Reviews

For review and radio play consideration:

Please send vinyl (preferred), CD, or cassette releases to MRR, PO Box 3852, Oakland, CA 94609, USA. Maximum Rocknroll wants to review everything that comes out in the world of underground punk rock, hardcore, garage, post-punk, thrash, etc.—no major labels or labels exclusively distributed by major-owned distributors, no reviews of test pressings or promo CDs without final artwork. Please include contact information and let us know where your band is from!

Another One Never Again EP

Eleven songs are on this 45 repress that originally plopped out in 2014. There is a strong LEGENDARY WINGS, BIG DRILL CAR, and DOC HOPPER impression to the songs. I really wish there would have been a lyric sheet instead of a bunch of almost legible writing on a bedroom wall; I’m certain they didn’t get their security deposit back. I heard a bunch of “she” and “her” and the one line I made out clearly on the first pass was “My sex drive’s lacking and she wants to get fucked.” If you like any of the above-mentioned bands, then you will most certainly enjoy this platter as well. I think there are only 50 of the splattered version, so act now while supplies last. Or don’t act now. Free will, baby.

Axxident Axxident cassette

When I listened to this the first time, my immediate first thought was that this sounds a little like NOMEANSNO when they are playing a couple of their RAMONES-influenced songs, and I like it. Lots of textures to the songs, well-played and pleasant to listen and rock out to. They also have a little influence from early 2000s bands like NO HOPE FOR THE KIDS, YOUNG WASTERNERS, or the REGULATIONS (they do a fantastic cover of “Anna’s Eyes”). This is a very good tape if you like melodic hardcore punk rock.

Can Kicker Yew cassette

Yew stands out from so much of what I’ve been hearing that it’s hard to formulate a concise response. As someone with a deep and unwaveringly love for peace punk, this album transports me back to a time when I’d listen to Christ – The Album on repeat, wondering why the world was so irredeemably fucked-up. It makes me think of the first time I heard Dick Lucas shout “sub-vert!” and it reminds me of crashing with someone on tour that had like every Crass Records 7” and didn’t mind me staying up and recording them onto cassettes after everyone had passed out. There is something devastatingly poetic about this album that transcends description. Razor-sharp in how it cuts directly into the vein of influence, Yew still retains a character unto itself. Yes, the opening track sounds uncannily familiar to any fan of the MOB, but it’s not purely derivative. Similar to how INSTITUTE evokes CRISIS, or the way STRAW MAN ARMY elicits a nod towards FLUX OF PINK INDIANS, CAN KICKER dives headlong into the wellspring of anarcho-punk, and resurface with a fresh take on ancient anguish.

Denude A Murmuration of Capitalist Bees LP

DENUDE’s debut LP, A Murmuration of Capitalist Bees, delivers eight tracks of mathy post-rock recorded live in the studio with “very few overdubs.” The three-piece, with members from PIGLET, MURDER IN THE RED BARN, FUIGUIRNET, and CREDENTIALS, clearly knows their instruments—the rhythm section drives with bombast and James David’s semi-sung vocals serve the material well. However, the first half of the album feels a bit directionless, leaving me wondering, “Where is this going?” By the second half, the tracks pick up slightly and “Phalanx” is a high point, but overall, the band’s restrained style left me craving more intensity. Fans of bands like SLINT and FARAQUET might appreciate the album’s subtle approach, but it may not fully satisfy those seeking more aggression. The vinyl is limited to 74 copies on clear root beer plastic with black and gold swirls, and 200 copies on black vinyl.

Eraser Hideout 12″

My band played with ERASER when we toured through Philly last spring, and their motorik, electro-damaged meltdowns mentally transported me right back to the first few years of our current millennium—it’s 2001 or 2002, I’m on the second floor of an old, dilapidated former downtown department store where I’ve come to see NUMBERS or ERASE ERRATA, everyone is smoking indoors, and the wood floors are buckling under the weight of people dancing in the light of a few junk store lamps and a half-broken chandelier. It was one of the best sets that I saw all year, and their debut record Hideout fully lives up to that live promise. There’s some wild no wave scrape lurking just beneath the claustrophobic (and especially NUMBERS-esque) robo-punk buzz of “Trans Air Force 2,” while “Dinner Roll” takes the stark, stuttering beat of TUXEDOMOON’s “No Tears” and folds it up into a much more concise and compact form, punctuated with shrill blasts of synth and tangled guitar, and the rolling bass line and flat-affect vocal commands of “Simon Says” are cut through with insistent, needling six-string jabs like a less unruly (but no less thrilling) SCISSOR GIRLS. Some of the best out-sounds out there now.

