Distortion until Deafness
Your weekly round up of hearing destruction...
Back in the old days, when you would just stuff money into an envelope and hope the record, zine, shirt, sticker, whatever would eventually show up, it was quite common for folx doing zines draft these pained introductions to whatever they were doing to explain why this issue was so late or how its not as long as they intended or whatever. My natural impulse when I don’t drop a new edition on the schedule I’ve set in my head for this shitstack is do that sort of thing but I also sorta hated that sort of thing and thought it was corny and egotistical so here’s a quick update instead. My life is a little hectic right now, after three months of not working I’m starting a new gig next week which will mean this will be a little less frequent and more irregular while I’m getting settled at the new job. I am excited about it, though I wonder if most of my excitement is that I feel like I conquered something or won an award after getting a job that had me do six one hour interviews over a period of about a month and half. So, woohoo to me - but you don’t care about that, you just care about destroying your hearing and society and shit like eating sushi without paying and dyeing your hair interesting colors but mostly about that sweet, sweet, face melting noise…
MORE NOISE FOR PUNX
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.
Absolute ripper - speedy, d-beat hardcore infused with moments dissonant angularity and ominous, moody breakdowns tinged with just the right amount of melodic hooks to suck you in. I’m not typically a ‘featuring members of blah blah’ sorta person but if you are familiar with their former projects - BUMBKLAATT, SWING KIDS, SOME GIRLS, RUN FOR YOUR FUCKING LIFE, SPANAKORZO - this really does feel like a synthesis and continuation of the ideas presented with those bands while leaning into a bit more of DISFEAR, early WOLFBRIGADE vibe.
ARGH - Se Pudrió Todo... Adiós LP
Anthemic Chilean punk which occasionally leans into a slightly chaotic raw punk style - you can hear bits of the more ominous and spooky side of ESKORBUTO stuff with the song “Dungeon Crisis” sounding like the soundtrack to an army of zombies marching on a city. Great great great!
Emo in that DAG NASTY (and a myriad of other mid 80s DC bands) and not in that way that a lot people ascribe to the term these days. Its got that RAIN/ONE LAST WISH shimmery, indie vibe - I think the lower fidelity recording keeps it from flipping to being full blown indie pop, though those hooks and sensibilities are there for sure.
Fairly straight-foward snotty punk that sounds like it could have come off the Killed By Hardcore comps. I mean it features one song called “I Feel Like Shit” and another called “Shit for Brains” so what do you want? This feels like the sorta band that would have been from Cleveland in 1999 and would playing with CIDER, DARVOCETS, INMATES, etc.
DESINTEGRACIÓN VIOLENTA - LA BESTIA EP
Outright evil sounding, lo-fi, metallic thrash from Berlin. This has a heavy 80s Brazilian underground metal feel to it - like a more inept version of SEPULTURA’s Bestial Devastation or maybe like that VULCANO live LP.
My very first thought was - damn this is mastered LOUD. Madrid Straight-Fucking-Edge hardcore in that grooved out, primed for stage dives and fancy footwork a la KILLING TIME, later AGNOSTIC FRONT, etc. Lyrics are snarled out and creatively use a lot a metaphor to discuss mental health and sexism.
I mean, who doesn’t like when punks win? Blown out, treble heavy, DISORDER influenced punk from Barcelona. Pummels along at a relentless pace.
DYNAMITE - Blow the Bloody Doors Off! EP
Modern UKHC that takes a bunch of cues from early USHC that itself took a bunch of cues from UK82 stuff so the circle is complete. They reference YOUTH OF TODAY when chattering about themselves and I can see that but only in how they approach the slower, moshier tracks.
Early LA punk has a lot of elements to draw inspiration from and these modern LA punx pick and choose from that smorgasbord of ideas, mix it up and ship of a delicious slab of vinyl packed with eight tracks of raging hardcore punk with the primal rage of early WASTED YOUTH, the first SUICIDAL LP and a bit of the spookiness on those early TSOL tracks. Great stuff.
Very primitive punk from Colombia which takes me to that place where very sparse, primitive black metal and crust cohabitate. This really hits with the vocals and the way the drums go into the fully blast while the guitars don’t really keep up.
GRAWLIXES - Very Fucking Grawlixes EP
Noisy, distortion soaked, treble-to-ten punk from New York - this sorta sits in the SWANKYS meets ENZYME meets GAI box in my head. There was a point about twenty years ago when my auditory diet was basically just bands that sounded like this and this certainly scratches that itch.
