Reviews - MAXIMUM ROCKNROLL

77 Lies Love Songs, Vol. 1 CD

As they say in their Bandcamp bio, this is a “three-piece punk band from Charlotte, NC.” Easily singable, straightforward, zero thrills, and on-point. Their messages are clear, from being scared of the United States in the opening track “United States of Fear,” to getting wasted as lyrically illustrated in the song “Wasted.” The third track “Fight” shows us where they got the name for the Love Songs, Vol.1 CD with the lyrics “Let’s fight, let’s fuck”. All four songs clock in at under six-and-a-half minutes, so that’s pretty cool. If you’re a fan of the CASUALTIES, BLANKS 77, SWINGIN’ UTTERS, or ANTI-FLAG and can take your punk milquetoast and uninspired, then I’d say you can’t go wrong with this.

Alpha Hopper Let Heaven and Nature Sing II LP

Heavy mix of noise punk, math rock, and fucking riffs on this third LP from Buffalo, NY’s ALPHA HOPPER. Molten, head-nodding riffs often split apart into intricate intertwining guitar leads that rival DON CABALLERO at their most rockin’, while still maintaining the chaos of ARAB ON RADAR. This would be a rad heavy alt/noise rock record if not for vocalist Irene, whose voice resembles Lucy from BIG CLOWN in timbre and rhythmic delivery. The high-pitched vocals steer the ship in a punk direction, and it sounds incredible. When the guitars started tangling on opener “She’s Thunder,” I had the thought that ALPHA HOPPER is the only band who could make a YES cover sound cool. Tracks like “So Easy” and “Down in Flames” rip with noisy, interlocking leads and slow, chugging buildups. Short instrumental tracks “AH01,” “AH02,” and “AH03” provide blooming psych explorations that, while rare on a DIY punk record, add a grandiose weight to the album that totally works. Check this one out.

Beat Panic Vyvanse Macabre 10″ flexi

Very classic post-punk band. My favorite track was “Anhedonia,” with the nice clear bass line to start and catchy instrumentals in the chorus, along with fun dual-vocal shouting at the end (I almost wish there was more of it!). All their tracks seem so thought-out and well-rounded. With a more techno edge at times, like the electronic intro in “Götterdämmerung Capitalism,” to more kinds of gothic rock elements throughout, you don’t quite know what to expect.

Blowers / S.U.G.A.R. split 10″

Long-haired punkers posing with their pets makes a fitting cover image for this beastly little split. Berlin’s S.U.G.A.R. provides two straightforward rockers that, though delivered with an inherent maturity, are still loaded with freewheelin’ spirit of the cut-off sleeves variety, including a classic cover that they’re known to use as an encore. The BLOWERS side is unabashed attitude, with three tracks of bratty, lo-fi, RAMONES-y garage capped off by the acoustic tearjerker “Fuckwit in a Band.” It’s a tasty platter suitable for all species.

Bosonogo Djetinjstvo Diskografija cassette

BOSONOGO DJETINJSTVO was a Croatian anarcho-hardcore band which only existed for a couple of years, but in the short time between 2013 and 2016, they recorded some killer tunes. However, the band broke up and those songs were shelved for nearly a decade. Now, thanks to Doomtown Records, we have the Diskografija cassette, a twelve-song collection of mostly unreleased material by BOSONOGO DJETINJSTVO. Blasts of surging hardcore mingle with extended riff-heavy jams to create a sound that is simultaneously diverse but also familiar. If you like REFUSED or maybe ZEGOTA, then BOSONOGO DJETINJSTVO should absolutely be in your scheduled listening.

Class Tourists Humanity Eats Itself cassette

CLASS TOURISTS are from England, and this is a really pleasant surprise of a tape. Not knowing anything about them and listening to this band for the first time was a real head-turner. Powerful hardcore, lyrically powerful as well. They seem to have taken something from many of the bands that started the first wave of punk and hardcore all the way up to today. They have other influences as well, including second wave ska. I know that can be a dirty word to a lot of people who lived through the third wave of ska, but this has little to do with that kind of vibe, and it’s brief. To me, it makes this a more interesting listen and a break from some pummeling hardcore. Great stuff.

