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.

Bizarre and Fantasy

Acute is a contender for my favorite Japanese woman-fronted band since The Comes. Chairmaker sent me rips of this gorgeous 7" a while back, and I knew at once I would have to get a hardcopy. The band has somewhat "loungy" tendencies; I'm basing this mainly on the incredible layout, the flat notes on the more melodic vocals, and the otherwise out of place "outro." Be that as it may, 90% of this thing is runaway bullet train, blood sweat and mucus hardcore played fast and tight. If anyone knows where to get more material by this band, please comment before my ears bleed from looping these four songs.

Acute 7"

The Beast That Despair Feeds

Jobbykrust is the choral chant of thousands of smelly angry people, fed up with always being smelly and angry. Really they're a potent amalgam of all that was great about the hardcore coming out of Scotland and Ireland in the nineties: the unrelenting mucous flow of Pink Turds in Space, the common sense politics of Disaffect and Sedition, the fugitive taxonomy of Scatha, the tasteful, delicate flourishes of The Dagda. This band was simply incredible, and you might be able to get their entire discography here. But tonight I'm posting rips of their scorching split LP with Viktors Hofnarren (Switzerland?), a bunch of filthy, surly polyglots who rock a pretty straight forward form of political hardcore with the crusty edges still intact. Perhaps not as straight forward as Paragraf 119, but similar in their crudity and stool-loosening energy. For sure, a band to be blasted loudly, not dissected verbally.

Jobbykrust/Viktors Hofnarren Split LP

De Este Lado del Mundo

Around 2004 my waning interest in hardcore hit a point of resurgence with help from a newly resurrected Profane Existence, who were releasing some pretty great stuff. Their distro then introduced me to another a burgeoning label that still can do no wrong: Alerta Antifascista! I picked up a grip of invigorating vinyl products, but one in particular was like a sparkling Roman candle wedged in the butt crack of my musical conscience: Migra Violenta's "Superficial" 10". It may not be the only reason I have yet to lose interest again, but it certainly snapped me out of the malaise. Migra Violenta consisted of hardcore kids from various South American countries who had immigrated to Argentina. Although they were compared to Los Crudos, I suspect that was mainly due to a lot of American reviewers' lack of exposure to Spanish speaking bands. Crudos was never this fast or tight (although I still love them to death... SOTW coming soon on them...). "Superficial" is packed close with manic, antsy blasts of defiant hope in the face of the impossible and immovable. Speed, anger, and even good musicianship are nothing new I guess, but these guys did their own take on it, and not only did it come out superbly, it's also endlessly listenable. The band has a ton of other releases, including an LP on Profane Existence, and on the 10" below they added two tracks from their Kontraataque split.

"Superficial" 10" by Migra Violenta (Alerta Antifascista/Le Nains Aussi)

Dead Songs to Hum to

Bear with me dear readers, for I know your prejudices concerning "screamy" hardcore. I have my own, after all, mainly based on the pretentiousness of many of these bands. Today, you'll just have to trust me, or move on. This post shines the spotlight on a short-lived band whose frigid guitar sound and stifling rhythm section smashed my own prejudices, not unlike the violent collaboration of liquid nitrogen and a rusty sledge hammer. Armed with talent, a quirky sense of sound manipulation, and a deep acceptance of human despair, Welcome The Plague Year bowled me over in 2004, and continue to do so to this day. If you have a stomach for bands like One-Eyed God Prophecy, Raein, early Envy, Gasp, Joshua Fit For Battle, Shikari, or the band's split mates, Funeral Diner, then definitely look into WTPY. I'm also including the bands split 7" and one-sided 7". There's one track missing that is on their CD, but you'll just have to seek that out elsewhere or shell out serious cash on ebay...










Welcome The Plague Year LP (vinyl rips... 320)

Welcome The Plague Year 1-sided 7" & Split with Funeral Diner (also 320 rips)

The Creators of Dismay

Two tracks today: one on distinguishing our past from our present, the other on our present attempts at affecting our future. Both are about futility. And so Arctic Flowers and Spectres do the only thing there is to do when tethered to an atrocious past, in a morally desolate landscape: make great music.

