Haldol

I'm forced to ignore many band submissions due to scarcity of free time, but I couldn't ignore Haldol. The first impression was that of a hazy deja vu-- not that I had heard it before, but that at some point I imagined a band with this sound; perhaps it was more of a hopeful premonition. Haldol is hardcore, certainly, but in between the fits of frantic riffs and raspy snarling, the band enters musical space evoking what I can only fathom to be the inner demonic cage match induced by the drug for which they are named. The jarring tempo changes could be a liberation from this, or the victory of those inner demons. Either way you look at it, the outcome for the listener is more like the majority of other drug experiences-- ups, downs, fatigue, cravings, and, finally, addiction.

According to Geoff, Haldol is engaging on a tour soon or now, so get in touch. The demo is available on a sliding scale for download at their bandcamp page, and will perhaps be released on cassette one day. Songwriting for an LP is in the works, so keep checking with them and over here for updates on that. For the next few days I'll have the demo available, as long as you send the band some dough as soon as you become hooked.

Haldol Demo

Once again... Bandcamp

Les Voix du Silence

This French series is hereby bookended with this post of odds and ends held loosely together by hardcore innovators, Ivich, and the force that was their music. The first link you see below is for a compilation, and what a monstrosity it is! I won't lie to you; much of "An Insult to Our Freedom" sounds like ass. Between the low volume and the bad demo/live quality of many of the tracks, digital sound files are the way to go on this one (skipping around being so much easier). As with all comps, it is only as worthy as the line-up, and with bands like Disaffect, Unhinged, Disrupt, Agathocles, Battle of Disarm, Active Minds, and a slew of others, you can probably guess why I'm posting it. Ivich contribute a raw and loose rendition of "Si J' Etais Libre," which would later be re-recorded for their split with E-150.
In the other link, you'll find three little gems, not least of which is Ivich's only 7". The always fabulous Fab sent me these tracks a while back, but I decided to rip my copy which I hunted down recently. As an early offering, the band is a bit less melancholic, but the raw emotion that would come to fruition on their LP glimmers noticeably below the surface.
The "Autonomie Volume 1" comp. makes me wish more comps were like it. With only four bands and four tracks, there's no room for turds or boredom. Ivich once again bring us an early version, this time of "Les Voix du Silence" from their 10". Alcatraz is arguably the weakest band, but their meandering and plodding screamo is interesting enough, especially with the random trumpet flurries (something I would expect from Ivich, actually). Headway and Coche Bomba finish it off, the first with a slow take on the Bremen style, and the last with their characteristic Larm-influenced grind attack. A little variety never hurts.
Finally, and for the hell of it, I'm tacking on this Vanilla/El Vidal Sonido split 7". As some of you know, some Ivich personnel formed Vanilla, and if you've heard the Ivich 10" and early Vanilla recordings, the confluence is easy to recognize. "The Ink" is a mid-period track, not fast like the early material-- not as indie rock as the later stuff. It is anguished and atmospheric, so if that's your mood, Vanilla deliver. El Vidal Sonido is a different animal, and a mysterious one. Reading the insert I got the impression that they were a little pretentious, but the goods are delivered in the form of some very well done indie rock instrumentalism, so I forgive the posturing. Atmosphere is the key word again with these guys, the gloomy kind, so maybe they aren't so different from Vanilla after all.

All Ivich Records:
Here and here... "Insult to Our Freedom..." here

"An Insult to Our Freedom" Comp LP

The Ivich 7", "Autonomie Vol. 1" Comp, & the Vanilla split

667- Sign of the Beast's Neighbor

Well, it was back to school for me for these past ten months, and man is it great to be done! The experience only reinforced one of the many ironies central to my life: that I am jaded and suspicious of institutionalized education, even as I continue my career in this very field. It's good to be back though, and I'll try not to neglect the blog so much in the future...

