Reviews

For review and radio play consideration:

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

The Fuzztones Encore CD

A compilation of unreleased tracks from this long-running garage rock band, with seven covers and one original song, although judging by the original “Barking Up The Wrong Tree,” the band should stick to covers. Hearing a 70-year-old man announce in song that he is not gay is pretty pathetic. The lyrics, including “My backyard, babe / Is a no bone zone” and “I’m founding father of the paisley pussy posse” are cringeworthy at best. Time to leave the songwriting to others. The covers, including songs by MARBLE HALL, the BEVIS FROND, and the PRETTY THINGS, are obscure enough to make them interesting. There are guest appearances by Wally Waller of the PRETTY THINGS, STOOGES’ saxophonist Steve Mackay, and the GRASS ROOTS, too. The CD features two bonus tracks not on the 12”.

Gunn / People’s Temple East Coast Tour 2022 split cassette

The GUNN/PEOPLE’S TEMPLE split tape is yet another example of a classic, decades-old musical conflict: West Coast vs. East Coast. Orange County’s GUNN represents the West with four brand new absolute ragers on their side—already with a stellar discography on their back, these tunes may in fact be their best offerings yet. Representing the East is New York City’s PEOPLE’S TEMPLE, who are absolutely no slouches themselves. Their early POISON IDEA-styled approach works incredibly well in their favour, with a total of six tunes on their side of the cassette—some new stuff, some re-recordings of material from their demo, and even a cover of “Rampton Song” by Brits DISORDER. So which coast takes the prize this time? That, loyal MRR readers, is for you to decide…blast it loud and choose wisely!

Hellshock Hellshock LP

Like many soap-dodging, crust-loving punks of my generation, HELLSHOCK is a band that has had a massive influence on me (especially as far as my crust-pants wearing habits go), and the ’00s stenchcore revival that followed in their wake was brilliant and probably the first meaningful wave I felt a part of—let’s not count the sloppy CASUALTIES cosplay of the late ’90s. I still play the early records regularly, and while time was not so kind to some of the ’00s metal crust bands, HELLSHOCK still sounds genuinely brilliant. The world left them at They Wait For You Still in 2009, an album infused with Japanese hardcore which I have always been quite undecided about. It was not a bad piece of work, but I could not relate to it that much, and in the end did not care much about it. When this brand new album recently came out, I was very curious like everyone I suppose, but did not expect too much. And sadly, I cannot say I care about this one either. This time, HELLSHOCK are full-on old school death metal and, apart from the odd crust overtone, the band of yore is definitely gone. I am sure they still sound like a freight train live, but this LP leaves me a bit cold, like death metal does in general. One can safely assume that death metal fans would be well into it. I do think the artwork looks brilliant, though.

Illegal Corpse Riding Another Toxic Wave LP

Hard, tight crossover leaning more on the hardcore than the thrash side of the scale. The cover art, songs about beer, and sick riffs all spell “thrash,” but the aggressive breakdowns and brutal attitude will have you throwing elbows and picking up change in the pit. “Let It Beer” absolutely rips and particularly showcases the insane drumming with double-kicks flying, rolls and fills, and hi-hats crashing all over the place. There’s no fat or filler in any of these thirteen tracks. Impossibly fast and in-your-face like all the best crossover should be. Fans of MUNICIPAL WASTE and GOATWHORE, take note.

The Ire What Dreams May Come LP

Philadelphia’s the IRE has released What Dreams May Come as their first proper full-length. Building on their 2019 demo and 2021 cassette, the IRE opens this album with a short dirge and then ascends into a series of powerful, gothic anthems of hope and perseverance in dark times. The rhythm section of danceable bass guitar and precision drumming assist in creating a tight production, while moments of accurate guitar stabs are delivered quickly and deadly. Vocals reminiscent of Siouxsie Sioux serenade with lyrics of light and dark imagery in a balance of refined poetry—”The Chariot” and “Ketu: The Severed” are my current album highlights. What Dreams May Come leaves me dreaming of what the IRE will become with future efforts, as this album showcases excellent musicianship and a refined palate of particular taste.

Maxxpower / Sidetracked split EP

Second straight batch with new SIDETRACKED cuts, so I start with the flip so I can keep myself hungry. Wise choice, it turns out—Montreal’s MAXXPOWER are a ruthless wall of speed-picking fastcore, and all I want is more fukkn fast after I hear their five tracks. Thick, meaty, and subtly metallic bursts that hover around the half-minute mark, they’re my introduction to the band and they are absolute killers. Half-a-minute is like a rock opera to SIDETRACKED though; each of the tracks on their side barely top the twenty-second mark. More nasty start/stop powerviolence manipulations from these Washington stalwarts, overall slightly dirtier-sounding than you might be used to (especially the bass), but their digitally-enhanced breaks that make them sound like fastcore robots are on full display. You might think you know, but no one sounds like SIDETRACKED—they’ve taken the formula and manipulated it beyond recognition…this is truly theirs now.

