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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. We reserve the right to reject releases on the basis of content. Music without vocals or drums will not be considered. All music submitted for review must have been released (or reissued) within the last two years. Please include contact information and let us know where your band is from!
A novel take on fastcore from Melbourne, bringing to the table the speed and fury you would expect from a 625 release, but with an infusion of…garage punk!?! Catchy, major-chord riffs subvert the formula in the best way. Girls Mignon is an eight-minute whirlwind, clocking eleven songs of the friendliest thrash I’ve heard. Throw KISSLAND on a bill with HOLY SHIT! and put me on the guest list pleeeease. Total scorcher!
A couple years ago, I wrote a review of Hungarian punks HALOTT KÍGYÓK. Little did I know at that time that HALOTT KÍGYÓK was in the process of dissolving and LÁZ was being conceived. LÁZ pushes the limits set by their previous band while remaining within its architecture, so the resulting sound has more post-punk structure and hardcore punk swagger. Petra’s vocals are often reminiscent of LYDIA LUNCH, especially when the band enters a moment of jazzed-out, no wave drone. The band themselves cite SACCHARINE TRUST as an inspiration, and that comes through frequently as well. The eight-song Lassan Átjáró Zavar cassette is well worth a listen, and is currently one of my obsessions.
Classic garage rock meets power pop bringing to mind EXPLODING HEARTS, MARKED MEN, and NIGHT BIRDS. There’s also a hint of OPERATION IVY here, and I chalk that up to the production and energy more so than anything else—that and the fact that these songs are total earworms. I found myself singing these songs throughout the day after one listen, specifically “One More Last Goodbye” and “Fuck You I’m Going on Tour.” Their Bandcamp listing mentions MOTÖRHEAD as a huge influence, and I can hear that as well, with their timeless guitar solos that are tight and catchy. This one is over super quick but it’s one hell of a ride.
Here’s a self-recorded treat of scrappy, energetic punk with a certain breezy lilt to it and incredible sense of melody. Propulsive and well-read, this no-frills Danish group is rich with ideas. The bass lines are nimble and play nice with the alternatingly chiming and dissonant guitar, the drums are pocketed, and everyone in the band contributes to vocals which are rich and witty. This is all-around well-packaged rock that sits in the comfy between spaces of harder-edged indie with some punchy power pop tendencies. Truly delightful, snappy stuff.
Raw, rock’n’roll-fueled hardcore from OH that feels both spontaneous and deadly precise. Piss It Away is pure sonic confrontation: dirty guitar tone, shouted vocals, and manic tempo shifts that teeter on collapse. There’s something distinctly late-’80s about their approach—channeling bands like POISON IDEA or early ZEKE, but with a modern production bite. It’s loud, dangerous, and catchy as hell. The title track sums it up: burn bright, burn fast, piss it away, but make it count.
I have been a sucker for Greek crust for a long time, and beside the obvious aesthetic pleasure, overplaying ΧΑΟΤΙΚΟ ΤΕΛΟΣ or ΞΕΧΑΣΜΕΝΗ ΠΡΟΦΗΤΕΙΑ taught me to decipher some Greek words (or at least taught me to pretend I am able to, which is almost as good). I had not heard of P.T.S.D. previously, but they were involved in the Studio Spirtokouto Squat in Larissa and seem to have a strong local following, and this is a tape repress of their first EP. The band plays solid metallic crust with energy and anger, blending different shades of crust from apocalyptic stenchcore to more thrash-oriented metal punk or beefy crustcore. What I love here is that P.T.S.D. do it seamlessly—it sounds very natural, their style just flows and you do not get that patchwork impression that some bands aiming for the same result unfortunately convey. This EP will appeal to fans of metallic dis-core like HELLKRUSHER, ’10s stenchcore like FATUM, or classic Greek crusty punk like ΝΑΥΤΙΑ. I just wish the band sang in Greek because I feel the language goes so well with the genre, but besides that, it is an excellent release from Nothing to Harvest. Keep an eye on this band.
I always do my best to go into reviews with an open heart and an open mind. Extreme music is a wide spectrum and I believe there’s room for any and all kinds of styles, although that doesn’t necessarily mean I’ll like it. Per their Bandcamp, Sweden’s SLUTAVVERKNING “explore the sweet spot between proletarian noise rock and unhinged acid jazz”, and while this sounds intriguing, it’s a swing and a miss for me. Initially, I was into the industrial rhythm section, but ultimately the vocals and woodwinds lost me.