I still haven't gotten the Francophilia out of my system properly, so today we have another French band, Algolagnie, whose only full length was released in 2000 on the great Nabat label. French as they may have been, the music Algolagnie produced draws from the whole array of nineties (mostly) European hardcore, both the metallic and emotive varieties. At different intervals, they tickle a wide spectrum my own aural nostalgia of the preceding decade from bands as diverse as Undone, Lost World, Kimusawea, Grievance, Age, Spitboy, Farcical, Ivich, the list goes on. Regardless of the treble-heavy production, the tracks on the LP afford the band an honorable place alongside those listed above-- they are smart and challenging, without sacrificing the raw emotion and aggression prerequisite to our beloved genre. The French have a firm handle on this meshing of ugliness and beauty, and I can't help but think that the implications of this union stretch far beyond the music.

The Algolagnie LP (Nabat, 2000)

Kissing the Revolution of What We Are

The Finger Print discography is getting harder to find, so I did some digging. With a little window cleaner my old scratchy copy of the CD made for some good ripping. As far as my personal canon goes, Finger Print were one of the delectable treats that lured me into the rabbit hole of nineties hardcore. Things would never again be the same for me, and I rather like it that way. Claw your way through the tangle of FP's jack-hammering drums, metallic dissonance, winding melodies, and curdling screams, and you'll find four regular guys, hacking their own rambling and fugitive path to the same vague place you hope to one day end up too. Like many acts of the decade, their path went somewhere inward, exploring the place of the individual among the shape-shifting and ghoulish menagerie of the political realm. Whether or not they ever found what they were looking for, I cannot say, but this 19 track document suggests to me that the journey was well worth it. There's nary a single throw-away (other than the awfully recorded live tracks at the end), and unlike many hardcore discographies, I am always riveted by this one from beginning to end. Speaking of the end, the final three studio tracks revealed a slightly new direction for the band, smoothing the jagged metallic edges to more elegant contours. Members would continue in this direction in the band Jasemine, who sadly only released four songs.

Finger Print discography (@320 Kbps)

Q: Mankind? A: Dirt.

I won't get into all the reasons for this blog's dormancy; it's the usual case of taking on too much and having too little left to give by the end of the day. I'll slowly get the cogs moving again, and by the end of November, it should be back to clacking and clanking at its old pace. But what really matters is the music, so I'll continue on the therapeutic simplicity of the last post with a couple of splits by Connecticut's Mankind?. This short-lived peace punk/hardcore ensemble channeled all the best aspects of the 80's and 90's, albeit through only a handful of songs...

The first split represents arguably the best material from both bands present, the other being UK veterans, Dirt. Dirt's flickering presence throughout the 80's had exceptionally luminescent moments, but their brief return in the 90's was for me their most focused appearance. Maybe you'll enjoy their more raw material better, but the stylized direction of Deno's vocals just do it for me on this one.

While disappointing by comparison, Mankind?'s two offerings on their split with Final Warning are still solid efforts. The disappointment for me lies in the poor production and in the decision to not make Stacey the lead vocalist. Other than that, "Utopian Nightmare" is a more than passable contribution to American political hardcore, and their cover of "Electrodes" is a boiling, frothing brewpot of angst and loathing.

The original idea for this post was to gather a bunch of Final Warning tracks, including the Warning 7". Both Warning and Final Warning were New York-based bands featuring Neil, Nausea's original vocals-man. Mike of Twisted Tracks must have been eating the same thing this week or been tuned to the same frequency as me because he beat me to it. To complete your Final Warning collection, the track "Wasteland" on the split above is one of the finer examples of FW's post-Discharge bleakness, complete with Neil's burliest angry-sailor vocals. You can get FW's "Eyes of a Child" 7" here, some compilation tracks from both FW and Mankind? here, and FW's live LP here. In an interesting twist, on the LP Final Warning takes their stab at an "Electrodes" duet between Neil and Stacey (Mankind?).

Mankind?'s splits with Dirt and Final Warning

Powerless with a Guitar

When the clutter of life becomes so entangled as to become a hindrance to living it, I look to bands built on a framework of simplicity. The last month has been one of those times, and Disaffect has been one of the remedies. By now the band is infamous as part of the Scottish division of the more hardcore branch of peace punk produced in the late eighties/early nineties in parallel with Nausea, Disrupt and the like. "Powerless With A Guitar" is a posthumous live document that proves to me at least that Disaffect only gets more classic as the years pass. Side "Punk" is a superior recording of a set in Glasgow in '92, and side "As Fuck" is perhaps one of the band's last sets (1994), and was recorded in Dijon. The 23 tracks hereon make a great bookend to their studio discography, the main contents of which can be found on the resurrected Stay Female Fronted blog.

