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!

3 the Hardway Hotcakes EP

I am immediately drawn in by the simplicity and haphazard, stumbling-forward Detroit proto-punk quality that these songs have. Bustin Brooklyn’s vocal delivery is a see-saw between boredom and aggression, while Sloppy Joel’s guitar, somewhat repetitive riffs nodding to haunting space-rock drive her lyrics with a much more calamitous impact. These four songs trickle Detroit with every note, and will leave you feeling empty and somehow wanting more. Maybe it’s the Michigan soul or the “heavy-handed swamp-voodoo electricity” (MRR review of LAUGHING HYENAS’ Merry Go Round, issue #56), but somewhere in this, I’m reminded of the LAUGHING HYENAS’ Merry Go Round 12”. Either way, this is a very melancholy and wonderful listen.

Animated Violence / Total Vacation split LP

Two servings of fast and loose West Coast hardcore punk on ANIMATED VIOLENCE and TOTAL VACATION’s split LP. Both bands draw from a similar well of influences; each plays snotty, ’80s-inspired USHC, but with enough variation in style between the two to merit sharing twelve inches of wax. First up is ANIMATED VIOLENCE, and it must be said: this band fuckin’ rules. Seven tracks of urgent and snarling hardcore punk with twangy, beefed-up guitar tones and a sort of playful vibe, as heard most prominently on the cloyingly catchy “Super Toys Last All Summer Long.” It may be early September, but this is a summer anthem if ever there were one. On the flipside is TOTAL VACATION, whose track list doubles ANIMATED VIOLENCE’s in length and whose style is a little more rambunctious and offbeat, with shrill vocals accompanying much more spastic drumming that is absolutely pummeling. The gang vocals they pepper throughout remind me of ADOLESCENTS, bringing a rowdier vibe to the proceedings. All said, both sides are strong, but ANIMATED VIOLENCE really steals the show. Highly recommended; for fans of G.U.N., INVERTEBRATES, Unlawful Assembly.

Bad World Maker of Rules EP

Moshers rejoice, BAD WORLD returns with vengeance, dishing out another dose of classic crossover that’s groovy as hell and as hard as a brick to the face, backed by precision drumming and furious riffage. The guitar player absolutely rips—the opening track “Maker of Rules” opens with the sickest divebomb solo, and the last track “Ninevah” features a shreddy solo that quickly combusts into a crushing mosh riff. The band is super tight, and the vocals are typical, but I appreciate the fact that I can understand the lyrics. I’m a firm believer that 7”s are best served with two songs played loud, but I can’t fault them for putting out three rippers such as these. Pick this up and mosh ‘til you puke.

The Burrow The Burrow CD

Killer PNW shit with shades of heavy alt/grunge and ’90s melodic punk. Every song feels like a dead simple earworm that will make other musicians wonder “why didn’t I think of those two chords?!”, while regular listers will be drawn in by super-fuzzed guitars and a rhythm section that lands somewhere between KARP and WIPERS fronted by gruff, melodic, and poetic vocals. Looking for modern comparisons? The BURROW hit me like the first time(s) I heard CRIMINAL DAMAGE and SMOKERS, which is high praise from this lowly reviewer. There’s a just world where this shit is absolutely huge, the songs and the delivery are that good…I just don’t think this world is ready.

Chien Flic / V.V.M. Tourist Complex split cassette

V.V.M. starts the Tourist Complex split on a very high note with their fast and loose hardcore with super fun genre-bending moments. Kickass riffs, super tight drumming, cutting basslines…it’s all there with its modern flair and old school attitude. And when we switch over to CHIEN FLICK’s side, they don’t fail to follow up at all with their unique take on the powerviolence sound with less angry and more expressive vocals. From complete chaos to more steady and straightforward composition, the band definitely stands out. All in all, I think this split is an amazing pairing of two likeminded and equally good bands that I won’t be getting tired of anytime soon.

Closetalkers State of Nature LP

For some reason, Calgary’s CLOSETALKERS completely flew under my (admittedly rusty) hardcore punk radar. I understand they released an EP on Neon Taste in 2024 and enjoyed some kind of success among hardcore nerds, making it even more surprising that I had not heard of them. The internet tells me that CLOSETALKERS sound like UK crust and Scandicore, but the internet must be drunk because I don’t hear it at all on this first LP. To me, the band sounds like yet another act influenced by US hardcore, with intricate riffs, a stomping, aggressive vibe, rawer by way of good production, and low-pitched gruff vocals. Undeniably, the band knows what they are doing, they do what they set out to do well, and it sounds and looks good. Some parts of it bring WORLD BURNS TO DEATH or TRAGEDY to mind, but to my ears, it is mostly a soundtrack to mosh hard. Not bad, but certainly not for me.

The Cowboys Captain Easy’s Downfall LP

That Bloomington, Indiana has been a bastion of adventurous punk sounds for half a century is a beautiful thing. From the land of JOHNNY COUGAR, the COWBOYS offer up their newest collection of perfectly pleasant oddities. Fans of SPARKS will be in love within three tracks, if it even takes that long. There are damn near twenty tracks here, and they are all wonderful explorations in not getting pinned down, in playing with sonics, in non-masturbatory psychedelics. In 49 states it’s just music, but this is Indiana after all.

