Reviews

Roachleg

3D & the Holograms 3D & the Holograms LP

Man, I’m sure someone out there is going to read this and consider it blasphemy, but my first thought upon hearing 3D & THE HOLOGRAMS’ self-titled release was “this is what GG ALLIN wishes he had sounded like.” Rock’n’roll chaos that is as brutal as it is catchy. There’s no build-up or warning. Once you hit play, you’re immediately thrown into the tornado of sound. Much like a caffeine-induced panic attack, you feel trapped. The walls are closing in around you and there is no escape. However, you find yourself enamored with this unadulterated fear. You embrace it. You crave more. But with a blink of an eye, it’s all over. Fantastic stuff here.

Abuso De Poder Vago Muerto EP

All-caps street punk. Thick and low guitars playing simple-as-nail-type riffs over which the singer gets gruff about the hostile side of life. The atmosphere is pissed-off, violent, and a running-against-the-wall feeling of unsolvable frustration. If you feel let down by the injustice of everyday life and seek sing-along, mid-tempo hardcore as your coping mechanism, then you’ve found your companion. Overly streamlined, the band only leaves the locked-in beat and linear song structure for a few solos. Packed with three-note riffs, each song has the potential to be a fist-pumper hit to people who would happily kick each other in the head, although I have to focus to realize them, since they’re all blended into a mix that sounds good but lacks any exaggeration, thus holding back the in-your-face effect. This is what I struggle with: theoretically this is great stuff, yet it lacks something that might have gotten lost while polishing everything to perfection.

Acid Children Perverts Lobotomy demo cassette

What the fuck is going on with Roachleg Records? It feels as if the label has a secret laboratory where they hold each of their bands in a dirty basement where they have been conditioned or animated to play such amazing punk music, and then sometimes vanish as fast as they have appeared. Either they have a great scouting agent, or they have created a scene where bands with the craziest ideas and obvious love for obscure punk can be free and fuck everything up. ACID CHILDREN fits perfectly into this scene. Lo-fi freak sound, drums mimicking when two metal sheets are slapped together by drunk kids, the not-always-on-rhythm beats mixing well with the rusty-sounding guitars, and the rest of the sound based on constant collapsing, as if the different parts were thrown together and still merged perfectly. When fast, when slow, the pace connects to the people—it has that human element I always look for; it always feels natural, and within such an environment we can witness the ups and downs of a psychedelic trip. Those fucked-up solos, the bit of black metal-ish tone in the vocals, the chaotic fast parts, the melting-apart breaks. This is great thrashing freak music. Each song is over two minutes, which is something I am always picky about, but here the four songs rather sound like eight different ones—that much shit is happening, or that is how easy it is to listen to. Super interested in whether they will continue and make more greater, stranger records. If not, then in twenty years, Roachleg will be this cult classic label having their tapes going for triple-digit prices. Be smart, get their tapes now.

Asinin Asinin demo cassette

Right from the start, this Norwegian band unleashes a torrent of overwhelming hardcore, fueled by relentless energy that leaves the vocalist gasping for breath as he races to keep up with the escalating chaos. Most tracks barely exceed one minute in length, and the mixing is impeccably executed, ensuring the listener’s unwavering attention. The guitars offer a captivating dynamic, featuring sharp tones rather than harsh ones, filled with intricate riffing and a willingness to explore melancholic melodies. The breakneck pace, driven by the manic drums, leaves no room for boredom or distraction. As a band, they sound exceptional, although their sound leans towards a modern and somewhat unrooted style. A banger.

Axxe Crazy Black Winds Blowing, An Indifferent Sky cassette

First of all, we are welcomed by a psychotic bunch of noise effects with fuzz, reverb, and an electronic blenderization from hell and a chaos from doomsday in their intro. Asbury Park, NJ metallic punk agents AXXE CRAZY is not fooling around. Ten-track cassette of metallic punk mayhem fused with D-beat and crusty vibes, but also thrash metal references and even some powerviolence. You can almost see the visceral thread left behind in each song and the cathartic feel in their demonic vocals, which are filled with anger, despair, and hate. Frenzied cadences and high-pitched guitars, plus engulfing, crazy bass lines. Suggested tracks: “Feast in the Sight of the Minds Eye” and “Pocket Full of Emeralds, Head Full of Lead.” Absolute ripper.

Béton Armé Second Souffle EP

Don’t think it is an exaggeration to say that this is one of my favourite bands still going, up there with MESS, FUERZA BRUTA and CASTILLO; they are the real deal. It seems a little reductive making the comparison merely owing to their shared Francophile nature, but this really does feel like a spiritual cousin to a RIXE EP—earworm choruses, buzzsaw guitars, and gang vox designed to be yelled while covered in lager. Extremely worth a spin.

