible?). MERKED out of San Jose is a three-piece that plays hardcore that drifts from what sounds like COMBAT WOUNDED VETERAN to beatdown to youth crew in a single volley. If this split had arrived in the early ’00s, there’s no doubt in my mind this would have been a top listen. Yeah, it’s a chaotic trip, and yes it’s noisy, it’s these qualities that make it fun.

Miscomings / Sea Moss Big Tube Scene split CD

Portland, Oregon duo SEA MOSS starts this split off with pure sorcery of gnarly synths and electronics layered on top of masterful drumming that conjures rhythmic seizures. Even though it’s stripped down in its instrumentation, it’s by no means a type of music you could call minimalistic. It’s very “extra” in every way that actually counts, and scratches a part of my brain that not much else can reach—that explains why I fell in love with this split in the first ten seconds. And when we switch over to the MISCOMINGS side, we are greeted with more of a conventional band setup of guitars, drums, bass and vocals…but of course, the music is anything but conventional. It’s extremely chaotic, unbelievably fun, and reminiscent of some of my all-time favorite bands PRE and LOCUST. From eerie and deranged melodic parts to noisy, grinding sections, MISCOMINGS deliver all that you could ever need from a noise rock band. I know I wouldn’t be able to do it justice if I were to dissect their sound further, so I’ll just say that it’s some of the best music I’ve heard in a while. On top of both bands giving this split their absolute best individually, the two amazing and aptly-titled collaborative tracks, “Seacomings” and “MissMoss,” perfectly summarize the whole split. Even though SEA MOSS and MISCOMINGS don’t sound that much alike, they’re spiritually the best pair possible and the chemistry between them is priceless. All in all, Big Tube Scene is undoubtedly a ten out of ten in my book, and I’m ready to die on this hill.

Muscle Romantic Living cassette

Birthing a strange breed of avant-garde hardcore, MUSCLE is an innovative trio out of Baltimore. Their simultaneously sleek and meaty racket originates solely from a drummer, bassist, and vocalist who conspire to create a strikingly cohesive sound. This physical-release-only live tape lets you hear it in all of its raw glory across thirteen songs. Due in part to the sparse instrumentation, their style is hard to pin down, and when they refer to themselves as “the ABBA of no wave,” the description seems surprisingly plausible. It’s artistic passion pinned to embryonic grooves as if guitars were obsolete.

Private Hell To Dust You Shall Return EP

Big, chugging riffs abound on PRIVATE HELL’s latest EP To Dust You Shall Return, a tasty four-track metallic hardcore/crossover EP. Bands like SEPULTURA and NAPALM DEATH are cited as influences, and while the depth of my knowledge in regard to this style is limited and a little basic, I think it’s fair to say they sound like POWER TRIP. Some blastbeats here, some great, groovy bass lines there, and loads of buzzsaw guitar work add up to a heavy eleven minutes. Recommended; check out the final track, “Charred Remains of a Dying Star.”

Rozpor Ilegálna Spravodlivosť LP

Originally a CD-R released in 2002. This is political punk/Oi!/hardcore from Bratislava, Slovakia, budding with exactly what you’d want from a band that’s been causing an aural commotion for over twenty years. I gotta admit that I have no idea what they are saying, so when I’m on a walk and singing along, I hope my echolalia is accurate enough that ROZPOR wouldn’t be embarrassed that I’m a fan, and not so inaccurate that a passerby that who speaks Slovak doesn’t think I’m singing something wildly off-base. I need to mention that within the weight of music and vocal tone, ROZPOR doesn’t miss an opportunity to randomly sneak in surprises that subtly underscore their sense of humor and humility. I was completely consumed by this LP, and I think you might be, too.

Snarewaves 4 Tracks cassette

Four songs of dingy, lo-fi, blown-out garage punk. With incredibly limited information available, the best I can discern is that SNAREWAVES is a solo recording project based out of Lansing, Michigan. This tape is exceptionally short, containing only about three-and-a-half minutes of music—I think that makes these cassettes C-2 length, which to me means as soon as I sit down after hitting play, I’m already getting up to flip the tape. I have probably listened to this thing 30 times while trying to write this review. The songs are solid, even if they don’t leave much of a lasting impression individually. With a previous cassette out on garage rock powerhouse Painters Tapes and now this one on Knuckles On Stun, any garage or egg-punk enthusiast should have a pretty good idea of what they’re getting themselves into with SNAREWAVES. If you end up being one of the 25 people who get a physical copy of this cassette, whatever you do, do not get the O-card even the slightest bit damp. Merely picking it up to scan the cover for information on the band (of which there is none) made the ink begin to smear all over the damn place.

