Russian hardcore – heavy and menacing vibe to be found here. Metallic riffing with an almost industrial crust feeling – think CHRISTDRIVER or a more recent KILLING JOKE. This is cool.
Canadian street punk’n’roll in that jangly early TEMPLARS style. Real raccaus, aggressive smash bottles party vibe – like CHUBBY & THE GANG but wish they were French and their records had a rougher production feel? This is right up your alley.
DANA ALBERTS – Nick Of Time EP
Wow, this is crazy – Dana Alberts was the vocalist and guitarist for MINUS ONE, who’s track “The Kids Don’t Skate Here” was a standout on those Thrasher Skate Rock comps – well here he is doing that song, along with three other MINUS ONE tracks acoustically as a solo artist. Pretty cool trip down memory lane that certainly caught me off guard.
ALAMBRADA – Muerte Preventiva EP
Eight blasts of raging, raw, thrashing hardcore from the MURO braintrust. Just blast after blast of blistering hardcore which relents for only the briefest of moments. Super raw and primitive recording in that United Blood or Anarkist Attack sort of way. Killer.
Knowing that this is members of Texas maniacs SEXPILL and NOSFERATU should tell you a bit about what you are in store for here – noisey, chaotic, ferocious hardcore punk soaked in distortion which just hits your ears like a drill bit on a one way trip to your cerebral cortex. Great!
This is one of those things that just floored me upon first listen – energetic, melodic punk from Colombia that makes me think equal parts GENERACION SUICIDA and PARTISANS. It’s moody, catchy as hell, and those vocals – it just sends chills up my spine. Outstanding.
Just four songs but damn, what four songs they are – passionate mid-80s DC hardcore inspired stuff. Mid paced approach filled with assertive and angular guitar work – this has SWIZ meets a litany of Kirsch related projects (TORCHES TO ROME, FUEL, etc) vibe to it with a vocalist that sounds like so much like Shawn Brown (SWIZ, RED HARE, DAG NASTY, etc) singing in Spanish it’s crazy. One of the highlights of the year so far for me.
Filthy, primal hardcore from the place of my birth, Birmingham, Alabama. It is a magisterial cacophony of careening hardcore soaked in distortion and mayhem layered underneath a vocalist who is a pure unadulterated maniac. Sure, you can’t make out a single word and it sounds like the band is playing down the hallway but the feeling of absolute ferocity and energy is just absolutely compelling.
BLACK BUTTON – I Want To Be In Control CS
Noisey, artsy punk rock through a hardcore filter – this alternates between spastic fits of high velocity, collapsing into angular fits, and stomping dirges. It’s messy and wonderful.
I’ve played this so many times I’ve almost put it to memory – is it totally derivative of classic SoCal bands like AGENT ORANGE, early DI, ADOLESCENTS, etc? Yes. Do I care? No. It is just so perfect – like soooooo perfect. Three infectious cuts of snotty, catchy as fuck punk rock that sounds like they found RIKK AGNEW’s secret stash of riffs from 1983. More!
Gothic punk in that later BLITZ meets anarcho punk – tons of synth, chorus pedals, Peter Murphy style vocalizations, etc. Think CHAMELEONS, a smidge of JOY DIVISION, later FLUX, etc.
Burly street punk with a snarly vocal attack but soaked in reverb and chorus pedal swirls. At first, it made me think of NEW YORK HOUNDS (aka ROYAL HOUNDS) but then I was thinking it’s more like CRIMINAL or even like a new wave BONECRUSHER. I certainly enjoy it but it does come of a little all over the place at times.
CARTRIDGE / WET SPECIMENS – Dawn Of The Ice Age Split EP
For their side, CARTRIDGE jumps out of the gate like a rampage bull of d-beat fueled hardocre from the DOOM school of thought. It’s molasses thick in its production but it moves along at a quick pace to bludgeon you into submission. On the flip, WET SPECIMENS takes a more high speed approach with a bit thinner sound more akin that early era of TOTALITÄR.