Disaffect - "Powerless With A Guitar" Live LP

Rock-Out Without Your Cop-Out

For your sake, I hope you already have Ebola's "Imprecation" 7", as it is quite the classic of nineties fast/grindcore. I thought I had convinced myself of the superiority of the band's more hardcore material, but hearing these nine tracks and their split with Servitude has me constantly swaying and reassessing. The band however, could always be counted on to pinch our self-righteous nerves with the forceps of their scathing honesty, and at times to slam our hypocritical ideals headlong into the meat grinder of their sour chords and unforgiving blast-beats. These musicians and people rank way up there in my personal cannon of UK hardcore, so as with the last post, the honor is all mine in presenting this to you...

The "Imprecation" 7" by Ebola (UK)

Studiocidal Transmissions from Planet Fascista

With this other oddball 7", we keep kindled the One by One fire with the waning hope that one day the former members will catch our signal and release the mythical discography CD. In the meantime, click the One by One label below for a bunch of their vinyl efforts, and the link below for the "Atrapad@s en el Fascista Planeta Tierra" 7". This one features a "studiocide" ("Silent Consent" and "Virtual Reality '93") and a "live evil" side ("The Monsters Almost Look Human Now," "Making Bacon," and "Nazi Raus"). Regardless of how you feel about live recordings, this is One by One, so it doesn't matter, but I do have to apologize for the abused condition of the vinyl being ripped here. By now you know the drill: One by One played passionate and unique political hardcore, members of which would go on to play in Ebola, Jinn, etc. Always a joy to hear, and an honor to post...

"Atrapad@s en el Fascista Planeta Tierra" 7" by One by One (Flat Earth & Victimas del Progresso- Crimines de Estado)

Calling the Waffle House Home

Mr. Nuclearpowergrind requested anything by pre-Assfactor 4 bands Unherd and Tonka. Mike at Twisted Tracks stepped up and posted the Unherd LP, and after some searching, I managed to track down some odds and ends. We start with the Tonka 7", a collection of four high-energy, youthful tracks bathed in DC post-hardcore, but hung to dry in a more southern clime. The cover design indicates either the band's affinity for early Jawbreaker, or a mere coincidental resemblance to a certain album of theirs. Tonka wasn't as fast or hardcore as Assfactor, but they nailed this style damn well, as did Unherd.
Both bands contribute solid offerings on the "Stupid by the Grace of God" comp, which showcases four South Carolina bands. In addition to Tonka and Unherd, we're "treated" to some syrupy pop-punk by way of Toast, and a helping of "cereal-core" compliments of Bedlam Hour. I thought "Frankenberry Mosh" might be a silly fluke in their discography, but the photo on the back depicts one member wearing a Cheerios box on his head. Good thing this never became a trend.
Finally we arrive at another Unite and Fight Records release, the "Please Stop" comp., relevant here for its two solid Tonka tracks, and curious for its inclusion of Orange County peace punkers, Media Children! Demise play decent old-school hardcore, but I'm not too fond of Officer Friendly's track.

Get all three records HERE

Hardliners is Hippies

Yet another badass compilation, the Homeless Benefit comp EP is an amazing and aggro glimpse at the end of the nineties-- excellent intentions and voraciously violent music. Read the band list below to understand why I had to post this even though The Pope did the honors years ago, then go to his blog while you listen and read his dressing-down of Jeanxseberg's naive lyrics.

Homeless Benefit EP

Starving The Starving

So maybe we won't be leaving Canada alone just yet. I got bitten by the summer bug since the last post and thus the delay; but in the meantime I secured a cheap copy of the Wisigoth/Jobbykrust split LP which I'm happy to share with you today. Wisigoth continue with their raw and ugly doom/crust/metal, and Jobbykrust compile some early demo material for 12 tracks of charged-up political hardcore done right. Both bands are so distinct, yet the pairing seems just perfect and both match each other in intensity and sincerity, making the 47 minutes of music seem all too short. Get more Jobbykrust music and info here, here, and here, and get the Wisigoth 7" here.

