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Reissue of Austrian hardcore from 1983. Fast songs, rigid tempos, three-chord thrash. Using Google translations of the titles, I can ascertain that one song is about “Friday Night” and the others are some leaden political sloganeering about human rights and a “miscarriage of justice,” and from the record title, they certainly do not like new wave. File under: Standard-Issue International ’80s Hardcore.
Hailing from New Bedford MA, DRAGGED is new to me, although I knew the name sounded familiar (they played a gig with CONSERVATIVE MILITARY IMAGE a bit back). From the sound of the opening “blergh!,” I was expecting a WARTHOG or maybe POISON IDEA-style hardcore punk, and while those influences are definitely there, the overall vibe reminds me more of NEGATIVE APPROACH, especially in the vocal department. All of these songs kick ass, but my favorite is “Tough Look.” Its mid-tempo metal chug goes well with the mean vocals and breaks the proceedings up nicely, giving you a moment to bang your head before the remainder of the tape bangs you in the head. Check it out!
Oof—this is a good one. Super-pissed, lead-heavy hardcore from Mexico City that mixes elements of crust, D-beat, Japanese hardcore, and even a little crossover in some of the drum patterns. Imagine H.H.H., GAUZE, maybe a sprinkle of HIS HERO IS GONE. It all adds up to a short, nasty treat that is perfectly accentuated by the throat-shredding shrieks of vocalist Diana. The first two tracks have pounding, mid-tempo, rolling drums and distorted bass that give them a crusty feel, while “Tormenta” speeds with D-beats and double-kicks. The effect is like a punch right in the middle of the chest—it knocks you back and takes your breath. I wish I had the Spanish-language lyrics to translate, and I also wish this EP were longer. Check it out.
I like this cassette a lot—bass-driven, noisy, chaotic, raw punk sung in Spanish that makes me want to pogo, two-step, and otherwise act a fool. Only two songs on this ten-song cassette clock in at over two minutes, so you know ESTORBO isn’t messing about. Sonically tight, ESTORBO rages and smashes through songs with intricately crafted instrumental sections all played with just enough slop to give the feeling that it was recorded live. “En la Cruce” is one of the slower-paced songs; the chugging guitars, crashing cymbals, and stomping bass connect my primordial mind to my body and get me moving almost immediately.
Spot, Sparky, Cookie, and Blitz—members of BAD NOIDS, BROWN SUGAR, and WOODSTOCK ’99 and current Cleveland weirdos—drop their debut LP on Feel It. Nine tracks of gremlin-y hardcore bound to induce the zoomies in all you puppers and doggos. Sounds like a mix of ’80s hard rock, the STALIN, and a survey of USHC from ’81–’95. Closing track “In the Abyss of the Eclipse” even has a bit of a dum-dum “Third Stone From the Sun” vibe because, well, why wouldn’t it? Real good stuff! Best of all, you get to see this gorgeous watercolor cover art and the lyrics lovingly rendered on a gatefold sleeve so you have no trouble reading along with tracks like “Buttcrack Man” and “Jacken It”!
This is a no-brainer. Unless you think punk began with RANCID, you’ve most likely bobbed your head to “Muff Diving” or “Amerika First” at some point. The GIZMOS were Bloomington’s first punk band, and darlings of record nerds (Graham Booth, where are you?) for a minute. If you’re a newbie to the GIZMOS’ magic, it’s a charming mish-mash of lo-fi bedroom (literally) STOOGES-style scuzz (such as “Kiss the Rat”) to MODERN LOVERS folksy fun (such as “Regular Dude”). It’s all of this and ’60s garage rock molded with delightful Midwest dumb joke humor. There’ve been many versions of this band with various members over the years, but this is the real deal original here. You even get three unreleased bonus tracks, so what are you waiting for? Buy or lie about being cool.
EP II begins with a riff practically lifted from RUDIMENTARY PENI’s “Inside,” and continues in that vein from there. There’s Blinko and company’s stompy beats, buzzsaw guitar, and drums sounding like they’re played inside a cavernous warehouse. The tape occasionally deviates from that formula—”Confine” speeds up to a rollicking D-beat. But for the most part, they’re playing at the pace of pogo. I feel like I’ve heard all these songs before, which I mean in the best possible way.