Arctic Flowers/Spectres Split 7"

This out of print split was a great excuse to post about one of my new favorite bands (AFs) and it also gave me a chance to really listen to Spectres who have finally sunken in and won me over (they have several releases you might be interested in). Arctic Flowers are touted often as "Stan from Signal Lost's new band" and they are that and so much more. They're the celebration of all things dark and beautiful, and the annihilation of the illusory and false. I hope this band is as resilient as their namesake, because their next releases will/would be amazing. Be sure to grab their 7" here or from the band on their California tour dates.

Cleansed by Flame

Here's Unruh's two part prescription for the most brutal form of Euthanasia: the first to knock you out, the second to end it all. This is the most extraordinary of renditions Arizona-style that's caught in the Rorschach dilemma of being either metallic hardcore or hardcore influenced metal depending on what angle you view it from. After all these years, Unruh's Hell is still hotter than Satan's crotch, like a chunk of coal emerging as a shining jewel after smoldering in His loins for 13 or so years. For the take today is Unruh's debut LP "Misery Strenghtened Faith" and...
their follow-up/swan-song "Setting Fire to Sinking Ships." While both are nearly equal in their raw brutality, I would venture to say that "SFTSS" surpasses its predecessor in production and technical precision, as well as in the impact and originality of the lyrics. As to which I enjoy more, I lean toward the first, but really you just can't go wrong with either one. Both have been ripped from the vinyls at 320 kbps as per request from Mike, but you may want to check Pessimiser Records (if you can find them) or ebay to find the CD version of "SFTSS".

"Misery Strengthened Faith" by Unruh
"Setting Fire to Sinking Ships" by Unruh

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

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!

Japanese Title

The Kaibousitsu LP is an impenetrable black box. Do not attempt to figure out its inner workings; just listen joyfully to Crow (of the bands Crow and Death Comes Along) wail and croon psychotically over energetically played, darkish punk/hardcore rhythms. The other aspects of the enigma that we do know: The band's name was also a song by The Stalin and has been translated variously as dissection room or autopsy suite, the LP was released on the mighty H:G Fact label (their website is screwy as of late), and it was sold in the US for a pricey sum and appears to be sold out everywhere. I was all set to rip this thing, but my klutz-ass dropped it, taking a decent sized chunk off the outer edge. I ripped it anyway and replaced the truncated tracks with ones I downloaded from a nice soulseeker. Apologies in advance for that inconsistency of quality and for the lack of song titles.

Kaiboushitsu LP

Check out this post on the band's 7"

How to Lay Down

I'm sure you'd much rather have a full-length for your free download, but let's not forget the punkest format ever. Not to mention, a nice split 7" will introduce you to two bands, add focus to your musical life, and make you less lazy. While I can't guarantee that last bit, I can almost guarantee you'll dig at least one of these bands: Acts Of Sedition and/or Surrender. I fear these bands haven't gotten the attention they deserve outside of the Bay Area, and I was floored when I heard these two very different bands making equally powerful and meaningful music on one little disk. AOS was an instant hit for someone like me who was raised on Christ on Parade and Econochrist. Only one track is offered, but in no way is that unsatisfying. Recognizable as their hardcore is, their song writing somehow breathes something invigoratingly new to the field. The same can be said for Surrender, a self-proclaimed peace punk band. Added to the tropes inherent in that label is a bit of that post-whatever of bands like Spitboy and Witchknot. The politics is in your face; the drums are upbeat, while the guitars are spacious and unpredictably frisky at times. The end result leaves a similar impression as the whole record: fury and wildness held in mean check by an equal amount of intelligence.

Acts Of Sedition/Surrender split 7"

Find out about other AOS released and future collections here.

Find out about other Surrender releases and download them all here.

