November 2012 – #354

Top Ten:

THE VARUKERS-Another Religion, Another War-LP
PUTREFACTION-Blood Cult-LP
POLYKARPA Y SUS VICIOSAS-Libertad y Desorden-LP
HAMMERS-Vardøgr-10"
NORTHWEST COMPANY-Hard To Cry/Get Away From It All-45
STARING PROBLEM-Seed-EP
VAARALLINEN-flexi/SATANIC ROCKERS-45
DEATH CRISIS/SAME SEX DICTATOR-split EP+live
ORDSTRO/HUMANXWASTE/REIVERS-live
BÜMBKLÅÅTT/YADOKAI-live


KALASHNIKOV – "Vampirizzati Oggi" EP
The latest release from these prolific and unique Italian anarcho-punks, this 7" manages to be at once dark and upbeat, bouncing comfortably between melodic hardcore, gothic punk, and the occasional oddball ska part. Retro-sounding synths adding a manic new wave edge to the whole thing, sort of like a more modern take on the late-period DAMNED sound. I'm down. It's easy for bands in this style to come off as a bit silly, but KALASHNIKOV have the songwriting chops to make it all come together, and "Conzone D'Amore Spettrale" is a darkwave club banger, no doubt. Design nerds and bat lovers alike will drool over the layered fold-out cover, and it includes an awesome looking comic book too! (WB)
(self-released)


LTW / BEASTS OF NO NATION – split EP
Aren't lopsided splits like, the most awkward? You have to wonder if the bands are just friends, or contemplate the possibility that someone whose music you enjoy might actually have dubious taste outside of their own project. LTW delivers the goods on their side here, playing noisey, at times experimental USHC with the occasional epic lead and enough fist-pumping breakdowns to keep the most jaded hardcore kid satisfied. Too bad they only get one side, because that BEASTS OF NO NATION song is so annoying, a marriage of youth crew riffs and late 90's post-grunge that's burdened by some of the most grating vocals I've heard in a long time, not to mention a chorus that reminded me of THE OFFSPRING. Just...no. (WB)
(Cricket Cemetery)

HAMMERS – Vardøgr 10"
Ambitious and overflowing with creativity, HAMMERS is a dark hardcore behemoth. Honestly, I couldn't think of a better name for this band, the whole thing is goddamn relentless and the sense of tension they create is harsh and unnerving in the best way possible. Drinking heavily from the fountain of CURSED, they fuse the neocrust of MOHORAM ATTA with eye-peeling mathcore to produce something like a cvlt doppleganger of ALPINIST. These songs are fucking dense and it's easy to get lost, but hey that's why they make these things replayable, right? This strikes me as the kind of record that could unite a variety of different scenes, crustlords with ARTIMUS PYLE backpatches shoulder-to-shoulder with the CONVERGE hordes.  The packaging is simple but features one of the sillier gimmicks I've seen in a while, an included reflective surface you fold up in order to decode a mirrored image inside...far out, man. Whatever, this record is fantastic from start to finish, and HAMMERS just might be my favorite Manchester band since STONE ROSES. (WB)
(Adagio 830 / Win Htein / Pain of Mind)

RELENTLESS APPROACH – "Juicy" EP
So, these folks are apparently so obsessed with the NOTORIOUS B.I.G. that they've chosen to pay tribute by stealing all of their album and song names from his songs and albums. Ok... The faster hardcore parts here are for the most part pretty generic, but there there's some awesome left-field electronic beats and bleeps, and the sludgy breakdowns fucking slap. I wonder if these dudes realize they replicated the riff from PROPAGANDHI's "Back to the Motor League". You could do worse, I suppose. I hope this band sticks around so they can refine and/or reinvent what's going on here, there's a lot that I like even if the total package falls a bit short. (WB)
(World Trade / Give Praise)

PUTREFACTION – "Blood Cult" LP
Brooding and epic metalpunk from Ireland, PUTREFACTION temper their foundation in plodding, downtuned d-beat with bursts of thrash, black 'n death metal, like if DISFEAR threw on leather gauntlets and started worshipping BOLT THROWER. Shit yes. The sound on this recording is dialed in to perfection and yes, you've heard the vast majority of these riffs a thousand times before, but when it works, it works, and luckily there's just enough dynamism in the songwriting to keep things from dragging. The ripping guitar leads and especially the vocals resemble ACEPHALIX's more recent material, and there's some incredible double-kick drumming on the B side, but the overall approach remains closer to burly crust acts like WOLFPACK and OILTANKER. I didn't grow up listening to the New Wave of British Heavy Metal and some of the MÖTORHEAD riffs are lost on me (sorry, everyone), but the rockin' elements are balanced by a sense of efficiency and restraint that keeps things from ever feeling overly melodramatic. Always stoked to read artful, articulate lyrics, all the moreso in a style where clichéd, lazy sloganeering is often celebrated and embraced. This record grew on me with every song, and PUTREFACTION is definitely a band I plan to keep my eye on. (WB)
(Distro-y / Underground Movement / Phobia / Ratbone)