’80s hardcore is back! But was it ever gone? While this is HAMMERED HULLS’ debut LP, coming after their 2019 self-titled 7″, they are by no means a novice act. The foursome of Mark Cisneros (CHAIN AND THE GANG) on guitar, Mary Timony (AUTOCLAVE, HELIUM, EX HEX) on bass, Chris Wilson (TED LEO / PHARMACISTS) on drums, and Alec MacKaye (IGNITION, UNTOUCHABLES) on vocals (and yes, younger brother of Ian MacKaye) have all contributed to many more bands than mentioned, and are all legends, still at large. HAMMERED HULLS p(l)ays homage to its ’80s DC hardcore roots, vis-à-vis MINOR THREAT, FUGAZI, RITES OF SPRING (the lyrics here bring them to mind), BAD BRAINS—you name it—yet their sound strives purposefully into the present. Or is it Careening its way to us? Too pissed and sad to run, too driven to ever stop. The guitar riffs are clever, fast, and range from off-tempo jabs to steady chugging; the bass steamrolls through each track and then links up with the guitar line for techy transitions; drums slam and berate, then back off at the crescendo, rolling with the bass as Alec picks it all up again with spoken, sung, and screamed lyrics. This whole album rules, but “Abstract City” and “Written Word” are at the top of the heap, for me. Careening is already sold out on their Bandcamp page, so check your local shop. Do. Not. Miss.
Is HEAVY METAL heavy metal? Nope, but that’s old news. They’re not really punk either, except that they totally are. I don’t even want to ruin the breadth of surprises on this 2xLP vinyl pressing by describing the tracks. Spurts of perfect lo-fi garage punk meld into and stomp through dance pop, experimental electronic, post-punk, shambling C86 pop, and hip hop, all peppered with found-sound non-sequiturs. It shouldn’t work, but it flows so well, like a mixtape from a cultured and weird friend who gets to everything just a little sooner than you do. I was sold from the first ten seconds of the funky, BS2000-style drum break of opener “Savagely Beaten by Funk” and rewarded for the next hour. HEAVY METAL throws all popular music and sick modern culture into a blender, and we are fortunate to drink from its nectar. Get into it—Total Punk is only doing one pressing.
A hardcore band based in Bremen, Germany with international membership (even the recording, mixing, and mastering each happened on a different continent). This eleven-song LP contains the re-recorded tracks from their demo tape, blending finely with new ones. The record starts with distorted, chunky bass, followed by the eruption of the whole band’s energy, and even when they slow down later to mid-tempo—which happens occasionally—the tension is not lost for a second. The cover art refers to WRETCHED’s La Tua Morte Non Aspetta, though both their sound and songwriting differs from their Italian predecessors. The promo mentions crasher crust, but based on what that means to me, INFERNO PERSONALE also differs, since each and every riff is clearly distinguishable and the cymbals are not piercing into my ears like shards of a nailbomb. They never fall apart and still continue, scattered all over the place. Yet the record has a pumping power that is rare and precious, and could remind one of D-CLONE or GLOOM, but this atmosphere and energy covers more structured and less destructive songwriting. Urgency is replaced by restlessness; feedback and chaos are present on the record, but the latter is due to the well-balanced mixing and dense playing. Free from references, In Ira Veritas is a killer hardcore record that channels the devotion and fandom for the subculture, yet remains distinct from most of their contemporaries. It’s a thoughtful, well-built record, although it is not as savage as it might try to be. The band keeps everything under control the whole time. But when has being creative and talented become second to being primitive and chaotic? Still, this record can grab and shake you, and it gets better with each listen, especially when it sucks you into its whirlpool of crushing riffs. I prefer their fast songs, but their stompers surprise me with their power as well. Great record, highly recommended.
Saskatoon—actually a Cree word for a specific purple berry—is located right in the middle of Canada, and is apparently graced with a rather inclement climate that would make Warsaw feel like a Dominican resort (minus the obnoxious first-world tourists, though). D-beat fanatics KRASH are from this icy place. I was not familiar with this three-piece before being assigned this review, and I have to say they suit my exquisite tastes: intentionally unoriginal, pure D-beat raw punk orthodoxy for studded punks who dream of being able to wear a gas mask at work without being frowned upon. Given the style’s fundamentals, I cannot find any real flaw to this 2020 recording, the third in their oeuvre. The raw production highlights the primitive power of the songs, the singer has the perfect gruff tone and scansion, and the uncreative structural template of the raw early D-beat tradition is respected to a T (well, a D). KRASH is a very convincing example of this busy genre. They know exactly what to do and how to do it, and beside the canonical fast D-beat punk, there are a couple of ideal mid-paced, early DISCHARGE bouncers to freshen things up, too. With ten songs in eighteen minutes, Devastation feels more like a proper album, so it might sound a little redundant for those of us not addicted to the mighty D, but it will delight those who crave that shit and cannot get enough of “Warsystem” covers (covering SHITLICKERS is a rite of passage for any self-respecting D-beat band). Not unlike DISCHANGE, DISCARD, and the classic Saskatoon dis-band DECONTROL, if you need comparisons. Top-shelf.