Cold Meat Cake & Arse Party EP

Perth’s COLD MEAT has been at it for ten years now, but truth be told, this new EP (their first release since 2020’s Hot and Flustered LP) is where everything finally clicked for me. The string of singles that they dropped in the back half of the 2010s mostly struck me as solid attempts to force pegs into recently made GOOD THROB-shaped holes; a reductionist thought if not an entirely inaccurate one. In hindsight, it’s easier to acknowledge the many similarities between the two bands as a shared collective consciousness, one informed by snarling and shambolic KBD primitivism, speedy, razor-edged hooks in the Dangerhouse tradition, the fiery anarcho-feminist rhetoric of Eve Libertine-fronted CRASS, etc., rather than any sort of intentional coattail-riding. Cake & Arse Party is a concise, immediate five-song statement of intent, taking aim at the multitudes of damaging modern world bullshit which have only proliferated in the last decade—”Machine” blazes with one of the most furious, slow-build accelerating rhythms this side of the BAGS’ “Survive,” with vocalist Ash breathlessly shrieking about hustle culture reducing human value to the output of one’s productivity, as the bratty garage bash of “Prick at the Pub” tears down male energy vampires like a switchblade-carrying Slampt Records act, and Ash’s taunting shout of “I cannot remember how it feels to be myself” over the harsh, blown-out feedback squeal in “Artificial Energy” hit a nerve deep within my antidepressant-fogged brain. A perfect encapsulation of the supremacy of the 7” as a punk art form, absolutely vicious.

Drastika Warmongers 12″

I had no idea this band even existed until their generous attribution to yours truly. I am a bit torn about this one. On the one hand, I really want to love Warmongers, not just because this Swedish project has members of COUNTERBLAST and WARCOLLAPSE, but above all because they offer something different and, dare I say it, bring some originality to a crust buffet where you always find the same dishes. Is this album an absolute success? Well, I feel a little traitorous for saying it, but not completely. DRASTIKA’s plan is rather ambitious, although it cannot be said to be completely new, either. The band plays some sort of dark and heavy, old school doomy industrial crust (“post-crust”? “stenchgrunge”?) that does bring to mind songs from the two aforementioned bands but also SPINE WRENCH, the almighty DEPRESSOR, or even the oft-overlooked SONIC VIOLENCE. I bloody love the idea, and the songwriting itself often hits the mark (I am a sucker for the synth part), but I feel the recording is lacking in heaviness and the production does not really highlight the band’s very real strengths (but then it can’t be easy to make the drum machine sound right). Not as solid as it deserves to be, even though fans of mid-paced apocalyptic crust should check it out.

Dry Erase Decay Model LP

DRY ERASE blends slinky post-punk, lo-fi electronics, non-sequitur lyrics, and hip hop phrasings to create a fascinating full-length. “Go Out Quick” starts the record with nods to MASSIVE ATTACK in a slow-motion trip-hop exercise with close-to-the-mic smooth rapped vocals and carefully controlled guitar feedback. Tracks like “Claude is Cold” and “Deposed” build patterns of sun-faded synths to support a BOARDS OF CANADA meets coldwave meets early BECK feel. “Blue Light” sounds like the backing music was created by the Starship Enterprise: all theremin and chirping Moog octaves bouncing through space dust. Check it out for a unique, beat-driven approach several evolutionary stages away from traditional post-punk.

Eel Men Stop It! Do Something. LP

Having clear influences in your sound while also sounding fresh and unique seems like a bar most bands wish to reach, yet it’s often way harder to clear than it seems, even though, again, it’s kind of what every band sets out to do. With Stop It! Do Something., EEL MEN walk this tightrope with ease, aplomb even. This record calls to mind the JAM, SQUEEZE, early PARQUET COURTS, sure, but it simultaneously sounds uniquely itself. The guitars are punchy and angular, the vocal harmonies are effortlessly cool without coming across too slacker-y, and the drums propel these ten tracks forward with endless energy. This is all killer, no filler, but tracks like “Archetype” are a great example of all these little descriptors synchronizing like some Voltron of good taste. Perhaps the release perfectly coincides with springtime starting to bloom, but this is an easy and early candidate for one of this year’s best.

First in Line Connect the Dots LP

Sweden’s FIRST IN LINE (F.I.L) originally formed in the late ’80s, playing in the vein of early DC hardcore before taking a break in 1999. In 2008, they picked back up where they left off and have since released two records and now their third, Connect the Dots. Style-wise, they haven’t changed much, playing straightforward punk with obvious nods to MINOR THREAT. Overall, it’s well-produced and well-played, although about halfway through, I lost interest. The album feels overly long, with songs blending together if listened to in one sitting. Not a bad album, but one I would take in small doses.