Foil Foiled cassette

Punk band with nice whiny, screamy vocals. I was really drawn to their wit and sarcasm present in the lyrics like the line, “I only make 55 bucks an hour” in the track “Nuclear Family,” which in itself is a witty commentary on social norms. I loved the speed they were able to get without being repetitive. I’m not entirely sold on “Wino Rhino,” their kind of country track, as I couldn’t tell if it was done as mockery or if they were trying to do something different. Either way, I loved this album.

Grand Scheme Think Twice EP

Seven tracks of meaty, straightforward DC hardcore with heavy mosh parts and vocals that sound like John Brannon of NEGATIVE APPROACH. Songs like “Counter Culture” and “Click Buy Consume” have to get the elbows flying when played live due to mid-song tempo changes and lyrics that sweat with frustration. The whole thing is like a throwback to an early ’80s 7”, including the grainy cover art, but in a vital and energetic way rather than a nostalgic caricature. If you like your hardcore punk done classic style—fast, tough, and angry—check it out.

H​ä​peä / Misanthropic Minds split EP

Head-splitting hardcore split from Nova Scotia’s MISANTHROPIC MINDS and Oulu’s HÄPEÄ. Both bands absolutely rip, beginning with MISANTHROPIC MINDS on the A-sde. You know in cartoons when two characters get into a fight and become a big ball of dust with an arm swinging here and a leg kicking there? That’s pretty much the vibe from MISANTHROPIC MINDS, a chaotic ball of energy that is fully cranked up start to finish, including the vocals which are absolutely rabid. On the B-side, HÄPEÄ maintains the same frantic energy, while featuring slightly more intelligible vocals and a little bit of breathing room on the excellent “Kello Käy”, the only track on the EP that has a slightly slower tempo, and I must stress slightly. A remarkable single destined for legendary status, and one any respectable collector should add to their stack.

Ignorance Nothing Changed EP

Some seriously intense hardcore here. They seem to be going all out giving some D-beat pogo chaos. Not afraid to play a chaotic and great guitar solo or a  slowed-down stomper that in my mind, I envision a big circle pit erupting when they play live. This band from Helsinki really knows how to play some musical chaos. I’m impressed. Only 500 pressed, so I doubt this record stays around that long.



KŸHL Nach Strich und Faden LP

Hard to believe this came out in the 2020s, but here we are. German screamo/indie/math/emo…ultra-chaotic and erratic, alternating between discordant madness and deliberate sonic introspection. Call KŸHL post-something if you like, but I consider them an extremely challenging and fascinating listen. You’re going to hear ’90s DIY basements to be sure, but these sounds feel current, urgent, and now.

NightFreak Midnight in Memphis cassette

NIGHTFREAK’s Midnight in Memphis cassette captures twenty minutes of frenzied, beer-soaked punk’n’roll from this Chicago three-piece, recorded live at the Lamplighter Lounge in Memphis last year. The seven tracks blaze by with vocal-chord-shredding intensity, and while NIGHTFREAK’s energy made me think of bands like the BRONX or ZEKE, their execution is not nearly as tight. As a live recording, it sounds surprisingly decent, and the band’s unhinged spirit comes through loud and clear—way more visceral than on their self-titled album. Recommended for anyone who likes their rock turned up to ten and running on pure adrenaline. If they can channel all this piss and vinegar into their next studio release, I’m all in.

Plastic Act Now! EP

Always great when a release can catch your eye with design and layout alone, and the latest effort by PLASTIC ACT accomplishes just that. Even better when the music delivers to your ears what your eyes knew to be true. This Now! EP is three bouncy and poppy tracks that leave you wanting even more. While these tunes brought to mind any number of late ’70s Boston area obscurities—the FLIES, HOT DATES, SHANE CHAMPAGNE BAND, etc.—these tracks happen to come from our neighbor to the north. Fantastic music for the incoming spring thaw and beyond.

