For One More Smoke Off The Devil's Cigar

If crusty hardcore has become a broken record, I can be perfectly happy as long as it's stuck in a groove carved by bands like Detonate. There really is nothing new on their 12": fast and assertive drums, dirty hardcore riffs that point to crusty predecessors (... Behind Enemy Lines, maybe, or possibly... Consume), ultra-rousing throat action (I'm thinking Amy from Nausea meets Eva from Makiladores), and dove-motif cover art. Yep, this is a wheel reinvented, yet I can't and won't stop playing it. Tracks like this are why I got into this "genre" in the first place; so I say, recycle, reinvent, play on, because this kicks ass, and if that's not important anymore, then I'm completely out of touch and happy that way.

I assumed this twelver would still be around- it being a recent release; but I'm not seeing it in many distros (Puke'n Vomit has a copy). As always, if it is widely available, I'll remove the link (just send an e-mail). Check with Detonate or Distort Reality Records and see if they have any copies left and pick up some other Detonate merch while you're at it.

Detonate 12"

Killed By Fast

As usual, my posting is dictated by tangents: the fast Japanese hardcore of the last post led me to cranking a bunch of Shikabane. Then I saw a giant hole in the postings where their first 7" should be (their last one is pretty easy to find, I think... maybe this one too but I felt the impulse to see it here...). The "人間に生まるること難し・・・" 7" is a complete feast of frenzied hardcore encapsulated into a tight 10 track 7". The band would later change to a more moody, introspective hardcore band, but here the songs range from fast to really fast, and skip the mind and heart completely. The viscera is the target, and it's a hit ten times over.

The bonus comp this weekend does indeed feature Shikabane, as well as 13 other Far East ensembles of the short, fast, and noisy set. Like a good drinking binge, "Thrash Ahoy !" is lots of fun, but the headache afterward is something else! The bands/tracks:

Both Records HERE

Update: the Pisspoor splits have been re-upped here, and a few other Shikabane records can be found here. Also, Japanese track titles have been added to the Knucklehead post, and a nice commenter offered some phonetic and English translations in the comments. Thanks again!

Knucklehead

I've only got time for a quickie, so if you're as pressed for time as I am, Knucklehead (or Knuckle Head if you prefer) will only take up four minutes of your day. They'll be four worthwhile minutes, for sure. I fell hard for these grinding hardcore nuts when I found their "Gouo" 7" in a used bin (it was on MCR Japan... hard to go wrong with that label). The two-banger ripped for today was released on H:G Fact (another no-brainer there), and is a slightly earlier outing. While it's certainly fast, blasting hardcore, there's something in the arrangements that places these guys far above the generic bands that usually dominate this "genre." The vocals, which sound like the guy is hawking a Drano and razorwire loogie, seal the deal. Neato.

Knucklehead "虫けらの時間"7"

Tracks:
01虫けらの時間
02 呼吸困難

Trapping The Taker, Turning The Tables

The first tremor comes and goes, and in an endorphin haze, you stand grasping the doorknob for escape. Giddy with brain chemicals and the absurd thought of your naked and aborted evacuation, you return to bed. When the calmness of the night finally returns, a jolt of paralyzing proportions throws you bodily. The bedpost seems your only anchor to solid ground, to which you cling with primate imbecility. It's only when the gentle, rolling quakes come that you can relax your grasp. But your blind faith is rewarded only by a convulsion three times the intensity of the last. Thankful the floor was still there to break your fall, you dust the ceiling cakes from your eyes and scramble for the darkest spot you can find; some subdormatory where you might pass the night... This is the sonic Hell of Inept, but instead of begging for it to end, you'll wish it never to stop. Like a string of aftershocks, it's more terrifying for its apparent randomness of interval, and its complete disregard for your cries for mercy.

If you're dying for classification, Inept played some kind of bastard fusion of modern hardcore and grindcore. The bass-heavy gloom of One-Eyed God Prophecy and Welcome The Plague Year stands out to me, along with the slow-meets-fast mindfuckery of Systral and the like. Maybe throw in the outsider nuttiness of Kisses & Hugs and Three Studies For A Crucifixion, and you're getting even closer. The lyric sheet is like a catalog of all topics the Ebullition school obsessed over, but upon reading it seems these guys were pretty sincere about it all. If you disagree, at least you have the insane musical delivery, which I think will smooth over any hang-ups.

A big thanks to Geno for introducing me to Inept's LP, which I ripped below...

"Images of Betrayal"

Song Of The Week: "Summer Sucks" (Void)

Yeah, fuck summer. Who needs it? See, I can say that now that it's officially over. Truth be told, I'm a huge fan of summer, but I'm also a huge fan of Void. I can understand their aversion to the season, being from DC and whatnot. But this post is really just a celebration of finally hearing a handful of Void tracks I haven't heard in 17 years of fanhood. The SOTW was all made possible by the the bootleg LP which contains both of the band's demos ("Hit and Run" being the one I hadn't heard) and a live set. While none of the tracks beat the greatness of the band's split tracks, I love Void in such profound and profane ways that this was just an amazing find.

"Summer Sucks" by Void (from the "Hit & Run" Demo)

Charred Hippy Remains

I'm not sure what I could add to the many favorable reviews Necro Hippies has received for their first 12" (read a few here). Much of what makes it rule are the very things that descriptions can't capture. In fact, descriptions may only serve to diminish interest. Yes, they are old school inspired hardcore punk, have charmingly rough production, lyrics built upon the bygone angst of adolescence. But it's the authenticity and lack of any pretense that has to be heard and not read about. Hopefully you'll hear it too. I envision some ramshackle shed, a hive of skinny, scraggly teens drinking mysterious clear liquid from mason jars. At the center of the turmoil is a band called Necro Hippies, who just want to have fun.

I'll probably remove these rips in couple of days because I'm not sure about its availability from the label (Raw Sugar... you can still get a copy here while supplies last). This was a request, and I've got a hard time saying no to those. If you don't have a turntable or you already have this, enjoy. If not, go buy a friggin copy at the above link!

Necro Hippies "Have Fun" 12"

*I hope I tagged the tracks correctly. One song on side A seemed like two different songs(?). Let me know if I screwed up.