Rock-y garage punk. I loved the distorted bass and the combination of the change-up of vocals and more exploratory guitar in “No Excuse.” I felt a lot of the tracks kind of sounded quite similar to me, and I found my focus drifting a bit. That being said, the feedback jam in the last track really brought me back.
Welcome reissue of this cult Dusseldorf band’s 1980 LP. This collection of unpolished, exploratory jams takes as much inspiration from the era’s punk as it does krautrock (CAN’s Holger Czukay produced and released the record on his label), early post-punk, and Neue Deutsche Welle, with a healthy sprinkling of Dada weirdness. Loose experimentation runs through all the songs, starting with the banging studio mischief of “Euroton” into the fuzzed-out, repetitive psych trip of “Einsam in Wien (Lustlos).” “Moderne Romantik” is the most traditional punk track, although its economical chord strikes and off-kilter rhythms place it more with WIRE or GANG OF FOUR than the band’s earlier records. “Lametta” opens with rhythmic cadence and unsettling childlike vocal chanting that sounds like stumbling upon a clandestine komische drum circle in the woods. Even farther out is “Regentanz,” a nearly nine-minute, mostly instrumental Farfisa, bass, and trumpet trip that will make your brain melt and your toes tap. Rounding out an unusual record is perhaps the weirdest song: “Do the Fleischwurst,” a funky syncopated punk-disco track devoted to German bologna. This is a great LP that snapshots punk in many forms and comes highly recommended.
Sounding like if TUXEDO CATS hailed from France instead of Brooklyn, this EP is four tracks of snotty tunes of the highest order. Starting off with the power punk standout “Quality Time,” the listeners are then reminded that this is indeed Nantes and not New York, as the next couple tracks up the French Oi! energy with the absolutely rattling bass line of “Always Broke,” the gruffer “Gotta Get Rid of You,” and “T’es Sans Espoir” in their native tongue. These tracks are quick and without frills, and they leave you wanting to start from the top as soon as the last guitar rings out.
Following the first volume of We Were Living in Cincinnati that documented the Cincy scene from 1975 to 1982, the second installment picks up that thread and carries it from 1982 to 1988, with the stylistic evolutions of the Queen City underground evidenced across both LPs effectively mirroring those happening on a global macro level at similar points in time—mid-’70s proto-punk giving way to punk in the late ’70s and then post-punk soon after, hardcore identifying itself as a distinct form in the early ’80s, the burgeoning of college rock in the mid-to-late ’80s before that term became slander, etc. My interests in this area (both time and place) definitely fall more on the end of the spectrum cluttered with the so-agitated Buckeye skronk of bands affiliated with the Hospital Records label, and opener “Jerilyn” by COINTELPRO is quite possibly the Platonic ideal of that particular sound, with its strangulated guitar scrawl, broken-down disco beats, and restless, rubbery bass underpinning increasingly desperate and wound-up vocals. From that same gnarled family tree, BPA (a.k.a. BY PRODUCTS OF AMERICA) are the sole band afforded two tracks on the comp; the DEVO-esque deconstructivist rhythms of 1983’s “Bus” and PERE UBU-inflected hiccuping art-punk of 1985’s “No Heat” are both highlights here. Across the other sixteen cuts, there’s the speedy, ramshackle hardcore of SLUGGO and SS-20, KBD-worthy punk primitivism from MUSICAL SUICIDE, SNARE & THE IDIOTS, and MEXICAN PIG TORTURE, an early DREAM SYNDICATE-ish offering from post-COINTELPRO/BPA project the WOLVERTON BROTHERS, a teenage-fronted (and pre-CAROLINER!) avant-punk noise tantrum from MANWICH, and a number of points in between (or beyond)—something for slightly warped punks of all stripes.
DCxPC Live has never let me down, and this time they’ve kicked it up a notch with a half-live and half-studio record. 504 PLAN, from DC, picks up where DOUBLE O, DEADLINE, ARTIFICIAL PEACE, MISSION IMPOSSIBLE, and LÜNCH MEAT left off in the ’80s. Lyrically this is focused on issues that directly impact their lives, such as the poor DC school system, accommodations for students with disabilities, and the doomed thoughts of having to decide your life’s path before you are even close to adulthood and with limited life experience. The live side is charged and energetic with charming banter punctuating heavy topics. By the time you have read this, the band may have already graduated high school, broken up, and moved onto college or whatever, but none of that deters from the impact that these high school kids are having, or had, on their community. DCxPC has once again introduced me to a new band and has given me some hope for the under-eighteen punk kids that are just finding their voices.