PX-30 PX-30 LP

This album illustrates the wise, albeit seldom respected, saying of “don’t judge a book by its cover.” The name of the band, PX-30, is rather enigmatic at first, and the slightly unreadable record cover evokes hip hop or ’90s techno records more than it does hardcore punk. Apparently the phrase PX-30 refers to a model of marker used by graffiti artists (or vandals, as any right-wing dad would claim), which accounts for the visual design. Still, even though it does make sense once you take these details into consideration, I still think it is an odd choice—narrow-minded punks like myself are just not used to such aesthetic freedom, and to make an effort of so much originality is bound to lose me. Fortunately for me, I have friends who are able to welcome new visual ideas and who told me that PX-30 was the dog’s bollocks indeed, and they were very right. This Uppsala power-käng unit has members of the mighty HERÄTYS and KATASTROF and plays (wait for it, wait for it) perfectly-executed, angry and pissed-off Swedish hardcore with cracking riffs, sing-alongs, and they even dare to take a couple of tasteful and fearless strolls outside of D-beat country (they don’t stray too far, though). This LP is the reissue of the band’s demo, but to be honest, it is so good that it is hard to believe this was just a demo to start with. The production has that raw, pummeling feel but manages to highlights the edge of the guitar sound, clear but dirty and overall rocking as fuck. Bloody Swedish punks at it again. Thankfully, you actually do not judge books by their covers and already own this record, but if you don’t and you love TOTALITÄR and INFERNÖH, be prepared to be very favourably impressed, because this rips.

Rockin’ Joe 25 Dogs EP

Bizarre and seemingly found at a forgotten antique shop yesterday is this demo of crazy New York metal from 1987, filled with an odd, thrashy vibe and a minor resemblance to OZZY in regard to mental asylum affairs. Frantic, experimental, and decently recorded for that period. With references to grimy situations and dark places, it’s recommended for metal maniacs that search for every bit of ancient metallic sounds and forms. Listen to the screams and high-pitched loud cries and hate it or love it.

Saidiwas Saidiwas LP

SAIDIWAS was a “vegan straightedge band that was influenced by the Revolution Summer DC bands’ politics and violent dancing,” from Northern Sweden from 1995 through 1999. File this under Fans of USA Basement Emocore. If you are a fan of ORDINATION OF AARON, NATIVE NOD, STILL LIFE, CAR VS DRIVER, STRUGGLE, quiet/loud, talk/yell, and then a lot of people yell, and the “someone pulls out a trumpet but thankfully they never play it” type of thing. This is perfect for being a snapshot of the “if you were there” category, but it isn’t a new perspective or missed gem.

Spastic Amoebas Dreaming in Hell LP

Nope. This shit sucks. If you need more info than that, I will do my best solely as a PSA. This deeply stupid Roswell, NM band pulls from influences as disparate as egg-punk and crossover with squiggly synth leads up against blastbeats. Opener “Your Words are Worthless” has demeaning lyrics like “Look at me in the eyes / Your life is worthless / Pretend that I’m your lord and savior,” before ending with, “Look at me, bitch.” That’s not enough reason to avoid? The second track is called “I Put Celery Down in My Pants,” and consists of the title screamed over and over. Okay, one more, but that’s it. The third track is called “Now I Wanna Be Your Retard.” Are we good? Recommended for the trash collector and literally no one else.

Spleen II cassette

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.

Stormcrow Enslaved in Darkness 12″ reissue

The other day I was chatting with a younger punk about “crust classics’’ and basically trying to enlighten him with learned references to obscure Greek crust, as one normally does. When the conversation veered toward the ’00s, I realized we had very different perspectives. While I saw ’00s “stenchcore revival’’ bands like HELLSHOCK, SANCTUM or AFTER THE BOMBS as modern and contemporary, he saw them as old school acts, as irrevocably ancient as ’80s or ’90s ones (and really, just like anything that happened before he was born). The cycle of (crust) life. STORMCROW epitomised that stenchcore revival sound, and I remember loving them to death and certainly overplaying them to the great distress of my roommates when this came out in 2005. The name comes from a DEVIATED INSTINCT song and the cover was drawn by artist extraordinaire Mid from that very band, so you knew full well where you were wandering when playing Enslaved in Darkness. I still blast this filthy metal crust monster on a regular basis and lip sync on the devastating first number’s grizzly bear vocals. STORMCROW was maybe the heaviest of that short-lived wave of bands, as they had that dirty, doom-laden, organic sludge metal vibe to their sound while still giving the impression that actual cavemen were playing. The Californian metal crust school of the late ’80s/early ’90s and its sonorities could be a point of comparisons (like early MINDROT, A//SOLUTION, or even SKAVEN), as well as BOLT THROWER or 13, but STORMCROW certainly brought something fresh—in a fetid way—to the old school crust game that HELLSHOCK redefined in the ’00s. This LP is an absolute classic that has been known to make crust pants walk by themselves. Play loud.

