October 2014 - #377

Top Ten:

COMMUNION OF THIEVES-live
PROTESTANT-In Thy Name-LP
MOTH-LP/NERVOUS TREND-12”
INFEKZIOA-EP
SKAVEN-LP
QLOAQA LETAL-LP
CIORAN-12”
CODE BMUS-LP/ZEX-45
MAAILIMANLOPPU/APOCALYPSE NOW/KUUDES SILMÄ-live
VATS/DEZ YUSUF/DAISY WORLD-live/DEADFEST-fest

GREAT SABATINI – "Dog Years" LP
Uptempo "sludge" by way of the noise-rock, GREAT SABATINI mine the
latter-day MELVINS catalog to produce a fairly generic, occasionally
punky take on the genre. It's not as proggy or catchy as King Buzzo
and co., of course, and the 'verbed-out vocals read more bizarro than
kvlt, but there's a couple of moments that I could see on a WEEDEATER
record (intended as a compliment). For what it's worth, the fuzzy
monster on the cover looks like a leftover from Gabba Gabba Hey or
Seasame Street, and I hate it. If you're someone who misses the glory
days of Ipecac Records and the like, this might be just what the
doctor ordered. For the rest of us, extremely skippable. (WB)
(Solar Flare)


NO FUN/LUBE – split EP
A nice little slab by two bands that share members in addition to
sonic tendencies, as illustrated in a cute little Venn diagram at the
center of the insert. Both NO FUN and LUBE split the difference
between high-energy garage rock and hardcore, with LUBE getting maybe
a bit more ambitious when they decide to solo. Vocals are pretty much
interchangeable between the two bands, channeling the primal scream of
the SONICS via MUDHONEY. Spite-filled nihilism is the lyrical order of
the day, but that's what we all came here for, right? I'm glad we had
this talk. (WB)
(WWTA)



PROTESTANT – "In Thy Name" LP
Hoooooly shit! I've always loved me some PROTESTANT, but this new
record is something else entirely, departing from their well-honed
dark hardcore attack to embrace the hateful, raw filth of black metal.
Cory's unmistakable vocals (and the occasional massive breakdown)
provide a link to the band's previous discography, and the
throat-ripping fury of metalpunk is definitely there, but they've
rebuild their sound from the ground up with some deliciously lo-fi
production. The whole thing is overflowing with jaw-dropping riffs,
played with the passion and precision of a band a decade into their
existence. Easily one of the top black metal/crust crossovers I've
heard—and believe me, I've heard far too many in the last several
years—I would have to say that this is also PROTESTANT's best, most
consistent full-length to date. Trends come and go, but In Thy Name is
the real deal. An instant classic. (WB)

(Halo of Flies)

REAGAN'S POLYP – "Deadenator" CD
A reissue of 1998's supposed "noise-rock classic" by these Arkansas
master trollers, I have to say that I'm pretty unimpressed. First
things first, the whole racist/sexist/un-PC shock rock thing is just
so beyond played out; I know you're trying to ape ZAPPA, but instead
of satirical and biting y'all just sound ignorant as fuck, not to
mention bo-o-o-oring. The opener "Bridges of Asses" encapsulates the
whole disjointed mess rather well, starting off with some truly awful
PAUL SIMON-esque crooning before awkwardly segueing into spastic
art-punk fuckery and then back into terrible "parody" pop that
honestly takes my mind back to MOXY FRÜVOUS. Ouch. The sheer breadth
of styles and sound they pull off over the course an hour is certainly
nothing to sneeze at, and there's a definite DEVO-ish ear for oddball
hooks, but one gets the feeling that REAGAN'S POLYP made it to the
thirty album mark (!) with the help of some not-so-judicious editing.
There are moments here worth exploring, such as the synth warfare on
"Hello Alien", but few will have the energy to pan for gold in this
sea of mediocrity. (WB)
(Vetoxa)

SKAVEN – "Discography" LP
Compiling their self-titled 7" along with material from splits with
DYSTOPIA and STORMCROW, this LP gives us the entire recorded output of
the short-lived SKAVEN, who managed to leave a lasting impression on
the East Bay (and worldwide) crust scene in just a couple of years.
For those of you who are unfamiliar, SKAVEN did a fairly upbeat take
on the legacy of classic UK crust like HELLBASTARD and AXEGRINDER, but
with the decidedly 90’s vibe of contemporaries such as ELDOPA. Along
with a undeniable skill for writing catchy fucking songs, their two
bass/one guitar setup yielded a fairly idiosyncratic sound; just
listen to those bass leads at the end of "Reflective Skin" and you'll
know what I mean. A truly gorgeous lyric booklet collects some of the
most depressing sentiments you'll ever find in a punk record, but what
else would you expect from a band that shares members with ASUNDER?
Great liner notes too, including the story of how "a member of a
well-known Bay Area band" bit someone's ear off in a massive
crusty-versus-skinhead brawl. A top-notch remaster by Brad Boatright
and a whole slew of posters and inserts complete the package, making
this hands-down the definitive SKAVEN release, a must-grab for any
scumfuck worth their own filth. (WB)
(Skuld)