Primitive first effort from a new Richmond, VA band – raw, straight forward hardcore thats is more Flex Your Head than Victory Style. They cover POISON IDEA but I keep going back to the RED C song “Assassin” as the closest comparison, especially in the vocals.
CELL ROT – Slowly Falls Apart LP
Noisey, abrasive and menacing hardcore from Oakland. It alternates between stomping snarly face punchers to blistering powerviolence style ragers. Drink this brutality down deep – it’s certainly worth the taste. A perfect record.
Four tracks of thick, mid-tempo hardcore punk with a ferocious vocal approach and a bass player that sounds like he’s spent some time at the RANCID/CHRIST ON PARADE school of bass playing. Just four tracks but a good first taste of this Los Angeles crew.
Absolutely raging, thrashing hardcore from Jakarta – the drummer is a fucking machine, just hammering away at this perfect and precise near blast pace before they break it down for a moment, allowing you to catch your breath then the pace kicks back up.
One of the interesting things about see all these older, previously fairly obscure bands like UNITED MUTATION getting the repress treatment is hearing it pop up as a huge influence on modern bands whose members may not have even been born yet when the snarly DC hardcore freaks intially melted faces, but here we are – and thank jah we are. Eight tracks of unhinged hardcore from Philadelphia which tears through almost six minutes. A sizzler.
Quick paced, melodious punk from Ecuador – it comes off a lot like current LA bands AUSENCIA, GENERACION SUICIDA, etc. Slashing guitars, hooks for days, and a great pop sensibility.
DISABLE – Slamming In The Depths Of Hell EP
DISCHARGE meets BROKEN BONES meets DISCLOSE inspired hardcore from Atlanta – its noisey, distorted and certain to get the masses of studs and spikes clad maniacs whipped up into an absolute froth. Really good take on the classic form.
DOLLHOUSE – The First Day of Spring EP
The first thing which grabs me about this is ranting vocal style – which makes me think of Doc Dart from CRUCIFUCKS or even a bit of the lad from MOSS ICON’s longer tyrades.There is a dark and foreboding fog that permeates the record in general, despite the first three tracks being fairly straight forward 1-2, pukka pukka punk but it all comes careening down in the final five minute plus title track. It feels a bit like a total meltdown but in all the best possible ways.
Another ripper from Austrian hardcore unit DREGS – raging metallic tinged hardcore in a style akin some of that mid-period STRIFE stuff. I could see this fitting in well with the current crop popping up on Indecision records – explicitly straight edge with left wing politics in a way that I feel like a lot of the US hawdkaw scene has left behind.
This rules – alternating between stomping hardcore and INFEST/CROSSED OUT style brutality it is sort of everything I want in a hardcore band. It’s got hooks, it’s got speed, it’s tough but not like macho tough. More more more more – it’s everything the demo promised they could be and more.
I love DROPDEAD – for me they are the gold standard on doing a band ethically and doing their best to live the life they sing while playing some of the most absurdly brutal music to ever stalk the earth. Here we find them covering BGK’s classic track “Arms Race” as well as POISON IDEA’s “Give it Up” on a limited flexi to benefit UNITED WE DREAM, the largest immigrant youth-led community in the country. The covers are done perfectly and the cause is good – why aren’t you ordering already?
DYATLOV – Wound Man/Barren Lands 45
Spooky as shit, experimental stuff from Holland – its bleak and cold giving you the feel of the sonic backdrop of an Arctic horror movie, like it would fit in well in a remake of The Thing. You know that later DEAD KENNEDYS’ stuff like “Halloween?” Think that sorta creepsville.
ELECTRIC CHAIR – Social Capital EP
I still kick myself for not catching these folx when they roared through Richmond pre-pandemic and it’s a mistake I will not repeat. Rampaging hardcore from the Pacific Northwest which drinks from the same fountain as Pittsburgh’s LOOSE NUKES – think THE FIX, POISON IDEA, KORO, etc but with a modern take on the classic formula. Hands down one of the finest records I’ve heard so far this year. Utterly relentless.