Highly efficient punky sludge riff salad from a London two-piece who, in neither case, are themselves named Lee Patterson. Burning Sun follows a previous cassette and a split 7” with suburban garage weirdos BUSINESS DUDES, and has an apparent “disaster movie” style theme across its four songs which you can basically take or leave. There’s a healthy level of bottom end for a release with no one playing bass on it, guitarist Adam Martin compensating with HELMET-esque crunch, while the title song touches first on late ’90s stoner/doom in its tunings, then Bleach-era NIRVANA.
After four-ish years, MASTERMIND has decided to call it a day, but not before leaving us with The Masters’ Orders, a love letter to hardcore with nods to NYHC, UKHC, and crossover. MASTERMIND comes from the same school as contemporaries BIG CHEESE and T.S. WARSPITE: gruff, throaty vocals and heavy riffs that bring to mind legends JUDGE and SHEER TERROR. Opener “Collateral Damage” is like a sampler platter of the rest of the album: pummeling double kicks, rubbery bass leads, searing guitar solos, and a menacing vocal delivery that is perfectly over-the-top. MASTERMIND has a lot of gnarly stuff happening, but their ability to change tempo and style will leave your head spinning. The breakdown on “Patience” slows to a zombie-paced sludge before being resurrected by a drum and guitar solo, while “Haunt” starts with a funky little bass line playing along to a toe-tapping beat before hurtling into a mid-tempo chug that changes speed and direction enough times for me to lose count. The overall effect is a little like being on a rollercoaster; it’s jerky and unexpected at times, but always exciting and always a good time. The hardcore scene is losing a real one with MASTERMIND, you’d be wise to catch ‘em if you can!
Stench death metal from Velký Osek, Czech Republic, achieving infernal inferno guitars and sludge cadences with notable grindcore nods, and a sick, steady, deadly voice that gives ritualistic feels that sometimes double to deliver possessed, high-pitched screams filled with pain. Devilish death metal nature. Recommended tracks: “Vse Zive” and “Dorakví” for a slow, steady walk to the tomb, taking up speed for some parts in order to run from the demons. Get ready to mosh with skeletons.
Excellent neo-crust with an immediate TRAGEDY vibe, and although this style of bleak D-beat crust has been emulated for a couple decades now, NERVY really stands out with a stoic groove. I was really into MÖRKHIMMEL when I first heard them, and I’m picking up that intensity here. The production quality is spot-on: heavy and gritty at all the right levels. Vocals smolder and rattle with over-distortion at times, and the rhythm section is punctuated. Leads are set back, as they can kind of screech like a cat with some bands that play in this style. For the cliché I mentioned at the start of this review, NERVY lays it on thicker than most. The crucial plodding that travels through the entire LP is that real shit, in Czech—I will add, in that NIGHTFELL vein. Recommended if you need that warm crust glow in your shit mood.
I have recently read that, and I quote, “unforgettable 2000s fashion trends are making a comeback,’’ which got me excited instantly, not just because it would remind me of a time when I still had all my hair, but also because ’00s DIY hardcore punk was really formative for me and I could not wait to see current pop stars rocking BEHIND ENEMY LINES or KONTROVERS shirts and talking about vivisection between songs. Of course, I was wrong, as I usually am about such things, and what people generally mean with the ’00s has more to do with BRITNEY SPEARS and thongs, but OPEN VEINS did somehow alleviate this harsh disillusion. Now, this is an album that takes me back. Not that it is a reissue, it is a brand new recording, but OPEN VEINS sounds just like a US crust band from the ’00s (it does have former members of PONTIUS PILATE or DOOMSDAY HOUR) with their female-fronted, hard-hitting epic political crust punk attack with some crunchy metallic parts thrown in. In terms of songwriting, you find transitions and a diversity of structures reminiscent of that decade, and even the direct production—free from our epoch’s overbearing reliance on effects-based tricks and textures—would not sound out of place on a Profane Existence or Skuld Releases compilation. I am reminded of US bands like PROVOKED, SCORNED, and APPALACHIAN TERROR UNIT, or European ones like DETRITUS or PCP. You can tell that the band’s music is sincere even if some songs do not work perfectly to my ears. The vocalist’s hoarse, intensely angry style is impressive, and you can tell she is pissed-off—which we all should be—and it is without a doubt one of OPEN VEINS’ strongest points. This first album for the band was released on Chain Reaction, a label run by CLUSTERFUX punks.