Dissekerad Väggarna Rasar LP

Here’s an instant grip for all the mangel-oids out there. DISSEKERAD continues to crank out flawless D-beat albums, thirteen-plus years in, building on a lineage tracing back to Sweden’s most iconic and influential bands, including TOTALITÄR and AVSKUM. Start to finish, this album is a complete scorcher. I’ll try to avoid the most obvious comparisons and just say that if you have any taste at all for käng, or like ripping punk music really at all, then don’t waste time reading about something that you could blissfully destroy your eardrums to. I’m not being hyperbolic in saying that this album is at the pinnacle of punk fucking mastery. Eleven tracks, absolutely no filler. I’ll be listening to this non-stop for a long while.

Eulogy Demo ’25 EP

EULOGY is a Montreal based five-piece who released their inaugural recording in late 2025. Their six-song Demo ’25 EP is a whirlwind of D-beat-driven raw punk with the bulk of influence being drawn from DISCHARGE. EULOGY uses a brutal rhythm section to maintain a bass-heavy attack, while the lead guitar shreds psych-punk riffs just above a gravelly, full-throat vocal delivery. In other words, an absolute must-listen if you’re an aficionado of loud, fast punk.

Feral Housecats Go Feral Yourself! CD

Laid-back, rockabilly-adjacent Midwestern punk. Like a dark and loose garage rock band playing at the bar you weren’t supposed to go to because it’s dangerous there, but you went anyway and it felt like you were at a revival but the revival was a party with guitar solos.

Jimbo Easter / Timmy Vulgar split EP

When legendary Detroit weirdos and long-time buds Timmy Vulgar (the EPILEPTIX, CLONE DEFECTS, TIMMY’S ORGANISM) and Jimbo Easter (PIRANHAS, DRUID PERFUME, PARADISE HOAX) team up to make a record, you can safely expect a thorough and enthusiastic mindfucking. Timmy’s side spans from fuzzy outer space rhythm and blues to primitive and poetic synth, while Jimbo conjures unsettling funhouse haunts and eerie shamanic juxtaposition. Listen to the whole thing and you’ll be seeing trails.

L.O.T.I.O.N. Machine Hallucinations LP

Dance music for a collapsing civilization. L.O.T.I.O.N. returns to the mainframe with eleven transmissions of cyberpunk-soaked punk mixed with glimpses of gabber, industrial techno, and digital hardcore. The riffs are punishing, the rhythms are relentless, and Ben Greenberg’s production keeps the machine sounding hostile. Imagine G.I.S.M. trapped in a neon dystopia, playing songs by DOPPLEREFFEKT and SKINNY PUPPY. With appearances from Iggor Cavalera, LA PREGUNTA?, and the ever-present Lulu, the band pushes their sound into stranger territory. “Celebrate the Suffering” carries the weight of a lost Chaos A.D.-era remix, while “Spiral of Destruction” crawls through the shadows of noir post-punk, but they manage to retain their identity throughout. Alexander Heir’s artwork completes the nightmare with a cold, mechanized image from a future ruled by surveillance, AI, and militarized technology. Violent, paranoid, hypnotic, and built for the dancefloor at the end of the world.

Brad Marino Agent of Chaos CD

BRAD MARINO has been working the seam between rock’n’roll and power pop for a long time now, first with New Hampshire’s the CONNECTION and now five albums into a solo run. He covered the RAMONES’ Subterranean Jungle front to back in 2020, then put out a 2024 EP called Ramones and Stones whose title track happily admits he doesn’t much need anything else. Agent of Chaos works that same ground, but sounds closer to Pleasant Dreams than Too Tough to Die. What keeps it from being a costume is that it doesn’t feel like MARINO is impersonating anyone. He’s carrying the thing forward rather than wearing its skin. Thirteen songs in thirty-three minutes, with Gene Champagne of TEENAGE HEAD behind the kit for most of the way, and my favorite tracks are “Voodoo” and “Devil May Care,” the latter breaking up the formula with some lap steel from James Cap Nunn. I usually want records louder and faster than this, and mid-tempo is a hard sell for me, but these songs just sound exactly like what they ought to be. The CD has a bonus cover of the JESUS AND MARY CHAIN’s “Between Planets.”

Orsini Ezin Atera LP

Debut LP from Bilbao, Spain’s ORSINI, a four-piece doing heartfelt post-punk with a mix of ’90s Fat Wreck Chords sounds on the vocals—reminds me a bit of SWINGIN’ UTTERS with the backing chants. More contemporarily, it reminds me of Athens’s CHAIN CULT, who I reviewed a while back. The lead guitar phrasing is really nice, soothing almost, and consistent with the genre, it acts as the throughline for each track. While I don’t know exactly what they’re singing about, the album description shares that they were “looking back at that huge black hole we ended up in, and how, in the end, making it through actually made us stronger.” Even to ears unfamiliar with Basque, the deeply personal storytelling is evident in the feel and tenor of the songs, balancing a sense of longing with hope, or at the very least, acceptance. Not sure if that’s what they were going for, but it’s how I’m left after repeated listens to Ezin Atera. This feels like a good end-of-summer record, so tune in now.