Black Dog Overthrow EP

I cannot say I really like the moniker BLACK DOG as, for some reason, it immediately evokes images of tough metalcore lads who wear beanies and spend a lot of time looking unironically hard. But this BLACK DOG is absolutely amazing, right kick-up-the-arse amazing, the sort of amazing that can resurrect the pair of crust pants you discarded years ago because you do get a bit fat with age. Distracted me had only vaguely heard the first demo and, partially because of the name (I know, I know, the book, the cover and all that), I just did not pay much attention. But this band from Halifax, Canada is the real deal, and I don’t know what they put in the water in Nova Scotia, but the locals always deliver when it comes to jaw-dropping punk music. Unsurprisingly, BLACK DOG is made up of members of ZYGOME and FRAGMENT (Overthrow is not so unlike the latter’s 2016 demo, actually), and they play distorted crasher-style raw hardcore of the highest quality. The sound is not exaggeratedly blown-out like some of their Japanese counterparts, but is rawer with an organic, almost cavernous texture that I really enjoy. Similarly, the guitar still has some crunch and is not completely lost in distortion, and overall you can sense the anger and the intensity amplified by the crusty gruff vocals. I suppose you could file BLACK DOG along contemporary bands like PHYSIQUE, ASPECTS OF WAR, or the newly formed KINETIC ORBITAL STRIKE, but I hear a stronger Swedish influence, albeit by way of FRAMTID arguably (especially in the riffing), and I caught myself thinking about NPG or GIFTGASATTACK and even some classic ’90s käng bands (like SAUNA or something) that would have been left in a Crust War Records marinade overnight. Very aptly executed, and everything you are entitled to expect from the best representatives of the genres. Another great one from the always reliable Halifax punk scene.

Black Dog Demo II cassette

Whenever you spot a release from Roachleg, you are sure to get the rawest of the raw, and I’m saying this in the best of ways. Only a few months after their first demo, Nova Scotia’s BLACK DOG angrily bites back with Demo II. It sounds just like the first one, which is basically what you would want. When it comes to raw punk, the more basic, the better. BLACK DOG follows the trash-filled route of the UK greats like DOOM (nice wink on “Life is a Lock”) or ENT, without innovation or changes to the style, just good old-fashioned crusty punk. “Life is like a lock on my mind. Is death the only key?”

Black Dog Black Dog demo cassette

Another demo recorded in a bucket. BLACK DOG plays almost-D-beat, sloppy hardcore that reminds me of DISCHARGE, or how WHY could sounded after the twelfth tape dubbing played on a boombox that has been thrown into a lake. It’s obvious that bands can play this type of music; what is becoming incredibly hard is to put their own authenticity into it. The overdrive on an already pitching recording does its part and satisfies the noise lovers. It is a fun listen, but not really much more than a bunch of people into this type of punk making a record over a weekend. It is great they did that, it is great they shared it with us, and no one should feel restrained to do the same. This demo is as good as it is effortless, which could be an inspiration too, for all the anxious people who worry how they will sound. Do not overthink and overproduce your stuff, just create what you would love to listen to. Not completely sure, but the cover suggests that a skeleton is taking its dog (on a chain leash) to walk while riding a horse. This is silly.

Chainsaw When Will We Die? EP

Straightforward D-beat from Boston from members of BRAINKILLER and SUNSHINE WARD.  This is all very much by the book and does not disappoint yet does not provoke. Is that a bad thing? There is a bit of DOOM (Pickering-era), some smatterings of FROM ASHES RISE, and a heavy dose of SHITLICKERS. Add your stock dejected, grainy cover image (anarchy symbol required) and a track list replete with nihilistic song titles and away we go!!!

Cross No Beginning, No End cassette

Faster hardcore bands seem to be often overlooked and forgotten. Seminal outfits like HERESY, ELECTRO HIPPIES, or DEEP WOUND helped to solidify the hardcore genre, but somehow got lost in the vocabulary of today’s hardcore scene. Luckily, there are some modern bands that dust off some oldies and give them a new dimension, like NOSFERATU, the ANNIHILATED, and others. CROSS is a fast hardcore band hailing from New York that brings an intense energy to the genre with blistering drums, gritty vocals, and raw guitar riffs. Their songs are short, sharp, and pack a punch, showcasing their ability to deliver high-octane performances that will leave you exhilarated and craving more. If you’re a fan of hardcore punk and fast-paced music, CROSS is a band worth checking out. And shoutout to Roachleg Records for delivering the goods yet again!

Demon Demonstration cassette

Going into a Roachleg release, I was expecting some raw (like, cold hamburger in a red pool) hardcore-adjacent music. I was pretty right on with the sound quality—seriously, avoid if you’re not into the noisier side of punk. The recording is more akin to ’90s black metal demos than your average hardcore demo. Rather than using that sonic palette to bring you something fast and ferocious though, there is some groove to this. Somewhat more plodding but no less heavy than some of the best of NY’s best contemporary punk, the band also features some moaning, nearly psychedelic guitar leads to go with its mid-tempo assault of damaged fuzzed-out punk. The vocals are engaging, while unintelligible, but while these types of recordings can sometimes feel like they come from some sort of “we’re too cool to sound good” bullshit mentality, this just feels true to what the band is trying to convey. Cramped, noisy, and fucked-up hardcore.

Dente Canino Dente Canino demo cassette

Imagine what would happen if the Crucificados Pelo Sistema LP, Valtion Vankina LP, and Who the Helpless EP morphed into one and then mutated into some fucked-up thing? Complete devastation of hardcore annihilation. The world is ending and this is the music for it.

Desintegración Violenta La Bestia EP

This joint release between Static Shock, Unlawful Assembly, and Roachleg Records finds DESINTEGRACIÓN VIOLENTA playing their hallmark thrash-addled hardcore punk on five tracks. With riffs set to overdrive, a primal rhythm section, and snarling, blown-beyond-belief vocals, it’s hard not to love everything DESINTEGRACIÓN VIOLENTA is doing on this recording. If you like your punk extra noisy, speedy as fuck, and a touch demented, then you’ll definitely want to give this a spin.

