Reviews

Donor

Fiend Fiend EP

Great little debut from Galway, Ireland’s FIEND. These folks pull of the modern hardcore/punk style as exemplified by bands like RUT or BIB with aplomb. Each track is different from each other, from the brooding “Fiend” to the stomper “Scum,” but all of them explore territory that other bands have covered before. Indeed while listening to this I felt like I have heard this riffs and ideas plenty of times before. That’s not a knock against them—they’re copying from the right people—but it needs something to help it stand out from the pack. There’s a lot to like here, and I have high hopes for their next record.

Frisk Extinction 12″ EP

Sonic abominations FRISK spend most of this record relentlessly drilling wailing monotony into the grooves—closer to ’90s college nihilism than anything classified as hardcore, they manifest their manipulations on the six-plus-minute “Attachment,” a track that owes more to psychedelia than punk. It’s just that the wailing sounds so desperate that it can hardly being anything but punk. It’s a very intentional mess, with power electronics creating the foundation for some sections as much as the pummeling rhythm section does on others. While the short, disorienting bombast of “Extinction” is probably my favorite track, it’s the contrast between that and the long-form destruction that closes the side that makes everything work. It’s a taste…it’s not the meal. And I’m gonna go ahead and make the “WALLS do JESUS LIZARD” comparison that popped into my head, because after three listens it’s still there.

Hellscape Cujo EP

HELLSCAPE, out of West Yorkshire in the UK, is a unique band to say the least. Heavy deathrock influences pervade this recording, but there are also hardcore breakdowns and a big helping of anarcho-punk. It’s a sound that shouldn’t work out, but it does, and it’s fucking awesome. Vocalist Ciara is full of fury as caustic lyrics are delivered. Joe on drums and Lily on bass make up the rhythm section and keep perfect time with effortless stops and shifts. Guitarist Ben uses a buzzsaw tone that is absolutely punk rock. From start to finish, this six-track EP is an absolute blast.

MM & the Peculiars Paean 12″

I am always a fan of the 12″ 45 RPM EP, especially when the sound is big. MM & THE PECULIARS’ big sound comes in the form of singer Maegan Mills. Her vocals are emotive, powerful and overly dramatic. The music punctuates the singing perfectly. It is grunge-y and math-rock-y and flows and rolls along keeping the words afloat. It’s an impressive combination.

The Wound The Way of Death EP

Another killer from West Yorkshire’s Donor Records, born of the same cloth as the FRISK 12″ reviewed earlier in this issue. The WOUND are fucking filthy and they manage to harness the greatest BASTARDization of a “Misery” chorus I’ve ever encountered. This is hardcore punk, but condensed and broken down to its most disgusting bedrock elements. Damaged (the record and the descriptor) guitars dominate, the bass rumble is magnificent, and the subtlety is akin to getting repeated (unwarranted) jabs to the face while in restraints. You know that low crouch creepy crawl mosh that you just know is going to turn into a brawl when the asshole fucks up the flow in the pit…? This is that, but pressed on wax. Repeated listens only increase the intensity.

Whipping Post Cheating the War Game LP

This is pretty solid hardcore that maybe sounds a little more like SWIZ than it does like POISON IDEA (that’s not to say it doesn’t sound like both). Yelled vocals, backed by heavy guitars and some pretty good hooks. The mostly up-tempo tracks are broken up nicely by a couple of slower, trudging songs. That is, until you get to the six-minute piano-intro snoozer toward the end. Altogether, a pretty good record and definitely better than their previous one in terms of songwriting, recording and guitar tone.