EMPIRE DOWN – Gallows of Winter EP
Stomping street punk from Minneapolis – thick, modern production, lotsa singalongs and gang vocals with a front person who comes off a little like the gent from the ANTIHEROES. It’s catchy aggro fun.
A four song from Thailand. While I know that this shouldn’t come as a surprise to me anymore, punk has touched just about every spot on the globe but still… Basque vocalist with lyrics that sound a bit like 7 SECONDS spitting over a quick paced, straight forward punk rock attack with occasional breakdowns. I’m down for this.
ESPERANZA was an fierce, barebones, straightfoward, thashy hardcore band from LA which took all the sounds on Flex Your Head, shoved them into a blender and created a glorious aural assault. Like everything from Extinction Burst, this is beautifully packaged and complete with a lengthy booklet that is one part lyric sheet and one part memoriam to a moment in time. Just outstanding.
Mid-tempo, rocknroll inflected hardcore from Russia in way that reminds me a little of the more recent VITAMIN X or the later era of ANNHILATION TIME. Tons of hooks, catchy breakdowns, and searing guitar solos interspersed between moments of high speed velocity.
The snarling female vocals on this are the real attention grabber on first listen – not monster style but just vicious and pissed. Musically its got an epic crusty/metal vibe going on before downshifting into a bludgeoning d-beat hardcore attack. This is one to track down for sure!
In one moment this makes me think trashy rocknroll punk – Johnny Thunders style guitar work, mid-paced attack like THE RIFFS, etc but then, the vocals come in and its brutish, snarling French Oi style.
One sided EP of viscous, snarly, thick hardcore in that VILE GASH meets GELD sort of way. It’s violent, menacing and absolutely brutal.
Distorted to all hell, garagey hardcore with occasional trips to art punk land – not distorted like DISCLOSE but more like everything is turned all the way up and pushing the needle on the recording console into the red. Its trashy like TEENGENERATE but at a more hardcore velocity.
Frenetic hardcore punk from Chile – just go, go, go! Thrash, thrash, thrash! Thin production, maniacal guitars, and this overarching careening approach that makes you feel like everything is about to fall apart at any moment. This is great!
GOLPE – La Colpa É Solo Tua LP
Hammer to face, crushing d-beat fueled Italian hardcore – its just an absolutely thunderous, galloping musical onslaught backing up vocals which just roar. It just oozes energy and power – total fucking ripper.
HINTERKAIFECK – Iniquitous Foul LP
Australian crusty noise with moments of epic, spooky ambiance descending into black metal infused, 1000mph riffing and maniacal drumming. It thrashes and crashes painting an ominous dark vision. More DARKTHRONE than DISCHARGE.
HUMAN TROPHY – CORPSE TROPHY LP
Have you ever eaten a bunch of acid and listened to BIG BLACK or RAPEMAN? Maybe as you are coming down you put on a tape of the weirder, less pop, more out there PIXIES songs? That’s what this is like – mechanical, weird, intense, outsider music in a way that I didn’t know still could exist.
Raging hardcore in the fasion of ANTI CIMEX’s Scandinavian Jawbreaker – it’s metallic, noisey with a moderate staccato industrial feel and snarly almost evil sounding vocals. A great taste of this New York band – hope to hear more soon!
Rambunctious, rollicking punk rock with a slightly chaotic hardcore flair – desperate in the right ways, and slightly out of tune and off kilter its a fun romp that makes me think, “what if Dangerhouse bands like the Eyes or Bags had morphed into a hardcore bands and taken a bunch more drugs?”
Distort-o-rama, galloping hardcore punk from Chile – more GAI than DISCHARGE. Dueling male/female vocals, drums high in the mix and guitars that are mixed so low yet so distorted they sound like a faraway memory. I can imagine this being super fun, alcohol soaked good time live.
