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!

Pissy Mide Tus Penas cassette

Two-piece bass-and-drums combo PISSY creates a dense sonic geography through the use of kaleidoscopic effects and layers of noise. At times the concept of tonality seems firmly at odds with the jet-engine swirl of phasers, though the chorus-soaked bass lines do still bleed through. The staccato vocal patterns riff off the drums in a mechanical, nearly robotic delivery. Cold and clinical, PISSY creates an atmosphere of din and discomfort, colored in the grayest shades of post-punk coolness. As stark as a winter garden in Berlin.

Pyrex Struck Down / Staying Alive 7″

Two-song hot shit alert from this Brooklyn band. A-side “Struck Down” layers cracked amp post-punk over disco beats that are heavy on the hi-hat. Ultra-ragged vocals rip around sneaky, catchy guitar lines, creating a song that unbelievably ends up melodic and danceable. Then the chorus comes, and the song collapses into screaming noise rock, only to stumble back to its feet and embrace the upbeat rhythm again. Give it a spin—it rules. B-side “Staying Alive” is—you guessed it—a cover of the BEE GEES classic. But this is no Punk Goes Pop novelty, PYREX burns it down and does snow angels in the ashes, organizes a dance battle with two broken legs, and still does the original more justice than necessary for noise punk derelicts. Check it out.

Red Dons East / West Collection LP

Early ’00s Portland, Oregon was a fertile and dynamic time and place for punk. The hazy, jaded eyes of nostalgia might call it a high-water mark. House shows and venues were plenty, and the scene was filled with a talented, incestuous group of misfits. Following the breakup of the OBSERVERS, Doug Burns connected with Hajji Husayn to form the RED DONS. The rotating group of collaborators who joined later included members of CLOROX GIRLS, CHEMICALS, TRIGGERS, SUSPECT PARTS, and the STOPS. Their melodic, minor chord post-punk political anthems became an important soundtrack in both the Pacific Northwest and across the globe. With Doug Burns’s painting and artistic visions crafting the look and style of the band, they became one of most popular and important groups in the circuit, with a sound that bridged both the garage rock and hardcore scenes at the time. RED DONS toured extensively in South America and Europe, continuing to do so with a recent tour back to Germany this year. This collection of songs spans the RED DONS catalog for well over the last decade. There’s “Independent” and “This City” from their debut LP Death to Idealism. The epic song “Ausländer” from the Dirtnap Records 7” clocks in at nearly five minutes, but never loses its earnest energy. “West Bank” and “Room 322” are included from the early Escaping Amman EP, and songs from the Fake Meets Failure LP and other releases round out the fourteen tracks. Unlike some retrospective collections that fluctuate in style, sound, and substance, this plays cohesively and strongly throughout in a testament to the band’s consistent vision and delivery. It’s a great starting point for those new to the RED DONS, and a welcome reprise for those there from the start.

Serotonin Zero Broken Worlds LP

Blackened hardcore from Poland, quite technical and gloomy, and on the metal side of the moon. Endless double kick on the drums and relentless doom vocals. Great chord sections delivering good riffs and intricate arpeggios. The songs take speed from time to time, but only to jump to melodic stances. It sounds well-executed, but stiff. Suggested track: “Point of No Return.”

Skiplife Prison EP

Total ’90s West Coast powerviolence-worshiping hardcore from Prague, with scene veterans in MINDLOCK and LYCANTHROPY. Sounds like INFEST and LACK OF INTEREST. Non-stop, short-as-fuck, fast, loud, shortcut-style golem crusher fast hardcore. You can look elsewhere for some modern-sounding, deathcore-adjacent bullshit. Back-to-basics, yet actually great-sounding anti-authoritarian outsider hardcore to its core.

Skotos EP 2023 cassette

This sounds like a garage band in the best sense of the term. I can definitely picture SKOTOS playing a wild gig in a tiny, damp, illegal venue with 50 people in a room that can barely fit 30—the kind of gigs where you are not just getting drenched in beer, but also in other people’s sweat because the venue is so tiny that there is nowhere to hide from your neighbour’s nasty armpits. Listening to this new tape EP, I can also imagine SKOTOS actually living in a New York garage. There are a lot of things going on here and, were it not for the genuinely raw and minimal aggressive hardcore production, I think they would lose me rather quickly. I enjoy the faster hardcore punk bits, especially the opening song “Penny for Pound” with its early FINAL CONFLICT/BODY COUNT vibe, but I don’t care for the heavy NYHC moments (but then to be honest, I never care for any). There are hints of powerviolence as well, especially because of the versatility, the threatening mean vibe of the songs, and the brutal changes, which works well on the whole. The ten-minute running time clearly fits with SKOTOS’s style. Typically the kind of band I would go see live expecting gladly to be punished with intense hardcore music, but I would not get their record (unless they are a friend’s band, in which case I feel guilty not to). All in all, a solid and very enjoyable hardcore band that can stylistically appeal to a lot of people, but might alienate a few for its deranged, raw production, which I would argue is precisely why the music works here (a clean production would have me run for my DISCLOSE records).

