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Record Reviews1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 | 0-9| A| B| C| D| E| F| G| H| I| J| K| L| M | | N| O| P| Q| R| S| T| U| V| W| X| Y| Z| Below are some recently posted reviews.  RSS Feed
WILD CHILD:
Self-titled: 7” EP
Dirty and fast hardcore punk somewhere betwixt the School Jerks and Cülo. The drumming sounds like hell, the guitar lacks solid distortion, and the vocalist sounds like he’s slobbering all over himself. Fuggin’ spastic! “Stay Bent” is the best of the bunch, because it’s the final song on here and I know it’s over. Kidding. Relax... The real reason is it embodies all the best elements of the other four songs and pushes all those elements further into the red. It sounds like everything is on the verge of falling into chaos. The weird grunting in “Viral Load” has its charm, as well as the urgent delivery of “Brown Nose.”
–Matt Average (Deranged, derangedrecords.com)
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WAY TO GO GENIUS:
WAY TO GO GENIUS: LP
L.A.’s Way to Go Genius deliver a hearty, raw garage punk LP, with a nice seedy quality to it. All eight of the songs included are terrific, with variants in tempo spanning from fairly slow to fairly quick, as opposed to lingering in the mid range throughout. The fact that the recording is so meticulous helps propel the already well conceived music. The packaging is likewise a labor of love and comes complete with crayons and old fashioned handwriting paper.
–Art Ettinger (Self-released, waytogogenius.bandcamp.com)
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WARHEAD:
Never Give Up: LP
This LP collects Warhead’s out-of-print singles (Cry of the Truth, Drive It in Your Head and the Disorder split) and compilation appearances on one handy full length. I’m going to guess that if you are aware of who this band is and are familiar with their records that you are already putting this zine down to track this sucker down on the internet, but in case you are unaffiliated, here is the deal. Warhead started kicking around Japan around 1991 and over the following twenty some-odd years released some of the most disturbing and intense hardcore that ever came from the island. The recordings are cleaner than the bands that predated them, giving the listener the full scope of the chaos instead of burying it under noise and, despite their connections (in later incarnations) to Framtid and Gloom, the band remained their own entity and cast their own crazy curses on themselves. Their live shows have been sparse in the U.S., but those of us who have been lucky enough to witness them (saw them on the famous Forward/Tragedy tour a few years back where they (sorry guys!) blew Tragedy off the stage) have walked away just a little bit more jaded. Highest recommendations!
–Ian Wise (Insane Society, insanesociety.net)
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WAREHOU$E VALUE:
Fucked up on Lo-Fi: 7”
This 7” contains a load of pissed-sounding hardcore. The liner notes explain that the band only played five shows. The first side is a demo from 2001 and the other side is unreleased material. I couldn’t find any more information. Kudos if this is someone actually going through with that dream of “maybe we’ll put out our old demo on a 7” one day.” These songs deserve the vinyl treatment in my opinion. Lo-fi, speedy, and angry. More old school without too much heavy nonsense. I lean towards DRI-paced HC. This is something I would listen to. Good record.
–Billups Allen (Mike Fitzgerald, xmikefitzgeraldx@gmail.com))
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VIOLENT BULLSHIT:
Adult Problems: LP
Speedy hardcore with a crunchy edge. Everything about their sound is thick, from the vocals that sound like the singer is about to choke to death, to the impenetrable wall of guitar and hard-hitting percussion. For some reason, I’m reminded of Celebrity Murders, but this band consists of folks from Black Army Jacket, Half Mast, Orchid, Les Savy Fav, and others. Their style is definitely in the present, mixed with the better elements of NYHC, and a forceful delivery that keeps the tension high. “Theatre Sports” is a weird blend of Bad Brains “Attitude” with their own song that gets wonky and weird. “Hip Replacement” is the definite standout of the bunch. The song is fast, direct, and verging on going over the edge. It blazes by in a fast minute, though it feels shorter. These guys definitely know how to construct hard-hitting songs and keep it interesting. Plus, going from the lyrics, they don’t seem to be dour or convinced they have the answers. Pretty good.