Now this is great stuff - its moody melodic punk in the way of MASSHYSTERI, THE WIPERS, CHAIN CULT, etc with a lyrical focus on liberation and social justice but done in a manner which is self reflective, soaked in memory and personal sense of identity. More somber than anthemic but songs which give an implied feeling of hope.
INDUSTRY - A Self Portrait At The Stage Of Totalitarian Domination Of All Aspects Of Life LP
There are a lot of moments where I get actively irritated by people my age disparaging modern music in general and punk specific because it belies that they are just lazy to some extent, which in itself is fine but its the need to trivialize the current output which makes me crazy. There are currently bands cranking out caustic sounds just as good as anything that was ever created prior and INDUSTRY is one of those bands - like are you a black clad peace punk who takes endless inspiration from the street fighting punch of early CONFLICT, ICONS OF FILTH, EXIT STANCE, etc but want something more modern in critique and focus? Well INDUSTRY clearly scratches that itch - taking the classic anarcho-punk thing, infusing it with their own spin, modernizing the targets and making it relevant and powerful again. Fucking outstanding.
INSTRUCTOR - The Nightmare Continues CS
Belgian hardcore that gives me the heavy feels of early 90s New Jersey democore - like something you’d find RickTaLife’s massive distro taking up an entire wall of VFW hall in the middle of nowhere. Its speedy, soaked in breakdowns, barked vocals and a heavy late 80s AGNOSTIC FRONT feeling.
That first track is giving me all the DYSTOPIA vibes, down to the tone of the bass - it picks up the pace a bit after that into blast beats and snarly vocals land but there are still hints of that spooky, ominous feeling throughout.
Primitive hardcore punk - straight-forward and to the point with minimal frills but plenty of hooks to make it compelling. Stripped down production with occasional rocknroll style riffing. For some reason this makes me think of BOSTON STRANGLER but more punk and less hardcore.
I’m not gonna lie - this band features some of my favorite people in the world, so yeah I’m biased. Thankfully, this doesn’t suck - in contrast what we’ve got here is catchy as hell, slashing garagy punk soaked in 60s style keyboards with a nod to early 80s OC punk. You like stuff like that new BLOODSTAINS LP? GORILLA ANGREB? This parties in that same neighborhood.
Goofy, obnoxious punk from Pittsburgh - RAMONES meets MIGRAINES meets the QUEERS.
MASA NERA/QUIET FEAR - Quatro Vientos // Cinco Soles LP
It’s an interesting way to do a split - alternating songs rather than each band getting one side. Both bands play a sorta screamo meets post-metal style with twisting riffs, discordant and disquieting bits, and plenty of angst. Honest, it reminds me a lot the ideas a lot people were playing with in the mid to late 90s - I’m talking bands like COALESCE, the early CAVE IN stuff, TO DREAM OF AUTUMN. Its sublime and pretty at times before twisting itself into an epic fit of rage.
This is such a vicious and massive record where the sonic qualities convey the somber yet enraged lyrical backbone of the record - telling the tale of being the child of Palestinian refugees, providing a personal perspective of decades of violence, repression and genocide. It’s massive sounding, cathartic and utterly ominous with dense introspective moments giving way to cacophonous throat punching layers of dissonant guitars and velocity.
Noisy, inept and raw as shit, midtempo DISCHARGE by way of OHLO SECO punk from Brazil.
PORK BELLY - I'm Okay, You're Okay, Everything is Okay CS
Jangly yet angular post-punky stuff from San Francisco - noodles and thumps in this shimmery dance punk a la GANG OF FOUR meets the snark of THE FALL. A totally tasty treat of a release.
PLANET ON A CHAIN - Culture Of Death LP
Take the singer of TEAR IT UP, stick him in a band with folks from TALK IS POISON and LOOK BACK & LAUGH and you kinda expect it to be pretty damn good, right? Well you’re not wrong to make that assumption but its even better than you expect - gnarly hardcore punk played with mountains of hooks while steamrollering along at a blistering pace - and I would be remiss if I didn’t highlight Moses’ drumming on this latest release. Its a shame that he’s not touted in the same manner as fellow bestial rhythm maniacs like Chuck Biscuits or Mackie. While he certainly keeps the momentum going, its the flair and polyrhythmic manner in which he does so which really helps to make this band stand out. Totally killer.