Strangelight Power, Rent, Control / A Three Day Weekend 7″

Two songs with rhythm, tempo and guitars sounding very pop punk in the gruff, slightly rough way some late ’90/early ’00s US and UK bands could be. But otherwise, this is very genre-neutral punk. You can tap your foot and sing along without much trouble, and the songs know how to quit when they’re ahead. All that and a sense of humor—I don’t ask for much else.

The Threat Lullaby in C EP reissue

Before recording this one-and-done heater in 1980, Dublin post-punks the THREAT were playing shows with the likes of a pre-fame U2, and if we lived in a just world, the martial deathrock march of the THREAT’s B-side “High Cost of Living” would have later been forcibly planted in everyone’s iTunes libraries instead of…well, you know. A rumbling, cyclical bass line and stark, mostly cymbal-less drums beat along in lockstep against an atmospheric swirl of lost-in-space synth for almost three minutes straight before Deirdre Creed’s vocals finally cut through the tension—the song’s lyrics literally consist of nothing more than the phrase “high cost of living” shouted with mounting desperation, but they still convey a CRASS insert’s worth of fiery polemic in just four words. Killer! Guitarist Maurice Taylor handles vocals on the A-side “Lullaby in C,” cloaked in a greyscale moodiness somewhere between early Factory Records and the more dub-minded factions of early ’80s anarcho-punk; a total inversion of the scorched earth stomp that follows on the flip. This first-time reissue also adds a previously unreleased 1979 solo soundscape from the THREAT’s synth player Stano (“Demo Above the Foggy Dew”) sandwiched in between the single’s two original tracks—when the THREAT ended in 1981, he turned to making avant-garde electronic/industrial music in the vein of CABARET VOLTAIRE circa “Silent Command,” and it definitely shows. Cost of living? High. “High Cost of Living”? Priceless.

Vulpess Me Gusta Ser Una Zorra / Inkisición 7″ reissue

VULPES or VULPESS (the second “S” added as a “fuck you” to the attorney general of Spain) were a very short-lived, all-femme punk band from the Basque region in the early ’80ss. Deliberately offensive, tongue-in-cheek chaos antics accelerated the band into the Spanish spotlight, only to find themselves quickly shot down with criticisms from various non-progressive factions. These two tracks are recordings of the band made after a television performance found the band embroiled in controversy. Originally 12,000 copies were sold, but until recently it has remained a rare recording. “Me Gusta Ser Una Zorra” is a snarky cover of  the STOOGES’ “I Wanna Be Your Dog,” with a sort of feminist twist on the lyrics and better musical arrangement (fuck those stupid sleigh bells!). “Inkisición” would later be re-recorded by the band in the early ’00s following the death of drummer Guadalupe Vázquez in 1993. Both tracks find buzzsaw guitars backing an energetic lyrical delivery and aggressive rhythm work. The vocal squeal on “Inkisición” sounds like tires burning out on a hotrod, and the frenetic musicianship throughout makes this 7″ addicting. The repress by Munster Records is beautifully packaged with a host of extras, making this recording well worth the small amount of coin it costs to buy. If you’re into punk oscura, then you’ll definitely want to escuchar.

Astio / Nag split 7″

This is a fantastic lineup of chilly, deathly punk. Following this year’s excellent full-length on Convulse, NAG brings in two more spiky little treats of heavy, rhythmic post-punk that do their own thing, while also dipping a wing in the airstream of erudite acts like the CHAMELEONS as well RUDIMENTARY PENI. It’s a blend of educated graveyard music that shakes your bones. On the flipside, ASTIO tackles a more anthemic sound in a similar sphere, with a slightly more straight-ahead bluntness. Italy has been bringing us a lot of beauts like this lately, replete with reverb-drenched, doomy leads and a tinge of black lipstick. All in all, great cuts from two acts across the ocean from one another who should be on your radar.

Autopsia Sistema y Poder LP

This is the long overdue reissue of Lima, Peru legends AUTOPSIA’s 1985 demo tape, official and on vinyl. Around for a barely two years before imploding and going on to form worthwhile successors like GX3 and ATAQUE FRONTAL, they left us all wanting more with these sixteen songs, varying in style from the rawest of political Spanish-language hardcore to catchy-as-hell punky sing-alongs. Just listen to the song “Autopsia” into “Mayoria Equivocada,” and one can hear  this clearly. They share the brutal guitar sound of early peers LEUSEMIA, without the RAMONES worship. They are more of an early LOBOTOMIA or GUERRILLA URBANA in spirit to me, but really, this needs to be appreciated on its own merits. Mandatory.