If you were to distill the essences of the CIRCLE JERKS and DEAD KENNEDYS into a cocktail, I would drink of it heartily, and L.A.’s PERSONAL DAMAGE is the closest I’ve come to tasting such a concoction. Playing fun and catchy mid-tempo punkers, this combination ends up sounding like something akin to classic FEEDERZ, and I mean it in the best way possible when I say this cassette bumps on by like something I’ve played a million times. They even close out the tape with a cheeky cover (“Stepping Razor” by PETER TOSH), a signature move of both of those aforementioned perceived influences. This was a great little introduction to the band, and I’m hoping that next time they serve up a double.
The three women of Budapest’s PLETYKA are all in their thirties, and for two of them, it’s apparently the first band they’ve ever played in—as a thirty-something female punk who followed a very similar timeline and path to finally making music myself, I’m instinctively drawn to fellow late bloomers, and this demo is totally inspiring. When you have a delayed start, it can be so easy to feel like you’ll forever be left behind while struggling to catch up with those around you who weren’t as disadvantaged by time, but the flip side of that coin is that it typically offers one more time to develop a focused creative vision, and the disconnect between experience/ability and intention almost always yields far more interesting and engaging results than technically skilled replication ever will. PLETYKA’s sparse, hypnagogic post-punk echoes the great (and seemingly already forgotten) mid-2010s UK micro-scene of bands like EDIBLE ARRANGEMENTS, ALISON’S BIRTHDAY, and MEN OH PAUSE, with spectral chants (in Hungarian), brittle drums, cavernous bass, and layers of quavering synth buzz to plumb the deepest recesses of your subconscious. And a WIRE cover?! So dreamy. Yes, the rhythms are shaky and halting at points, but those imperfections and lack of polish are exactly what give the songs their glow—it’s an honesty that can’t be faked.
Can Lemmy really die when bands like POLUTE are banging it out like this? Four blistering tracks of Motörpunk from Australia, roaring along smelling of black leather and motor oil. Drummer/vocalist Ben Portnoy’s singing style is very Oi!, which puts the band’s sound more on the punk side. If their Bandcamp is to be believed, they wrote the demo in one jam session and recorded it in three hours. But there’s nothing sloppy or thrown together here, it’s just straightforward, fast, raw rock’n’roll.
Perth punks Alec Thomas and Matt Rodrigues team up to bring you this new recording project. Alec you may know from acts like GHOULIES or KITCHEN. Not sure what you’d know Matt from, nor is it clear who handles what across this five-song EP. In any case, they’ve made a pretty cool record! QINQS play a mix of the same brand of garage-y, ping-pongy, smart-guy post-punk that the URANIUM CLUB peddled and just straightforward COUNTRY TEASERS-core. That is, some of their songs fall into the former category (“Edgar Allen Poe,” probably my favorite track on the record), and some fall in the latter (“The Great White Wonder” and “Roadkill”). I guess the closing track “S.L.O.B.” is somewhere in the middle…or more in, like, INSTITUTE territory, and “(IM) in Hell” is a bit of outlier altogether (I’m having trouble putting my finger on what it reminds me of, but it’s somewhere in the arena of, like, the A FRAMES’ mechanical monotone and some sort of sing-songy sci-fi—this one really didn’t gel with me). Anyway, they maybe lack the wry wit or inimitable creativity of Ben Wallers—though, they certainly give it a go—but it’s really impressive how well they’ve otherwise emulated the COUNTRY TEASERS’ sound. I wish more bands would do that.
“Egg” is hard to wash off, apparently. A meme turned flesh like Videodrome, thrown into the goofy blender that was essentially codified and perfected by its originators, yet still somehow refuses to be fully assimilated into a more generalized sound. I only spend so much time on the term because this Polish duo uses it in part to describe themselves, throwing the word “dark” in there for good measure although I can’t piece together why. These songs are stripped down to the point of monotony, which could strike a nerve in an interesting way (let’s never forget Mark E. Smith’s credo of “repetition, repetition, repetition”) if the music weren’t so sexless. This is ABABAB-structured coldwave that all sounds like it was recorded DI so that nothing really has depth or character. The vocals have a garbled telephone effect, like a rogue AI wants you to wire crypto or your loved ones will “get it.” If that all sounds appealing, and I’m sure it does to some, go all in. For me, the music just holds me at arm’s length, never letting me regard it as more than a curiosity. Let’s face it, no one likes eggs when they’re cold or old. Can we move on now?
