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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
KOBAYASHI:
Neuanstrich: LP
Never heard of this band before. But with so many bands around the world, that is highly likely. I really didn’t find much on this band when I did a quick search but I did learn that this is their second release. At first glance, I really didn’t think I would like this record. I thought this would be a street punk record from Germany. Boy was I wrong on that assumption. The band is definitely German. I can’t put my finger on what band or bands they remind me of at the moment. But that is a good thing since I can’t instantly write them off as another band that easily sounds like another. Instantly I can say that they play melodic driven punk that is emotionally layered and varied. Mid tempo beats that have force and songs that have been written with a lot of thought put in. Vocals are delivered with a passion and with conviction. Without understanding the language, I can definitely feel that the songs are sung with passion and sincerity. Guitars are a tad on the clean side but lightly distorted they create the right aural power to bring forth the music. Drums and bass tie in the rhythms to solidify the music. An enjoyable listen all the way through. A large group of labels banded together to put this out. Co-released by Alerta Antifascista, Soroll, Tofu Guerilla, Acclaim Collective, Synalgie, and Behind the Scenes. That shows a lot of faith that this release should see the light of day.
–Donofthedead (Alerta Antifascista)
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KING AUTOMATIC:
I Walk My Murderous Intentions Home: CD
I buy demented, bluesy, squawky-harmonica bashing records from time to time, and, generally, I tend to enjoy them the first couple times I play them, then rarely spin them ever again. With the one-man-though-likely-not-all-recorded-at-once skronky majesty of King Automatic, these songs sound like demi-classics of the subgenre that one already knows and loves after the second or third time around, and I can’t figure out if that’s a good thing, or it just means that I’ll be sick of and done with the record that much sooner. OH, THE PAIN OF UNCERTAINTY!!! BEST SONG: “Artschool Girl” BEST SONG TITLE: “I Walk My Murderous Intentions Home” FANTASTIC AMAZING TRIVIA FACT: He’ll give you space cake, you cunt.
–Rev. Norb (Voodoo Rhythm)
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HAUNTED LIFE:
The Declaration: CD
Fast ’n’ furious, cookie cutter bro-core stuff with all the requisite shout-alongs and shit like that. The fact that they sounded a little like a sped up Cro-Mags made ’em interesting for about nine seconds, tops.
–Jimmy Alvarado (Get Outta Town)
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GREAT ST. LOUIS, THE:
Forever Now: CD
Muscular up-tempo punk rock akin to Avail or American Steel (maybe Dropkick Murphys meets early Jawbox?). Bands like that are always hit or miss for me, but this one grew on me with every play. Catchy and melodic with gruff vocals that mean business, I for one did not feel that this record was stale or derivative in any way. I may be pigeonholing the style of music that The Great St. Louis play, but they do it very well, sounding fresh and vibrant every step of the way. Solid stuff.
–The Lord Kveldulfr (JSNTGM)
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GHENGIS CON JOB:
To Hell In Black: CD
So here’s the picture on this CD: Big, tough looking guys with a lot of tattoos, bandanas, and facial hair drinking beer. The cover has a skull wearing a cowboy hat with a pentagram on it above two six-shooters skull and crossbones style. There is a picture of a tattooed woman tied up and gagged, wearing just underwear, in the trunk in the car. On the other side is just the rope in the trunk of the car. Did she escape? What’s the deal? So this CD is metal. I’m not much into metal; in fact I’d say it accounts for less than one percent of what I listen to. I can’t really relate to the satanic redneck theme of this record and the music, although not bad (I’ve listened to enough metal in my life to at least know good and bad) isn’t anything new. Somebody might like this, maybe Pantera fans? But it’s not my taste.
–Jason Donnerparty (High Fidelity)
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GEE STRINGS, THE:
A Bunch of Bugs: CD
There is nothing subtle about The Gee Strings. For instance, there is a song on this album called “Let’s Make Up and Screw”. Straight ahead, aggressive, catchy punk rock with lady vocals. I liked it while I was listening to it, but forgot it as soon as I turned it off.
