Seven Inches of Songs About...

In sorting through the mess of split EPs I've got lying around me right now, I once again felt the need to choose a theme to make sense of it all.  I've arrived at an international theme, as in the next few splits will have bands from two different countries.  Having stated that, both 7"s tonight are linked by German melodic hardcore workhorses, Inner Conflict.  When I first heard this band's second LP, I wanted to dislike them due to their "processed" vocal sound and the fact that they played with a drum machine.  But the driving riffs and melodies were too much for my sanctimonious knees, and an inevitable collapse took place, followed by a surrender.  The usual adjectives-- energetic, catchy-- associated with bands of this style are ever so appropriate here.  This first installment sees the band paired up with a Finnish band whom I liked a great deal; then they recruited vocalist, Arja, and it morphed into a love affair!  Juggling Jugulars has got to be one of the most explosive and distinctive bands in Europe today, and they only seem to get better with each release.  This time around they treat us to four tracks so charged and ornery, you'll never get a chance to nail them to any one genre within the punk (dis)order.  Each band also covers a track from the other's back catalog, thus solidly rounding out an already rock hard piece of wax.

 Inner Conflict's Spanish friends on this next split hopefully need no introduction.  For me, Sin Dios have been an intermittent crutch, anchor, and a slap in the face for many years and will continue to be even though they are long deceased (as a band).  "El Poder Mundial" is sadly only two short jabs, displaying the band's fighting spirit even as it was sinking to its knees.  If you've heard the other splits and the last CD the band put out, the tracks are along those lines.  While I regard "Ingobernables" as Sin Dios' pinnacle, the material just afterward was still better than most punk or hardcore out there.  As mentioned above, Inner Conflict take side B honors with two of their best tracks.  "Down" follows the band's usually style, mixing faster hardcore tempos with slower, more anthemic moments.  But it's "Scene" that has stuck with me since first hearing their side.  It's easily their most fist-pumping, gritty anthem, holstering their melodic weapons, and reaching for the switchblade instead.  Both sides go by way too fast, but hopefully the other 7" will offset this disappointment.

Both splits here

Contact Twisted Chords to get hard copies!

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...

Loud Silence At Home

If anyone has the cure for Busy, please send it my way! There's no shortage of great music here at the headquarters, but the postings just haven't been happening for various reasons. I'll see what I can do to catch up this weekend, but for now here's a heaping gravy ladle of French 90's hardcore. I've noticed that a lot of my posts and would-be posts are of newer records, simply because there are a ton of great releases of late. But I can't forget the decade that this blog specializes in, and so I present the few releases I own by Undone. While I can't guarantee you'll love Undone as I do, they did offer an enticingly puzzling admixture of hardcore styles; if music doesn't cut it for you unless it boasts copious moshy metal riffs, emotive dissonance, or speed, Undone have got you covered on all accounts (especially the first two). It won't take long to figure out that Undone grew thorny and strong out of the same cracked concrete slab as Finger Print, Ivich, Vanilla, etc, and for that they should already warrant a serious listen. For today, I'm offering the band's later 7" "The Other Side," as well as an early 7" that I will simply call "Undone." Both rage, but on this early outing I like the vocals better, and the metal is cranked way the hell up.

Since you hate comps, I'm sneaking in yet another rose among weeds, the "World Hardcore" 2X7". Perhaps it should really be called "European Hardcore", but whatever. A comp is a winner if more than half the tracks are at least good, if not great, and this one huffs and puffs across the finish line. I was mainly interested in the Vanilla and Undone tracks, but Olotila rock and it was nice to hear an early-ish Deadbeat track (post of their 10" coming soon).

Get the two 7"s and Comp here

More Undone posts as I find more of their releases.

** Addendum- Mike of mighty Twisted Tracks posted the 12" and the "Reconstruction" comp!

Crust Like There's No Tomorrow

It's about time I pulled this blog out of the ICU. For a while I thought I might pull the plug on her once and for all, but it appears there's life in her yet. This blog wouldn't be what it is if it weren't offering some forgotten relic of the '90's, so on with it...