Gun Boat But the Machine Demands Blood LP

In a mean world, making meaner music can be a loving act. This leans into the most metallic early days of grunge while turning a corner into near-industrial rhythmic cruelty, all with echoing chaotic vocal delivery. It’s an impressive package to couch one’s hate for a world gone wrong for a very long time, and cathartic as hell. The riffs, bolstered by excellent production, are thick as bloody steaks and often catchy, too. But catchy doesn’t temper the anger on display here. This is righteously pissed-off, inspiringly so. A singular mission of anger that comforts an unquiet heart in the maelstrom. It even has some heady space out moments that contribute beautifully to the overall rhythm and flow, especially on the throbbing track “Cut Your Hand and I’ll Cut Mine,” which nearly goes full HAWKWIND. Overall, an eye-opener that satisfies right down to the teeth.

Heaven’s Gate Tales From a Blistering Paradise LP

Look, if you have a proclivity for crossover thrash, extreme metal, or blistering hardcore, then you’re already all over this most likely. I can’t really call HEAVEN’S GATE anything other than a supergroup, which always sounds lame, but these dudes have been in bands that even your wannabe cool-guy boss has probably heard of. Like CANNIBAL CORPSE, MUNICIPAL WASTE, and WARTHOG, for fuck’s sake. And, get this—they’re from Florida. Somehow that makes perfect sense, ‘cause this album is about as scorching as the impending nuclear summer. Do you like CRYPTIC SLAUGHTER, the ACCÜSED, or any of the other bands these maniacs are in? Don’t deprive yourself, ya freakin’ masochist!

Human Stopping Power cassette

Cassette version of an LP out on Deep Six Records. HUMAN is a powerviolence supergroup of sorts based in both California and Australia, featuring members of LACK OF INTEREST, EXTORTION, and others. Twenty-one tracks, and the tape is over in what feels like an instant. There’s not a ton else to say about this. It’s really solid, aggressive powerviolence. Do you like powerviolence? Well then, like me, you’re sure to like this. Personally, I always think that bands of this style thrive when the recording is less polished and more scary. This recording sounds like an Ennio Morricone symphony compared to the trashcan recording of a band of similar ilk like CROSSED OUT. Maybe everyone has just gotten too good at recording aggressive music in the modern day?

Irked The Hardest Man in Billingham EP

New EP from Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK group IRKED. A-side is the title track, and it starts off with a snotty guitar, the rest of the band ripping in a few bars later—kind of a AMYL & THE SNIFFERS vibe—with dissident tones and snarly get-the-fuck-outta-my-way vocals. The B-side features two covers: first up is DAN SARTAIN’s “Fuck Friday,” which they really ace, fitting perfectly into the IRKED style. The 7” concludes with SUPERCHARGER’s “Sooprize Package for Mr. Mineo,” also a well-executed, off-the-beaten-path cover that, without liner notes, I would have assumed was theirs. The band claims a debut album is on the horizon, so be on the lookout!

Kids Like Us Outta Control LP

KIDS LIKE US from North Florida formed in 2003 after the demise of XONE FIFTHX, releasing three full-length albums and two splits, and touring alongside bands like DOWN TO NOTHING. They’ve been around! Originally released in 2005, Outta Control is a twenty-minute straightedge spin-kick to the head that sees a long-awaited reissue. Not my cup of tea, but it will appease all the X’ed-up mosh maniacs out there. Get in the pit or get out of the way.

Loud Night / Taifun split EP

Transatlantic head-splitting metal punk mania. LOUD NIGHT (Virginia) is full-throttle, bombastic, fist-banging metallic D-beat. Think INEPSY tinged with demonic ’80s metal, dueling guitar leads, and pure power from start to finish. TAIFUN (Germany) presents as a slightly more stripped-down and “punk” animal on this release, but their modern Euro interpretation of Burning Spirits-style Japanese hardcore is still untouchable. The mid-tempo stomp “Destroyah” might be my summer anthem, even though I’m going to be banging all four of these tracks on repeat. Both bands execute flawlessly and they compliment each other perfectly.

Malinformants Central Location cassette

Politically-driven punk rock from somewhere in California. The range of song topics on this seven-song cassette seems to all be about rising rent, gentrification, poverty, and issues within the American political system. Those are undeniably things that suck. Musically, this sounds kind of like a street punk band whose vocalist has a similar barking vocal style to that of UNIFORM CHOICE, but with about half the range. There are notes of other sub-genres peppered in within the course of this cassette, including somewhat predictable modern hardcore and melodic pop punk; the latter is especially noticeable when the backing vocalist joins in the chants. A very clean, discernible, slick recording which you wouldn’t necessarily expect from a band’s debut tape.

