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From the start, Tiempo Vacio sets BOSQUE ROJO up for greatness. This power trio from Montreal plays post-punk that leans more towards the punk side of the spectrum, but done in a perfect manner. They definitely have a gloomy aura about them that sometimes gets mixed with some Oi!-style hooks, and the vocals in Spanish just add to the dramatic and urgent effect. Like a darker version of the WIPERS. An essential record for 2022.
Whatever anyone’s feelings are toward “old-head punk” or this release, one has to admire three former hardcore kids for regrouping years later to create something ultimately quite modern that doesn’t feel out of touch by today’s standards. While I initially expected this to be undoubtedly indebted by early ’80s American bands such as AGRESSION or whatever, their influences range all over the place, from ’90s chug-core alluding to the likes of the Victory Records catalogue to…reggae? What the fuck, indeed. Albeit, I’ll admit I really enjoyed some parts of it, given I wasn’t expecting to at all. However, while “old guy” punk is always going to be hit or miss, by the standards of today’s releases, this isn’t something I will go back to frequently.
Reissue of the 1985 full-length from this German no wave crew—Thurston Moore is apparently a big fan, even claiming that SONIC YOUTH was inspired by CAMPINGSEX, but the admiration was almost certainly mutual; 1914! came out two years after Confusion is Sex (which might as well be the lost-in-translation origin of CAMPINGSEX’s bizarre band name), and it’s a similarly harrowing trip through a shaking hell. Industrial terror-clang rhythms nicked from EINSTÜRZENDE NEUBAUTEN and filthy BIRTHDAY PARTY-descended bass grind beneath stern, ranting vocals that frequently lapse into distressed primal screams, channeling the bombed-out urban decay and no-future nihilism of Cold War-era Berlin into a series of eight howling, pitch-black post-punk dirges. But much like with mid-’80s SONIC YOUTH, there’s some gnarled moments of melody to be found lurking within CAMPINGSEX’s fucked-up feedback sprawls—the male/female trade-off backing shouts intersecting with Max Müller’s raw, unraveling vocals in “Schließ Die Tür,” or the almost sing-song break toward the end of “Liebe” where the guitar squall briefly drops out, or the Peter Hook-styled bass run that launches the droning bile-spew of “Guten Morgen.” Brutal and brutalist.
The sound of the new wave of Oi!—the CHISEL and MESS are leaders of the pack, and this is a perfect snapshot of some of the best of what this genre has to offer. MESS fares excellently on their side with “Don’t Look Back” and “I Don’t Like You,” the former proper BLITZ-worship and the latter a catchy belter with some nice BUZZCOCKS-style guitars. The CHISEL’S contributions are fantastic as always with “Keep it Schtum,” a hard one that reminds me of something off their first EP Deconstructive Surgery, and “Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet,” their catchiest and most celebratory since “Not the Only One.” Don’t be a square, shave your head and listen to this!
In 1986, a crusty nuclear bomb hit the punk scene. A gloomy fascination with the darkest of punk (at the time) in the form of AMEBIX and ANTISECT, plus some bits and pieces of thrash and death metal, gave birth to a subgenre that still stinks (pun intended) to this day: stenchcore. Thirty-six years later, Terminal Filth Stench-Core, the classic demo by DEVIATED INSTINCT, gets a proper vinyl issue via Agipunk in partnership with Terminal Filth Records (run by bass player Snapa), featuring new artwork from Mid and remastered by Bri Doom of DOOM fame. A solid classic stenchcore demo that stinks all over, but in a good way.
Debut LP from Los Angeles’s DIMBER. This sounds like if the lead singer of COHEED AND CAMBRIA started a melodic pop punk band, and was serious about it. Introspective, confessional lyrics, so that, with their style in mind, we get…an emo band? On the other hand, in a track like “Tyler” (featuring a different vocalist, I believe), I hear something closer to college rock, à la the DESCENDENTS. If you need an outlet for your sass and angst, here it is! The cover of “Better Off Alone” is hilarious and surprising, and made the whole thing worth it for me.
Tough-as-nails hardcore from Indonesia. There’s a lot to like here. Stripped-down, concise songwriting with no time for bullshit or solos. A UK82 influence rears its head on tracks like “Torture Dance” and “Scum.” They must really know how to pogo in West Borneo! Cliches be damned, you can judge this record by its cover; the artwork by Renaldy Armanda is sick. The slow, mosh-y dirge of “Fool” doesn’t appeal to me, but it is the shortest of the five songs at least. All around, this is a solid release. Well worth checking out.