Douglas Bales Saint Joe CD

A tribute to Joe Strummer. That’s sweet. Joe was one of punk rock’s (and one of rock’n’roll’s)  greatest guitarists, singers, and songwriters. The A-side is a mid-tempo, super melodic rocker, with a super catchy sing-along chorus. And I’m not sure if Mr. BALES just sounds like Joe or if he made an extra effort here, but he does sound an awful lot like Joe. The B-side is a slower, somber, soothing piano-led number. The two go well together, and make for a fine tribute to one of the greatest.

The Barbed Wires The Barbed Wires cassette

Debut ten-song cassette that has all the pieces in place for the BARBED WIRES to become a legitimately popular band. Long-time rockers, who I was unsurprised to find out had been in such bands as PINK RAZORS, STRIKE ANYWHERE, and CLOAK/DAGGER, playing tunes that sound like a slightly more alternative rock version of the MARKED MEN. It’s instantly catchy, it’s memorable, and if the previous bands are any indication, this is surely going to be powerful as hell live, as all those aforementioned groups were great the times I saw them.

Caloris Impact Geoid LP

CALORIS IMPACT from Graz, Austria plays modern hardcore that sits comfortably next to BUGGIN, STRESS POSITIONS, and GEL, with a dash of of surf-y rock’n’roll added to the usual two-stepping riffs and breakdowns that works well. The swagger in these songs is refreshing, especially when paired with the vicious, politically-charged vocal delivery. Check out “Arrogance,” it’s a proper rocker.

Chiaroscuro La Fange 12″

French post-punk has a special quality to it. I can’t really put my finger on it, but it does in fact have something that makes iit stand out from the rest. From Lille, CHIAROSCURO is no exception to this rule. A dark and gloomy exercise in post-punk that retains a very punk urgency and intensity. Some moments remind me of UTOPIE, with a similar approach to the sound. A great piece of modern dark post-punk with an emphasis on punk.

Collate Generative Systems LP

Scratchy Portland post-punks COLLATE deliver their second LP after about five years and a string of excellent EPs. And despite what’s felt like an eternity passing since we last heard from them (2021’s “Medicine / Genesis Fatigue” 7″), they pick up pretty much where they left off. Generative Systems opens with a bass-forward minimal post-punk number that’s equal parts GANG OF FOUR, the CONTORTIONS, and ROSA YEMEN. It’s energetic without being overtly dancy, and the production is cold and bone-dry—an invigorating way to kick off a record, like the aural equivalent of stepping outside on a crisp winter evening without a jacket. From there, tracks tend to follow a similar formula, maybe cranking up one of the aspects of their core sound—a little more noise here, a little more rubbery groove there, maybe pop in some cowbell and take things in a bit of an ESG direction. It’s ground they’ve tread before, and they continue to do it well. But where this record really shines is when they push things punkward. It’s probably more attitudinal than sonic, but this record definitely has more of a punk vibe than past releases. They strike a tone somewhere between angry and mean, and they really wear it well. A track like “Stocks,” one of my favorites on the record, just really conveys being fed the fuck up in a way that I haven’t heard from them before. It’s an excellent record from an excellent band. Handsome physical release, too. Pick this one up as soon as you get a chance!

Decade World Stops Turning LP

There are records you wish you could love and yet fail miserably at doing so—I wish I could enjoy DECADE’s World Stops Turning, because people who do seem to have a lot of fun doing it. And technically I should be able to. On paper, I am the prototype of someone who should be into this LP. I love DISCHARGE, I love DISCHARGE-worship and its science, its self-awareness. The thing that loses me on this record is that, although it aims at replicating the embarrassing parts of DISCHARGE’s career, it is still dead serious. Which beats me: the ridiculous-sounding vocals should be celebrated as such (that’s what THISCLOSE did very well, a respectful parody). Once upon time, DISCHARGE’s Brave New World was rightly seen as a shit record, one that was best forgotten about and even denied it existed at all, as it tarnished the legacy of arguably the most influential band in punk’s history. From 1984 on (and I am being kind, as on a bad day I would almost throw in 1983 as well), DISCHARGE had become a farce and, assuming they were to be remembered at all, the guilty records were stuff to have a laugh with (just try to karaoke “Ignorance” and you’ll understand). It was the ’80s after all, and many bands went shite. Still, DECADE is undoubtedly a talented band, and they nail the 1984–86 DISCHARGE songwriting to a tee. All the songs are mid-paced, thrashing heavy metal with the Cal-like odd prosody, accentuation, and scansion. If you are into “Born to Die in the Gutter” and “The More I See,” as well as the even less respectable follow-up, then you will adore this LP. It reminds me of FINAL BOMBS in terms of obsessiveness and source material. World Stops Turning was originally released on CD, and this vinyl version is adorned with an ace-looking cover by Sugi. But if you have never listened to DECADE, I suggest you land the split LP with FATUM, as it is a more diverse work that tells a proper story, and the aforementioned DISCHARGE parts actually fit well. I wish I could enjoy it, but I may just be a boring bastard after all.

