Big Fat Bag O' Splits!

Splits are always a great way to learn about new and obscure bands, but how about a grab-bag full of them? That's what we're dealing in today- a series of split 7"s I've run across recently and wanted to share. You probably haven't heard most of these bands, so unlike a real grab-bag, I offer some descriptions to either dissuade or entice:

The first split in the bag is from a couple of awesome Polish bands. You may recall Stupor from their split with Harum Scarum posted somewhere below. They play more of that thick and intense crust, like a more raw and heavy Post Regiment, while their partners, Verrecke play one long Amebix-meets-Counterblast dirge. It's as good as it sounds.

The name Spider Cunts kept coming up in blurbs about the lineage of Burning Kitchen (one of my favorite punk bands), so it was high time to check them out. What they deliver on this split is four obnoxious songs, mainly about getting wasted. The slamming drums, simple and catchy riffs, harsh vocals... I'm thinking a more obnoxious and punk Sin 34? Sure. Obnoxious is definitely the word here.

Oh, and The Dregs rage hard too. I don't know why I thought I'd dislike them; I actually ended up a fan. Nicely distorted guitars and screamed and wailed vocals that don't get monotonous like some bands' do. The hardcore attack and street punk sensibilities are reminiscent of Filth, but I wouldn't get too carried away with that comparison.

Finally we get to the international pairing of Yokel and Pisspoor. I hadn't heard of Australia's Yokel, and was impressed by their four well-played and vicious crust blasters. The vocals (especially the female member's) are scathing as hell. Granted, nothing originally is going on here, but it won't matter as you scream along, railing against genocide and greed!

Austin's Pisspoor offered some pretty good tracks on the "El Guapo" comp and their split LP, but there's something about these tracks that show a hitting of a stride. A band like this can only be successful if their anger comes across genuine and abundant, and really, that's exactly what this is-- unadulterated rage that's both punishing and cathartic.

Download a sack o' splits

Song Of The Week: "Wednesday Night Church Meeting" (Mingus)

I'm not a church-going man, but years ago when a friend copied "Blues & Roots" for me, the first track conjured an image of a sweltering Southern church packed with lay folk dancing themselves into an ecstatic fever. It was more than satisfying when later I bought the LP and could see the song titles.

"Wednesday Night Church Meeting"

The Steps To Hell

Farcical was yet another virile offshoot of the G-Anx/Elderberry Records tree. Where they fit into the lineage is a little hazy, but based on the recording date of the split below, the band appears to be pre-Counterblast. The first label I wanted to throw onto the 7" pictured above was Counterblast-lite. This is unfair, however, because the songwriting is every bit as engaging, albeit a little less heavy and depressing. I daresay the undistorted picking forays are at times more beautiful than Counterblast's best.



This early Farcical split sees the band hopscotching between the depression and brutality of their early incarnation (G-Anx) and the more mind-bending psychedelia of their more
progressive work. Awesome tracks, but don't ask me to pick a favorite between these two 7"s. As for the B side, I didn't quite "get" their fellow country-folk, Fatal Females, the first time I spun this disk. By the second time, whatever there was to "get" was thoroughly gotten. FF use low-frequency hum and hypnotically steady rhythm to lull you into a pleasing half-slumber of distorted shoegaze noise (post) punk. So simple, yet so good.


Both EPs here.

Oppressing Minorities/For God And Country

No matter how many "Punk Terrorist Anthologies" have been released, it's always nice to find more live Nausea material, especially from the not-often -heard line-up with Neil and Amy on vocals. Recorded in Connecticut in 1988, the three tracks committed to this little piece of wax are crushing and entertaining testimonials of a band hitting its stride on its way to greatness. More please.

Nausea live in Norwalk 1988 (ripped @ 320)

Tracks:
1. New Generation
2. Right To Live
3. Smash Racism

Puro Desmadre Parte Dos

I was stoked enough to find a cheap, good copy of Gasp's "Sore For Days" demo, but on the B side another treasure lay hidden-- the 23 song Stapled Shut demo! If that wasn't enough excitement for the day, five of the SS songs I hadn't heard before. Those of you who know SS's brand of fuzzed out thrashcore can probably relate at least a little to my child-like glee. It turns out I was wrong about the sequence of SS's discography; the gnarly, fuzzed out stuff was their demo material. On the tape posted below, you can get the entire demo, which includes the tracks from the band's split with Lack of Interest, the (I think) unreleased tracks, the entire "World Of Noise" 7", and "Chavala" from the Reality #2 comp. If you just want the unreleased tracks, I've got that for you too, as well as links to previous Stapled Shut posts if you prefer vinyl rips of the rest of the demo instead. If anyone knows titles for the unnamed demo tracks, you know where to click.

** Update: Thanks to an anonymous commenter, we now have all the track titles, and the title of the demo as well ("LA Times"). The missing titles are as follows: 7. "Stapled Shut" 8. "Killer Breed" 9. "What The Fuck" 10. "Blazing" 11. "Resin Heaven". Thanks again for your help!

The entire Stapled Shut Demo HERE
Just the 5 unreleased tracks HERE
Go to the Stapled Shut/Lack Of Interest post HERE
Go to the Stapled Shut 7" + Comp Tracks post HERE

Song Of The Week: "Fun Fun Fun" (The Big Boys)

I'm off to the beach...