No Brains Certified Mullet EP

This is a charmingly dumb record. The songs have an early hardcore style. They are trashy while being a bit poppy. The drums plod along while the bass thuds with them. The guitar is barely discernible. The silly lyrics are spit out between breaths. Throw it all together and you a get a fun record that pretends it’s still 1982.

偏執症者 (Paranoid) Tatari 7″

Japanese-obsessed Swedish maniacs PARANOID always go full-out on their releases, constantly putting out fresh stuff without losing quality. With just two tracks here, they solidify the direction that they are going in: heavy me(n)tal punk! Tatari is a companion 7″ to their digitally-released album Cursed, and pressed as a gift to whomever bought it through Bandcamp. The two songs are well balanced and make for great headbanging music for punks and metalheads alike. The leads get stuck in your head like any great heavy metal band’s licks would, and the steady beat reminds you that this is still a punk band in essence. Metal or punk? Who cares? You can see punk in VENOM as much as you can see metal in ANTI-CIMEX.

Peach Blush Disqko cassette

From a quiet and dreamy shoegazing intro to a solid, chunky, four-on-the-floor guitar-heavy slog…and that’s just the teaser track. Throw adolescent(s) vocal delivery in the mix and this Arkansas trio delivers an exceptionally mature debut with Disqko—a scant four tracks (plus the aforementioned intro) from a band who are relying on songwriting instead of blind riffing; the power is in the presentation instead of the tonnage. Sounds rooted in ’90s alt (which this undoubtedly is) are definitely not typically my “thing,” but good is good. PEACH BLUSH lingers, PEACH BLUSH focuses, and they are damn good at it.

The Prize Wrong Side of Town EP

Wow. This is a damn fine EP. This is straightforward, driven power pop that features blended male/female vocals. It just hums along at a nice pace and will keep your head bouncing non-stop. With three guitarists, I was a little worried there’d be some extracurricular guitar work, but I was pleasantly surprised. The harmonies are really nicely done, and the production is full and crisp without sounding at all overdone. Really an excellent record, and from Australia if that’s the sort of thing you keep track of. You should find this.

Satanic Togas / Zoids split EP

SATANIC TOGAS charge through this split with all the grit, dirt, and swag. The Sydney three-piece has the sound and feel of dusty, bluesy garage, all while being screamed through a telephone. I get PUSSY GALORE by way of Detroit. Great stuff from what I would expect of a Goodbye Boozy band, both songs carry the weight in under three minutes of ripping.   ZOIDS are a tough one to nail down, I can’t find any info on them for the life of me. On the split, they start where SATANIC TOGAS left off, but without any solid footing. There is nothing in their two songs that sync up, and at times I feel like I am listening through the walls of two different bands’ rehearsals. Rough.

The Sick Rose Shaking Street LP reissue

This record, originally coming at the tail end of the ’80s revival of garage (you know, before the ’90s and then ’00s revivals, etc.) doesn’t necessarily live up to the billing of this quintet as one of Italy’s “most devastating” garage bands. I won’t fault these songs for a flaw in marketing though, because it does hit my sweet tooth for jangly guitar rock with some echoes of the ’60s freakout bands and an undeniably ’80s pop finish. Not quite the Paisley Underground, not quite America’s scum rock take on garage, and not quite the sparkling crystalline sound of New Zealand, this stands on its own rare ground and merits. A tune like “A Kiss is Not Enough” drives along like 13TH FLOOR ELEVATORS premiered on college radio between a REPLACEMENTS song and R.E.M. Normally I wouldn’t throw so many bands together to describe someone’s sound, but it does flip a switch I wasn’t expecting. Then the band goes full time machine with the tambourine-accented and nicely-druggy “Don’t Keep Me Out.” It’s a great synthesis of eras and styles that mostly hit, even while not necessarily tapping the raw aggression other garage revivalists. This is fairly buttoned-up with hooks aplenty. European cool, I guess they call that.

Spit! Spit! cassette

Taipei’s SPIT’s new release sounds like an aural hell of fastcore/grindcore chaos—a thrashy-sounding HC approach with screamed vocals, furious blastbeats, and tough breakdown parts for two-stepping. Somewhat reminiscent of SENSELESS APOCALYPSE releases without the grit, and with a more modern hardcore touch to it than the AGATHOCLES school of grindcore. For fans of PUNCH, TRASH TALK, WEEKEND NACHOS, and DROPDEAD/SIEGE at times.

Systema Muerte EP

Total powerhouse. The Colombian scene is on fire, and if releases like this keep coming, then that flame will not be short-lived. SYSTEMA already crawled up to the top league of current hardcore with their previous LP, and this 7” only solidifies their place. Through variously-paced songs, they can keep a huge intensity and confidently blend a modernist sound with a chaotic urgency—the whole single is just a tasteful summary of what is great in hardcore, including introducing a sort of originalty. Creating a dark and violent atmosphere that reflects the current state of the world, but unlike in reality, here punx do dominate the situation and dictate what is happening. Therefore, the record is both desperate and motivating, not only pumping energy into the listener but also setting a good example of how to create something great from a lot of terrible shit. This is raw and raging, get it! 

