There are a few phrases you will always see in reviews for hardcore
records; "this rips!" or "totally insane!!" or even the occasional
"fucking brutal!" But there here is something you don't hear every day:
FINESSE. And I can think of no better word to describe this record. I
could talk about the perfect drumming, the wailing solos, the expert
riffs, or I could just call like I see it: this record is flawless,
never boring, and a total banger on top of that. These boys have cut
their teeth touring in various bands and playing on countless releases
for more than a few years now and it shows. Nothing rudimentary here,
22 minutes of pro level hardcore that grab your attention from the first
note and don't let go until the last track fades out. Almost has a
later Cimex vibe without all the cheesy shit that made you afraid to
admit that you liked those records. Like I said before, FINESSE. These
guys know what the are doing and are here to make that very clear to
you. 2013 has been quite the year for hardcore LPs, but right here the
Impalers might have just cut the best of the them. Mastered by George
Horn. Beautiful die cut covers with artwork Guillem Muro. Split release with Todo
Destruido.
VAASKA / SKIZOPHRENIA - SPLIT 7" (540)
Couple'a rippin' trax from a couple'a rippin bands is what we got here.
Vaaska is from Austin and seriously one of the best bands in Texas.
Classic d beat flare with a whole lotta swagger to boot. Literally one
of the only punk bands I can think of that will have a guitar solo in
every song yet not make me roll my eyes. Skizophrenia are from Japan and
show up here dripping with sweat and confidence after two solid 7s on
Hardcore Survives. Just enough ADK influence here to get you jazzed up
but not so much that you will get the "heard it all before" blues.
Absolutely pummeling drums played at an amphetamine fueled speed.
Singer sounds like he might actually be a true maniac and the guitar
cuts through the mix nicely with out being overly raw and distorted, a
style you may or may not be tired of. Cover art by the one and only
Deathtraitors. Silver ink of black paper, if you have the Bastard 7
inch reissue you then you know how slick these look. Limited red vinyl
while they last. Split release with Todo Destruido.
VAASKA / IMPALERS - SPLIT 7" (BEACH IMPEDIMENT)
Both VAASKA and IMPALERS, who are arguably two of the best hardcore punk
bands out of Austin, TX these days, have teamed up to unleash one of
the most blistering split 7"s I've heard in years. A limited tour
edition was available back in August for the East Coast/Midwest tour
that both bands embarked on, but the legitimate pressing is now finally
available to the masses! Each band shows the world how it should be done
over the course of only two songs each; with VAASKA executing their
mastery of raw hardcore all the while straying from the plethora of
bands that have beaten the style into a boring submission and IMPALERS
showcasing the ability to produce their own uniquely virulent metalpunk
fist pumpers that have become the band's earmark over the past few
years. Each record comes in a glue pocket sleeve with art by the great
Brian Miller. Look out for a West Coast tour with these bands this
winter!
OBLITERATION "WAR IS OUR DESTINY" 7" (BEACH IMPEDIMENT)
Almost lost to the sands of time, but resurrected for a limited time by
Beach Impediment Label, here's the final EP from Obliteration. More of
the Americanized Scandi-core from their last 2 EP's: glass-in-throat
vocals, driving manic drums, abusive tasteless guitar solos, and the
title track is a dumbed down version of the St. Vitus classic. No
over-cooked crasher crust, just balls to the wall hardcore punk. Limited
one time pressing of 600 copies.
RIVAL MOB, THE "RAW LIFE" LP (LOCKIN OUT)
The Rival Mob bring a style of hardcore back to Boston, MA that has
almost become a distant memory. Playing at breakneck speed, the sound is
reminiscent of old DC/NY hardcore bands meshed with big riffs that will
stick in your head. This extended EP has eight songs with lyrics that
go hand in hand with the sound and spit like bitter bile through a buzz
saw.
SHOCKED MINDS "S/T" LP (HOZAC)
Just when the world thought it was safe from the clutches of the primal
punk sneer of the CARBONAS, SHOCKED MINDS have exploded up from the
underground as the brand new JOSH MARTIN-fronted (also in EX-HUMANS,
TESTORS) vehicle with hooks that kill as well as they drill. And with
original lineup Carbonas members DAVE RAHN (also in GENTLEMAN JESSE
& HIS MEN) and JEREMY THOMPSON (also in GAMES) rounding out the
ranks, it's dead set to stick in your brain like a parasite, just the
way you'd expect from these long-admired Atlanta punk figureheads. But
don't let that get you distracted, Shocked Minds steer their
cantankerous and razored residual noise into concise blasts of exactly
what you want, glazed over with refreshing nuances of the Dead Boys,
Testors, The Damned and Heartbreakers, and with closer listens, shards
of the ‘70s Belgian punk creme de la creme like Mad Virgins, Revenge 88,
and Raxola. Songs executed so painfully tight and impeccably produced
by Mr. Rahn for pinpoint perfection, you might not even notice that
obscure cover by The Eat hiding in there, and it's gonna hit you like a
ton of bricks.
