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.

The EPs

Song Of The Week: "Not Even Death" (Unhinged)

In the early days of the FE blog, I did posts on several formative favorites-- one being the band, Unhinged. It's about time for a revisit. I'd like to focus on "Not Even Death" because it was the second track I had ever heard from them, and it was the one that really grabbed me by the short ones. I had yet to hear Initial State or Zero Hour, so the impact of such simultaneously aggressive and mournful hardcore weighed heavy on me. It still does. And when I hear other bands playing emotive crust, I can't help but compare them to these bands, who set the quality benchmark high early on. Another thing that struck me about the 7" on which "Not Even
Death" appeared, is the choice of cover photos. It seems to be a stretch of the I-5 along Camp Pendleton or San Onofre. In the foreground is a sign I grew up seeing often: a silhouette of a family running-- their features drawn like caricatures of the Mexican stereotype. It felt eerie that these constant reminders of economic inequity, exploitation, and blatant racism would hit a nerve with a crust band thousands of miles away too. So maybe Unhinged left me with an early sense that the world wasn't so big after all, and that there were others out there who felt outraged. But really, I have no problem admitting that I was just blown away by the incredible power of their music.


"Not Even Death"

How do I know where I'm going. When it's going too far. Is it beer or blood I'm sweating. Is it love or hate I'm feeling. And then you wake up one morning. You find your soul's into bits. And then there's nothing left not even death. Not even death. I've seen a man he had only one eye. He said to me I want you to die. Try to wake up but I'm not asleep. Try to walk and never to scream. Try to find the help inside myself. But all I've found is a black hole. All I have found is a man with only one eye. Who's telling me I want you to die. And then you wake up one morning from no sleep at all. You find some friends calling for you. Small gestures you daren't name. I've
seen a smile when I thought I'd die. They said to me we want you back to life.

Stay Female Fronted Blog just posted the band's discography in case you don't have it.

Agathocles: Lord of the Splits

This wouldn't be a proper "split week" without an offering from the kings of splits. This time Agathocles team up with LA cult grind legends, Excruciating Terror. Four tracks from ET, and 2 from Agatho. No pretty intros; no melody; no bullshit. Just the purest cuts of raw hatred.

Listen

A Three-Part Recovery Program for Former Listeners of "Adult Contemporary" Part 1: Agathocles & Shikabane

I have some split 7" ragers I've been wanting to rip and get out here for a while. Since many Americans have a three day weekend (I have four!), and the weather sucks, this seemed like the time to do a "Triple Thrash Threat" kind of deal, Fugitive E. style (please don't sue me, MTV)! Today's "program" begins with a Belgium vs. Japan match-up. Most of you know Agathocles, at least by reputation. What reputation would that be...? I guess the band competing with Unholy Grave for the unofficial "Who Can Do the Most Split Records" contest. Here again they pump out three more simple mince tracks that are more compelling and enjoyable than I remember my last AG experience being (which was admittedly a while ago). Good stuff, although they aren't my favorite band in the world.

Shikabane, on the other hand, is a band I always look forward to hearing from. Those who know this band will be a little surprised by their offerings on this one. Missing is the brooding layer of darkness which has become the hallmark of this band. Instead, these tracks resemble the energetic thrash attack of Romantic Gorilla or Quill. I like their newer material better, but it's still nice to see where this band "came from." Note: I don't know how to transcribe Japanese titles. Sorry. If anyone knows a good method to learn this, do share!

Download It

(Not Such A) Bad Influence

If you're one of those people who were disappointed by the brevity of Zygote's lifespan, this post may provide a morsel of solace. It seems Tim Crow, bass player for Zygote and The Smartpils, hadn't received his fill either, and joined with some Belgian musicians to create Bad Influence. The mention of Crow's name is not incidental or gratuitous, for his bass work is, in a major way, a crucial ingredient to the gloomy brew concocted on the "Afterbirth" CD (Genet/Skuld/Self-released). The bouncier tracks absolutely reek of Zygote in the best way imaginable, while at other times, when the tempo creeps more slowly, the band wafts out a thick overcast of atmospheric despair, infiltrating the nightmarish and paranoid recesses of the human psyche. "Afterbirth" is a dark affair, so be sure to imbibe when the sun is shining and sharp objects are out of reach.

Download "Afterbirth"

Unhinged - Win Our Freedom In Fire

The early '90's seemed to signal a new epoch in hardcore: musicians were staying in the "scene" longer and becoming more intelligent and musically proficient, and as a result their subsequent bands were all around better too. After the dissolution of Belgium's mighty Hiatus, at least one member went on to play in the also mighty Unhinged. This band was one of a handful that kept me interested in hardcore long enough to witness the flourishing "scene" that followed and continues today. Like contemporaries Zero Hour and Initial State, Unhinged took a darker and more passionate approach to the already crushing "crust" sound, and mixed in anguished female vocals to complete their absolutely devastating assault (Direct decedents may include Ballast, Jeniger, Kakistocracy...) The song writing is relatively complex for its time/genre, as was perhaps foreseeable from the final Hiatus 12" (which certainly improved upon the somewhat repetitive sound of Hiatus' earlier work). My favorite tracks by Unhinged come from their first two records: the "Resisting the Murder of Self" 7" and the "Win Our Freedom in Fire" LP. These two slabs are driving and raw, but still controlled and smart in every way. Their final LP "Crime and Punishment" was slower and a bit slicker, and I would certainly recommend it if you like the tracks herein. Nabat Records handled all of Unhinged's releases, and I am not sure about their availability. They seem hard to find, so I am posting rips from a CD that compiles these two records and some other early tracks (thanks to a generous "soulseeker" out there).

Unhinged - "Win Our Freedom In Fire" CD (zip file)