The Axiom/Church Of Nihil/Autonomia 3 Way Split LP is the darkest, dirtiest, worm-ridden filth at the bottom of the compost heap of its decade. As such, it was indeed overlooked by many, but was doubtless made of richer stuff. Axiom are a product of pre-Tragedy Portland, the roots of which quite obviously suckled the moist detritus of bands like Deprived and Resist, and grew heartily alongside North Westerners like Shitlist and Decrepit. Axiom's galloping crust lets up for rare seconds of gloomy ambiance, but for the most part, this band was all about punishment of the most relentless kind. Turku, Finland's Church of Nihil seem cut from a similar mold, but an extended listen sees the band breaking that mold more often than it adheres to it. Some stenchy chugging, some compelling melody, all beautifully held together by the brutality of that shifty framework we've come to call crust. Since you forced me to choose a favorite on this one, here you have it: CON win this. If by this point in the record you're all crusted out, Autonomia from Lima change things up a bit. Their hardcore is crust only by association. More accurately, this is ultra-melodic hardcore, simple but penetrating, like a clever slogan, or a dagger. While the passion of their ideals echoes that of Sin Dios, the simplicity of their melodies hearkens to something much older.

3 bands from 3 continents, and some Dennis Dread art...

3 Way Split

In other news, I have revamped the following derelict links by request (let me know if you need something re-upped, because I am not going to check every link myself...)

Conversions 7"
Dead And Gone 7"
Whipped/Inhumane Split 7"

Also, if you have linked me to your site but I haven't returned the favor, let me know so I can do so.

A Punx Picnic On Industrie Strasse

This week has been a real pirate whore. Next week and this weekend, I'll shoot for diligence, but no guarantees there. After such a shit week, it's time for a couple of fun comps. Shit, the "Industrie Str. 23 96-97" comp has an exclusive Quarantine track, for fucksake! Throw in a possibly exclusive La Fraction number and a bunch of other nice Euro punk/crust/grind of the late nineties, and you have instant party! Lots of variety; seldom a dull moment...

"Industrie Str. 23" Comp.

And, I need your help with this one. Below is a silly 7" comp from a festival in Biel showcasing a cover song contest. I picked it up because of Lost and Skew Whiff, but my brain isn't working right this week. Do you recognize any of these covers?

"Schrott Bar" Comp

They Use A Lot Of Vowels

You probably have a folder full of a ton of late '80's-early 90's, crusty stuff, but Amen's "Paranemia" LP might be the missing classic you didn't know you wanted. Or maybe you have this LP, and know that it's more thrashy crustiness than most people can handle in one sitting. When you're about to reach for that Disrupt box set, give this a spin instead.

"Paranemia" (Spinefarm Records, 1991 @ 256 kbps).

A World Badly Made

Amen makes its third appearance on this blog, this time covering Oi Polloi, and taking on subjects like nuclear fallout and raccoon-faced satanist posers. Their American tag-team partners are Short Hate Temper. You probably know these El Paso grinders from various power house splits with the likes of Slight Slappers, Scalplock, Quill, and Harsh. A fast EP for a week that cannot be over fast enough.

Here.

Gospelcore Attack

Amen is a band that should be mentioned along side Doom, Hiatus, and Disrupt during any conversation about nineties crust. Unfortunately, they aren't (at least not here in North America). The even sadder thing is that next to those bands, the Amen experience can often times be even more enjoyable. I'm lucky there's an entire cyber world between us, because some of you probably want to throw something heavy at me for my heresy. It's just an opinion, take it or leave it. The "Feikki" 7" was recorded in 1991 and released on Crash Mag Records. It's solid as fuck, from the art down to the riffs. If all goes well, I'll be posting a certain other Amen split sooner or later this week.

Feikki

Time Of Payback

A couple of FE friends haven't gotten enough Finnish bass & drum ultra-violence from previous Harsh posts. So this Harsh 7" hat trick goes out to Grindfreek and Roman... thanks for your support! The folder below spans most of Harsh's stylistic evolution from their days as a full-on PV band (Six Weeks 7"), to their early foray into double bass brutal-fabulosity (split with German grind stalwarts, Crude BE), and finally to their low-end masterpiece, "Implants." If the idea of putting Man Is The Bastard and Lack Of Interest in a super-collider turns you on, go ahead and click below.