ITCHY SELF – Here’s The Rub 12”
So here’s the actual rub – I really like GUIDED BY VOICES but I fucking loathe GBV dudes. Like know it all, record store nerds who go on and on about the genius of JANDEK and other sorta remnants of the indie rock vision of the world to be found in Our Band Could Be Your Life. Now that said – I like this record, like a fucking lot – despite the fact that it sounds like they’ve spent a lot of time with Robert Pollard. Its catchy as fuck, sloppy, and oozes everything indie rock used to before it became a marketing term void of anything to what it was once connected. Do yourself a favor, get into this.
For me, when I call something emo, this is what I mean – powerful, intricate, mid-tempo, guitar driven hardcore that owes more to Washington DC’s mid-80s Revolution Summer than shitty college rock – thinks RAIN, SOULSIDE, IGNITION, later GOVERNMENT ISSUE. Its pissed, its broken hearted, its raw, its P-U-N-K but you know not afraid to hug. More, more, more please.
KOMBAT SPORTS – Slave Machine b/w Whole Lotta Hate CS
Just a little taste from this promising hardcore band – fuzzy guitars and an intense drumming punch backing up vocals which come off pissed and totally exasperated. Lots of great hooks and breakdowns perfect for massive dog piles.
KONTAMINATE – Blood Hunger Demo CS
Burly, stomping, violent hardcore from members of NOSEBLEED, DEVIANT and JACKAL. It’s a viscous romp of distorted and ferocious punk rock – their cover of ULTRA VIOLENT’s “Crime For Revenge” is masterful. Can’t wait to see this mob live.
For their side, LMI hammers away in this bludgeoning KARP meets KYUSS sort of way – downtuned riffing but not in a stonery sort of way – there’s not a lot of introspective noodling or expansiveness, just driving, punchy forward motion. On the flip, VULTUREPEAK drives in a similar lane but takes a few detours down a NEUROSIS meets ISIS detour allowing the songs to breathe a little bit more.
Raging thrash from Brazil – it sizzles at a 100mph pace with occasional downshifts into mid tempo stops sure to get the pit moving. Trepebly, noisey, intentionally thin production style which adds to the overall intensity of the attack.
LETHAL MEANS – Zero Sum Game LP
This is insanely good – why the fuck would you only press 300 copies of this?! Relentless, speedy, pedal to the metal thrashing hardcore punk with insane breakdowns, killer leads and a vocalist who sound like he could use a cough drop. Total ripper. Press more.
LIQUIDS – Life Is Pain Idiot LP
Killer lo-fi punk rock from the Midwest – slight Killed By Death vibe in that primitive, moderately inept sort of way but the hooks! Short, sweet pop songs soaking with a tinge of melancholy and snot. Super fun record.
More of that Barcelona good-good. Thumping pukka-pukka pogoriffic punk rock – plenty of noisey guitars, rocksteady drums and snarly vocals which hint back UK spiky classics like CHAOS UK, DISORDER, etc. Simple, to the point and totally my alley.
I’m totally in love with this Mexico City crew – it’s dead on BLITZ, UK82, early VIRUS style, two fingers in the air punk rock. It’s anthemic, catchy as hell, and just one of those records you just want to flip over and over. The second track “Street Boys” would be a certified mixtape staple if I still made them for people – maybe I should start again.
MOTORSAV – Sange Fra Sygdom LP
This is one of those releases I feel just pushes punk forward – like its not pretentious in its efforts, and its totally recognizable as being ‘punk’ but its creative in its use of textures, instrumentation, riffing and more while not losing a sense of aggression or wandering off into boring rock clichés or artsy crap. I read a review someone scribbled about this Copenhagen band being the band you see at a punk club in the universe the movie Blade Runner is set in and I can totally get down with that. Great release.
MØRBØ – ¿A QUIÉN LE ECHAMOS LA CULPA? LP
Mid-paced Peruvian punk with a lo-fi production vibe that makes it sound like something that might have come out in 1982 as much as 2021. Really makes me think of a blend of LA POLLA RECORDS (especially in the vocals) and Argentine powerhouse, VIOLADORES. I really like this.