Piss Poor Under Attack cassette

New Haven, Connecticut hardcore punk, with six songs recorded live and released on the Big Neck Records subsidiary label Primitive Screwhead. This is what a hardcore punk band should sound like. The recording sounds dingy and fucked-up, without being punishingly lo-fi. You can hear the room and the imperfections, but nothing feels so buried or blown-out that you lose the songs themselves. The tracks are fast, short, and sloppy, and the guitar is ever so slightly out of tune. This panic-inducing PISS POOR cassette sounds like it could fall apart at any moment. All the little nuances where you can’t quite tell if you’re hearing an intentional choice or a mistake are exactly what makes this sound right. Those imperfections give this recording an impact that a cleaner, more polished recording certainly wouldn’t have. There isn’t anything particularly novel happening here, and I don’t think there needs to be. This is straightforward, nasty hardcore punk that feels like it could have come from almost any point in the last few decades.

Sacred Hate Bold as Love LP

This album was recorded in 1989? How in the hell is that possible? This sounds like it was tracked just yesterday! They must have done an insane job mixing and mastering this slab because it sounds immaculate. Bold as Love kicks off with a track called “Jam,” and it’s pretty much exactly as described: random instrumental meandering around a half-baked solo. Kind of an odd way to open up the record, but we’re immediately launched into what can be best described as latter-era BLACK FLAG being mashed up with BLUE ÖYSTER CULT. Yeah, I know that’s a wild combination, but that’s what this is and it works. Spooky, dark guitar riffs paired with a manic rhythm section and a headstrong vocalist who cuts through the noise with piss and vinegar. Fantastic work here.

Sistema de Entretenimiento Arcade Punk EP

Spain has an undeniably characteristic scene of synth punk and adjacent genres, but SISTEMA DE ENTRETENIMIENTO has always been one of the most instantly recognizable of them all. With their aptly-titled new EP Arcade Punk, they keep the flame going. The classic SISTEMA sound is still there: bright drum machine beats, sharp guitar melodies, signature synth parts, and vocals swimming in reverb…but leaning a bit more towards the gloominess of darkwave, it sounds darker and catchier than ever. Fans of the band will be more than satisfied.

Smog Marines Opus LP

Formed in Los Angeles’ Silver Lake neighborhood, home to acts like the SCREAMERS and the FLESH EATERS, the band known as OPUS changed their name on New Year’s Eve 1979. Adopting a snappy new moniker to better suit their punchy sound, they forged a sonic imprint that bridged the gap between the DEAD KENNEDYS and X, incorporating Jello’s exaggerated vibrato, speedy agitation, and prominent dual vocals into their brawny and eclectic compositions. The resulting melodic racket wouldn’t have been out of place on Dangerhouse Records, but that particular “what if?” scenario wasn’t to be. As the band was beginning to burn their brightest, the label was in the process of fizzling out, positioning SMOG MARINES as torchbearers of the first-wave L.A. sound. However, by the time they recorded their full-length album at Hollywood’s Mystic Studios in 1980, hardcore was on the rise and record companies were following the emerging trends. The material was ultimately shelved, and would remain buried in the sands of time for decades. After 46 years in purgatory, archival label Obsolete Universe has dug it up and delivered it straight from the original masters. Though diverse in style, the album is instantly recognizable as a product of its specific and prolific place and time, capturing the group in the midst of evolution as they embraced the harder and faster sounds of the era with their old school roots still showing. It leads with crisper recordings of the two songs from their 1979 7” that’s known for sitting prohibitively pricey on collector want lists. They cover “These Boots Were Made for Walking” with a guitar tone that reveals how the NANCY SINATRA hit likely inspired the lead-in riff to Black Flag’s “Rise Above.” They’re sometimes referred to as deathrock, the case for which is most apparent in eerie tracks like “Butterflies” and “Bright” that feature theatrical droning vocals akin to P.I.L. efforts of this era. And “Sharpen the Shears,” a wistful power pop track presented in demo quality, caps off the album with one of the most charming moments to be had here. It’s a concrete addition to the zeitgeist overall, and will surely leave some wondering how it managed to stay in the dark for so long.

Theee Retail Simps Theeeeeee Retina Lamps 7″

The nerve of these Canucks! After their last record drew considerable ire from the venerable Sir Bobos, you’d think they’d have the decency to hang it up and leave this whole punk rock business to the professionals. But no, here’s two fresh piles of sub-par slop they’re serving up for us to choke down! I’m kidding, of course. I love this band. And while I may disagree with my chivalric colleague, I applaud his willingness to write a negative review. We can’t all like everything. I’ll also say this: 69 minutes is a lot of SIMPS. So, I really appreciate the concision of a 7” as a follow-up. And these two tracks are some of the best these dudes have laid down! “Quality at Your Feet” is almost a HOME BLITZ-ian mangled power pop number, and it features one of my favorite vocal performances from Joe—there’s a scream he gives at 1:40 into the song that makes me smile every time I hear it. “More Lies” is closer to standard SIMPS fare, borrowing heavily from VELVET UNDERGROUND, but by sticking to what they know best, they end up with one of the catchiest tracks in their catalogue. Once again, shout out to Goodbye Boozy for keeping the 7” alive. For my money, this one’s about perfect.