Dishuman Demo 2021 cassette

When this one was originally released back in May 2021, right at the crest of the pandemic, it came to my attention that it was made by three kids in a town near the town I live in. Being that most of the “DIS” bands are hit-or-miss for me, I was a bit skeptical. But boy, was I wrong! This is a killer demo, and they sure know their DISCHARGE really well! I was instantly hooked on this one and they became one of my favourite Portuguese bands. This excellent demo showcases five songs that sound like they were recorded in ’82 on Stoke-on-Trent, plus a DISCLOSE cover. Bright things will come for these youngsters’ future if they keep this level of dedication up.

Evil Spirit Black Cross demo cassette

Seven-minute total demo with an eerie intro from Avernus, poorly recorded in hell with the sense that this was an old tape found after a crash in Brooklyn, NY by these satanic punks. Surely interesting live—put your headphones on for this crazy, lo-fi (but good) ripper recording. Seems like a lost gem of a doomer age, and if you dig proto-satanic sounds, this might be right up your alley. Frenzied metalpunk, with solid ranting guitars, metal-infused sections that slay, and a crazy demonic voice melted on the tape. Crazy eerie shit sounds all around, making mayhem…or climax.

Fatal Wound Fatal Wound demo cassette

Mean-as-fuck brutal hardcore that rules. If you like CITY HUNTER, or GAOLED’s excellent demo from last year, get on this. Most of the tracks are blistering fast punk with distorted bass and full-throated roaring vocals. There are enough dynamic shifts to keep it fresh, like the occasional thrashy divebomb solos and the creepy-crawl pummeling of “Senseless Slaughter.” In addition to some of the metallic guitarwork, FATAL WOUND takes some underground metal cues with the grim artwork and hard-ass photocopied Gothic font on the back. Check out the track names: “Pathetic Worm,” “Merciless Despair,” and the best, “Skinned for Sport.” Fuckin’ “Skinned for Sport.” What a stone-cold Grim Reaper title! If you are having a bad day, give it power and make it terrible with this absolute ripper of a demo.

Final War Gimme Speed demo cassette

An aggressively lo-fi demo cassette. This is what I call a non-stop pummeling of the senses. Musically, it punishes the ear and assaults the mind. It evokes the smell of a sweaty basement, stale cigarettes, and split beer. Really, this tape is the closest I’ve felt to a DIY hardcore show since the pandemic started. It’s so in-your-face that you can’t escape it and that is really fucking cathartic. Like therapy for gutter punks. The band doesn’t pull any punches or take any great experimental leaps with their sound, but it doesn’t really matter. It’s fast, noisy, aggressive, wild, and that’s all we really need right now. 

Garrapata demo cassette

MRR continues to accept interviews, so please, someone, go out and ask GARRAPATA about the recording session of this demo, because it makes zero sense. The music is the lowest lo-fi noise-core à la KUOLEMA and PSYCHO SIN. The drums are as recognizable as listening through thick walls to how your neighbor destroys his flat. The tape sounds so dumb, if a group of people’s first introduction to music was SIEGE and without any skills or experience of playing on instruments they were set free to express themselves. It is best demonstrated with how detached the flow of their music. The fragmented, stop-and-go structure lets the instruments breathe, just as the vocalist does, making them sound as separated attempts to notify angry existence. Hard to process that someone reached out to this aesthetic in current times, yet it avoids being gimmicky. Real primitive music for the lovers of barbarian art.

Guillotine Guillotine demo cassette

Here is a mysterious and minimal hardcore punk face-grater. An extremely lo-fi and mid-tempo demo of excruciating, warbling, abysmal punk and spectral voices haunting from the corners. Tracks include “Death’s Head,” “Death Reversed,” “Covid-19,” and “Futureless.” Bleak as fuck, and does not stick around long to check for a pulse. I can’t help but compare their tone to GISM, with the up-drive of STALIN and the bizarre hypnotic repetition of GAI. A horrible mess happened in Brooklyn last April that sounds like Kyoto in 1982. I’ve listened to this five-minute recording (presented as one take, but I’m not sure) five times now, and I’m increasingly unsettled and intrigued by the terror of GUILLOTINE.

Hävittäjät Lost Tapes Collection cassette

Some Australian punks (ex-members of KIROTTU, KRÖMOSOM, and LEPROSY) singing in Finnish and playing Finnish-styled hardcore? Sign me up for that! Punishingly raw and dirty hardcore with a leaning towards KAAOS and TAMPERE S.S.. Released through Roachleg Records, which has been consistently putting out the rawest punk hardcore out there, with the help of Fuzzed Atrocities. Not much else to say about this one except you’ll feel dirtier after listening to it.

Heroindöd Demo 2011 EP

Roachleg’s vinyl reissue of early ’10s Floridian crasher crusters HEROINDÖD’s demo. Five tracks of in-your-face mangel thrash meets Kyushu noisecore, crossfaded with ’90s Crust War-style crustcore tracks. Furious, thrashing madness to blow your eardrums out for pleasure. Looks like all crusties did spend loud night in Florida. For fans of COLLAPSE SOCIETY, FRIGORA, FEROCIOUS X, you get the idea.

Hysteric Polemix Hysteric Polemix demo cassette

Noisy without being noise music, overtly political without being preachy, Brooklyn’s HYSTERIC POLEMIX’s demo cassette reminds me of CRASS’s Penis Envy as filtered through post-punk. Danceable bass lines abound on this recording while the flanged guitar soars around. “Urtication” and “Saturn Square Uranus” are both sung in Portuguese, which seemingly increases the impassioned vocalizations.

