GHASTLY SPATS-Flesh Thing-EP
FUTURO-Sair de Mim-EP
REPLICA-flexi+live
WATER TORTURE-Shellfire!-EP
NO STATIK-Everywhere You're Not Looking-LP
TRUNCHEONS-Cashing in on Freedom-EP
HOAX-Discipline-EP
KNOTS-Heartbreaker/Action-45
COMMUNION OF THIEVES-demo+live
RAPE REVENGE/STRESSXRELIEF/DNF-live
GOUM – NOISESAP CD
Some truly strange and progressive female-fronted hardcore punk from Japan, this took me a little while to warm up to but now I must admit I'm quite into it. This very modern-sounding album has a definite 'everything and the kitchen sink' approach, bouncing between stoney FLOWER TRAVELLIN' BAND worship, rock'n'roll-y hardcore, and even some very 90s dream pop/shoegaze without feeling incoherent and/or watered-down as genre-hopping experiments so often do. Certain parts could be compared to the poppy side of BORIS, and the final instrumental 'Still You Say It's Safe?' is one such high point, doing the post-metal thing better than 97% of the bands in that safest of heavy genres. While the lyrics for 'Rotten Apple' are undeniably sketchy ("Those women that desire to be treated equally to men easily get carried away/Selfish-cunts taking advantage of their feminity"), the broader context makes it unclear if they're intended as dark satire or merely reactionary anti-feminism. One thing is for sure, this album isn't about easy answers. I for one can't quite get it out of my mind. (WB)
(Narm Discos)
MALATESTA - ABWESEND EP
Hailing from Munich and named for a 19th-century champion of insurrectionary anarchism, MALATESTA specialize in brooding melodic crust with the occasional hint of metal. Not all that gritty for a crust record, the combination of epic d-beats, forceful chugging and melancholic guitar work here recalls bands like ÖROKU minus the cello, while the obscure, washed out production adds several layers of screamotional depth. The vocal range on this record is simply fantastic, and really ties the whole thing together. A record to be listened to with pinkies raised, this is totally worth your time. (WB)
(self-released)
PYROKLAST – THE MADNESS CONFOUNDS LP
These guys nail the sound they're going for and it's catchy as shit at points, but to be honest I'm having trouble caring about what PYROKLAST have to offer here. These guys play no-bullshit, straight-ahead hardcore punk complete with the most cookie-cutter of left-wing punx politics, but the overall vibe is here more like crusty thrash metal. There's some nods to NYHC and thrashcore in there too, and those parts do help to break from the monotony of PYROKLAST's meat-and-potatoes shreddy hardcore, but the basic m.o. has already been done to death by every mediocre band formed in the wake of AUS ROTTEN. The guitar players are fuckin' shredders and there's no denying the hooks that are simply lying all over this record, but in the end it makes me think about beer bongs way more than I generally like my hardcore to. There's thousands of punks all over the world who would eat this right up, but sadly I ain't one of them. Oh well. (WB)
(Agipunk)
V/A – TOR JOHNSON RECORDS TEN YEAR ANNIVERSARY OMNIBUS EP
I can't confess to any real familiarity with the Tor aside from their D-list namesake and the THEY AND THE CHILDREN CD they put out years ago (props), but this little nugget makes about as compelling of a case for checking out their back catalogue as I can imagine. The first track is probably my favorite, a previously unreleased dose of crushing German-style metallic crust by Providence's SAINT JUDE. NOW DENIAL add a lo-fi pop-punk feel to their nonetheless super-legit take on the MISFITS' "We Bite", while THE PRETTY FACES manage to integrate some pretty killer toy piano melodies into their enjoyable melange of screamo, post-hardcore and NIRVANA-influenced alt-rock guitar. Finally, the awesomely-named A FINE BOAT, THAT COFFIN round things out with some fairly glitchy electronica paired with hardcore vocals. DIY as fuck right down to the recycled covers (mine came from a DIONNE WARWICK LP!), this rules, ok? (WB)
(Tor Johnson)
NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT – DOG LP
Heavy and bleak dual-vocal punishment from Western Australia, NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT offer up an enticing combo of sludge, powerviolence, and hardcore snarl that can't help but impress. A song cycle about mental illness and alienation accompanied by some fantastically schizoid artwork, words like discomfort, shame, and fffuuuuuuck are but a few brought to mind by this release. Never resting on a particular sound for too long, the band manifests an appropriately oppressive atmosphere throughout, to maddening effect. This is what they call a "total package". Get on it. (WB)
(Coffin Cut)
SEVEN SISTERS OF SLEEP – SUNDOWN EP
From the appropriately hellish wasteland of Orange County, this is dark hardcore for the Satan/weed set, pretty fucking good stuff. The requisite A389 mid-tempo pummel is in full effect, thick metallic hardcore a la XIBALBA punctuated by murky black metal and spot-on sludgecore breakdowns that had me headbanging impulsively. Sisters of SLEEP indeed, you can tell these guys have spent plenty of time on a certain 'Holy Mountain', and they're particularly indebted to Chris Hiakus' rightfully-legendary cymbal-plod. No complaints here. This single 7" comes in a gatefold sleeve just so it can contain the accompanying bonus CD, poster, download card, and embroidered patch that come with it. This, in turn, begs several questions. Like, why does one need a download card if a CD copy is included? And, more importantly, who wants to pay $13 for a 3-song EP? Fucking ridiculous. (WB)
(A389)
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