Unarmed Gloomy Skies // Screaming Vultures LP

Veterans of the crust war UNARMED have returned with their Gloomy Skies // Screaming Vultures full-length, and it captures these punk warriors in all their glory. Deep, guttural vocals bark over bass-heavy D-beat rhythms, while soaring guitars frequently dive in with epic runs—could there be anything better? Champions of the ’90s era crust aesthetic, UNARMED has the sound that many of us of a certain age grew up on, which makes a release like Gloomy Skies // Screaming Vultures feel refreshing and restorative.

Wet Denim Bite Back LP

A rock’n’roll punk stomper, this one is. From the weird armpit known as Indianapolis, WET DENIM probs learned their songs while drunk, so they can muscle-memory through the parts live. There’s a little punk honky-tonk, CANDY SNATCHERS, starts and stops, calling folks “baby” a lot, so what more could you want? I feel like their club contact would be written on the back of an overdue internet bill and just say “WET DENIM 1) will only play after dark, 2) wants some drinks, 3) $/% of the door or just a lot of our friends can come in, 4) did we mention the after dark thing? Baby, we’ll figure it out.” Here you get eight punk’n’roll tunes that keep the pace, and have maybe anchored themselves into the category of best party record for 2026. Oh, the record is transparent blue, too, just like wet denim? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

V/A Hey Fuck You Compilations, Vol. 2 cassette

Dating back to my early years of getting into underground music, coming across a sampler for an unknown record label with the music they’ve released has remained one of my favorite things—what a simple and easy way to discover a bunch of new music. Hey Fuck You! Records out of Arkansas has been cranking out releases for the past three-and-a-half years. Scrolling through the lot of them, the only ones I had previously been aware of were LACK OF INTEREST, who seem to have re-released cassettes from their discography on the label, and HUMAN, who are a modern powerviolence band whose debut tape I was sent to review when it first came out. HUMAN kicks off the sampler, and their track is immediately followed by a modern pop punk band, BLANKET OF M. I made the connection right away to the old Skull Duggery 10” compilation, Fallen Upon Deaf Ears, a really cool comp that put extreme music powerhouses like NAUSEA and DROPDEAD side-by-side with nasty pop punk acts of the time like SCREECHING WEASEL and the VINDICTIVES. I picked up a copy of that comp years ago and always thought it was a really unique concept, reminding punks that for all the subgenre nitpicking we tend to do, things are actually far more closely related than we may give them credit for at a glance. That memory ended up being the best thing I got out of this tape sampler. Most of the tracks here are some variation of modern powerviolence and extreme music, which is generally what I had expected. It was the attempts to push beyond that sound that left me more than underwhelmed. The over-five-minute nü-metal track by MINDROTT, the novelty modern pop punk tracks with phony-baloney angry vocals by RADICAL FUN TIME, and the sloppy street punk song by RIVER CITY REJECTS getting chopped abruptly short make the whole compilation feel less like a curated introduction to a record label and more like someone just haphazardly threw a bunch of songs onto a tape. By the time this cassette compilation came to an end, I had started to wonder if I should have paid closer attention to its title. Perhaps it was meant as a warning.

Andresa One Man Band Nothing But R’N’R cassette

Solo budget rock out of Bandung, Indonesia, ANDRESA ONE MAN BAND pretty much says it all in its name. This is the side project of Andresa Nugraha, who you may know from the Indonesian garage punk band the BATTLEBEATS. Wait a minute, I had thought that the BATTLEBEATS was also a solo recording project, one that played live with a full backing band. Surely this can’t be the same guy doing another solo project in a similar style, can it? Well, as it turns out…the differentiation between these two projects is admittedly pretty minimal and difficult to distinguish based solely on their recorded output. The BATTLEBEATS have been cranking out nasty, driving garage punk for the better part of a decade now, and ANDRESA ONE MAN BAND does not stray too far from that formula. If I had to speculate, I assume the main difference is that while the BATTLEBEATS play shows as a full band, ANDRESA seems to do gigs similar to the way Mark Sultan does, sitting in front of a kick drum and using different foot pedals to trigger various drums while accompanying himself on guitar and vocals. If nasty, riff-heavy garage punk is your thing, there is plenty to like here. It may sound cheesy, but in my opinion, there are not enough rock’n’roll songs that are simply about loving rock’n’roll. It’s a proven formula that never gets old, and ANDRESA has a few more of those for you on the five-song debut of this project. And if you somehow haven’t already come across the BATTLEBEATS, you now have two projects of this ilk to dive into.

Bastard Comfort / Doctor Gong 7″

Now this is the kind of music obsessive, crate-digging, lifer stuff that can only feel like a fever dream once unearthed! Over fifty years in hiding, these two tracks from the short-lived project of future DAMNED guitarist Brian James and future ELTON MOTELLO frontperson Alan Ward have been unleashed on the masses. “Doctor Gong” is exactly what you would hope for, given the era and the pedigree: a rollicking, sleazy, four-minute affair crammed with riffs and attitude. The B-side opts for a bit more fretboard exploration, taking on an almost heavy psych feeling that wouldn’t be too out of place on a Brown Acid compilation if they expanded to sounds across the pond. Absolutely essential listening for the curious, the completist, and the casual.