Split EP offering two flavors of French instrumental punk-adjacent rock. On the A-side, ARNO DE CEA & THE CLOCKWORK WIZARDS shred through two tracks of trebly surf, with the intertwining leads, exotica-leaning chord progressions, and speed the genre is known for. The production has a live feel, which gives it a nice garage punk edge to the songs. “Apollon” ends with a noisy laser blast phaser breakdown while still retaining the classic surf feel. Check it out if you’re a hang ten type. SEMIVORTEX brings dissonant, math-influenced instrumental noise rock on the B-side, recalling the best of classic Load Records releases. There is a propulsive LIGHTNING BOLT-style build-and-release pattern on “Operratique” with as much metal chug as higher-pitched repeating patterns. Both sides are a win.
If any country has the melodic chops to churn out something you can easily describe as “dark power pop” and not have it suck, it would have to be Sweden. This Stockholm three-piece owes a lot to the KINKS and American power pop of the late ’70s like BRAM TCHAIKOVSKY, but filtered through a darker, very Nordic sound. Think what TERRIBLE FEELINGS or BURNING KITCHEN did to punk, but done to something Paul Collins would write or GALAXIE 500 would play. The guitars bounce between jangling and distorting, the vocal delivery is decidedly exerted but somehow emotionally restrained (very Swedish, in my experience with their musical output at least). A very impressive collection of little details that wind up making power pop songs with a punkish edge that ebbs and flows depending on the feel of the song. I’m a sucker for good melodies, so songs on the poppier end of their sound (like album highlight “Dark”) are more my bag, but even when they ride the accelerator or get a little somber, they deliver something their own and worthwhile. No filler here, a proper record of vinyl-worthy tunes.
The BURROW out of Eugene, Oregon issued this two-track cassette a couple months back, with proceeds going towards aid agencies in Gaza. “Dance Dance Revolution” is a melodic, mid-paced Oi!-inspired tune that is easily a sing-along, while “Like Real Liberty” uses a grittier guitar tone and espouses a slightly heavier inspiration. Both songs kind of have that BYO Records vibe from circa Y2K, but with a contemporary emotional tint.
Caps off to Ben Forrester from the northwest of the UK, whose bedroom project holds the stage with the confidence of a full crew. This is lo-fi hardcore that bridges the gap between the garage and the pit, a minor tightrope act that displays Forrester’s balance and songwriting chops. Even with a DIY DAW setup, complete with programmed drums (I’m 98% sure), the throat-shredding aggression and misery is potent and bolstered by riffs that stick in your head. The vocal performance is unbridled and wild, and the overall sound is chaotic and noisy as far as production, but everything is also focused. Dialed-in to destroy. The world sucks, and this tape tells you just how much. With drum machine near-gabber madness like “Job On,” this is an album that shows a remarkable amount of stylistic flexibility. A total blast from the bedroom.
Textbook Japanese hardcore from Mie. There was an EP ages ago and they kept popping up on comps (and in whispers), but if you’re gonna wait twenty years before releasing your first full-length…make it sound like this. This is classic Burning Spirits-style ‘core with sweeping leads and intense yowls shouted through a throat filled with gravel. The pace is as ruthless as the riffs, and there are faster tracks that owe to early DSB or INSANE YOUTH AD as much as the inevitable DEATH SIDE comparisons. It’s been too long since I’ve blasted a record this complete.
An interesting double-barrel blast from the past from an all-star group of West Coast crossover legends. DEATHTOLL was a Bay Area hardcore outfit birthed from the lineage of ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT and had a couple releases in the early ’00s. These eight tracks have been collecting dust since 2006 and feature the aforementioned band’s comeback lineup as seen on No Way Back from 2011. I’m always curious how a record from twenty-ish years ago will hold up—stack onto that the fact that this is coming from a group who had made their mark twenty years prior to that with ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT’s undeniable classic American Paranoia. I’ll stop burying the lede and get to the point: Lost Session ‘06 is a solid record. There’s evidence of the crossover influence these folks helped pioneer, but less metallic with a touch of crust that was prevalent at the time. It’s sick that these songs have resurfaced. A well-crafted batch of tunes that should provide ample fuel for bandana thrash aficionados to grab their decks and shred to.