Impotentie Leopold II Is Niet Dood Genoeg LP

Pop quiz: can you name Belgium’s biggest genocider? We’re all (hopefully) filling in the gaps of our colonial histories and IMPOTENTIE is here to remind us who was behind the murderous Belgian mercenaries that caused an estimated ten million Congolese deaths in the 19th century. Disclaimer: you should not rely on punk lyrics for historical facts, but I’ll be fucked if punk didn’t at least nudge me down a morally rich path in life, and I don’t even owe any college debt! In this case, IMPOTENTIE is factually correct. Oi! music has seemingly become trendy outside skinhead circles in recent years and I think those comparisons might reduce the potency of this, so I’m gonna lean more into my appreciation for old Vögelspin releases, or how about the Alle 24 Goed! compilation? These two fellows are stationed in Montreal but sing in Dutch. Or Flemish? I’m not qualified to tell the difference. If you like the brutish, bashing punk sound with melodic highlights and a firm anti-colonial message, you couldn’t wrap it up much better than this. It would be the coolest thing to turn in as a project in history class! Also features Belgium’s most famous statue pissing on their most infamous statue—almost too perfect!

Innuendo Peace & Love 12″

Milwaukee terrorizers with a mid-tempo, straightforward hardcore formula that touches on early styles of hardcore punk resembling NECROS’ and NEGATIVE APPROACH’s first sounds. Solid bass lines and guitar racket, and the ragged, destroyed low vocals just hit all of the spots for rotten minds searching for that earlier, crunchier, angstier sound and feel never to be grasped fully by contemporary mortals. Dig into this eight-track EP filled with raw punk energy.

Institute Ragdoll Dance LP

INSTITUTE returns with their signature creepy/catchy sound, and some inevitable updates. They’ve kept their snaky guitar lines and sinister rhythms, but the production has a real distinct texture from their previous releases. It’s both restrained and full, quiet but boiling. I’m sure many of us can imagine louder, brasher versions of these songs, but the band really holds back. The guitars sound like they’re surrounding and nudging you instead of blasting towards you. The songs are a recognizable, stripped down punk’n’roll with some almost KISS-esque leads. This made me think of some other bands who fold in a touch of hard rock. All that aside, the band’s songwriting still hogs the spotlight and carries the album.

Kato Demo ’23 cassette

Four tracks of Finnish hardcore thrashing bombardment fury. Straight-up 1982-era Propaganda Records, Totaalinen Kaaos 7” meets Valtion Vankina LP, Super Fuzz-style fuzzed-out guitars with psychedelic howling vocals. A convulsion of explosive chaotic energy with pure intensity. Jakke is rolling in his grave every time you play this, and Lazze will most likely say it’s right up his alley.

Klavo Klavo demo cassette

Sound and solid working class hammers from Berlin newcomers KLAVO. This is the first release from the four-piece, and it’s a good one. The band’s musicianship is worth noting, pulling heavily from old pub rockers ROSE TATTOO, as well as COCKSPARRER. “No Good Ones” is a fucking banger of a song.

M.O.A.B. Massive Ordnance Air Blast cassette

A raw assault of D-beat fury from Brooklyn. Early DOOM vocal pitch with the drum clobbering of more modern ASPECTS OF WAR. Loads of chaotic feedback carries you through these classic hardcore punk attacks. Guitar riffs are cosmically higher in register than usual, making for an even more anxiety-ridden track. As a demo it totally delivers, similar to the impact of a recent tape from REALM OF TERROR. Everything stands out here: great vocals that bellow out longer than expected, wild guitar that reaches higher than expected, a massive drum sound in a classic tempo, grueling bass holding it all on the rails. MASSIVE ORDNANCE AIR BLAST, simple as that. Quite killer and just the way you like it.

Mad Laughter Mad Laughter demo cassette

MAD LAUGHTER from NYC has a dark aura about them that is hard to describe. A dark assault of metallic hardcore punk that certainly evokes the ’80s UK bands that dabbled in metal like SACRILEGE or BROKEN BONES, but with a more primitive, furious approach. The vocals make this demo feel like a forgotten ENGLISH DOGS recording. With members of NOSFERATU, SUBDUED, TWISTED THING, and TERRORIST, these lot made an ugly, disgusting demo for the lovers of dirty music. Roachleg Records keeps delivering the goods when it comes to the raw stuff. Go get your fix!

Mirage Immagini Postume cassette

MIRAGE is the “let’s pull out ten of the best early Italian hardcore records and try to do something similiar” band of the Roachleg roster—singing in Italian and recreating both the urgency and the bit post-punk (but with wilder guitar sounds) that are familiar from STINKY RATS or even WRETCHED. Yet the music is less chaotic, I guess due to the fact that MIRAGE is not reinventing hardcore locally as teenagers who are only getting familiar with the instruments. On the other hand, the band has a straightforward power that fills the demo with energy but lacks infantilism. Anger is dripping from each second and the song structures are varied enough to remain interesting, although with each listen the smoke clears, and while the core of their sound does not vanish, they do not grow out from the same circle as IDIOTA CIVILIZZATO and PSICO GALERA.

Mirage Legato Alla Rovina 12″

I reviewed MIRAGE’s demo, which was a good introduction but mostly made me wish to hear something more, bigger, refined. Here they are with an LP, released again by Roachleg. The record sounds big and hyper-energetic with enough nasty noise, and the music is hectic: guitars and drums racing with each other while certain riffs reach back and forth beyond power chords, using a lot of feedback, dumb-but-great melodies, and fingers walking on strings as drunk spiders. Loud, often spoken-sung agitation with a bucketful of despair to vary the vocals. They are able to mix the obvious Italian influences well with their own manic ideas. It sounds modern for sure, but the bleak modernity did not infect this record—it is balanced between an homage to a scene far away (both in time and distance) and a present-day hardcore rager. This record is fucking great!

