The Season For Unreason

Let's get the disclaimer out of the way: Godless might shock or disappoint upon first impression, much like finding out that Santa doesn't exist, or that Jesus was a mere cult leader, or Christmas may simply be the Roman winter solstice, or that Jell-O contains animal bones. After a while, though, the knowledge is liberating. So here it is: Godless is not crust, regardless of the initial evidence to the contrary: they were from Portland circa 1992, their LP "Who's In Control?" was released on Tribal War Records, and well, just look at their band name and that cover art. What you need to know is that Godless played melodic political hardcore, not at all disappointing for fans of The Assassinators and La Fraction. As with all bands of this ilk, the vocalist holds much of the burden on her shoulders, and Leslie does a smash-up job here, from the soulful, deep-from-the-diaphragm croons, to more staccato, squeaky, snotty dressings-down (and all the while playing bass too!). I'd much rather be listening to this on Christmas morning (which I am) than any of that foul music associated with this season, so mix up a flask of hard-nog, print out the lyric sheet, light some candles, and show your neighbors how the punks do it...

Godless "Who's In Control" LP

Dežuje

Don't you just hate it when you crave some all-girl Slovenian punk from the eighties, but nothing in your collection quite fits that description? Fortunately a savvy bootleg operation has answered our "prayers." The Tožibabe 7" has probably been posted on several of the Eastern Euro blogs, but I guess I'm just excited to have a copy of my own, and the chilly, wintry feel of the guitar sound seemed right for today. Plus, it's just a great piece of former Yugo awesomeness!

After finishing semester grades, digging rain trenches, and just dragging major ass on this whole blog thing, I finally have some time and motivation for posting. I've got a ton of records ready to go, but also let me know if you have any requests or need me to re-up something.

Tožibabe 7"

Spiritually Cemented Dystopia

It was in the mid aughts when I was sure the Swedes were going to take over again-- Acursed, Kontrovers, Skitsystem, Martyrdod-- a small but terrifying enclave, harbingers of a new generation of bleak, razor-sharp Scandi-thrash. The blunt implements of their ancestors were traded in for scalpels edged for surgical precision, only to be applied with a nihilist's abandon. And then... I'm not sure what happened. Momentum petered out, or was diluted into more "progressive" forms of metal that were arguably more boring. Enter Konfrontation, who arrived on the "scene" like a star player 30 seconds late for its train. The unsuspecting station patrons would delight in what they witnessed, and this post is a weak attempt at deflecting the glint of the band's highly polished steel to a few more onlookers. What you'll hear on the band's LP is not unlike the gloomy excellence you've heard from the above bands, although the slightly more daring structures make for a much more memorable ride than most forays into this already intense subgenre. I've been keeping an eye on this one for a while, and although a ton of different labels released it, it is finally out of print, and as far as I'm concerned, public domain...

"Nedbrytningsprocessen" LP by Konfrontation