Vlack Crystal Meth Jesus Christ EP

Nice mixture of atmospheric post-rock and melodic hardcore, bringing to mind an imaginary scenario of Chuck Ragan singing with RUSSIAN CIRCLES. Huge drums and beautifully recorded guitar. Very flowery, slow, and clean on the first track, transitioning into an uptempo punk classic on the B-side. The EP closes on a 30-second guitar loop that sounds like it came from throes of the TOUCH back catalog. Very interesting EP that doesn’t settle on one specific sound. Impressive that this comes from a duo.

The War Goes On Death Wish LP

Denmark’s THE WAR GOES ON is approaching three decades of existence, a tenure that comes with a degree of maturity that’s evident on their latest full-length, Death Wish. These ten tunes display a neat and powerful post-hardcore sound, and each song is a thoughtful meditation showcasing bleak perspectives on the human condition. The music is harmonious, even catchy at times, but there’s an underlying thread of melancholy that runs throughout the album. This recipe makes for an engaging listen and it’s an undeniably well-composed effort.

Zikin Bala Galdua Zure Buru Galduan 12″

Raspy vocals, rambunctious guitars, and a bouncing but tight rhythm section is the basic description of ZIKIN from Lekeito, Spain. Anthemic and melancholic, the Bala Galdua Zure Buru Galduan 12″ blends dark punk and hardcore into a sound that is instantly gripping. The eight songs presented on this 12″ contain rhythm shifts, but primarily stick to a rather quick delivery which keeps the energy high. The jerking beat and stop-on-a-dime of “Labankada Hortza” is testament to the rhythmic skills of ZIKIN. If you like things like CHAIN CULT or CRAN, you’ll absolutely like ZIKIN.

V/A Epidemie LP

Volumes have been written about Eastern Euro punk, and I feel like I’m going to keep discovering new (old) sounds as long as I’m breathing. This 1990 compilation was reissued last year, and featured one band I knew (TELEX) and seven more that I am fast becoming obsessed with—KRITIKÁ SITUACE, ZELENÍ KANIBALOVÉ, PLEXIZ, SVOBODY SLOVO, S.P.S., AKUTNÍ OTRAVA, and WANASTOWI VJECY. I’ll spare you the tedious band-by-band analysis and just say that literally every track here is a killer, and fans of Czech/Slovak punk will rejoice. A few bands on the more melodic tip and a few slightly more metallic, but everything falls in the realm of dark and stark Iron Curtain punk and I couldn’t be more thrilled.

Angkara Dogma LP

The chance that you have heard of ANGKARA is slim indeed, unless you live in Malaysia and own a studded jacket and as well as a couple of WOLFPACK shirts. I generally dig the Southeast Asian take on Swedish hardcore and D-beat for its energy and sincerity, and I was therefore easily lured by Bollock Records’ presentation of Dogma mentioning APPARATUS, BRAINCELL, or SKULLCRUSHER. This LP is a reissue of the band’s demo originally released in 2016, in memory of the bass player Pahrol who sadly passed in 2019. ANGKARA is not reinventing the wheel here, and would not have been out of place in the ’90s Swedish hardcore crust scene of Distortion Records. The aforementioned WOLFPACK, late CIMEX, SKITSYSTEM, or even BOMBRAID are the usual culprits, although ANGKARA’s sound is rawer and does not enjoy the same production (DIY or die, right?), but they still hit hard and the heavy käng riffs are there. It took me a couple of songs to get into the vocals though, and I would have wished for a more gruff approach, but I am being picky. A solid effort for completists, I suppose, and an all-around lovely time.

Aterpe Konfiantza 7″

ATERPE’s Konfiantza 7” picture disc is a bit of a curiosity. The band’s third release takes 7 SECONDS’ 1984 hardcore anthem “Trust” and stretches it into something almost unrecognizable—an overproduced ’90s rock sound that feels worlds away from the original’s ferocity. If you didn’t know it was a cover, you probably wouldn’t guess. The song is sung in Euskara, the Basque language, which might be the most interesting thing about it. Earlier ATERPE recordings from Txori Ene leaned faster and more chaotic, so this shift in style might be a surprise for longtime fans. It’s a niche release for collectors of lathe-cut records and fans of obscure reinterpretations, but you might want to sample before committing.

