7" Reviews

Absurdo - Tots Sants Ep (Discos Absurds) (5 euro)
After a solid demo tape I totally slept on until I read about it in Distort's last installment, Barcelona's Absurdo returns with a self released six song Ep. It's all new material. I feel like a chump for ignoring the band back when their demo came out, because it was a really good release. At the time I figured Absurdo were just another Spanish band doing dbeat or raw punk or whatever you want to call it. Not the case. Absurdo plays pretty clean yet very fast hardcore punk with an obvious nod to the early 1980's without coming of as a retro act. Supposedly they pay homage to GBR, but I can't say I would have heard it had I not been told.
What immediately struck me when I first played this record was how Absurdo's singer reminds me of Martin Crudos in his younger years. His vocals are manic and energetic and you can hear he's tearing his chords. It's got that rasp, you know. Manic and energetic would also be fitting adjectives for the music contained on this piece of vinyl. But perhaps even more important is that Absurdo plays fast. They don't resort to blastbeats or other modern tendencies. Instead the band makes use of a traditional hardcore template which in this case consists of frantic trebly guitar playing without much distortion, a nice not so clean but full bass sound, hard lightning fast drumming – the snare hits will make your brain shake inside of your skull - and the aforementioned manic on the mic. I like it best when the singer is quiet for a few seconds and the instrumentation runs a little wild with a song. I'm not arguing the band is better off without their vocalist. I just think it's in those parts Absurdo shines. Those moments give the band a quality that most hardcore bands lack. The guitar player throws in short catchy solo's in a lot of songs, which I found really enjoyable. None of these tunes make it to the 1:30 minute mark, but that shouldn't be a surprise or a problem to any of you kids.
This Ep comes in a nice sleeve with what looks like a manifesto on the back. A beautiful booklet is to be found inside. It includes the lyrics – all in Spanish of course – and shows a collage with imagery of urban landscapes and traffic jams. Absurdo seems to be a political band criticizing the modern capitalist world. I'm pretty sure they're anarchists, but I can't be sure due to my lack of knowledge of the Spanish language. Which brings me to a point of debate. On the one hand I think it's great that Spanish bands prefer their native tongue over fake American accents – just a little stab at my local scene right there. Yet on the other hand I can't help but feel a bit left out here. I'm interested in what these guys have to say, but as a non Spanish speaker I am not invited to their revolution! Then again I know I hardly ever read translated lyrics when they are included so perhaps I'm full of shit. I'd like to think I would have read them if Absurdo had included them, but I guess we'll never know.

Astral Travel - Bodymelt 7" (Vertex) (6 euro)
This single is the second record by this all girl four piece from Australia's most desolate town better known as Perth. This makes it probable that you have no idea whatsoever what kind of sounds can be found on this 7”. Or maybe you think you do, because all those girl bands sound alike to you? Whatever you think, bands consisting of ladies only tend to get thrown in together, which is sexist, but at the same time understandable. I could liken Astral Travel to some women only bands you might know too, but I don't think it would be appropriate. These girls have something else going. The two songs on this single are both dreamy pop tunes with sweet melodies, very impressive vocals and awesome driving basslines. The latter is what I personally like most about Astral Travel, but the vocals are what sets Astral Travel apart from their peers most. This dame can sing. While the music has this sweet amateur charm, the vocals border on the professional and yet it doesn't annoy me. There's something hypnotizing to the singing and the basslines add to that atmosphere.

Supposedly Astral Travel are labeled indie rock by some and although I get where that's coming from it's not the way I'd describe the band. These songs are more reminiscent of late 1970s DIY music from the UK. I imagine four childhood friends hanging out every night, bonding over a mutual love for music, art and everything they consider beautiful. They start a band, play music in the shed in their parent's backyard and record the songs to tape so they can listen to them at home alone. The quality of the recordings isn't low by any means, but the music is bare and minimal, stripped of everything unnecessary. The songs radiate a shared sense of loneliness. They are dreamy and breath a certain absence of mind. Punk this is not. There's no grit and there's nothing vile about Astral Travel, but I like the band regardless. It all comes down to the songs and both of those are good. The B-side is the better track in my opinion. The bass playing is almost too good to be true. Accept that your body is melting away and take the lyrics to heart by just relaxing. Let the bass line carry you all the way to the end of the song. There are a few bridges along the road, but you'll enjoy your trip despite them. This record kind of exists in between worlds and I hope that will result in people from different musical backgrounds listening to it. It's good and should appeal to many.

It turns out the drummer is actually a guy. In my defence, he does have long hair and you know what the Dogs sang about that. It's confusing.