Wisigoth/Jobbykrust split LP (Funai Records)

Hybride

I'll go ahead and leave Canada alone for while, but not without first dropping a double regiment of Hybride. I can't find much information about these guys, but on the 10" depicted above, prepare yourself for a seriously fucked up guitar sound and some noise rock/sludge/hardcore that leaves me with the same sickened satisfaction as the Gasp demo or the Insuiciety 10". There's a looseness of structure and direction that the band would shed a bit on their...
...7" a year or two later. On this, their final (?), outing the band stripped their sound down almost to the bones and opted for a mean, almost unencumbered sludge-metal approach. They also kept only Mélanie on vocals, and in isolation she reminds me a lot of the Daymare singer (maybe it's just because her screams are high-pitched and in French). I can't pick a favorite between the two records as it really depends if you're in the mood for some psychedelic chaos or more measured heaviosity. Both are in the folder below.

Hybride 10" & 7" (Spineless and Bad Card Records respectively)

In the Wake of an Ethereal Nightmare

In collaboration with 15 Counts of Arson, Ire week comes to an early terminus. Head over there to download Ire's first LP and scroll down a little for the second and some early tracks. I predict some disagreement as to which of the band's releases showcases their best material; since I have the floor, I'll say that "What Seed, What Root?" is my favorite. It really is a matter of taste, but on "WSWR?" I love the way the band exchanged some of the emotive sentimentality and cold mathematics of their previous two phases for warmer, riff-centered song-writing, along with some crushingly repetitive, hypnotic sequences. The song lengths are a bit shorter than their first LP, but the entire project retains an expansive feel as each song flows into the next with a narrative fluidity. To allocate Ire to a genre at the end of their career is not easy, but they might have found a comfortable spot near Token Tantrum or Lost, yet I can see logically how some of the members would be involved in The Black Hand demo as their next project. For full enjoyment, play it loud, and play it when you're not too antsy or distracted.

"What Seed, What Root?" by Ire (Scorched Earth Policy Records, 1999)

Appreciating Darkness

Our exploration of Canada's contribution to nineties hardcore and metal continues with a fairly unique split LP between Seized and Ire. For most of its life on my turn table, I had only listened to the Seized side-- their sound being unlike anything else I was listening to at the time, yet the tracks were powerful and engaging. Perhaps I was seduced by each track's serene opening, each following an idyllic trail that slowly darkens into a forest of mysterious and sinister goings-on. To say that the tracks are bass-driven is a redundancy after we see in the notes that there are three bass players and no guitarist in the lineup. Seized also employed a violinist who knows her limitations and adds great ambiance, and a vocalist who might have listened to some Cathedral records at some point. If all of this sounds strange, it's because it is; but not in a bad way. Seized is a case where oddness enhances greatness. These would be the last tracks the band would record (and the best), but they also left behind two split 7"s and I believe a 7".
My avoidance of Ire would end with time and the inevitable opening-up of my musical tastes. I still have reservations over the "PC" spoken word portion at the end of "She," (not over its validity, but over its necessity/delivery) but now I just dismiss it as a product of the zeitgeist. At this point, the backbone of Ire's metal was ossified of the same stuff as Rorschach, but tending in the more "sentimental" direction (read: "EMOtive") of bands like Groundwork or Grievance. As the band worked out its ideas, it's easy to see that these guys were endowed with considerable skill and conviction which would continue...

... on their follow-up 7" also posted below. These three tracks see the band giving into their aggressive tendencies and abandoning some of the dissonant flourishes present in past tracks. As is perhaps predictable with musicians like these, the band would experiment a little more with their style on their ensuing two LPs, which I hope to post later this week.

Seized/Ire Split LP (Spineless/Fetus Records)

Ire 7" (Schema Records)

The Slaughter of Immortals

I was looking for more Wisigoth material in order to compliment this excellent 7" and offer a more extensive post. Unfortunately, this didn't happen before the urge to post it took over. Wisigoth was a Canadian band that sliced and trampled its way into the secret society of bands ruled over by Dystopia-- bands with a definite metal base, but with leanings toward crust, a DIY hardcore ethic, and tempos that earn them sludge honors. If you're into other French-Canadien metal/crust/grind/sludge, you either already dig these guys or will have no problem doing so. Since I'm on this whole kick of doing series, look out for more Canadian stuff this week.