Ferriday Strangers / All Roads 7″

Two solid new songs from this quartet out of Albany, New York. With the shambling earnestness of mid-career REPLACEMENTS and the restrained bravado of HÜSKER DÜ in their Candy Apple Grey period, these songs would be equally at home on a ’90s college radio station or a present-day dive bar in an Elk’s Lodge. The singer’s voice brings to mind the NATIONAL’s Matt Berninger possessed by the lyrical spirit of David Lowery circa CAMPER VAN BEETHOVEN.

The Gents Responsible Dog Walker EP

Fun stuff here out of Germany—melodic garage punk with an Oi! twist. Reminds me a little bit of early SNUFF mixed with BLITZ. Very catchy hooks. Each song sounds slightly different than the last, and it leads to a very compelling EP. The dual vocals really help keep everything fresh and they create a great dynamic. These guys apparently have day jobs as elementary school teachers and practice each night in the school’s music room. Nothing more rock’n’roll than that. Well worth a spin. Very tight and energetic.

Gimic Defer to Hate EP

This is the kind of hardcore I can eat with a spoon, especially knowing it’s exactly the kind of thing that makes bros in THROWDOWN hoodies take to the internet to rant about how the genre and scene are “totally dead.” The weirdos continue to take over the culture, cross-pollinating genres in a way that amplifies the raging core of the songs. There is a lot of melody packed into these songs, at times evoking ’90s emo/alternative as well as garage and even just straight up rock’n’roll. The bass lines are nimble, the drums are locked-in, and singer Harriet is utterly commanding. Addictively listenable.

Human Sacrifice / Levity split cassette

Chicago and Grand Rapids bands split three tracks each. HUMAN SACRIFICE gives fast-paced hardcore mixed with powerviolence, delivering catchy, smoky, spitting vicious vocals. Their three tracks flow like bloody water, speaking to obscure hardcore punk that conveys the urge to pogo. LEVITY, on the other hand, is full-on powerviolence with a satanic metallic infusion that exudes anger and desolate fits, yet with a relentless energy and dragging feeling, and even some Avernus noise “Breathe Endlessly.” Recommended.

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.

The Jacklights Final Girl CD

For nostalgia-seekers of ’90/’00s female-led emo bands, listen up. Grainy and chunky guitars, with that fast-shuffling hi-hat beat, build a landscape for PARAMORE-esque vocals, saccharine to sour, asking questions like “Why’s this so hard? / I can’t believe the things you said to me” (from “Past Tense”). This is the JACKLIGHTS’ third EP, and they have kept laser-focused on their sugar-coated emo persona, dialing in some great songwriting chops. This four-song release is the perfect length for me—I enjoy it, but it’s the kind of thing I take in small doses.

Kurvy Češi Šne​č​í Med LP

Prague noise rockers with prog (at its punkiest) tendencies and lyrics in Czech. Even allowing for Google Translate not (yet) having the ability to point out all the wordplay, idioms, metaphors, etc., these cats are clearly singing about some pretty unconventional nonsense. The singer has a snarky, dramatic tone that I associate foremost with Jello, and the music feels a bit like something he might have released on Alternative Tentacles in the early ’90s. Get moderately more up to date by throwing some WRANGLER BRUTES and XBXRX in the pot too, and wonder aloud if the sleeve art, disagreeable as it is, could have been the product of someone who, having seen the first MARS VOLTA album cover on its release, tried to recreate it from a fragment of memory twenty years later.

Limbo District Rhythm Forward EP

LIMBO DISTRICT has long lingered in the back of my mind without me ever having been able to really hear them—their name is frequently dropped in recollections of Athens, Georgia’s late ’70s/early ’80s new wave and post-punk scene that typically center their much more well-known peers like PYLON and the B-52’S, but prior to this EP of archival recordings from 1981, the only audio evidence of LIMBO DISTRICT had been their soundtrack contributions to a twelve-minute 1983 short film called Carnival (later excerpted in the great documentary Athens, GA: Inside/Out). “Rhythm Forward” is aptly titled, although the rhythm in question is skittish and skeletal no wave rather than PYLON-style cool gyration, with vocals spit out in an agitated nerd-bark over hazy haunted house Farfisa and thudding cardboard box/trash can drumming, like a Southern Gothic COME ON devoid of any art-funk leanings. The brief “Knock Knock Lobo” zig-zags between ramshackle percussion, single-note bass solos, and punctuated pauses, while “Encased” extends the clattering for a full four minutes, gradually stripping out elements like Jenga blocks until all that’s left is a halting beat and Craig Woodall’s menacing yelp before building back up again. The LIMBO DISTRICT curtain may have been pulled back slightly with the release of these three songs, but their mystique hasn’t diminished at all.