Money Final Bag demo cassette

A while back I called the Roachleg Records “hotline” in an attempt to get more info on the VIOLENT CHRISTIANS. A whiny, Jerky Boys-type character answered the phone, sounding confused and annoyed by my call. “Wild Christians?” he replied, “what about ‘em?,” as he went on to deny any knowledge of the existence of that band, or any other band for that matter. It was a hilarious, baffling exchange, and I’m not sure why I expected anything less. Over the past couple of years, this Brooklyn-based label has established itself as one that gets my immediate attention upon dropping a new release. In a world increasingly populated by copycats and cosplayers, Roachleg’s commitment to releasing truly abrasive and gnarly music has earned them a special place in my ever-blackening heart, and this demo adds to the filthy pile of perverse tapes that they’ve been steadily foisting on the unsuspecting public. Naming their band after “the root of all evil,” MONEY rips through three tracks of nasty hardcore rumbling. The band has a grim, noisy, and driving sound punctuated by madman guitar noodling and led by unintelligible, cretinous vocals, all dripping in the sonic scuzz that has become this prolific label’s calling card. In fact, the blurred and belligerent delivery of it all could easily distract one from the fact that there are some serious chops at work here. It’s hot shit, and I’m hoping we haven’t heard the last of it. Want to learn more? You better call Sol.

Mr. Node I Don’t Go Out / Vaccinate Me flexi 7″

Two originals (plus a cover of DISCHARGE’s “I Don’t Care” with the digital version) from this freaky Brooklyn project. After a weird, French-accented appeal for MR. NODES’s help, “I Don’t Go Out,” starts with sloppy, snotty vocals gagging and choking over drum machine beats and fierce hardcore guitar. What sounds like straight chaos at first turns out to be a well-written, traditionally structured rock song. The chorus of “I don’t go out / They don’t come in” accentuates the feelings of isolation and loneliness the pandemic has brought on for a lot of us. The four-note guitar hook makes the whole thing catchier than the subject material would suggest. “Vaccinate Me!” is a fun synth punk anthem about COVID vaccines that should be a PSA. Imagine everyone chanting, “I want to go on a ride / I want to eat inside / I want to cheer on my team / I want to wet my dream.” Maybe MR. NODE really is here to save us. Oh, and the deranged, mega-reverbed DISCHARGE cover rules.

Narcotic Void Narcotic Void demo cassette

Heavy Xerox aesthetics on the cover art, and the record is just as lo-fi, as if it were sent through a worn-out photocopy machine. I wonder how meta this is to create such noise in 2022 when our pencils can make a studio-perfect recording, yet we replicate the sound of a decades-old era which operated with barely functioning equipment. But this is what we like right, so who cares really? Buried under the fuzz, NARCOTIC VOID plays snotty, catchy, nihilistic hardcore that is closer to punk rock than to thrasing blast. They ride a beat that makes you nod and motivates you to jump around in a crowd with a beer in your hands among a lot of punks, although it is no pogo-punk—rather, each song has the potential to be a title track of a two-song 45 which evokes elevated feelings in the listener and could be your original soundtrack for glue sniffing. The guitar blends into the buzzing white noise of the recording environment and equipment (an asteroid should hit us if this is only an effect, switched on by pushing one single button on a computer), the singer has a great “fuck you” voice that varies between evil melodic and evil vocal-speech while the bass basically keeps it all together and directs where the music goes, to which barely identifiable drums give a rhythmic knocking. If you hate music, you will love this.

Nosferatu Society’s Bastard cassette

“Energy” would be a fitting one-word description of this demo. Like bullets being fired from an AK-47, the eleven tracks that make up this ferocious piece of music come at you savagely and without mercy. A chaotic and frantic assault of hardcore to the senses, picking up where VOID left off and paying homage to the masters of hardcore. This will make your blood boil.

People’s Temple I’m With the People’s Temple EP

Brooklyn, NY-based hardcore punkers released this solid eight-track EP in February 2023, aided by Roachleg Records. Filled with classic ’80s USHC nods and all its raw energy, giving us powerful, distorted guitars and good soloing, sharp, spot-on bass lines, and on-point drums with fast cadences, directly entangled with visceral vocals guided by the sharp drum cuts. A great surprise of ’80s-infused songs combining the most classic skate punk from all over, a hint of charged punk rock, and a fresh pinch of no wave in there. Put early AGENT ORANGE, DEAD BOYS, NECROS, and POISON IDEA in a blender and there you go. Suggested tracks: “Patriotic & Brain Dead” and “S.O.S.”

People’s Temple 8 Track Demo cassette

Not to be confused with the Michigan psych rock band by the same name, Brooklyn’s PEOPLE’S TEMPLE pairs their acid with anarchy. This is a killer first outing. Here we find fast, dialed-in hardcore with riffs a-plenty. Featuring members of GLUE and GUNN, this calls to mind West Coast USHC like BATTALION OF SAINTS and CHRIST ON PARADE, with a touch of early POISON IDEA thrown in for good measure. Roachleg never fails to deliver the goods, and this cassette is certainly no exception. Pounding like a hangover headache, PEOPLE’S TEMPLE never really lets up, even as they modulate their tempo from track to track. These are well-constructed, memorable songs, with “Human Livestock” being a standout. Keep an eye on these freaks!