Wisigoth- "Une Hécatombe Pour Les Immortels..." 7" (Spineless Records, 1997)

Quinientos Años

I've been putting this off for too long. This is a repost of the "In the Spirit of Total Resistance" 2X7"-- one of my all time favorite comps. Seven bands assembled to attack Man's inhumanity and celebrate the 500 years of resistance enacted by indigenous peoples of the west, from Canada to Puerto Rico. The brutality is amply provided by Crudos, Huasipungo, Man is the Bastard and One by One, while Jonestown, Pollution Circus, and Dogfight inject a balancing dosage of eclecticism. In true repost fashion, the tracks have been re-ripped at 320, and photos of the entire layout and 60 page book have been made available.

The Comp

The Book

The Kaaos Continues

You may have to sublimate your hate for tribute records to enjoy this one. If you love Finnish hardcore, it shouldn't be hard. Some of that country's finest bands from the nineties and beyond cover one of its finest from the eighties (the one exception would be Portland, Oregon's Detestation... Doom was supposed to contribute but missed the deadlines). Many of the covers are fairly traditional, although each band leaves its indelible signature. The ones who really bring something new to the picture are Olotila, Silmäosasto, and Absurd Attitude, in most cases with pleasing results. Taken as a whole, this is a great listen and a worthy tribute. There is a rare 3 X7" version out there too, if anyone has info on that.

"The Tribute to Kaaos- The Chaos Continues" 2X7" comp. (The End Records, Finland)

Vacation has officially begun! Expect a higher frequency of postings...

400DayHeadache

We're gonna slow things down a little, add a pinch of dissonance, and coat them with a nice glaze of melody for easy ingestion. "400 Day Headache" spins like a good Allied Records comp from the mid nineties, but this one was put out by an operation called Unite and Fight Records. The cover above has a few very recognizable names, but a few that are less so offer some pretty impressive contributions as well. A very nice listen that brings back angst-y coming of age memories-- as does the suggested retail price. Four bucks in 1993 got you an LP shipped to your doorstep, and the label was still able to send fifty cents of the proceeds to The Rainforest Action Network. Bygone as those days seem, at least these days you can get a free simulation of the real thing beamed right to you...

"400 Day Headache" LP

Left Back, Let Down

Compilation week was interrupted by life, so we will call this Compilation Series, part II. I've got two or three more in the chamber, but for today we have the classic four-way split between Stapled Shut, Crom, Spazz, and Despise You. The only reason not to post this is that it's probably already all over the download circuit (circus). But that's not good enough for me. The impulse to post this was too strong. So here it is, ripped from the vinyl at 320...

"Left Back-Let Down" 2x7" Comp. (Pessimiser/Theologian Records, 1995?)

Spazz Lyrics:

Unforeseen Disasters

Another exhumed time capsule of the nineties, the "Unforeseen Disasters" comp offers an almost complete sampling of what was going on in that decade. Specifically, this one was planted in the loamy catacombs of The South, even more specifically, Georgia and the Carolinas. Of greatest interest for me is what I believe to be an exclusive track from Damad, which represents one of their earliest vinyl outings (along with the In/Humanity split). The same can be said for Initial State's "Die Silent," but that track also appears on a No Idea comp and on the band's own LP. In/Humanity, Quadiliacha, Blownapart Bastards, and El Toro each bring an eclectic tidbit to the gathering, making this shindig short, but hotter than Georgia asphalt.

"Unforeseen Disasters" (Passive Fist Records, 1994)

Uña de Gato...

Spring cleaning and some recent landscaping endeavors have rekindled a tight bond I once held with compilations. Cuing a few of them up while knocking out some grueling task just seems to work: fade in when the winners come on-- fade out during the duds. And so we arrive at another compilation week, but one that I hope will rejuvenate interest in a format tarnished by saturation and mediocrity. I can try at least. The best way to start is with "Uña de Gato- Cuerno de Vaca," a rare 2X7" of heavy bands Tee Pee Records put out 15 years ago. There are many reasons to start here, one is that a nice commenter requested it, but you may be more interested in reasons like El Dopa, Corrupted, Logical Nonsense, and Cattle Press. Some of the other bands are interesting too, but with a line up like this, they become an after-thought.