Mid-’90s UK crust was a huge part of my interest in the heavier spectrums of punk rock as I was finishing up school and entering a world where I really made my own decisions for the most part. This scene of music, including the Bradford 1 in 12 Club and Flat Earth Records, was very formidable for me lyrically, culturally, stylistically, and musically. HELLKRUSHER, EXCREMENT OF WAR, DOOM, ENT, CONCRETE SOX, EXTINCTION OF MANKIND…all a huge deal to me. Okay, enough about me. I haven’t even started listening to this yet! Objectively, Baptised in Shit is a walloping heavy crust album. Dirgelike, epic, D-beaten, metallically riffed crust punk. It reeks of bitter pessimism, channeling earlier UK bands such as ANITSECT, ICONS OF FILTH, STONE THE CROWZ, NAPALM DEATH, and AMEBIX, and certainly pulls inspiration from European thrash metal from about a decade earlier such as ONSLAUGHT and CELTIC FROST. There are also peace punk moments reminiscent of OI POLLOI, LIBERTY, or OMEGA TRIBE. It is not the fastest of their ilk, but it flows and is immersive. If you’ve never checked out this debut album, now is your chance to get a good deal. This remastered reissue really brings out the metal guitar tones and rolling drum moments. INSTINCT OF SURVIVAL, VISIONS OF WAR, GUIDED CRADLE, even EFFIGY and HELLSHOCK really would not stand out as they do today without a nod to albums like this one.
Now we’re talking. Originally released in 1984, this short-lived Long Island act expressed their sound on a demo which is all killer, no filler, just true outrageous early American fastcore. While a little bit late to the game, it’s brilliant that this demo finally sees the light of day with a wider audience in HC thanks to the internet. Ultimately, what comes to mind is other contemporaries who were perhaps a bit earlier than them such as the MOB (NY), but more so, you can see where influence from acts such as the ABUSED came in with slower, trudging guitar sections that we would all come to know as “mosh parts,” so it’s sick to see bands in Long Island getting influenced by that as early as this. However, the vocalist really reminds me of Sab Grey from IRON CROSS meets the madness and franticness of Springa or Jackal from YDI, which is just awesome. Go listen to this.
This recording opens with a soundbite lifted from Mad Max to let you know this is the music you’ll play while causing chaos in your Durango 95 (no apologies for these mixed movie references). Classic thrash metal for ne’er-do-wells, FERAL KIDS offer big lead guitar riffs, raucous vocals, and that sound that only comes from being a part of the road crew. The song “Dusty Breeze” is about as chilled out as FERAL KIDS get, and even then they’re still shredding and thrashing.
I am super late to the GG KING party. I liked the CARBONAS but just never followed up on singer Greg King’s projects afterwards. My loss. If you are not a genre purist, get on this right now. GG KING takes the basic template of garage punk and cosmically melds it with the far reaches of the rock umbrella to create a delicious mix. Each song is basically an exercise in a new subgenre, and against all odds, it flows perfectly. Good songwriting is good songwriting. “Evoker 1 (Hellslime Radiating from the Basement)” opens the record with menacing bass, chopped windchime samples, dub drums, and ominous German spoken word, which leads right into “Evoker 2 (Circling Starmount),” a blistering, WEAKLING-style black metal assault, complete with blastbeats and shrieked vocals. “Trudging Towards Twilight” delivers a perfect stoner riff, which leads to the crypt-crawling deathrock of “Evoker 3 (Wotever Happens Next).” And so on, all incredible. The final track, “Leigh’s Castle,” stands out as a strong point, with gauzy guitars and keyboard arpeggios that sound like the dreamiest moments of DEERHUNTER meeting the looping shoegaze of MY BLOODY VALENTINE. Unbridled experimentation that pays off with a very weird, satisfying listen. I am going to make up for lost time and check out GG KING’s other records, and I recommend you do the same.
If you like fast hardcore and you’ve been paying attention, then you’ve surely noticed that 625 Thrash really picked up the pace around 2020 or so with recent slammers from NECROPSY ODOR, UNDER ATTACK, VOID BRINGER, SUFFERING MIND, NOOSE SWEAT, and loads more, bringing blast maniacs out from their caves. This split combines H.A.R.M.’s burly Southern California grindcore with buzzsaw Japanese deathgrind from MORTIFY, and it’s precisely what I thought and hoped it would be. Both bands are absolute masters at their craft, and the combination will leave you hungry. Fingers crossed for more grind proliferation from 625 as the decade continues.