Poison Ruïn Not Today, Not Tomorrow EP

Dungeon punk? Medieval post-punk? Anarcho-goth? Chainmail-core? POISON RUÏN is a super hard band to define as they have so much going on in terms of influences. At the core, they are a post-punk band, and that is very well-defined, but they lean towards Oi!, sometimes deathrock, and even dungeon synth at other times. Like medieval AMEBIX playing WIPERS songs after a few pints of mead. It started out as a solo project of Mac Kennedy, but since then has become a full-band venture. “Not Today, Not Tomorrow” starts out with dungeon synth and it ends with thunder over an epic punk riff. Shall I say more? The highlight is the closer “Edifice,” a bleak, mid-tempo post-punk anthem filled with dread. Throw on your chainmail, and get your dice ready.

Puffer Live and Die in the City Demo 2022 cassette

Montreal’s PUFFER lands here with a slab of lumpen punk’n’roll which offers a little more nuance and intrigue than your usual troglodyte Oi!-tinged hardcore. Vocals are reminiscent of NO TIME, and sound not too dissimilar to what I’d imagine it’d be like if a rottweiler learned to sing. Interestingly, there’s a bit of groove here with the tambourine flourishes and guitar solos, a bit like if MC5 cut their hair and had a wash. Good stuff(er) from PUFFER.

Puffer Iron Hand EP

Roachleg, like Mendeku Diskak, is rapidly becoming a kind of Motown-esque hit factory for Shit I Like. This release by PUFFER is no different. Another hard-as-fook release from these Montreal rockers, with all the fun of the fair. Riffs? They’ve got them coming out their arse, mate. Tunes? Knee deep in them, son. “Sister Marie” in particular is so full of swagger and a sense of fun that is often so sorely lacking, I had to listen to it about five times. Essential purchase, and I cannot wait to see what they do next.

Pura Mania Extra​ñ​os Casos De La Vida Real EP

And they are back! PURA MANIA’s ability to transcend geographical boundaries and unite members from two different countries is a testament to their dedication and passion for their music. The fact that they are able to seamlessly continue their energetic punk sound despite the distance between them is a true testament to their talent and commitment to their craft. Featuring members of FRACASO and SPECTRES, they are somewhere between Oi! and Spanish punk. Fans of their previous release Cerebros Punk can expect more of the same high-energy, anthemic tracks from this exciting band. SCREAMERS cover included!

Ready Armed System Ready Armed System demo cassette

Abrasive hardcore demo from these Austin punks. Blazing fast right from the start, these nine tracks feature raw vocals and a classic USHC attack approach, reminiscent of MINOR THREAT or S.O.A. While they don’t necessarily break any new ground here, this tape rrrips. The unhinged scream at the end of “Kill Someone,” the “Straight-Edge” (the song, not the movement) attitude of “Hair of the Dog,” and the instant banger anthem of “Cease to Exist” make this one to play again and again. Solid.

Acaustix / Ready Armed System Military Grade, Vol. 1 split LP

Military Grade is a split series that aims to pair the best of the best in modern extreme music on 12’’ of wax. It’s curated by Roachleg, who vehemently stirred up the contemporary punk/hardcore scene by putting out dozens of interesting new bands from all over the world, as happened in case of READY ARMED SYSTEM and ACAUSTIX, whose demo tapes were released by this label. READY ARMED SYSTEM (R.A.S.) plays less distorted but totally frantic hardcore that’s clever rather than chaotic while getting super angry. They play ultra-fast, although their dynamism is varied with stops and changes creating powerviolence-ish vibes while their rather wild punk music is all over the place and never slows down. ACAUSTIX plays in a more established sound, loud and noisy D-beat, low growling vocals, doomsday preacher-style lyrics. Such music depends on the energy and sound, where ACAUSTIX manages to create the full speed without any breaks, blasting spirits with enough dirt. It works well, even if the frames are well known. So what? They sound to be fans of this type of music they have mastered playing. R.A.S. in this matter is more inventive, which comes with a strangeness that needs more attention. Both bands are great and this is a solid record, a great start for a hopefully long-term series. The cover looks great, recalling naive art of early hardcore records, bad but still good. Good stuff. 

Régimen de Terror Disputas EP

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the D-beat, here comes RÉGIMEN DE TERROR’s second EP. The overcrowded genre can be said to be the victim of two major identifiable flaws—it can be overproduced and thus completely miss the point of a style based on raw primitive aggression (although it might certainly appeal to a larger audience), but it can also be drowned in far too many effects on the guitar, vocals, and just about everything, turning the subtle art of the D into a pedal board exhibition (without mentioning that it sometimes sounds like a fight between your dad’s drill and a drunk goat). Basically a Spanish side project, RÉGIMEN DE TERROR is for purists in the sense that their music is pure, absolute, bare, primal, unrefined, and unpolished, close to the D-beat Valhalla and yet without sounding like they tried too hard. The songs epitomise the delightful predictability, the miraculous imitativeness, and the delicious unoriginality inherent in the style in its pure embryonic form. This is D-beat for the true DISCHARGE lovers, and for the lovers of DISCHARGE lovers. Spain has a long and healthy tradition of well-executed genuine raw D-beat bands (like DESTRUCCION or ATENTADO), but I would rate RÉGIMEN DE TERROR higher. Why-era DISCHARGE, DISASTER, and proto D-beat bands like MG15, SUBVERSION, or VIOLENT UPRISING come to mind. Simple, tastefully obvious riffs, crude, aggressive, spontaneous vocals, a classically executed beat, a buzzing bass sound. On an existential level, this EP, released on Roachleg Records in the $tates and La Vida Es Un Mus in Europe (the latter proving they can still deliver the goods in terms of primal hardcore), is exactly as it should be. A serious contender for the much coveted award for Most Orthodox D-Beat Group.