Malicious Algorithm Gorgon Stare CD

Dizzying mix of powerviolence, hardcore, and grind from this California band. They have a split with AGATHOCLES (but, I mean, so does everyone), and they blend mean-ass PV like DESPISE YOU with precisely played grindcore à la INSECT WARFARE. It rips and sounds great. The drums, particularly the blasting, are so crisp that I thought they were digital at first, but no, just first-rate battery smashing. Many of the songs center on anti-capitalist subjects, like “Corporate Gaslighting,” with the lines, “I’ve dealt with robbers, I’ve dealt with crooks / I won’t forgive you for the hours you took / I’ve been a liar, I’ve been a cheat / But you’re the biggest one I’ll ever fucking meet,” but there are also tracks about drug abuse, doomsday cults, and MK Ultra mind control. All the good stuff. Full-tilt shredder from start to finish.

Plot The Revenge LP

Philadelphia three-piece PLOT have just released The Revenge, their first full-length recording on MPLS Ltd. This six-track album kicks off with “I Have Your Slattern,” which is a tempo-shifting appetizer to the rest of the album, followed by “Peccadilloes,” an acoustic palate-cleanser of sorts that makes way for the meal of the album. “Bobbit Worm” features howling vocals over clipped and distorted instruments, and just when you think you’ve figured out PLOT, they throw down the darkened noise rock of “Eye Decay.” The gothic bend continues through the plodding, synth-heavy “Walk the Plank,” which decays into the dirty, bass-heavy “Slush Fund.” This album is an engrossing journey through unexpected directions which will leave you wanting more.

Rash Decision Year of the Silence LP

Year of Silence is raging, crossover-style hardcore with thrash metal chugging guitars with pummeling, powerful drums and vocals to sing along with. The album was written during the pandemic, with an ode to health workers who risked their lives, with humorous yet important stuff to say about subjects ranging from anti-fascism to the solidarity of the working class. Easily could’ve been dismissed as some band that sings about eating pizza and partying, but in actuality, they’re singing about a sociopolitical reality more than most DIY hardcore punk bands out there. Unique approach for this style of hardcore.

Rebelión Anarcopunk Sus Limites Cruzar EP

Long-running Bogotá punks REBELIÓN ANARCOPUNK tear through four cuts of full-bore crust with wild abandon. The songs are blazing fast with shouted vocals, shredding guitars, and top-shelf drumming. Although there are some metallic elements—double bass, finger-tapped guitar solos, occasionally guttural vox—this is pure punk in the raw form, and doesn’t actually sound metal in the least. The title track “Sus Limites Cruzar” is my personal favorite with its over-the-top leads, manic caterwauls, and blastbeats. If the energy captured here is any indication, I imagine their live sets to be a true spectacle.

The Satyrs Don’t Be Surprised LP

Sundazed continues in their mission to reissue every small-time ’60s garage band under the sun, like it or not. Here we get a treat of British Invasion-inspired jams not from the Pacific Northwest, but from the town built on quartz, Asheville, North Carolina. Nicely packaged with tons of info, and the sound is decent if you figure how old and crusty these tapes probably were. Shiny boots, blazers, and high-strung guitars are the vibe, and some of it is really hokey, but there’s moments like their rare original single “Don’t Be Surprised / Blue Blue World” or their cover of “I Walk the Line” which can give you a glimpse of the birth of Southern punk that lead to C.O.C. and ANTISEEN, if you close your eyes and imagine real hard. Good stuff.

Saufknast Tränengas EP

Fresh punk project from Hamburg/Kiel. High-pitched female vocals, and strident guitars that contort between power chord sections and soloing from time to time. Garage-y vibes and mixed couplings, but with a hardcore punk drive. The eight tracks reiterate the same formula over and over, which may be a bit exhausting, but altogether it’s a great debut. Determination in the singing and tempos are on-point, with the garage-driven guitars and vocals being the main focus.

Skill Issue Total Doom cassette

Blistering hardcore centered around themes of advocating for human rights and defense against societal abuse. This tape is five minutes of righteous fury, delivered in a throat-ripping roar that steals the show, although the band is tight and plays with a filthy tone that fits perfectly. Opening track “Total Doom” starts the tape out strong with a gay rights archival sound clip that leads into a slow feedback crawl and lyrics like “Always knew it from the start / Hatred heals my burning heart / Slice a bigot in his neck / Total Doom / Fucking mess.” “Pitbull in a Basement” features savage call-and-response vocals and rips hard. You’re telling me they have two raw-as-fuck vocalists in the same band? That’s the best kind of rare. The whole tape is solid, furious hardcore about fighting against intolerance. What’s not to like?

