I’m Working At My Job, I’m So Happy
More Boring By The Day But They Pay Me
How’s it going fellow mutants, obsessive, and miscellaneous fiends for eardrum shattering noise - it’s been a minute, yeah? And yet the conveyer belt of global hardcore punk keeps moving along. There are a lot of things I find annoying, like Larry David before me, I find an absurdity and irritation in most things but, a great annoyance of mine has always been them which are so ego driven where they think their opinion that ‘things were better in my day’ or ‘there are no good bands these days’ is accurate, matters, or isn’t a clear indicator that they are just clueless a clueless old person, worthy of being placed on an ice flow and shoved out to sea, never to be seen again. And this has nothing to do with age - I’ve seen old people who have only made 21 revolutions around the sun, and I’ve met wide eyed, enthusiastic children who are clocking in 40 plus years.
As the legend, Scotty Karate, is quick to comment - what you don’t like is the least interesting thing about you. Show me that enthusiasm, tell me what inspires you and brings you joy. Do I find distress at finding myself sounding like a Soulforce Revolution-era 7Seconds live tape? Sure. But thems the facts - and the fact is that my absence from rambling about the sickest hardcore punk as of late is related more towards the grind of my current existence than an inability to find those delightful moments of sonic fury and hearing destruction. First though a quick palate cleanser from all this PMA shit.
So, I’m getting killed at my new job. Like, its just a total brain function annihilator that I struggle to find the time to write here as much as want but I’m not giving up and I thank you for sticking with me and your patience. I’ll keep trying to give you the goods. Enough rambling and excuse making - here’s an abbreviated list of my current recommendations of the good shit.
Ferocious Swedish hardcore from former members of Victims - which sort of hints at the the contents to be found within the packaging. Still thunderous and galloping in its approach, it leans into the more melancholy melodiousness to be found in the more modern Swedish hardcore sound. There is an epic yet somber feeling that permeates it while losing not a lick of aggression and power. Great release.
Chaotic, noise soaked mayhem - does Convulse ever lose? Its a swirling violent manic ride of distortion which evokes horrific nightmare inducing images. Desperate, shrieking, beautiful madness. Just a relentless onslaught.
Thudding midpaced crust that just slowly pummels - metallic in the same manner as classic crusters Axegrinder or contemporaries Swordwielder but with a bit more swagger.
The Dark - Sinking Into Madness LP
You ever have those moments where you are like, this sounds familiar but I can’t place it, this give me that. On the one hand, its got this Motor-charge sort of attack but on the other there is this early vibe of early Christian Death, but a Christian Death where Rozz spent more time at the beach, hanging out with the Adolescents or something. What the fuck am I talking about, right? Look, its ominous and spooking, while not forsaking a sense of aggression nor melody while retaining that depressed, dour vibe. The lyric: “No one will grieve - when we die!” sorta sums up the overarching mood.
Die Electric Anus - Silver Dagger/Spliggity Splat (My Feet Are On Fire) 45
Let’s be honest, if you name your band in homage to the Electric Eels and you choose a name like Electric Anus, I’m probably going like your band at least a little bit, no matter what you sound like. I remember one summer trying to convince Toucan Slam, The Pissed Officers, and Scooby Don’t to align their tours just so I could have them all on one show and then on a different occasion, felt way too much pride in having the band 400 Miles of Shit play with Asshole Parade. I love comedy, what can I say. Anyway, Die Electric Anus play a sort of meandering, noisey chaotic KBD inspired, 70s protopunk style that I would lap up regardless of the quality of their rather excellent name. If it helps sway you even more, this appears to be a project of garage rocknroll legend King Khan.
Dogface Bastards - Pride In My Boots LP
First of all, Pride In My Boots, is funny. I would be really excited to find out one of the band members was a cobbler (or a cordwainer, or a souter). But I digress - what we have here is ripping fast street punk with a heavy focus on big choruses and singalong that takes me back to era of bands like Violent Society, The Krays, Casualties, etc launching a pogo attack across the East Coast (albeit this band is from Long Beach). I absolutely love this sort of thing - especially when done as well as this.
Fifteen blasts of high speed, 1000mph thrash played with almost mechanical precision - its a relentless, jackhammer barrage of blastbeats, thrashing guitars and vocalist that somehow manages to keep pace. Absofuckingruling.
