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!

Hero Dishonest / Ydinperhe split EP

A double-feature EP starring two of the longest-running punk bands in Finland, this split is filthy with raw expression. HERO DISHONEST has been in the game since 1999, and they’ve changed with the times a bit throughout the years, but on this record they sound freshly pissed-off and unpolished in the best way possible. This violent sound pairs well with images of the band making breakfast, relaxing on the couch, and doing household projects in their video for “Pettynyt” (look it up). Less seasoned but just as potent, YDINPERHE comes in sounding like a pack of Finnish firecrackers. On this eighth outing since the band’s start in 2011, they lay out three dizzying tracks that take you from headbanging to hungover in about four minutes. Impressive, and it’s nice to see the infection is still festering strongly in Northern Europe.

Ink Bomb / No Breakfast Goodbye split CD

The packaging on this one is a little obtuse. The only reason I could tell that this is a split release with two bands is that there’s a photo of two (obviously different) bands. No acknowledgement of who wrote which of the six songs (though a quick internet search found that NO BREAKFAST GOODBYE provided the first trio of tracks, and INK BOMB the second, duh!). To make it even more blurry, both bands play a very similar vein of driving, melodic pop punk/hardcore, not too dissimilar from a BLINK-182, or perhaps more old school accurately, a BIG DRILL CAR or ALL. And just to muddy the waters entirely, so far as one can tell from the band photos, INK BOMB has one female in the band, but it would appear that the only female vocals on any of the tracks are on one of the NO BREAKFAST GOODBYE efforts. And there’s no contact information whatsoever on the CD. So, ah, there you have it, really. Despite my bewilderment, the ears dug it all just fine.

Liberty and Justice Pressure LP

Streetrock ain’t dead! In their debut LP, Texan sorts LIBERTY AND JUSTICE have quietly released one of the records of the year. Taking inspiration from classic Oi! like the TEMPLARS and even the 4-SKINS, as well as dabbling in NEGATIVE APPROACH-style hardcore too, it’s actually a lot more expansive than your ten a penny plastic gangsters doing cosplay about the pub. Solidarity and anti-racism is the name of the game here, and collaborations with local ska/cumbia outfit LOS SKARNALES and Houston rapper FAT TONY are both highlights. Sledgehammer vocals and fist-in-the-air anthems all underwritten by a thunderous rhythm section, too. Completely took me by surprise, but undoubtedly a future genre classic.

Lone Wolf Together Alone LP

I was expecting something completely different when I first put this on and I gotta say, I’m really glad it’s not at all what I expected. What I expected was some run-of-the-mill pop punk bordering on “RAMONES-core.” What I got instead was a record that while still catchy, stays as far away from the aforementioned genre as possible. This record reminds me of a more subdued DEAD TO ME. I could easily find this in somewhat regular rotation on my stereo and possibly a contender for one of my favorite albums of the year.

Miley Silence Miley Silence cassette

Crunchy hardcore from Hamburg, Germany that mainly stays in the mid-tempo zone, with straightforward riffs and vocals that alternate between shouting and the scratchiest of scratchy screaming. Definitely enough power and enthusiasm here to drive a circle pit, but not sure if it totally comes across is this rehearsal studio recording. “Hugs Till I Die” is a pretty excellent name for a hardcore song.

Molisma BIA cassette

From the birthplace of democracy comes the latest in hardcore punk violence with MOLISMA. I always think that the place where a band comes from defines the level of aggression that comes through their sound, and being from a place that is in crisis for quite some time makes punk sound even stronger. BIA sounds like early POISON IDEA minus the virtuoso guitar work, with pissed-off vocals similar to DISFEAR and a steady MOB 47 beat. Complete with a disgusting cover by Nicky Rat, this cassette is surely a memorable one. A band on their fourth release that shows no signs of slowing down.

Night Battles Year of No Days LP

Bleak yet bombastic goth-inflected post-punk. Occupying a similar post-hardcore musical and rhythmic void as SHUDDER TO THINK but buried under a mire of chorus and reverb, and with vocals that rely far less on falsetto operatics. Listening to Year of No Days I felt myself sinking into a comforting miasma, awash with recollections of INTERPOL, DEAD AND GONE, FRESH KILLS, and other pale white boys in tight-fitting black button-up shirts.