Tuxedo Cats Out the Bag EP

The poindexters over at Reminder HQ have decided to momentarily shelve their obscure acetates, hang up their tweed jackets, and emerge from their hermetically sealed library to get out in the real world and experience some now-sounds. Of course, it’s been a minute since contemporary tunes have graced their ears, so it’s not surprising their first non-archival release bears a striking resemblance to the same music of yesteryear they’re accustomed to peddling. TUXEDO CATS, an excellently named five-piece out of Brooklyn composed of folks who once made up bands APACHE, TOUGH SHITS, and DANCER, play a catchy mix of all the typical Remider genres—power pop, glam, and punk. Out the Bag is their debut EP and features four tracks of snotty, hook-filled, dolled-up tough-guy scuzz rock. It’s all worth your time, but “Play it to Win”—a solid HEARTBREAKERS rip—has been bouncing around in my head non-stop since I first heard it about a month back. Pick this thing up!

Tyran / Wolftrap 13 split EP

Poland’s WOLFTRAP 13 offers a metallic churning version of Swedish D-beat with excessive double bass—they morph into their own on “Firewalker,” and I feel like I want to know what they would do with a full release of their own. Countrymen TYRAN waste nothing with their two tracks—clenched-fist juggernauts of gnarled metallic hardcore. Two bands I’d like to hear more from.

Urn Urn cassette

A charge of hypnotic hardcore out of Dallas, the second full-length from URN is a unique beast. On one hand, it sounds like something their Austin neighbors GLUE might make after binging LSD to the point of paranoid delirium. These pounding tracks carry a sort of refined menace to them, and you pick up on the band’s psychedelic lean through both the tense, often spiraling and flanged-out riffage, and the lyrics (“Ride the wave / Now you see everything.”) That is, when they’re not just dropping straight gangster rap lyrics. There’s also a hip-hop influence to the record that’s most bluntly demonstrated by the TRAE THA TRUTH sample on “Grey Cassette,” but also pretty clear in the words to songs like “Stash Pot” (“Playing with my money makes my glock go pop / You think I’m fucking playing til I run up to your block.”) Themes go back and forth between reality-bending mind expansion and the realest of talk, and the whole thing rips. Recommended.

Vanilla Muffins The Drug is Football LP reissue

VANILLA MUFFINS refer to their brand of upbeat punk as “Sugar Oi!,” drawing from SHAM 69 and the RAMONES in equal measure. On Puke N Vomit’s reissue of their beloved 2003 LP The Drug is Football, you can nearly taste the sweetness. Opener “Brigade Loco” is a love letter to punks in Spain with a catchy sing-along chorus and guitars à la COCK SPARRER, “Pride of the North” is three minutes of perfect pop punk probably worth the price of admission alone, and “Viva El Fulham” is all BUZZCOCKS and the JAM riffs. By the time they reach their take on WALL OF VOODOO’s “Mexican Radio,” they have covered just about every ’70s punk benchmark I can think of. Great, catchy football-worship for anyone with a sweet tooth.

Warboy Futile Living EP

A 7” reissue of a demo by this one-and-done Portland hardcore band from 1983. Not a lot of info on ‘em, besides their lineup featuring members of LOCKJAW and SADO-NATION. Eleven songs of classic American hardcore, unrefined, fast and furious. Big blocky barre chords over oompa drums (the cymbals as prominent in the mix as the guitar), blubbaduh blubbaduh bass and bored yelling about cops, injustice, war, and snickering at anarchists. A choice disc for Portland ‘core completists.

V/A Instant This / Instant That: NY NY 1978​​–1985 2xLP

A survey of female-forward downtown New York sounds centered on twin sisters Ellen and Lynda Kahn, who skewered material pop culture as the video art/no wave duo TWINART, along with contributions from a handful of like-minded local peers who were also blurring the distinctions between the city’s visual art and underground music scenes in the ’70s and ’80s. Instant This / Instant That starts with (and takes its title from) a one-off recording by the Kahn sisters’ first band TASTE TEST, from a flexi that came with a 1979 issue of the Chicago-based zine Praxis—it’s a delirious collision of busted synth squiggle, primitive Whac-A-Mole beats, and breathless call-and-response chants about polyester, microwaves, and “shiny shit” as they romp through the detritus of the modern convenience lifestyle. As TWINART, the Kahns would venture even further into exploring the possibilities of electronic textures and manipulations, from art-damaged minimal wave (there’s echoes of ALGEBRA SUICIDE in the stark layering of handclaps and spoken word in “Hands On Hands Off”), to skeletal bass/drum machine art-punk clatter (“Trashy Fashions”), while keeping TASTE TEST’s B-52’S-level fixation with consumerist kitsch in place. The snapshot of the TWINART inner circle is fleshed out with the DANCE, who lend the unreleased demo “Dream On” (showcasing them at their most straight new wave) and the 1982 breakneck mutant art-funk B-side “You Got to Know,” with heads of DANCE Eugenie Diserio and Steve Alexander joining TWINART for the retrofuturist synth-wave sleaze of “Double Shot of Love,” plus three tracks from performance artist JILL KROESEN (including her PATTI SMITH-gone-no wave 1980 single “I Really Want to Bomb You”), and two offerings from multimedia artist JULIA HEYWARD (the rhythmic, almost BUSH TETRAS-esque “Gassum,” and the electronic sound poetry drone of “Keep Moving Buddy”). Weird, wild, and wonderful.