Trenchraid War Mentality cassette

TRENCHRAID is a Motör-charged D-beat band from the left coast of Canada who have just released their first full-length cassette. Twelve songs that pummel the skull with hardline lyrics about ecological disasters, the horrors of war, and endless suffering pull no punches as they come in a quick barrage. Having previously reviewed their four-song demo cassette last year, I can say with absolute certainty that this crew has grown into their aggro sound and fully refined their thematic devices. If you’re like a lot of the punk community and waking up day after day with ever growing rage, then you’ll find a comfortable home in this album. “Is This the End?” and “(Position of) Fuck You” are standout tracks for me, as they contain the highest level of F.O.A.D. mentality. Get this in you, and your indignation will feel fully justified.

Virus You Can’t Ignore It Forever LP

Much like the time passed before this 1984 cassette was released on record, I’m glad I didn’t wait to sit down with this any longer. VIRUS brings a bygone production value and mood I haven’t heard as earnestly since the likes of KULTURKAMPF, The E.P.s of R.P., KARMA SUTRA, or LEGION OF PARASITES, with the somewhat gothic post-punk swaying of SKELETAL FAMILY and TOXIC WASTE, though much more sensitively delivered like contemporaries the MOB, LIBERTY, and OMEGA TRIBE. The writing here is authentic and classic 1984 UK anarcho-punk. Simply poetic and rhythmic, with themes of anti-war, animal liberation, class struggle, and nuclear power and its threats. Floor toms, militant snares, jangling, echoing bass, spoken word moments…from “Oven Overture”: “Handin’ out presents, it’s Christmas day / Well it’s ‘bout fuckin’ time that a turkey had its say!” The earliest forms of anarcho-punk always had that blunt lyrical content, and VIRUS is no exception. This is an excellently remastering of their cassette debut from 40 years ago, and a must-have if anything from SUBDUED or AOA to FLUX OF PINK INDIANS and MOET THE POET is your voice of reason in this cyclically unreasonable world. I’ve rattled off several bands of the era and region but not randomly, as this early VIRUS material sincerely fits right in.

Warsaw Discography 92–93 S.C. Dynamite Go! Go! CD

After being recently introduced to Black Konflik’s output, I’ve become a quick fan. They have a handful of legendary releases from the likes of PARANOID and DEFIANCE and even more obscurities like this collection of demos and compilation tracks by WARSAW, a hardcore punk band from Sapporo, Japan who were active from 1992 to 1993. They went on to switch lead singers and become SHOT GUN, leaving this output in their wake. It’s a raw and lo-fi affair bringing to mind other Japanese hardcore bands like SYSTEMIC DEATH and DEATHSIDE. If fast and nasty hardcore is your thing, check it out, especially their contribution to the Criminal Truth Hate Justice comp, which is included here. Gnarly stuff!

Arsenico Reign of Fear EP

This recording takes me back a little, just enough to feel nostalgic, although I would struggle to pinpoint the cause of this slight but nonetheless real melancholia. It could be because ARSENICO’s style reminds me of the ’00s, a pivotal time for yours truly, back when things felt fresher and receding hairlines were just a distant, albeit dreadful, prospect. This lot come from Sydney and appear to be a new up-and-coming band, as Reign of Death is their first record, and I must say that it does not quite go the distance. Clearly, judging from the title of the songs like “Forced Motherhood” or “White Fears,” the band has something of value to say and deliver, but overall the recording lacks in power and focus. I understand that ARSENICO wants to go for that anarcho crust/thrash vibe (I am reminded of CLUSTERFUX or WORDS THAT BURN or even APPALACHIAN TERROR UNIT), and there are moments, especially when they vigorously beat the D, when it works, and some of the moshing thrash parts are pretty energetic. The dual vocals, however, sound a bit monotonous by the end of the EP, and with the lyrics being quite long, this is not something that you want. This said, I do believe there is some potential, and ARSENICO definitely sounds like they believe in what they do, which is what matters.

Autodestrucción Demo 1988 EP

It’s another demo tape pressed to 7” by the Esos Malditos Punks label, showing a good part of the Mexican hardcore scene that was wild and unique during the late ’80s and early ’90s. AUTODESTRUCCIÓN is another super-tight band. It comes across great because they are raging, with fast-paced, slamming hardcore songs that are furious as hell. Old tape noise gives us what mostly just multiple pedals and editing can accomplish now, but here it is in its rudimentary form. Slight melody creeps in here and there, but it still is an attack tape. The momentum of the tracks does not let me judge the riffs or song structure, but this is a hardcore tape from Mexico 1988, not a painting in a bullshit museum where you are hissed down immediately if you make any noise. This is the loud reality of local craziness. Most of the songs are pretty short, and the longer jams sound very menacing and have the opportunity to transform from a tense mid-tempo to a really hammering rush. When the disco beat came in for a second, they totally got me. If you are interested in early international hardcore where scenes had their own unique sound and bands were forming and not following the borders of hardcore, then this is a great release for you.