The Outta Place Prehistoric Recordings LP

This is a reissue of the 1983 demo tape from these New York City garage rock revivalists. Seven of the songs would appear on their first EP. Those are included here along with three others and four live tracks. The thing I enjoy most about the ’80s garage rockers is their sense of fun. They know the genre inside and out, yet it is not by the books. They are willing to kick in their own style. They’re having a good time playing and you’re having a good time listening.

Pigeon Deny All Knowledge of Complicity LP

Berlin post-punk efficiency featuring two members of LIIEK, and sitting in a sweet spot when it comes to the old compare’n’contrast: similar enough to that sibling band to have their enthusiasts keen to sign up, without the resemblance being close to the point where you ask why they’re doing this. PIGEON’s songs are taut and bassline-driven, but also well-produced and full of hooks that soar (can hooks do that? Musicological minds want to know). I think they’re nodding in the direction of UK post-punk’s biggest names, but by accident or design I get a ’90s Dischord vibe, say CIRCUS LUPUS, from several of these songs, or even AT THE DRIVE-IN on Deny All Knowledge of Complicity’s title track. It’ll probably add up to something overly collegiate for a lot of your tastes but is pleasingly bouncy for something so moody, if you follow.

R.M.F.C. / Set-Top Box split EP

Another absolute banger of a punk record from Australia. This time a split record from two Sydney based-bands, both of which have a slightly quirkier style of post-punk that involves crusty drum machines and heavily distorted vocals. The R.M.F.C side is three short songs that speed through their runtime having an absolute blast on the way. Energetic, lively, and totally off the wall. The flipside with SET-TOP BOX is a much more lo-fi-sounding set of tracks that is shrouded in the strange analog sounds of 8-bit drum machines and vintage toy keyboards. Totally awesome release. Cool in every way!

Rotstrotter Rotstrotter LP

Monstrous non-stop D-beat with some motor-charged vibes. For fans of HELLKRUSHER, DISASTER, POLICE BASTARD, WARCOLLAPSE, and DISTRAUGHT. Vocals remind me of DEVOID OF FAITH, the music is as fast as DISGUST, E.N.T, and DISFEAR. ROTSTROTTER isn’t rewriting the book here, but their speed is definitely up there with the most insane of them. The transitions are smooth and the riffs melt together in excellent D-beat harmony. Some solos almost sound like computer gibberish and that’s fucking cool and different. ROTSTROTTER debuts with a powerful LP that grasps you right away. It’s simple, but it is real kängpunk turnt up a few notches in its truest form. You can tell the members of this band are no freshmen to this sound. 100% D-beat hardcore from Denver today that reeks forth like Europe thirty-something years ago.

Sick Burn / These Bastards Burn These Sick Bastards split EP

One of the most obvious and superficial bummers about the COVID era is a lack of punk shows. Hardcore records are cool—I love em—but this was music meant to be experienced in the sweaty, smelly flesh, and few local bands exemplified that more than Sacramento’s SICK BURN and San Francisco’s THESE BASTARDS. This split was in the works before shit shut down, and now I can spin the grooves and get even more amped for my future as a live-show-goer, annoyed with that one dude acting a fool in the pit (because you know that dude is gonna be there…he’s been waiting). Five sub-minute tracks from SICK BURN, more ripping irreverent hardcore injecting Japanese riffs into breakneck USHC. THESE BASTARDS drop three more doses of their bizarre prog-violence on the flip—pure West Bay brutality, intense and dark. I freaking love both of these bands.

Skids Songs From a Haunted Ballroom CD

The SKIDS, for those not in the know, were a punk band forged in Fife, Scotland, in the late ’70s, who were a little bit different, sonically, and whose main claim to fame was that when they broke up in the early ’80s (after three excellent LPs), the guitarist went on to form BIG COUNTRY. The chiming guitars for which they became famous (“guitars that sound like bagpipes”—even though the band claimed they were emulating violins!), very much evident in the SKIDS. I guess they’ve now reformed with the original singer Richard Jobson (Stuart Adamson of BIG COUNTRY committed suicide—suffering from depression—in the early 2000s). This new record is largely a “covers” album, centered around the Kinema Ballroom in their hometown of Dunfermline. The songs pay tribute not only to their early influences (and bands they played with, such as the CLASH, and the ADVERTS), but to the working class (and gang) culture of the times. As well as reworkings of the SEX PISTOLS and MAGAZINE, there’s the ’70s glam of MOTT THE HOOPLE and DAVID ESSEX, the early New Romantic art of ULTRAVOX and the pub rock of NICK LOWE. And, appropriately enough, there’s reworkings of two of the early SKIDS classics—”The Saints Are Coming” and “Into The Valley.” A classic slice of culture from the era, all supercharged with 21st century production, and the songs suitably revved. I have to say, it largely reminded me of what a fucking great song “Complete Control” is!