Big Kiss Great Grief 12″

Six quick, blistering, angular tracks that have that sinister ominousness of the single DEAD LOW TIDE release along with glass-chugging vocals reminiscent of Chuck Ragan of HOT WATER MUSIC. The secret sauce is the momentous bass lines that keep the pace at almost too much (but just the right amount) of an anxious rush. It’s an awesome balance of a more pissed-off WIRE and MY DAD IS DEAD.

Caving Grounds Become Soil cassette

Marquette, Michigan’s CAVING GROUNDS bring together four slow and heavy hardcore tracks for their new release Become Soil. With their grim, tremolo-picking riffs reminiscent of old school death metal and slow-to-mid-tempo pacing getting into sludge territory, the band finds a nice middle ground on which to settle their sound. The lyricism and overall compositional choices of this release remind me of DYSTOPIA. So, no complaints at all.

Cell Deth Death Seller EP

A skull-bludgeoning follow up to their 2024 EP Catholic Guilt, CELL DETH is back with ten tracks of raging hardcore punk. Cues have been taken from classic USHC sources, like JERRY’S KIDS and the F.U.’S, but there is something else in their DNA that isn’t as obvious. While I wouldn’t call them fastcore, they certainly do play fast as fuck, and have tapped into the uncanny GAUZE-like ability to impart a sense of speed and velocity into their songs even when the actual tempo isn’t so elevated. This innate sense of urgency is the band’s superpower, and when folded in with some tasty riffs, seething vocals, and a chainsaw raw recording quality, the resulting EP is a standout record in a year jam-packed with noteworthy hardcore records. Ten songs on seven inches, with the longest cut landing at one minute, thirteen seconds. Fuck yeah!

Dorothy Fuzz Run Devil Run! cassette

Two-piece recording project from out in La La Land, Los Angeles, California. Across seven tracks, DOROTHY FUZZ delivers lo-fi garage punk with a heavy reliance on toy synthesizers. Does that make it synthwave? I’m skeptical, but I don’t think I really care either way. What becomes impossible to ignore is the lack of rhythmic variation on this cassette. Every song uses the standard basic rock beat, programmed into a drum machine and left to run without a single fill, break, or change. In fact, the beat often keeps going even after the rest of the instruments have dropped out, continuing until someone finally switches the machine off. The most interesting moment comes with “Is That All There Is?,” which trades the grunge-inspired barked singing for spoken word storytelling over that same unchanging beat and a simple bass groove. However, at more than six minutes in length, that novelty starts to wear thin. Oddly enough, the track “Running, Running” somehow feels even longer with how grating and repetitive it is. Two-and-a-half minutes has never felt so long. After all the questions posed on “Is That All There Is?” and once the tape had finished, I was left with a question of my own: is that all there is to making music? Is that really all there is to being a band?

Fret Rattles As the World Falls Apart LP

Minneapolis sons FRET RATTLES’ third full-length runs thirteen songs in thirty-six minutes of the loud, fists-up action rock revival style that was pretty exciting a couple decades ago, and it’s played with total commitment and zero risk. The music they’re inspired by (MC5, STOOGES, HELLACOPTERS) was made by people who were a bit of a public safety problem. This album kind of sounds like the average of everything recorded in their wake. It includes gassed-up runs at the DEAD BOYS’ “What Love Is” and the BOYS’ “Living in the City,” the former featuring the late Rob Tossava, a fixture of the Minneapolis scene, on guitar. In a bar, this would be a great time. On record, it’s a toe-tapper that might not fully capture your attention. LP is on 180g black or colored vinyl.

Gudon Devil of Mediocrity EP

Hiroshima’s legendary GUDON played a major role in the storied history of Japanese hardcore punk, bridging the gap between early ’80s bands like the COMES and the EXECUTE and later acts like BASTARD and JUDGEMENT (both of whom are projects of former GUDON guitarist Zigyaku) with their fast and thrashy sound. After originally splitting in 1990, the band reformed in 2023 with a new lineup but the same intense style, laying down a new EP, Devil of Mediocrity, one year later. Featuring two new tracks and two re-recorded classics, GUDON hasn’t missed a beat and sounds as tight as ever, completely retaining the speed and ferocity of their older material. Non-stop blazing guitars and a breakneck rhythm section speed along as former bassist Guy fully delivers on vocal duties. A crucial and impressive slab from this legendary group.

Hiatus Realm of Nightmares 12″

Damn, this is a difficult one to review. I have loved HIATUS since I first heard them in the early ’00s (a time when they were inactive), and as a result, looking at this new album objectively and critically is no easy task, a bit like when an old mate asks if you like his new haircut. Tricky, indeed. This is also the first HIATUS record without Wills who sadly passed away in 2024, so it cannot have been easy for the band to keep going and writing new songs without their charismatic singer. I have to confess that I could not get into their 2023 LP Out of Hand, which I felt a little bad, if not guilty, about, and when I got assigned their new record for review, I felt almost nervous. Well, I think it really holds its own. The sound is powerful, the songs are solid, and it definitely packs a good crusty punch. If you were to draw comparisons with the band’s older body of work, Realm of Nightmare would sit well between El Sueño and The Brain (basically, the mid-’90s). You will get some all-out crustcore attacks, but also mid-paced, heavy hardcore punk numbers with the trademark HIATUS style: inventive, thrashing riffs and clever songwriting to hook the listener without giving up on the intensity and the energy. I mean, the band basically invented Eurocrust, so they know what they are doing (and drinking). I can hear hints of CELTIC FROST in the vocals, now handled by guitar player Azill and bass player Paskk. The one criticism that I have is that the album is quite short and I would have enjoyed two or three more songs, but one cannot have everything. By the way, if HIATUS ever plays in your town, do yourself a favour and go—they are one of the best live bands I have ever seen.

