How Much Art Can You Take?
(I can't take much more of this art - or is it fart?)
Cows & Beer
Ok, Ok, Ok not too much from me this time in the way of winding, wandering, mindless dribble, drivel, bibble, bop - am just gonna push these reviews out, pack my bags and get on a plane to Italy. Gonna hang out with the Pope, eat pizza and listen to the Ramones for about ten days - anyone I know in Rome or Florence? Hit me up.
Anywho, I’m behind in my reviews. I’ve got a bunch of stuff people have sent me and I promise I’m getting to it. I’m just one idiot, committed to destroying my hearing as fast I can. I’m only able to do so much….
I Don’t Like Quiet, It Forces Me To Think
Just a quick reminder - I 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. Also, like the print zine, this is a one person operation - I always feel like I’m really behind and not doing enough and am trying to reconcile that with having a life beyond trying to wreck my hearing.
Alambrada - Ríos De Sangre 12"
Absolutely raging thrash from Bogota - I think this has some people from Muro but not 100% sure but it certainly has that same sort of disjointed and manic sense of urgency. Raw and careening in this manner where everything sounds like they are about to fall apart at any moment but it manages to hold it all together. Brilliant stuff!
Snarling d-beat fueled thrash with this very tight and compressed recording style. Musically it reminds me a bit of early State Of Fear.
Balta - Mindenki Mindig Minden Ellen EP
Raging, fuzzed out hardcore primitivo from Budapest - the songs sort collide into one another added to the general feeling of rage and urgency.
Detroit hardcore which paints a mental picture of Tear It Up being covered by Righteous Jams - or maybe it is the other way around? Plenty of speed, swagger mixed with groove and two-step’n singalongs. Also, there are dub reggae interludes. Tasty little platter.
Five tracks of quick paced ‘old school’ hardcore from Philly with a bit of strut and swagger. Lyrics which address the military preying on the poor, landlords, and how they feel old people suck.
Absolutely mental, thick slabs of metallic hardcore infused with electronic musical elements. In my fucked up brain its like they managed to effectively combine the experience of seeing Catharsis in an squatted Belgian warehouse in 1999 where the show turned into a rave as soon as the last strains of guitar amps faded out. In my ancient and rotting brain, this is almost an industrial record - like the sort of band I’d see playing with Ministry, KMFDM or Skinny Puppy in 1990 but absolutely heavier than any of them. A monstrous record in all the best possible ways.
Castillo - Signs Of A Different Time EP
I’ve long held that the best Oi is really just pop-punk for rough lads - sure the vocals are gruff and the lyrics might lean more towards notions of brotherhood, drinking with the lads, misc violence but all delivered with enough sugary pop sensibilities that you can’t help but dance and singalong. Amongst the best of the current crop of skinhead rocknrollers is Castillo - this is just one original track and a cover of the The Crack’s “My World” but my god is it brilliant.
Total NYHC stomping hardcore in the early Agnostic Front meets Warthog way of thinking. The second song, “Endure The Measure”, fucking rules. Killer demo.
Chimes Of Bayonets - Replicator LP
Winding, weaving, intricate and mathy rock from Buffalo - for me this has a lot of Circus Lupus and Shudder To Think style, late 80s/early 90s DC post rock vibes all over it. An expansive and deeply introspective listen.
Corrective Measure - Not For You Not For Anyone EP
Three tracks of ripping youth crew through a European filter - think Chain Of Strength, etc though with a slightly more left wing bent. I love this style and wish there was more of it.
Direct Threat - Endless Siege EP
Six tracks of USHC blended with UK82 - you know the vibe, “Oi! influenced hardcore punk.” Gruff vocals, mid-tempo strut, shouted singalongs and occasional bursts of speed. When this style is done right, I suck it down like the nectar of the gods and this fits that bill for sure.
Dirt Sucker - At The Landfill CS
Trashy, fuzzy garage rock with a bit of a mutant rock feel - its fast, jangly, with one gruff snarly vocalist and one with a bit of high pitch register to their voice. Plenty of interesting angular bits of winding guitar work which breaks down into what would sound like traditional hardcore breakdowns if the production were different. A really fun and cool listen.
Evil Nations - Theatre Of Nations EP
Philthy Philly hardcore stomp with a metallic edge - it’s got a big 80s, Testament meets Exodus feel to the riffing and velocity.