Subvermes Rumo ao Pior CD

Brazil’s SUBVERMES don’t waste time dressing up their message. Rumo ao Pior is fifteen tracks of D-beat-fueled crust that occupies land somewhere between DISCHARGE, LÄRM, and RATOS DE PORÃO. With enough grind flashes to keep things frantic, the production is filthy without turning into mush. Lyrically, it’s all anti-fascism, anti-authoritarianism, environmental destruction, Indigenous struggles, and class warfare. Protest music in the best sense, backed by real conviction. Tossing in covers of DISCHARGE and DOOM makes perfect sense, because SUBVERMES clearly understand the tradition. Loud, fast, and pissed.

Sun Within Synthesis and Realization / Luminous Events 7″

When I saw that the digital download for this was $9 on Bandcamp, I scoffed at first, but following the conclusion of the first track “Luminous Events,” I thought, “Okay, fair.” The vocals here are absolutely incredible. The range, dynamics, and control are god-tier. They sound like a total pro, so much so that I had to listen to these tracks a handful of times because I kept getting sucked into the singer’s spell! The music itself is very desert/space rock-ish. Reminds me a bit of early MONSTER MAGNET and QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE. Come to think of it, this sounds like it came from a time capsule buried in the ’90s. Solid work here; it goes by fast, so give it a couple spins like I did.

Teenage Faces Hearts in Transit LP

A full-sized serving of fun, earnest, catchy power pop. It’s apparent right from the jump that TEENAGE FACES have an ear for this style, even beyond just wearing their influences on their sleeves. I assumed their namesake was an EXPLODING HEARTS reference before I clocked the tracklist containing three cover songs—one from Portland’s finest, one NERVES track, and the third tackling Elvis Costello’s “Welcome to the Working Week.” These covers are done well and are clearly little love letters to the genre. The originals that make up the meat of the record probably won’t surprise the listener at this point, but again, they make for a great little listen. Those originals skew a little more early ’80s power pop, with a bit more emphasis on the pop than the power, and the vocals sound like they could be your coworker, or your cousin, or the bank teller, but I think that adds to the charm here. I’ve spent most of my life obsessing over this music and I see it like pizza. There’s no such thing as bad pizza.

The Vauxhalls Going to the Movies By Myself EP

Super catchy punk music that’s got a little bit of jangle to it; this is amazing. When you find out that it’s from New Zealand from the late ’70s/early ’80s, you can definitely hear it, but it also makes it all the more impressive. You can hear the influence of the CLEAN in there, for sure. Also, just a fantastic title for a record.

Wicked Dead Poker Face EP

This is the best lo-fi Maine horror speed-punk I have ever heard. It’s also the only entry into that particular gnarly niche that I’ve encountered, but let’s not split hairs. The songs are fast and thrashy, reminding me a bit of the earliest EVIL ARMY material, which feels like an even more appropriate comparison after discovering that they were recorded around the same time in the early 2000s. This three-piece was apparently short-lived and highly revered, and now you can treasure ‘em forever on this blood-red 7”.

Zac-a-Rama! Hyena!+ cassette

Ahh fuck yeah! ZAC-A-RAMA! out of Boca Raton does noisy, bad things with synthesizers, and I want more. This cassette is the ZAC-A-RAMA! Hyena! demo with an additional banger included. Punk, metal, hip hop, and co-opted media swirl in the basura slurry ZAC-A-RAMA! creates. Self-deprecating lyrics screech through blown transistors over equally distorted, mile-a-minute synth beats, chopped up with sound clips that beleaguer the joke, and breakdowns that make me want to throw on baggy joggers and put cardboard on the floor. Industrial punk, synth-punk, I don’t care, ZAC-A-RAMA! fucking brings it all and is sure to blow the roof off any party.

V/A Comp Punksylvania Live! Vol. 5 LP

With every compilation I have ever listened to, I always look for a few distinct things. First, did these bands give their best, or did they submit throwaway tracks? Second, do I get the feeling that I’d want to stop into their hometown for lunch and record shopping? Third, and most importantly, do I want to seek out music from bands I’ve never heard before? Before I get started, there are two things to keep in mind when you read this review. The first is that this is a live record, but the sound is clear and the bands all deliver a high-energy performance that makes you feel like you are right there. The second thing is that I love this very, very much. When I see a DCxPC record in my in box, I get stoked, and this one seems to have set a new bar for me. I’d like to call out a few fave songs but I would be listing every band and their accompanying song. On this record, you’ve got it all: punk, hardcore, ska, charged politics (personal and global), circus music, a boundless energy, and commitment to the art. So, where are we as far as my personal questions about comps? Did these bands give their best? Yes. Do I get the feeling that I’d want to stop into their hometown for lunch and record shopping? No, I’d want to hang out with them instead of shopping and maybe we’d become friends. And most importantly, do I want to seek out music from bands I’ve never heard before? Oh my golly, I might not make a car payment this month, but that’s OK because I’ll just stay home and listen to all of the records I just bought. Also, the vinyl is a beautiful neon pink, so it has that going for it.