NERVOUS SS / RAT CAGE – Skopje Vs Sheffield LP
YES YES YES – the NERVOUS SS stuff here is so sick – pedal to the floor, energy soaked d-beat that is the same line as LARMA or SKIT KIDS. Just go-go-go! I love it. On the flip, Sheffield’s RAT CAGE continue the audio onslaught, blasting through five of their own tracks of HERESY-meets-Sweden, pummelling hardcore and wrap it up with a stellar cover UK SUBS’ “Emotional Blackmail.” Just unreal.
German punk which takes more inspiration from SoCal bands like ADOLESCENTS & TSOL than SLIME or OHL – they cram that through synth pop/cold wave filter, producing four melodic yet haunting tracks. My favorite of these four songs is the one with chorus that goes “robots, stupid robots” because I am someone who fears the singularity and the moment when my Roomba rises up against me. I mean it’ll probably get stuck on piece of paper on the floor as it is a stupid robot but you know…
NO WORRIES – You Can’t Kick Flip 12”
It sounds a lot like summer of 94 over here – chaotic screamo hardcore from California – its hints at all the classics like SAETIA, JEROMES DREAM, MAINSPRING, etc in how goes quiet-loud-quiet, peaceful serenity to utter mayhem, a mountain of discordant chords, screaming and then the songs just sorta ends without a lot of structure.
Slashing guitars, layered over a thunderous volley of drums backing up a desperate snarl of a vocalist – the songs on this are over before they start but they take you on a twisting journey all the same. It’s at one moment gothic spooky, another thrashing and yet another giving me this almost WIRE Chairs Missing feeling. There’s just a lot packed in here to enjoy – I loved them when I was lucky enough to catch them a few years back in Copenhagen and listening to the recorded versions of their output is just as great.
PIZZA BOYS – A La Mierda con Papa John’s... Acá Están Los Pizza Boys CS
First off, it’s called PIZZA BOYS. I’m probably going to like this based on that alone – goofy synthy lo-fi fun punk that would fit somewhere on a weird twee pop tape or or on a split with SOCKEYE or DEAD MILKMEN.
Melodic, female vocals paired against a slightly crusty, decidedly punk sonic backdrop – I feel like in Europe, there was a time when there were a bunch of bands like this: LA FRACTION, LOST WORLD, PETROGRAD, BURNING KITCHEN, etc. The closest the US ever got to this is bands like HARUM SCARUM and SIGNAL LOST – its decidedly punk, incredibly melodic and poppy but not in a syrupy sweet, grasping for commercialism sort of way. I love this kind of thing so very much and happy to have stumbled into PÖLS.
Killer SoCal hardcore in that doesn’t lose track of its punk roots – it roars a long at a quick clip then descends into singalong inducing breakdowns sure to get the whole room to breakout into a coordinated aerobic class. It takes me back to a time when shit like Youngblood records dominated the world.
REGIONAL JUSTICE CENTER – Crime and Punishment LP
Another heaping platter of fetus crushing, mind melting, and utterly relentless hardcore from RJC – for me, this is their most effective release yet in conveying a sense of sheer brutality and hopelessness. While I’m not typically a fan of production this clean and sterile, there is something in the precision it implies which works to provide an almost mechanical, industrial feel to it, adding to the overarching feeling of the music and lyrics. Like a jackhammer to the face.
Spanish punk in the ESKORBUTO meets DECIBELIOS school of thought – chanty vocals, mid-paced stomping groove, all soaked in sea of swirling chorus pedals.
Eight tracks of French punk rock in a sort of 90s Fat Wreck/Warp Tour way – it’s fast paced, cleanly produced, hella melodic in a way that reminds me of LAGWAGON.
Fairly straight forward, DISCHARGE inspired hardcore from San Diego with occasional moshing breakdowns. Vocalist sounds a little like Saira from DETESTATION at times which I’m down with for sure.