I appreciate a band that has its own sound and doesn’t want to be pigeonholed into one particular genre. I don’t always like them, but I appreciate what they’re trying to do. In this case, I actually do like the band, despite the fact that they borrow from genres that I’m not typically drawn to. At its core, this is rock’n’roll. But it’s delivered at a quick enough tempo that leaves most rock music in the dust. It’s got a bluesy element that I normally wouldn’t like. When I hear a harmonica, I typically run for the doors. But this one is different for some reason. It’s also got a certain ’60s feel to it, without sounding like it’s from the ’60s. This is definitely worth checking out.
Classic straightedge metalcore out of Boise, Idaho. More emphasis on the “core” than the “metal,” the way it should have always been. The length of the songs is a unique twist on a genre that’s usually known for its long, drawn-out ballads. Brutally fast at points, transitioning into some of the slowest and lowest breakdowns I’ve heard in years—the kind of breakdown that makes me want to zip up my hoodie and head into the pit. Production is crisp, with everything sounding crystal clear. You can hear every little detail. Very reminiscent of DEADGUY and all the bands you’d hear from Spook City back in the day.
This reissued relic is quite amazing. Both bands’ tracks are taken from the Sudden Death compilation EP from 1982 released on Smoke Seven Records featuring bands like MORAL DECAY, CRANKSHAFT, the SINS, REDD KROSS, DEATH YOUTH, and more—according to the timeline, these may be JFA and SIN 34’s earliest and/or first recordings. Surf punks from Arizona mixed with hardcore punks from Santa Monica, this split is still vital today, filled with urgent youth screams for politics, chaos, and fun. For JFA’s part, we can talk about revolutionary guitars, fast-paced screams, an erratic voice, and low reverb with surf punk influences and new wave punk. SIN 34 delivers good sludgy cadences, anthemic and energetic female vocals, and decadence-evoking palm-muted guitars. A merge between new wave punks introducing space sounds with a resemblance to surf rock and the most classic US hardcore punk, with referents worldwide during the ’81–84 era. A must-listen for lovers of skate punk and classic US hardcore.
I have been aware of KILL YOUR IDOLS for a long time and have a handful of their past releases—in fact, they all happen to be splits. I always enjoyed the other bands on those a bit more, but that is not the case here. The KILL YOUR IDOLS songs are just a bit more up my alley this time around. I do find it a bit ironic that their song “Simple, Short, and Fast” clocks in at over three minutes. This is my first time hearing RULE THEM ALL, and i don’t know, man. It sounds like H20 on Quaaludes. It’s not bad, but it seems like it should be faster and the vocals seem subdued. I’d definitely give them another shot though, because like I said, it’s not bad…just might be one of those “takes a minute to grow on you” deals.
The Valhalla of my sweetest dreams looks something like a dust-filled warehouse in which survivors of the apocalypse mutually exchange their wares, spoils, scavenges, and excesses. At the center of these festivities is a massive circle pit. Spiraling layers of punks, ravers, goths, heshers, and other survivors each dancing their own individual dance. The bass-heavy music filling this sacred hall is L.O.T.I.O.N. MULTINATIONAL CORPORTION’s W.A.R. in the Digital Realm on repeat, ad infinitum. Sure, there are a million reasons to hate this album, from having too many capitalized letters and periods, thereby making it a real bastard to type when searching online, or the insidiously infectious pop dance drivel of “Cybernetic Super Lover,” but somehow I keep coming back to this album again and again, Pavlovian-style. If you have no idea what I’m on about, imagine a talented Sakevi Yokoyama impersonator singing over a perfectly orchestrated mashup of WHITE ZOMBIE, MINISTRY, DISCHARGE, and ’90s rave music. The good news: this album makes for a great entry point into the world of L.O.T.I.O.N. The bad news: you’ll find out when you play this.
MUTATED VOID creates brilliant, foggy, and damp hardcore/terror on their debut fifteen-minute LP. To me, this record stands out and is a proven addictive substance. Who is this band? There is an odd and arresting mystery to them. They are a two-piece, right? They worship skateboarding, I think? Could it be that ABSU and DIE KRUEZEN (Cows and Beer-era) birthed an orphan love child who is now lost in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, screaming to be found? Its only hope of surviving in a cold cinder block basement is a headlong caterwauling in the form of Roses Forever?
A perfect combination garage punk, gruff Oi!, and power pop, NORCOS Y HORCHATA sound bizarrely like a band that would come from Detroit (they do)—I don’t really know why I say that and I have no justification for it, but I’m gonna stick by it. What if the EPOXIES ditched the keyboard and wrote a stripped-down BAR STOOL PREACHERS record? Well, I guess I would think they were from Detroit. These songs are gonna get stuck in your head whether you like them or not. I warned you.