I have adored SNOOPER since I first laid ears on them several years ago. Do you remember that “egg-punk vs. chain punk” meme that was big back in 2018? If you’ve ever had a hard time distinguishing between the two, I’ll make it easy for you. SNOOPER is the quintessential egg-punk band, and they do it better than anyone else today. You see, while SNOOPER might draw comparisons to bands like DEVO or TOY DOLLS, they’re something completely different. They are their own influence. Town Topic continues their trend of fast-paced, new wave jazz-punk. Quick little jaunts about the simple things in life, for better or for worse. SNOOPER’s guitar tone is what hooks me in the most. Clean, punchy, and swift; a styling all their own. Fantastic band who will most certainly do huge things in the years to come. Better hop on this train now!
Forty-five seconds in and I’m fucking digging this thing. It’s mid-tempo and melodic and just catchy as all hell. The guitar, bass, and drums are in perfect harmony. Even if I felt like stopping my head from bouncing, it just wouldn’t be possible. I give into my urges and I bounce my head. It reminds me of bands like the POPPETS and the WHITE STRIPES, without sounding much like either of them. Even when it gets heavy and methodical, it remains upbeat. It’s pop. It’s punk. It’s not pop punk. And not all songs make your head bounce, some make it shake from side to side, like you’re some kind of a tough guy or smartypants. This will get a lot of play on my devices.
Reissue 7” of this achingly obscure Hamburg mod/power pop group, whose original output was limited to a single four-song cassette of only twenty copies before the band broke up in record label limbo. Looked like the Hamburg BEATLES, kinda sounded like the JAM, but also hedged their bets with a few tunes of watery guitar like the CURE. I wouldn’t say it’s the Lost Ark of Power Pop, but if you need new tunes to listen to on your mirrored-up Vespa, one of these four songs will provide some filler for your mixtape.
Formed by veterans of the darkest Spanish punk and post-punk scenes, ÚLTIMO TEMPLO’s debut is of a remarkable blackness. A very particular voice delivers dense and catchy melodies that give a touch of expressionism to each song. This band has an original and powerful sound, with lyrics of powerful imagery that invite you to be part of a private occult ceremony. Brilliant and mystical.
New heat from London—this is VIOLIN, a creative vehicle for one Lindsay Corstorphine. All instrumental and vocal contributions are carried out by Corstorphine, with the exception of the drums, handled by the outstanding talent of Jonah Falco of FUCKED UP. This self-titled debut release bludgeons the brain with righteous indignation, firing on all cylinders with unhinged, aggressive hardcore punk. Highlights include the slower-paced stomp of “Chaos at the Seance” and the cacophonous, synth-textured “Empty Mind”. This one is an all-out rager—recommended!
Whether you are a fan of “hardcore” or not (‘cause you Yanks are such morons that you’ve divided your punk and HxC scenes), one cannot deny the importance of Triple B Records as a label, having put out absolute powerhouse records such as the first couple of releases from FURY, the DIVISION OF MIND self-titled album, releases from FREEDOM, the FIGHT, SHRAPNEL, the RIVAL MOB and lastly, one of my top 50 favourite hardcore records of all time, THREE KNEE DEEP’s Wrong World EP. With an immensely outstanding catalogue, no one can say they haven’t been crucial in getting HxC to the masses. Despite this, I feel that the label has taken on far too many bands in more recent years, and in my humble opinion, could do with much stronger quality control regarding some of the bands they sign. With WARFARE, label head Sam’s band, I can thankfully say they aren’t one of the weaker releases, but this LP is certainly not one of Triple B’s stronger releases. As is the same with many hardcore or punk releases, they aren’t bad songs on the LP, they just don’t stand out. The band still shows significant potential regarding future releases, and I can tell they could have something great waiting to get out there, but that wasn’t reflected so much on this LP.
The description is pretty much the same as the review: four killer hardcore punk EPs on one 12” record. Please don’t let that dissuade you, dear reader, because these are four killer hardcore punk EPs on one 12” record, and you’re going to need all of them in your earholes. ZYFILIS is bombastic and completely without nuance—harsh shouted vocals dominating the white-noise guitars. NONPLUS hits like ’90s Swedish D-beat with in-your-face femme vocals (even better than the demo tracks, in my humble opinion). JUNTA is wild, swinging D-beat, and then the second track is like moshing through molasses and I’m hopelessly stuck. And then, just when you think you survived, Sweden’s HAG rips through four hyper-speed modern hardcore stomps. The format rules, the content is mandatory.
