June 2013 – #349

V/A – “‘Society Best’” LP
An ultra-cheep label omnibus from Antisociety, a newer outfit focused on repressing rare and out-of-print recordings from classic UK anarcho-punk bands. Accordingly, most of the stuff here are demo and live versions along with the occasional studio track, including ZOUNDS' bid for the greatest anarcho-anthem of all time, "Can't Cheat Karma." Odds and sods comps like this all too easily play out like effort to squeeze a quick buck from the leftover detritus of long-defunct acts, but luckily we're talking about one of the more fertile periods in punk history, and pretty much everything here is more than worthwhile for fans of peace punk and early crust. The roster is almost a who's who of the era, including the ever-underrated ANTI-SYSTEM, ANTISECT, PINK TURDS IN SPACE (who I had shamefully never heard before!), DOOM, ALTERNATIVE, and VARUKERS, not to mention a cut from the always-cute early DISCHARGE demos, goofy Johnny Rotten impression and all. I was intrigued by super lo-fi cut from REALITY ATTACK off of the label’s "Bullsheep Detector," which appears to be a compilation of Welsh anarcho-bands from the first half of the 1980s. That sounds awesome, and this is too. (WB)
(Antisociety)

HUNTING PARTY – “Sub Rosa With Whispered Pacts” EP
Building on its members’ experience in some of the best Bay Area hardcore acts of the past few years—MIGRAINE, VACCUUM, ECOLI, and YADOKAI, to name only a few—HUNTING PARTY play dark, menacing USHC that harkens back to a time when loyalty to hardcore meant more than a willingness to adhere to some played-out formula. This attitude comes to a head on the second half of “Straight Shooter,” where drums and vocals cut out leaving nothing but feedback and a single, pulsing guitar riff before everyone comes back in for a final two-second burst of rage…fucking brilliant. With molasses-thick guitar tone and an fittingly gritty vocal delivery, this records simply exudes toughness (though not machismo) without relying on generic breakdowns or having to waste time telling you about it. (WB)
(Hesitation Wounds)

WILD//TRIBE – "Endless Nights" CD
Required listening for all dedicated pogo wolves. Fort Worth's WILD//TRIBE dish out explosive, speed-crazy hardcore punk that owes more than a little bit to the shredding glory of Japanese bands like FORWARD and BASTARD, forgoing any sense of pretense in favor of songs about what's real in life: nonconformity, getting wasted, and bitter disappointment. Everything is airtight and totally overboard, but what really takes things to the next level are the lightning-fast melodic bass lines…seriously, the dude is unreal. I can only imagine the debauchery and excess that this band conjures up live, but for now, go ahead and put your money where your mouth is, break a beer bottle over your head and crank this way too loud. (WB)
(Under The Surface / Punkalive / Rescued from Life)

PIG CHAMPION – “Grief” EP
Not a previously-unheard of split by Boston sludge/doom titans GRIEF as the artwork initially led me to believe, this is in fact a concept EP from Chicago’s PIG CHAMPION, exploring the five stages of grief via mostly forgettable metallic hardcore. Tough, thrashy, and fast is this band’s bread-and-butter, but it’s the punishing, claustrophobic breakdowns that stand out here; the EP’s best song, “Depression,” is pretty much straight doom metal. Can't say I'm impressed with the total package, though I must tip my hat to PIG CHAMPION for bringing as much party mosh as they do to Dr. Elizabeth Kübler-Ross' notion of the psychological process of acceptance. (WB)
(Self-released)

OILTANKER / NO TOMORROW – split LP
I'll always remember OILTANKER as a bastion of crusty glory in the wilderness that was my time living in Connecticut, a state where I was on at least one occasion locked in a room and forced to listen to an entire HATEBREED record by my so-called "friends" in the hardcore scene. OILTANKER more than do justice to that nostalgic memory here, their crushing live energy captured perfectly with a manic,  d-beat sound that takes the raw appeal of bands like DOOM into the twenty-first century. NO TOMORROW's side, on the other hand, failed to grab my attention, offering a rather unexceptional take on the same "Portland sound" that's launched a thousand more-or-less interchangeable melodic crust bands in the past decade. They do a competent job, no doubt, and fans of the style would be wise to check them out, but other than that there's not much to write home about. My kudos to everyone involved in this release for selecting a tone of colored vinyl that makes the whole thing look just like a giant turd. (WB)
(Profane Existence)