For Those Who Fear Tomorrow...
Noise Noise Noise
I grew up in Toledo - a rust belt town in Northwest Ohio that dwells in the shadow of Detroit. For the most part, Toledo has served as an extension of Detroit manufacturing might and culture in general. I mean, people still think of the NECROS as being a Detroit band but I digress… Ohio has long had a history of outstanding music - from raging hardcore to weirdo rock to blistering garage punk and more. This week, prior to reviews, I wanted to drop a few mid to late 80s Cleveland hardcore videos on you - the bands that created the foundation of the scene that would produce bands like CONFRONT, INTEGRITY, RINGWORM, FACE VALUE and more… I hope you enjoy:
Dance Dance Dance to the Radio
A quick note about reviews - 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.
Three tracks of swirling, new wavey punk from Italy - it’s melodic, mid tempo and filled with guitars saturated in chorus effects. At times it gives me the same sort despondent vibes as the more dour side of the CURE but with rougher vocals.
I mean, you’ve heard Nebraska’s BIB by now, right? In some ways, they epitomize what happens when you are stuck in the middle of nowhere and just consuming mountains of influences to create something more unique than might happen if you are part of an overarching scene. Slabs of sludgey metal, bursts of speed, snarly undiscernable vocals and moments of modern pysch weirdness. Solid release for sure.
THE BREED - Kingdom Dolorous LP
Burly Dutch hardcore that leans heavy into the URBAN WASTE line of thinking - gruff shouting backed by rapid fire drumming and simple but effective riffing which crescendos into knuckle dragging mosh bits.
This is great - strutting Oi meets Riot City punk from Portugal. Rough and tumble vocals that bring to mind that lad from OHLO SECO (though it might just be the Portuguese). Dynamic and speedy when it counts, this doesn’t fall into that street punk cliche of being plodding which is always appreciated. The last track, “Sud Express,” is a punch to the throat.
DEATH RIDGE BOYS - Society Overdose b/w Turn The Tide 45
Two hammer to the face punk blasts from these productive Portlanders - the A-side is a zippy singalong while the flip is a bit more mid-tempo and anthemic. Of note, this is former members of TALK IS POISON, COPOUT, PMS 84, etc but leans more into the UK82 thing than early USHC.
ENCIERRO - Doomsday Still Bleeds Red
Downtuned crust as fuck existence - its snarls and rages along at a quick pace with occasional melodic leads and CELTIC FROST-esque breakdowns. They self describe as “blackened crust” which only makes me think of watching the Cajun chef on public television as a child…
Is this egg? Is this chain? Are you a punk? Are you a skin? Are you mod? Are you just faking? I don’t know what anything means half the time but I know I like this - spastic, lo-fi punk with a paranoid bent to the lyrics. It’s one part something that you might find mixed in a Bullshit Detector comp and at the same dwelling in the same sorta brain space that gave us the inimitable FAT DAY. I think someone from PHYSIQUE is involved in this but this definitely feels more fun and less brooding than that project. Fucking great.
HAYWIRE - Conditioned For Demolition LP
You know the vibes - thick guitars and rough shouted vocals done at a quick enough pace to make the breakdowns more effective. Moments of RIVAL MOB hammering meet a skinhead rocknroll thing in the bathroom of a Boston pub where they make sweet love.
Ripping hardcore from central Ohio - rooted in the d-beat thing but with a bit more musicality and melody while shying away from many of the sorta standard genre tropes. Powerful and epic riffing, lotsa speed that hints at the Burning Spirits thing without going full copycat. A great release.
Thrash metal riffing melded with a heavy crust vibe - the vocals sound like a bit like that dude from AMEBIX while the music leans more into slowed down DARK ANGEL riffing but modernized.
LAZER BULLET - Spirit Suck Shit EP
Absolutely rule’n thrashing hardcore punk from Portland played at a breakneck pace with a unsettling feel to it. It doesn’t sound like VOID but you know how those DC maniacs kinda twist and turn in unexpected ways? It is a bit like that - rapid, rabid and raging.
MAD BROTHER WARD AND THE ABRASIVES - All Bad All the Time LP
Mid-tempo and thoroughly rocking in a RAMONES meets ANTISEEN (which makes sense) manner though with even bigger guitars and hooks. Like the last release single, there’s a bit of self deprecation and frustration in the lyrics with a chaser of spite.
Total weirdo rock - artsy and meandering in all the best ways. It is a bit like a missing late 70s/early 80s Killed By Death who spent a lot of time with DEVO, BLACK RANDY and FALL records. Quirky and meandering in all the best ways.
Spanish straight edge hardcore that rides leans more towards a SEPULTURA burly, rhythmic stomp than say YOUTH OF TODAY. There are bursts of occasional speed but I feel like it is only to service and highlight the polyrhythmic mosh than for its own sake.
I see what you did there, PIST punx - these Connecticut punks are back from the dead with their first new release since 1996 and not a lot has changed. Quick paced, pogo inducing, and proudly P-U-N-K. Still explicitly political but without forgoing the idea that it is still fun as shit to be punx. I mean, there is a song about New Haven legend “Jim Martin” and how rad he is, which is a great rave up complete with pianos. Great to have them back.
RABID ASSAULT - We Are Party LP
Ripping skate punk that is less RKL and more MUNICIPAL WASTE meets Join The Army-era SUICIDAL. Speedy, metallic hardcore with moshy breakdowns.
READY ARMED SYSTEM/ACAUSTIX - Split LP
More quality jams from the folx at Roachleg - for their side, Texans READY ARMED SYSTEM rip their way through nine tasty little high speed, lo-fi, USHC ragers. On the flip we find their fellow Austin punx hitting taking a pedal to the medal take on early Swedish, kångnave inducing, rough and tumble hardcore punk in the way of SKITSLICKERS or BOMBANFALL.
THE ROUGH TOUCH Between Your Mind LP
Moody and expansive rock with a heavy drugged out pysch feel from Columbus, OH. Less punk and more in the same way of thinking as SoCal bands like the WARLOCKS or even the WOODEN SHJIPS. Its heavy, expansive and a great late night listen - I could see some of this end up being the background music of a dive bar scene in a some neo-noir movie.
SEKUNDERNA -Tiden Är En Dröm 12”
Melancholic power pop with it’s feet firmly planted in punk from Umeå, Sweden. Like a number of you, I can’t understand a word of what is being sung about but, I can feel the sort of sad and despondent feelings they are trying to get across. It’s a soft and lovely lilting record in all the best ways. A perfect record for drives in the country on a Spring day.
Two originals and a RADIO BIRDMAN cover - the originals sounds a lot like the pre-NEW YORK HOUNDS band, CRIMINAL and as for the cover, well they make it sound a lot more skinheady aggro by slowing it down than the more zippy original for sure. Solid debut.
SPROCKET WHEEL - Stand By Me EP
Hey, check it out - 90s Japanese melodic punks and Snuffy Smile regulars, SPROCKET WHEEL, are back. Its a bit slicker and more Fat/Epitaph than I remember them being uh… nearly a quarter century ago but, still a fun listen.
Raw as fuck, distorted to the max, high speed DISCLOSE style hardcore punk from Richmond. Well executed, for sure, with plenty of energy to boot.
Finnish punk that leans more in the jangly and shimmering guitars direction rather than the buzzsaw approach most people associate with the nation’s bands. It is explicitly political in its lyrical approach with an emphasis on melody and melancholy with a smidge of angularity contrasted against moments of raging velocity on the musical side of the house. Totally into this release - bummed it took me so long to stumble across it.