PRISONER - Putrid | Obsolete LP
I keep managing not catch this Richmond band around town despite really meaning to do so and listening to this, their debut LP makes me regret that error. Powerful slabs of heavy as shit crust marrying decidedly mechanical industrial influences with some of the more ethereal and moody offshoots of mid period NEUROSIS. Its a violent, harsh record that hints at being equally influenced by Broken-era NINE INCH NAILS as they are G-ANX or even 90s Germanic stuff like MEN OF HELL, AMBUSH or ACME. Just absolutely crushing.
Grinding discordant thrashy mayhem from Montreal - its explosive and utterly skullcrushing brutality leaving me wanting more, more, more!
SAVIOUR COMPLEX - Chance Your Arm LP
This sounds so much like the late 90s UK band BROCCOLI it makes me crazy - I mean thats a good thing. Emotive punk that was clearly punk but you know, sensitive and with a big focus on melody. SAVIOUR COMPLEX has that same sort of approach - rooted in mid80s DC angst, a bit of EMPIRE, a lot of JAWBREAKER and reunion era LEATHERFACE but with modern emotive sensibilities.
SPACED - This Is All We Ever Get LP
More killer shit from the new wave of Revelation records stable of quality hardcore bands - out of Buffalo, NY they amalgamate the expected, more straight-foward feeling of bands like RIVAL MOB with bits of the moodiness found in art bands like SONIC YOUTH and dense texture of bands like SLOWDIVE, while mixing in enough NYHC style groove that it might get Rat Bones (King of the Pit™) out of retirement.
SNUFF - Off On The Charabanc LP
I love SNUFF - I mean who doesn’t love SNUFF?! Fast and beyond catchy English punk with plenty of snark and cheekiness? On this new release we find them mostly sticking the quick paced approach one might be familiar with (albeit with plenty of keyboards that really make me think INSPIRAL CARPETS in how they interplay with the guitars) for at least the first half the record - for the flip we have them turning off the amps and approaching their songs from a folky, acoustic manner. I know, I know - but it works in the same way it worked when Frankie and Dickie would bust out LEATHERFACE songs in bars filled with drunken Germans.
TERMINAL FILTH - Traces Towards Oblivion 12"
Heavy as shit, grinding crust as fuck existence - sludgey walls of guitar, creature from the deep vocals combining for lengthy slogs through molasses thick metallic stenchcore anthems. Big nods dreadlock crusties of old - SKAVEN, STORMCROW, HELLBASTARD, etc.
Violent and chaotic blasts of gnarly hardcore which sorta reminds me of what NAILS would sound like if they didn’t have that big studio production style and a little less technical prowess.
For a number of years, Rob Fish was my neighbor in Oakland, we’d hang out, play pickup soccer in the park, make pizza, watch shitty tv - and even on my most recent hang with him over Ethiopian here in Richmond, he’s always such a nice, affable person so it has always been so wild how just absolutely intense his vocals have been and remain after all these years - if anything they’ve only gotten better since my first encounter with him in RESURRECTION nearly 30 yrs ago. Just so capable of delivering the angst and anger manifested in the lyrics where you don’t even need to read the lyrics to get the point. Sheer intensity in delivery which is thankfully matched by the strings and drums backing it up - creating this crushing, angular metallic hardcore which doesn’t stray far from the DEADGUY/KISS IT GOODBYE/RORSCHACH approach to the thing.
URANIUM CLUB - Infants Under the Bulb LP
Angular, weirdo rock - its artsy jangle anti-pop which makes me think like what if PERU UBU was from Australia but really liked mid 80s UK DIY indie pop. I find myself listening to this more than I would expect and I think you will too.
Six tracks of quality Oakland hardcore punk - harkens back a bit to early 2000s stuff that was drawing heaving inspiration from early 80s USHC but putting their own spin on it. Thrashy and manic with a smidge of mid-tempo groove and stomp.
V/A No Genocide: A Benefit for Mutual Aid in Gaza
A rather stellar comp designed to generate relief funds for the ongoing genocide in Gaza - that alone should be enough to prompt you kick down a few duckets but if for some reason, its not, here’s what can be found within. Starting off with the sparse, dour and absolutely powerful MOB song “No Doves Fly Here” the overarching mood is set - doing so on a comp is a difficult thing but give the stark nature of the music while the lyrics “The buildings are empty and the countryside is wasteland - it never was before and we never asked for war…” certainly provides you with the overarching feeling around just what this is for. I’ve long believed punk is, in its best and most idealized state, protest music and this is just that but it is still music and it serves to bind, inspire, entertain and move us. Other highlights to be found here are songs by Mižerija, Scarecrow, D.O.V.E., Peace Talks, Behind Enemy Lines, Part 1, The Pist, and Rat Cage.