Rigorous Institution Despotism / Survival 7″

By the third EP of RIGOROUS INSTITUTION, it should be obvious that they dig moody, black mass-vibe crust like AMEBIX. Within a short timespan and discography they mastered the creation and control of their atmosphere, just as a magician seducing its audience. As far as my interest reaches they are original with choosing a rare reference in today’s music. How are they more than a present interpretation of something from decades ago? RIGOROUS INSTITUTION not only layers their music but each layer functions different from the other. The keyboards could back up moody dream-pop songs, even if they are frightening; the guitars run between BLACK SABBATH-ish clean riffing and total, unidentifiable cacophony. As the layers live their own separate lives that add up well, the music’s main goal transforms to create an atmosphere than to entertain as a catalyst for body movement. Which feature can alienate those who are not looking for a big act. I still want to hear more.

Rigorous Institution Survival / Despotism 7″

As I write this, Portland, OR and the entire Pacific Northwest is suffering a siege of wildfires and noxious smoke pollution. In suit, RIGOROUS INSTITUTION plays their signature brand of highland war-wandering metal punk for the scorched earth doom parade. Awkward choking vocals and bizarre echoing dark-castle-like synth moments ooze through the tracks. A dirging medieval Battery Humans-era AMEB-oid, VOIVOD-ing, STONE THE CROWZ-eque cloak of brutal esoteric toxic existential gloom crust with non-light vibes of later DARKTHRONE. I picked up their The Coming of the Terror EP last year and was very stoked to receive this for review. Way into this band, a voice in my frustrated corroded 2020 mind.

Romansy Doves of Peace and War cassette

This four-track cassette by Melbourne band ROMANSY kicks off with a hardcore ripper in which the vocal delivery sounds somewhere between barking and vomiting. The instruments are tight with stop/start buzzsaw guitars and drums, but tend to blend to form a sort of harmonious bullet. ROMANSY rips through the second song in 44 seconds, but then they get a little weird with the third song. “Fucking Flower” is my favorite track on this tape. The additional vocal and guitar modulation/distortion makes for a strange but fun sonic environment while the “breakdown” still goes hard. Expect everything by the forth song, “(Introduction To) Fang Lives,” opening with synth and then finally emerging as another hardcore song, but with none of the frills, finishing like a dystopian acid trip of the worst kind.

Secretors Comparing Missile Size, Vol. 1 EP

Combining elements of Japanese, Swedish, and English hardcore, NYC’s SECRETORS play unapologetically raw and ugly on Comparing Missile Size, Vol. 1. Featuring members of WARTHOG and INSTITUTE (among others), SECRETORS have an impressive pedigree and sound fantastic. While only slightly cleaner than their Antidote for Civilization demo, the guitars still sound nasty and the vocals still sound brutal, especially on freakout opener “Real World Data” and the furiously desperate standout “Comparing Missile Size.” At times, this reminds me of STINGRAY’s Fortress Britain in both its sound and its shared sense of paranoia and frustration with where our world is heading in the not too distant future. Overall, an excellent record with nonstop urgency and power; no frills, no gimmicks, no bullshit. Highly recommended.

Secretors Antidote for Civilization flexi EP

Primitive, filthy and savage. What else can one say about this debut from New York´s SECRETORS? And what a beast of a debut! The guitars and bass are as harsh as they can be, the bellowing vocals are delay-drenched, and the pounding drums are saturated to the core. Their sound really hits the spot if you are into ’80s Japanese primitive hardcore, evoking the chaos and destruction of SODOM (ADK Omnibus), ZOUO, or GHOUL. With members of WARTHOG, SUBVERSIVE RITE, and URCHIN within their ranks, Antidote for Civilization isn’t for the faint of heart.

Sociedad Bastarda Maqueta Askerosa demo cassette

Florida is not a place I associate much with punk rock, but SOCIEDAD BASTARDA proves me wrong. In our modern world, we are constantly fed new music that we are told is the next hottest shit in town, so bumping by chance into a brilliant unknown band like this lot feels like a breath of fresh air. What’s not to like in being sonically brutalized by dis-loving cavemen crust music? With a front cover depicting three visibly intoxicated crusters discussing the merits of the mighty GLOOM (just another day at the office, right?), and further unsubtle references to crasher crust with a logo using the classic double crass circles and the ELECTRO HIPPIES smiling face and the band openly thanking bands like ABRAHAM CROSS or DOOM for existing, the listener should know what kind of bollocking is to be expected. Unsurprisingly, SOCIEDAD BASTARD’s music is distorted, heavy, and crustier than your oldest pair of socks, but I would not describe them as being strictly crasher-noise-oriented. Beside the obvious DOOM/SORE THROAT structuring influence, the Japanese school of crust is also proudly represented with solid hints of CONTRAST ATTITUDE and ABRAHAM CROSS, and the band is clearly into the Swedish classics as they reworked two songs from BOMBANFALL and SHITLICKERS—to top it off, I am also reminded of more modern furious Scandicrust tornadoes like FLYBLOWN or WARVICTIMS. Quite a smoothie, that one. The production is cavernous and pummeling, the band’s slight sloppiness further adds to the impeccable crust vibe of the songs, and I love how the two pissed vocalists (en Español) work together here, too. I can definitely imagine SOCIEDAD BASTARDA delivering something really good on a proper vinyl release. This is gruff crust at its most asqueroso, the way it is meant to be. Yet another good one from Roachleg Records.