–Matt Average (Violent Responsibility, violentbullshit@violentbullshit.com, violentbullshit.com)
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VARIOUS ARTISTS:
Mix It Up, Vol. III: Cassette
Another volume of the regional, Portland-only comp that benefits pc-pdx.com, a well-loved and oft-used online resource guide to shows in the area. Like most regional comps, it’s crafted out of love and is a mixed bag. Genres abound here, but it becomes quickly clear there are tons of great, active bands in this town. My personal standouts are Shitty Weekend, Drunk Dad, Pageripper, Raw Nerves, and Freedom Club. Twenty-eight bands.
–Keith Rosson (Useless State)
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UPSIDE DOWN:
Aperitif: CD
Five-piece punk band that has been slugging away since 1992. That is really the only thing I can tell you about this band since Google “translate” does not seem to want to cooperate with me today. So I’m at a loss to find out even the most basic information about this band. This applies to their website, Facebook page, whatever. I can tell you the music sounds like fast melodic punk from the mid-’90s. Think Strung Out or Good Riddance but with Fat Mike on vocals. Oh yeah, and if Fat Mike had grown up in Warsaw instead of California. Now you’ve got it.
–Sean Koepenick (Pasazer)
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UPPGANG OCH FALL:
Self-titled: 7” EP
Swedish band playin’ clean channel, minor-chord punk with dual male/female vocals.
–Jimmy Alvarado (Uppgång Och Fall)
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TWO MAN ADVANTAGE:
Dynasty: LP
Wow, my old band played with these black-clad hockey goons in the ‘90s; that was two NHL strikes ago! Perhaps not surprisingly, time has neither mellowed nor dried out this Empire State squad on this, their fourth album ((thus, by inference, their Road to Ruin)), who arise with all appropriate ferocity to ascend to their rightful place as either the Mentors of hockey punk, the Nine Pound Hammer of the rink, the Zeke of the ice, the Hanson Brothers minus the Ramones-based levity, or the Dropkick Murphys if hockey was the new Irish and that Slap Shot band didn’t fuck everything up for everyone in the first place. If you were looking for a record containing the line “goal scoring whiskey drinking motherfucker” this month, you’ve clearly come to the right community ice center. BEST SONG: “Rookie Season.” BEST SONG TITLE: “Hosers Sing the Blues.” FANTASTIC AMAZING TRIVIA FACT: Conveniently included in the package is both a CD version of the album AND a drink coaster… now both you AND a friend will have a place to set their beers!
–Rev. Norb (Drug Front)
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TONY JONES & THE CRETIN THREE:
Midnight Mass: CDEP-R
Although these dudes live up the road from me, I have yet to see them live. In the meantime, this EP does the trick. Gritty punk with guts is represented here. Five songs that veer between T.S.O.L. and The Ramones but also show a true creative spark. It’s spooky, but a good spooky.
–Sean Koepenick (Cretin, tonyjonesinri@gmail.com)
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THANKS:
Demos: CD
Tracks from three demos of poppy punk stripped down to its barest essentials—gruff singing, strum-strum guitar, and the thud-thud-thud of a drum bubbling somewhere in the back.
–Jimmy Alvarado (Lost Cat)
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TEST OF TIME:
Inclusion: CD
Test Of Time is a bit of a hardcore supergroup. Its members have been in more bands than I have space to list in this review. They more than know how to play their instruments and they have keen instincts for songwriting. They play melodic youth crew hardcore, but with more going on in terms of songwriting and riffing than three chords and verse, chorus, verse, breakdown song structures. Performing vocal duties is renowned punk photographer Todd Pollock. Pollock has put down his camera and picked up a microphone for the first time ever, and his vocal performance is powerful and engaging. He channels the best of hardcore heroes of the ‘80s. It’s catchy, passionate, and will live up to its name.
