Let’s Get Straight To The Point
No miscellaneous yammering today - that’ll come next time I promise. Just straight to this weeks reviews… 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.
Moody punk with mountains of intricate guitar work and powerful sung vocals - it reminds me a lot of SIGNAL LOST in how it rides that line between 80s anarcho punk and goth. The aggression and anthemic quality keeps it more in the former camp than the latter. Great release.
THE BREATH - 道理なき憎悪 Reasonless Hate EP
Ripping hardcore punk from Tokyo taking its cues more from the late 80s/ealy 90s USHC thing than say GAUZE. Stomping mosh riffs open up to ripping velocity and big singalongs while being saturated in guitar shredding. I believe a couple of these folx were in LOW VISION if you remember that powerhouse of a band.
CORRECTIVE MEASURE - Not For You, Not For Anyone CS
Ok, I’m a sucker for any band that samples John Prine as the singing mailman holds a very special place in my heart but enough about me… yo, this demo rips. Speedy hardcore in the CONFRONT mindset - hyper-paced velocity alternating with mid-tempo mosh certain to get the Jazzercise class all fired up, two-step’n in syncopated rhythm. Absolutely ripping stuff.
Gainesville melodic punk in that No Idea records sorta way - gruff, aggro with big hooks and enough discordant bits to keep it interesting. Former members of PALATKA, PANTHRO UNITED UK 13, CLARIMEL, etc and it sorta sounds like it in all the best ways. Really excited to see where this thing goes…
DISEASE - Nobody Knows How Miserable We Are 10”
100% raw, distorted to fuck DISCLOSE worship from Macedonia - lo-fi fuzzed out, blasted to shit d-beat madness.
EARTH CRUST DISPLACEMENT - Under The Surface EP
Brutal råpunk by way of Berlin - soaked in distortion, reverb and played at a furious pace.
Ripping, lo-fi basement-core that just goes! This totally feels like some long lost 80s demo in the PILLSBURY HARDCORE meets NEOS sorta style. Relentless and ripping!
Heavy yet speedy crust from the UK but sung in Finnish - thick slabs of burly hardcore in the EXTINCTION OF MANKIND sort of mindset. Killer riffing and the production makes it feel a bit massive.
With a name like HARD PASS you could be forgiven for assuming this was more in the straight edge hardcore line of thinking - instead, what have here is burly as shit Swedish hardcore in the steamroller style of bands like FREDAG DEN 13:E or the more modern era of WOLFBRIGADE.
Blazing, raw thrashing hardcore with plenty of breakdowns for you to catch your breath in the more classic USHC style - five tracks in under six minutes, so you know this is mostly all go-go-go!
Pummeling hardcore that stomps and grooves with occasional bursts of speed serving as a delivery method for lyrics which are an assault on colonialism, western fragility, religious control and more sung in both Arabic and English.
Crusty hardcore punk with a slight metal tinge from Greece with anthemic and melodic overtones. It’s a speedy and powerful introduction to this band - I’d love to hear more.
Fierce rampaging stuff from Portland, Maine - it’s pretty non-stop with minimal breakdowns, though when they do occur its less about riling up a sea of moshers and more about creating a dissonant feeling to the songs.
This is fucking great - punk as shit, snarly, high energy jams from Oakland. It throbs along at a spunky UK82 style pogo pace but really its the spitting venom vocal attack on this that really sets it apart for me. Fucking killer.
Fierce, rage soaked metallic punk in the ENGLISH DOGS meets SACRILEGE through a modern, stompy US hardcore filter manner sort of in the same way INTEGRITY melded seemingly disparate influences into something powerful and new. Filthy and ferocious - one band I certainly look forward to seeing.
Totally killer thrashers from DC with enough heaviness and groove to make the speedy bits stand out that much more. Six burly jams with a slight ominous feel to them.
Frantic and slightly manic sounding low fidelity punk with plenty of interestingly awkward riffs, twists and turns which go a bit all over the place but, in a good way. The vocalist has this sort of desperate pleading not to die in a horror movie quality to their voice which when paired with music creates a truly great and interesting soundscape. I’m really into this.
Blazing blasts of ferocious hardcore from Singapore that takes cues from Fuckheads-era GAUZE. Start and stop relentless thrash that hits in a disquieting manner. Great stuff.
SUICIDE SEX CULT PROPAGANDA - Tie Jumalan Luo CS
This feels like a one person project - maybe its just the way its recorded so I could be wrong but… well does it matter? Twelve tracks of high octane Finnish hardcore that sounds like it was recorded in a bedroom - its got that classic Finnish sound to it and not just because of the vocals. Like VARUKERS played poorly and high velocity after being soaked in a vat of pontikka.
Primator Crew releases are a bit of a sign of quality when it comes to street punk and oi for me and TESSON certainly rises to that occasion. Punchy, staccato boots-n-braces rocknroll sung in French. Catchy enough so you and the lads can singalong while raising pints but without losing that hard edge.
VAMPIRE - What Seems Forever Can Be Broken LP
Killer anarcho punk that hits me in the same manner of old bands like TOXIC WASTE or DIRT - furious and urgent punk where the music serves up the message of the lyrics effectively. Am super into this release.
Six tracks of quick paced ANTI CIMEX style Swedish mayhem with a slight metallic tinge to it making it a bit more controlled sounding than those early kångave bangers.