Ile de Garde Rage Blossom 12″

Taking their name from the Benedictine abbess and polymath Hildegard of Bingen, ILE DE GARDE presents their debut 12”, Rage Blossom. Consisting of three women on keys, drums, and vocals, this trio performs driving, melodic, and dark synthwave-adjacent songs. Evident in the album title, elements of anger and bitterness inform these six tracks, with lyrics like “Heard you said I’m such a slut / I don’t think I give a fuck” from “Birthday Girl.”  From the album artwork to the shadowy synth lines to the lyrical tension, the whole thing feels like it’s cloaked in Hildegard’s medieval mysticism—perhaps not in practice, but in symbolism. Calling this “spooky” is too cheap, and doesn’t do it justice. It’s angry and urgent and evocative and it might just make your night.

Jeffy & the Sunken Heads Get Sunk! LP

I don’t pretend to know anything about the spirit world or what comes after we leave this mortal plane. However, the song “Ham Ghost” has me terrified. Some time ago, BORIS THE SPRINKLER, the LIZARDS, the VINDICTIVES, and SUPERNOVA gathered at the brown rim of the Mighty Mississippi River and poked their eggs into the murk where, some years later, crawling from those historic river banks, came JEFFY & THE SUNKEN HEADS. Twenty-five well-crafted songs spanning topics such as outer space, horrible fonts, and times when marijuana was scarce in 1986. Jeffy, Gerry, Rex, and McBob aren’t afraid to confront their demons and the troubling parts of friendship, as evidenced in the song “McBob is a Left Lane Cruiser.” These songs were thought about, thoroughly researched for accuracy with pen to paper, practiced, and distilled down, and range in length from twelve seconds to two minutes, thirty seconds. JEFFY & THE SUNKEN HEADS fascinate and frighten me with their sci-fi tune “Barf Cars From Mars,” but bring it back home and calm my nerves with “Breastfeeder.” I know you think that JEFFY & THE SUNKEN HEADS are a one-trick pony, but I can assure you that these ponies have a lot of tricks. Look, if you aren’t sold on the music or similarities they have with the above-mentioned bands, then you should feel comforted in their promise that they “won’t fart on you.” I mean, sometimes that’s all you need to start a new friendship.

Kinetic Orbital Strike The Terrifying Power of Bombardment LP

If DISCHARGE taught the world how to turn the guitar into an air-raid siren, Philadelphia’s KINETIC ORBITAL STRIKE has figured out how to make a whole recording sound like a city after the bombs have landed. Across thirteen tracks, the band delivers a barrage of fuzzed-out riffs, relentless D-beats, and scorched-earth vocals that channel the spirit of DOOM and DISCLOSE without sounding like a tribute act. The production is dense and suffocating, giving every song the weight of a collapsing building. Highlights such as “Nuclear Confrontation,” “Ceaseless Genocide,” and “Essential Aid Denied” prove there’s more here than sheer aggression. Beneath the distortion are memorable riffs, smart pacing, and enough dynamic shifts to keep the bombardment of sound from becoming monotonous. The Terrifying Power of Bombardment is the kind of record that demands repeat listens, and feels destined to appear on plenty of 2026 year-end punk lists.

Liquid Cross Hateful cassette

Eugene, OR trio LIQUID CROSS follows 2025’s Don’t Think with their new tape Hateful—four songs plus one hidden track, and there is no open space anywhere. Reverb fills every gap, nothing in the mix sits closer to you than anything else, and somehow it never turns to mud. It’s thick but it never drags, and the pop bones stay legible throughout. The WIPERS are a frequently cited influence, but my brain went to the ’80s by another route: the cavernous murk of ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN’s Heaven Up Here crossed with the everything-at-once mix of HÜSKER DÜ’s New Day Rising. I had “This World” pegged as my favorite, a one-minute bop that gets in and gets out. Then the bass that opens “So Shut Down” came out of nowhere and took the tape over. Then I braced for the five-minute double song, “The New One”/”Low Lesson,” to lose me, and it ended up being the first thing I had to play again. This is good shit, and proceeds go to a Eugene youth advocacy charity. More, please.

Los Mentirosos Grandes Éxitos Vol. 1 LP

Fun, bluesy Spanish-language punk. The holy quadrant of the unadulterated summer jam, pure party punk at its finest. What else can I say about this record? It’s a good time! This slab was released only about a month ago and they’re already sold out of their vinyl copies. This band rules; throw this into your late summer playlist and watch the sun sink into the horizon.