Stalag 13 Fill in the Silence LP

When I first saw this assignment, I wondered if this was the same STALAG 13 from Oxnard in the mid-’80s. Sure enough. I’ve got to admit to a certain amount of surprise that these guys are still at it. Or maybe they’re at it again? Not sure. Either way, I was surprised. I always found most of that Nardcore stuff a little “samey.” It was never terrible, but I didn’t think anything ever really stood out, at least not for me. If you’re a fan of (Southern) California hardcore, this could be for you. If you like it uptempo and don’t mind a little extracurricular guitar work, this could be for you. I gather that this is a mix of both older and newer songs. I do find it kind of cool that these guys maintain the passion for punk.

Syrgas Hiroshima EP

A furious stench of crust straight from the country of all things hardcore, Sweden. Untamed aggression with the pedal always to the metal, a huge low sound that hits the bowels, some guitar work that could be on an early WOLFPACK record and pissed-off vocals that make it sound like DRILLER KILLER. A straight Swedish crust record with every box checked.

Younger Lovers The San Pedro Sessions EP

A side project for GRAVY TRAIN!!! frontman Brontez Purnell, YOUNGER LOVERS are mid-2000s garage rock at its best. Recorded in a single night, these tracks are rough around the edges, aggressive, and to-the-point, like any garage punk that’s worth its salt should be. There isn’t much more to be said other than this 7″ kicks ass if you’re into some gnarly blues-inspired punk songs.

V/A Welcome to Pittsburgh…Don’t Move Here LP

Damn, this one kills. John Villegas has long been booking shows, running the punkest record store in Pittsburgh, playing in killer bands, and putting out great records including, now, this amazing compilation. Like all the best comps (Process of Elimination, American Youth Report, Cottage Cheese From the Lips of Death, Not So Quiet on the Western Front, etc.) it has that special insular feel, like being suspended in a moment in time. You can practically smell the motor oil and solvents of Babyland or the choking clouds of stale smoke and sticky sweat of the Rock Room or Gooski’s. Sure, there’s three of John’s bands present here, but you go make your own fucking compilation and then you can do what you want. It plays at 45rpm like all good punk records should, and it has one of those nifty zine things with a page for each band. There’s some diversity here with the artfulness of S.L.I.P. or the pseudo-Oi! of NO TIME, but basically, this is hardcore and it’s mean, it’s dirty, and raw. I’d be bananas to try to pick favorites here and I don’t know how John managed to get every band’s best song committed to his project but we’re all stoked he did. As I type this now I’m really feeling LIVING WORLD, PEACE TALKS, RAT-NIP, INVALID, and CHILLER, but in a minute it could easily be SPEED PLANS, LOOSE NUKES, WHITE STAINS, or NECRO HEADS. Every song is a keeper and unique in its own special way, just like that Mr. Rogers guy said. It’s not the whole scene here and there’s great bands like MOWER, EEL, BIG BABY, CONCEALED BLADE, or MEDIUM UGLY not present, but it’s a real nice thick slice of a great punk scene that you should definitely admire from afar and keep your distance.

Alambrada Muerte Preventiva EP

I love debut 7″s. Bands tend to showcase their virtues in a raw and colorful way, like they have so much to prove in just a few minutes. ALAMBRADA is a new Colombian band, straight from Bogotá with members of beloved MURO in their ranks, and this is their first EP, one of the best of the year so far. Eight songs of noisy-as-fuck yet incredibly hooky guitar riffs, a rhythm section that splits your head open with uncompromising determination, and a voice so thick in poisonous spit, it can melt metal. Their sound is so vicious and raw that it can sometimes veer into total chaos, but just this close enough of atonal oblivion. It is actually hard to have a favorite track, but I can tell you to go straight to the double-decker of “Control Total/Un Acto de Lealtad” and you can thank me later. So it goes.