Motoloaf No Happy Endings LP

This could 100% be an early No Idea Records release, and in fact, I thought it was. Like for realz, though. The cover art alone looks striking like a No Idea release. The sound has all the RADON, HOT WATER MUSIC, CLAIRMEL, TILTWHEEL, GUNMOLL, DON’S EX-GIRLFRIEND, FLUF, etc. similarities, not because it sounds like any of those bands but it vibes in that orbit. What this does have in common is great players and insightful, sarcastic, poignant lyrics, e.g. “We are a race of assholes / We deserve to be erased.” I love the cover art with the lose/lose situation these two beasts find themselves in, and neither is backing down from their mutual destruction. I’ve listened to this all the way through three times, and not only is this on split-colored vinyl, but it also has a lyric sheet to follow along. This is the whole package in one whole package. Oh, they are from Atlanta, GA, so there’s that.

Nightfeeder Live in Saint Etienne LP

Seattle’s NIGHTFEEDER is a beast live, and this French set proves it. Captured in Saint-Étienne, it’s a perfect mix of tight performance and gritty ambiance. Ferocious D-beat punk with venomous vocals, executed like it’s 1986 and 2025 at the same time. For a live set, it sounds full and punchy. It’s the kind of live recording that makes you wish you were there, beer in hand and earplugs forgotten. If you’re into DISCHARGE, POISON IDEA, and the energy of sweaty basements, you’ll want this.

Pet Mosquito Village Idiot LP

Let me start by saying PET MOSQUITO is possibly one of the best band names I’ve seen so far. The vocals in the opening track “Village Idiot” greatly reminded me of Steve Albini in BIG BLACK, and I was immediately hooked. They’ve got a very funky vibe at times with a horn, but also some very classically punk moments. “Is There a Man Around?” brings a more witty and sassy edge, while “2 Flies” is short and sweet. Unique garage punk band definitely worth checking out.

Propad Žrtve Modernega Časa EP

Oozing with DESPISE YOU influence in both sound and artwork, PROPAD’s second release Žrtve Modernega Časa goes to show that powerviolence is alive and well and living in Slovenia. It starts off with a sound collage of Oppenheimer’s iconic “I am become death” speech and news snippets on the Gaza genocide and Russia-Ukraine war layered over slow, sludgy riffs. Then, it’s all crushing guitars, hammering drums, and throat-ripping vocals attacking you from all sides, as you should expect. The last and longest song on the EP begins with the same relentless fury as the majority of songs, but it takes a sharp turn into their dark and gloomy side that you got a taste of at the very start. I must admit, the fact that they chose to end the record with Ulysses’ final message from Fallout: New Vegas convinced me that I am their exact target audience. Well, I am. Sign me up.

The Real Losers Time to Lose LP reissue

The REAL LOSERS, a garage punk three-piece from Leeds, UK, don’t lose their raw and raucous energy in this remixed reissue of their 2003 album Time to Lose, out now on the Portland-based Total Punk label. If you’ve ever blasted TEENGENERATE or the MUMMIES and wished it sounded even more fried, this no-fi wrecking ball might be for you—vocals splatter like static from a busted radio, giving this the feel of a bootleg of the greatest rock show you never saw. This remixed version boosts the low end and gives the instruments more punch; it’s a significant improvement overall, but I think I might actually prefer the original’s shitty charm. The reissue includes the fifteen original tracks plus two bonus cuts, “Tell Me Something” and “Johnny’s Got The Action.” It’s primitive, overdriven garage punk that never lets up—a snotty, swaggering mess in all the right ways.

Scraps On the Edge of the Abyss LP

This French anarchic hardcore band is still going at it, nearly a half-century in. That’s certainly no small feat, and yet with their latest slab of tunes, the energy is still there but the ideas aren’t particularly novel. But fuck, who am I to sit and judge, as someone who’s never kept a band together longer than five years? This is old school, with plenty of piss left in the tank, and that’s something to be celebrated. Still plenty to shout about in this day and age, and it’s good to see the old guard hasn’t chilled out at all. Besides, the dextrous bass is high in the mix, absolutely killing it while the whole band chimes in on the choruses. That’s what you want and that’s what you get.

The Skrewups Dial 9… cassette

This EP kicks off with a really fantastic instrumental surf track in the same vein as a sinister MAN… OR ASTRO-MAN? but quickly evolves into your run-of-the-mill MISFITS-worship, going as far as to cover “Hollywood Babylon.” The band is obviously quite talented, but do we really need more horror punk in the 21st century? It almost hurts to say this, as the vocalist has great range and sustainability, but I was more excited for the opening song than anything else on this slab.