"Fun Fun Fun"

They Use A Lot Of Vowels

You probably have a folder full of a ton of late '80's-early 90's, crusty stuff, but Amen's "Paranemia" LP might be the missing classic you didn't know you wanted. Or maybe you have this LP, and know that it's more thrashy crustiness than most people can handle in one sitting. When you're about to reach for that Disrupt box set, give this a spin instead.

"Paranemia" (Spinefarm Records, 1991 @ 256 kbps).

No Charade

Bry(curious) informed me of this awesome band, No Parade, which consisted of some folks from From Ashes Rise. Chrisapproach of the mighty Mosh Eisley blog answered the call by posting No Parade's excellent LP. I can only join in the fanfare by posting this 7" by the band, and saying thanks to the both of you for your help. No Parade is/was a no nonsense hardcore band that cared deeply about what they said, and knocked out some raging tuneage. I have issues with the use of the word karma in the song "Backs As Ladders," but even so, this band rules hard.

Get the 7" Here

6 Trax Hated True Sounds

Bless me readers, for I have sinned. It has been 5 months since my last Out Cold post. There's just something about the real deal that never gets tiresome, and Out Cold are just that (the real deal... not tiresome). OC rages, and doesn't give a rat's what you think about it. I like 'em; but they couldn't care less about that either. It's the straight, old school hardcore done right, and for this round they've snagged their Japanese counterparts, No Side, to fill the B side. My only complaint is that it's too short, but I don't think these bands could give two fucks.

Here.

Song Of The Week: "Summertime" (Crimpshrine)

It's here! My favorite season of the year. Spring always tries to win me over, but it's the summer that holds the key to mine. Whether it's the part of world I live in, or my chosen profession, I can't say. I hope you'll humor me for the next few weeks as every Song of the Week will be lively and celebratory on account of this season of fun (quite a departure from the usual depressing shit I post!). What better way to start than listening to Jeff Ott pine away over his long-distance lady-friend, ending with his promise of a summertime reunion? "Summertime" is one of about 13 songs on the "Duct Tape Soup" collection that I could listen to every day of my life, and it would never lose its sentimental value. I told you Crimpshrine would make it to the SOTW again; such an important band to me couldn't stay away for too long. So go pick some flowers and grab a bottle of cheap wine; turn off the computer and get out and play!

If for whatever reason you haven't heard Crimpshrine's "Duct Tape Soup" or "Lame Gig Contest" LPs, (or "The Sound Of A New World Being Born" LP for that matter), I'm not sure how you go on living! Give 'em a chance...

"Summertime"

The Kindness Of Others

Finally! I've been looking for the missing link to my little collection of In/Humanity splits forever, and now I at least have it digitally. This is all thanks to Mike (& wife), who's one of the coolest guys I've never met! If you know these bands already, the '90's screaming madness supplied by both will surely make your day. Shit, just the track title, "Dork Side Of The Farce" made mine. As a bonus, Mike threw in In/Humanity's long lost "Intolerable" 7"; you know, the one the band disowned. It's pretty hilarious to contrast this to their later work... night and day! You can still get the other In/Humanity splits here, and the Bonescratch 12" here (although I plan to re-rip that sucka soon).


Big thanks again to Mike and Co.

Get both EPs here






And, while I'm using other people's rip donations, I'll go ahead and re-post the massive Mine LP ("Tetanus"). I've been meaning to re-rip my copy, but bass player, Christian, found the original post and sent us these nice clean rips before I had a chance. Thanks a million, Chris! If you like you're hardcore smart, metallic, and brutal, I highly recommend! In another related coincidence, the Pope recently posted Mine's 7".

Get "Tetanus" here.

Sorry For The Delay

During the teaching season, I have a chronic case of head-up-the-ass. Hence I've neglected to post some music sent to me by some good bands/nice people. This post marks my first, albeit tardy, attempt to rectify my ineptitude. First up is the Toronto band, The New Enemy. Either Clint chose this blog randomly for his submission, or else he noticed the repeated Leatherface and Jawbreaker worship throughout the site. Those bands are good starting point for a description, as would be comparing them to a more hardcore sounding Sainte Catherines. The songs are cleanly recorded, but the vocals and heavy guitars add plenty of grit. "Outsourced" is a solid six track EP, and the band is offering it for free!


Here



Next up is a Stoner Rock/Doom outfit from Portland that goes by the name, Salvador! The only thing I had to get used to were the grungy "clean" vocals present in most tracks... after that I could easily appreciate these guys' take on a genre I'm normally finicky about. The vocals get more aggressive at times, but it's the thundering drums and, perhaps most importantly, the meaty-ass bass density that keeps me coming back. I don't think the band wants their entire CD shared, so here's a nice sample of Salvador's rock. Then contact the band to get a copy of the disk, okay?



