New York Rules Tape Compilation I was interested in hearing this because there are a number of bands I read about on the internet (Pregnant, Nomos, Byrds of Paradise) a lot. Most of these bands are noisy (I guess that’s what they call it? I’m not up on the lingo) or pretty melodic/poppy. Night Birds is the only band that really held my interest for long. Fans of contemporary scene stuff will probably want to check this out.
On Parade Demo Another band with a big spoiler alert in their band name. On Parade are definitely going for the energetic late 80’s style that bands like Straight Ahead,Youth of Today, and others really set the standard in. The raw recording really helps this a lot. I would be interested in hearing more from them.
Green Beret Demo Not surprisingly, given their name, there is a heavy early Boston influence on this demo. A bit of a Discharge influence can also be heard here. Great lyrics combined with the excellent music makes for a memorable demo. I am looking forward to more.
Hard Skin/Fucked Up Split 7″ I used to tape trade with someone in Fucked Up, so I have tried to follow them over the years. Honestly, I just lost interest pretty early in their career. They are one of those bands emos and ex-hardcorers always rant about being so AMAZING and THE ONLY BAND I CAN LIKE. Yawn. Obviously, not the band’s fault, but still so stupid. Hard Skin are some sort of joke skinhead band. Whatever. Two covers on their side, including a decent version of New Age. I’d rather just listen to Blitz.
Social Circkle European Tour 7″ Hardware Records One of my favorites from a more recent No Bullshit compilation put together this single for their euro tour in 2009. The a side is a new song, which shows off their snotty hardcore in the vein of the bands like The Germs and other early bands. The b side is a well done cover of Showcase Showdown’s Police Police.
Taste of Fear-Pro Life=No Mind (Split With Disrupt) Madball-We Should Care (Ball of Destruction) Agnostic Front-Crucial Changes (United Blood) Obliteration-Fascist System (Self Titled) Capital Scum-Final Nail In My Coffin (Clutch The Flag) Cop Out-Burned Down (Self Titled) Mind Eraser-Withdrawal Symptoms (The Prodigal Son Brings Death) His Hero Is Gone-Leash (Fifteen Counts of Arson) The Proletariat-Bread & Circus (Soma Holiday) Government Warning-Arrested (Arrested) Trauma-Policy of War (Demo) Political Asylum-Flight of Fancy (Solitary) Fear of God-Two Sides of the Coin (As Statues Fall) War Cry-The New Age (Not So Distant Future) Messiah Force-Silent Tyrant (Female Fronted Heavy Metal 1976-1989 Disc Two) Off!-I…
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New Lows Harvest of the Carcass LP Deathwish Inc Records Death, gore, apocalyptic breakdowns…..amazing!!! Album art is great and the song titles match the style. Don’t get your panties in a bunch just yet; this sound has been done before. Think early 90’s Integrity meets The Word is Law era Neurosis. Maybe a bit of Converge in there too. It’s doomy, experimental at times and pummeling at others. Lots of tempo changes make things interesting and I didn’t find myself falling asleep (which says a lot). So, for this style I would say that it’s not incredibly groundbreaking, but it…
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Electric Wizard Black Masses LP Rise Above Records After being pretty lukewarm on their last few records, and not liking this one when it first came out, I am beginning to get into the latest record from Electric Wizard. Their previous sludgy, “stoner rock,” style has been accenuated by what I am deeming as some influence of bands like Slowdive, My Bloody Valentine, and Lush. Really! Shoegazer meets Black Sabbath. This is growing on me…
Skull Crusher Blinded By Illusion LP Livewire Records Members of Hands Tied and Ressurection heading in a more metal direction. These guys are obviously going for Best Wishes era Cro-Mags, later Rest in Pieces, or The Icemen, but this record hasn’t held my interest that much. The intent is there, for sure, but it doesn’t really grab me. You’ll have to decide on this one for yourself.
No Statik We All Die In The End LP Prank Records A strange, but interesting mix of Bay Area style powerviolence, early Bleed maybe, and… I don’t know what the fuck to call it. It’s almost industrial at parts? I’m not into it entirely yet, but I gave it a few listens to be sure. Definitely the singer from Scrotum Grinder, whose voice is insane. It’s difficult to pull off this style and make it sound different, but I think they’ve managed to do so. Worth a listen; make up your own mind.