Agravio Que Futuro De La Verga EP

A hasty and harsh chaotic storm of hardcore punk from Mexico City, AGRAVIO wafts forth from the embers of SARCRIFICIO playing more anxiously and less thrashy, like NEGAZIONE, VICTIMAS, ATOXXXICO, or TRAMPA. Some aspects branch out into to post-hardcore punk’n’roll and immediately fall back into hammer-smash mode. This is gnarly, raw, lo-fi, and killer. Unique structures that hold back with explosive experience then let loose with skull-knocking punk rage. Fastcore changes fit perfectly in the classic riffs and beats, as if they were stolen and tossed back, used up without care. There is a feeling of urgency on every track, never quite solved or satisfying a solution. Always left hanging, always waiting for the fall, squinting and checking the sky…what’s more punk than that?

Aihotz Matar al Superhombre EP

Latest release by Basque punks AIHOTZ from Bilbao. Their sound is psychedelia-drenched, international ’80s punk/post-punk, a third-generation mixtape copy meets UK82-style street punk like something that comes out of NYC on Toxic State, or the La Vida Es Un Mus school of punk—art school dropout, yet still quite unclassifiable. For fans of RAKTA, BARCELONA, and UNA BESTIA INCONTROLABLE.

Baby Adam Baby Adam cassette

BABY ADAM is not an actual baby, or a solo act going by an infantile alias, but a trio from Florida with a noisy indie sound and very warped pop sensibilities. These songs sound almost like they could be primitive, lo-fi covers of ’90s groups like SEBADOH. It’s captured in the carefree and creative recording styles of that band’s earliest work, but it hits levels of unpolished, organic expression that are more in tune with the more melodic efforts of PUSSY GALORE. There’s also a youthful sort of earnestness present here, the kind that I associate with emo-type bands of the early 2000s. In the end, I mentally file this somewhere near (but not close to) Butte, Montana college rockers MORDECAI. Is it art, or ineptitude? Both? If you enjoy it, does it matter?

Battalion Zośka New Blood CD

About halfway through this album, I found myself beginning to laugh, not from joy or elation, but from the growing realisation that this was one of the shittest things I’ve ever heard. A doff of the old chapeau to BATTALION ZOŚKA for creating something for which literally no one was asking, a plodding retread of a plodding retread of street punk with a needless studio sheen and zero heart. I’m sure if you’ve ever worn a flat cap to a show, or own a skateboard, you’ll think this is good. You’d be wrong, but you would think that. Avoid this like the bubonic plague.

Cartones Sala De Espera cassette

Have you ever dreamed of a world where people love late-era RAMONES albums as much as you? A fantastical land where seemingly normal passersby on the street will shout lyrics to “I Believe in Miracles” at you while you walk past? I know it sounds almost too good to be true, but what if I told you that such a land exists?! A decade of the RAMONES touring South America from the late ’80s to the late ’90s left rioting fans thirsty for more, and from then on, the heavenly country of Argentina has been viewing the RAMONES as the pinnacle of pop music. Apparently that stance shows no signs of stopping. CARTONES are no exception to this notion that I’m gonna go ahead and say is a fact. No, this cassette does not sound exactly like the RAMONES. This is not a carbon copy by any means. What you have here are ten beautiful songs of pop music, the likes of which could only be written by individuals who, from a young age, grew up hearing the blown-out, sing-songy vocals of a nearing the end of his career Joey Ramone crooning to them from the radio. I swear I was going to make a comment expressing how CARTONES’ songwriting and harmonizing style reminded me of Argentina’s premiere RAMONES-worship band LOS EXPULSADOS until I saw in the track list that Sebastian Expulsado himself is featured on one of the songs. Sala De Espera is a lot of fun, and I highly recommend it if you have an appreciation for pop music, downstrokes, and a certain band that may have been mentioned a few times in this write-up.

Chained Bliss Chained Bliss LP

High-energy debut LP from Philadelphia’s CHAINED BLISS. This has the youth crew sound similar to the new-ish ENACT. Pummeling drums, buzzed-out fifth chords, slimy guitar leads, powerful bass, and in-your-face half-sung/half-shouted vocals. I imagine their live shows rule, as I want a crowd to bounce off while listening to this, but alas, head-banging over my morning coffee will have to suffice. Turn up loud, get stoked.