Four great labels have their collective hands on this, so out of the gates, this has some weight to it before the needle even drops. The DIAZ BROTHERS come out swinging with melody and graveled vocals that include introspective lyrics. Easy comparisons would be LEATHERFACE and HOT WATER MUSIC. However, the hooks and melody, the lyrics, and their delivery go further than comparison and branch out to a new style of sound that can mirror that past while creating a new freshness.
I don’t want to say you owe me one, but I listened to this so you don’t have to. EASY GOAT is a lounge jazz/post-punk group from Stasbourg, and this tape is fucking annoying. Opening track “I Want a Dyke for President” has falsetto singing like children attempting opera, laser gun sound effects, and a honking clarinet as backing to spoken word poetry about presidential candidates. It doesn’t come across as edgy or as fun as the band seems to think and is a tedious five minutes. There is a rousing disco beat and sequencer pattern on “White Cis Het Nightmare Song” that is immediately ruined by more sing-song falsetto. Did you ever want to hear “Money (That’s What I Want)” played with too much cowbell? Me neither, but it’s on here. Maybe (and it’s a big maybe), if you like the RESIDENTS or want to get out of an apartment lease really quickly, check this out. Everyone else, steer clear.
HARAM returns with Why Does Paradise Begin in Hell?, their first full-length in years, and it’s as devastating as expected. Rooted in hardcore punk but saturated with emotional and political urgency, the album blends Arabic and English lyrics to explore themes of displacement, faith, and fury. The New York band continues to redefine what hardcore can sound like—unapologetically personal and raw, with production that feels like a live explosion in a basement show. Toxic State presents the album beautifully: chaotic layout, bold visuals, and music that refuses silence. Essential modern hardcore.
Denmark’s JJ AND THE A’S don’t ape their inspirations. Instead, their well-digested influences are spewed forth as unique refreshments for the chronically bored. Sleek, synth-laden melodies create musical mood lighting, effortlessly hauling hunks of dramatic discontent via poetic lyrics. This twelve-track album’s playful cover art with a tapestry of doodles, amongst which the word “punk” is written four times, the word “psycho” is written no less than four times, and “RAMONES” is inexplicably featured once, is somewhat misleading, as the contents within don’t quite match its perceived whimsy. The songs have the inherent urgency of punk, the dexterous weight of deathrock, and the powerful brevity of hardcore at once, resulting in a formidably heavy trip. Regardless of your particular interests, it would be a feat to listen to this whole thing all the way through without being sucked into its magnetic distinction at least a little bit.
Ultra-abrasive split that’s over as quickly as it starts. On the A-side is Finland’s KÄRÄJÄT, who play punishing noise punk and whose longest song is 57 seconds (the shortest is 13 seconds). They have six songs on their side, a pretty impressive feat for a 7”. On the B-side, PUUKKOJUNKKARI from Brazil plays equally as caustic if not slightly more coherent hardcore on their five songs. Not gonna lie, this shit is wild, and while not entirely in my wheelhouse, I like it.
The second full-length from this Crazy 88s-masked duo out of Barakaldo, Spain comes in a tiny run of 25 red-shell cassettes on Nashville’s Knuckles on Stun. What’s inside is stripped-down, ’50s-rooted rock’n’roll delivered with lo-fi urgency and a surfy twang. The band quotes BILLY CHILDISH and LINK WRAY as inspirations, and I found the music to be playful and oddly wholesome—maybe they’re the spiritual descendents of HASIL ADKINS. Garage punk often revels in abrasion, but this feels like a different proposition: one more rooted in dancing, sweating, and smiling through the noise. Recommended for people who like to have a good time. Check out “Come On!”
With a moniker like MORTAR and a cover depicting two crows ravaging a dove, the listener is left with little doubt about this band’s intent: hammering the point home through heavy hardcore punk music. I have to admit I had not paid much attention to MORTAR before although Final Victim is already their second record, so I was curious to hear what they were on about. The band originally started as a one-man project by Jarek, a Polish punk living in London, formerly in MEINHOF and cult band GUERNICA Y LUNO. An instantly striking element of the LP is how downtuned and metallic it sounds, not unlike SKITSYSTEM or WOLFBRIGADE maybe, which confers a rather ominous vibe. It is a well-produced work highlighting the music’s heaviness and its old school groove. Contrary to the Swedish crust hardcore school which MORTAR certainly looks up to, the music is not all about the D-beat pace, as some songs use the classic binary death metal beat, and the distinctly English vocals are shouted in a punk way rather than growled in a metal one, which keeps it spiky. I think that it works well on the whole, it is a focused effort and you can tell they thought it over. I did enjoy listening to the album, but still think it misses that little extra something to make it really compelling.
