Reviews

Scene Report

Blind Eye Waste of Time / Nothing’s For Free 7″

Do you like aggressive, femme-fronted hardcore? No, you love it? Look no further than this gem of a 7” by the Nottingham, UK group BLIND EYE. Steeped in the Nottingham scene, bandmates Andy Morgan (guitar) and Steve Charlesworth (drums) played previously in ENDLESS GRINNING SKULLS (and many other bands separately), and took their energy to this project with the help of Matt Grundy (bass, also a bandmate of Morgan’s in NADIR and DEAD IN THE WOODS) and Anmarie Spaziano (vocals). The tour-de-force of their 2019 demo has carried on through their Decomposed LP and now this single—fast, fierce, raucous, as if the whole thing could come to pieces at any moment, but somehow, they maintain. The A-side “Waste of Time” is an instant classic, with ascending guitar lines that boil over into choruses that get Spaziano screaming with the whole band working at a pretty flat-out pace. The B-side “Nothing’s for Free” starts out slow with some spoken word over dissonant guitars and shimmering cymbals, then rips into the frenzy they are known for, shouting “I’m just trying to stay alive” over a barrage of riffing, and don’t be mad they put a guitar solo in the outro, it rips! Overall, every member of this band is putting out excellent musicianship, true stewards of their craft. Am I avoiding using the obvious pun that’s to say “don’t miss out on this one”? Yes.

Hubert Selby Jr. Infants Have You Ever Been a Crow… or an Eel? 12″

There are plenty of rousing, memorable choruses here, supported by a familiar blend of alt-rock guitars and somber crooning. You’re likely familiar with all that, but HUBERT SELBY JR. INFANTS arrange it all in some engaging ways. The second track begins with the chum! of metal guitars, and I was just easing into its ALICE IN CHAINS-esque angst when a catchy, sing-in-the-shower chorus rolled out. But the stylistic gap is seamless, not jarring. It exemplifies the band’s ability to take some left turns while staying stylistically on track.

Parallel Worlds In the Comet’s Path LP

Heavy, rocking, full-throated hardcore with former members of VOORHEES and IMBALANCE. The earnest shouted vocals and mostly mid-tempo clean production recall a mix of B’LAST and FUCKED UP; carefully arranged heavy guitar music with enough grit to appeal to metalheads as well as punks. The title track has a three-way guitar and bass call-and-response pattern that adds texture and gives slight post-punk vibes. This is continued in the six-minute-plus “End Song” with JOY DIVISION bass and sung vocals that builds into a loud climax. Solid, straightforward hardcore worth checking out.

Pi$$er Too Busy Eating Gruel LP

Wow, I didn’t know what to expect here, and this album completely blew me away. What starts off like a THROBBING GRISTLE record soon kicks into what I can only describe as ROCKET FROM THE CRYPT on steroids. PI$$ER doesn’t remain married to that sound, and they bounce between early industrial, DEVO-like new wave, and a surprising amount of soundscapes for a punk LP. The production flows together beautifully, and there is nary a second of dead air. A very well-crafted concept album that never once feels boring or hastily manufactured. Featuring members of DOOM and SORE THROAT, if you can believe it. Fantastic stuff here, and well worth tracking down!

Prey Unsafe EP

Fierce combustion of nasty, metallic hardcore punk assault coming from the UK. Without falling into scooped modern high-gain metallic sounds, the riffs sound hardcore but still don’t fall into the “noisy hardcore” trap, nor do they have any of the retro UK crust revival vibes. Raging warware of maniac dual vocals and rule-bending riffage at times (especially for hardcore punk), grabbing the right kind of attention for our minds. Hard to describe similar bands, but you would like them if you’re into early D.R.I., HERESY, SYSTEMATIC DEATH, B’LAST, etc. I needed to hear something like this these days.

Rank Brave New Lows 12″

Good old “rager” there, mates. Bristol UKHC that goes full-on raging hardcore punk, coming near fastcore speed as well. Anti-conservative message in a British context and anti-politics stances with solid lyrics. Suggested track: “Feels Like the End,” for a padded cell experience.

Unified Action Unified Action LP

Hailing from around Newcastle, United Kingdom is UNIFIED ACTION, a band whose members boast an impressive resume that includes bands like EXTORTION, TIED DOWN, and CONTROL, among others. As one may suspect from this lineup, UNIFIED ACTION delivers straight, fast hardcore punk. Originally released on cassette tape, this demo has gotten the vinyl treatment, which I would say it has earned. All the tunes here are solid, filled with aggression and fast semi-blasts. The INFEST cover is neat, if a bit unnecessary in my opinion. Definitely one to check out if you’re into bands like the aforementioned INFEST, or VOORHEES and the like.