–Jennifer Whiteford (Dead Beat)
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FIVE-O:
Get Down!: CD
Five-O really hate the police. I’d even wager that they hate the police even more than The Dicks and N.W.A. put together. Yep, they’re really passionate about their hatred for the police alright. The only problem is that you’d never guess from their sound. It definitely looks right. Lots of pictures of police brutality from over the decades, lots of angry lyrics and slogans plastered everywhere… One question though. Why is the singer so goddamn happy? Seriously, the guy sounds like he’s singing about taking is Grandma out for ice cream and a walk in the park, while the lyrics are spouting rhetoric about smashing the police state and our rights being removed. It just doesn’t synch up. On another note, the music is incredibly cheesy which doesn’t help to get the point across. I’ve got to say that I’ve never heard of annoying someone into seeing your point of view.
–Ty Stranglehold (Citizen Target)
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DRUNK DRIVERS:
Model Citizen: CD
Smart-guy rock of the ilk you’d hear from a band playing one o’ them college town bars where the kids get shitfaced, whoop a lot and never really pay much attention to the band playing on any given night.
–Jimmy Alvarado (Crustacean)
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DEADLINE:
More to It: CD
My feelings about Deadline have varied from album to album, usually with them averaging out at being better than average. This reissue of their first album, however, is a bit of a doozy. The tunes are loud and up to the eyebrows in hooks, and Liz’s vocals sound like a low-intensity Poly Styrene. Though I wasn’t too hip on the ska-tinged second tune here, the bulk of this is solid as a titanium wall and the non-ska cover of the Specials’ “Do Nothing” was easily one of the highlights.
–Jimmy Alvarado (Captain Oi)
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DASH RIP ROCK:
Hee Haw Hell: CD
Right off the bat, I’m not a big fan of the “Southern Fried Punk” thang. That said, however, I do respect a clever idea and some decent song writing. This—a baker’s dozen of twangy rock tunes loosely held together by a Southern take on Dante’s Inferno—has both. I wouldn’t say it’s the best thing I’ve heard this year, but it is good for a few listens, and the vignettes between songs should make any literature-savvy listener giggle more than once.
–Jimmy Alvarado (Alternative Tentacles)
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CRACKDOWN, THE / HIROSHIMA MON AMOUR:
Vs.: Split CD
Those who know me can attest to my love of bands from both my native Canada and also Germany. Just can’t get enough of the punk rock from both countries. That said, this split puts me in an odd position. Who will win? The Crackdown are from Winnipeg and they play that earnest, working man’s punk. They do it well. Great recording here as well. I’m thinking Beltones which works well for me. Toe tapping and singing along at work. We have a contender. In the other corner we have Hiroshima Mon Amour hailing from Bochum Germany. They came out of the corner firmly rocking the whole Turbonegro thing. Doing it well, but it’s a style that’s been done to death as of late. Wait a minute. That’s all falling to the wayside, and what we’re left with is some tight, snotty and rocking punk that is fully kicking my ass. Lyrics in both English and German. That gets me every time! Who wins this one you ask? I DO!
–Ty Stranglehold (Longshot)
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COFFINBERRY:
God Dam Dogs: CD
Alex Chilton-inspired indie rock for teenagers who don’t know Alex Chilton from Paul Westeberg. Honestly, better than most, but not Black Time or anything. File under “I’d rather being reading Michel Foucault.”
–Ryan Leach (Morphius)
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COBRETTI:
Violation Guaranteed: CD
Think Henry Rollins fronting a Swedish rock band and you’re on the right track.
–Jimmy Alvarado (Cobretti)
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BLUDWULF:
Cryptic Revelations: CD
These guys and girl are a different bunch. They tend to play a lot of DIY punk shows. But their look is more glam with some punk elements mixed in. The music sounds like 80s metal with a feel of the Japanese band GISM. I saw this band on tour with Toxic Holocaust last year. If you know anything about TH, it is just one person on record. But when he plays out, he recruits a band to learn his songs and back him. So Bludwulf were the backing and opening band for the tour. Live, Bludwulf were pretty fun to watch even though they didn’t have their guitarist with them. He had gotten himself arrested the night before. So Mr. Toxic Holocaust had to back them on guitar. So I ended up watching one band with a singer and the same band with the guitarist singing a different set. On this recording, the energy of their live show is not captured. To me, sounds like a metal record I would have pulled out of the used bin back in the ‘80s from some obscure band from maybe the Midwest. I would have pulled it out, listened to it, and then put it back in the bins.
