Reviews

Ultra Blast

Crux of Vipers Cry Tuff Glory cassette

Can we please just all recognize that Paul Lucich and Hank Chang are among the great unheralded punk songsmiths of the 2010s? The collective nucleus of bands like SABRE, ULTRA, and COLD CIRCUITS, while independently taking part in SYNTHETIC ID (Lucich) and SCYTHE, NEON BRAT, HEX CYSTS (Chang), now they are solely responsible for this gruff, melodic Oi! juggernaut called CRUX OF VIPERS. It’s a weird tape, one that doesn’t quite make sense but feels instantly welcome in your punk ears—UK82 street tuffs mingling with damaged modern melodic punks, it’s all infectious even while (or perhaps because) the vocals are demented as hell. You’re not going to hear anything else like CRUX OF VIPERS this month (or next). Unless Paul and Hank decide to reinvent themselves yet again, of course.

Nucler Blud Corridor b/w Frown cassette

Bay Area band NUCLER BLUD plays fast, short, no-bullshit hardcore. These two songs clock in at a whopping 1:38 total. This seems to be their second cassette release, which is a split release cassingle by two labels of which I can’t find any existence whatsoever. The band’s first tape was put out by To Live a Lie, and sounds like some full-on DISCLOSE worship. It’s awesome. The two songs on this cassette seem to have moved away from that slightly, but are still pretty ripping. It’s cool that these tapes seem to have been a giveaway at a Gilman Street gig the band was playing.