This five-track cassette was released by Dial Club from Japan (Katakatou Punk Collective) and consists of lo-fi Melbourne punk directly from a bedroom. Imagine vocals like an ’80s telephone conversation on a submarine, mixed with heavily-layered tasty riffs. This is eggy garage punk, and it could get monotonous—for fans of PRISON AFFAIR, as the heavy synths are companions with the diminutive, distorted guitars. Recommended if you are into lo-fi bedroom creatures and frantically recorded cassette tapes. Suggested tracks: “Self-Proclaimed Narcissist” and “Too Much Fun.”
Enfrentamiento Total is the newest LP from Barcelona’s PULSO (previously known as APPRAISE). The sound is reminiscent of the classic youth crew approach of bands like YOUTH OF TODAY, IN MY EYES, and MOUTHPIECE, so you should know exactly what you’re getting from this one. Plenty of stompy and moshy parts to get your rocks off to while still remaining fast and catchy. Solid stuff! If you’re into youth crew, you can certainly do a lot worse.
Some of my favorite power pop of all time has come from Spain. This one starts off in super melodic fashion and features male and female vocals, which I’m a total sucker for. All the songs are in Spanish, which I quite enjoy. It sometimes bugs me that bands from non-English-speaking countries feel compelled to sing in English. Anyway, this is nicely done. The songs are on the shorter side, which is always good for my attention span. Mid-tempo, sometimes a little faster, and melodic always works for me. It also seems these guys might be a duo. I’ve got a soft spot in my heart for duos.
The SENDERS were the vehicle of Philippe Marcade, who came from Paris, eventually ended up in New York City in 1975, and quickly fell smack into the center of the pioneering Manhattan punk scene. He quickly met, drank, and played with all the heavy-hitters, including Johnny Thunders who plays on seven unreleased live tracks here. He was even asked on to the ill-fated Thunders/Wayne Kramer GANG WAR project. Phil ended up writing a book full of these tales, which is sure to be fascinating. Unfortunately, the music here is just middle-of-the-road, blues-based bar rock, maybe similar to a less interesting BLASTERS or DEL-LORDS. The Johnny Thunders tracks are the most interesting here, but it’s still not punk at all and doesn’t have any kind of real edge or danger. The songs are from a vast time period but seem to flow together without losing any cohesiveness, if that means anything. Maybe a great history piece at best. I have great respect for my elders, but could stand to live without hearing this one.
Drew Owen has long since proven himself as one of the best songwriters of die-hard, old school rock‘n’roll. With this newest LP, he hasn’t just one-upped himself, he’s raised the bar on the whole fucking game. This record is eclectic, like a high-speed tour through everything that makes punk and rock music important to this day in under 30 minutes. From the straight-ahead nihilism of the opener “I Hate You,” through the anthemically evil “Mother, I Love Satan,” Owen demonstrates a mastery of genre and focus of vision that just hits in your bones. My personal favorite track, “EMP,” is the most evil blast of punk to hit my spine in years. It tips its hat to the mutoid malevolence of SACCHARINE TRUST’s Paganicons, while dragging it into the horrible pre-apocalypse we currently live in. I always thought of SICK THOUGHTS’ self-titled record as the gold standard of sneering, evil rock‘n’roll, but this unlucky collection of thirteen cuts handily clears that record. We’re in a new age of evil punk, and there’s even the almost tear-inducing “Someone I Can Talk To” love song(?) to offer a welcome depth to the whole affair. It’s a sort of victory lap within a triumphant record that belongs in the canon of great fucking rock records.
Melodic punk out of Las Vegas with strong vibes of NOFX, ALL, and BAD RELIGION. Some tracks veer more toward pop punk, while others more toward hard rock. Still, there are some with more of an edge, such as “Resist.” With anthemic lyrics like “Reject false divisions, they’re used to restrict you / Refuse to tolerate processed hate / Remember while you still exist / You can’t be brought down as long as you resist,” SUBURBAN RESISTANCE could be just straight-ahead punk, but this LP shows their range of interests, influences, and ambitions. There’s something for everyone here.
This is the kind of hardcore punk that I wake up for on a daily basis. Between the breakneck guitar work and the raw (not tough guy) vocals, this cassette rips! TRENCHRAID borrows from classic D-beat, but also manages to mix in enough old-school hardcore to create a hybrid that is somewhere between ANTI CIMEX and YOUTH OF TODAY. Plenty of catchy sing-alongs all backed with high-powered instrumentation make TRENCHRAID a perfect soundtrack for your high-adrenaline activities.