Astryd Lindgren's Great 5 - Ep (Ken Rock) (5 euro)
This is a new lo-fi garage punk band from Sweden with former members of the Ydils. I never heard or even heard of that band, but looking at the artwork these guys have been kicking around for a while. They sure ain’t youngsters anymore and there’s nothing wrong with that. But let’s talk about the music. Astryd Lindgren’s Great 5 deliver, you guessed it, five, supposedly great songs on this Ep - not counting the opening instrumental that is. Like I said the music is garage punk rock. I’m guessing these guys were pretty into whatever was on the Rip Off roster in the first half of the 1990s. The songs are all straight forward with simple two to three chord guitar riffs and dumb bashing drums. After the instrumental the band delivers a cover of Freestone’s ‘Bummer Bitch’ kicks in, a classic if there ever was one. The band gets away with it surprisingly well. The final song on the A-side is the anthem here. The chorus to ‘Retard Rock’ states that ‘There’s a retard in the band!’Although I can't say I disagree, the number might actually be on the low side. There are three loonies here at the very least. The recording quality of this Ep is intentionally shitty, but not to the point you can’t make out there are songs in the mix somewhere. Although this won’t be the most memorable record you’ll lay on your record player, it’s not a bad record either and there are some good songs here. If catchy garage punk still floats your boat, and I don’t see a reason why it shouldn’t, you’ll like this. The artwork is atrocious, but I think the Ken Man has a soft spot for ugliness of this sort - check out the artwork on that Rivercity Tanlines Ep he did and you’ll know what I mean. Also 7”s with different rpm each side should be forbidden. That shit is annoying. That aside, not a bad record.

Ausmuteants - Ep (Heinous Anus) (6 euro)
Review up soon...

Bäddat För Trubbel - ISO 9004 Ep (Sweken) (5 euro)
Bäddat För Trubbel has been taking the world by from their very first release. This Ep came out shortly after their debut Lp on Punks Only, which was a great record. ‘ISO 9004’ brings five new alcohol drenched tunes sung in Swedish to the listener’s ear. It’s impressive how all the songs are fairly simple yet they don’t sound interchangeable at all. Each track is a song in its own right. Bäddat För Trubbel have had their own style and sound down from the get go, which is quite a quality and one you don’t come across too often at that. A returning topic when discussing this band remains it’s a shame I don’t have the slightest idea what they’re singing about and somehow I feel like I’m missing half the fun because of it, but I should either start taking that ‘Learn Swedish at Home’ course or drop the issue already. The recording on this 7” is a bit rougher than the sound of the Lp. The bass is more upfront, but not to the point that the other instruments get drowned. Another difference would be that all the songs here rock, whereas the band slows things down on both their full lengths sailing into ballad land every now and then. The opening song of this 7” is a nice bar rocker with some wild piano playing at the end. The absolute hit of the record however is ‘Snälla, Snälla’ on side B. It’s a great anthem. That song alone would be reason enough to pick this record up, but the other tunes are no letdown either. If you haven't heard Bäddat För Trubbel yet this Ep is as good a starting point as any. Then again their Lp's have more songs and everybody know more is better. In my opinion you’re missing out by skipping any record by these guys really so you basically need this record as much as their others. Grab for your wallet already.

Bad Taste/ Brain Car - Split 7" (Reel Time) (5 euro)

Review up soon...

Bill Bondsmen - Disaster Prone 7" (Local Cross)
Wow! This is Bill Bondsmen's seventh release already! Although I thought the first releases by this Detroit hardcore band were somewhat forgettable, I always liked Gabby's vocals. They have a familiar sound to them yet he doesn't seem to be ripping anyone off. The band really got their sound down on their first full length "Swallowed by the World". The style on this single is pretty much the same. This record could have been an appetizer for the Lp, but instead it's its ugly afterbirth.  Both songs on this platter exceed three minutes. Few hardcore bands are able to cross the two minute line without me zoning out (who is still listening to Fucked Up?) yet Bill Bondsmen pull it of. The first song is build around a tightly  played two chord riff that keeps returning throughout the song. It's the most straightforward of the two. The song on the flip starts off dark and desperate. It's moody. The band builts up some serious tension. Only halfway through the song Bill Bondsmen deliver what they're known for; some hateful hardcore. Fucking great. Can't wait to hear this band's next release.