LA LUZ "IT'S ALIVE" LP (HARDLY ART)
In Spanish, La Luz means “light” and that’s the perfect thing to evoke
when your songs give the illusion of veering in the opposite direction.
But lift out most any lyric—which is a good excuse to give a closer
listen to the delicate, four-part harmonies that are fast becoming the
band’s signature—and you’ll find that the aches and pains of love and
loss, of living in a world where no foothold is ever a promise—all this
is delivered with a nuanced dose of perfectly timed exhilaration, like
the whole thing might just be worth it in the end. It’s Alive is the
debut LP from Seattle’s La Luz. Last spring, La Luz returned to that
steamy trailer park to record It’s Alive – the much-anticipated follow
up to Damp Face. From the first get-psyched drum roll and eerie chords
of “Sure As Spring”, the dinged-up pop gem that opens the album, the
rest moves like a slow drive on a dangerous road, slinking and bending
as the terrain shifts. On “What Good Am I?”, the lead vocals, and the
swirl of harmonies that surround it, recall the Spartan haze of Mazzy
Star’s misty-eyed super hit. Smack in the middle is the title track.
“It’s Alive” is a jangly rocker with a spooky refrain, oodles of ooohs,
and a marauding narrative that nails down the misty logic of the rest of
the album. Two instrumentals, “Sunstroke” and “Phantom Feelings”,
showcase the band’s beach jam surf chops, and fall perfectly between the
chilled out heartache that surrounds them.
SUCKED DRY "DOG CHILDREN" LP (MUCKRACKER / NOT NORMAL)
Here it is, the squirming, writhing, two-ton, big-mouthed monstrosity
you've all been waiting for: Sucked Dry's debut LP Dog Children. Yeah,
True Believers, the Age of Slime may be upon us, but Sucked Dry's
psychedelic mind fuck presents a terrifying look at what still has yet
to pass with fifteen tracks of noisy, uncomfortable hardcore punk that
pours equal parts Die Kruezen, Mecht Mensch, Minutemen, Rudimentary
Peni, and Melvins into a blender, straps the foul concoction to a
rocket, and launches that fucker straight through the sun. Don't snooze.
NUDES "SISTER" 7" (INIMICAL)
On their latest vinyl release, Seattle’s NUDES finds themselves
revisiting their second demo, rerecording 4 song from it. They have
tightened their execution into a claustrophobic nightmare with the help
of Olympia’s Capt. Tripps at High Command. Their sound this time finds
them pulling from the early days of Midwestern hardcore and distilling
it through the 90’s most feedback laden offerings. Nudes are one of the
area’s most visceral live bands and this captures that energy as closely
as possible. Artwork from Gag’s Scott Young.
SMOOTH BRAIN "ONE OF THEM" 7" (ROOT OF EVIL)
Their second EP! 6 songs of ripping, sleazey & rad garage punk rock from Cleveland, Ohio. Get the fuck on this.
VARIX "I CAN'T GET OUT" 7" (FASHIONABLE IDIOTS)
At long last the Minneapolis/NYC hybrid quartet known as Varix graces us
with their sophomore recorded output and what a pleasure it is. Six
hot cuts of raw bass driven hardcore punk delivered in its most unholy
fury. This scorching platter comes housed in beautiful tri colored/hand
screened sleeves with insert courtesy of bassist E.Styles and comrade,
Ms. Sequoia and thus takes the Fashionable Idiots packaging norm right
outta the gutter and straight to the stars. Labor of love punk, feel it.
COLD CIRCUITS "S/T" 7" (ERSTE THEKE TONTRAEGER)
Whatever these Bay Area guys secretly mix in their drinks, it seems to
bring out an endless flow of brilliant and catchy, yet distinctive songs
– in each of their bands. I'm talking about the rhythm section of
Synthetic ID with the same guys of this awesome new San Francisco band!