Earnestness isn’t an easy look to pull off, but VIOLENT WAY from Buffalo, NY wears it well. On Bow to None, lead singer Nick Terlecky and the boys encapsulate their world neatly and wrap it in a bow. Lyrically, it’s all about loyalty, respect, and not taking any shit. Sonically, these guys are the real deal and have clearly done their homework. On opener “We Don’t Need You,” VIOLENT WAY channels the spirit of ’82 flawlessly. If you’re into Oi! classics from the likes of COMBAT 84, the LAST RESORT, and TEMPLARS, you will find lots to be happy about here. Standouts include anthemic title track “Bow to None,” “Our Stand” (featuring a cameo from Cal of the CHISEL) ,and instrumental “VWS”. No frills, no fuss, just the good shit.
High-energy, synth-laced melodic punk from Iowa. They sound like the SPITS, but that’s not a bad thing. Classic punk chord progressions, catchy, slightly-detached vocals, and clean keyboard tones to hold everything in place. “Bent Spoon Blues” is a pop treasure, as much new wave as punk. “Clouds” slows down and veers into post-punk with a buzzing electronic cloud circling a moody four-note guitar pattern. “Oh Jodi” is a garage punk murder ballad from the perspective of a male killer watching news reports about his female victim. Creepsville. Similarly, “The Stalker” is from a stalker’s point of view and has lines like, “Do you know I can see you? / Do you know that I’m there? / I make sure that you’re alone / I breathe heavy as you blow dry your hair,” ending with the speaker entering his victim’s room with a rope. I like the record overall, but the lyrics of those two tracks will probably prevent a future listen.
Yet another great band carrying the torch of Finnish hardcore, with members of Finnish bands like KOHTI TUHOA and FORESEEN that have been turning heads. Toisten Todellisuus is a compilation of the bands’ two 7″s, 2019’s self-titled EP and 2021’s Umpikujamekanismi. A record for Finnish hardcore fanatics, as they get the best of their country´s classics like MELAKKA or APPENDIX with a taste of USHC. The opener even has a couple of riffs that could be on the CRO-MAGS’ debut.
I am aware that Marvel movies are pretty popular, but as far as I am concerned, watching one is something of a psychologically grueling endurance challenge. But then, I am clueless about American comics, so it makes sense. Zaniac is apparently a demonic parasitic creature from the Marvel universe, and this must be from where San Diego’s ZANIAK took their name. Zaniak is also a children’s game book, but it would not make much sense to have a blown-out pogo-core band named after that, I suppose. I actually really enjoy this recording, and while the most obvious influence would be fuzzy Japanese noise punk like the SWANKYS or a less distorted version of DUST NOISE, pogo punk love is strong in this one indeed, and bands like ORDER or SAD BOYS are also at the top of the recipe. Finally, I can detect a songwriting vibe that is not unlike the school of primitive, raw ’80s Mexican hardcore punk like HEREJIA or XENOFOBIA. But it could just be me. My one minor reservation lies in the vocals. There is probably too much effect on them and it somehow diminishes the sonic aggression in my book. I do love the gratuitous DISORDER-style lunatic screaming, though, and the punker-than-you artwork is lovely. On the whole, a pretty good first effort, a very fun band to listen to, and I’d love to have a band like ZANIAK where I live.
In a day and age where heavy/heavier hardcore is dominated by BULLDOZE wannabes, this edge powerhouse really stands out against the grain. While the band is ultimately indebted to heavy edge bands of the ’90s (think Belgian H8000 bands such as CONGRESS’ first 7” and LENGTH OF TIME), what it lacks in technical, prolonged solos is made up for here with a stronger element of UNBROKEN, Satisfaction-era HATEBREED, and even New Jersey’s RESSURECTION (to an extent). By no means is this some tragic ode to desiring to be a part of a different time, as the band take influence from newer bands, with the vocal style sounding somewhat similar to New England’s BROKEN VOW. For me, a particular highlight came with the opening of the second song, “Faced With A Choice,” which is nothing other than brilliant. They show a lot of promise here, so here’s hoping for a stellar LP someday.
Another album that opens with an interesting instrumental and then tears right into some melodic hardcore. The vocals are a little more higher-pitched than I would have expected and there are some interesting chord changes here and there, and just when I think a song might be running the risk of becoming too long…it’s over. They even managed to slide in a couple more instrumentals and a grindcore-ish song and it all flows really well. Well done!