Bondage Al Fin, El Demo + Live CD

Demo and live tracks compiled into one release from this Chilean noise punk crew. The opening track “Escuelita Daddy Flip” is a disorientating blast of shattered techno that recalls the glitched-out tape HOSPITAL TERRORIZER put out last year. Distorted patterns catch your ear for four or five seconds before mutating into something new and weirder. The four subsequent demo tracks adhere more to recognizable punk framing with relentless tupa-tupa beats, unhinged vocals, and absolute guitar fuzz noise reminiscent of ’80s Japanese hardcore tones. It’s rad. “F.M.H.” features a flanger on bass with a string-bending psych-heavy guitar lead that is still totally punk and raw. Eleven live tracks follow, and the recordings manage to capture what sounds like a frenzied, feral performance with palpable audience excitement. Top-shelf noisy hardcore with personality to spare.

Caustic Demo 2025 cassette

CAUSTIC wastes no time unveiling their brand of ballsy and brazen hardcore on this potent cassette. Over the course of just about six minutes, they channel a range of hall-of-fame shit like Pick Your King-era POISON IDEA, Vicious Circle-era ZERO BOYS, NEGATIVE APPROACH, and BLACK FLAG circa Damaged. Every song scratches the itch, it’s killer, and fingers are crossed that this tape is just the tip.

Coronary M.A.D.ness LP

Crazy artwork on the cover of this LP released in February. A decade-long project that’s Chicago-based, frantically energetic and filled with angsty, metallic-infused hardcore that reaches velocity in a second—pit-advocates will endure and like this. Vocals punch low with anger and rapidity. Recommended tracks: “State of Torment” and “Plenty Was Never Enough.” Metallic forms of hardcore punk are alive and well in the Windy City.

De()t Think of Your Future LP

How this band’s name is pronounced is my first annoyance. Raleighite band DE()T plays a combination of synth- and guitar-forward punk that seems trapped in a cocaine-fueled babble loop. Maybe there is a thread of an EPOXIES influence? Either way, Think of Your Future is chock-full of convoluted musical ideas on full display, all drifting in a handful of emphatic directions. Think of your worst hangover, now imagine that while being stuck in a really bad karaoke bar on an ’80s night…who is at the wheel?

Deseos Primitivos Lineas de Muerte 12”

Some great punk to keep you moving and dancing around. With some slightly slower tempo tracks like “Lineas de Muerte” or “No Nacimos,” you still feel this lightness and energy swirling around you. The standout track to me is “No Soy Yo” because I loved the syncopation of lyrics with the instruments and the dual vocals. I dare you to stay still while listening to these tracks.

Empired Finding Calm in the Chaos CD

EMPIRED kicks off this LP with a catchy little number called “Unite,” and it has the same clean and catchy sound of the best JIMMY EAT WORLD songs. The record’s sequencing is a bit disjointed. Also, just because a band is from SoCal, it doesn’t mean you have to toss in Long Beach ska upstrokes at all, or ever. I feel like this is a trap. A lot of good bands try to overextend themselves and could have used a producer, or a friend, to let them know that it is better to do fewer songs that are great versus putting songs in to fill an LP. By the time you get to “Fences” and “Paradise,” tracks four and five, the songs anneal in a way that brings out more sense of a good band staying in their lane and writing great songs—specifically with the song “Fences,” and bringing in Brenna Red (the LAST GANG) for backups completely catapults the song and band to the familiar late ’90s No Idea Records era of RADON and BITCHIN’, and I even hear some of the MUFFS in her delivery. Overall, this is a great start for a band. This would have made an outstanding four- or five-song EP.

The Fialky Vykřičníky!!!! CD

This one is a pass for me. Sugar-free VANILLA MUFFINS with some diet RANCID ska/skate punk thrown in. I don’t want to go in too hard here; the band genuinely seems to have their hearts in the right place and they clearly have a fanbase. It’s earnest and it’s not up its own ass, so I can give points for that. Otherwise, it’s gonna be a no from me, dawg.