"Lycanthrope"




Finally, Mother Disobedience of Athens Greece just sent me their Lahar EP. There's little of what we used to call music on this 12 minute track. By default, they will inevitably be labeled noise rock or post punk, but the band has a definite DIY/hardcore ethic and aesthetic. If you are a total riff-monger or melody addict, MD might turn you away. But if you're in the mood for something different or you love guitar feedback, give this a chance. The back cover states, "So artless, our music sounds experimental." Whether they are being charmingly self-deprecating or serious, is up to you to decide.

Here

Satanic Jihad Music

This is easily my favorite Cattle Press record. How could it not be with such a profane miasma of sour, dense chords gushing from the amps, and screams shrill enough to shake you from your stale purgatory of a life. I'm not sure if this 7" is properly called "Cattle Press" or "Silence," but there it is above, and the track list is below...

1. Silence
2. Uprising Embodiment In Serenity
3. The Hole Is Home

Here (@ 320 kbps)

What I Did On My Summer Vacation

This split is about what you'd expect from Bovine Records, Cattle Press, and Agoraphobic Nosebleed. Cattle Press bring the evil slow and heavy, and include a reworked version of "Splint" (IabhorHer). Agoraphobic Nosebleed are in their prime and serve up 17 furious originals and a Voivod cover. Yeah, it's that friggin good!


Here. (@ 320 kbps)

Update: The files have been re-uploaded. If you couldn't download it before, here's "Information." Thanks Strangeranger!

I'm thinking I should post the Cattle Press 7" next...

Song Of The Week: "School's Out" (Bla'st!/Cooper)

It should be no mystery as to why I chose this song. The lines declaring that school's out for summer and forever don't quite apply to me. But for the next 5 weeks, it'll sure feel that way!

"School's Out"

Reality Hates Me

Just when you think you have Affray nailed, they start fucking with your head. From the first track , I thought they were really awesome modern crust-core. But then the anthemic, melodic vocals kick in. Then the keyboards... then in comes the folky intro and violins. Then, finally, there's the dub/reggae riddim. It becomes clear before long that Affray isn't meant to be figured out. They're meant to be marveled at, and rocked out to!

From their 10", Token Tantrum struck me as a group of smart people, constantly growing and evolving. The two tracks on this split LP confirm this. This time the band "warms up" their previously frigid sound with a more Southern sludge feel, falling somewhere between Cavity, Lost, and Neurosis. The experience could be even more taxing on your patience, but listen carefully, lock into the groove, and it's hard not to become fully engrossed in the narrative. I was tempted to not split up the tracks, because one of the main riffs of the first reappears in the second. I divided them anyway, so just be prepared for that bit of circularity.

Such a diverse and awesome split is rare to come by. Make sure you get this on vinyl if you can:

Halvfabrikat

Active Rebellion

Ruination

D/L The Affray/Token Tantrum LP (256 Kbps)

A World Badly Made

Amen makes its third appearance on this blog, this time covering Oi Polloi, and taking on subjects like nuclear fallout and raccoon-faced satanist posers. Their American tag-team partners are Short Hate Temper. You probably know these El Paso grinders from various power house splits with the likes of Slight Slappers, Scalplock, Quill, and Harsh. A fast EP for a week that cannot be over fast enough.

Here.

Gospelcore Attack

Amen is a band that should be mentioned along side Doom, Hiatus, and Disrupt during any conversation about nineties crust. Unfortunately, they aren't (at least not here in North America). The even sadder thing is that next to those bands, the Amen experience can often times be even more enjoyable. I'm lucky there's an entire cyber world between us, because some of you probably want to throw something heavy at me for my heresy. It's just an opinion, take it or leave it. The "Feikki" 7" was recorded in 1991 and released on Crash Mag Records. It's solid as fuck, from the art down to the riffs. If all goes well, I'll be posting a certain other Amen split sooner or later this week.

Feikki

Song Of The Week: "A Little Change Could Go A Long Ways" (City Of Caterpillar)

City Of Caterpillar was another Richmond band that shook my foundations upon first listen. The long song titles, long track lengths, and odd band name might strike you as pure pretentious bull-stein, but if you kick your patience into overdrive, you'll be rewarded with a sonic bildungsroman of magisterial proportions. The more developed and epic of their tracks lead the listener onto a winding, curving path of enchanting dream and jarring nightmare-- a slightly unnerving realm scored by hypnotic lullabies interspersed with suffocating layers of distorted mayhem. COC seriously destroyed all the boundaries created by labels with the sheer power of their songs, and brilliance of their playing. I won't go into who the members are or what bands they play(ed) in; COC did an impressive enough job making a name for themselves with a series of EPs and their mind-blowing LP. Give "A Little Change Could Go A Long Way" a chance when you're feeling patient. The build-up at the beginning is gradual as heck, but both the journey and the pay-off are well worth your time.

"A Little Change..." (128 kbps)

"A Little Change..." (320/Mediafire)

The Pimp Of Satan II

Satan's Pimp Records was the label equivalent of that kid at your school who liked to torch crickets with a maginifying glass. Case in point:













And why not?-- included below is a lesser Satan's Pimp comp, but it's got Gob and Noothgrush on it, which makes it automatically post-worthy.





D/L "Accidental Double Homicide" & "Accidental Decapitation Through Masturbation!"