Faucheuse - Rêve Électrique LP
There’s a quip in the press materials for this where they equate this French band to Japanese legends Paintbox and I find that to be fairly apt especially with how they play with completely out of genre normal elements (operatic metal, groovy basswork, moments of etherial dissonance, meandering guitarwork etc) all placed on a solid kång/d-beat backbone which serves to support what could be unwieldy and incongruous ideas - making them somehow work, all without losing a ounce of punch or energy. Really cool.
Ferocious, go for the jugular hardcore from Chicago - hard as nails, massive breakdowns which surface infrequently amidst track after track of thrashing drums and guitars backing up this snarling vocal attack. So much of what is called hardcore these days is just slow and heavy nonsense designed for jocks to listen to while lifting weights - this is not that. Think Voorhees, think Out Cold - my only complaint is that it could be faster.
The Hope Conspiracy - Tools of Oppression/Rule by Deception LP
I’ll be honest, I never really gave The Hope Conspiracy much of a chance twenty years ago - partially because there is just so much music coming out at any point in time and especially at that time, to check them out would have required rolling the dice and buying the record. I now regret this decision to bypass them in favor of a fixation on tracking down every Disclose clone in existence, oh well! On this newest release we find these Bostonians ripping through ten heavy as shit tracks of steamrolling hardcore - thoroughly modern in its production, with molasses thick guitars, thunderous drums which serves to enhance the overarching oomph and drive of the whole thing. This really helps to serve the urgency of the lyrics and the accompanying vocal attack. A monster of a release.
Invertebrates - Sick To Survive 12”
This is fucking great! This is fucking great! This is fucking great! Careening, maniacal, full throttle thrashing hardcore punk from here in Richmond, VA. I’ve seen them enough times to sorta have a feeling how good this would be but, this surpasses my assumptions. Everything just feels like its at the top of its game, from the drumming to the guitars to the interplay of the bass to the vocals. A frenetic ball of relentless energy and power. Its such an exciting and inspiring thing to see a band produce something which fully captures them at their best moment. Outfuckingstanding.
While I’m typically a play it faster sorta fella, what I like about this more ‘mature’ version of Kriegshög is how the slightly slower pace allows the songs to breathe a bit more, allowing them to convey a bit more punching power. There is a consciousness of purpose in this move that begins with their Paint It Black EP of a few years back and this feels like the fruition of those ideas - its like a melding of classic noisy 80s Japanese hardcore with riffing 70s psych/stoner rock.
Pummeling Texas hardcore from the braintrust behind bands like Severed Head of State, Vaaska, etc etc. Melodic and midpaced with a big emphasis on big riffs and powerful leads in the Burning Spirits sort of manner - think bands like Crude, Mustang, Balance, etc.
Peace Talks - Will You Be Next?! Flexi
A limited to 250 copies flexi featuring outtakes from the recording of their stellar 2023 LP - its ripping punk with interesting quirks, twists and turns in the instrumentation with a vicious, pointed vocal attack of lyrics that matter. Really, really fucking great.
Oh how I love Phane - they’re one of those bands that I just rambling stumbled across by popping by a show one night and I’ve been in love ever since. High velocity, riff soaked thrashing hardcore that takes the English Dogs thing, speeds it up and adds in one of the best guitar players I’ve ever seen in real life. Just crazy riffs and shredding but done in a manner where it doesn’t detract from the power of the songs - an absolutely glorious release.
I am a total Yambag fan - I mean if you know anything about me, this makes total and complete sense, right? Thrashing, moderately sloppy hardcore punk thats played at such a pace that it feels like its about to fall apart at any moment -whats not to love? Eleven tracks clocking in around ten minutes - totally ferocious.
Last but certainly not least - The Crosses released a new song. For those who don’t know, Crosses is the singer from Midwestern legends Die Kreuzen. From my understanding, the original idea was to get together with some friends, play the old hits, have a some fun, etc. But here we are with a new song which turns out to be pretty fucking good and a clear indicator that they understood what made that first LP so perfect and moreover, drives home the maxim - all ages means all ages.
Until next time - Free Palestine, Stay Punk, and See You Fucks At The Bar.