Harsh 7"s

Click the "Harsh" tag if you want their splits with Senseless Apocalypse, Control Mechanism, and Short Hate Temper/Quill.

Of Flexis And Democracy

I like the idea of posting a 7" on a Saturday morning; it doesn't take up too much of your or my time on this leisurely day of the week (and if you have to work today, well then, sucks to be you :(. To supplement your cartoon watching capers, hang-over nursings, and post soccer game r'n r, I have for you a flexi from two out of control hardcore bands: Amen (Finland) and Damnable Excite Zombies (Japan... obviously). Amen are irreverent and crusty and produced a bunch of 7"s over the years (mostly in the early nineties). Most of their releases are pretty rare, and if my copy isn't in too horrible shape, I may post their 7" with the cover depicting an inflatable Catholic sex nun doll (!). DEZ had a similar career, but play super energetic hardcore like their country-mates, Deride. They also win my personal award for my favorite refrigerator magnet poetry/Japanese Engr/lish band name (leave a comment if you have a favorite). They produce some awesome tunes, as well, and you can go here for further punishment.

Warning: there's a slight bump on my copy, creating a "flange" experience; but what do you expect from the vinyl equivalent of a Nerf Frisbee? Just don't listen to it with headphones on, and it'll be alright.

Here

So, in my attempt to include you in my postings, I'd like to get a request thing going. Below are some bands I will eventually do posts on. Help me choose what to post next by leaving a comment!

Gloom (Japan)

Dawnbreed

Drunk

Enewetak

Iabhorher

Cattle Press

Inward

Apeface

Books Lie

Swarrrm

Simbiose

Sin Dios

Crude BE

Harsh

El Nudo

Huasipungo

Quarantine

Khatarina

Human Greed

Ananda

Sacrilege (UK)

Siekiera

Takaru

A Light In The Attic

Revolt (Japan)

Saturation (Canada)

Grinch

Terminal Youth

DFA

Kisses And Hugs

Gus (Florida)

The Neighbors (San Diego!)

Dead Wrong (UK)

Vanilla

Ambulance

Glycine Max

Out Cold

Edora (Singapore)

Forced Expression

Vivisick

Farcical

Protess

Wormwood

Cursed

Rice

Magrudergrind

Harum Scarum

Abigail

Token Tantrum

Pisschrist

Senseless Apocalypse/Slight Slappers

Stapled Shut

Deride

Shikabane...

Potential Reposts:

Asebia

"In The Spirit Of Total Rebellion..." Comp

Terminal Youth

Bonescratch 12"

Daymare 7"

Complacency Comp.

Okay, let me know if you want to see any of these or anything else posted soon. Bye.

Gaikkodibehtet Muvrrat Vuolás

You know I'm a sucker for this stuff. Diaspora are, you guessed it, female fronted crust/peace punk/hardcore... this time from Helsinki. The "Gaikkodibehtet Muvrrat Vuolás" LP contains 16 tracks of the good stuff: it's fairly straight forward, catchy at times, and always pissed off! Think of them as a more melodic Antischism, a less melodic Harum Scarum, a less dark Ojorojo, or an even more estrogen-powered Mushroom Attack! Think of them however you like; share your thoughts if you can find the time.

"Gaikkodibehtet Muvrrat Vuolás" LP

I posted a comp with one of their tracks here too. I believe this LP is out of print, but contact BBP Records (UK), Elderberry Records (Sweden), Ruin Nation Records (Germany), Witchhunt Records (Finland), or Yellow Fever Records (UK) to see if they've got any extras.

Oh, and Some members are in a great melodic punk band called War of Words.

Burning Sensation

Mr. Lo-Res Viscera put out an alert for more Selfish releases, so I figured I'd post my rips of their "Burning Sensation" 12" (Witch Hunt/Feral Ward/Tragedy Records, 2001(?)). What the band offers here is 9 1/2 round-houses of Burning Spirits riffs, hair-flying guitar solos, constipated Systematic Death vocals, Sugi artwork... all polished up with occasional guitar melody and a loud as fuck recording. And it's served up by the best Japanese hardcore band to ever come out of Punkaharju, Finland.