Hardware Untitled LP, 1979 LP

Some pre-PIGBAG art-punk here from Cheltenham’s short-lived HARDWARE, and despite the title, it’s not exactly a proper LP, rather a collection of the band’s two self-released 1979 EPs plus two previously unreleased tracks recorded that same year. HARDWARE’s stated influences weren’t exactly uncommon in a late ’70s UK DIY context—dub reggae, the hypnotic pulse of Krautrock, contemporary acts like the FALL who followed a punk-to-post-punk trajectory—but their translation of those inspirations mostly defied the collapsing Messthetics aesthetic, locking into the sort of taut rhythms that would ultimately be carried over to PIGBAG’s brass-blaring funk-punk. The spirit of PERE UBU looms large in the hiccuping vocals and frazzled keyboard textures in “Fire” and “Face the Flag,” while the driving, minimalist punk rush of “Speed Unit” suggests WIRE as guided by Warm Jets/Tiger Mountain-era BRIAN ENO (dig that cracked glam chorus with squealing sax!). The scrapped track “Rainy Taxi” fleshes out the proto-punk/first-wave influences even further, kicking into an almost VOIDOIDS-ish strut, and John Danylyszyn’s wound-up yelps over the percolating art school dance beat of “French Boys in India” strikes an uncanny parallel to what the METHOD ACTORS were doing an ocean away in Athens, Georgia at roughly the same exact moment in time. Makes me wish there actually had been a full HARDWARE LP out there to be uncovered, but this is the next best thing.

Idiot Ikon Idiot Ikon LP

IDIOT IKON from Stockholm, Sweden released this ten-song, self-titled album about a year ago, and it really fucking rocks. Using the DISCHARGE D-beat formula but adding in some rock’n’roll guitar noise of the like found on maybe a DEAD BOYS album, the result is a raucous listen. The vocals are of that shredded vocal chord quality which I tend to associate to a blackened context, but in this presentation only makes the wall of noise more robust. Midway through the album, “Aspects of War” kicks in, and its blend of hardcore and rock’n’roll is sure to get your fist pumping in the air. Throughout the album, there are quirky bits of distortion that create strange but interesting instrumentation, as well as intriguing riffs that launch into noisy screaming solos. In all, Idiot Ikon is absolutely worth a spin.

Mystique Face Your Fate LP

Singapore hardcore project’s debut LP that evokes NYHC with a twist of their own. Singing in English and filled with steady cadences and breakdowns, but also picking up the tempo in resemblance to late ’80s classic hardcore. The string section is strong on this one, with great, intricate Arabesque-like riffage. Voices are sufficient, yet lack a bit of aggression and resolution for those with ragged hearing. Great effort, recommended for crucial hardcore lovers.

Necropolítica Cualquier Ideología Es Una Trampa LP

NECROPOLITICA from Burgos, Spain plays a thrash-laden, crusty D-beat that is speedy, tidy, and full of noise. The twelve songs that make up Cualquier Ideología Es Una Trampa emerge at an unrelenting pace and scorch through the aural canal as they enter the brain at warp speed. Guttural vocals deliver Spanish lyrics that criticize our contemporary sociopolitical problems. As I listen, I’m frequently reminded of RATOS DE PORÃO, but also of HIATUS and DOOM. Generally speaking, NECROPOLITICA seems to supercharge their crust punk with the speed of thrash metal, and it works.

Onward / SYF Foundation – The Dawn of Norwegian Straight Edge split LP

SYF stands for SIGHT YOUTH FEDERATION, and what they give us here is a demo recording. The music is classic straightedge in the style of bands like YOUTH OF TODAY and SSD. The music sounds pretty good, especially if you’re a fan of YOUTH OF TODAY. Hardcore with some hooks and power. ONWARD is similar but without much of an SSD type of sound, and maybe a bit of 7 SECONDS and CHAIN OF STRENGTH to go along with the big YOUTH OF TODAY influence. This is a good document of the Norwegian straightedge scene starting near the very beginning.

The Periods The Periods LP

Cool and weird grunge, proto punk-ish, rock-adjacent band that explores darker themes. The album opens with PJ HARVEY-sounding vocals, and builds to create a cool evolution with the introduction of more distorted guitar/bass lines. I loved how playful the guitar lines were throughout; with a kind of talking guitar in “Small Talk” to the more drone-y kind of melodic guitar in “A Dead Man’s Code (Zamama)”, they really found a unique sound that speaks for itself.  I also appreciated the kind of darker themes with an enchanting, darker, witchy vibe. I felt like I was under a spell with the vocals in “A Dead Man’s Code (Zamama)”, appropriately transitioning into the next song called “Bitches and Witches” which is equally as spooky.

Prey Loathing LP

Picking up where their 2023 debut left off, PREY drops another raging hardcore assault on the senses. Short, fast, and pissed the fuck off. The alternating vocals are working really well on this album. Loathing is tightly wound, coiled like a snake about to strike. They’ve stuffed a lot of content into the tunes, with cool riffs and tempo changes abounding. At times they flirt with powerviolence, so don’t be surprised by blastbeats or breakdowns. If I had to lodge a complaint, I’d say the production is a bit too clean for my tastes, but it’s not getting in the way or altering how crushing the songs are so that’s a very minor quibble. Altogether, a powerful and gnarly showing.