Ok, many bands try to do some kind of post punk stuff these days, but in
my opinion the Bay Area knows how to do it best! After Rank//Xerox and
Synthetic ID, Cold Circuits is the band to listen to right now! Robert
Collins said: "UK post punk meets an angular cousin" and he's totally
right. There are similarities to Synthetic ID, even though this band is
less focused on the vibe and more on driving the listener. Lazy guitar
lines weave in and out of logic, while bass and drums keep the whole
thing forward with an inevitably urgency. It sounds excitingly familiar
and so new in skills and maturity, that you just can't listen to
anything similar elsewhere. What can I say?! Get it or not – this thing
will explode, without any doubts!
DERBY DOLLS "S/T" 7" (ERSTE THEKE TONTRAEGER)
Get ready for a new Derby Dolls EP! When I first listened to the rough
mixes I was thinking again, yes, that‘s tight! The 4 new songs come with
German lyrics and a solid early NDW background, but with an amazing
sound! You will love it! I don‘t know when this band had the time to
write a new EP, because two of them are playing constantly with
Hysterese. Derby Dolls are always the best happy thing between sweet pop
and early Neue Deutsche Welle. With this new 4 Song EP they put some
more snotty Midwestern Garage influences into their unique sound and
they often remind me of Something Fierce, maybe it‘s the excellent bass
sound or just the perfect songwriting?! The guitar lines are jangling
and aggressive – but not in a testosteron way. And Helens voice is doing
the rest. The debut 12“ was sold out in a few months without the Derby
Dolls having played one show. You should buy one of these little vinyl
jewels and grab your own copy, because this is another unique piece of
fine music, combining the power and the pop when it comes to punk.
BACK TO BACK "FLESH & BONE" 7" (LOCKIN' OUT)
Vicious American hardcore bred in the sweaty and polluted city of
Houston, TX. A sound that is classic without being a boring copycat.
Young, loud and pissed.
LUMPY AND THE DUMPERS "SEX PIT" 7" (MUCKRACKER)
Here it is, finally...the vinyl debut for St. Louis' LUMPY & THE
DUMPERS. After a couple excellent tapes, Lumpy recruited some local
freaks from bands like SHAVED WOMEN to back him up as THE DUMPERS. The
result has been a string of wild live shows and this here three song 7".
I imagine LUMPY AND THE DUMPERS as an odd growth off some of the
freakier first wave US "KBD" punk bands like THE MAD or GIZMOS. Odd,
creeping tempos and pure snot vocals lurch throughout these three songs.
Excellent stuff that really stands out from the pack, and highly
recommended. Full color slimey handscreened sleeve to boot!
NEGATIVE PRESS "LONG HAUL" LP (INIMICAL)
The latest outgrowth in the malignant strain of aural violence birthed
in the industrial Midwest, then branching out to the urban decay of no
wave New York and the suburban sprawl of Southern California only to now
return once again to where those influences have been distilled before,
the northwest. Negative Press is the amphetamine strained and nicotine
stained bastard son of noise rock’s self loathing and hardcore’s
propulsion. Simultaneously repulsive in its imagery and attractive in
its execution, Long Haul is a near perfect debut. Get this now. Members
of: Criminal Code, White Wards, Gag, etc.
JACUZZI BOYS "S/T" LP (HARDLY ART)
With their self-titled third full-length, Jacuzzi Boys are going grand,
building limestone monuments to those that boogied before them, while
writing hypnotic ear worms by the light of a cigarette. Gone is the
swamp-thing snarl. In its place, the indestructible cool of the casino
slot-jockey with nothing to lose.
JACUZZI BOYS "GLAZIN'" LP (HARDLY ART)
Jacuzzi Boys hail from Miami and play fuzzy, metallic, power pop
anthems. Glazin' is the group's second full length and first for Hardly
Art. The album was recorded at Key Club Studio (Franz Ferdinand, the
Kills, etc) and finds the JBs reaching a more refined and polished
sound, complete with studio tricks and wizardry. The result is a sonic
popsicle! Delicious and refreshing and a treat for your ears. Prepare to
experience raspberry feelings all over.
