Wednesday, April 29, 2009

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.

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

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!)

Sunday, April 26, 2009

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"

Saturday, April 25, 2009

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

Thursday, April 23, 2009

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" LP

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

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...)

Sunday, April 19, 2009

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!


Little Big City Of Dead Dreams

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.

Here.

The bands: Redrum, Headgrenade, Vae Victis, This Computer Kills, The Livid, The Shookups, Bloody Victim, Iron Lung, All Opposed To The Freedom You Have To Buy, The Scurvy Bastards.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Get Your Laws Off My Body

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...


...the Harum Scarum/Stupor split 7". If you have "Suppose We Try" then the HS tracks will sound familiar (rough versions once again). Stupor are from Poland (I believe) and are another example of how raw crust-core never stops being powerful as long as it doesn't neglect the flow of good ol' piss and vinegar! If you like the vocals of Unhinged and Ojorojo, then there's another reason to...


download both 7"s

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Song Of The Week: "The Mad Dog" (Judgement)

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!


I figured this band came and went long ago considering the rarity of their vinyl, but according to this flyer I got a couple of days ago... well, look below the Amebix logo...


Great Big Shit Sandwich

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.

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Deformed Excrement


The crust bonanza continues with a nineties classic: The Deformed Conscience/Excrement Of War split LP. This thing is so crusty I had to scrape barnacles off of it before I could rip it for you! I feel like this has been posted elsewhere, but the bustling blogotropolis can only benefit from more rip-choices. DC played kinetic crust that sometimes bordered on grindcore, and was backed by a hyper-active drummer who knew how to spice things up. They have/had a discography double LP available from Unrest Records, and members went on to form another raging band called Hail Of Rage (discography also available from Unrest). Now, as far as I know, EOW's material is not as easy to find. Their take on the Doom/Hiatus style of UK raw-punk/crust is pretty damned scathing, although I miss "Cathode Ray Coma" which I foolishly sold long ago. The tracks on this split are pretty straight forward and this time feature Mags doing the vocal work by herself. Don't forget to stop by 7 Inch Crust and Am I Mean? to pick up a couple of EOW splits.

Monday, April 6, 2009

Song Of The Week: "Springtime" (Leatherface)

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.

"Springtime"

There's a little bit of springtime in the back of my mind
Remembers when there was a time when we danced
And we laughed spent some time drinking wine
And somewhere in there there's a little child without a thought
Without a doubt that every cloud is silver lined
He is warm and everything is new and everything is clean
And everything is free and there were still so many things to see
So many things so many things left to be very small drop in the
Middle of the big sea of high and mighty things
Your fascination for larger than life your brand new appetite
As though we'd invented it and we danced
There's a little bit of springtime in the back of my mind
Remembers things perhaps as they should have been
Rather than the lies rather that the cruelty
That sometimes we were guilty of as everybody knows
We were only young and really couldn't have known
We were very young and though it's nice to know there's a place to go
There's still so many things left to see
Little drop in the middle of the big sea of high and mighty things
Your fascination for larger than life your brand new appetite
And there's springtime in my mind and I'd rather be alive
As though we'd invented it and we danced
It could have been the longest time and I'll remember it
You don't know what's in store when we laugh

Sunday, April 5, 2009

Dragged To Hell By Angels

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.


All Depressor EP's and splits here


Some of my favorite pages from The Book (a reproduction is in the link above):











If you need some more Depressor, I'll be doing a post soon on their EP and split with Agathocles!

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Keep It In Your Pants

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!

Aphasia 7"