There were a couple endearing things making first impressions with this disc. First, the band included a nice, handwritten note in the review copy, which is wholesome as fuck. The other was that the disc was burned as a CD-R of WAV files rather than a proper CD, which had me hunting down a device to play it with on my laptop. That took me back. BASS FEENS are two punks grinding out earnest, high-tempo punk rock in their garage somewhere in Davis, CA. With a two-piece band, everything has to be solid, and they deliver track after track of driving, full-bodied punk rock you can party and/or skateboard to. “Reset” is a banger.
This EP is a crusher, there isn’t anything that doesn’t work for me on this. Super catchy, hard and straightforward garage. Zero filler. You Don’t Know Me brings a lot of the RIP OFFS, the GORIES, and the DEVIL DOGS to mind. BATTLEBEATS are a three-piece band who hail from the verdant mountain city of Bandung, West Java. They have been at it for a seemingly brief period, which makes listening to this punky volcanic blast that much more powerful and fun. May they continue to destroy.
Of the incredibly rich and fulsome Mendeku Diskak back catalogue, CASTILLO is certainly one of my favourites. First formed as a lockdown project, the now fully-formed band follow off the back of their debut with a promo tape that acts as an amuse-bouche for the future, and if this is anything to go by, what a tasty treat we have in store. Chiming, anthemic guitars, barked furious vocals à la NEW YORK HOUNDS, and even a riff on the second half that sounds like nos amis en RIXE produced it, and there’s very little higher praise for the contemporary crophead.
Punk relic from the UK82 wave reissued by Nausea Records (UK), featuring Scotland’s CHAOTIC YOUTH’s demo from 1981. Teenage aggression and rotten presentation of Margaret Thatcher’s era. Really good bass lines, and the singer’s voice has a classic UK82 style, ranting and screaming for change and angst. Favorite track: “Violence in the City.” You can feel the teenage vibes, and if you played in a punk band as a youngster, you are gonna feel at home. Great effort with the archiving and mastering of the material on behalf of Nausea Records.
Portland-based Orlandoan Kyle Harms is back with six more tracks of his trebly mix of DEVO, JAY REATARD, and late ’00s garage pop. The Bandcamp copy notes that this was recorded in 2020 (though, the liner notes on the physical release are silent on the matter), which would mean that these tracks likely predate those from last year’s Total Punk LP. In any case, this session seems to have yielded a somewhat poppier crop of tunes. The songwriting is as crisp as ever and the production is busy—full of intricately-laid layers of buzzy synths and warbly guitar overdubs—but fun. Worth picking up, for sure!
COLLISION is a French band from Nantes who embrace their native tongue and write really catchy songs. Sounding like something that could have come out during the heyday of Lookout! or even a RANCID side project, COLLISION is able to fill a void in many people’s collections. Blending elements of Oi!, punk rock, and even a bit of two-tone into a raucous good time, COLLISION is contemporary rock’n’roll. I found Sur Les Trottoirs to be a nuanced album, but also something that brought to mind bands like CRIMPSHRINE, OPERATION IVY, and BRAIN FAILURE, while the French lyrics made everything fresh and just a little more interesting. Some downtuned moments of flanged guitars bring in a very minor element of post-punk darkness which only elevates the feelings of melancholy and angst swirling on this album.
Last year’s Promo Only tape was a killer, but on W/P, Indiana’s DATA UNKNOWN steps up the weird and leans even heavier on the synths (as if that was possible). The result is a true freak stomp, barely recognizable as punk and undeniably punk as a result. Tweaked TUBEWAY ARMY sounds clashing with a triple threat of early Rough Trade, SUICIDE, and Midwestern nihilism. Total brain-melt in the best way.
Formed in the early ’80s in Luton, England, DOMINANT PATRI were a part of the thriving anarcho-punk movement raging on in ’80s Britain. Forty years later, their first demo tape gets the reissue treatment…and rightfully so! The title track of the Heroes Glory 12″ is a brooding peace punk dirge, while the other two tracks are more of the classic “pounding drums with drill sergeant-esque barking” anarcho-punk variety. All three tracks rip incredibly hard! Thanks to the wonderful people at Demo Tapes Records, you can experience this rediscovered anarcho gem for yourself now—go do that!