–Paul J. Comeau (xtestoftime@gmail.com, testoftime.bandcamp.com)
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TENDRIL:
Smear: Cassette
Quality slow and heavy AmRep-influenced hardcore with sexually-repressed dude vocals ripping it up over noisy and plodding riffs. The lyrics are poetic struggles out of pits of depression and existential despair. Not really my thing. I prefer my noisecore with a bit of gallows humor, like Killdozer or Deadguy, but they’re pretty damn good at what they do.
–Craven (Tension Head, tensionheadrecords@gmail.com)
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STÖJ SNAK:
Songs about Beliefs: 7”
Singer-songwriter Niels Höjgaard Sörensen is the main creative force behind Stöj Snak. His music is acoustic folk with a strong punk ethic. There are few folk/punk hybrid bands or performers who I can say I enjoy, but I’d definitely add Stöj Snak to that list. Sörensen is a great songwriter. Each track on this 7” is loaded with catchy acoustic guitar riffs. An assorted cast of supporting musicians, and Sörensen himself on some additional instruments, add a great deal to each track. There’s much more going on musically than just a guy and his guitar, which I appreciated. His lyrics are sharp and witty, but also show a good deal of polishing, and he demonstrates a great range of vocal power. Moving fluidly between singing and sing-screaming, often within the same track, his forceful delivery makes already good tunes that much better. The opening track, “Collateral Damage,” got me paying attention, especially with the chorus vocal of, “I’m going in for the kill,” and by the end of the second track, “State of Mind,” I was a fan. The three tracks on Side B were just as strong as either track on Side A, making this a ripper from start to finish.
–Paul J. Comeau (tnsrecords.co.uk, bev@tnsrecords.co.uk)
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STATIC EYES:
“Trouble” b/w “Waves”: 7”
Two wild, overblown garage rock stompers. “Waves” is the pick to click here, with a more unhinged delivery and an infectious pound-pound-pound on the drums.
–Jimmy Alvarado (Windian)
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SPASTIC HEARTS, THE:
Self-titled: CD
Power punk from Ohio that gave me pleasant dreams. There was an edge here that I was not expecting. Tight arrangements, harmonies, and quick songs made this enjoyable. Nice packaging too. No, I’m not talking about the skin-tight jeans featured on the cover. “Colorado” and “Rocket Ship” blasted out of the gate here, but there were a lot of strong contenders represented. Looking forward to hearing more from this outfit.
–Sean Koepenick (Self-released, thespastichearts.bandcamp.com)
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SPACE WOLVES:
Self-titled: Cassette
The Wolves step up to the plate with thirteen pop nuggets that hint at a wicked sense of humor sprinkled with some good old self deprecation for good measure. I think the band has invented its own genre of music which I will call “parenthetical rock,” as almost every song has at least one set of parenthesis in its title. There is probably a joke there that I am not getting. As far as the actual music, it didn’t really do much for me. It really comes across as pretty ordinary retro-pop with vocals reminiscent of Morrissey, which is rather off-putting to these jaded ears. If I want to hear a crooner a la Morrissey, I (would rather just) get it (from the source).
–Garrett Barnwell (UT)
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SOIL:
To Wither: Cassette
Soil are an Olympia band who play epic, crusty hardcore with lyrics that use gardening as a metaphor for autonomous living. The music, “Gardencore,” stands on its own, but the theme makes it inspiring. I hope they include seeds in the packaging of their next record, so people can grow some string beans while they punk out. If you live in a collective house that smells like dumpstered vegetables and wet Carhartts, you are required to keep this tape by the kitchen boombox. Don’t make me call a house meeting on your ass!
–CT Terry (gardencore.bandcamp.com)
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SECULAR PLAGUE:
Death for Sale: CD
Belgium’s answer to Rudimentary Peni. The singer doesn’t bother trying to emulate Blinko’s screech/howl, but a Death Church-era Peni influence is all over this release, from song structures, to the production values, to the guitar tone, to the three-piece lineup. They’re damned good at it, and Peni’s a great band from which to draw influence, but I’d be interested to hear where they go from here—will they end up essentially an enamored tribute band merely content with imitating their heroes or will they grab that influence and twist it into wild, singular directions? Here’ to rootin’ for the latter.
