Just a quick reminder - I basically only write about things I like, if I don’t write about it, I either didn’t like it or haven’t heard it yet. If you send me something to review, I’ll probably write about it though keep in mind, I’m just one person doing all this so it might take a minute. Want me to write about your release - get in touch! Am happy to cover both physical and digital stuff, as long as I like it, I’ll write about it.
This looks much more metal than it is - fuzzy, d-beat hardcore with sung (rather than shouted) femme vocals soaked in reverb. There are a lot of really cool bouncy bass bits creating a cool pogoriffic atmosphere before descending to a more blazing pace.
Blazing UK straight edge hardcore in the NO TOLERANCE meets STRAIGHT AHEAD style - rips and roars at 1000mph before collapsing into dogpile inducing breakdowns. Super killer.
Basque punk that leans hard into the gap where early 80s UK peace punk joins hands with goth with occasional speedy hardcore flare ups of speed. Thing UK DECAY, FLUX OF PINK INDIANS or maybe a more punk take on SOUTHERN DEATH CULT.
German post-punk - there is an icy coldness to this, which is to be expected, but still with enough musicality and dance vibes to fill a dark, smoke filled East Berlin club. You can smell the clove cigarettes from here.
BAIXA PERMANENT - Alliberació Total De l’ànima EP
Blasting Barcelona hardcore punk - mid paced in its overall approach, with just enough speed to make the breakdowns stand out even more. To look at the cover you’d think this was dour crust but this more along the lines of late 80s/early 90s USHC from New Jersey.
BART AND THE BRATS - "Can’t Think Straight EP
Fairly simple French garage punk with just right amount of fuzz and 60s pysch moments to make it interesting. A tasty slab to blast while dancing around your room sloshing your adult beverage of choice while getting confused looks from your dog.
Rapid fire thrashing hardcore from Chicago - fourteen tracks on a single sided LP to give you a bit of a feel for what we’re dealing with here. Less tuneless thrash and more the early years of DRI’s slide into the crossover.
BRAIN ITCH - The Future Burns CS
Gnarly ass distor-o-rama punk from Toronto - a bit of INEPSY style riffing though missing the overt allegiance to MOTÖRHEAD - not saying its not there just not as pronounced as those legends form Montreal.
Failry primitive recording from this Indonesian band - musically it reminds me a bit of like a bit more inept WARTHOG with a vocalist that sounds almost like a sheet of white noise.
CANAL IRREAL - Someone Else's Dance LP
Sophomore effort from this Chicago band - to my ears, less new wave than the prior effort and bit more assertively punk while still retaining that same sort of atmospheric vibe. It doesn’t sounds like Weathered Statues-era TSOL but it has that same sort of eerie vibe while sounding vibrant and pissed.
Thick slabs of Mexican d-beat hardcore punk - just enough punch, dynamics and energy to keep this from sounding like the sort droning thud that this stuff can stumble into. Solid release.
CATASTROPHE - Dead On Arrival CS
Crusty and filthy noise from London - it rumbles along in a classic CONCRETE SOX meets RUDIMENTARY PENI stenchcore style. I love this sort of thing so no wonder I’ve been blasting it all week while doing the mundane tasks around the house. Killer.
CONCRETE ELITE / ULTRA RAZZIA - Split LP
Two outstanding, modern Oi/skinhead bands - Austin’s CONCRETE ELITE lean more into the gruff bulldog approach which drifts close to hardcore aggro while retaining the pop musicality that makes Oi so much fun. On the flip Montreal’s ULTRA RAZZIA unleash four tracks of totally epic, catchy future classics. Great release!
DANNY’S FAVORITES - Silent Movies/Turn My Motor On
Garage punk that sounds like it could be off some 60s punk retrospective of long lost rippers - you know like Back From The Grave or Nuggets. Two songs about getting laid done in that sorta faux innocent style done sixty years after the fact.
DEAD YEARS - Night Thoughts LP
Well this is fucking great - moody and dark melodious punk which leans heavy into a WIPERS meets MASSHYSTERI thing. Overarching ominous in its feel while being smart on how it uses melody to counteract the moodiness. Just really well crafted songs creating a truly powerful release.
DOLLHOUSE - I Hate You Don't Leave Me EP
NYC’s DOLLHOUSE is so fucking great - Darby Crash style snotty vocal approach with a poetic, angst soaked lyric approach layered over Revolution Summer style melodic guitar work. It is a truly powerful and beautiful release.
Mid to late 80s style crossover thrash from New Jersey by way of Philadelphia. Raging speed with plenty of metallic fretboard gymnastics - in my head this sits clearly in the CRYPTIC SLAUGHTER meets RAZOR meets CONCRETE SOX camp of things. Just four tracks but more than worth your time.
This starts out as a total droning dirge before kicking into gear - there’s a lot here that really reminds me of the sorta of pummeling monody of the heavier side of RUDIMENTARY PENI.
I was so stoked to hear about a new JADE DUST LP coming out and it doesn’t disappoint - more quality ‘emo’ in the traditional punk sense of the word. Think RITES OF SPRING, various Kirsch related projects, the summer of ‘93 reading the latest issue of Heartattack while blasting the CHINO HORDE/CURRENT split , etc. Dissonant while remaining melodic with an introspective lyrical approach - this newest release has a slightly somber feel to it, perhaps because of some of the keyboards off in the distance? Outstanding stuff.
Most of the time when you think Finnish punk you are thinking out of control, rampaging thrash which a good portion of it is, for sure. But this is more of along the lines of those early APPENDIX tracks or even a more burly take on MAHO NEITSYT’s primitive punk. Am really into this and hope to hear more from this band.
MEAN STREET - No More Hangovers EP
Just two tracks from this Canadian band but they are both absolute barn burners of rocknroll infected punk snarl. Big riffs that just strut all over your face - killer.
MULCH - Nothing Grows Out Of Dried Flowers
Thick and heavy, mid paced slabs of hardcore attack from Montreal. Pukka pukka pogo beats falter into thudding breakdowns with really interesting dissonant guitar works and vocals that smatter and splatter over the music. The song “Prudent Breakdown” is a cool pummel in a KARP/MELVINS sort of way.
MUNIZIA POLIZIPAL - Recuerdos Del Presente CD
Jangly, melodic jams from Madrid - its a bit garagey in its lo-fi overall feel but decidedly more punk than rocknroll, if that makes sense - I mean there are ska moments so…
PROBLEM - Violence On The Metro CS
Gruff 1-2-1-2 thudding punk from LA - just three tracks but a cool intro for this pogo pit inducing band. Its a bit like a modern LAST RESORT in its overarching feel.
Noisy swirls of distortion and reverb soaked violent hardcore that is messy in all the best possible ways. To paraphrase SPAZM 151, this fucks shit up Texas style - SEX PILL remain one of my favorite live experiences in recent years, and no there’s not a moment here that brings to mind a specific song but more just the feeling and vibe of joyful chaos. I love this record.
Nasty as shit, full throttled onslaught of noise not music - just a total wall of sound approach that pummels away with a consistent fist-to-face drum attack. Fucking great.
Trashy noisy lo-fi punk with occasional forrays into hardcore velocity - it rambles and bashes along for thirteen blasts of primitive snotty goodness.
VÄHÄKYRÖ DRIVE BY - POLTTAKAA VÄHÄKYRÖ!
This Finnish band lives by the motto of noise not gender binary and proceeds to blast through five grinding tracks of primitive grinding crust in about eight minutes. For me this gives me all the feels of West Bay shit like DEADBODIESEVERYWHERE, PLUTOCRACY, etc.
The photography is absolutely amazing!