Autoagresion Bajo Control cassette

Argentina is bringing some serious heat to the review section this month, and Buenos Aires’ AUTOAGRESION is some of the hottest—searing fastcore, but with a massive production and vocals that fucking hurt (my throat) to listen to. “Apartadxs” is a perfect equation: intro + explosion = perfection, while just one track (“Policias”) tops the one-minute mark. This is just pure and honest hardcore punk, and probably the best release I’ve heard this month.

Hélène Barbier Regulus LP

Second solo LP from HÉLÈNE BARBIER, formerly of Québecoise trio MOSS LIME and joined here by a cast of collaborators from the Celluloid Lunch family. MOSS LIME’s version of spartan, spectral art-punk wandered through labyrinths similar to the ones constructed by YOUNG MARBLE GIANTS and the RAINCOATS forty years prior, and Regulus largely follows suit—sing-song vocals (in both English and French) with a touch of languid chilliness, stripped-down and unhurried beats, angular single-note guitar twang, pop songs run through post-punk machinery. BARBIER’s lyrical delivery serves the skittish rhythms of tracks like “Get a Grip” and “Regulus” just as much as the bass and drums, with words and phrases drawn out and repeated until the distinctions between language and sound start to break down, while muted swells of keyboard add to the otherworldly fever dream vibe of “Jersey Swap” and “Lightly,” and her gauzy take on “You Little Nothing” by the GORIES is somehow even more bare-bones than the original, with only some brief mangled guitar racket keeping it from completely drifting into the ether. Lovely.

The Beltones Cheap Trinkets LP reissue

I was in Portland during West Coast travels in 2001, the year this album was first released on TKO Records. I ended up at the infamous Satyricon club, a decadent ruckus glory shithole that showcased some of the best punk, grunge, and garage bands of the ’90s and early ’00s. The BELTONES happened to be playing that night, and though a lot of the details are hazy, I remember them striking a strong, memorable chord and leaving an impression in me as being no-nonsense, honest punks. Listening to this reissue confirmed those opaque memories. Bill McFadden’s vocals don’t so much have a range, but rather fluctuate between a gruff growl to a loud shout to accentuate and emphasize. Like a sped-up STIFF LITTLE FINGERS with the politics being more personal, the BELTONES had their own sound, mixing street punk with flavors of Jamaican music, soul, and Oi!, that more than held its own in the punk landscape of the time. With their catalogue being difficult-to-impossible to find on digital platforms and the original vinyl mostly out-of-print, having their capstone album back on vinyl is both a welcoming reminisce and positive optimism of being able to crank these tunes again.

Cage Kicker Parasitic Future cassette

On this release, CAGE KICKER from Berlin plays angry and vicious—yet catchy, pogo-y, and stompy at the same time—’80s USHC/UK82-style punk. Endless circle pits with pogo-ing, I believe Parasitic Future is where the rare, bilateral agreement between the society of circle pitting hardcore and pogo-ing punks occur.

The Cavemen Am I a Monster? / Schizophrenia 7″

An Auckland, New Zealand band that just lays it out there and lets the listener decide if they want what is being offered. In the case of the CAVEMEN, I do. This 7″ has two songs that are so distorted and messy, but also so damn catchy. It’s fast and frantic and it’s great.

Cococoma The Money Will Roll Right In cassette

New release on powerhouse label Primitive Screwhead. For those of you not yet familiar, this is the brand new, all-live tape label run by garage rock dynamo Big Neck Records. Chicago, IL-based COCOCOMA has always been a cool, intriguing band to me, who seemed to walk the tightrope between catchy garage rock and spastic, nasty punk weirdness. On this live cassette recording the band really ramps up the psychedelic/pop aspects of their sound. So many killer, catchy songs on this tape and the sound quality is great. One doesn’t always know what kind of can of worms they’re opening with live releases, but thus far Primitive Screwhead has been doing a fantastic job with releasing cassettes that truly capture what it’s like seeing a band live.

Cutters Chewed Up Fortune EP

Remember a simpler time when you knew fuck-all about punk and just wanted to rage as hard as you could with some of the early records you found out through your friend’s older sibling? This is the feeling you get from Melbourne punks CUTTERS’ EP. They take every early DEAD KENNEDYS album, cut it, chew it up, and spit it out. A fun record for pure hardcore punk lovers. Short, fast, and to-the-point, just like this review!