Barrows Discord and Society CD

Blown-out D-beat hardcore from Japan with songs about war, society, and “devastated futures.” Their Bandcamp namechecks DISCLOSE, DISCHARGE, and ANTI-CIMEX, so you know what you’re getting here: aggressive, poorly recorded, fast D-beat with shouted vocals. Really, the only surprising thing about this release is that they didn’t name the band DISBARROWS. There is a lot to like here if this genre appeals to you, though—it’s tightly-played, earnest punk with no frills, just speed and volume. The last four tracks sound like boombox demos, recommended if you want your rawness even rawer.

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.

Chrome Spiders Kitten’s Whisper cassette

Best known for his stints in the DIRTBOMBS and BANTAM ROOSTER, veteran Detroit garage guy Tom Jackson Potter put together his own group, the CHROME SPIDERS, in the ’00s. Playing smoky, blues-battered rock with a tasteful touch of ’60s swagger, the group released a 7” in 2009 and then, just before calling it quits, recorded this album which is just now finally seeing the light of day. With eight original songs and a faithful rendition of “Jumping Jack Flash,” it’s a smooth and understated garage affair with just the right amount of kick, showcasing the group’s knack for creating hypnotic pools of immersive sound. They’re at their best when they allow themselves room to breathe on expansive tracks like “Outta Time” and “Waydown.” There’s a unique synergy at work across this album, where the band’s effortless dimly-lit bar-rock is circled by surges of glowing electricity, and the resulting cool din is just begging to be accessorized with a stiff drink and a dark pair of sunglasses.

Conceal Demo ’23 cassette

CONCEAL is a new Trier-based band with ex-members of SLON and BRIDGE BURNER. Like a wrecking ball, CONCEAL destroys the hell out of everything with their NYHC-influenced approach, gritty and relentless, just like early MADBALL and AGNOSTIC FRONT. CONCEAL is worth listening to for their authentic and powerful vision of what hardcore should be.

Double Standard Mt. Focus LP

DOUBLE STANDARD from Malta’s latest release consists of unique-sounding political hardcore punk tracks full of thoughtful expressions of injustices of our world, reminiscent of the feeling of ’80s-style recordings of NWOBHM and anarcho-punk that isn’t overtly metallic or modern-sounding. Mt. Focus successfully expresses the complex, subtle feel of the issues facing our societies and ecosystem, not just through their lyrics but through sonic means as well.

Entrapment Tempers Flare EP

A pretty standard slab of heavy hardcore from Australia’s ENTRAPMENT. Can’t say I dig it very much, but if you’re into the more “tough guy” end of the hardcore spectrum, you might dig this. However, this four-track record does very little for this reviewer. Next…

GG King Esoteric Lore LP reissue

Originally released in 2011, GG KING’s seminal album is back in circulation with a freshly remastered pressing, courtesy of State Laughter. Esoteric Lore embodies a pivotal moment in the modern history of Atlanta’s punk scene. Emerging from the ashes of the CARBONAS, singer Greg King’s new endeavor would essentially redefine the city’s iconic sound, in which said group had played an outsized role in establishing in the preceding decade. Rather than continuing on in that vein of desperately gritty power-pop-inspired punk, GG KING were to incorporate influences from a far more broad swath of genres. Esoteric Lore is gloriously messy and experimental, at times motorik, noisy, and angular—only to snap back into a familiar mode of melodicism now cracked and damaged. Gurgling up in the cauldron are nods to 100 FLOWERS, WIRE, NEU!, the FALL, and too many more to mention without completely losing the plot. The album is bookended by unstructured soundscapes, and many of the seventeen tracks have endings that fade out, which makes the whole thing feel hazy, fluid, and experiential. Then there are moments where everything suddenly comes into sharp relief, like the whiplash inducing cover of JOHNNY MOPED’s “Incendiary Device.” While Esoteric Lore may be unresolved, it is just as vital as it was twelve years ago. Taking into account how massively influential GG KING has been to punk in the Southeastern US (and far beyond), it’s hard to think of this album as anything short of a bona fide classic.

