April 2014 – #371

Top Ten: SACRILEGE-It's Time To Face The Reaper-2xLP
ZIELONE ZABKI-Zgorzelec 1988-LP
THE INDOORS-351-LP
SUBORDINATE-LP/ FORWARD/TEARGAS-split EP FLAGITIOUS IDIOSYNCRACY IN THE DILAPIDATION-Wallow-LP
DOOM-Corrupt Fucking System-LP
ARCHAIC-EP/DECRANEO-LP
CHRISTER PETTERSSON-Empatihaveri-EP
DESKARRIADOS-EP/JIMMY SMACK-45
RAGANA-live


DRUGSTORE – "Deathwork b/w Surface" 45
DRUGSTORE hail from Philly and play bluesy guitar-driven rawk that fans of MUDHONEY might be able get into. It's not super tight, and the vocals are pretty overwrought, but man, the spoken-word-through-reverb part on Deathwork totally had me waxing nostalgic for that BUTTHOLE SURFERS radio hit "Pepper". The b-side ups the stoner/psych vibes significantly, and it's a positive direction for these guys, coming off as sort of a C-rate LOOP only with bar-rock vocals. (WB)
(self-released)


MISERY – "The Beginning" 12"
I've actually been on a huge MISERY kick for the past few weeks, so I was stoked to see my reviewer copy of this one. This is a 25th anniversary EP from these intensely influential Minneapolis crust stalwarts, with a couple of original songs, a pair of rerecordings from early demos ("Midnight" and "New Years"), and covers of SACRILEGE's "Lifeline" and CHROME's "3rd From The Sun". The title tracks kicks things off with an acoustic guitar and melodic female vocals, transitioning into a stenchy 80s style but preserving the acoustic layer for good measure. It's about as weird and awkward as it sounds, but it sorta works, even if the vocals dip into AOR cheeze territory at times. The other original, "Armageddon", is a much more solid slice of gloomy, no-frills UK-style crust, hinting at dark punk in a manner akin to recent HELLBASTARD. The two demo tracks of yore are exactly as essential as you'd expect, crushingly grimy anthems totally done justice on this recording, and the covers—which feature vocals from Al Long of NAUSEA, also a former member—are a total gas, full of classic punk energy. Of course this can't touch Who's The Fool or the early EPs, but it remains a welcome addition to the catalog, and certainly a must-grab for diehards if only for the demo redux. (WB)
(Inimical)

HIDINGINSIDEVICTIMS – LP
Played with these guys at the Biko House in Santa Barbara when they were on tour with Holland's SUICIDE STATE, and I remember them as sweet, goofy dudes. This is HIDINGINSIDEVICTIMS first full-length, a nicely-polished take on modern crust with doses of hardcore and maybe even a little bit of street punk in the catchy breakdowns. The barrage of samples over the opening track comes off like the bastard child of DYSTOPIA and RWAKE, only to descend into treble-driven neocrust that occasionally gives way to a more straight-ahead metallic D-beat assault. These guys have some serious riffs up their sleeves, and if you can get into the soaring, full production there's a lot to enjoy here. (WB)
(Rotten to the Core/Dead Rodent/Svoboda/Chaos Alliance/Blackout Brigade)