ABSOLUTE ORDER? brings quick, tight, pogo-able punk to any party with the Arrrgh EP. Five songs (four originals and a cover), bashing and chugging their way in a UK82 style. There is something here that is very different from what most people would expect from something described as UK82, though. There’s an element of play in ABSOLUTE ORDER? that is less hardcore and more like something the TOY DOLLS might deliver, a sort of humorous outlook on the dark lyrics. The song “Blink of an Eye” is perhaps the darkest of the bunch, with lyrics critiquing our collective misuse of Mother Earth, but then ABSOLUTE ORDER? heads right into a blasphemous cover of “Barbara Ann” that is definitely meant for fun. Overall, an enjoyable spin.
Pissed-off, grimy, high-energy punk rock with some rock’n’roll guitar leads sprinkled in for good measure. Did I mention pissed-off?
Second full-length from Portland’s BOTHERS. Very interesting record, as it tends to meld certain punk styles that typically contrast. While a majority of the record has an early HOT WATER MUSIC/LEATHERFACE vibe, you can also hear a little bit of LAUGHING HYENAS-era John Brannon in the vocals. Songs swap between brutal, straightforward power chords to soaring harmonies. Catchy as all hell at parts. The bass is the unsung hero of this album, putting in work throughout. I wish it was a little louder in the mix so it could act as a stronger driver. For fans of No Idea Records and other melodic hardcore from the ’90s.
Like many of my favorite HC/punk bands, BUTCHER’S LAUGH is tuneful under all the noise. Sure, the guitars are abrasive and the drums rarely move beyond a pogo march, but the songs have a little ’77 or early ’80s hardcore catchiness. The band isn’t just throwing one over the other; the harmony and dissonance work together. The tape ends with an air raid siren wailing over the fading feedback. I’ve heard this move countless times, but it sounds a little less ironic in 2023.
Skate punk veterans from the late ’90s get back together again, and, well, do a new record. CIGAR was always noteworthy for the incredible speed and precision of their drumming, and sort of melded PENNYWISE and the SATANIC SURFERS with lots of RUSH-esque chops and changes and stops and starts. I mean, why use three chords when you can use thirteen instead!? For those looking for some straight-ahead LAGWAGON, you’ll be disappointed. But if you fancy BAD RELIGION doing some math rock, you’ll be in veritable heaven, all driven by a drummer who makes early NAPALM DEATH sound positively laid-back.
Tom Greenhouse took on this alias to make glorious tumble-down post-punk garage all by himself, then got a bunch of band members to make an album that pretty much kept the same sound (that’s good!), and, excepting some saxophone and backing vox, has done everything you hear on Sod’s Toastie on his own again. What does it all mean? For us the grateful listener, very little. The COOL GREENHOUSE’s patented talking blues spin on the FALL and the MODERN LOVERS is still prevalent, though the swerve into Flying Nun-style fuzzed jangle on “I Lost My Head” feels new for this project, likewise the frequent bursts of rickety Afro-funk organ. Tom’s lyrical targets are righteous if not always revelatory—Jordan Peterson, Steve Jobs, finance market shitheads—and, with songs like “Hard Rock Potato” and “Get Deluded,” attached to some real joyful dirges, if that’s not an oxymoron. Heck, I can imagine the first of those being a floor-filler at the sort of decades-gone indie discos that played the SULTANS OF PING. Delightful music made with a legit DIY mentality that improves my life when I listen to it.
Where the fukk did this come from!?! From the opening blast, DC’s CORVO absolutely obliterates six manic, fast hardcore tracks, dropping in mind-bending riffs just when you start to get comfortable. Each track keeps you guessing, even though they never stray too far off the path—guitar solos that jump out from behind a corner, breakdowns when you least expect them, marble-mouthed Spanish-language vocals that struggle to keep up with riffs that are just….just…well, there are a lot of wild riffs. This was my first exposure to CORVO and I loved all ten minutes of it
COUNTER CONTROL from Indiana offers up this cassette as their second release. Blisteringly fast and airtight instrumentals over a delightfully unhinged vocal delivery, all encompassed in quite rough and abrasive production (exactly as it should be). All the tunes here are great, but the closing track “Counter Control” is by far the standout with its dissonant riffage and several tempo shifts and even some youthful gang shouts thrown in for good measure. A jolly good time and worth your while!