ROTURA – Estamos Fracasando LP
Really cool melodic punk from Spain – female vocals, lots of nice melodic lead lines, and persistent bouncing backbeat. It’s pop enough to satisfy the sort that shows up to Gainesville’s The Fest while remaining punk enough that I could see them tearing through a drunken house party during Oakland’s Manic Relapse.
Fuck. This is intense. An absolutely massive, epic soundscape that is utterly soul crushing in its cry out in desperation. There is an aspect of this which makes me think of the first time I heard JOY DIVISION or when I put on NEUROSIS’ Souls At Zero expecting Word As Law – still rooted in punk but is just so much more expansive, immense and desperate in its scope. It should be played at maximum volume for optimum effect.
Yo. This is outstanding – like the prior releases from this Korean powerhouse hinted at what was to come but I didn’t think it’d be this good – ten tasty rippers of thrashing hardcore in that TØRSÖ sorta way. It just sizzles and cooks – nodding equally to the YOUTH OF TODAY school as the DISCHARGE way of life. Lots of cool breakdowns, occasional rocknroll guitar flourishes and a vocalist that is just absolutely ferocious. Don’t fuck up, get on board with this party now!
Slashing, Killed By Death-style punk rock in that garagey, mid-80s, UK indie punk, C86 sorta way. Like if you made me tape and this was right after DESPERATE BICYCLES, before ORANGE JUICE and accompanied by a bunch of obscure bands from New Zealand from 1979, I would be like, “cheers for the tape, all this shit sounds tight and fits together well.” I could listen to this over and over.
Relentlessly out of control grinding fury with occasional stomping bits to break up the persistent jackhammer approach before slamming back into its 1000mph attack. It reminds me of how a band like DISCORDANCE AXIS would just draw you in and just pummel you into submission. Just sick.
Slurring, sloppy Nashville punk rock which brings to mind the chaotic, don’t give fuck feel of SCRATCH ACID, the drunken mayhem of the CHEETER SLICKS and the acid soaked country punk attack of GUN CLUB. Four tracks which want me looking to hear more.
STEP FORWARD – Demos 1989-1990 LP
I’ve long heard about this band but this is my first taste Umeå Sweden’s STEP FORWARD – the band which one could argue created the hardcore scene there and certainly the straight edge scene. Over twenty tracks of fast and wild thrashing hardcore heavily influenced by the USHC of the time – they only existed for about a year but members would go onto REFUSED, ETA, REGULATIONS and more. Really great document of one of the overlooked, foundational bands for the direction of Swedish hardcore to come.
SWEET SOUL – So Far No Further LP
Syrupy sweet, distortion soaked pop in a TEENAGE FANCLUB meets 90s Florida stuff like NEW FOUND GLORY – what keeps me interested is the production is rough around the edges but I could see a big label picking this up and rounding off the rough edges and this being huge. I don’t know what it is about it but I keep wanting to say this is like later FARSIDE but maybe I’m just high?
Primitive, thrashing, two-fingers in the air punk rock – musically it sounds like outtakes from CHAOS UK or INMATES practice tapes but with their Spanish friend with a giant reverb unit doing the vocals over it.
This is exciting – hailing from Morocco this band plays a harsh, rhythmic punk attack with what appears to be female vocals and a critical lyrical approach of the dominant culture. Just four tracks but its quality from start to finish.
Three tracks of catchy, energetic French punk with a slight moody undertone – think early 00s bands like the OBSERVERS or RED DONS. Slashing guitars, infectious melodies – fans of Danish bands like GORILLA ANGREB or PLANET Y would do themselves a favor to check this out.
TUPPERWARE – American Underbelly Demo CS
Noisey, sloppy, irrevernant, spastic punk in that early FYP sorta way – it’s so blown out that it is almost unlistenable at times but I’m down for this party.
Raging French hardcore that takes us down a d-beat journey a la TOTALITÄR with occasional forrays into near HEIMAT LOS, high speed velocity. It’s produced enough that it doesn’t shift into total raw punk territory but by no means slick – just a solid gut punch of thrashing punk.