God's Chosen People

Would anyone else like to join Strangeranger and me on a pensive amble down memory lane? My musical diet of the 1990's consisted of a weird Smörgåsbord of bay area pop punk, European crust, US powerviolence, and whacked out, screamy DIY bands like the ones on the "God's Chosen People" comp. In fact, "G'sCP" was one of the earliest bits of exposure I had to the avant nuttiness of the whole HeartattaCk-Old Glory-Gravity situation. I still love half the bands on this thing, and lucky for me, they're mainly the bands whose tracks were collected later in some form or another. Yep... lots of memories, and the love and abuse I've given to this comp over the years is evident in the condition of the vinyl. I cheated a little on a couple of tracks and just ripped them from discography CD's; but the whole imbroglio of naked, flailing bodies and disenfranchised, idealistic minds is still here, both in the tunes and within the pages of the stunning booklet.

Here

Bands & Tracks:

A Hardcore Mess

I picked up the "Japankore Omnibus Vol. 2" one-sided 12" comp mainly for the Sink track. But that's not the only reason I keep playing it. The Japankore imprint was the brainchild of Japanophile, Brian (of Drop Dead). For this installment, he had The Gaia assemble seven all-female bands from Japan (including themselves), and then tacked on a mix-gender upstart band called Melt Banana. Maybe you've heard of them. The result is quite a wonderful little mess.

Orfee, of Cephalochromoscope, was gracious enough to offer his scanning craftsmanship for the graphics. Some tech issues prevented him from re-ripping his copy, so I did my best to handle the audio. Thanks, brooooo! Be sure to go over to Cephscope and say Hi and download the Senseless Apocalypse CD.

The Omnibus

The Bands:

La Lucha Sigue

The "Zapata Vive - La Lucha Sigue" comp LP was a massive gem that got a lot of spin-time on my turntable in the mid to late '90's. Scan the track list, and you'll see a pretty impressive "who's who" period-piece of European crust and grindcore. The stand-outs for me are probably the tracks by Day By Day and Quarantine, as well as the live classics like "Up The Punks" and "Way Of Doom" (a duet with the Fleas and Lice singer!). "Reality," by Unhinged, would be a highlight if I wasn't already intimately familiar with it from "Win Our Freedom In Fire." There's tons more violent noise to be had, as well as an enormous book(let) dealing with the Zapatista movement which was all the rage at the time.


Bands & Tracks:







Listen

Read

Song Of The Week: "Eleventh Hour" (Iconoclast)

With this post, Compilation Week begins. I've got four or five comps that don't suck in the posting-pipeline, so this SOTW showcases yet another band I discovered through this polarizing medium: Iconoclast (the "Ebullition" band). I can't say exactly why "Eleventh Hour" stands out to me so much on a comp that boasts Rorschach, Born Against, Greyhouse, Merel, Native Nod... At the time of purchase it floored me, and that's all there is to it. I heard mention that the version that appears on the band's Ebullition CD was an improvement because of the cleaner production. I disagree. The murky and ominous heaviosity of this original was central to its power. It proved that modern forms of hardcore could be emotionally riveting without being... namby-pamby. Anyway, this song's a crusher. Awesome drumming, too.

Iconoclast - "Eleventh Hour" (from the "God's Chosen People" comp)

Update: The above track is now re-upped at mediafire. I'll go ahead and rip the rest of the comp later this week.

The Family Band Of The '90's

The phrase "melodic crust punk" might illicit a strange response in many of you. For some it might conjure an automatic negative one. When I say that the melody actually comes from the vocals, it might draw an indistinguishable gasp of puzzlement. Quarantine were a Scottish band that did this, and did it right. Catchy, political, and powerful, this band pulled off beautifully what few bands ever attempted. Disaffect meets Crimpshrine? Leatherface meets Pink Turds In Space? You decide. This band ruled, and you'll probably like them.

The "Automatic Negative Thoughts" LP (Nabat Recs.) has been posted elsewhere before, I think, but I ripped my copy at 320 in case you need it, as well as the excellent "Junction 10" 7" (Panoptic Vision, etc. Recs.)....

Here (LP)

and

here (EP).

If you like Quarantine, you'll also like their new band, Debris.

Tonight, I kick off compilation week-- a series of posts dedicated to the most unpopular format in the blog world. The comps were selected for maximum entertainment; they're all interesting an/or awesome in some way. The first, to be posted Monday night, will feature another great song by Quarantine, so look out for that.

Beware The Living

Feel the pretense and bullshit leech from your pores as Canada's finest flog you with 10 hulking, knuckle-dragging grind lashings. I'm not sure I should tell you that Saturation members also played in Born Dead Icons, Ire, The Black Hand, and Human Greed, but I just did. Sometimes finesse just doesn't do the trick, and you have to use the blunt end of things to get the message across.

Saturation 12"

(Note: This disk was released with, like, three different cover options, so the version you've seen may have had a black and white cover/another design).