Get it.

H:G Fact put out the CD, but since I don't have it, I ripped the wax at 320. You can get a copy for dirt cheap here.

This Is Helsinki, Not Boston

You listen to entirely too much hardcore and grindcore (and other genres ending in -core). As a result, I shall be forced every now and again to give you a little injection of melody to break up all the screaming and yelling. So drop your pants; it won't hurt a bit. As a matter of fact, I think you'll like today's prescription: the War Of Words 12". These Finns (don't confuse them with the Bostonian band of the same name) did time in Diaspora and Life's A Riot, and will definitely appeal to you if you're partial to bands like Imperial Leather, La Fraction, Happy Bastards, and Signal Lost. Weaving in and out of the mid-paced punk explosions, you'll find soaring bass lines that give the tracks a "California" feel; but the first thing you'll notice I think will be the vocals. The young lady vocalist is especially noteworthy, alternating between slightly harsh shouting, and downright lilting melodies. There are a few somewhat saccharine choruses, but the greatness of the rest of the material counters that nicely.

If you own a turntable, have some extra cash, and find that you like this record, please help out either Crimes Against Humanity Records or Puke 'n Vomit Distro. I think these two outlets have some of the last copies of this disk in North America (only 500 were pressed). CAH Records is struggling to survive, so head over there NOW and throw some scrilla his way (there's even a sale going on). Download blogs get a lot of shit for taking away revenues from labels, but I'd like to believe we actually help their sales. Prove me right.



HERE

The Short Hate Temper/Harsh/Quill Split 10"

Three pissed-off bands from three continents... global harmony through ultra-violent music! This 3-way (he he) split (TVG Records, 2000?) is a real gem as each band plays its own brand of powerviolence expertly! Short Hate Temper start the show off with their amazingly catchy fastcore- first with a long track (two and half minutes), followed by seven short ragers. Great stuff that rivals their material on the Slight Slappers split. Following SHT, we have a recent Fugitive E. favorite, Harsh. These Finns win me over again, this time with eight bass-obsessed originals and a Nihilistics cover. The recording's a little muffled, but these are the best Harsh tracks posted here yet! The entire second side of this 10" is dedicated to the controlled madness of Japan's Quill. These punks opt for a less dark sound, and crank the punk-rock knob to eleven. On the average, each track is a mere 30 seconds of spazzed-out power chords- 14 originals, 2 audience sound samples (from a kick boxing match?) and an Infest cover. Although I'm pretty sure this record is out of print (the label says it has 10 left, but I think it has been saying that for a while), you can still find it around in various places (these bands are great, but let's face it, they aren't in demand). 1800 copies were pressed on pink wax...

Enjoy

Harsh/Control Mechanism Split 7"

A little while back, commenter, Matt, brought the Harsh/Control Mechanism split 7" (Phobia Records/Impregnate Noise Laboratories, 2002?) to my attention. Shortly afterward, I found it in a distro for 2 (US) dollars (a great deal considering the state of the economy right now!). Since Finland's Harsh rules, I figured I should pick it up... and it's a good thing I did! Both bands call it a draw as they battle to formulate the essence of pure spite, seldom neglecting the power of speed, and drawing influences from all the great names in powerviolence and grindcore. It's tough not to pull out the Man is the Bastard card to describe Harsh on this incarnation, as the band appears here as a two piece (bass/drums) and throws together almost equal parts sludgy despair and lunatic blast-beat fury. Some of the bass grooves are pretty damned catchy and crushing, making Harsh's eight tracks quite the revelation! The void of guitarlessness left by Harsh is filled on side b courtesy of another Finnish band, Control Mechanism. This is the only exposure I've had to this band, and I must say they stand out fairly noticeably from the multitudes of grind/mince acts out there. The eight tracks engraved on their side bring to mind the viciousness of Despise You, with the whacked-out mayhem of Sick Terror and Anal Cunt. There's some sense of variation from track to track due to the very disparate vocal styles of the two singer, and because the songs were gleaned from three different recording sessions. All in all, this a satisfying little rager of an ep! (Note: there's some crackley tape hiss at different points, but I'm fairly sure it's from the recording, not the ripping...)