The Havoc Our Rebellion Continues LP

Imagine my disbelief at seeing this come across my review pile; I saw HAVOC play at the Cornerstone music festival almost twenty years ago, and honestly I didn’t realize they were still active. On their new LP Our Rebellion Continues, they sound just as I remember them: CASUALTIES-style street punk with a side of MOTÖRHEAD-style rock’n’roll. Personally, I prefer them when they lean into the Lemmy influence, like on “Who’s to Blame” and the end of title track “Our Rebellion Continues,” where they almost approach a RIFFS vibe. It’s pretty cool shit, and I’m happy to see these dudes still doing their thing twenty years later.  

Insane Urge My America cassette

Daammn! I went into this release, the second from this Austin five-piece featuring folks from STUNTED YOUTH and fronted by Stucco head honcho Jake Gulliver (Down South is part of the wider Stucco-verse), expecting more of the same muddy, hardcore-influenced garage punk that we got on their debut, but these dudes have apparently decided it’s time to stop fuckin’ around. All that DEVIL DOGS-y bullshit? Gone! And in its place, you’re getting nine short tracks of pure, unadulterated gremlin-y hardcore. Imagine This is Boston, Not L.A.-era JERRY’S KIDS with the franticness dialed up a few clicks. They still sound like feral punks on the verge of careening out of control, but by going straight-up hardcore and getting a little meaner, they’ve gained some tonal focus that, when paired with a much crisper, trebly production, really helps these tracks cut right into you. I really liked that last cassette, but this is way better.

Kids on Fire The Best of the Worst of Times CD

This is fine. Pop punk played by dudes who look like they should be in MUNICIPAL WASTE. It’s that version of the genre that doesn’t lean too heavily into any specific sub-genre. The songs are well-played and there’s nothing inherently bad about this, it’s just vanilla. There’s nothing that I find particularly memorable about this, nor does it make me want to listen to it again at any point. That’s just me, though. I need something to make me feel any sort of emotion at all. This is just sterile.

The Love Come On and Feel the Love LP

They come out of the gates sounding like the STOOGES and the STROKES, but then I’m thinking, “Wait, this is pop music.” Honestly, on my first go-around, I thought that there was very little garage here. I was thinking it was awesome, but I was also thinking that calling it garage was a stretch. Second time around, I’m hearing it differently. It’s intense in a way that you rarely get with pop music. I said in a review a few months back that there is regular old pop music, and then there’s pop music created by people who didn’t grow up on shit music. Fucking great record.

Meat Joy Meat Joy LP reissue

Learning about Austin’s MEAT JOY was a formative experience for me as a disaffected Texan teen in the early ’00s—a keyhole glimpse into a history of Lone Star punk informed by radical art, subversion, and queerness that didn’t seem possible in the landscape of bland stripmalls and conservative toxicity surrounding me. Part of what made MEAT JOY so punk was their steadfast refusal to be bound by the constraints of the genre (which, when this LP was released in 1984, had already turned into something far too rigid and straight-laced), even openly mocking that concept on “Proud to Be Stupid,” a FLIPPER-esque dirge with sneering lyrics (“I’m better than you because I am tough!”) that gives way to perfectly piss-take “hardcore” breakdowns. That’s about as “conventional” as they get, as tracks like “Slenderella,” “Final Curtain,” and “Godpleaser” put a twanged-out, Southern-fried spin on the asymmetrical post-punk of bands like the RAINCOATS and the AU PAIRS, “Another Pair” veers from ramshackle rhythmic clatter to unadorned doo wop/girl group-inspired harmonizing, the fractured noise freakout “Ich Bin Nur Ein Schauspieler” rides a similar wave as the BUTTHOLE SURFERS (to whom original MEAT JOY drummer Teresa Taylor actually defected before this LP was finished), and the acoustic lesbian love song “My Heart Crawls Off” balances being both emotionally raw and tongue-in-cheek clever. MEAT JOY was keeping Austin weird long before that phrase became a bumper sticker sales pitch, and this record is the proof—it’s just as jarring now as it was when I first heard it years ago.

Natural Fun Natural Fun cassette

NATURAL FUN of Copenhagen reminds me of Retro-Bution-era EXTREME NOISE TERROR with some more metal and hardcore influences such as AUDIO KOLLAPS and SHARPVILLE. This has a heavy crust drive like VISIONS OF WAR, but also brings it down with bitter hardcore fury like SEVERED HEAD OF STATE, and accomplished solos in the style of NIGHTMARE or BASTARD. Vocals have a sort of NYHC attitude, too. NATURAL FUN is not overly flashy, but what they do, they do tightly, especially back to those constant ripping solos. The track “Wind” opens like a mix between THIN LIZZY and HOLY MOUNTAIN or INFEST. The vocals are utterly killer, the more I get into this—sung, but from the back of the throat like a furnace. Their longest song is three-and-a-half minutes. NATURAL FUN puts down what it needs to, wants to, and is out. I think this is their debut (apologies if not), but it’s an impressive one at that.