Dead Meat I’m an Infection EP

I’m not a big fan of record descriptions like “no frills” or “back to roots,” but I think either of those are pretty applicable to this EP. DEAD MEAT pulls inspiration from punk classics like X or the GERMS, and they do it well. True to fashion, none of the four tracks are longer than two minutes; plenty of time to get your aggression in, but not enough to tire you out. Although this record is pretty straightforward and familiar for most, the songs are still catchy and gnarly enough to get your kicks in. Classic punk done right.

Desborde Single 2021 cassette

Hard to describe how much territory DESORBE covers in just two tracks. Starting with a steady punk churn fronted by fierce high-end hardcore vocals, by the end of the first track it feels like you’re listening to an outtake from Panorama (the best record by the CARS)…and then the next cut launches shamelessly into a keyboard-driven hardcore freakout. After the first listen, I was confused. But the same two jammers are on the flip, and after the second listen…? I was in love.

Die Atlantikschwimmer Die Atlantikschwimmer 12″ reissue

After their waxing of DIE ATLANTIKSCHWIMMER’s debut cassette, Static Age reissues the German group’s self-titled follow-up. Originally coming out in 1985 on the legendary Zickzack label, this Atlantic swimmer is even more streamlined than its predecessor. The water this combo wades in resists being roiled, hanging out instead in the placid end of the pool. You’ll find no lack of ponderous bass tones and thudding drum machines, occasionally spiced with pre-modern instruments like accordion. There is an intriguing frozen quality to DIE ATLANTIKSCHWIMMER’s impeccably produced songs; they flirt with pop structures but ultimately remain at a distance from mainstream aesthetics. Call it “Factory on the Rhine.” “Komm Mit Mir” repurposes a song from the debut and imparts the feeling of drifting along a canal as centuries-old buildings loom in the background. There is something undeniably romantic and—forgive this ugly American—European about DIE ATLANTIKSCHWIMMER; yet, the album doesn’t quite satisfy whatever foolish notions this listener harbors about a lost weekend in a far-off city. All deserted streets and darting shadows, the whispered, seductive menace of “Film Mit Überlänge” is closer to my idea of a good time in an unfamiliar locale. Keep the carriage ride, gimme the foot chase.

Emboscada Demo 2020 cassette

Gruesome vocals from Argentina reminiscent of BLAZING EYE, SODOM, ELECTROCUTIONER; things of a gruesome metallic punk nature. I love that the first song is “No!” and the last song is “Nada.” Otherwise, I’m picking up “my head” and “your house;” songs seething in melodic aggression. The construct feels derived from ’80s Latin American hardcore in its diminutive distortion, with some aspects of ’80s US hardcore in the more anthemic upbeats. This contrast, plus the vocals (some femme vocals), the production, and the various tones, all create a unique demo. Long enough to be interesting, short enough to be wanting more.

Endless Bore / Numbskull split cassette

Split cassette of two current Australian bands. ENDLESS BORE from Melbourne plays heavy powerviolence-inspired hardcore with repetitive heady breakdowns. I have reviewed one of this band’s previous cassettes and these songs feel much more involved than the prior release, with a more prominent emphasis on brutality. NUMBSKULL from Sydney meshes well on this split, but they bring a more fastcore approach to the extreme music on this cassette. Unbelievably short songs played at blistering speeds. “Mozart and Beethoven can suck a wet fart / This is hardcore punk, not the fine arts.” Respect, NUMBSKULL, I couldn’t have said it better myself.

False Truce MMXX cassette

Chris Pfeffer has had a hand in some of the best punk Texas has produced in the last two decades—STORM THE TOWER, OBEDIENCE, SEVERED HEAD OF STATE, J CHURCH, CRIATURAS, SIGNAL LOST, the list goes on (and on)—and when civilization closed up shop last year he did what any self-respecting genius would do: he made a record. By himself. Very much a sum of its (his) parts, FALSE TRUCE sounds absolutely like Chris—the guitars take the Mould model to another level, the full-charge D-beat lurch, and honest and blunt delivery of honest and blunt lyrics. Hopefully this project doesn’t fade into a COVID haze, because the world needs FALSE TRUCE.