Spam Caller Bad Connection LP

SPAM CALLER. The name hits you like a cold dial tone in the middle of the night. Ever wonder what BLACK FLAG (if Henry Rollins spent his nights in a call center, slowly losing his mind) would sound like if they were ever part of the Youth Attack catalog? Well, this might just be it. During the seventeen minutes of Bad Connection, SPAM CALLER goes as hard as possible, and the result also comes close to what HOAX did so well; an assault to the senses. The tension felt in the songs is put into visuals by Mark McCoy’s art, and for the ones that have been following his work, they already know what this record is going to sound like. SPAM CALLER will keep ringing, whether you pick up or not.

Steröid Chainmail Commandos LP

This is absolutely phenomenal. As if the NEW YORK DOLLS, DIO, and PAT BENATAR started writing music inspired by the Street Fighter II soundtrack and ran their vocals through an Alvin and the Chipmunks filter. It’s like the Garbage Pail Kids joined an egg-punk band and recruited K.K. Downing to play guitar. Some bands make you want to party, and some bands make you want to burn everything down. This makes me want to crack open a box of Lucky Charms and play with my old He-Man toys. This is very much an early contender for my album of the year. Of course this is from Australia, the current capital of great rock’n’roll.

Utopie Virage LP

France has proved to be fertile ground for the kind of spartan, frigid post-Oi! that UTOPIE deals in—bootboy vox and shouted gang refrains twinned with the kind of atmospheric bass lines and utilitarian riffs that one would associate with contemporaries like SYNDROME 81 or BRUX, perhaps. It certainly fits that bill, but it does leave me quite cold. It doesn’t quite have the grit or tunes to grab me for a full LP’s worth of music, unfortunately. Not bad, just not memorable in the slightest.

Why Bother? You Are Part of the Experiment EP

A new batch of dystopian yet simultaneously somehow uplifting oxymoronic hits from America’s heartland. WHY BOTHER?’s latest EP sees their unique take on synthed-up punk continue to expand and refine (again, oxymoronically) with four fantastic worlds built from nothing and left in ruin two to three minutes at a time, plus a great cover of COCKSPARRER’s “I Got Your Number” for the digital release version, to boot. WHY BOTHER? has been fairly prolific in churning out music since their Feel It Records debut in 2021, and Feel It clearly knew they had something special as they’ve put out over a half-dozen more WHY BOTHER? releases since, proving once again that the Midwest can be alright.

Zeměžluč Z Extrému Do Extrému LP reissue

This was one of the first Eastern European punk LPs I picked up—grabbed it on a whim in a bargain bin because it looked cool, and I didn’t know fuck-all about Czech punk, so why not? The band started in 1986 and dropped their first full-length a few years later (also recommended). Z Extrému Do Extrému was the second full-length from ZEMĚŽLUČ, originally released in 1997; it’s still a regular spin and I’m happy to see it get modern treatment and recognition from PHR. Stripped-down, hard-driving, no frills punk rock with gruff vocals and the unmistakable cold Eastern Euro punk energy even while they crank out anthem after anthem with an ear towards early UK punk.

Amusement Holding On EP

With their third EP, AMUSEMENT continues to straddle the line between East and West Coast luminaries of the likes of SEAWEED and MOVING TARGETS, while bringing in a level spoonful of aggression just under the tasty melody. It only makes sense that AMUSEMENT is what happens when you have a combined one-hundred-plus years of experience from folks that have played in DIY bands spanning all Maximum Rocknroll’s favorite genres. It’s also impossible not to hear itty-bitty flavors of the thirty or so bands that these folks have been part of, or deny the dazzling RADON and ARRIVALS influences. Each of these three songs is melodic and contains an urgency and style individualized enough from each other to make this feel well-rounded. If it were 1991, I would be putting each of these songs on different themed comp tapes, like “Running From the Cops Jamz” or “Room Cleaning Jamz” or “Tyler’s Basement When His Parents Aren’t Home Jamz.”

Ballistix Starin’ Down the Barrel at… cassette

Six tracks of rough-around-the-edges hardcore punk from New Jersey’s BALLISTIX. Featuring members of the poppier, RAMONES-indebted FREEZEHEADS, BALLISTIX opt instead for a tougher sound more akin to POISON IDEA. That said, they haven’t lost their knack for writing catchy tunes, as evidenced by the excellent third track, “Takin Aim.” Check this one out.