Cold Brats / Gel Shock Therapy split LP

I love splits because bands usually try to bulldoze everything in their path over their own side of plastic grooves or slice of tape. In this case, New Jersey’s GEL does a search-and-destroy action with four tracks of ear-shattering and brash hardcore, blowing away any neuron connections you have left. Then it’s the turn of Romania’s COLD BRATS, with an army of sharp riffs ready to drive punks and normies alike berserk. After listening to their contribution, you’ll understand why the split is called Shock Therapy. The talent of both bands is undeniable, and putting them together is an act of pure genius.

Delco MF’s Bullshit EP

We got a wild one here, youse guys! DELCO MF’S is a solo recording project of Jim Shomo, vocalist/guitarist from Philly bands DARK THOUGHTS and LOOSE NUKES. The project bears more of resemblance to the latter of those two acts, except it’s way rawer and more unhinged. The five songs on this EP, four of which don’t even crack a minute, take the loose, feral hardcore of Cleveland’s BAD NOIDS and really amp up all the weird, gremlin-y aspects of their sound. To top things off, all the tracks are buried under an extremely murky production—the first time I played the record, I literally checked my needle to make sure it wasn’t coated in lint, which, contrary to what you might think, really manages to add to the out-of-control vibe of the record, kinda like wrapping up a roost of rabid bats in a blanket. This thing rips!

Desamparo Estás Condenado Al Fracaso cassette

Lo-fi recording of primitive hardcore. The quality supports the overall experience, since the simplified riffs and beats mix well with the blurred and blistering environment, as if your friend passed you a tape of their weekend session at the rehearsal room (which is always a nice gesture), and listening to this recording is not that distant from this feeling. Bands like DESAMPARO might have a better understanding of what making records supposed to mean than many of us—they write straight-up flawless hardcore tracks and set everything to sound even more amazing in this low-budget enviorment, because the sound is a significant part of the songs. If I listen closely and listen a lot, I can hear the guitar melodies hidden behind the desperate screams, but the real thing is the overall creation. They have deeper lyrics than the average bands in their style, reflecting everyday experiences rather than some blurry collective idea of shooting clichés. Yet I cannot say they are on constant repeat, as some of their songs are too long and monotone for me to be more excited than just considering them another great addition of the millions of cool hardcore bands from all over the world. But bands like this are the actual backbone of this subculture, who make it possible that there are great groups playing such fucked-up music all around the world. 

Eärthdögs Cry Now Cry Later EP

I don’t have an advanced degree, so I can’t tell the difference between grindcore and powerviolence, but I know a ripping EP when I hear it. Five short songs growled into your dead soul with hyperkinetic rhythms and wall-of-sound guitars. “A Soft Throat for the Grip of Domination” dips a toe into noisecore territory. This California five-piece brings the pain. I want the album cover framed on my wall, too.

Fashion Change / Hologram Live in DC split cassette

Two different solo studio bands from two different coasts of the United States (HOLOGRAM and FASHION CHANGE) came together to tour that country in May of 2022. This particular performance was recorded at Slash Run in Washington DC, current hometown of HOLOGRAM (or at least mainman Brendan Reichardt). The audio fidelity of the performances is very lo-fi, but this does not take away from the listening experience—of course, if anything, it only adds to it. HOLOGRAM, whose No Longer Human LP was my favourite release of 2021, plays several choice cuts from that slab along with tracks from their previous releases Build Yourself Up So Many Times Only to Be Brought Down Again and Again and Illusion of Control, along with, quite fascinatingly, a short cover of the intro to “Horizontal Hold” by THIS HEAT. On the flipside, FASHION CHANGE rages through numbers off of their Coward cassette and Devil’s Laugh 7″, with a couple of new songs thrown in the mix. This cassette tape comes highly recommended to anyone who is already acquainted with these two bands’ previous respective discographies—if you are not yet, make sure to remedy that! Two thumbs up for two of my favourite currently active bands.

The Frowning Clouds Gospel Sounds & More From the Church of Scientology LP

Faithful ’60s-style music from Melbourne. The songs are groovy fun with bits of folk, psych, and surf, along with a touch of Ray Davies. This album is a collection of tracks recorded in 2012 at the same time as their second album, Whereabouts. Some tracks were released as a European tour cassette, others as singles, with a few unreleased ones thrown in for good measure. It’s a nice album. Members would go on to form HIEROPHANTS, AUSMUTEANTS, and ALIEN NOSEJOB, among other cool bands.