Hatã Demo 2021 cassette

HATÃ, “hard” in the Guarani language, is the name of this band formed in Barcelona in the middle of the pandemic by people from Paraguay, London, and Colombia. International solidarity manifests itself in beautiful ways when we see migrants from different countries come together to create noise that denounces global injustices and share the experiences of those who seek to destroy the borders that divide us so artificially. It reminds me of the sound of ’90s South American and Mexican hardcore: raw, brutal, with enough room to breathe and wait for the stampede of the next riff. Beautiful and intense. This is their first demo of four songs, and it comes with a fanzine if you want to get it on cassette.

Headlice Vol. 1 EP

Debut EP from this Brisbane band fronted by the CHATS frontman Eamon Sandwith, and it’s certainly an interesting one. We’re treated to six quick tracks that, to my ears, call to mind a mix of NYHC, UK street punk, the DICKIES…and a goddamn synthesizer! Look, I by no means hate synths, but this one drowns out what I think would otherwise be some pretty cool tunes. Like, even 30% less synth, and I’m probably 100% on board. Recommended for people who think BAD NOIDS should sound more like the EPOXIES.

The Higher State You Might Find Out / Come Winter Rain 7″

Two songs of authentic ’60s-style garage rock. If you’re going to do it, do it right. The HIGHER STATE does. They have that great organ sound leading the jangly rhythms topped with laid-back vocals. It’s not quite the summer of love, but someone may have some flowers in their hair. Fun stuff.

Knowso Rare Auld Trip / Psychological Garden LP

KNOWSO is a unique meld of off-kilter post-punk, new wave, and a dash of CAPTAIN BEEFHEART weirdness. Much like the first time I heard BEEFHEART’s Trout Mask Replica, I came away a little confused by my first listen to this record. It’s hard to pin down genre-wise, quirky as hell, and totally unlike most of what you hear in today’s punk scene. That being said, a few more listens to the record were enough for me to realize what a goddamn masterpiece this record is. Truly one of the most creative, unique, genre-bending releases of the year. The band has stumbled upon a punchier, noisier take on DEVO that still feels forward-thinking in the 21st century. It’s witty and sarcastic, but also profound, striking a nice balance lyrically. This is a highlight release of the year for me.

Last Point A Beaten Path CD

Hailing from the central coast of California, LAST POINT plays the kind of melodic skate punk that wouldn’t be out of place amongst some of genre’s heaviest hitters. In fact, this album sounds like it was meant to be at the very least considered for a 7″ or a track on a Fat Music comp, but was just unearthed from some secret vault deep beneath the Fat Wreck office.

Maladia Sacred Fires 12″

When I saw MALADIA play, close on eighteen months ago, they were billed second to PERMISSION, and while those two groups diverge somewhat from a baseline sound—one more weird, the other more ferocious—together they’re top of the line in modern London hardcore. Sacred Fires is MALADIA’s first vinyl release after a 2019 demo, and they have upped the (already intense) intensity for twelve minutes and five slippery rippers. John Weston sounds extra anarcho-aggro on the mic and the VOID via post-Pope Adrian RUDIMENTARY PENI blown-out deathrock vibe gets rolled up in a comparably more psychedelic carpet on the B-side. This is feeling like a sleeper hit of 2021 DIY punk.

The Owen Guns Electric Boogaloo EP2 CD

Seven tracks of raging, somewhat melodic hardcore. With lots of “fucks” and mob chant choruses, guitar solos, and ’80s riffs and breakdowns. Given that these lads are from Australia, the inclusion of a faithful rendition of the HARD-ONS ditty “Just Being With You” is a pretty good representation of style, substance, and attitude. With lots of swearing. The second release from this four-piece, both forged in the period of the pandemic.