Song of the Week: "Images" (Complications)

I'm bringing back an old institution after a couple of weeks without any inspiration. This time my drooping antennae were compelled northward by the signal of an LP aged three years in the pipeline. Most descriptions of Montreal's Complications will start with the members' prior involvement in Born Dead Icons. An irresistible attention-grabber, no doubt, but inadequate for descriptive purposes. You might also see the Killing Joke reference, and here we start to unravel the secret. Whether you settle on post-punk, post-hardcore, dark punk, etc, Complications will likely mesmerize many listeners at first with the complex layering of their dark guitaristry, such as the amazing second riff in today's selection, "Images." Such shadowy music deserves a fitting vocalist, and here I think the band succeeds again. At the risk of completely missing the mark, I offer this: the creeky basement despair of Rozz, the rasp of Piciotto, the gravely hum of Stubbs. Despite the persistent gloom, there's odd warmth to the band's sound that isn't common among its tribe; this is due in part to the drums which in calmer instants lull and rock, but in fits of violence pulse and pump-- the former like a warm oatmeal stout by the fire on a moonless night; the latter a frantic chase through a tunnel whose end is a mere pin-point aperture. I thought I could kick the habit I had formed from listening to Zygote and Bad Influence, but it seems with bands like Complications and Cross Stitched Eyes around, there may be no end to it. "Images" from the self-titled LP by Complications (Feral Ward Records)

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.

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.

Song of the Week: "Suburban Home" (Descendents)

In a couple of days I'm gonna be moving to a place that, according to friends and family, reveals that I'm finally "growing up." As you can imagine, these words are more upsetting than encouraging. To drown out their jeers, I celebrate with a song I've been enjoying since high school, from a record that, groove for groove, might be the catchiest of all time. So catchy in fact, I can imagine even Asian lesbian jock drug addicts forgiving the sophomoric lyrics and singing along. "Suburban Home" is not my favorite track on the "MGTC" LP, but every track on there is a winner in some way, and thematically it was just too perfect to pass up.

So with starting work up again, and with my records packed and stacked and probably no internet for who knows how long, posting will be even more scarce than it has been lately. This reprieve will also allow me a little space and time to make some decisions I've been grappling with about the future of this blog...

"Suburban Home"

Another Day In The Void

You knew Grievance would have to make another appearance here, didn't you? Before throwing this one against the wall to see if it sticks, I recommend sampling the previous 7" posted below. The 7" at hand today, which I'm calling "Un Altro Giorno" after the first track, is a bit flawed. Let's begin with the positive-- the songwriting is amazing! The guitars are even more dissonant than their other material, and while the tempos aren't as varied and oddly placed, the riffs perform some pretty impressive time signature gymnasticism. Where this little record falls short is in the weak production (specifically on the drums), and in the absence of the usual vocalist. But seriously, the music destroys.

Whenever I can I like to add a little bonus track. The "Resistance Is futile... Assimilate" comp has another outstanding Grievance offering (with the other vocalist!). It reverts back to their other 7" with its whacked-out tempo progressions and emotive build-up. I was going to just add this track, but I figured you might also like the other material from Konstrukt, Stalingrad, and No Comply (they do a Spazz cover with pretty much a drum machine and bass!).

Grievance "Un Altro Giorno" and "Resistance Is Futile" Comp.

Zorn

While drawing the contrast between '90's bands of Europe vs. America, I was led to dig up some old Zorn 7"s. No, not the Avant Guarde composer, nor the black metal band. You may know the hardcore band from the classic "Plot" compilation, or if you're German perhaps they were a household name. I fear they were glossed over in my country, although the harsh, metallic hardcore hybrids that came out a couple of years later (in Arizona, for example) share some things in common. The "Heftig Aufflammender Unwille" 7" brings us stiflingly heavy hardcore that is emotive without being "emo" and metallic without being, well, metal. The "clean" passages nicely break up the relentless pummeling of the guitars I think, but some of you I fear will probably just want the guy to hit the damned pedal already. Anyway, this is classic stuff for me, and if you already love Systral, early Dawnbreed, Ego Trip, Gogatha, Acheborn, and maybe Wounded Knee, this is a band for you (as well as for lovers of Absinthe, Unruh, Jeremin, etc.)