EMPIRE and their sole LP Expensive Sound (the reissue of which was reviewed recently here) has always been more famous for who it inspired than for the music itself. Like many, I heard about it as one of the key inspirations to the fabled era of Washington DC’s Revolution Summer scene. As the legend goes, the record came out in the UK, the label immediately folded soon after, and with no way to promote it, the album and band faded into obscurity. Somehow, copies made their way to the well-curated import bins of famed DC area record store Yesterday and Today and into the hands of members of EMBRACE and GRAY MATTER (among others), inspiring a more melodic and rhythmically diverse path out of DC hardcore. But even divorced from the influence they’ve had, EMPIRE’s music deserves more attention for taking on the gloomier, doomier parts of post-punk combined with the hook-injected power pop punk they had perfected in their previous band GENERATION X (a band that still seems overlooked as far as first-wave British punk groups go). Bob Derwood Andrews’ carefully crafted melodic guitar lines are the guiding star of the EMPIRE sound—spacious and echoing riffs, but also bristling with fiery solo fretwork. Forced to the mic out of necessity, and lacking any percentage of the rock’n’roll frontman genes that GEN X-er Billy Idol held in his curled lip, Bob Andrews’ vocals instead have a shy choir boy charm, singing simply and observationally about the world and his feelings towards it, letting his guitar give the songs their anthemic punch. The rhythm section of fellow GEN X alum Mark Laff on drums and enlisted bassist Simon Bernal keep a consistent bedrock under Andrews, occasionally dropping into sparse, gray sky grooves but mostly bringing a high-energy minimalist uplift to the songs. This single, containing two songs meant for the unreleased follow-up to Expensive Sound, are perfect specimens of the EMPIRE sound. “Easy Life” starts off with a rainy day descending riff and Andrews examining the trappings of dull adulthood, before exploding into a huge, ascending rock chorus. This song and the B-side “Enough of the Same” are full of the loud/quiet dynamics that would be hallmarks of alternative/indie rock/what-have-you in years to come. Though it took 40 years and a chance detour through the import bins of Washington DC, EMPIRE could finally be getting their due and an audience to appreciate them.
This split has me wondering if I should shave my head. Each band offers up two tracks of hard-charging, tough-as-nails Oi! sung in French. Montreal’s FORCE MAJEURE tread the more traditional path of the two. From the razor-sharp jangly guitars and prominent walking basslines, to the clenched hi-hat drumming—this just ticks all the right boxes. Expectedly, the vocals are gruff and forceful, with just a hint of tunefulness. These lads would fit nicely on a bill with SQUELETTE or REĆIDIVE. Hailing from Paris, TCHERNOBYL pounds the pavement with boots of a darker shade. Chorus-drenched guitars lend atmosphere to what might be described best as “Oi! for a rainy day.” Building on the legacy of CAMERA SILENS, TCHERNOBYL are dour and melancholic in the best possible way, à la SYNDROME 81. There’s not a dull moment on either side of this record. Time to lace up and call the barber.
This is one of the most demented recordings I have heard in a very long time. I would have said that it’s lower than lo-fi, but if it’s all high end, treble knob cranked and snapped off, then what’s the term for that? I’ve listened to the full tape a few times and still can’t tell exactly what is going on half the time. Is it just a super fuzzed-out guitar with vocals on top? Is someone playing a full drum kit or is that just a snare drum being played from time to time along with the beat? Regardless, there is some undeniably cool songwriting here if you really focus in order to decipher what’s being played. The main thing that sticks with me is how much this dude has an absolutely killer voice. Picture a young Keith Morris with every line of vocals super distorted, having been recorded peaking way into the red. Wildly cool packaging on this—a cassette mailer with artwork glued onto each panel. It’s a good thing that this was sent to someone like me who is really into nasty recordings, because the packaging comes with a razor blade stuck to the front under a strip of painters tape as well as a Band Aid peeled and stuck to the inside cover. What other conclusion could one possibly reach as to what that is to be used for while listening to such a monstrosity entitled Bleed Out?
Heavy powerviolence out of NYC. The drums are incredible, going from blistering fast speeds to slow and low breakdowns within mere seconds. The guitars and bass follow along just as closely, and appear to borrow some tricks from black and thrash metal, a really dark tone set early on that continues through the whole record. The vocals are easily the most impressive part: raw, unwavering barking that comes off very natural and relentless. Doesn’t sound like they had to resort to studio tricks to give them that edge. Speaking of, fantastic production and tight as hell.
