Finnish thrashers FORCED HUMILITY rip it up on Tri-City Werewolves ’23, citing influence from classic ’80s NYHC outfits like OUTBURST and SHEER TERROR. The results sound similar to the UK’s ANTAGONIZM, with harsh vocals, breakneck drums, metal riffing, and searing guitar leads. As a big FORESEEN fan, I’m always excited to hear these guys’ side projects, and FORCED HUMILITY doesn’t disappoint. Check out “Opportunist” and “Ultimate Concern.”
Man, what the fuck is it with Denver? What have they got in the water there to make their HC so sick? PROWLER is another addition to Denver’s hardcore domination. This is hardcore punk the way it should be done (in my humble opinion). The influence from bands like the ABUSED, NEGATIVE APPROACH, and YOUTH OF TODAY is apparent, while also not being cheesy like a lot of YOUTH OF TODAY clones can be. It’s loud, it’s fast, it’s pissed-off, and that’s all it needs to be. I think this one rules—give it a listen and you’ll feel the same way. Stoked to see what PROWLER has coming up next.
Raw-as-fuck steamroller hardcore attack out of Los(t) Angeles. They’ve been kicking behinds for a long minute now, and this is hopefully just a teaser of more to come, judging from the snappy title. Reminds me a lot of CONCEALED BLADE as well as the usual FIX/POISON IDEA comparisons, the latter whom they do a nice job of covering. Well, it’s 2023 and this shit’s sold out already. Give me more. We’re all waiting.
It slid right past me, but SKINNED PIG from Hesperia, CA dropped this hot little tape back in January, setting the bar for the year high right from the get-go. Combining ’60s pop melodies with classic punk sentiments and an Oi! mentality, the band plays sickly-sweet and garage-y hardcore punk with a timeless feel. I can hear everything from the DILS to the BUSINESS to the VINDICTIVES in their sound, and I would have dug this had it come out at any point in my life. C’mon, bud. Bump those first two songs quick and tell me not. Matter of fact, bump the whole thing.
With members of PUFFER and BETON ARME, and especially being released on Roachleg, I came into this tape with preconceptions. How delightfully shocked was I, then, to have expectations totally subverted by a collection of songs that don’t bludgeon so much as coax you into their plaintive landscape. The group is evocative of a broad palette of influences, from dream pop to cowpunk, and it all works. I’m always impressed by a band that can explore while still sounding confident, keeping to a center that holds strong regardless of what genre they dip into. There’s no one corner to paint these songs into, and that’s what makes the release so potent. On the outright classically rocking “Rien Ne T’empechêra,” you end up with something akin to THIN LIZZY with Bernard Sumner on guitar. I might be reaching, but that’s the sort of abstract pairing the music conjures. All in all, it’s an immensely satisfying and beguiling grip of tracks from some of Montreal’s top players.