Merienda 1243 cassette

After practicing just a handful of times over the course of the spring of 2024, three Berliners got together for a single loose recording session. The result is this four-song cassette of shouty but melodic Spanish-language punk. Three of the four tracks are mid-tempo numbers that remind me of late ’70s/early ’80s West Coast punk—maybe something in between the AVENGERS and RIKK AGNEW—and the other is more of a monophonic dirge. You can tell these folks are having a good time, and the tunes’ tossed-off nature makes for a compelling listen. Probably not essential, but still worth your while.

Neo Boys Neo Boys LP

As far as I’m concerned, NEO BOYS are the single most important band in the history of Portland punk—shirts bearing their name should honestly be just as ubiquitous (if not more so!) as those of the WIPERS or DEAD MOON or POISON IDEA. Until nature has fully healed in that regard, this lovingly remastered collection of the band’s two proper releases (a three-song 1980 EP and 1982’s Crumbling Myths 12”) pays some major respects, complete with a massive, LP-sized booklet that presents an oral history with the band and some incredible reproductions of flyers and photos from the archives. Stated comparisons to the RAINCOATS and KLEENEX aren’t inaccurate, representing just a few of the links in a much longer psychic chain connecting women in disparate corners of the world, many of whom were self-taught and learning as they went along, who carved out similar spaces for themselves in punk (and soon post-punk) in the late ’70s and early ’80s, from SPORTEN ÄR DÖD in Gothenburg to the DISHRAGS in Vancouver, from the NIXE in Utrecht to CHALK CIRCLE in Washington, DC. The tracks from NEO BOYS’ debut EP, released after the band had already been playing together for two years, have the sort of honesty and immediacy that comes from shared intuition and trust, where any technical “limitations” are an asset rather than a hindrance—the fewer walls that are put up, the more freedom there is. Kim Kincaid’s matter-of-fact vocals are the perfect vehicle for lyrics at the intersection of personal, political, and poetic (“Results are clear in front of my feet / I can make a decision / Make a conclusion”), backed by the revved-up jangle of Jennifer LoBianco’s guitar, Pat Baum’s steadily crashing beats, and KT Kincaid’s sneaky, melodic bass lines positioned as the beating heart at the center of it all. By Crumbling Myths, the NEO BOYS sound was more refined and of a piece with femme-centered post-punk of the era while remaining singularly their own, from new guitarist Meg Hentges’s pointillist lines in the haunting, all-timer “Time Keeps Time” to the sparse and contemplative art-punk gallop of “Cheap Labor.” What an unassailable epitaph for a band that started out as teenage amateurs; one can only imagine where things might have led had they continued on into the mid-’80s. Essential history, and a roadmap for future dreamers.

Odor Eater But For Who? LP

Olympia/Portland-based ODOR EATER released their first long-format album last month. The eleven-song But For Who? LP is a synth-driven voyage that brings elements of classic new wave to support lyrics that poetically criticize our current authoritarian world. Using the time-tested artistic method of disarming oppressive forces through abstract whimsy, ODOR EATER has created an album that is as much fun and sweetness as it is aggressive denunciation. While it’s easy to pick out DEVO, the B-52’S, the MOTELS, DEPECHE MODE, and the like in ODOR EATER’s sound, I’m more frequently reminded of 2005’s Stop the Future by the EPOXIES. Either way, ODOR EATER creates synth punk that is easily digestible and endlessly danceable.

Poise Iron Foot EP

Politically-minded hardcore punk with smoking hot riffs from the Pacific Northwest? What more could you ask for? POISE’s second offering Iron Foot is thrillingly savage, mostly thanks to its maniac vocals and wildly over-the-top guitar work. Listing POISON IDEA, LOS CRUDOS, and ANNIHILATION TIME as main influences is a hefty order, but POISE pulls it off, with each of those bands’ respective threads of DNA being heard here. Even with a brief nine-minute runtime, the band keeps it interesting by breaking up the tracks with a moody little instrumental halfway through, a small touch that goes a long way in elevating an EP from “good” to “fucking great.” Check out “Snake Oil.”

Restraining Order First Four Years Odds & Sods LP

A ripping collection of demos, compilation tracks, outtakes, and covers that captures RESTRAINING ORDER perfectly. Punishing, hook-heavy hardcore with equal parts youth crew and early Boston rage. Every track is stripped to the essentials of hardcore: sharp riffage, stomping breakdowns, and sing-along choruses without a wasted second. Fans of bands with classic ’80s hardcore DNA like VIOLENT REACTION and CAREER SUICIDE will appreciate this honest offering. This collection catches the West Springfield crew at their rawest and most explosive. Old school hardcore without simply reproducing it.

Smog Marines Scheme EP

Pressed in tandem with the band’s previously unreleased Opus LP, the three tracks here were hewed from the same 1980 recording session which has been unearthed by the good folks at Obsolete Universe. Deranged L.A. punk that fits right in with pre-hardcore greats of the era like the PLUGZ, the SCREAMERS, and BLACK RANDY AND THE METRO SQUAD. The opening track “Scheme” is a bona fide earworm that essentially demands repeated listens. The two other tracks are driven more by novelty and shock value, as evidenced by the song titles “Suffocation Plastic Bag,” and “Amazonian Throb.” In case you couldn’t tell, this all equates to KBD gold. Steer clear if you have no taste for the tasteless. Otherwise, this is a no-brainer in more ways than one.