Solid Americana-infused street punk. Reminds me of AGAINST ME! and BOMB THE MUSIC INDUSTRY! mixed with the BRIEFS and ABRASIVE WHEELS. Like the aforementioned BOMB THE MUSIC INDUSTRY!, NORCOS Y HORCHATA stretches past the typical punk tropes and introduces longer, more experimental hooks and bridges laced with synthesizers and cherubic gang vocals. As always, I’m partial to any band drenched in Midwestern references, which we see in songs like “Lake Ave. Traffic” and “Carbondale”—the latter being a nod to growing up in a robust DIY scene, longing to return to that moment at an older age, and finding an entirely different scene later in life (at least that’s what I gathered). Maybe I’m projecting! Lovely work here.
One of my favorite aspects of OK BUCKO was their lyricism, specifically in the track “Debt” with the line, “Getting older is just writing checks.” The A-side of the cassette was much stronger for me, as the other two tracks on the B-side didn’t have a super unique standing, but I really liked the variety that was on the A-side. The more experimental vocals with a groovy beat in “Bad Dreams Pt. 1” was a great transition into a slower, more shoegaze-esque atmosphere in “OTA.” Overall, these guys are a great solid rock band!
Upon receiving this album to review, I translated the title and “Bags for Garbage with Ears” was the result. So far, so good! Polish group PAZDZIERNIKOWY GRAD wastes no time and goes straight for it. Very straightforward, short, street-punk-esque “two-riff” tunes with some accordion thrown in for good measure. Most of the tracks are like this with some exceptions—”Pedofil” starts with ominous doomy chords just to unpredictably explode into blastbeats, going into grindcore-adjacent territory. Eighteen tracks in thirty minutes, would fit perfectly with a post-soccer match brawl.
After a small string of killer singles and EPs, Melbourne’s the PRIZE reward (sorry…) the masses with their debut full-length and, as expected, it rules. The PRIZE’s sound is both distinct and timeless, immediately calling to mind the power punk sounds of the late ’70s while also carving out their own lane half a century after the roots of their sound flourished in the underground. What’s interesting here is that the band is able to take a sort of formulaic approach to their songs that, on paper, might sound like it could get repetitive, but this crew knows their way around a guitar lick and a chorus so well that every track feels fresh. The verses tend to be filled with staccato-delivered, almost sung-spoken lyrics, but that allows the more sing-songy choruses to land that much harder, and the guitar melodies travel up and down the fretboard providing so much dynamism that an amazing balance is actually created in partnership with the vocal delivery. To boot, they trade off lead vocal duties, which adds yet another layer to peel back as you go through all ten songs. Anywhere the needle lands on this record should satisfy, but the early single “First Sight” is indeed a modern-day classic.
Four songs of revved-up, spastic, twangy, bratty punk from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Absolutely outstanding. Checking out Demo I and Demo II, there isn’t much of a departure on this third batch of songs, which is just fine by me. If it ain’t broke, right? There’s absolutely nothing that needs fixing with RUDIX. Sometime between the first demo and the third, the band added a member, becoming a three-piece band instead of a two-piece. The earlier recordings have bass on them as well, so I assume it’s mostly a live change, or perhaps to bring another cook into the kitchen for writing purposes. Give these four songs a chance if you have any amount of spare time. Seriously, the longest of the four songs clocks in at one minute and three seconds. Hell, you can listen to the entire recorded output by RUDIX in approximately sixteen minutes…and I highly recommend that you do just that.
DC post-hardcore band that sounds a lot like FUGAZI with more rock’n’roll swagger. On “Quiet, Please!,” vocalist Kamyar evokes the pained emotion of Guy Picciotto, complemented with a hooky guitar lead and locked-in bass/drums cadence. On the B-side, “Middleman” starts with a funky slap bass that builds into a full-band punk outburst. Here, the vocals take on a Guy-meets-Jello Biafra warble that adds an element of chaotic excitement to an already tight recording. Crisply produced record that is a nice mix of Revolution Summer and right now.