–Donofthedead (Charged)
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BLACK ROSE BAND:
Hot Box: 7"
Plucky fun from the modern master King Louie. He keeps the rock pure and simple here. “Hot Box” is a love letter to smoking; “Hoochie Poochie” is a bitch session about getting the tour van pulled over and searched. That’s what I’m sayin’, don’t need to reinvent rock, just tell stories, pluck the instruments, photocopy the cover, have people nod along. Good shit.
–Speedway Randy (Contaminated)
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BEERZONE:
Against the Flow/Strangle All the Boy Bands: CD
Beerzone’s take on the whole streetpunk thing, firmly entrenched in the Peter & the Test Tube Babies school of rambunctiousness, is always a hoot, with social commentary dollopped into the off-kilter humor for which these guys are known, and you get a double dose with this, a reissue of two albums on one disc. Haven’t heard anything from them for a while and was kinda worried they’d thrown in the towel, but a quick Google search indicates they’re still raising a ruckus, which is good news, indeed.
–Jimmy Alvarado (Overground)
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WILLOWZ:
Chautauqua: CD
I know people love this band, but I’ve never listened to them. I kind of started to respect my friends who like this band a whole lot less. Seriously, who sings through a filter if they’re not Scott Weiland?
–Megan Pants (Dim Mak)
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VARIOUS ARTISTS:
Don't Fuck With Her: CD
This collection from On The Rag Records is named after the idea that no one should “fuck with” any woman, dedicated to abused women everywhere, and includes a call to support RAINN (the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network). Everyone can get behind a cause like that, but what I can’t get behind is the music on this comp. Featuring four or five tracks each from four hardcore bands that are either female-fronted or all women (Gruk, All or Nothing HC, Riot This, and Bruise Violet), this all just sounds the same to me. Sarah Shay
–Guest Contributor (On the Rag)
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VARIOUS ARTISTS:
State Of The Scene: CD
I like the intent behind this comp—the guy putting it out writes that while it’s great to hold onto the tenets and sounds of yesteryear, there’s still so many active bands out nowadays that are just as good; that some of us should possibly stop living quite so much in the past and recognize that there are plenty of current bands to embrace. Nice concept, and while the majority of the bands presented are from the States, there’s also contributions from South Korea, the Netherlands, Australia, Sweden, Portugal, South Africa, Nova Scotia and more. Comps are pretty hard to do well—there’s such a risk of dips in quality, whether it’s from sound/mastering issues or just having a few too many clunker bands in a row. This one, especially for having thirty-six different groups on it from all over the planet, seems to be mastered really evenly and there’s actually not a cringe-worthy band on here. I mean, not all of them are jaw-droppers, but if you’re into old school-styled hardcore there’s not an openly embarrassing track on it. I guess it’s my own fault that I inevitably compare almost all current hardcore bands to Cut The Shit, Paint It Black or Strike Anywhere—probably because those are ones that still get pretty heavy rotation at my house. If you’re into any of those groups or still get the urge to floorpunch in your living room to Gorilla Biscuits or Youth Of Today, then you’ll find plenty to like here. Standouts for this reviewer were Years From Now, Van Damage, Bullet Treatment, Ambitions and Crossing Point.
