"To the west... the orange glow"

In 1995, I talked myself out of going to a show alone after my friend cut out on me. The show's line-up: Crudos, Man Is The Bastard, Gehenna, and Enewetak. Man, I suck. It was one of those decisions for which the regret has never subsided...

Of all the bands at that show, Enewetak are the probably the least recognizable, making them a great choice for a post. Enewetak must have seeped out of the same Godless chasm from which arose Rorschach, Gehenna, and Unruh. Are they metal? Hardcore? Metalcore? Who gives a fuck!? They completely destroyed! On their last full length, "Onward To Valhalla," (Crawlspace Records, 1997), Enewetak's songwriting reflects their disinterest in settling into comfortable genre expectations. Alternating between intricate, chunky metal picking, gargantuan sludge riffage, and occasional fits of blast-beat grind, the band never lets the listener lock into any particular groove for too long. A true edge-of-your-seat experience here, from one of the only great things to come out of Orange County, California.

Members of Enewetak went on to be in/are still in The Accident, Tafkata, The Touching Game, and Run. Dash. Sprint. "Onward" seems to be out of print, so here it is ripped at 320...

Onward