The Cancer Of Life

Token Tantum is another extended member of the Elderberry Records family (headquarters of G-anx, Counterblast, etc.) that shatters the Swedish mould into jagged pieces, then rearranges them into a mosaic of oblique patterns, steeped in icy tones. The experience can be a bit challenging, and, at times, trying to one's patience. But, as with Counterblast's epic work, the journey can be a rewarding one to those with calloused enough feet. The only other band reference I feel obligated to make is one to Lost (Poland), whose dark ambiance and stark screams could easily shoe-horn you into the bleak dilemma that is Token Tantrum. If motivation permits, one day I'll post their split with Affray, but for now, here's the "Cancer Of Life" 10".

Here

PS- I think I divided the tracks correctly, but if you notice a problem, don't be shy.

Chernobyl Cthulhu

I was pleasantly surprised to find out how many FE friends enjoy Wormwood as much as I do. So as not to keep you waiting too long for more from these sorcerers of despair, I offer you their limited split picture disk with fellow Northwestern Metal alchemists, Teen Cthulhu. To be honest, I'll pick up anything by Wormwood, as long as it isn't at some crazy collector price. It doesn't hurt that the track provided, "Released From Expectation," is quite possibly the band's most deeply penetrating song. Words will inevitably collapse in weak-kneed admiration if any attempt is made at describing its power. Three years later, it would grace the grooves of the Starvation" LP. Brilliant, no matter where it appears.

Teen Cthulhu have made friends and enemies with their synth-laden horror-death metal-violence. I thought their LP was pretty fuckin' solid, and the two tracks on this disk are right along those lines. After that LP cover, the art submitted on this thing is a little lacking (just a humble opinion). Their two tracks deliver the goods, though, and for additional spankings, be sure to grab the band's LP and split with Iron Lung here and here respectively.

The Wormwood/Teen Cthulhu split pic disk

Song Of The Week: "Vertigo Index" (Discordance Axis)

I'm re-reading The Crying Of Lot 49 right now. For some reason Oedipa's futile scraping for the truth and her association of the San Narciso landscape with a circuit board reminded me of "Vertigo Index." Now that I've re-read the lyrics, I want to watch Brazil again. And re-read Neuromancer. Is summer vacation here yet?

"Vertigo Index"

Alienation washes over me, downloading world apartment horror
Wheezing through tea stained lungs comes a voice piped in from a
vacuum

A tiled grove of telephone wires, rabbit ears and power lines
Insinuated in the residential disintegration that assassinates the sky

And now my being is networked
To be shared among us all.
And my world falls back into place
Or do I fall back into place In my world.

Time Of Payback

A couple of FE friends haven't gotten enough Finnish bass & drum ultra-violence from previous Harsh posts. So this Harsh 7" hat trick goes out to Grindfreek and Roman... thanks for your support! The folder below spans most of Harsh's stylistic evolution from their days as a full-on PV band (Six Weeks 7"), to their early foray into double bass brutal-fabulosity (split with German grind stalwarts, Crude BE), and finally to their low-end masterpiece, "Implants." If the idea of putting Man Is The Bastard and Lack Of Interest in a super-collider turns you on, go ahead and click below.

Harsh 7"s

Click the "Harsh" tag if you want their splits with Senseless Apocalypse, Control Mechanism, and Short Hate Temper/Quill.

Apeface.

Apeface are, so to speak, the missing link in the extensive catalogue of NorCal/Bay Area hardcore documented on this site. I don't know why it took so long to get this post up, but after a little nudge-nudge from Rygar and Mike, the compressed goods have finally arrived. Before the message-board punks shat out the term "neo-crust," bands like Apeface were ornamenting their hard-line political punk with the "emotive" tendencies of more modern bands they'd probably rather not acknowledge as influences. Expect no flaccid indie rock crossover here, though: this is furious hardcore but with fairly intricate interplay between the guitars and bass (nods to Econochrist are not subtle). I tried to gather everything the band released, but I'm not exactly sure how successful I was. Below you'll find links to their 12", their tracks from the Zero Hour split, the entire Lemming split 7", and an additional track they put on the "America In Decline" Comp. If you haven't downloaded the "Shit Gets Smashed" comp, there are a couple more Apeface tracks thereon, along with some other comtemporary Bay Area sweetness. Alright, enjoy; and if I've missed any songs, let me know.



The 12" and split LP tracks plus a bonus comp track

The Lemming/Apeface split 7"

"Shit Gets Smashed" post

Death Is Their Hero

With all this Southwestern metallic hardcore going on, this would be a good time to post the last of the Lardass requests: some Word Salad. The split with Hellchild should do the trick: it's out of print (and not on Prank) and it rules! Hellchild should be easy to recognize after sharing split honors with Multiplex and Discordance Axis, among others. Sludgy, grungy, and drugged out Japanese metal with just the right hint of melody to keep you coming back. The thick metal guitar sound doesn't hurt their case either.

Word Salad... yeah, I'm not too keen on their name, but as always, it's the rock that counts. What I like the most about this band is that they really are hard to classify; there's some thrash metal going on, and they dabble in sludge, but there's still something modern and novel about the whole delivery. Comparisons to Dystopia, Logical Nonsense, and maybe Lesser Of Two are hard to resist. The final nail in the coffin for me is the vocal style: there's nothing special these days about screaming into a mic, but the way this guy draws them out is truly cringe-inducing. This band has been overlooked long enough...