Girlsperm The Muse Ascends LP

The return to GIRLSPERM! Five years after their debut LP, Layla, Marissa, and Tobi are back with The Muse Ascends, and it continues to be a tall order to describe the band without employing the term “girl gang.” The GIRLSPERM turf stretches directly between the feminist/minimalist no wave territory of ROSA YEMEN/Y PANTS and the ’90s agit-punk revolutionary racket of Slampt Records, with sloganeering vocals (almost always presented in a unified front of ecstatic three-part shouts), treble-sharpened switchblade stabs of twin guitar, and a structural austerity within their concise art-punk outbursts that demands each member’s instrumental contributions be placed on completely equal footing, engaging in a sonic call-and-response trust dialogue with one another as a means of defense against the squares and creeps of the world. When they subvert the signature organ riff from the ARCHIES’ bubblegum smash “Sugar Sugar” into a halting single-string anti-solo on “Sugarcide,” it’s a clear statement of intent—the history of rock music as we know it only exists to be reshaped in GIRLSPERM’s image.

Happy Kadaver Self Liberation 12″

Four doses of dreary German punk that start out more than a little reminiscent of a rudimentary EA80, but far rougher around the edges. While I appreciate the intent and approach, the execution leaves a lot to be desired, and I find myself listening to HAPPY KADAVER for what they will become instead of what they are…and then they change course and I find myself listening to a mediocre, mid-tempo German bar punk band and wishing I were listening to a mediocre German dreary punk band, and then…then, I start to question my life choices.

Infra Combo Exsanguinated by Punk cassette

Experimental guitar album that approaches punk through textural noise and rhythmic loops, like TELEVISION by way of the DEAD C. “Exsanguinated by Punk” appears as three movements with JOHN COLTRANE-style parenthetical descriptions: “Acknowledgement,” “Empathy,” and “Ascension,” painting a theme with seemingly improvised passages that meld the vocabulary of punk and jazz. The beautiful opener “Eulogy for Jean-Luc Godard” combines droning chords with exploratory noodling over stumbling drums. And while we’re on the subject of Godard, he was punk as fuck. Keep your Repo Man and give me his film Weekend, where consumer culture literally crashes and burns, as the ultimate punk movie any day. Similarly, INFRA COMBO stomps through genre conventions and treads on our sacred traditions with the second and third iterations of the title track. “Empathy” contains the lines, “When all the spikes have gone limp / And the chains have lost their chrome / When my leather jacket has gone back to the earth / We pack up and go home,” while “Ascension” builds into a detuned march that Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo would happily put their names on, with the lyrics “If this is all there is / Then my heart breaks / If this is all there is / Then the style isn’t worth the space.” It’s a challenging album that rejects the staid conformity that comes with this territory we inhabit while embracing the radical experimentation that brought us here in the first place.

Insanity Defense Asylum: Complete Recordings 1983–1985 LP

This is that ’80s hardcore I live for. The early 1980s were swarming with hardcore punk bands coming out of every nook and cranny, with too much attention always given to just a few bands and miniscule historic records of bands that should have mattered more. INSANITY DEFENSE is one of those bands that has flown under my radar (and I’m sure many others), and I’m sorry for having missed out for this long. INSANITY DEFENSE easily hold their own sonically against the great titans in the coliseum of early hardcore punk, and demonstrate their talent throughout each song on this historic document. The vinyl album, and accompanying zine, preserves two different recording sessions spanning a two-year timeframe. In this period of time, INSANITY DEFENSE honed their sound from speedy, houseparty hardcore punk into a deathrock-tinged hardcore powerhouse. The LP is further worth owning as it splits the two recording sessions between sides, serving not only to highlight the maturation of the band, but also as a unique listening experience in that Side A will attract fans of DOA and MDC, while Side B plays similar to AGENT ORANGE, TSOL, and even moments of CHRISTIAN DEATH.

Jeff Hill Band Entertainment for the Fun Generation LP

I’m just a few songs in, and I can tell you what these guys are about: these guys are about super melodic pop music. It’s very much got that feel of power pop from the early ’80s. And whether the sound is pop or power pop, the influence is clearly the pop music of the ’60s with all sorts of different genres represented, including doo wop and surf. I like it. I like it a bunch. Fourteen songs is a lot on one album for me. My magic number is ten. And I like songs to almost always be less than two-and-a-half minutes.

Kirkby Kiss It’s Gonna Cost You LP

I don’t know what’s going on here. Musically, this starts out as some decent post-hardcore-type stuff in line with Dead Reckoning-era SMALL BROWN BIKE with effects pedals, but when the vocals kick in, it’s wild. Like hardcore-as-fuck wild. Then a few songs later, it goes full-on DISCHARGE/HOLY MOUNTAIN, followed up by a song with spoken vocals that reminds me of some early ’90s Ebullition/DC-type vibe. This record is kinda all over the place while staying in a specific lane the whole time. It’s something that I could find myself revisiting on occasion, but not a lot.

