June 2013 – #361

Top Ten:

KLAXON-1984-LP
KAOS-Betonska Djeca-LP
PLEASURE LEFTISTS-Elephant Men/No Over-45
CATHOLIC SPIT-EP/CATHOLIC DISCIPLINE-LP
THE BODY-LP
COKE BUST/VACCINE-split
SYSTEMATIK-EP
WARHEAD-Never Give Up-LP
LA LUZ-Call Me In The Day/Easy Baby-45
NUDES-EP/RAPID LOSS-LP


THE BODY – LP

With an artful, droning approach that thumbs its nose at doom traditionalism, THE BODY bring the avant-grim on a level few others can, rewarding those patient enough to endure their monolithic dirges with some of the more harrowing soundscapes to be found in contemporary American metal. This is a reissue of their excellent eponymous debut, originally released in 2004, and the remaster here is absolutely MASSIVE; even after seeing them for years, it's still hard to wrap my head around the fact that this is only a two-piece. Famed for playing without the aid of microphones, Chip's piercing, tortured shrieks occasionally offset by some of the most off-puttingly murky vocals ever put to wax, there's enough occult/torture chamber vibes here to satiate the most craven soul, with a focus on ambience that they've only expanded on with subsequent releases. One element that this band never gets enough credit for are their stark, mythical lyrics, obliquely mournful and Biblical in scope. THE BODY is unmissable live, louder-than-death and seriously the most ass-shaking (in the PARLIAMENT sense) experience in modern doom. They've yet to disappoint thus far, so of course I'm more than a little excited for their new EP Master, We Perish, which will be out by the time this goes to print. (WB)
(Feast of Tentacles / Howling Mine)

BUNNY SKULLS – "Your Life" EP
For those who believe hardcore is best suited for messages that can be expressed in ten words or less, I give you Michigan's BUNNY SKULLS. Action-packed with an old-skool blastbeat or three, the 80s throwback vibe is strong (though not dominant) with oh-so-dejected vocals in the vein of ANTIDOTE (US). Production is rough and raw, with a home-recorded guitar tone that's spot-on for the style, and yes, they do a not-half-bad cover of "Punk's Not Dead." If I had to pick some of its lyrics to sum up this recording, I'd have to go with "Kicked in the face, kicked in the balls". One for the hate-filled drunk in all of us. (WB)
(Knot Music)

WET LUNGS – "Scud" EP
Sorry folks, but I'm yawning on this one. It's not that WET LUNGS are a clone band—the southern-tinged sludge-meets-hardcore sound has been done to death, but they at least have an idiosyncratic take on it—really, the problem is that the songs here just aren't especially memorable. Sonically, the band is caught between a rock and a hard place: about half of the riffs are generic metal/punk crossover, but when they get more ambitious with the songwriting it goes in a more rock-oriented direction that mostly feels flat. It's not all that bad—"Resist or Serve" is a nice slice of blasty metallic HC (a direction I hope they will expand on in the future), and I can't object to the unapologetic goofiness of a song named "Bad Lands = Good Times". This is the kind of release that doesn't include lyrics but does include a promo photo of the band. I'm guessing this might appeal to the half of MELVINS fans I don't identify with, maybe. (WB)

VÄÄRINKÄSITYS – "Päivän Tunnit" EP
This might blow your mind, but you don't have to chug to be hardcore. Craaazy, rite? Take, for example, these eight tracks of taught, no-bullshit rage from Finnish veterans VÄÄRINKÄSITYS. These guys have an HC/crust sound that's more or less timeless, and their almost complete lack of metallic influences is downright refreshing in an era where ENTOMBED tone has become de rigueur. Some of the leads briefly hint at more epic terrain, but the songs constantly move forward rather than letting any one thread take over, and thankfully there's a heaping of sikk riffs all over this EP. The vocals are somewhat restrained for the style, but effective, and the requisite looming, Kafka-esque death factory on the cover only seals the deal. Simply put, this is punk done right. (WB)
(self-released)