Bill Bondsmen - Overcrowded Control 7" (Self Released) (5 euro)
It's been a while since we heard from Bill Bondsmen. If I'm not mistaken the last record these boys released was the Local Cross single, which according to discogs dates back to 2010 already. Time sure flies. The Bondsmen were already getting a bit more experimental on their last release and they continue to walk that path on 'Overcrowded Control'. It's hard to put the finger on what makes these new songs different from their earlier material. They're not blending new styles into their sound nor do the song structures get more complex, which I thought was the case at first. No, there's nothing too crazy happening on that front. “What's the difference then?” I hear you think. Well, the songs have gotten less straightforward for lack of a better word. You can hear the band worked these songs hard. Perhaps that explains the two year gap between this release and their previous one . However Bill Bondsmen has not mellowed out one bit. Their music is still ferocious and the vocals are as in your face as ever. Tony's delivery guarantuees no listener will mistake Bill Bondsmen for anything other than a hardcore band. Both him and the rest of the band still sound pissed. Although I have no degree in psychoanalysis I've got a feeling the day these guys stop being angry will be the day they die. What probably makes these new songs a bit different as well is the band just got better at playing their instruments over time. This makes perfect sense when you consider that the Bondsmen have been kicking it for about a decade now. By now they outlasted the bands that probably made them pick up their instruments. They are lifers in a genre where most classic bands didn't last more than a few years or in some cases months. With this in mind it makes sense the band is moving away from hardcore's most elementary basics. My favourite track on this single is 'Overcrowded Control'. The walking bass lines in the chorus of said song are awesome. The four string is stealing the show on this one. The song gets wrapped up by Tony letting out one final scream shortly after his last verse: “Welcome home/ It's like you never left/ And this time... you won't.” Nice. 'Untitled' on the flip has a long intro in which the bass player plays one note over a simple drum beat while the guitar feedbacks. During the song one guitar player plays a simple two note line while the other runs wild with some spacey effects. The drums demand more attention in this song than on the opener. Also a good tune. The band released this record themselves and the sleeves are all silkscreened making this a nifty little hardcore single you shouldn't miss out on.  

Bill Bondsmen - Nineteen 7" (Self Released) (5 euro)

Here's the second self-released single by the hardcore band everybody loves to ignore, the Bill Bondsmen from Detroit! It has gotten to the point that it feels sad to say this band doesn't get the credit they deserve. I mean, how many times can you repeat such a statement without it getting pathetic? It's like how everybody says that Out Cold never got their dues. That band kept playing regardless. They didn't give a fuck and neither do the Bondsmen. More power to them.

So I'll quit the fucking whining. Instead I'll say this is a good single by an interesting hardcore band you should check out if you generally like hardcore punk. With the number of years these guys have got under their respective belts it shouldn't be a surprise that their musicianship – yes, I said it – is a cut above that of most groups. The guitar playing in particular is captivating, but the bass player also has some tricks up his sleeve that show he's been around the block and likes to do a bit more than your average man on four string.

Furthermore, and this is even more important, unlike most bands today the Bondsmen are not trying to imitate the sound of any particular band from any particular town in any particular year, a quality that seems to get more sparse by the day. Instead the Bondsmen seem are on a path of their own, developing a style of their own. By now they just sound like Bill Bondsmen really and that's a point most bands never even get close to. Unfortunately it's also an achievement most hardcore kids don't care about.

Although still a hardcore band, you hear more stylistic influences seep into the Bondsmen's sound on this single without taking away any of the band's urgency or anger. There's still plenty of hate in these songs . How could there not be with Tony on vocals. I'll keep repeating that his voice is fucking great. Both songs on this single have a solid riff at their core, but that's not all there is to them. The Bondsmen's development on the song writing front has been impressive and if you're gonna give this single a decent listen, you'll realize that the band put a lot of thought into crafting these two tracks.

So get off your high horse already and stop consuming all those bands that desperately try to sound like whichever Boston band from the early 1980s. Play this instead and realize that not everything has been done before and that bands today can be interesting if you're only willing to give them a shot. As if you're gonna try, you dismissive pricks!

Brain Car - Rock 'n Roll Bologna Ep (Reel Time) (5 euro)
Review up soon...

Brain Tumors - Fuck You Forever Ep (Deranged)
Second Ep by this Minneapolis hardcore outfit, that did one of the most entertaining Maximum Rock 'n Roll interviews in recent memory. The band did a 7” on Fashionable Idiots a few years ago, but that seemd to go by fairly unnoticed. Although I did get myself a copy, I didn't listen to it that much. I remember the band was plugged by the fact they shared members with Much Worse at the time. I didn't like Much Worse so I figured I would not like the Brain Tumors either. Of course I was wrong.

This band doesn't seem to have any pretention about what they're doing, which is refreshing. They're just a bunch of weirdos playing fast and angry music as they say themselves and they happen to do a really great job at it. The eight songs on this Ep are all vicious, mean and chaotic as hell. The drumming is ferocious, the riffs are fast, wild and different. There's some feedback thrown around which adds to the overall chaos on this record. Lastly the vocals are fucking awesome. The singer sounds manic and pissed. All lyrics are included on the back of the record sleeve, which I like. The record kicks off with the band calling out Dead Beat Records for ripping them off on a record deal. I don't know the ins and outs to the story, but I like the band adresses the issue in a song. Pretty ballsy! Further on lyrics cover such topics as self destruction, self loathing, being a weirdo and even criticism of consumer culture is delivered. The singer seems to be a smart and witty guy with some serious issues. This is good. We need more freaks in this hardcore thing.