Automatic Lovers Automatic Lovers LP

AUTOMATIC LOVERS deliver a juicy blend of attitude and energy that’s become increasingly absent from speakers in recent decades. These spunky Spaniards achieve their searing and stripped-down sound the same way ’90s trash rockers like the HUMPERS and the DEVIL DOGS did—by setting their sights on ’70s punk’n’roll in the vein of the VIBRATORS and the HEARTBREAKERS. Pure, authentic, and sweat-soaked fun ensues. But even with its two choice cover songs hammering home the band’s motivation, this debut album is not merely a procession of typical, however well done, rock stereotypes. Garage turkeys are sure to recognize some of these riffs, but not all of ‘em. At least not immediately. Well-crafted tunes like “WGTEYEO” and “Twist and Die” move the group’s inspiration into cool new places, continuing the tradition instead of just dressing up in it. Factor in the traces of Scene Killer-era CARBONAS and what are probably the most blazing guitar solos we’ve heard in 2026, and you’ve got a smoking hot recipe for success. It’s an automatic thumbs-up over here.

Birth (Defects) Fictional Days LP

Hell yeah—nice and sludgy, noisy as hell, and chorus pedals completely maxed out. Is it passé to make Spinal Tap references in the year of our lord 2026? Because if not, these guys bring it all the way up to eleven. This needs to be listened to as loud as possible. My one and only complaint: the vocals do not match the energy of the music. Now, I’m not naive enough to think that this wasn’t done intentionally, but when your band is playing music equivalent to the MELVINS on mescaline, I think it does it all a great disservice when your vocalist sounds like a mopier version of BECK. There are a couple tracks where the singer comes a bit more out of the pocket, like on the song “Scapegoat,” sounding a bit more like a poppier LARRY LIFELESS than your standard ’90s rock radio idol. Speaking of which, there are a handful of covers on this slab from bands like NIRVANA and SONIC YOUTH. Fun album if you like the heavier stuff. Worth a spin.

Censer Censer demo cassette

This is ferocious, this is from Cleveland, and this is hard-as-nails powerviolence. Released on the prolific hardcore label Delayed Gratification, this is the first demo tape from CENSER, who are certainly not here to spread joy and happiness to the punters. I am sure the members of the band are experienced and have been doing the same thing for some years, as the music is perfectly executed and excellently ticks all the powerviolence boxes you’d expect of a top band, from the heavy moshing moments to the blasting madness. I am not the biggest fan (or indeed connoisseur) of the genre and I wouldn’t personally pick up the tape, but this is brilliantly done and I can imagine the fans of this peculiar subgenre that has survived a couple of decades now going crazy for CENSER.

Dismiss Lost Transmissions: 1995–1996 LP

Now it all makes sense! I always wondered why/how No Idea Records was so tight with PLANES MISTAKEN FOR STARS, and now that I’m hearing this pre-PLANES MISTAKEN FOR STARS band, I get it. This falls perfectly in line with MOVING TARGETS, DOUGHBOYS, SERPICO, SLEEPER, etc. This DISMISS demo is hard-driving and melodic, and the songs  are tinged with enough aggression that were this to have come out in 1995 or 1996 as a full-length rather than as a demo cassette, well, who knows. We would not have had PLANES MISTAKEN FOR STARS, but we would have had one hundred more DISMISS tunes. Look, I need to be clear that I’m not a nostalgic dope looking back on yesteryear with fogged-over memories. I like this because of attentive song structures and raw-nerve quality, perhaps in part due to the poorer recording. Nonetheless, I feel it’s rare these days to hear something as impassioned as these DISMISS demo songs from thirty years ago. It looks as though physical qualities are limited and will plop in your box on a random vinyl color. If I said anything that taps your interest, then you should check this out and go start a band.

Dog Hex Dog Hex cassette

Billed as a fusion of egg-punk and dungeon synth, there is absolutely no information about DOG HEX that I can find other than the fact that this was recorded “in a hot room.” While I am not a dungeon synth expert, as a punk with a solo synth project that occasionally gets lumped into the dungeon synth genre, I have listened to enough to understand the basic idea. It seems like a lot of people think that the use of any cheap keyboard automatically qualifies your music as dungeon synth—which brings us to DOG HEX. This debut seven-song cassette features mostly spastic, aggressive egg-punk, but does have a few instrumental synth tracks, hence their attempt to claim both genres. It is my understanding that dungeon synth is fundamentally an atmospheric genre, with long compositions built around the slow cultivation of mood. With the longest song on this cassette being under a minute, it’s difficult to imagine what atmosphere can truly be built within such a timeframe. Looking at DOG HEX’s instrumental tracks through the lens of building an immersive world through their soundscapes, these songs essentially amount to a quest to the fridge. This cassette is actually pretty ripping, with “Mantra” being the standout track, blistering through verse/chorus repetition enough to get stuck in your head even at only 45 seconds in length. The band’s self-posed question of “What do you call a mix between egg-punk and dungeon synth?” feels like the build-up to an incredibly niche one-liner. I suppose I would say that “dungeon synth as played by ADHD-riddled egg-punkers” works as a description for DOG HEX. Personally, I would view things a little differently. This omelette of darkness seems more like the mashup between egg-punk and mysterious guy hardcore, as there is no information to find whatsoever on the project, its members, or anything else. The eggs are undeniable, the dungeon is still under construction.