The Portland scene continues to churn out some of the best and most unique hardcore/D-beat. Case in point: DESTRIPADOS (“gutted”), a four-piece consisting of members from Peru and Columbia who have created a masterfully blistering, ear-bleeding record of hell on earth. A few of the songs are delivered in Spanish, and each one tears the world apart layer by layer. Throughout each track, the band’s delivery and sordid energy is punishing and does not leave a second to waste. Some CRUCIFIX and VARUKERS meets TOTALITÄR, with lots of songs ending with a persistent and desperate falling shriek. DESTRIPADOS do not slouch on a single track throughout the Lenguas Venenosas LP, with “Eat N Shut Up,” “Deadly Pathogen,” and the album’s title track being prime examples. I really, really dig this record. Please come and play in my hometown.
This split presents a battle between Canadian bands. Vancouver’s PHANE delivers six tracks of their own charged hardcore punk inspired and fueled by GBH and the like—punk militia drums, thrashy guitars with tasty riffs, and fast soloing. A deep, ranting voice leads with resemblances of UK82-style anthemic performance, but adding modern nods in the guttural delivery. A good discovery; well-executed, fast punk rock. Suggested tracks: “Musorá” and “No Need to Breathe” for classic street punk rhythm and solid bass lines. FRACTURED, a trio from Montreal, brings five tracks displaying a D-beat/UK82-infused sound heavily influenced by crusty hardcore punk. Good riffing fast guitars and thrashy ’80s metal female vocals mixed with classic hardcore punk drum cadences, reminding me in some songs of Canibalina’s screams in her band ABYECTA. Suggested track: “Full Speed Ahead.” PHANE would win this pairing.
Straight outta rockin’ Olympia, we get this collection of the first four demos (hence the title, get it?) of this synthy, catchy pogo party band that’s forever going to suffer the SPITS comparison. I tried to find some live footage or something to give them a personality of their own as they definitely deserve it. They’re like a nicer SPITS that you’d take to your mom’s house, and with all the same influences like the NUBS, DEVO, RAMONES, etc. (but maybe if they’d never listened to GG). It’s really a great tape and very much worthy of your time, though. Hope they make it to NYC someday. Good work.
This Minneapolis act featuring folks from the BLIND SHAKE and the SOVIETTES is once again teaming up with Feel It, bringing you their third release of 2022! And it’s a bit of a tonal shift from their prior two LPs. Where those records borrowed heavily from new wave, shoegaze, and indie pop to make dark but airy compositions, the two tracks on this 7” are much more straightforward, stripped-down, and anthemic. There’s still some darkness to be found here thanks to some overdriven one(ish)-chord riffs and thick, primitive drumming, both of which sound like they’ve been pulled straight from White Light/White Heat, really imbuing these tracks with some of that record’s seediness. Most of that is tempered by the vocals though, which are anything but dark. Annie Holoien and Jim Blaha tackle vocal duties together, simultaneously belting out melodies that are pretty sweet and uplifting. The end result is something like a bizarro-world version of the VELVET UNDERGROUND put together by the folks behind UP WITH PEOPLE. It’s a combination that I’d probably shy away from if I’d just read about it, but turns out it really works in practice. Give it a listen!
Somehow there’s still unheard music from the seemingly bottomless well of UK bands that formed from 1977–1982. This is a first-time issue of three songs by the one-and-done HUNTER from the Isle of Wight, who broke up shortly after recording this EP back in 1980. The songs have more of a jumped-up pub rock or power pop sound—very tightly played, melodic rockers like something by EDDIE AND THE HOT RODS or an also-ran Stiff Records single.
Some straight-up punk rockin’ out of Poland here from INHALATORS. It bops along at a nice canter with some classic-sounding RAMONES-y buzzsaw riffs, and has a very slick and modern studio sheen to it which perhaps belies some of the more puerile nose-thumbing lyrics, which even the most ardent teenage edgelord would dislocate their retinas rolling their eyes at. All in all, it seems extraordinarily radio-friendly, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see them mid-afternoon at a big Euro fest.
Not to be confused with the 1978 DEADBEATS album, or the 2013 Kill the Hippies! Kill Yourself compilation, this group comes from Cleveland and has been making music since the early ’90s. This version of the band features the paired-down threesome of Morte Treehorn on guitar and vocals, P.P. Envy on bass and vocals, and Joey Pepperoni on drums, and while they’ve been at it for a minute, there’s still plenty of energy on the table here. The falsetto on “Single Prayer System” reminds of something the ADICTS might have done, while other tracks bring to mind local forefathers DEVO, and the alternating male/female vocals provide a nice variety throughout. “Defective” slaps the hardest, and reminds of any charging GBH track. There’s a pretty straightforward cover of “New England,” which kind of comes out of nowhere, but has a funny spoken word opener “Well, I live in Ohio so why should I care? / But I just happen to like it there / So I guess I’m just a square.” I haven’t gone through KILL THE HIPPIES’ whole catalog, but I like what I hear. And don’t be fooled, no part of this is promoting violence. Listen up!
