Winter Reviews

Innumerable Forms
Frozen To Death Tape

Chris Corry and DFJ’s death metal project put out a seven inch a few years back, but this tape shows a lot of progression. The tape has two new songs and the three songs from their previous ep remixed for this new release. I am not so sure how many copies of this tape were made, but track it down if you enjoyed their seven inch.

Confined
Demo 2012

Pretty generic hardcore somewhere, I am not sure which is more of an influence, between Chain of Strength influenced bands like Champion and Count Me Out or Lockin Out style bands like Righteous Jams and Mental. This is not really my thing. I think this “genre” has gotten pretty stale in recent years. Can we just assume all our friends are going to break edge and stop writing songs about it?

Free Spirit
Demo 2012

After an impressive demo and seven inch a few years ago, Free Spirit are back with a new demo of great youth crew hardcore. This is about the closest a band has come to actually sounding like Bold (specifically The Way It Is) in a long time. This is one of the few current hardcore bands I would like to hear a full length album from sometime in the future. I hope it comes soon and that they play out somewhere nearby in the winter or spring.

World War IV
Demo

Members of Floorpunch and Mind Eraser come together on this tape to play late eighties inspired New York Hardcore that reminds me a lot of Altercation, Side By Side, and Outburst. There are tons of dive bombs (which two of the above mentioned bands basically perfected) and great mosh parts. I love how distorted Porter’s vocals sound on this tape as well. That was a nice surprise and really changes things up. This is great.

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Bad Brains
Into The Future LP
Megaforce Records

I love how totally clueless mainstream hacks keep reviewing this record like it is some kind of second coming of Rock For Light. Uh, no thanks brah. Seriously, the second song on this record sounds like 311. I mean, good for them for continuing to do their own thing and not just tour forever recycling the hits, but this shit sucks besides maybe one or two songs (apparently they maybe old, old, songs never recorded before?). This is a LOT better than their last few records, but that is not saying anything at all.

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Christian Mistress
Possession LP
Relapse Records

This is not in any way shape or form a bad LP by the impressive Portland band Christian Mistress, but this record does not hold my attention the way their previous record, especially their first seven inch, did. This is a band that I like a lot, but I like hearing their song individually rather than as an LP. Their style of NWOBHM mixed with some heavy punk influences works really well when a song comes on in my office while I have my phone on shuffle, but as a whole I do not see myself listening to this a lot. I feel this way about a lot of bands though; Husker Du probably being the most prominent one.

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Creem
Self Titled LP
Deranged Records

This Brooklyn NY band reminds me a lot of a number of Boston bands like Slapshot, The FU’s, and SSD. Pretty raging early eighties hardcore. I was a bit sceptical because I have noticed a lot of people who seem to have “moved on” from hardcore are into this band, but they seem to be the real deal. My only real concern here is that putting seven songs on an LP is pretty wasteful. I do not understand why bands need to put a 15 minute record on a long player. Maybe it was the label’s decision? Either way, it feels pretty wrong.

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Fire & Ice
Not Of This Earth
Reaper Records

After some uneventful previous recordings, Fire & Ice have come out with one of the best records of the year. For years bands have been trying to drop themselves in-between the two Leeway records and Fire & Ice have done a fantastic job. This record has the mosh of Born To Expire with the technicality and melody of Desperate Measures. I think this is a great record.

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Give
Singles Going Confetti
Assault Records

I have complained before that it was pretty obnoxious for an excellent band like Give to put out numerous two song, five dollar, singles and not collect them together for the convenience of the more frugal listener. They have since put out this collection of their five singles of the past few years. This also has an additional song, which I have mixed feelings about. On one hand, I understand the need for a “selling point,” but I also think putting one new song on something like this makes me wonder how worthwhile it is to buy this record. Give are a fantastic band however that remind me a lot of many late eighties bands like Swiz and Ignition. I am looking forward to seeing them next month.

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Green Beret
Violence Is Their Currency
Side Two Records

A nice aesthetic and musical trend in the past few years has been the blending of all of the XClaim! bands into one. This can be seen in bands like The Boston Strangler, Hoax, and especially Green Beret, who impressed me with a good demo a few years back. Green Beret combine the speed of The FU’s and Jerry’s Kids with the intensity of SSD. This band fits in really well with many of the other impressive bands putting their own twist on this classic style. I hope they tour outside of the north east soon.

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Give
Petal Pushing
Painkiller Records

Give’s blend of late eighties harDCore like Swiz and Ignition hits one of its high points on this seven inch, which was released by the always impressive Painkiller Records. Sometimes Give’s b-sides are fairly inconsistent; they do takes chances that impress me though. This record is excellent all around. There is a nice collection of all their records now out.

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My Bloody Valentine
M B V

Uh, $16 for mp3’s? Is this band aware that it is actually not 1992? Well, maybe not, because this is a pretty bland, soulless, follow up to their massively overrated, but good, Loveless album. As CC put it on The Secret Board, this record is fine and all, but it sounds like a computer generated a bunch of AI My Bloody Valentine songs. It sounds a lot like Loveless, which many will love, but I have to question what the point is to this record. I think a lot of people are just psyched it isn’t horrible. Seriously.

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