Young (and I would like to emphasize “young,” as the bass player is only twelve years old) Mancunian band out via First Strike Records (their first new band signing in thirty-three years), a mythic label that Alan Woods of Alan’s Records started in the ’90s. So what is the fuss all about? Their music is very honest, a hard quality to have in this day and age, and it fluctuates between the aggressiveness of hardcore from the catalog of Dischord or SST and the guitar-driven noise experimentation of shoegaze and no wave. Opener “Will I Ever Leave” paints a dreamlike sonic picture that takes a page from MY BLOODY VALENTINE with its distorted guitars layered over dreamy vocals, and second track “Change Me” starts with a scream that could easily be on any DYSTOPIA record. There’s a sense of reckless abandon in their sound, yet it’s clear that every chaotic moment is crafted with intention. SLUTCH is a band that’s impossible to ignore, and No Way Out paves the way for a bright future ahead!
A bit craftier than it appears at a glance, this THEE HEADSHRINKERS album isn’t just the latest round of BILLY CHILDISH-style beaters, but an overhead view of vintage guitar rock tradition through dark sunglasses. Boasting laidback garage grooves with an impeccable cool, these twelve solid songs turn their inherent simplicity into meditations of sophistication, often coming across like the musical lovechild of Mark E. Smith and Iggy Pop. Existing spiritually somewhere between the FUZZTONES and EDDY CURRENT SUPPRESSION RING, this stony stew would pair equally well with Saturday afternoon beers or Sunday morning espressos.
Raw, ripping hardcore from 1980s Polish straightedge punks. There’s an obvious MINOR THREAT influence to the songs on this resurrected demo, but that’s really just the jumping off point. UKRAINA takes a slightly more aggressive approach, with gruff vocals plastered across sharp riffs and full-throttle drumming. It’s easy to see why this band became an inspiration for many young punks across Eastern Europe, and Refuse has done a fantastic job contextualizing their impact by including a rad booklet with the group’s history.
Cleveland’s XANNY STARS are out with a new four-song EP, and it rules. Pop punk that is as saccharine as it is sour; happy, bouncy, melancholic, and dark. They’ve been at it since 2019, with two LPs and some singles in their wake, and this EP demonstrates a unified sound—I hope they’re just getting started. Opener “Green Sugar” exemplifies their self-description of “The Land’s most anxious band,” with the line “I want it / But I can’t have it / Cause when I have it / It becomes a habit” repeated throughout. Second track “Mega Convenient” has a fun music video to accompany it, with the band dressed as different acts you might see on a public broadcast channel, and is probably the most lighthearted of the group. Third up, “Here We Go Again” takes the cake for the catchiest, mixing a pop beat, killer drawn-out vocals, and a downcast energy that is perfect for any moody teen (or anyone who has been one). Ender “Symmetry” packs the biggest punch, with “You are so / Predictable” shouted on repeat until the song fades out. The production is clean, but not so polished as to remove all the grit. I think fans of RIBBON STAGE would really like this. Relieve your anxiety and buy this EP.
This is a pretty cut-and-dry affair—four songs from four Chicago bands pressed on a 45. Each of these groups offer statements of intent via eponymous songs, and they’re all solid, garage-inflected rock’n’roll endeavors. DOOMZDAY SLUTZ channel IRON MAIDEN through dual guitar leads chained to a sci-fi take on punk, while 96 COUGAR brings a wiry off-kilter energy to bar rock. Both WATERMELON and NIGHTFREAK are game as well, with fairly no-nonsense, high-energy and melodically solid punk. All in all, this is a great scene report from one of the United States’ most storied music cities on the map. Good stuff.
Chilean twosome ALAMBRE DE PUAS are the sonic equivalent of barbed wire scraping on your eardrums. Their fourth EP Qué Mierda Esperan de Mí? is a disgustingly aggressive punk opus filled with political frustration. ALAMBRE DE PÚAS stay true to their roots with fast, distorted guitar riffs, explosive drums, and the rawest vocals known to man, just like they have accustomed us. Lyrically, the album tackles themes of nihilistic disillusionment, resistance, and inner struggles, with tracks like “Cállate” and “Y Que Me Importa a Mi?” standing out as anthems of nihilism. Punk driven by frantic mid-tempo beats that repeat and repeat on top of buzzing, brain-stomping guitars. Overall, a declaration of individuality, proving ALAMBRE DE PÚAS remain a force in punk. The artwork by member vocalist/guitarist Wati Bakan has a life of its own and further adds to the sonic violence and gritty aura.