The Black Gloves Five Cuts at 8,000 Ft CD

For me, this album really built itself up. Don’t get me wrong, they had plenty of power and speed throughout, but I felt the last two tracks, “Kubrick Stare” and “X-ray,” were the strongest of the album. The first two tracks sounded pretty similar to me, but “Kubrick Stare” had nice bass licks and was more all over the board sonically, which was fun. Then “X-ray” had a nice kind of breakdown in the middle with short stops and slowing down to almost half-tempo before exploding back to a faster more punk style. Overall, I enjoyed how in-your-face and straightforward punk these guys were.

Bullshit Detector / Liberty and Justice split EP

Everything’s bigger in Texas (or so I’m told), and as splits go, this is pretty big. Both BULLSHIT DETECTOR and LIBERTY AND JUSTICE are some heavy-hitters when it comes to modern street punk, and this release is a lot of fun. BULLSHIT DETECTOR is up first, with an original which doesn’t quite do it for me, but their entirely surprising cover of a BOB SEGER(!) tune completely took me out—it is straight up rockin’ and makes me want to drink one hundred beers. LIBERTY AND JUSTICE follows and continues their purple patch with another genre-agnostic heater, with a ska-punk lilt which feels like a middle finger in the correct direction. A fun live CIRCLE JERKS cover follows with FAT TONY on guest duties, too.

Charlie Continental Singles & Jingles 2016–2021 cassette

Singles & Jingles is exactly what it promises to be, an anthology of remastered songs released on CHARLIE CONTINENTAL’s small, self-sufficient label (Snappy Little Numbers). As a solo project of his, this cassette is charming with its disjointed mosaic of sounds over years of recording. Certainly not a cohesive release, songs like “Be Much Better” goes the SUBLIME pop punk route, while “Monotony of Care” orbits around acoustic guitar and keyboard. Incorporating quick, thrashing drums into each track, CONTINENTAL’s underlying musical style is present but largely at the whim of each song. “Come Howl With Us” features some fun howling backing vocals, though the Colorado-based soloist sounds strained for much of his own singing parts throughout the album. As a wide-ranging release, there is something for every uproarious garage rock and punk fan, though nothing too standout. If you’re inclined to some amusing tamborine and sardonic lyrics, CHARLIE has got you covered.

Dumbells Up Late With LP

Leaving the sparse promise of their brief 2021 demo behind, DUMBELLS’ debut LP is endowed with an immersive, full sound that lends itself to the flood of dreamy tunes therein. Comprised of personnel from various notable acts of recent vintage, these Aussie upstarts fuse elements of 1960s sparkle, 1990s fuzz, and many moods in between into their sharp, imaginative, and organic indie flavor, and it’s easy to get lost in the album’s kaleidoscopic arrangements. Lavishly textured, the songs are simultaneously vibrant and deep, each one propelled by a charming poetic simplicity. There are many memorable moments, like the triumphant and vaguely medieval lead riff of “Automaton,” the unbearable catchiness of “Hammer,” the weighty romance of “Sweetest Reminder,” and the percolating spaghetti western climax of “Bubbles,” to cite just a few, but the record is most impressive when digested as a complete ride. It’s an obscenely good first album that plays like a greatest hits compilation, and when the fluid and hopeful harmony of the psychedelic “Doorbell” fades out, it feels more like a “to be continued” than a proper “the end.”

False Negative / Lost Legion Midwest Mouthbreathers split EP

Two cuts from LOST LEGION and three from FALSE NEGATIVE, both of whom hail from the great state of Illinois. LOST LEGION kicks things off with a speedy hardcore number that exhibits some tastefully flashy guitar work. The second song switches up the formula with a ’77-style anthem with a gruff but melodic verse that almost sounds like STIFF LITTLE FINGERS. FALSE NEGATIVE seem like the real mouthbreathers here, smashing through their three selections with reckless disregard for harmony or nuance. Halfway between NEGATIVE FX and NEGATIVE APPROACH, you get FALSE NEGATIVE. Their track “Salt the Earth” is my favorite of the bunch with its shout-along chorus. Altogether, a solid outing on both accounts, living up to the rad cover art of a fire-breathing skinhead decimating a cornfield.

Gristle Maximum Power CD

GRISTLE is a brand new band that, to me, sounds like East Coast-style late ’80s/early ’90s hardcore. Fast, clear vocals akin to RAW DEAL, BREAKDOWN, a little SLAPSHOT, UPPERCUT, DEADGUY, PITTBULL and the like. There are five songs on this CD that leave me wanting an LP. Look, I’m in my mid-50s and I grew up on this sound, and hearing this style again is a memory flood that is transportive in all the right ways. I don’t know if this would make a top ten list, but it will certainly be something you pull out when you want to yell out and put your fist up.