Hellchild/Word Salad Split 10"

It's pretty easy to find this split... check some of the distros in the side bar. Prank handled all of WS's other releases, so check there for availability. Some good people have posted HC stuff here, here, and here.

Song Of The Week: "Preskool Dropouts" (The F.U.'s)

Every time a year comes to a close, I always get to thinking about the supposed contradiction between education and "punk." I'll be the first to say that the Ed. system is severely flawed, but I just wish the people and politicians alike would look at the bigger picture once in a while instead of just blaming teachers...

"Preskool Dropouts" by The F.U.'s

Atolls And Serial Killers

Alright, broseph, here it is. The Southwest of the United States was a terrifying place in the mid 1990's, if you knew of the right bands. Two of these behemoths crossed streams circa 1996 to forge this little tainted eucharist of pure malevolence. Now you too can ingest the evil!

The Enewetak/Unruh split 7"

The King Packs Heat

This one goes out to Mike (the otherwise anonymous one) who besides being awesome about leaving comments, also has impeccable taste in music! He's been more than hinting at the need for more Enewetak on this site, and I couldn't agree more. "Guns. Elvis Loved Them." is Enewetak's second LP and puts in many bids among its 12 tracks to be my favorite of them all. No need to choose favorites, really, and no need to try to classify this band, or compare them to Rorschach or Unruh (although it has been done and it makes sense). Nothing can prepare you for the nihilism and torment this band trafficked, so just go ahead and listen.

Here.

Defiantly Flatulent Arachnoids

So I hear you like thrashing-mad hardcore played with precision. I also hear that you like to be able to understand what hardcore vocalists are saying once in a while. Well, so does Lardass, and so do I. In case you've been noticing a void in the above areas lately, DFA might be the remedy. The band plays fast songs, but isn't trying to break any records. Just fast, like the 80's crossover bands they obviously love. I can't say that DFA bring anything terribly new to the style, they just nail it with an intensely youthful zeal, and baffling tightness.

Six Weeks Recs. released DFA's follow-up 12" and I know they did a split 7" with Under Pressure. If there's anything else by them, I haven't run across it yet. The 12" below, "Destined For Assimilation," is their first and was released by Ugly Pop. UP doesn't do re-presses anymore, so this will probably be unavailable for some time at least. You may notice some noise on the first four tracks, because whoever owned this before me must have done hand-plants all over side A. The side B rips are of much better quality.

Here

Song Of The Week: "Retribution" (Icon Gallery)

I was all ready to post Icon Gallery's "Demo" 7", but then they re-pressed it. A SOTW post shouldn't hurt, though, and the honor is one I give not begrudgingly, but rather proudly! This EP just kicks so much ass! I "discovered" the band while doing research for the Aphasia post (2 members in common), and was floored. The band cites influences from Prince, Post Regiment, Heart, and Iron Maiden. Sure, okay. In a weird way, this makes some sense when you hear the tracks. The first comparison I wanted to make was Signal Lost meets early Sonic Youth. That falls short of the mark too. Whatever description you decide on, let it be known that the band churns out some fiery rock that is soooo punk, but yet soooo much more. The musicians play with gusto but, as with Aphasia, the vocals steal the show. Such a great 7", and "Retribution" is beautiful example of the band's energy and edge-of-the-seat songwriting. I was a little disappointed in the IG's newest 7"; it's a bit polished with a poppier edge to it, and I can only hope that next time they return to the foundation set down by the demo.

"Retribution"

Fuck Corn, This Is Rice!

This one goes out to Lardass, the man behind Impure Lard! Rice was a quirky hardcore band that used guitar noise, speed, and a trombone, and managed to break hardcore wide open for the rest of the nineties. For more info, go to Rice's blog and learn about their history and recent reunion. For a more complete Rice experience, seek out their "Fuck You, This Is Rice" collection. Or, for now, download their 7" and split 7" with Bumblescrump.

Rice 7"s (The split was clean, but the 7" had a lot of scratches, etc.)

Light In May

Vengeanceismine was hoping to see some Swarrrm posted, and the plan was to put up the Swarrrm/Embalming Theatre live split. Turns out, that thing is available all over the place, so it's not going to happen. The next choice was easy: the split 10" with Dimlaia! I ripped this for Zmaj over at Cephalochromoscope a while back; be sure to check out all the Swarrrm stuff they've got over there! The split in question today is not exactly rare; in fact you can find it in places for super cheap. But I think it is technically out of print, and if you don't have money or a turn table, it would be terrible for you not to enjoy these tracks. Swarrrm kick their usual ass, and I would go as far as to say that this is my second favorite release of theirs (number one being the split with Muga). If Envy went grindcore and replaced their vocals with field recordings of an afternoon at the local insane asylum, you might have something similar to what Swarrrm discharge. They're brilliant, as are Dimlaia, but in a different way. Dimlaia hold us by the hand, reassuring us with their beauty that everything will be all right, as they lead us to the deepest, darkest caverns of the human predicament. But take comfort, because as long as there is art like Dimlaia produce, the darkness remains navigable. Get this split by any means necessary! Amazing music, white vinyl, and a gatefold cover clad in Carl Auge's (Dimlaia, His Hero Is Gone, Drain The Sky) haunting art. Here are some rips to hold you over:

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14 Inch Crust

I got a great response recently when I asked for requests for future posts. Thanks a ton to the cyber-homies who put in their bids-- your choices are coming up! Main man, Billy, of the mighty 7 Inch Crust blog mentioned Wormwood and Daymare, and excellent choices they are! The only OOP disk I have by Wormwood is the "Reversal Of Fortune" 7", so here it is! These two tracks represent the band's final recorded output and if you already love the band, you won't be disappointed. For the uninitiated, Wormwood played a fairly unique concoction of creepy-ass, blackened, guitarless, doom, embellished with keyboards (but tastefully; seriously). Everything they did was great; no exception here. Only 300 of these were pressed, but you can still find copies in such fine establishments as this and this. Pick one up if you can, because the layout is amazing!

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Repo(st) Time:

Daymare is another case of a band that died tragically young, with so much going for it. They are so my kind of hardcore, it's just ridiculous-- gloomy, both fast and slow, heavy, passionate, crusty, intelligent. Sadly, I think these five tracks are the only proof they existed, but if you know of any other releases, you've got to let me know! I posted this 7" way back in the beginning, so the 320 treatment is long overdue; file this in the same category as Ballast, Schifosi, Protess...

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Some Slow, Some Go!

All request week (month?) begins with the Iabhorher 7" for Mike of the great All Go, No Slow! podcast blog. Iabhorher didn't release much (this 7" on Slap-a-Ham, and some comp. tracks?) before morphing into Cattlepress (more or less). I don't want to name-drop too much, but you may recognize some infamous member(s) in the line-up and on the cover art credit. Although my copy is a little thrashed, the menace doesn't let up on the two bass-heavy aberrations presented here, and you hopefully won't notice it too much when/if you rock out to it. No big deal if you do, because as Mike pointed out, Hyperrealist is going to reissue all the band's material on a 12" soon (at which time, I'll remove the link).



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Song Of The Week: "Restriction" (Jasemine)

Every once in a while, I like to "wuss out" to some nineties "emo." Of all the ridiculous non-classical music terms invented, that three letter one takes the cake. Regardless, when it comes to the French, no other people has been more consistently awesome in this particular style. They just have that je ne sais quoi that might be a delicate mix of impassioned anger and restrained elegance that when done right can only result in striking beauty. Jasemine ruled at this niche, albeit only for a few seconds in the grander scheme. The way the band could weave elusive strands of melody within beautifully convoluted bass and guitar riffs was absolutely breath-taking. For years "Restriction" has been a song I've relied on when I need a brief evisceration of the soul-- a moment to take stock of things internal. I wish Christophe would have stayed in the band (in which case they would continue to be Finger Print, I guess) because his vocal work would have been a better choice. But this is what it is, and it's still amazing.


Jasemine recorded four songs for their demo, which would later grace half of two split EPs with Elements Of Need and Ivich. "Restriction" comes from the latter of the two.

"Restriction"

Of Flexis And Democracy

I like the idea of posting a 7" on a Saturday morning; it doesn't take up too much of your or my time on this leisurely day of the week (and if you have to work today, well then, sucks to be you :(. To supplement your cartoon watching capers, hang-over nursings, and post soccer game r'n r, I have for you a flexi from two out of control hardcore bands: Amen (Finland) and Damnable Excite Zombies (Japan... obviously). Amen are irreverent and crusty and produced a bunch of 7"s over the years (mostly in the early nineties). Most of their releases are pretty rare, and if my copy isn't in too horrible shape, I may post their 7" with the cover depicting an inflatable Catholic sex nun doll (!). DEZ had a similar career, but play super energetic hardcore like their country-mates, Deride. They also win my personal award for my favorite refrigerator magnet poetry/Japanese Engr/lish band name (leave a comment if you have a favorite). They produce some awesome tunes, as well, and you can go here for further punishment.

Warning: there's a slight bump on my copy, creating a "flange" experience; but what do you expect from the vinyl equivalent of a Nerf Frisbee? Just don't listen to it with headphones on, and it'll be alright.

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So, in my attempt to include you in my postings, I'd like to get a request thing going. Below are some bands I will eventually do posts on. Help me choose what to post next by leaving a comment!

Gloom (Japan)

Dawnbreed

Drunk

Enewetak

Iabhorher

Cattle Press

Inward

Apeface

Books Lie

Swarrrm

Simbiose

Sin Dios

Crude BE

Harsh

El Nudo

Huasipungo

Quarantine

Khatarina

Human Greed

Ananda

Sacrilege (UK)

Siekiera

Takaru

A Light In The Attic

Revolt (Japan)

Saturation (Canada)

Grinch

Terminal Youth

DFA

Kisses And Hugs

Gus (Florida)

The Neighbors (San Diego!)

Dead Wrong (UK)

Vanilla

Ambulance

Glycine Max

Out Cold

Edora (Singapore)

Forced Expression

Vivisick

Farcical

Protess

Wormwood

Cursed

Rice

Magrudergrind

Harum Scarum

Abigail

Token Tantrum

Pisschrist

Senseless Apocalypse/Slight Slappers

Stapled Shut

Deride

Shikabane...