HOG is one of those ’90s bands I am familiar with but that I don’t actually know well. I remember hearing them and thinking they were alright, but did not bother checking their whole body of work. But since I love ’90s political crusty hardcore and Mexican punk in general, it proved to be fun to explore. They were from the Distrito Federal in Mexico and had three tapes (two of which were splits with ULTIMA RAZON MENTAL and INSURRECCION) and one proper EP released on Lengua Armada (it included their side from the split with URM), the well-known hardcore label run by Martin Crudos. This discography LP opens with HOG’s first tape from 1997 and it is probably my favourite of their recordings. They don’t sound full-on ’90s crust, but there is definitely a crusty element (they have clearly been listening to HIATUS). I can also hear that furious brand of thrashing Latin American political hardcore like the mighty ABUSO SONORO from Brazil (throw in some Scottish SEDITION, too), and it is not irrelevant to point out similarities with other raging Mexican bands like DESOBEDIENCIA CIVIL or DISCORDIA. The next songs are taken from the split with URM and show a more chaotic, grindcore-oriented HOG. The backbone is still of the threatening political thrashing hardcore variety, but the songs are shorter, a bit more complex and rougher, not unlike a more controlled REGENERACION maybe, and they hit hard. The last songs are written with a similar intent and originally appeared on compilations. It would be far-fetched to claim HOG were a classic band, but they were undeniably angry, emphatic, and honest, and relevantly reflected that late ’90s crusty hardcore vibe.
Yowza! Here’s the long-awaited EP from Copenhagen, Denmark’s INDRE KRIG. Rip-roaring hardcore punk of the classic early ’80s variety. While wearing their influences on their sleeves, this isn’t a simple clone. Along with the full-tilt, off-the-rails instrumentation, the vocals exude rage and frustration. Everyone is playing their little hearts out on this record with tons of passion, which is how it needs to be done. Highlights on this platter include the title track, “Pinball Eyes,” and “Claustrophobia,” but this record is wall-to-wall with bangers, so throw a dart. Mandatory listening!
Those who have had the misfortune to read any of my missives here in previous editions know how fond I am of boot boys from the Basque country, and it’s a genuine mystery and delight to me why this particular corner of Europe generates so many great skinhead bands. Here’s another one for you; KALEKO URDANGAK makes anthemic, skinhead rock‘n’roll. Sadly not blessed with a working knowledge of Euskera, I can’t vouch for lyrical content, but in dedicating their record to Basque political prisoners, and releasing an unashamedly Basque record, it’s at least small-p political in nature. Musically, it has a bit more studio polish than I prefer, but the tunes are uplifting enough to penetrate even the most cynical of dickheads (me). Really great stuff.
Minimal weird garage punk rock from California that reminds me of a merge between DANNY’S FAVORITES and PRISON AFFAIR, but with hardcore cadences and speed. According to the Bandcamp page of the label Goodbye Boozy, we have little information about the one-man band that is Alex Coletto (X-ACTO, GNARLES MANSON). Four tracks in less than four minutes is my kind of synth punk (or should I say synth-hardcore?). Limited to twenty tapes, it’s a must-listen for enthusiasts of synth punk/egg-punk/totally weird minimal punk and its derivatives. Suggested tracks: “Violent Convulsions” (its title exactly depicts the song) and “Aura.. When you are starting to enjoy it, it abruptly ends, like all good things in life.
Ecological collapse is on its way. Because of capitalists’ greed and exploitation of natural resources, many species have tragically gone extinct, such as the Bramble Cay melomys, the Spix’s macaw, or the baiji, and the French social security system is bound to be next. One once-thriving species in the ’90s that everyone thought had been extinct since the late ’00s is the legendary dual-vocal cavemen crustcore. The only surviving specimen had long been thought to be MASSGRAVE. However, rumours of several sightings of the species in the wild caught my attention, and when it was confirmed that these beautiful animals had miraculously survived predatory species that had been invading their natural habitat (such as post-punk), it did bring tears to my eyes. With an unoriginal and referential name like MASSDEAD, it is pretty clear that this California unit is nodding toward MASSGRAVE’s furious grinding crustcore. That said, MASSDEAD trimmed off most of the grindcore aspect and, creatively speaking, are more akin to late DISRUPT, late ’80s EXTREME NOISE TERROR, or early VISIONS OF WAR. Compostable Billionaire Bones—a rather sensible green idea—sounds like a seriously pissed charging rhino and brings back a sound that I love dearly and that has sadly fallen out of fashion. The production is devastating and the vocals are adequately over-the-top. The persons responsible for this extreme crust assault have all been involved in bands like STORMCROW, VASTATION, and ABANDON, among many others. This Neanderthal crustcore attack was released on the excellent Blown Out Media, a label that specializes in class raw D-beat, beefy käng, and tasty old-school crust that I am following closely.
NYC’s MORAL PANIC returns with a third helping of dirty back alley punk’n’roll. Composed of real scene vets who know their way around an instrument, they belt out twelve doses of DEVIL DOGS, SUICIDE KING, and HUMPERS-style bash-’em-up trash punk. “Quarantine” is quite the topical rager, and they do an excellent CONSUMERS cover. Hope I get to check ‘em out live, being a Big Rotten Apple resident now myself. Rock on, men.