Predator Spiral Unfolds LP

After dropping the great GG KING record just a couple of months ago, Total Punk pulls a “While I’ve got you guys…” and ends up with a new LP from the other unsung heroes and elder statesmen of Atlanta’s punk scene, PREDATOR (who share two…maybe three members with GG KING). It’s technically their first LP since 2014’s The Complete Earth, but you’d be forgiven for not recognizing that, seeing as how one of the main creative forces behind the band, Brannon Greene, has also dropped a slew of records with his other projects NAG and GET HIGH BOYS—bands that sound similar enough that I (a true Predhead sicko) would have trouble differentiating were you to randomly play their songs at me. What’s maybe most surprising about this LP is how much it stands apart from previous PREDATOR releases (and other Brannon projects). There’s still plenty of the nihilistic post-punk-tinged hardcore that these guys have been delivering since 2009(!)—and it’s still great—but this is a much more varied affair than what we’ve gotten from them in the past. “Confessional” features an honest-to-god vocal melody, and “Hands Reaching Out” (maybe my favorite track on the album) could even be described as gentle. It’s just great to hear a band that’s been around this long doing whatever they want while clearly staying the same band and having it turn out this good. Also, quite the handsome sleeve on this one!

Schiach 2 LP

Over the last five years, there’s been no shortage of TOTAL CONTROL-type bands on the international scene. I’m here to tell you that SCHIACH is one of the finer such units. Maybe that’s because their influences stretch all the way back to the original German post-punk scene and they utilize drum machines as effectively as they use guitars. In accordance with the genre, 2 is packed full of paranoia. All manner of clanking sounds ricochet around the agitated vocals, often sounding like a parody of industrial-influenced club music; a lo-tech MY LIFE WITH THE THRILL KILL KULT, perhaps. But instead of sending up Christianity and hard rock, SCHIACH seems to be mocking modern surveillance culture, and that’s something this reviewer can get behind.

Signal to Trust Albatross Sessions cassette

A cassette release of recordings from way back in the year 2000 from this now-defunct band. Frankly, it’s criminal that these tracks are just getting their first “official” release now. Quirky, dynamic post-punk with stop/start math rock rhythms, brittle D. Boon/BEEFHEART guitar, and earnest vocals. A joyous mashup of all your favorite things from MISSION OF BURMA to SQUIRREL BAIT to SHELLAC to BIG BOYS, SIGNAL TO TRUST is exactly the band you needed 21 years ago and you didn’t even know it. Now you can correct the error.

Tchernobyl Consumé Par Le Feu EP

Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose! Another week and another cracker of a French-speaking Oi! record for me to tuck into, this time from the perennially great scène Parisienne. While the Anglophone world may be slacking, these upstarts have been adding their spin on that classic French sound everyone loves (unless you are a cloth-eared bastard). Both lumpen and leaden while simultaneously whipping along at decent pace, it’s a great little record, and doesn’t stay around long enough to offend either.

Wolfhead59 Power is Not Yours LP

I, for one, am always appreciative of any band in the punk world that attempts to break the guitar/drums/bass rock band format. The recently reissued SCREAMERS demo is a prime example. WOLFHEAD59 is a UK duo that plays hardcore techno punk, which at its best can be compared to L.O.T.I.O.N., LE TIGRE, and ATARI TEENAGE RIOT. At its worst, it’s shitty video game music overlaid with distorted, shrieking vocals. I’ll say this one’s about half and half. They do a really interesting cover of AGNOSTIC FRONT’S “Gotta Go” and I enjoyed some of the trippier numbers like “Na Zawsze,” but this is hard for me to get through in one listening, much as some of the late ’90s clubs I suffered through in order to score hard drugs. Overall worth a listen, though.

Artery Oceans 12″ reissue

Real talk, even in a very generous estimation, ARTERY’s seven-track Oceans 12″ from 1982 barely makes the C-list of goth-shadowed early ’80s UK post-punk, and I highly doubt that this reissue will do anything to change that standing. Mark Gouldthorpe’s vocals have a vaguely BAUHAUS-era Peter Murphy quality (if you removed any visceral edge of drama from Peter Murphy’s delivery), there’s some minor JOY DIVISION infringement in the martial, bass-forward rhythmic drone of “Into the Garden,” and for about half of the record, ARTERY passes the expected signposts along a very well-trodden path of post-punk gloom. Everything finally clicks on “The Slide,” where Gouldthorpe’s batcave howls meet clanging mutant disco beats like a crypt-dwelling LIQUID LIQUID, solid gold! But then it’s all downhill from there—”Sailor Situation” is a piano-led, sub-BAD SEEDS reworking of a sea shanty (as in, “what shall we do with the drunken sailor?”), which is just as cringe-worthy as that sounds, and “The Clown” (presented in not one but two versions!) takes a flicker of ROXY MUSIC-ish glam and completely snuffs it under squawks of gimmicky carnival organ and horns. So yeah, “The Slide,” what a perfect argument for the superiority of the 45 format.