–Keith Rosson (Get Outta Town)
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UNINVITED:
Too Many Bad Choices: CD
Speaking of bad choices, SIR, PLEASE STEP AWAY FROM THE ADOBE PHOTOSHOP®!!! Art dickery aside, the rather well-produced Uninvited sound primarily like a cross between Screeching Weasel type pop-punk and Headache Records-styled street punk a la Niblick Henbane; the type of band whose collective favorite Ramones album is likely “Road To Ruin.” And, whilst I cannot truly say that the 5,280th song I’ve heard in my lifetime about how the band likes, and wishes to be given, beer is really the type of thing that gets me reaching for my wallet, I’d say that this stuff more or less works more or less often than it more or less doesn’t, so more or less go Uninvited. Right when it starts losing my interest, ‘cause they tried something too metal or reminded me too much of the Migraines or something, they wrap it up with a completely credible, no-tongue-in-no-cheek-whatsoever cover of “Under Pressure,” which I’ve always thought was a fine song, even though I really don’t understand it. They even do the “deew deew deew deew” thing at the very end! That’s quality workmanship! BEST SONG: I’ll be forced to go with “Under Pressure” here. BEST SONG TITLE: I’ll be forced to go with “PBR” here. FANTASTIC AMAZING TRIVIA FACT: If there is a problem, yo, they’ll solve it; check out the hook while their DJ revolves it. Whoops, wrong “Under Pressure” cover.
–Rev. Norb (Uninvited)
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TWIN CITY FACTION:
Locked In: CD
Man, I’ve listened to this thing so many times, trying to pin down exactly what it is that Locked In reminds me of and I finally came up with it. It was like a goddamn light bulb appeared above my head: Twin City Faction sounds like a less dissonant version of This Machine Kills or a slightly more spastic replica of the Torches To Rome 12”, just with a little less oomph and a few more hardcore breakdowns. It’s not quite as dense as TTR—Twin City Faction bobs and weaves their instrumental interplay too much to get the “wall of sound” thing going, but they’ve got the same sense of impending doom, the same frantic quality that those bands really nailed down in their heyday. Crazy stops and starts, a brutal rhythm section, a vocalist who belts it out so hard it sounds like he’s trying to turn his innards into outards, and backing vocals that screech, cement and accentuate it all. Throw that all together with some pretty decent social/political lyrics that aren’t dumb and a nice layout and that’s what you’re looking at. It’s by no means a monumental album but it’s also not an album that should be glossed over or shitcanned as inconsequential. Nice work.
–Keith Rosson (Deathshead)
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TUNNEL OF LOVE:
Rockin’ Rollin Bitches: CD
Really, really, really lo-fi garage rock that was recorded on a 4-track at the band’s practice space, “before it burned down.” Musically, this is okay enough garage rock which doesn’t actually move me in either direction to say it’s bad or good. If anything I’d say it’s kinda bland. The problem with this CD is that this sounds like a rehearsal tape of a garage band’s jam session that didn’t really warrant release into the larger public. Bands I’ve been in have recorded stuff into two microphones on one track that sounded more listenable than this. I appreciate raw recordings but this is just a step above recording onto a cassette memo machine (the big difference being that the memo machine only records to the left channel). This is just too pre-emptive of a release of material that’s not really that amazing to begin with.
–Adrian (Big Neck)
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TERROR LEVEL RED:
No Man's Land: LP
Pretty good epic-styled hardcore with just a touch too much of the metallic that keeps it from being great. But they’re doing some nice shit here—sporadic interludes of charango (that sounds a bit like a banjo) and a cello split the songs up nicely, they’ve got really great lyrics and as it’s only eight songs (including the intro and interlude) it’s lengthy enough to keep your interest but doesn’t start dragging on. Nice attack, gentlemen.
–Keith Rosson (Ed-Man)
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SPECTACLE, THE:
I, Fail: 2xLP
I might have even enjoyed this if the stupid fucking press release hadn’t made bullshit claims about how this album “redefines punk rock and hardcore” or how it “presents the true shape of punk to come.” This is a double LP that never quite pulls it off. If being epic is the goal don’t twank around your guitar for minutes on end, ‘cause I’m gonna get bored. When the heavy parts finally arrive it is pretty good but I can’t say it was worth the wait. I’m sure someone at Scenester Credentials really likes this album but I’m not sure if I understand why it needed to be repressed when there is so much better music out there being made by bands that are still around.
–Daryl Gussin (Scenster Credentials)
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SEVEN SIOUX:
We Are Not the Sacred People: CD
There’s nothing bad about this, but I so completely forgot it was on that I couldn’t figure out why I couldn’t eject it (while it was still on play mode) to put it another CD for a full three seconds.
–Megan Pants (Fettkakao)
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