Razorface Razorface cassette

Wow, this is DIY rock’n’roll chaos at its absolute finest! Classic ’80s hardcore fused with the fiercest of D-beat, complete with farty bass and all. Lots of fun breakdowns which I’m sure contribute to some wild moments in the pit. I am absolutely smitten with the vocals here. Pure anger and intensity, sounding unlike anything else at the moment. This looks to be their first release, and if that’s the case, I expect these folks to have a huge year. There’s video of their full set up on YouTube that’s worth seeking out. Otherwise, this is one hell of a tape, and needs to be spun until the reels fall off.

Scooter Jay Punk Floyd and the Moral Faggots LP

If it wasn’t clear from the title, Toronto three-piece SCOOTER JAY’s 2024 LP Punk Floyd and the Moral Faggots is an album that blends a very well-defined ’70s psychedelic rock sound with power pop sensibilities and undeniable punk attitude. Although the majority of the album is high-energy, it’s not just fast and loose rock’n’roll. There are some tracks that let you breathe, some that make you bob your head, and some that make you dance around your room. Everything sounds structured and ordered purposefully in a way that it doesn’t get boring at any point. Throughout the album, layers upon layers upon layers of sometimes raw and razor-sharp, sometimes acid-laced and surreal guitar tracks take the lead. With the help of tightly locked drums and bass, occasional keys, and expressive yet nonchalant vocals, the album takes its ultimate groovy form. The overall production of the LP sounds very traditionally early psych in some ways, but also novel when it comes to adding new dimensions to its sonic landscape. Though this LP was my introduction to SCOOTER JAY, I’m genuinely and totally blown away!

Scumbag Scumbag 12″

Late 1980s Japanese fastcore resurrected (thankfully) by the folks at Beach Impediment. I know them from the Enjoy Your Youth… sampler, and was a little surprised to see SCUMBAG get the treatment before realizing the ROCKY & THE SWEDEN connection, but never mind the why and sit with these eight burners. Even when you hear poppy bits on cuts like “F.T.M.U.” and “Money,” they simply can’t get away from the rapid-fire approach, creating a sonic bridge between more “traditional” Japanese hardcore and the younger Tokyo scene that started popping up in the ’90s (think LIE, DXRXYX, BREAKFAST). If you’re expecting a wall of furious hardcore, then look elsewhere, but these SCUMBAG tracks recorded their brief run in 1988–89 are a fantastic time capsule, and I’m thrilled that Beach Impediment cracked it open.

Sect Mark Self Obliteration LP

This is black hole hardcore, building on a solid foundation of POISON IDEA riffs with some Swedish influence as well. It’s not exactly metallic, but has that bite, calling to mind contemporaries like the mighty WARTHOG, especially in the vocal performances which snap with a trebly growl. The rhythm section is massive, with as much tupa tupa as you like, as well as lumbering work on the toms that just pulsates with menace. The bass is uncaged with plenty of crunch. These are tightly-constructed songs that demand you to quicken the pace if you want to keep up, a sort of smorgasbord of ideas that all gel into one snarling beast of a package. Really mean, light-extinguishing work from Rome that satisfies with every bite.

Snarewaves Snarewaves cassette

Is nu-metal-inspired egg-punk a thing? What if E-TOWN CONCRETE moved to Bloomington and got really into Gulcher Records? Should I put mayonnaise on my peanut butter sandwiches? Pass. Pass. Pass. Honestly, if I had to pick one of these, I guess I’m eating a PB&M sandwich. Eggy punk, or whatever you want to call it, is usually best when it’s pretty self-aware and tongue-in-cheek. The problem here, aside from the initial questions it had me asking, is that SNAREWAVES have opted for irony instead. Or at least I think they opted for irony? Either way, this ain’t it. But Painters Tapes did also put out the WE R TY cassette by TY this year, so I was able to cleanse my palette with that after this one.

Yugo ¡Hey Tu! EP

Hailing from Andalusia, Spain, this is a clean-cut hardcore act with an almost pop sensibility for moshable tunes. I don’t mean that in a derogatory way in the slightest; there is something infectious about the chops here on display. The recording is crisp, with none of the gauziness or grit that many contemporary hardcore groups employ in the booth. It leaves the songs refreshingly naked in all their mid-tempo lumbering glory, not hiding any of the details. This veers heavy toward the catchy and fun end of the HC dial, whereas most artists seem content to just sound as miserable as possible. It’s nice to hear some playfulness in the genre, not that I feel this act isn’t taking things seriously. The titular closing track has plenty of fire in its belly, it’s just that it’s also a danceable bop. Not a lot of folks can pull off that delicate balance, but I imagine YUGO never has a dull dancefloor. Not with riffs this catchy.

