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.
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...
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...
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...
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!
This one goes out to The Pope for posting all the awesome Vae Victis (Reno) records. I've had them on vinyl for a while, and I've got to say that as a fan of dark hardcore this band ranks way up there! Here's the final, vinyl piece of their discography, the "Reno (Where Dreams Come To Die)" LP compilation. 10 Reno acts gather here, ranging in style from old school hardcore, to grindcore, death metal, emotive DC rock, and pirate punk! Of course, Vae Victis show up for two total ass-rapers, and there's another double appearance by that Merck Manuel of hardcore and grind, Iron Lung. Those two bands are definitely the highlights, but Redrum and Headgrenade come out of this as favorites too. Check it out.
There's music you have to be "in the mood for," and then there's Harum Scarum. This band's records could make me want to build a pipe bomb, poop on a Hummer, throw a manhole cover through a Starbucks window, adopt a dog, ride a bike, and crochet organic hemp mittens all before the stylus reaches the end of side A. HS may very well be the perfect punk band for me. They've packed a bipolar survival kit for the modern world teeming with enchanting yet abrasive melodies, informed by a sense of hope fueled by bitterness. Yep. Love 'em. Oh yeah, this is Harum Scarum's 7". It's got a couple of rough cuts of songs that would appear on "Mental Health" and a couple of tracks that I think only appeared on their demo. Scans, 320 Kbps and all that; my copy has endured some wear and tear, so keep that in mind. Since I've been feeling generous lately, the link below also has...
There are hundreds of hardcore songs that get my blood boiling, but "The Mad Dog" is way up there on the list. Just the thought of members of Bastard and Death Side joining forces will heat things up, but the actual output?... totally delivers! I love "The Mad Dog" especially because it showcases the hints of despondent melody the band would throw in once in a while to set them apart from all the other Burning Spirits greats. I don't own anything by Judgement, mainly because I simply can't afford the prices people are asking. But I've got all the material from the 3 or 4 EPs they released on mp3, and I go back to those tracks as often as I do Bastard's stuff (and that's pretty damned often!). Tons of blogs probably have the Judgement EPs, so start searching... you won't regret it!
As prophesied, I've got some more dirty noise for you from the Bay Area's notorious band of marauding crust-metal bandits, Depressor. Today you get their EP (Caustic Records) containing five originals and a stomping cover of "Largactyl," and their split with Agathocles (Dental Records) with 3+ tracks from each band: Depressor at its most evil, and Agatho at its minciest. If you still want more Depressor, check out their split with Unholy Grave here or here, and their glorious "Book Of The Dead" 2x7" here. For more Agathocles, check everywhere.
They say that SoCal has no seasons, but it does. The changes are just subtle. Being a kind-of-outdoors man, I feel a little more in tune with these changes. One thing's for sure, no matter where you are, spring is pretty friggin' magical time (yeah, the bugs can suck... but whatever). I had all kinds of grandiose plans for the blog during my Spring Break, but I'd much rather be on a mountain somewhere, which is exactly what's about to happen. No new posts for a few days, but I leave you with the cheeriest of my favorite Leatherface tracks (of which there are many), "Springtime." Joyful as it may seem, like all good art it's tinged with that necessary bit of sorrow, and a nostalgia and praise of youthful naivete reminiscent of the Romantic English poets. This isn't the first Leatherface SOTW, and it won't be the last.
I feel almost guilty disseminating Depressor's arcane "Book Of The Dead." But, hey, it's too amazing to be secretly fondled by the mere 666 of us who managed to get our nerdy mitts on a copy. This double 7" easily has the most astoundingly awesome packaging of any record or CD I own. From the black and silver type and drawings of the main sleeve and inner sleeves, to the burnt pages (some of which are parchment) emblazoned with creepy pencil sketches, this thing just blows the mind! I almost forgot to play the records when I first got it, which was a serious blunder on my part. The eight tracks herein are the most "mature" of the band's output, alternating between galloping crusty metal and straight death metal. It's still rough and dirty, but there's a refinement on these songs that wasn't there before. The dark artwork of The Book complements some of the most evil and heavy metal you'll ever have the displeasure of enjoying. Ignore the itchy sensations you'll feel on your head and ass while playing this-- it's just the tail and horns you're growing.
Bands that release one good 7" and then break up... is it better to just forget about them? It's such a tease, you know? Since obscurity often fuels (and enshrouds) this blog, I'm gonna keep the rarities and one-hit-wonders coming. Tonight's post is the only release by Aphasia, who changed their name to Die Screaming and recording a demo under that name (hey, if I rotated the cover art the wrong way up there, let me know...). If your tastes are anything like mine, these four tracks would have you combing the web for whatever splits or comp tracks you could find. Sorry, no dice. This is it. So what is it? Super-charged nineties-style crusty hardcore with vocals that sound like a more pissed off Ashley from Signal Lost! Chani's vocal chutzpah really turns this good band into a great one; you know, one whose LPs you'd be more than willing to throw down some dough for (damn it!). Chani and Aaron started Icon Gallery, which sounds equally promising (but in a different sort of way), so support the hell out of them!