PUFFY AREOLAS "1982: DISHONORABLE DISCHARGE" LP (HOZAC)
One of the most pivotal bands currently infecting the Midwest universe,
PUFFY AREOLAS are a pummeling ensemble of free jazz skronk, laid
mercilessly on top of a proto-punk nuclear waste dump, still throbbing
with orgone energy. A Hawkwind cum-Lucifer’s Crank-era Dwarves killing
machine that doesn’t stop until no one is left breathing, or god forbid,
unimpressed. A sophisticated mess of noisy, nihilistic bursts of agony
and intangible hate-fuck hysteria, that’s as captivating as it is
alienating, pushing the boundaries of sanity, each and every
performance. And yes, their second full-length is exactly what everyone
has been worried about, a toxic bath of spoiled space juice dripping
dangerously over the frayed circuits of their demonic WAH, sizzling with
nightmarish night trips. A true Funhouse moment really kicks in on side
B, a devastating document of human endurance, devolvement, and
desecration, and sometimes it seems like this band is less of a musical
combo and more of a flashing portal into an unknown Vietnam-like,
mind-bending free punk power that summons the inner spirit of
self-destruction like you wouldn't believe.
RAYON BEACH "THIS LOOKS SERIOUS" LP (HOZAC)
The swirling cloud of deranged noise emanating from the highly
radioactive inner core of RAYON BEACH has once again reared its head up,
bucking wildly and shattering the iridescent thunder of the heavens
into shards of wonderfully damaged sound. After the inescapable fallout
from their debut Memory Teeth 12-inch EP in 2010, they have rightfully
emerged with their first proper full-length LP, dragging the trembling
scraps of electronic punk slime through a kaleidoscopic garbage can and
out into the light, where they can cook properly in the blinding Texas
sun. But whereas on their first record the band was still carving out
their slithering sound, melting from one mellifluous life form into
another over the course of those first six treacherous tracks, here
they’ve found their footing on their first LP, clenching a roughly
pristine throb and riding it out into a sizzling pinnacle of modern punk
precision.
YOUNG LEAVES, THE "ALIVE AND WELL" LP (BALDY LONGHAIR)
Third full length by this Holliston, MA three-piece. “Alive and Well”
sits easily among SST era Post-Punk and is chock full of sludged out pop
hooks. Just don’t call them pop-punk. ""The sound is a no-frills,
hook-driven collection of songs written from a broken yet hopeful heart
and it should fit right into your record collection along side your
copies of Elvis Costello's My Aim Is True, Weston's Got Beat Up or
pretty much anything Bob Mould or J. Mascis ever wrote." - Stereo Killer
RAT DAMAGE "CURSED" LP (FYBS)
This rager has been a long time coming! Over the years, Rat Damage has
become a staple of the Sacramento, California underground punk scene and
has released a couple very limited seven inch vinyl records. CURSED,
their debut full length album, has a super beefy and slick sound that is
not over produced and still delivers a raw, gut-wrenching punch. 11
lamentations filled with regret, desperation, hate, misery and impending
doom of the soul. These songs document the day to day struggles that
these veteran Sacto lifers experience in Californias Capitol City. Rat
Damage have an original sound, which is rare these days. Most of the
time, the drums are assaulted with an up-tempo/mid pace as the guitars
chug along in an old-school heavy metal style tinged with "the blues"
while still capturing the spirit of classic "old tyme" California 80's
punk and hardcore bands. The cover artwork was created by Pat Kim,
ex-member of the band Unwritten Law and features some cool,
collage-style art by Jeremiah (Jed) Pfeffer on the inside. SLOW SUICIDE,
the album's final track, features some agonizing backing vocals by
VOETSEKs Ami Lawless. Recommended for fans of Poison Idea, Motorhead,
Black Flag, DRI, Verbal Abuse, Attitude Adjustment, Venom, Circle Jerks
along with creeps and scum bags from all walks of life. Tired of cookie
cutter punk bands? Get this album!
RAT DAMAGE / ALARMS - SPLIT 7" (LANDLOCKED)
Sacramento, Calif. rock and roll punks Rat Damage join forces with
self-proclaimed hardcore weirdos Alarms in this rippin, old-school '45
V/A - PUKE AND DESTROY III 7" (SNUFFY SMILES)
Third installment of the "Puke and Destroy" 7" series (earlier volumes
of which have featured both Japanese bands and US bands like Defect
Defect and Tenement)on Japan's Snuffy Smiles records. This volume
features two songs each from YOUR PEST BAND, CAR 10, and DOG HOTEL.
FEAR "PARADISE STUDIOS 1978 DEMOS" LP (FANCLUB)
Demo recordings FEAR did in 1978 at the Paradise Studios long before
their first album was even recorded. There are quite a few songs on here
that never saw the light of day, the sound quality is great, a
must-have if you love FEAR. 13 Tracks!