The AK47’s Don’t Call Me Vanilla LP reissue

Reissue of a 1991 LP from this London collective that blends reggae, ska, dub, and punk with socio-anarchist lyrics. The band’s sound and lyrics definitely feel of a certain time and place, but the extended jams flow so effortlessly with excellent, fluid playing and production that it’s surprising this didn’t get more attention upon its release. Amid the fat bass lines, a flute snakes around, giving the tracks a laid-back jazzy quality. Take “One Hand,” a six-minute slow ska excursion that would appeal to pot-smoking chill-out types and crust punks alike. “Tottenham Three” opens with a funky dancefloor beat and offers support to three men who were wrongfully accused of murder during a violent clash between citizens and police known as the Broadwater Farm riot. Near the end of the seven-minute plus track, sound clips loop and beats begin to escalate, moving the song from an upbeat protest song to a proto-rave banger. Danceable but still punk as fuck, the AK47’S sole LP could be the release to draw even the most ska-averse punks to the floor. Highly recommended.

Atomic Throat Future Crust CD

Get those ears ready for ATOMIC THROAT, the fierce, noisy crusties from Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, because they’re going to leave you with tinnitus. For the unfamiliar, ATOMIC THROAT is a “no holds barred” noise crust-stench hybrid that owes a lot to legends like DOOM and SORE THROAT, creating a chaotic collision of crushing crust and an intense stench-like atmosphere. They only released a demo and an EP, and Future Crust gathers exactly those tracks. This rips through your ears with relentless fury the way the ’80s bands did.

The Battlebeats Live at Northspace Garut cassette

The BATTLEBEATS, from Bandung, Indonesia, have been around making scummy rock’n’roll-infused, high-energy garage punk for the entirety of this decade, showing no signs of slowing down. The label involved here, Primitive Screwhead, is the live cassette-only subsidiary of long-running garage punk label Big Neck Records. The music on this tape was captured during a live show in 2023. If you are not yet familiar with the band, I would pick up the 7” they did on Big Neck Records first over this tape as your introduction to the band. It isn’t bad by any means, but it is a live recording, which at times makes it feel like the singer is in the room with you yelling right into your ear. Once you digest the charm of the 7”, then move on to this live cassette.

Breech Boys Greetings From Paradise EP

I don’t know if anywhere is a cool place to live right now, but judging from the punk and hardcore that comes out of British Columbia, it must be a miserable place, because the bands coming out of there are mean as spit. BREECH BOYS keep that thread going through down-and-out polka beat hardcore that cuts away every ounce of fat, leaving nothing but blood and muscle. There’s some occasional rock‘n’roll-inspired guitar leads, but otherwise this is pummeling and recorded with the grit knobs all the way up. While a track like “Hands Tied” might not earn the band any points for originality, it more than makes up for it in sheer aggression. To a degree, hardcore’s appeal lies in the production and how it hits the listener (even though we’d probably all agree the live show is the ideal space for the genre), and this band gets that more than right. This is a spare and battering slice of hardcore punk waiting for you to break a tooth on it.

Consec Biohackers EP

Three songs, two minutes and fifty-nine seconds—this timespan is not the usual for a 7”. Sixth release from these turbocharged punks from Athens, Georgia. CONSEC is on the faster spectrum of hardcore, going as fast as HERESY and as abrasive as KORO. The songs are obviously short, but so much happens that they don’t feel as short as they should. Very dynamic and powerful, the songwriting evokes the ’80s in a very abrasive way, from the speed to the sound, which is very saturated, like it’s being played on a very old tape deck. The homework on the golden era of fast hardcore was done, for sure.

Cyclo Sonic Heathentown LP

Solid Middle America bar rock from Denver. There was an early ’90s almost-grunge vibe that I couldn’t quite shake (or identify), so I dug in a little and found a connection to the FLUID which helped contextualize the guitar a bit. Aside from that connection, CYCLO SONIC lands like some middle-agers well versed in the classics, so expect to hear elements of ’60s garage burners and early ’80s punk in the mix. And when they hit (like on “I’m Not Sad” with its screaming lead), they’re great, even though the vocals pull my attention from the guitars more often than I’d like. Choice cut: “Alone In The City.”