A simple click will also get you Zorn's split with Zelot, who fall into a similar subgenre slot. I enjoy the Zorn tracks on their 7" much better, but really both bands do a fine enough job on this one.


*I have to apologize once again for the condition of the vinyl rips. I bought these for a buck each out of a used bin circa 2000.

Zorn 7"s

Song of the Week: "Homo Afflictus" (Charred Remains a.k.a. Man Is The Bastard)

Still vying for my favorite Man Is The Bastard track is "Homo Afflictus," for the usual intensity these musicians always brought to their music, as well as for its unpredictability of structure and overall weirdness! I've said it before and will continue to do so: MITB's recorded material pales in comparison to their live sets. When these guys plugged in, the brutality was real, not just an aspect of the genre they played. If you were fortunate enough to see them a couple of times, just close your eyes and crank up the volume; maybe some nifty flashback experience will visit your consciousness. For others, the advice concerning volume is still recommended.

"Homo Afflictus"

I've been putting off a re-post of the excellent comp from which this song was ripped. I'll continue to place it high on my list of priorities.

If Just I Could Burn As Well...

Since we're on the topic of The Assassinators, I noticed that this CD is becoming harder to find outside of Australia. It collects the band's demo, comp tracks, and the 7" I posted a while back. All twelve songs are as consistently invigorating and catchy as you'd expect from this band...

D/L here (for a limited time???)

Buy here.

Song of the Week: "Mit Mareridt" (The Assassinators)

Here's one of my favorite Assassinators songs from a 7" I've been playing uncontrollably for a couple of months now. Addiction is inevitable with these Danes, from their tight, traditional structures and galloping punk drumming, to the contagion-laced vocal melodies and harmonies (the comparisons to Bad Religion and La Fraction are not entirely misplaced). This is one of the few bands I know that can somehow sound so sweet and digestible, and still hold a stern place in the political/crusty hardcore canon. I've also heard that the band is no more, sadly, but this 7" is available all over the place. So, support them, and while you're at it you can support DSB who is also rad.

"Mit Mareridt" by The Assassinators from the split with DSB

Ivich Part II

Ivich's one and only LP was a major discovery for me, right after another major discovery-- that of the Ebullition mail order list. Ivich was without a doubt hardcore, but not like I had heard it previously. In the DIY spirit, it proved to me that a band still didn't need a huge recording budget to create innovative and moving noise. It was also my first indication that the nineties experimentation in Europe was a lot heavier and less whiny than its American correlate-- two traits I still adore in these bands. "La Mort Heureuse" is noisy, messy, and unpredictable, but it's equally riveting, passionate and sincere.

You can also hear some of the band's earliest work in the 7" included below (thanks a million to the always awesome Fab!) and on the "Le Garage" comp posted a while back.

Ivich stuff is here

Ivich LP and 7"

I won't be posting the 10" as it is still available from Ebullition.

Song of the Week: "Gusano De Fuego" (Moho)

Well, the SOTW is way late, but that's how it goes on vacation-- the days of the week are thrown out with the alarm clock. Late rather than never, we have one of the vices of all my summers. Along with more melodic stuff, I tend to grab the slow and sludgy records too, complimented with some non-cigarette tobacco product and a little alcohol. Eyehategod and Cavity are defaults for porch-sitting capers, as is the mighty Moho. They fit the MO perfectly-- Low and dirty post-Sabbath riffs? Got 'em. Sickening vocals? In abundance. Oodles of feedback? Check. Bearded Southern guys loaded on meth and whiskey? Ooh, not quite. Moho is some ex-grindcore kids from the capital of Spain, but don't let that prejudice you; they can easily hold their own with the big guns.

"Gusano De Fuego" by Moho from "20 Uñas"