Listen

More 7" Comps That Don't Suck Vol.8: "Shadows of a Decaying Future"

As foretold, this is a compilation with some more Fallout tracks. I'm not sure when exactly the "Shadows of a Decaying Future" (Dry Retch Records) EP was released, but all the tracks were recorded around 1999. Only 1000 hand-numbered copies were pressed, but you may be able to get one still from the label or the always incredible Hardcore Holocaust. Although I got this one because of Fallout, the other bands won me over too. Nihilist are also from Australia, and drop three simple smoked-out crust/grind tracks that nod to Disrupt, but have their own fun and "nihilistic" flavor. Invazija are like the Lithuanian Sin Dios, (the Lithuanian language seems perfect for this, somehow) and issue four tracks of anthemic and catchy political punk/hardcore. Finally, Finland's Irritate baffle listeners with their mincecore cum stoner/psyche track that unfortunately ends just when you're starting to feel it. In the end, this is a good comp, and most will find something they like on it. Buy it if you can, or listen below...

Download

Senseless Apocalypse/Harsh Split 7"

Seeing Japan's Senseless Apocalypse live afforded me the first experience where I thought my head would cave in from sheer volume overload. Luckily, the dizziness did wear off so I could enjoy the rest of their insane set. Even the sound guy (who seemed more like an indie rock dude) was so impressed that he recorded them and played pieces back during the set change (as Capitalist Casualties were preparing to take over!). SA have that effect- they are over the top, but somehow infectious and endearing. Several of the 17 untitled tracks on their split ep with Harsh (Mink Records, 1999), use the bait'n switch technique, luring the listener with rockin' punk rock and metal grooves, but then abruptly opening up a can of Fear of God-style blast-beat ass-whoopin'. This is some entertaining noise, but not as good as their two tracks on the CD posted below. If you still crave more, you can visit Cathedral of Erotic Misery and download their 5" ep or go to SA's myspace to hear tracks from the "Japanese Assault" comp (a more "mature" sound). Or.... if you want punishment of a different sort, Finland's Harsh grace the flip side with their own bass-heavy brand of California-style fastcore. Their admiration for Infest and potential influence from Spazz and Lack of Interest is worn sleeve-side, so if you like that sort of rock, you're in for it! Six tracks that take on dogmatic vegans, MTV "punk", the class gap, and our ever-present need to escape reality.

Download the Split

More 7" Comps That Don't Suck Vol.2: "Passing Bells"

This EP (Passing Bells Records, 2003?) is not as crusty as it looks. There are some crusty-type bands represented (Sharpeville & Diaspora), but the mix is fairly eclectic and displays some of the less "Finnish" sounding bands Finland has to offer. I love traditional Finnish hardcore as much as anyone, but that's not what this comp. is about. All the tracks and bands are great, which isn't something you can say about most V/A releases.

Synopsis:
1. Sharpville: These neo-crusties play a thick, metallic style of punk much like the songs on their LP. The vocals are recorded a little low, but otherwise this one's a killer!

2. Diaspora: This band reminds me a little of Lost World or early Harum Scarum with its mid-paced hardcore tempo and vocals that alternate between snotty punk and harsh crusty screams. They released an LP too, which I'm now thinking I need to seek out!

3. Unkind: Taking a break from their usual scandi-crust ambush, Unkind deliver a haunting acoustic track that reminds me of some of the material on the first Deviated Instinct demo (for some reason). Not only is the song good, it really adds to the great sense of variety on this disc.

4. Wasted: 80's influenced, slightly abrasive punk. Lots of melody and fairly clean guitars. Good stuff.

5. Manifesto Jukebox: Another surprise! Rather than the bitter-sweet melodic indie rock influenced punk they are better known for, we are treated to a very faithful rendition of "Shroud" by Born Against! At times I thought I was listening to an alternate take of the real thing!

6. Hero Dishonest: These guys are starting to get better known in the US now, because they kick ass! HD play rocked-out old school (US) hardcore beautifully! Tons of energy and instrumental proficiency. Enough said... all their records are more than worth checking out.

Passing Bells