Polish punk has always held a special place in my heart – TZN-XENNA are one of those foundational bands. Melodic yet aggro while having a unique angular element to them – listening to this rather amazing sounding live recording from 1985 reminds me of a time pre-internet when you could almost identify a band’s geographical location based on their sound as bands sprouted up in these isolated pockets, influencing each other based a basic notion of what punk is rather than a blueprint. This is beautifully packaged with a huge booklet with lyrics, photos and liner notes plus a big poster for your wall.
Snotty, bouncy punk rock from England that romps along in this rather enjoyable fashion. It rides this line between something that could have been on one of those East Coast Pogo Attack comps and one of the early Lookout comps. A fun listen.
UNDER ATTACK / SEEIN RED – Split EP
I love this record so very much – for one thing, its great to see the Dutch kings of absurdly fast hardcore return after way too long. Four tracks of jack hammering, lightening fast, decidedly left wing hardcore in the manner they’ve been doing for almost 40 years (if you are counting their time in LÄRM). It’s a masterclass. On the flip we have Richmond’s own UNDER ATTACK who crank up the speed for their part and contribute four tracks of their own hyperspeed attack. It’s certainly a step up from the demo, which I liked, but this feels like a band coming into their own and I’m totally here for it.
UNIT X – War on Self, War on Everything CS
Canadian hardcore unit in the NEGATIVE APPROACH meets YOUTH OF TODAY line of thought – its pissed, its angry but its positive. While the X in their name makes me assume that they got that Straight Edge, the lyrics are a bit more evolved that the usual themes around brotherhood, unity, etc. Instead we see focus on a litany of real subjects including the treatment of Canadian native populations.
Hyper primitive, manic hardcore from Mexico that rips and shreds like some long lost Italian hardcore band from 1982’s practice tape – careening, twisting, thrashing madness in that CHEETAH CHROME MOTHER FUCKERS meets early INDIGESTI sort of way – kind of like early CRUDOS but crazier. This is the sort of stuff that gets the hairs on the back of my neck standing at full attention – get it get it get it.
Two tracks recorded live as a bit of a amuse bouche for their upcoming LP – its a rip roaring cavalcade of noisey distorted hardcore. Burly, slightly messy, but totally effective in setting you up for the main course. Killer.
WHITE STAINS – Make Me Sick LP
More of that Pittsburgh goodness – this time in the form of snotty, bratty hardcore punk with a jangled approach in that SICK PLEASURE meets early 00s Copenhagen style (AMDI PETERSENS ARMÉ, SNIPERS, etc). There’s a bit about the guitars on this which remind me of GUN CLUB if they had cranked up the velocity a bit. An outstanding release – hopefully it’s not impossible to find by the time you read this.
Emotive hardcore from Philly in that later DAG NASTY meets LIFETIME school of thought. Big guitars, mid tempo punk, with tons of singalongs – the production on this is massive and fairly clean. There are moments where, musically, it reminds me of the direction I could have seen STATUE heading in.
90s style indie-punk in that TSUNAMI, KARATE, THROWING MUSES sorta way – its noisy but with a sweet pop sensibility at the same time. Honestly this feels like the sort of thing Lance Hahn would put on a mix tape next right after a FEAR OF GOD track to bring you back down to earth. I’m a sucker for this kind of stuff so by all means, put some more on my tray.
ZANZARA – Gli Occhi Dello Stato LP
Wow, just wow – stomping Italian oi like (think NABAT) shoved through a gothic new wave filter (think something on that seminal French 80s street punk comp, Chaos En France.) It’s snarly, catchy, mournful and absolutely brilliant – just the right mix of aggro and pop sensibilities.
I love these Philly metal-punk freaks – listening to this is like being enveloped in a horror movie. It’s so creepy and maniacal while it twists and turns through cascading thrashing riffs and demonic vocals. You like DEVIL MASTER? You’ll love ZORN.
RAZORBLADES AND ASPIRIN 