Spleen Spleen demo cassette

Roachleg hits the nail on the head with this demo cassette from SPLEEN. The best I can do to describe SPLEEN’s noise is to say it’s a blend of raw punk and deathrock with heavy emphasis on the rock’n’roll part, and it’s all sung in French. This five-song demo rips through with an apocalyptic urgency while feeding upon darkness and simultaneously mingling enough melodic tones and raucous bop to keep things danceable. Nightmarish themes permeate the lyrics which are delivered in a Peter Murphy of BAUHAUS sort of way, but with a blown-out effect and a bit more caffeination. I really dig the song “Advienne Que Pourra,” which roughly translated means “let the chips fall where they may.”

Subdued Over the Hills and Far Away LP

The hype is completely justified on this one. Classic UK anarcho stylings injected with a fury and menace fueled by the new reality. “No More” is a perfectly sinister, cranked-up punk banger; “Wander In The Park” is a dark pogo masterpiece showered in descending guitars; it seems like every song stakes its own individual claim on the wax. Dark and brilliant, you’ll turn new stones with each listen…but the root of everything here is furious intensity.

Suffocating Madness Destroy Me EP

Roachleg out of Brooklyn is a crucial living archive of the current wave of gutter scum world-ending hardcore coming out of New York, and this release is a perfect example of why. Clocking in at four tracks in just over five minutes, SUFFOCATING MADNESS is relentless metallic D-beat from hell that satisfies as it crushes your lungs. The short runtime is good, too, because the production here is hot, like ear fatigue hot from the wild cymbal work alone. Throw in the furious blown-out riffing and cavernous vocals and it’s a lot to take in. In a good way. Brain-erasing hardcore punk just the way it should be played.

Sørdïd Sørdïd demo cassette

From 2011–2013, I spent an exorbitant amount of time going to NYC gigs that featured offensively raw hardcore punk. Bands like BORTGANG, ZATSUON, and PERDITION were an average night out, so to say I like SØRDÏD would be a total understatement. This demo sounds and feels like a subway train disaster, which is exactly how I’d expect it and want it. The guitar has that sound of having dumped a bowl of Rice Krispies and angry locusts into the monitors, while the rhythm section keeps the entire project from thrashing itself apart with heavy bass delivery and annihilating beats. The opening track “Blankhead” features a guitar solo that is relatively clean, but also incredibly grimy. The final track of this demo, “Idle Hope,” closes with a sound sample that could easily be ripped from a CRAZY SPIRIT track, and puts a heavy exclamation point on the statement SØRDÏD makes with this demo.

The Annihilated 6 Song cassette

Maybe I’m completely making this up but I recall reading or being told that OUT COLD had written a good chunk of their stuff without ever hearing NEGATIVE APPROACH and refuted the idea that they ripped them off. Again, I could be mixing things up but ANNIHILATED sounds as if OUT COLD had indeed heard NEGATIVE APPROACH and were blatant in nodding to their inspiration. I’ve returned to this cassette much more than I expected to. True roots American hardcore played by fuckin Brits who, if they keep this up, will be flagrantly stealing our culture and heritage.

Tower 7 …Peace on Earth? LP

Entrance to a Living Organism was an excellent start of a career for TOWER 7. On D4MT Labs they were able to stand out as an outfit, as most of the bands that come from that label do. Fast-forward to …Peace On Earth?, the new LP out through both Roachleg Records and D4MT. This NY band goes straight for the jugular. The fast parts are fast as can be and the slow parts contrast really nicely. Insane tempo shifts that disorientate and an overall suffocating feeling about their music. TOWER 7 is a great fast-paced hardcore band worth the listen!

Violent Christians New Blood for a Dead City EP

Following last year’s amazing sold-out-before-it-existed No Speed No Punk tape, Austin’s VIOLENT CHRISTIANS make the long-lasting commitment to wax thanks again to Roachleg Records. They continue with their classic yet modern take on ’80s US hardcore via JERRY’S KIDS, NEOS, DIE KREUZEN, and a bit more of the almost but never totally falling apart rhythms of VOID on this release. You can almost hear Jeff Bale’s whiny voice saying “totally thrashing stuff,” as this would be right at home on the old KPFA show. Kicks ass throughout, and can’t wait to see them live if that’s ever a thing again. Now get away from me. You’re way too close.

Violent Christians No Speed No Punk cassette

Once again, we reach into the “hardcore band name imagery” lucky dip bucket and pull out VIOLENT CHRISTIANS, an Austin ensemble whose debut tape comes via the frequently good Roachleg. You could probably convince someone that No Speed No Punk is an authentic unearthed artefact from some Midwestern scene circa 1984, assuming that wasn’t their specialist subject to start with. “Body Bag” exhibits relatively melodic tendencies to kick us off, but thereafter it’s the kind of ramalama blowout where the vocalist nearly-but-not-quite falls over his lyrics, guitar solos enter and leave within a few seconds and at the end of “Up Your Arse” (these MFs said “arse”), a DIE KREUZEN-like shredder, someone asks, “Are we done?” Hopefully not!

Xero Xero demo cassette

“This is fucking great.” Wow, really, what is not to like here? The recording is so fast, each member is racing with the other to see who finishes the songs first, and sometimes there are unexpected twists and turns, as if instruments would hijack who leads to tracks. Multiple (and mostly the best) bands are evoked—if you were ever keen to figure out how to listen to WRETCHED, KAAOS, and HHH all at the same time, XERO just did you a favor, mixed through a contemporary channel perfectly balanced between being rudimentary and not nostalgic. They added few slower and freaky parts too, leading into fun, experimental territories, and this is just a fucking demo with seven songs around twelve minutes. It’s brutal, urgent, vicious, and either well-thought or viscerally genius. Looking forward to what will be their next step.