Exclaim Fusillade LP

During the mid-’80s, EXCLAIM was creating punk based on the work of DISCHARGE, CRUCIFIX, and CRASS in Akita, Japan, far from the hotbeds of Tokyo and Osaka, which is also why their Fusillade LP is just now creeping out into the light of day. EXCLAIM captures the classic aggro punk aesthetic of fellow countrymen G.I.S.M., but also occasionally hits a noisy garage sound à la TEENGENERATE, and there are even noise moments that immediately recall early MELT BANANA. In all, Fusillade is an engaging and enjoyable trip, and if you’re into Japanese punk, this is a must-have.

Fentanyl Fentanyl LP

Bay Area degenerates FENTANYL double down on everything that made the first LP so addictive, but the songwriting’s tighter and the weirdness cuts even deeper. Eight tracks of off-kilter hardcore that mashes together the weirdness of UNITED MUTATION, NO TREND, DIE KREUZEN, and SIEGE, with flashes of modern freakiness like SPY and GAG. The guitar lurches instead of chugging as every song throws in some left turn before it overstays its welcome, and the whole thing feels wired and paranoid. At barely twelve minutes, it never wastes a second. Twisted hardcore punk that is actively trying to make everyone in the room uncomfortable, exactly as it should.

Fourteen Hokus Pokus Vapor 22 EP

Sarah, Erica, Ruby, and Coach are FOURTEEN, and their Hokus Pokus Vapor 22 EP is eight songs of pure pop punk, the very best of the no-frills kind. If I had to put this onto a mixtape, I’d also include bands like SWEET BABY, BRENTS T.V., VANBULDERASS, POOPIEHEAD, WHEN PUBERTY STRIKES, SEWER TROUT, KAMALA AND THE KARNIVORES, and so on. Lyrics taking on big topics in some tunes, while others distill had-to-be-there inside jokes that probs only the band and close friends are tuned into. I’m stoked on this record. In my brain, I imagine that these four friends went into a secret studio inside a cargo van that’s been abandoned inside a parking garage, and for fifteen minutes, wrote and recorded these eight songs, then left and never talked about it again. And now we have this little regional important thing, like a dumb little town that has a special stone named after it to always remember that something great is always somewhere.

Galanti Nášivky Františka Malečka LP

A discerning listen will leave you with more questions than conclusions here, but GALANTI is nothing if not compelling—a churning juggernaut of complex Eastern European hardcore infected with metalcore chugs and the kind of genre-bending diversions that make me think of the kids who got into heavy hardcore through SOAD (as opposed to SOA or SOD, if you know what I mean). Think about when Prank released that PESD album twenty years ago and it mostly flew under the radar, but the people who really listened to it got turned on their damn heads. Or the last PAINTBOX record (to continue the Prank theme)…this sounds like neither, but it defies convention in the same way. Nášivky Františka Malečka will require repeated listens to fully appreciate it and I’m not actually sure if I’m going to end up liking it, but that’s not the point. GALANTI is interesting, and they’re making me listen.

Intensified Chaos That’s Not Freedom 1982 LP

Arisen from the punkest of graves, this recently rediscovered artifact of early ’80s hardcore is a serious trip. The story of INTENSIFIED CHAOS traces all the back to the inaugural issue of this here institution, Maximum Rocknroll #1, which was packaged in with the Alternative Tentacles compilation Not So Quiet on the Western Front. Most of y’all familiar with this band will recognize them from having contributed the opening track of said comp, with their eponymously titled ripper “Intensified Chaos.” As the story goes, the group’s demo evaporated into the ether, lost to the spikes and studs of time all the way up until, well, now. So, here in all its glory is the official document of Orinda, California’s INTENSIFIED CHAOS, represented by the six songs from the original demo and nine live tracks to round things out. The obvious burning question is, of course, if this is worth its weight in wax, and I’m happy to dutifully report that it fucking rips! The influence of GBH is quite apparent, but geography fleshes out the context, calling forth the energy and savagery of CRUCIFIX and BLACK FLAG. I’ll dock them a point for the contrived British snarl, but that’s because I fucking hate John Lydon, and the guys probably didn’t. All said, this is an intriguing piece of punk history, and it holds up just fine 40-whatever years later.