Languid A Paranoid Wretch in Society’s Games LP

If D-beat was an Olympic sport, it would probably be diving—like diving, to the unversed, it pretty much always sounds and looks the same. Only self-proclaimed experts can actually tell the brilliant kind from the mediocre one, and everyone can spot a really botched dive just as well as an excruciatingly boring D-beat band. And if D-beat was an Olympic discipline (it won’t be until 2032), then LANGUID would possibly win a gold medal. This Edmonton band has been going since 2015 and has delivered quality orthodox D-beat ever since, but their new album A Paranoid Wretch in Society’s Game (a very COVID-compatible title) takes them to new heights. D-beat is a subgenre based on strict expectations, and LANGUID knows the game well and totally meets it with a heavy production, perfect Swedish D-beat riffs, some groovy bass lines, a very pure version of the beat on the drums, and shouted vocals with the compulsory scansion, flow, and accentuation. LANGUID belongs to the Swedish branch of the loving D-beat family and clearly aims at emulating DISFEAR (A Brutal Sight of War-era), DISPENSE (In the Cold Night-era), and the most obvious reference by far, Remaining Right: Silence by MEANWHILE, a band who under the name DISCHANGE were one of the very first bands in punkstory to try to sound just like DISCHARGE. So from a creative stance, LANGUID tries to sound just like a band who tried to sound just like another band. Referential punk poetry in action. This album is a pure declaration of love to the mighty D and probably the strongest work in the Swedish-styled D-beat category in a few years (it is admittedly a narrow category). This gem was released on D-Takt & Råpunk Records, a label that specializes in such delicacies, the aptly nightmarish artwork was drawn by Adam Kindred (from CONTAGIUM and ZYGOME), and it was mastered by Kenko…from MEANWHILE. A future classic, to be sure.

Lesser Minds Futile cassette

New Jersey’s LESSER MINDS come out swinging with this debut cassette EP. Futile is a very pissed-off, riffy affair in the vein of classic CEREMONY, with some of the dissonance of chaotic bands like DEADGUY. The abrasive and oppressive sounds omitted by LESSER MINDS is certainly far from easy listening. Recommended.

Money Final Bag demo cassette

A while back I called the Roachleg Records “hotline” in an attempt to get more info on the VIOLENT CHRISTIANS. A whiny, Jerky Boys-type character answered the phone, sounding confused and annoyed by my call. “Wild Christians?” he replied, “what about ‘em?,” as he went on to deny any knowledge of the existence of that band, or any other band for that matter. It was a hilarious, baffling exchange, and I’m not sure why I expected anything less. Over the past couple of years, this Brooklyn-based label has established itself as one that gets my immediate attention upon dropping a new release. In a world increasingly populated by copycats and cosplayers, Roachleg’s commitment to releasing truly abrasive and gnarly music has earned them a special place in my ever-blackening heart, and this demo adds to the filthy pile of perverse tapes that they’ve been steadily foisting on the unsuspecting public. Naming their band after “the root of all evil,” MONEY rips through three tracks of nasty hardcore rumbling. The band has a grim, noisy, and driving sound punctuated by madman guitar noodling and led by unintelligible, cretinous vocals, all dripping in the sonic scuzz that has become this prolific label’s calling card. In fact, the blurred and belligerent delivery of it all could easily distract one from the fact that there are some serious chops at work here. It’s hot shit, and I’m hoping we haven’t heard the last of it. Want to learn more? You better call Sol.

Ojo Por Ojo Leprosario LP

“This sounds like a lot of other albums I’ve heard” is my default phrase of criticism, but in the instance of  OJO POR OJO’s release Leprosario, I mean it as the highest form of praise. Listing all the amazing inspirations OJO POR OJO certainly draws upon would take an entire page, and rather than just mimic other bands, they instead opt to carve a trench of their own, using a barrage of extreme music elements as their digging machine. This is one of those albums you can put on for your punk friends and your metal friends, and every subgenre and derivation of, and they’ll all ask, “Who is this?” There aren’t a lot of sounds coming from metal that really make my head turn these days, but OJO POR OJO gives me whiplash. Mixing elements of hardcore punk, crossover, and metal seamlessly so that you’ll never see what’s coming around the bend, OJO POR OJO continually gifts the listener with suprises and unique transitions. “Pisadas” opens this LP with a sludge-laden snarl that chugs along until suddenly a guitar begins picking a fast riff and this album switches into overdrive. “Borracho de Gasolina,” the next song, is a thrash fest ready for circle pits. Essentially, this album is a ten-song stampede in which OJO POR OJO demonstrates just how musically skilled they are. When you peruse the liner notes and realize this is a three-piece unit, and that the lead singer and guitar player are the same person, you’ll wonder how OJO POR OJO is capable of such immense power and precision. “Mausoleos de Metal” is a standout song; powerful, thrashing drums, soaring guitars, voracious vocals, everything OJO POR OJO is capable of, poured into a single glass, and served straight-up.

Pacino Sedm Sv​ě​tů LP

PACINO has real energy under their sometimes understated delivery. The bass and drums propel the songs, though you might miss them at first—behind the riffs, they’re defining and pushing the music forward. The guitars mostly play around the bass, providing complementary notes instead of a louder, more distorted mimic. The rough vocals have a wonderful harmony at their core. The band’s genre feels familiar, but I’m struggling to identify it—’90s alt rock? Lo-fi indie? If you’re interested in the answer, please give it a listen.