I feel like Firewalker gets a bit heavier and bit more stomping metallic in their approach on each release - on Hell Bent we find them taking more of a latter Madball style approach with plenty of groove, moshtastic breakdowns, and lotsa atmospheric leads as well as double bass drum attacks.
Raw, snarling and violent hardcore from Australia - this mostly rips and roars with occasional toe dippings into a more midtempo pace before picking up speed and going for the jugular. A cool introduction.
Serbian punk which drifts from post-punk angularity to punchy melodic singalong punk then dips into blasting hardcore for a moment then back again. I love this release especially for how it manifests all the more interesting and regional aspects of Eastern European punk, like it sounds like the place its from, if that makes sense.
Three delight tracks of melodic French punk with a heavy power-pop feel - it’s lilting and infectious while being played at a quick clip. Now if you don’t mind me, I’m gonna play this again while I dance around my room with my dog.
Self described as “goblin punk” these punks tear through six tracks of distorted, raging raw hardcore punk. Soaked in reverb and distortion its a ripping romp of what I assume a band of goblins would probably sound like especially given the overarching rawness of the recording.
Fuzzy, mid-paced, and moderately inept punk rock primitive. Just nine songs to be found on these twelve inches of wax but its rather catchy yet rough in the same manner as Dirt.
Filthy, metallic crust from the land of kangaroos, koalas, and a fuckload of things that will try to kill you. For my money, this is some of the best to drink deep from the influential well of Sacrilege in sometime. Killer.
Thick slabs of downtuned, d-beat mania - it occasionally leans into the Motorcharge of the first Inepsy EP but doesn’t quite go all the way into rocker mode.
The Pump - 7 Minutes In Heaven With… CS
Well, this rules - ripping early NYHC vibes with guttural vocals. Its almost like if Sheer Terror only played the faster, shorter songs.
Two piece band, founded by the bassist of Systematic Death, Yuzuka. Rather than playing grooved out high speed thrash, this is a bit more metallic and soaked in more complicated, grinding riffage which makes me think of Discordance Axis.
Rampaging d-beat fueled UK hardcore punk - blasts of primal speed, with stomping breakdowns and occasional flares of metallic riffing mixed with a Rudimentary Peni style repetitive groove.
Two bands, two tracks each - Savak are from the USA and play this sort of jangly, angular pop that comes off a bit like a missing track from the NME’s C86 comp. On the flip, France’s Contractions are a bit more straight forward indie pop that brings to mind early 90s K Records, Tsunami, Teen Beat, etc sorta vibe.
Relentless blasts of Mob 47 style Swedish mangel. Raw, ripping, and absolutely raging!
Sect - Plagues Upon Plagues LP
Absolutely ferocious, skull crushing metallic hardcore from current/former members of Cursed, Left For Dead, Catharsis, Earth Crisis, and Fallout Boy… er I mean Race Traitor. Colohan’s vocals remain intensely primal and play well against the mid-tempo bulldozer attack - just thick slabs of crusty metal.
I truly wonder why Sweat doesn’t get more universal love - live they are a total powerhouse of energy, charisma, and swagger. It’s a vibe that translates well to this LP with its big rock’n riffs, intricate and complicated instrumentation - it gives me all the feels of seeing Murder City Devils or The Bronx. Great release.
Syndrome 81 - Chand De Ruines Live LP
If you’ve been following my musings about punk for more than a week, you are perhaps well aware of my affections for the current wave of French punk and perhaps my favorite of them all is the powerhouse known as Syndrome 81. It’s got all the aggro punch of the classic French skinhead rocknroll bands with overlays of new wave pop sensibilities and just enough hardcore angst and energy to push it over edge. What’s rad about this live record is how it drives all those points home while amping up the intensity. Fucking killer - really hoping to catch them this summer as I’ve heard rumor they’ll be tour the East Coast of the US…
Who Pays - The Final Meal Tape CS
This rules. This is the best hardcore tape of the summer - play it faster. Absolute rager. Everyone else quit now. The new wave of NYHC - leans hard into the school of 1982, drags it through the ditch of late 80s UK bands like Ripcord, and cranks the intensity to 1000. Killer.
Dangit, I was making demos under the name Bad Beat. Guess I gotta go with something else now.
Also, Direct Threat rips. Denver hardcore!