–Jimmy Alvarado (Secular Plague)
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ROXOR:
Obraz Doby: LP
Wow, this is noisy. Roxor are a totally brutal d-beat crust punk hardcore band from Slovakia. If they were from the United States, this would most likely be hugely popular. The packaging here is really great looking, as the record includes a great multipage professionally printed booklet and an 11” x 24” size poster. Aesthetically, it’s dark and “punk” like only hardcore records like this one can pull off. Musically, this is seemingly influenced by the noisier d-beat bands and sounds like it could be from Japan. There are nine songs here, including a Disfear cover (I think). If noisy d-beat crust is your thing, then seek this out—you will not be disappointed.
–Mark Twistworthy (Insane Society, barvak@insanesociety.net, insanesociety.net)
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RESONARS, THE:
Crummy Desert Sound: LP
The Resonars play ‘60s-inspired pop songs that seamlessly edge into power pop era catchiness. With over a decade of releases on labels such as Get Hip and Trouble In Mind, this band continues to somehow remain a well-kept secret. Crummy Desert Sound follows in the footsteps of their debut Burger release That Evil Drone. The band’s upbeat brand of pop-psychedelia continues to be innovative no matter how much garage overload comes out.
–Billups Allen (Burger)
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REPELLERS:
The Coming Storm: Cassette
Four-song debut from this Philly crust-punk-by-way-of-Tragedy-esque hardcore trio. Big horned salutes for the heaviest riffs this side of Megadeth’s Rust in Peace and Carcass’s Heartwork gives this the kind of appeal that will turn the heads of both crusty alley drinkers and goat-worshipping thrash-holes alike. I’m not so sure it’s a good idea to submit your first recordings to Mammoth Sound for mastering, as I’m sure Dan Randall could only do so much to smoothen out the rough patches, such as the weak drum intro to the song “The Ghost.” Nonetheless, Repellers have the chops to mature into quite the behemoth and give the bands on Southern Lord a run for their open air festival money.
–Juan Espinosa (Self-released, repellers.bandcamp.com)
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RED JACKET MINE:
Someone Else’s Cake: CD
It’s funny how things kinda roll back around and end up plopped in places you’d least expect. Thirty-five, forty years ago, this would’ve been considered fairly “mainstream” pop/rock fodder, kinda falling somewhere between mellow Elvis Costello (c.f. “Allison”) when they’re at their edgiest, and your average adult-rock band on the other. Now, it apparently falls within the “alternative” ghetto. Go figure. The songs are well crafted and executed tunesmithing with a groovy sound that’d be aces on FM radio circa-1975.
–Jimmy Alvarado (Fin)
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RATAS DEL VATICANO:
Rafagueados: 2 x 7” EP
Raw, noisy, and abrasive-as-battery acid hardcore/grind. Shit gets wrecked in a hurry when the breakdowns suddenly stop and a sound wave of atonal guitar riffs, blast beats, and inhuman shrieks erupts from out of thin air. Strictly for freaks who appreciate Quattro Stagioni, Combatwoundedveteran, and who have a reckless disregard for tinnitus.
–Jimmy Alvarado (Batshit, badshit@live.com)
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PURITY CONTROL:
Self-titled: 7”
Raw, noisy, and abrasive-as-battery acid hardcore/grind. Shit gets wrecked in a hurry when the breakdowns suddenly stop and a sound wave of atonal guitar riffs, blast beats, and inhuman shrieks erupts from out of thin air. Strictly for freaks who appreciate Quattro Stagioni, Combatwoundedveteran, and who have a reckless disregard for tinnitus.
–Juan Espinosa (High Anxiety, no address, distributed by No Idea)
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