Quality Control HQ continues its run of excellent releases with LAYBACK’s Sit Down and Layback, a five-song crusher taking cues from the sun-scorched late ’80s West Coast hardcore scene, specifically OC bands like PUSHED ASIDE, INSTED, and HARD STANCE. In fact, LAYBACK’s style is so dialed-in that I half-expected them to be a straightedge band themselves (a quick glance at their Instagram would suggest otherwise). I’ll say less. Go buy this album, drop the needle and do as they say: sit down and lay back. It’s not a bad way to spend a cold winter afternoon.
MALDITA is a four-piece from Toronto, and this is the group’s first LP of raw, metal-tinged street punk with vocals sung in Spanish by Rosa Venerosa. Throughout the record, the themes stick to politics and the chaos surrounding them, all whilst being dispatched with an intense and annihilating intonation. There is the low-hanging fruit of ESKORBUTO to compare the band to, as well as some metal-tinged ANTI CIMEX sound brought to mind. The opening track “Trabajo” kills. The production is all I want to hear on a record (wiry, drowned vocals, crunchy). Throughout the LP the band does not let up and pummels through all ten tracks, almost all of them over two minutes each. However, the only minor qualm is the slight repetition with both style and lyrics. To illustrate this I would point to “Todos Muertos,” which was a bit rough to get through, but nothing that takes away from the whole of the record.
MÖNEY is a band from Bristol who play a gentle form of post-punk. Softly strummed and picked guitars merge with atmospheric synth work and chunky bass lines to create music that is palatable enough to play for nearly anyone. The fourth song on the cassette, “Happiness,” has a couple moments that almost sound like surf rock, but then quickly dissipate into more standard post-punk tones. The final song “Wrong Way Home” opens with a more aggressive guitar sound, but then turns almost dirge-like and with a slight desert sunburn. I’d probably put this album on to fall asleep to; I’m in no way implying this album is boring. The softness, depth of sonic field, and slight melancholy cause almost immediate disassociation and relaxation. Absolutely worth at least one listen.
It seems NOT MOVING was an Italian band from the ’80s, with these live cuts recorded in Italy and Germany in the mid-to-late ’80s. Honestly, I’m having a hard time getting worked up over it. The recording is fine, particularly if you consider the time period. But the music leaves me a little underwhelmed. It’s catchy punk rock that is somewhat heavy on the effects, which creates a garage-y feel, but for me at least, there’s nothing to make me wonder why it took them over 30 years to bring it to my attention. If you’re bringing me something that’s 30 years old, there should be a wow factor. I’m not getting that.
Sophomore album from Portland, OR’s OVER, with a high-gloss take on post-punk. They lean into longer-format songs, with fuzzed bass, hi-hat-clattering drums, and reverb-droning guitars used to create climaxes worth the wait. That said, the female vocalist doesn’t take a back seat during tracks that push past the six-minute mark, singing throughout with an impressive range. I hear moments of poetry, but wish they had included lyrics online! We’ll see what the vinyl copy includes. This reminds me of ESSES’ Bloodletting for the Lonely LP. Moody, ethereal, and certainly worth a listen.
New Brunswick, NJ’s PHANTOM provides seven tracks of spun-out, rabid hardcore on their debut cassette. Breathing a weird mania into simple song structures, these guys touch on a number of different styles throughout this speedy and unhinged set, including a cool grooviness that surfaces on tracks like “Canker” and “Business Man.” This wild little ride will likely appeal to fans of ANTIBODIES and MUTATED VOID.
This is a limited-edition LP reissue of a 2021 tape by this Olympia hardcore band. It starts off with a big fist-swinger of a tune and only ramps up from there. Every song is built with an off-kilter dissonant riff or stuttering rhythm for the weird hardcore heads, but builds up to a classic mid-paced stomper payoff part for the ignorant moshers. The vocals and lyrics are crystal clear, torn-throat screams spitting personal truths and catharsis, crossing off vendettas one by one. I wouldn’t say they’re mysterious guys, but I can’t find too much info on them.