Radio Days I Got a Love EP

Pop music with punk influences. Is there anything better? Awesome. I can hear the PARTRIDGE FAMILY in this! That’s a high compliment. I can also hear the EXPLODING HEARTS. At its core, this is pop music made by folks whose musical interests are varied and broad and include stuff that stretches way beyond the Top 40. If you like power pop that is catchy and maybe even a little corny at times, you’ll like this one. I loved this right off the bat, and I feel confident that it will continue to grow on me. Worth looking for.

Sectarian Bloom New Spring cassette

Second release from the darkwave-meets-post-punk group SECTARIAN BLOOM, out of Oakland, CA. For a trio, they really fill out these songs, creating the ambience of a genre often accompanied by a second guitar and synths. Will’s vocals are clean and stark, like Peter Murphy of BAUHAUS, while Susi (I could only find first names here) sings passionately and hangs onto notes over the glassy guitar riffs. The lyrics are poetry, like some JOY DIVISION coldness found on the opener “Static”: “A new found passion / A new found hate / But now aware of what fate waits / Expired incandescence / Flowing coils losing sheen / Silent detachment waits at every corner / Just static.” Transylvanian claims to have “the darkest waves in the Bay,” and I think that does well to sum up SECTARIAN BLOOM.

Slaughter Boys Til the End of the Weak LP

Get ready to get hooked. San Diego’s SLAUGHTER BOYS are back with an LP packed with hit after would-be hit. Classic-sounding punk that sounds like ’80s Southern California (think DICKIES, ADOLESCENTS) crashing full speed into the BLOOD and EDDIE & THE HOT RODS, all with an overt glam/garage tinge. Definitely not what I normally go for (at all), but I’ll be fucked if these punks didn’t absolutely nail it.

Smegma Dives Headfirst Into Punk Rock 1978/79 CD

SMEGMA were the true freaks of Portland punk’s first wave. A gang of mutant anti-musicians originally from Pasadena, CA and involved in the Los Angeles Free Music Society, SMEGMA moved to Portland in the mid-’70s and found themselves swept up in the freedom of the early punk movement. While the group gigged with the WIPERS, NEO BOYS, and ICE 9, and even had a young Jerry A. from POISON IDEA in their lineup, they weren’t exactly playing three-chord rockers. This compilation is an expanded edition of a 2015 tape and documents those early years, through live and home studio recordings, also including the rare 7”s Disco Diarrhea and Flashcards. While songs like “Front Row Lloyd” and “Get Away” come closest (while still being miles away) to doctrine “punk rock,” chugging away monotonously on furiously out-of-tune riffs, most of the music documented on this is droning, skronking, screeching, strange, creeping, cacophonic, freeform, improvised, and id-driven. While rooted in the punk rock history of Portland, SMEGMA were massively important in creating space for noise and experimental music in the city, and I’d declare them to be just as influential to the legacy of DIY independent music-making as DEAD MOON.

The Templars La Premiere Croisade LP

Noted as the lost first TEMPLARS album, I was surprised to see that this even existed. La Premiere Croisade includes the band’s first EP Poor Knights of Acre, as well as a handful of songs from the same recording sessions. This is your classic Oi!, through the lens of mid ’90s teenage Long Island. It lands with chugging tempos, plenty of string bending, and faux-British accent growls. Comes off like BLITZ circa Voice of a New Generation, but more lo-fi and with less production. Cool to see this reissue happen and hear a scene from a time and place long ago—the LP satisfies the street punk itch and will have you in braces by the last cut.

Zanjeer Parcham Buland Ast EP

Born out of frustration and the anger of being stomped by the system, ZANJEER was first conceptualized in 2020 in Bremen by members who come from all over (Colombia, Pakistan, England, and Germany), and who used to make noise in bands like MURO, AMENAZAS, and MULTINATIONAL CORPORATIONS, just to name a few. This provides a multicultural and multilingual output on life as someone that is against the established system. It means that their ferociousness is channeled through Urdu, Farsi, and Punjabi lyrics and vocals. ZANJEER raises the flag for the disenfranchised, the excluded, the victims of religious oppression and post-colonial nationalism. Sonically, it’s somewhere in between DISCHARGE, DISRUPT, and a darker CHAOS UK, with a vocal delivery that could be on a RATOS DE PORÃO record. To complete the full vision of the band, they recruited Nicky Rat to do a powerful cover that encapsulates what is inside the record.

V/A You Didn’t Think We Could Take It, Vol. 2: A Tribute to Subsonics LP

Graduating from the 7” format of the first volume is this second tribute to Atlanta’s SUBSONICS. The band’s lo-fi, minimalist songs allow for interesting interpretations. The bands doing the covering are from all over the globe, including KID CONGO POWERS, SLOKS, BLACK MEKON, BANG BANG BABIES, DISTURBIOS, COLT COBRA, and more. A fun collection whether you are familiar with SUBSONICS or not.