Potential Reposts:

Asebia

"In The Spirit Of Total Rebellion..." Comp

Terminal Youth

Bonescratch 12"

Daymare 7"

Complacency Comp.

Okay, let me know if you want to see any of these or anything else posted soon. Bye.

Plutophobia- The Repost!

After a delay, a bit of plutocrastination if you will, I found some time to re-rip the live split LP between NorCal and SoCal violence purveyors, Plutocracy and Phobia. Both sets have pretty great sound quality, and this time the rips are at 320 with photos included. Grind your fucking head in...

...over here.

Dead And Gone

After finally hearing the Dead And Gone/Gaia split, I was ready to look into some early stuff by D&G. Total dumbass that I am, I had their first 7" in my crates! I really need to stop getting records, 'cause this is getting ridiculous. I bought this little future piece of history back when it was released (probably from Vacuum Distro), so exhumation time is way over due. D&G's debut supplies some refreshingly in-your-face hardcore jams that pick up right where Econochrist and early Logical Nonsense left Off. Sinister and smart hardcore for and by sinister, smart people...

D&G EP (On Vinyl Communications, Chula Vista... yeah!)

Song Of The Week: "Dragstrip Riot" (New Bomb Turks)

Let's take a three and a half minute break from the crust, shall we? Some rock'n roll I think is in order, but tonight it's the kind that lets you catch up to it just long enough to give you the finger, and then leave you with a mouthful of exhaust! This is the highest octane of rock delivered by four smart (ass) Ohio dudes whose engine was fueled by equal parts punk, rock'n roll, and buzz-saw noise rock. The New Bomb Turks have the distinction of being the only band I've fallen hard for after hearing them as "set change music." Is it just me and my area or is it a requirement that set-change music has to blow? Anyway the song was "Dragstrip Riot," and since that moment I have been a NBT fan (although I stopped following them after "Drunk On Cock"). "Destroy Oh-Boy!" remains one of my all time favorite albums of any kind! That raunchy guitar distortion, those random ecstatic shouts... so much fire, sweat and angst! Hopefully you already love this band (or this record at least), and if you don't, give 'em a shot. Oh, and... if you can recommend any other records of theirs that rock at least half as hard, do share.

"Dragstrip Riot"

Tragedy's Uncle

I tend to dote on the "Nightmares" LP by ...From Ashes Rise, so I've kind of neglected their earlier work. You know what? These guys were pretty awesome from the start! Take this first 7" for example, "Fragments Of A Fallen Sky." It may not be as Swedish or "Memphis" sounding as their 12"s, but the brooding atmosphere and crushing guitar thunder foretold of a band whose name would be used to describe hundreds of imitators in coming years. Hear how it all began...

"FOAFS" by FAR

The Stench Won't Blow Away

Counterblast's masterpiece-- the intricately composed death knell for the post-industrial nightmare. This is still available in places like this and this and you can find mp3s on Soulseek, but I really wanted some high bit rate rips (320, from a clean vinyl copy). Just thought I'd share. I imagine Skuld will repress this eventually, so the link won't be up forever...

Balance Of Pain Part 1 ("Prelude Pain" and graphics)
Balance Of Pain Part 2 (Tracks 2-8)

O Thrower Of Feces

Muckspreader, also known as that band Spider was in after Zygote & Amebix, was a short-lived crust band and its output shows it. Besides the four songs on the 10" posted here, they released a 7" and did a Subhumans cover on a tribute comp. Other than that, I'm unaware of any other output (please comment if you're of a more enlightened bent). The band stays out of the rut of crust redundancy by absorbing and interpreting the styles of all the great UK bands of their recent past: Axegrinder, Deviated Instinct, Spine Wrench, Filthkick, Zygote, Amebix... maybe a little Bad Influence (?...I know, they're Belgian). The 10" compiles a pretty wide array of sounds: a slow chunky crust dirge ("Muckspreader"), a mid-paced punk ditty ("Browner"), a galloping thrash attack ("Original Sin"), and a sludgy throw-back rocker ("No Stranger To The Knives"). Quite an interesting ride...

The 10" (This EP is in pretty bad shape, so sorry about the noise...)

Song Of The Week: "Man Is Blind" (Extinction Of Mankind)

Man, I've been on one hell of a crust kick these past weeks. I think when things get stressful I revert to the rawest form of music I know. Things are starting to slow down, so expect a little more variety in coming weeks. But for now, the tide brings all things crusty! Outsiders must think the crust aesthetic silly with its black and white images of war and hyperbolic lyrics and song titles about extinction and wastelands. Since first hearing Nausea and Amebix, though, the allure hasn't weakened for me, sustained perhaps by that psychic residue of '80's cold war paranoid that marked the time of my upbringing (maybe it's been reduced to a more subliminal level now?). Whenever crust started to get tired out, I would always find some band or record that would rekindle the fire; the Extinction Of Mankind/Doom split 7" was one of these. I played that thing over and over during the mid '90's, but it was "Man Is Blind" that I was wanting and waiting to hear. This song has almost more of crust's most active ingredient, power, than it can contain. It's sloppy, metallic, noisy, pissed... it's crust as fuck, and I love it!

"Man Is Blind"