"Uña de Gato..."

On a side note, the same commenter who was looking for this was looking for other Cattle Press and IaborHer rarities. Justin at Mustard Relics tracked down a couple.

One Less God

Reasons to rejoice over the Godless 7": 1. It's fucking Godless! 2. Rough versions of "OCA", "Equal" and "Blood and Tears." 3. Two exclusive tracks. 4. A ripping Sin 34 cover. As unpolished as the production is, the recording dates indicate that this may have been their last release. The band also added two more musicians, freeing Leslie up to focus solely on vocals; but rest assured, this is the same Godless of Portland who caroled at your virtual door last Christmas, ate all your cookies, drank all your schnapps, and left a year's worth of melody on your lips.

The Godless 7"

Shrieking in Three Movements

Alarido is an anomalous arctic blast, ravaging the sun-smitten Nevada desert landscape. The band's first cassette is a three-part odyssey of what Painajainen calls "crust/d-beat with black metal influences," and that sums it up as well as any label could. What he's too modest to say is that this tape completely rules. What turns out to be nineteen minutes of music, seems like only five, as the band seamlessly navigates through violent blizzards of blast-beats, searing d-beat siroccos, and the occasional rest on an inland sea of acoustic tranquility. You definitely don't want to miss this one, or the next tape which is in the works.

Buy the first cassette here

Download here

Crashin' Down the Halls & Bouncin' Off the Walls

Words are so two-dimensional, that to describe the majesty of Icon Gallery's debut LP would surely be an exercise in falling flat. Each of these nine tracks seems to have its own life, its own deep subtext, and so much energy the air itself seems electrified when needle hits groove. Driving each are the red-hot, punk rock pistons of the rhythm section, but the guitar leads take cues from Iron Maiden and Sonic Youth, and all this is spearheaded by a woman with the voice of the Avenging Angel. Icon Gallery is everything you've ever loved about rock, minus all the cheeze you've been forced to tolerate. Even the most calloused crusty has an inner place for music like this, so put aside your pretenses, and take the plunge...

Icon Gallery LP

gallery.icon[at]gmail.com

dearskull[at]gmail.com

Kevin and band were kind enough to allow us to download the album, but I strongly recommend contacting them or Dear Skull Records at the above addresses and buying a copy. The LP looks and sounds too amazing to pass up. In fact, I may remove the link after a while to encourage such a transaction. Their equally amazing demo and 7" are available through the above addresses as well.

A Dark Night of Shameless Abuse

Complications was a pariah mongrel of death rock and punk unleashed by members of Born Dead Icons, The Black Hand, etc. For me, this seemingly rare 7" evokes a heart-pumping pursuit of mysterious ends through a twilit dreamscape, all the while skirting along the edge of a nightmare but never quite lapsing into it. It's no doubt an exhilarating experience which can be enjoyed in a more fruitful and layered form on their LP, and which I hope you'll pick up from a distributor of your choice. Once the LP becomes harder to find, I'll just have to post that too.

Complications 7" (Feral Ward Records)

Starving with our Stomachs Full

Another commenter has prompted me to dust off yet another post from '08 which I've been wanting to polish up for a while anyway. Asebia would make a great bookend to another slab of cold Northern gloom posted recently, and I daresay these Copenhageners stabbed even deeper into humanity's diseased viscera. They then proceed to mop up the filth left by this ailing beast with its own entrails. The attack is swift like all great scandi-thrash, but the evil metallic flourishes and abundant tempo changes really lend Asebia a singular signature I've come to admire in them and similarly gifted bands like Konfrontation and Acursed. Below their LP has been re-ripped at 320 kbps, and I've included the minimal graphics of the layout. Apparently there was a cassette version of these 10 excellent tracks, but its production is a bit mysterious and its distribution a bit shoddy.