Southpaw Longitude CD

SOUTHPAW is doing everything right when it comes to what they are doing, perhaps. If you are into more of later-period SAMIAM, and what I think FARSIDE and SENSE FIELD prolly sound like, then you most likely will like this record a lot. SOUTHPAW’s songs are tight with personal and introspective lyrics that I am certain get the fists pumping and the crowd singing along. Musically, it sometimes reminds me of maybe AUTOGRAPH or early/mid-period DOKKEN on a couple songs, while still having that “foot on the monitor and singing out over the crowd” quality. I have no doubt a young person will discover this Longitude CD, or have SOUTHPAW be their first show, and SOUTHPAW will become their new favorite band, and Longitude will become their way to break into the punk underground. Be sure to check them out if they are playing near you.

Svaveldioxid Misär O.D. LP

Is SVAVELDIOXID one of the most prolific hardcore bands of our time? For all I know, there could be powerviolence bands out there proving to be even more generous in terms of releases, but SVAVELDIOXID is definitely the most fertile act when it comes to the D-takt käng realm, with seven LPs and eight EPs in about ten years—even though a significant number of these records are splits, it remains fairly impressive. They are no AGATHOCLES, but they are having a right go. These Swedish masters of the craft do not disappoint with this latest album Misär O.D., and their brand of heavy, dark, and beefy käng always hits the mark. Think WOLFPACK, BOMBRAID, and early SKITSYSTEM having an orgy, basically. There are hints of death metal in some riffs, which works on the whole and is not overwhelming. If you haven’t enjoyed SVAVELDIOXID’s earlier material, this LP is pretty similar, so you’d better stay away from it, but if you have, well, I think you already have it, right?

Them Wranch My Friend / You’re Too Much 7″

Here’s two tracks of bastard blues, courtesy of long-defunct Columbus unit THEM WRANCH. Recorded in 1999, the A-side, “My Friend,” is a raw, early version of a song that would go on to appear on the band’s first album, Big Noise From East Maynard, which is a bountiful trove of garage punk twang. The second song, “You’re Too Much,” is a live cover of a 1966 tune by British freakbeat troupe the EYES. And there ain’t nothin’ wrong with this groovy little 45 at all, even if its sole function is to introduce you to this cool-ass, lesser-known group.

Ultra Lights Pleasure’s All Yours LP

PAVEMENT was the first thing that came to mind when I put this one on. The second song sounds like the STROKES. That’s basically this record in a nutshell; a ’90’s indie rock amalgamation without a modicum of originality. The band plays well, and the production is great, but I can’t get past how safe and unoriginal it comes across. I won’t be coming back to this one.

Zero Bars Fear of Future, Future of Fear 12″

ZERO BARS coming in hot with some particularly sharp and addictive hardcore punk out of Toronto. Wet your beak on the brief yet ripping “Goon,” or check out the menacing riff on “Nervous Wire” for some immediate proof. Collecting the band’s 2023 demo and last year’s Life and Hell cassette EP, this fat 12” spins at 45 rpm to bring you up to speed. Full disclosure: they cover “Mountain Song” by the CRUCIFUCKS, which made me like them automatically before I even listened to the rest of the record. But sure enough, these dudes rule.

Adult Magic Are You Even Happy Now? LP

It’s been over seven years since their pre-pandemic debut album, and ADULT MAGIC is back with the same heart-on-sleeve ethos but tighter, more focused, and more earnest. The mid-tempo heavy guitars have that sound that might have originated somewhere before SEAWEED, matured through FUTURE VIRGINS (R.I.P. SEXY), and currently landing with DEAD BARS. Lyrically, they have the insistent honesty and authenticity of CAVES and RVIVR. Songs like “Burned Out” and “Sore Eyes” cautiously and nostalgically lament past and current times. “A Little Light” is an early ’00s burner, and “Drift and Drive” could have come from Paul Westerberg’s canon. All members contribute vocally and lyrically, and have quite the past and present pedigree in IRON CHIC, BROADCASTER, CROW BAIT, SISTER KISSER, RADAR, and GET BENT. Hopefully we don’t have to wait another seven years for the next one.

Birds on a Kill Brace for Impact LP

Classic post-hardcore affair, like a poppier FUGAZI. Very polished recording—really loved the reverb on the drums, it gives them that nostalgic ’80s feel akin to latter-era HÜSKER DÜ and REPLACEMENTS. What really stands out the most to me are the vocals completely clashing with guitar work. Sounds like a complaint, but it’s an awesome combination. While the guitars are melodic and oftentimes airy and flowery, the singer is brash and comes with a bite. There are tracks where the music mirrors the energy of the front man—”Pinion” and “Desert Mind,” for example, have much doomier energy—but a large chunk of this slab is twisted pop/rock anthems. Great stuff.

Chisme Fuck What You Heard demo cassette

Six cuts of pissed-off hardcore that will put you in the zone for a warehouse fight. CHISME is locked in a constant flow of anger, avoiding metalcore excess in favor of street-level aggression. Fans of NECROS and NEGATIVE APPROACH will find plenty to chew on. A proper demo that sounds made to start pile-ons and not be featured in polished playlists. Confrontational and with a very rough aesthetic, like a flyer that was stapled to a telephone pole five minutes before the show.