Hellknife Flames of Damnation LP

Have you ever seen the charge of a rhino? Even if the idea of first-world tourists being trampled by what is basically a living tank on a safari is not without its charm, it remains a scary sight, and the epitome of brute force and unsubtlety in the animal kingdom. HELLKNIFE is to punk what the charging rhino is to nature. The band goes straight for the throat and leaves no time to hide. The Germans have been going for a while now, and they bulldoze their way through with a heavy and aggressive blend of beefy Scandinavian hardcore and guttural death metal. I am reminded of WOLFBRIGADE or GUIDED CRADLE going through their collection of Swedish death metal. This hits supremely hard, so much at times that it tends to exhaust the listener (my neighbours couldn’t last more than two songs). Flames of Damnation is not for the faint-hearted, but rather for those dark days when you just feel like you hate everything and need to listen to something that reflects this and makes you believe that you are a charging rhino, too. Really good for what it sets out to do.

Jeffery Sez Building Rafts Out of Burnt Bridges LP

Another one of those albums I threw on without doing any research, so I’ll let you know that my first thought was “Wow, the kids really have the ’90s throwback down pat.” Turns out that— surprise—this recording is nearly 30 years old. This is like if Mark Lanegan of SCREAMING TREES sang with a little more enthusiasm and got Chad Price-era ALL to be his backing band. I’m a sucker for these Eddie Vedder baritone vocals, but I was a lot more impressed when I thought it was a bunch of people trying something “different” in the year of our lord 2025. Regardless, this is still a solid record if you’re nostalgic for the grunge era and the Clinton years.

Kaptain Kaizen Für 3 Minuten 11 LP

On their third album Für 3 Minuten 11, Mannheim, Germany’s KAPTAIN KAIZEN rip through ten tracks of melodic punk rock with emo and indie influences, all played with a fired-up intensity that keeps the whole thing moving forward. The title tips its hat to the pop song attention span, and most of these tunes land right in that neighborhood. The musicianship and vocals are solid, though they mostly ride in the same lane the whole time. The songs feel fun, urgent, and sincere—sometimes like a less aggressive, later-period LA QUIETE. I don’t speak German, but the album’s Bandcamp page says they’re singing about political fakery, media spin, and colonial messes, which gives the whole thing some real weight under all that catchy energy.

Leopardo Side A / Side B LP

This album starts off with a beautiful, bizarro warble of a song that could have been a lost track from SWELL MAPS’ 1979 opus A Trip to Marineville. The album takes off from there with experimental looping tape sounds, off-kilter timing, mesmerizing Dean Wareham-esque vocals, and plinky melodies reminiscent of the VASELINES. Hints of TELEVISION PERSONALITIES and PERE UBU pop in and out. I’m sure the band could and probably has drawn VELVET UNDERGROUND comparisons, but in a more focused sense, it’s the vision and spirit of JOHN CALE that shines out from this unique body of work.

Meat Shirt Acid Dove 12″

There is a sort of psychedelic sheen to this sunkissed, driving punk, with its chorus-dripping guitars and expansive sound all anchored to a full-charge beat and vocals with capital “C” conviction. This band means it while still having fun, as evidenced on tracks like the brief but outstretching anthem “War Against War,” which features a glut of ideas in under two minutes. There’s an artfulness to this approach to punk, but rather than bogging things down, it’s also a blast to listen to from start to finish. Pretty damn impressive.

Nasty Black My Heart 12″

Boston’s NASTY returns with a crushing metalcore release steeped in mid-2000s breakdowns and ultra-serious vocals, channeling early TERROR, ON BROKEN WINGS, and maybe a touch of 100 DEMONS. It’s heavy, angry, and tailored for spin-kicking in parking lots, with production that emphasizes every drop and chug. Nothing subtle here—just beatdown anthems and hate-fueled energy. Still swinging hard.

Pressure Pact Visions of Terror EP

Another banger from Mendeku Diskak, who seem to be batting a thousand these days. PRESSURE PACT from the Netherlands plows through five tracks of tough-as-nails hardcore. Inspired by the likes of NEGATIVE APPROACH and SSD (rest in peace, Al Barile), Visions of Terror sees PRESSURE PACT employ dizzying guitars (“Big City Stinks”), whiplash tempo changes (“Visions of Terror”), and very gnarly drumming (the whole damn EP). Killer stuff.