CRUOR - DEMO TAPE
Everytime I hear this band its like the chronicles of narnia except I
end up in a dark, smelly, moist basement in finland in 1983: "5 song
demo by one of Nothern California's tidiest purveyors of noisy punk.
Perfectly balancing layers of fuzz, feedback, rolling drums, and
aaaaaarrrrgghhhh filled singalongs with great hooks and deceptively
tight arrangements. This is punk for folks who need to be taught that
great noisepunk is, at it's core, the result of great songs. " Limited
to 200 copies.
GENERACION SUICIDA "CON LA MUERTA A TU LADO" TAPE
"A big part of punk rock's appeal is geographic. Commercial music sounds
like AnyMall, but The Gun Club sound like Hollywood, Black Flag sounds
like Huntington Beach, and Francis Harold and the Holograms sound like
Bisbee, Arizona. East LA seeps from every note of Gernacion Suicida's
new album; this music couldn't be from anywhere else. The Plugz and the
Gears may have got there first, but play Con La Muerte a Tu Lado loud
and you can see Cesar Chavez Blvd, 2013. This is the kind of punk rock
that values a certain kind traditional musicality, like the Sex Pistols,
The Adverts, The New York Dolls, and the Damned. Not virtuosity here,
just the belief that rock and roll still has power, and that a really
angry lyric and a Chuck Berry chord change can change the world, or at
least your next 3 minutes. Generacion Suicida are proof that the main
thing you need to make a great record is FIRE, and they have enough to
share." - Geoffrey Weiss. Tape limited to 100.
JAPANESE FURNACE - DEMO TAPE
"Demo tape from this new Syracuse, NY band. I'm getting a very big early
NYHC off of this... I'm thinking Antidote / Urban Waste, though there
are some weird chords and other touches that give it shades of the Born
Against / Rorschach 90s NYHC sound as well. It's not that dissimilar to
Black SS, either, though the tinny, super raw recording has a lot more
in common with Urban Waste." -
sorrystaterecords.com
MAXIMUMROCKNROLL #366 - NOVEMBER 2013
Hot off the presses, MRR brings you its November 2013 issue — #366! In
this issue of Maximum Rocknroll cover artist Halsey Swain lets us into
her world of nature-inspired obliteration, we dis-cover the “New Wave of
Grave New Beat” pioneered by Scotland’s THISCLOSE, and NOLA booking
collective No More Fiction tells us about booking queer-centered shows
in their town and organizing their rendition of the Not Enough Fest. We
catch up with Chad, the lead singer of Pacific Northwest hardcore
fuckers NUDES, L.A. punkeristas DESTRUYE Y HUYE give us insight on the
LA scene and talk about their upcoming tour (maybe they will come to
your town?), we talk with Vertical House Records about their label,
store and show space in Huntsville, Alabama, and noize punkers CHAOS
DESTROY share the secret behind their twenty releases (glue? speed? or
do they just naturally shred?). International anarcho post-punk band
ROSA APATRIDA talks to us about their experience as a political band in
the NYC punk scene, Finnish rockers RÄJÄYTTÄJÄT are back from tour and
dish us the details, Canadian thrashers TARANTUJA give us an update
after their European tour, and the Bay Area’s own hardcore crashers
PERMANENT RUIN talk West Coast tour advice, San Jose, and the secret to a
bullshit-free lifestyle. We also take a photo tour across the US and
Canada with Claudia Cebrian as she hits up all the summer fests and
meets all the punx! All this and much more, including guest columns,
“What’s the Scoop,” “New Blood,” demo and zine reviews, plus the most
extensive record reviews in printed punk today to satisfy your hunger!
RESTOCKS 10/26/13:
CRO-MAGS - AGE OF QUARREL DEMOS LP
DUM DUM GIRLS - END OF DAZE LP
DWARVES - BLOOD GUTS AND PUSSY LP
EXTREME NOISE TERROR - PEEL SESSIONS 1987 LP
PISSED JEANS - HONEYS LP
PISSED JEANS - KING OF JEANS LP
WIPERS - IS THIS REAL LP
WIPERS - YOUTH OF AMERICA LP
CULO - MY BRAIN IS HANGING UPSIDE DOWN 7"
NIRVANA - SLIVER 7"
TERRIBLE FEELINGS - BLANK HEADS 7"