This one feels like (sounds like) a time machine dragging me back to pre-stadium-crust melodic, political D-beat bands from the turn of the century. ANOTHER FUCKING PROBLEM aren’t rehashing the past, though—check the middle of the title track to see (hear) a band using their own influences to influence a proven formula, and then hear them form brutal metallic breakdowns in “Never Knew Their Names” to know that they’re taking the listener out of a comfort zone. Blistering, bombastic hardcore with sinister femme vocals and a predilection for molding the sonic process to their own needs.
Murfreesboro, Tennessee solo garage punk project. This is the debut release from BARCODE, which consists of four tracks of impossibly lo-fi recording quality. This tape is really interesting and the project seems like it could be very cool, but the lack of any sort of production makes it difficult to digest. Certain frequencies come through so harshly, mostly on the canned drums, that it becomes a bit of a chore to focus on and decipher, and I’m someone who loves when recordings are endearingly shitty. According to the label, all the tracks used on the four-track recording for this demo were recorded as voice memos on a phone. Perhaps that begins to explain why I have listened to it four times already and still can’t fully wrap my head around what I’m listening to. That isn’t to say that the songs are bad. Far from it, actually! The songwriting is pretty interesting, garage punk with drum machine dance beats and egg-punk chorus pedal twangy guitars. The vocals are delivered bizarrely lackadaisically, again perhaps due in part to the recording method. All in all it sounds like an egg-punk lo-lo-lo-fi bedroom pop project. I can’t wait for the recording setup to be upgraded in the slightest amount so that I can fully tell what BARCODE sounds like.
This is an unearthed and smartly-packaged demo from a late ’90s Polish hardcore band. There is a late ’70s crunch to these tracks that don’t necessarily fit in line with what we typically think of ’80s hardcore (at least in the States). But this is a cool document, a snapshot of a regional scene I frankly knew little about. The remastering is well-done, giving a nice saturated sound throughout that elevates what’s there for a more contemporary-leaning ear. Nothing here is going to blow you away, but I’m always going to be excited by archival work like this. I’m grateful for a living punk history, a stream of time you can cup your hands into and drink deeply wherein every band holds a level of importance. No matter how small or underrated, so many bands were there laying it all down. That matters.
This is a great hardcore record. Hailing from the same Cleveland minds behind PERVERTS AGAIN and KNOWSO, CRUELSTER delivers straight-ahead ’80s Midwest-style hardcore with 4/4 rhythms and shouted vocals. The band is so tight, playing precise power chord punk like the best of them, classic and simple as the RAMONES but somehow completely distinct in attitude. CRUELSTER is also fun and has hooks for days. There are numerous sound clips amongst the blasts that never get old, and even some melodic gang vocal choruses that are as catchy as pop punk without being cloying. As weird as it sounds, tracks like “Jerks” and “Now I’m Terrestrial” give pub-chorus POGUES vibes, while still retaining full-tilt hardcore aggression. Check this out and leave it on repeat for weeks.
If 2025 feels oppressively bleak and hope seems like a distant illusion, at least we have The Will Never Die. There have been a few iterations of this collection of singles, splits, and comp tracks tracing back to the late ‘90s, but La Vida Es Un Mus has assembled the definitive version here, gracing us with 40 cuts of crucial Burning Spirits hardcore across two LPs. Thoughtfully packaged in a gatefold sleeve and including a twelve-page booklet chock-full of band pics and fliers, this is like a (wasted) dream come true for pretentious non-collectors who want to jam some of the most blazing hardcore to ever be committed to wax without having to pay out the ass for rare records from Japan. For those uninitiated, DEATH SIDE is arguably the quintessential Burning Spirits hardcore band, with their debut EP Satisfy the Instinct serving as the genre’s seminal release. Infusing Japanese punk with NWOBHM guitar leads and accelerated tempos, the resulting sound is the embodiment of impassioned anger and self-empowerment. To call this epic would be a massive understatement. Mandatory punk shit here.
Two bands, two attitudes—this split comes out swinging. From France, SKIZOPHRENIA delivers snarling, crunchy hardcore with just enough melody to stick in your head but not soften the blow, though the vocals may sound annoying for some. “Needless” and “Stereotype” hit with laser-focus. On the flip, DELETÄR goes sharper and meaner: “La Balance et le Glaive” slices tension, “Funambule” barks with menace. The vinyl package (silkscreened sleeve, limited color press on red only available at live gigs) is DIY venom in physical form.