March 2014 – #370

FLESH WORLD-LP
STIGMATHE-both EPs
PERMANENT RUIN-Tlazolteol-EP
DEEP WOUND-I Saw It-EP
RAKTA-LP/NAPOLNARIZ-45
LAST CHAOS/VAARALLINEN-split/KOROVA-lathe
NEMESIS-Gyou-Shou-EP
BASTARD NOISE/LACK OF INTEREST-split        
METRO CULT-45/VIDEO-45
PESADILLA DISTOPIKA/VAASKA/COLD CIRCUITS-live

AORTAORTA–“Violent Meditation” LP
A meandering, moody slice of dark rock from Tampere, Finland, this is AORTAORTA’s second full-length. Even as they hop from one style to the next—the brooding intro track had me expecting left-field crust, only to morph into some dreamily melodic post-punk—there’s a masterful sense of coherence that keeps things flowing throughout. To their credit, the band isn’t afraid to experiment within their undeniably dialed-in sound, a spirit that’s most effectively demonstrated on the droningly avant “Medical Violence”. When the sound veers towards noise-rock territory, it can get a bit pedestrian, but in the end they hit mark more often then not. It’s always cool to find bands that feel familiar while lacking any obvious reference point, and AORTAORTA are just such a diamond in the rough. (WB)
(Ramekuukkeli)

CRÕN – "Low and Drowning" LP
Another dose of also-ran sludge metal via the Pacific Northwest, this is the kind of music I worry people will think I'm talking about when I say I love doom. By sticking to the well-established formula of chugging, crust-ish sludge with clean guitar passages, CRÕN doesn't do anything too unforgivable here, but there's also nothing in terms of tone, songwriting, or vocal presence to set this apart from everyone else lining up to worship RWAKE and GRAVES AT SEA. A brief foray into their online presence informs me that these boys also "like to crush some cowboy-nachos and party at 'her place'." Wow, I am passing on this so hard. (WB)

AUTONOMY/STREET EATERS – split EP
Even though I was pretty stoked to see this team-up, this definitely exceeded my expectations across the board. I've always enjoyed STREET EATERS drum-n-bass antics live, but I couldn't be happier about the dark turn they've taken here, with a basement WIPERS vibe and the perfect dose of RUNAWAYS snot to offset the dual vocal harmonies. Likewise, while the anarcho influences are still felt, Carbondale heroes AUTONOMY show us a new dimension on both of their tracks, serving up a dreamy punk take on ECSTASY-era MY BLOODY VALENTINE on "Limerence (A Game of)", followed by a MELVINS-y Pailhead cover ("Man Should Surrender") that pretty much rules. Both bands refuse to get stuck in a rut, and who could argue with the results? No regrets, this is just a fantastic split. (WB)
(Off The Books)

SATAN'S SATYRS/OHMWAR– split EP

A limited edition split with one original and one BLACK FLAG
interpretation by each contestant. Biker dudes SATAN'S SATYRS go
pretty far out on their side, tackling Loose Nut's "Modern Man" with a
satisfyingly SABBATH-y intro/outro that descends into some fuzzy
MUDHONEY garage/metal that does alright by Ginn and co. This is
coupled with "Was Ya Expecting Us?", an unexpected instrumental with a
variety of sounds and some undeniable surf/exotica overtones. Pretty
sweet. I'm downright intrigued by Glasgow's OHMWAR, whose "Snake" is a
satisfying slice of guitar-driven darkness, modern sounding but not
without its own sense of atmosphere. Liking the subtle use of effects
that don't interfere with the driving pulsebeat, plus one of the leads
sounds just like FAUST's "I've Got My Car And My TV". Regretably,
their "Nervous Breakdown" cover is just kinda gutless, super
indie-rock sounding in the worst way. Aside from that, this is a
pretty decent slab, even if I can't say I necessarily get it as a
total package. (WB)

(At War With False Noise)