Bain de Sang Sacrificed for a Load of Filth and Lies LP

This LP opens up with pulverizing, blackened, downturned rippage reminiscent of UNRUH meets AT THE GATES, MISERY INDEX, INSISION, and SKITSYSTEM. BAIN DE SANG of Paris plays intensely tight grindcore with galloping precision while locking up crust-inspired riffs and brutal black metal grimness. At times slightly screeching, BAIN DE SANG always seems to pull back into the realm of hardcore at just the right moment. Powerful rhythms undercut the complete onslaught of technical modern grind. Bestial dark deathcore breakdowns punctuate where necessary, and thrash momentum opens up the cover of “Warsaw”—previous to this track, my favorite homage was done by SWING KIDS. This one brings such smoldering, depressive merit to covering songs. Self-described powerviolence; I wouldn’t go there at all, personally. This is from a warmer place, for lack of a better word. Damn fine French grindcore album.

Bibione Tell Me What I Think EP

If you sometimes feel that the post-punk realm is overcrowded with bands that leave you totally indifferent, don’t miss this amazing 7″ inch from this female Czech trio from Prague. Five songs of playful, intimate and furious post-punk, seven if you get the download. The band can make poppy and dynamic short blasts of surfy fun, like “Tell Me What I Think,” that make you think of BRATMOBILE, and they can get harsh and noisy like in “Gloves” and “Call Me.” “Summer Hit” may be the, erm, hit of the record, with some beautiful guitar riffs, like a riot grrrl ELECTRELANE. “Pleasures” sounds like PYLON fighting KLEENEX/LILIPUT.  Sorry if I’ve been name dropping too many bands, BIBIONE has a sound of their own, I just don’t wanna sell them short. This is a record that deserves to be played repeatedly. The two bonus tracks are damn good: “Colours” just kicks you in the face.

Chainsaw Funny Feast LP

Collecting songs recorded between 1998 and 2002, Funny Feast reissues the (complete?) works of France’s CHAINSAW. Featuring original DOGS frontman Dominique Laboube as well as members of the VERMINES, this record showcases a reunion of sorts of these Rouen punk veterans. With a musical style that sways back and forth between earnest, old school Motor City-style rock’n’roll and a sort of unpolished power pop, CHAINSAW’s soulful, heavy, and garage-y sound was built on nostalgia. Influences of the STOOGES and NEW YORK DOLLS are apparent, and at times the singer reminds me of a French version of 1980s Iggy in his delivery. Once in a while some DEAD BOYS mojo surfaces, like on the lead track from the band’s 2000 EP Godzilla’s Got a New Toy, and they close out the album with a trio of solid RAMONES covers. It’s a love letter to the ’70s delivered through a distinctly ’90s lens, and these fifteen unabashed retro-rockers will surely appeal to proto-punk perverts around the globe.

Collective Hardcore / Disco Junk split EP

What we have here is a double-dose of Melbourne teen go-getter Billiam, a.k.a. Billy Twyford!  You get a couple of tracks from his full band DISCO JUNK on the A-side, and three tracks from his solo recording project COLLECTIVE HARDCORE on the flip. I’ve had trouble deciding which I prefer, which I guess suggests both are pretty good. But I think the COLLECTIVE HARDCORE side takes it by a hair. The weirdo self-aware egg-punk (listen out for a CONEHEADS sample) works a little better than the straightforward, garage-y KBD stuff from DISCO JUNK. Plus, “Panic Attack” really smokes!

Dead Hero / Ultra Razzia split LP

Another split from Primator Crew, this time bringing Montreal scrappers ULTRA RAZZIA and Bogotán mob DEAD HERO together on wax for the first time. The former’s side of the split is characterised by their signature sparse but muscular take on Oi! More in common with some of their more hardcore contemporaries, but if LIONS LAW or BROMURE are your type of thing, you’ll find something to enjoy here. DEAD HERO’s side offers a more of a lighter touch, but is perhaps even more fun. It’s a real love letter to a type of punk many of us fell in love with first; it’s safety pins on a school blazer, think maybe VICE SQUAD out on the piss with COCK SPARRER and you’re in the right ballpark, ’77-in-’82 fun times for all.