Third LP from Melbourne/Naarm-based DRAGNET. Sticking with their self-referential album titling (2019’s All Rise For Dragnet, 2023’s The Accession), we are presented with Dragnet Reigns! This six-piece fills every sonic space with peanut-butter-smooth bass, frantic yet precise drums, and gangly guitar riffs often as call-and-response with a jittery, eardrum-stabbing synth, all under the hypnosis of Jack Cherry’s (VINTAGE CROP) vocal conducting. Did I mention sax? Yeah, that’s in there too. All very of-the-moment Melbourne. This album marks a change-up, with Kailey Dick and Lisa Rashleigh (DELIVERY, SOURSOB) taking over for Meaghan Weiley and Alicia Nolan. Along with Tom Wooddruff (GONZO), this group is certainly filled out with heavy-hitters from (perhaps) Australia’s most prolific city. While they mostly deliver beat-driven, structured songs, I really enjoy the theme-divergent “Heroic Dose” that has single notes/beats/trills played by each instrument, one by one, under spoken word manifesto-poetry. Give this one a rip.
When I get assigned a release on Phobia Records, I always get ready for some heavy, dark, punishing, pummeling musical bollocking, and it is more often than not a pleasant, if exhausting, experience that I love to repeat. And let’s not beat around the bush here: Sweden’s FILTH-KIN is crust as fuck. On the one hand, they do play gruff, heavy old school crust that abides by the sacred guidelines, but on the other, they are also different in that they include a dirty, organic-sounding, almost psychedelic stoner influence to their cavemen music. The band is made up of members of WARCOLLAPSE, a long-running, well-established crust band that was always openly into weed and wrote some longer songs suiting that hobby. I suppose FILTH-KIN is a project meant to illustrate perfectly the basis of “stoner crust” (or perhaps “crust for stoners”) if it were a genre. As mentioned, the band uses a lot of WARCOLLAPSE’s old tricks (to my delight), but it sounds dirtier and I am also reminded of more groovy metallic bands like DEPRESSOR, DAZD, or ALEHAMMER. And for your discomfort, FILTH-KIN also adds weird interludes to create an atmosphere of unease and dementia and basically makes you feel like that weed might be too strong after all. Heavy, primitive, dark, rocking cavecrust with a penchant for the herb. I’m into it.
I’m very pleased with this GRIMLY PLEASED four-song banger. This is sing-along-able, bouncy, simple, not changing any minds or breaking down any doors, and doing it all perfectly and loosely. This has elements of SICKO, the FEELIES, and the BANANAS while still retaining a sound of their own. Now I really want to go and check out everything I’ve missed from them.
The first four tracks from Brisbane’s KNEE. Gnarly and dark-edged, this is tough, mid-paced garage punk that infuses the spirits of the MISFITS with the stoner metal stomp of ZIG-ZAGS for a smooth, ripping ride. Definitely crank it.
Very cool stuff here. Imagine SUPERCHUNK and DINOSAUR JR. energy with David Johansen at the helm—fuzzy punk with a snotty vocalist. The album is laid out well and ebbs and flows between high-energy anthems and low-key ballads. Speaking of production, this sounds like it was unearthed from the ’70s, and I mean that in the best way possible. Everything is leveled-out perfectly and is clean as can be. Distortion is crisp and natural, paired strongly with a tight rhythm section. Solid work, JETS.
I confess that I have very few reference points here—the MANKY MELTERS self-describe as “Celtic folk-punk,” and that seems about as good a summation as I could offer for these French rockers. I hear WORLD/INFERNO FRIENDSHIP SOCIETY, but that might be the violin and the vocals as much as the songs themselves…file this under “not my thing,” but I’ll be fukkd if I don’t find myself humming these tunes (especially “Dirty Drunk”) more than I ever would have expected. There are a couple of country/rock tracks (“Heat of the Moment,” in particular) that offer a welcome respite; fans of accordions and anthems will rejoice here. Every song sounds like a protest, and I can get behind that shit.
If you like furious, absolute rage-fueled hardcore, then you’ve got to check out NEYPA from Greece. Even the instrumental opener of their self-titled cassette sounds pissed-off. This three-piece tears through eight songs with the virtuosity of warriors and an impossibly dense delivery. Warp-speed guitars, intriguing breakdowns, and intense vocals make NEYPA a true hardcore unit. The song “ΦΩΤΙΑ ΣΤΑ ΣΑΛΟΝΙΑ ΣΑΣ” goes crazy and has a cool doom-inspired riff in the middle—seriously, just go check NEYPA out.