Psychoactive Don’t Wanna Wait / Seditionaries 7″

Sometimes, a two-track record is all you need to hear—whether it be because you love it from the jump or think it’s total trash immediately. This is not the case with the new offering from PSYCHOACTIVE. The A-side got off to a pretty solid start, especially when the dynamic vocals of the chorus hit, reminding me a bit of MARKED MEN. The B-side, however, stayed more kind of one-note the whole time and didn’t really go anywhere; it was kind of uncompelling, despite the guitar solo trying to change my mind. So if the A-side is more representative of the PSYCHOACTIVE sound, I’d be interested in hearing more for sure.

Rotting Carcass Amis Raus Demo + Live LP

ROTTING CARCASS is German hardcore’s best-kept secret! With a band named ROTTING CARCASS, one might think that they played grindcore, but soon one realizes that it is far from that. Not that far actually, as they were very ahead of their time and delivered some ferocious hardcore that leans more towards the faster style that was pivotal for the creation of the aforementioned genre. They seem to have disappeared after this recording, and what a shame it took so long for this demo to be dug out of its grave. The Amis Raus demo, originally released on tape, finally gets a vinyl edition on the A-side of this LP, while on the B-side there is a live recording from 1985. Viciously catchy hardcore punk that never loses focus or direction.

Rudimentary Peni Pope Adrian 37th Psychristiatric LP reissue

As I write this, the pope has died and a papal conclave is sequestered while Catholics the world over wait with bated breath for the result. In 1992, a similar transition of power occurred, although on a much more personal level. Nick Blinko, guitarist, vocalist, and visual artist for RUDIMENTARY PENI (joined by the immensely talented Grant Matthews on bass and Jon Greville on drums), experienced severe delusions to the point that he was detained in a psychiatric hospital after revealing he was ordained Pope Adrian the 37th. This experience led to a singular piece of essential punk art that is finally seeing a crucial reissue. There are two ways to absorb this record. You can drop the needle and enjoy a ripping anarcho-punk band delivering off-kilter anthems (check out the nasally vocal hook on “Il Papa Puss” and the instant earworm of “Pogo Pope”). Or you can tentatively step into the world Blinko expresses through the audio and visual translations of his delusions and appreciate a wholly formed, intensely complex piece of outsider art. Repetition is used to great effect, punctuated by an unceasing chant of “Papas Adrianus” that plays on a loop through the whole record, like even in the background of songs and in between tracks. The aforementioned “Pogo Pope” is such a killer raw melodic punk song that it isn’t immediately apparent that the lyrics consist of only the title repeated ad nauseum. If you can make it through the running time, I think you’re in for life, baptized through punk hymns and decrees from the outsider pope himself. This lovingly prepared reissue gets my highest recommendation (I have had my copy for months), and I encourage you to pick up a physical copy if you can due to the incredible artwork, sixteen-page booklet, and layout.

Self Prison Self Prison cassette

Deep in the Caucasus region of Eastern Europe, Tbilisi sits as the cultural and population center for the country of Georgia. The culturally rich city of Tbilisi is also where SELF PRISON calls home. SELF PRISON is a four-piece raw hardcore band whose five-song self titled cassette is full of anguish-laden vocals and fascinating instrumental runs. If you’re not hooked on SELF PRISON by the gritty guitar riff on the intro track, then I give up trying to convince you.

Student Nurse Safety Last LP

From the bedrock of the Seattle punk scene, making their first music from ’79–’84, STUDENT NURSE reemerges some 38 years later with fresh energy and new music—this ain’t no reissue! Revived from the long view allowed by the pandemic, Helena Rogers’s vocals and guitar still front the band. She writes lyrics that young punks haven’t yet earned, like “Look at us, we’re not the ones to blame” from “Aurora.” The band works hard to produce an album that weaves between off-kilter rhythms and on-the-four convergence that will undoubtedly get you nodding. Bass riffs wander effortlessly all over the fretboard, rarely ceasing, while guitars scratch out bittersweet riffs and skronky upstrokes. The drums order this chaos, catching everybody’s irregular grooves, bringing back to center this electric orchestra for verses where Helena and David’s vocals tell it solemnly. This clearly isn’t a cash grab to capture old fans, given their short and fractured stint so many years ago. Instead, we are lucky enough to witness a group of artists who have put out some truly special music. Each of these eight tracks are over four minutes long, and none of them drag. For a good taste, try out “What Happened to Me?”—I think it encapsulates the spirit of the band, their tenure in the scene, and their ability to somehow, 38 years later, not miss a beat.