Asebia "Face of Civilization" LP (Plague Bearer Records)

Entropy Time Motherfucker

I thought I could get this up sooner, Roman; sorry for the wait. This is a re-post of the venom spewing classic, Suppression/Cripple Bastards split LP posted way back in '08. I first came to know the biomechanoid hate-generator known as Suppression from their split with Despise You circa 1996, and have since then continued to admire their caustic ejaculations with few interruptions. If Man is the Bastard and Crossed Out deliberately crashed their tour vans into a Guitar Center's amplifier department, these 13 tracks would be the ostensible result if it happened to be in Virginia. The sludge, the speed, the noise-- it's all there, in horrific abundance.

There's little that needs to be said about Italy's grindlords Cripple Bastards other than maybe some comments I've heard about some unenlightened things said by the singer (no details; not in the mood). Other than that, the 23 songs on their side are pretty raw renditions of tracks that would appear on the "Your Lies in Check" LP.

Suppression/Cripple Bastards split LP (Bovine Records... ripped at 320 kbps)

Skull Crushing 101

My love affair with The Conversions persists long after their demise, leading me to pursue a copy of their split 7" with iron tenacity. So here it is: three of their best tracks on this very rare platter, recorded with the same rawness as their 7". The sound The Conversions explored was not unlike the blueprint of eighties punk being reworked by ambitious engineering students armed with protractors and slide rulers and hopped up on coffee and Pixie Sticks- smart and angular, while still retaining a hefty impact at the gut level. This band will be sorely missed, and I hope you'll go find a copy of each of their 12"s, and maybe download the 7" and comp. track I posted long ago. As for Witches With Dicks, they have a tough act they're following, but I still enjoy the Lookout! Records throwback sound, huge Crimpshrine fan that I am. More contemporay analogues may include The Sainte Catherines and The Monikers. Catchiness, energy, a sense of humor... good stuff, just don't get me started on their band name.

The Conversions/Witches With Dicks Split 7" (It's Not A Phase, Dad Records, 2005)

The Redeadening

Same-Sex Dictator continue to document the escalation of the long-going interplanetary war the rest of us have been blind to as our attentions are affixed on expensive little bleeping toys and glowing screens. "From Beneath You It Devours" is the band's insanely brilliant first (hopefully not last) full length, which to untrained ears may sound not unlike both Yeti records mixed together at different intervals and at incorrect speeds. Further examination will find that these very original compositions are the score of a bipolar inner space opera, interpreting the role of a heretofore undiscovered, subterranean guerrilla force and their role in said conflict. Taken at face value or analyzed for subliminal content, these eight tracks are consistently and simultaneously engrossing, crushing, and ultimately not quite like anything else out there. I recommend this LP to anyone whose dendrites have remained reasonably intact even after all the deadening exposure to the aforementioned distraction instruments. Below I have provided the entire record for download, but I don't expect it to remain there long; there are forces out there beyond my control. Plus, I really want you to buy a copy (see links below).

Full link has been removed, but chew on these killer tracks and go buy a copy if you like 'em

Same-Sex Dictator (2 sample tracks)

Buy:

Robotic Empire

End Theory

Rumor has it, there will be a cassette release with a download code coming soon.

For a more accurate review of the band, see here.

They'll Put the Kibosh on You

I've been too stressed and busy to post much lately, so for a while I'll stick to mostly 7"s . In between these you find some reviews of bands I've come to know and love since starting this blog who have just released some incredible new records; some of these downloads will be limited time only, so check in now and then. Today's featured band is from the good ol' nineties and is ideal for the stressed and pressed for time. Devola have a lot to say, but mince few words. They have a lot of songs, but waste little of your digital space. The CD and 7" linked below will run through you like a bad 25 minute bout with dysentery, and leave you nice and cleansed, if not a little exhausted. The 625 label on the 7" should give you a further idea of the speeds we're dealing with, but there's evidence that this band doesn't take itself quite as seriously as others in the PV crew (note the Cookie Monster-with-groin-injury vocals). The CD finds the band exploring more modern hardcore territory, but rest assured that there are still blast-beats aplenty, and that this development only made the band rock harder.
Devola "Playing the Game of Revenge and Winning Every Time" CD and "The Resuscitation" 7"

I hope to one day have the Devola/Murdock split to post, butI'm not there yet.