Some say there are Japanese influences to be heard in Brain Tumors' songs, but I can't say that was something that struck me. However I am not in the know on this subject and since one of the band members supposedly has one of the most extensive Japanese hardcore record collections in the USA, it sounds reasonable that some Japanese influences seep through in the band's sound. I like the music either way. 

To me the Brain Tumors are probably one of the more exciting hardcore going at the moment. They don't seem to get too much attention, which might be due to their down to earth attitude. That's a shame in a way, but it makes these guys all the more 'real'. That's probably what I like most about the band. They seem sincere whereas a lot of hardcore music feels contrived and made-up. I heard the band is working on a new Ep, but I don't know when that will be out or who is going to do it (although I'm pretty sure it won't on be Dead Beat Records). I'm looking forward to Brain Tumors' new material and wouldn't be surprised if they'd hit Europe in the near future.

Brulbajz - Dödens Apostlar 7" (Reken) (6 euro)
Review up soon...

Bukkake Boys - Second Ep (Sorry State)

Here is Bukkake Boys' second titleless Ep. These guys are from Atlanta, "City of Pop", famous for Goner Records and its catchy punk bands. Bukkake Boys don't fit in with that crowd at all for they play hardcore punk. I picked these guys' debut  up last year and although I remember liking it, I didn't listen to it a whole lot. It didn't really grab me. With that in mind I'm blown away by how good this follow-up is. Bukkake Boys aren't rewriting the books here, but they sure deliver a strong harcore release with this record. What strikes me is the relentless drumming and the pissed as hell vocals. This Ep delivers seven short, fast and angry hardcore tunes. This band is harsh as hell! There are/were so many bands going for this style and few pull it of as well as these boys. If I haven't convinced you yet,  you'll just have to take my word for it. This record is a keeper. 'Female Dog' is my favorite song on here, but all tracks are solid. Time to dig up their first Ep again to give it another shot.

The Bums - Do it all Night 7" (Big Nose)
Debut record by this band from Atlanta and although the artwork is highly reminiscent of the Carbonas, the Bums don’t sound anything like them. The three tunes on this single are classic rock ‘n roll songs with simple but catchy guitar riffs. There’s not much dirge to them, but the band makes up for that with a lot of swing and swagger. Every song includes the instrument each punk rock loves to hate, the saxophone. I’d like to remind said haters that the Stooges weren’t averse of including some horns on their records so stop whining already. Bums singer’s vocals are raw and though and get scarily close to cock rock city at times, but fortunately don’t quite get there. In a way his vocal delivery fits the music, but I still find it hard to stand sometimes. The lyrics are repetitive and stick as do the songs in general. Both the title track and the B-side are cool tunes. I especially like the singer’s manic laughter in ‘Man of this Town’. The weak link on this record is the second song on side A. Although ‘Lost in the City’ is not a bad song, I think the record would have been better without it. This would have been a nice classic little two-track single that way. Maybe that’s just me being a purist, but I can’t help but think it would have made more sense.

Canadian Rifle - Cinder Block 7" (Criminal IQ)
Second release by this Chicago punk rock trio and in my opinion their best so far. Altough the Visibility Zero Lp was a good record, it didn't have hits on it like this 7" has. Canadian Rifle play songs with a lot of melodic guitar riffs. The vocals are pretty rough for the style which is nice. "Cinder Block" is an incredibly catchy song. I love the bridge in  the second song "Creep". I can go on and describe what makes the two songs on the flip great, but I might as well say that all four songs on this record are keepers. If you like melodic punkrock I'm sure you'll find yourself spinning this piece of vinyl over and over. The only thing that I'm not too stoked on is the artwork, but what can you do. There'll be a new Ep by these fellows on Residue and Taken by Surprise records soon so keep an eye out for that.

Cannomen - Science Studies the Black Hole Ep (Flat Black)
So Nashville isn't exactly on the map when it comes to punk rock as far as I know, but the Cannomen might just change that. The band released a demo about two years ago that got much praise, but everything went quiet after that. Somehow this Ep didn't get a whole lot of attention. It might be the label? Fat Black mostly releases 1980s styled hardcore if I'm not mistaken. The Cannomen don't really fall under that category. They play punk rock with maybe a slight hardcore influence. The vocals have a malicious cling to them. The singer sounds depressed and mean. I'm really into the lyrics. There's some cool bass lines as well as some nice simple guitar leads in these songs. Three of the tunes on this record were previously released on their demo and are all great. The new song on the A-side is cool as well. The whistling in that tune still cracks me up. These kids are mining the same ground as some of my favourite classic bands did and they do it well. I'm not gonna drop names since they're not going for a particular band's sound (thank god). Just listen to it and you'll know what I mean.

Cannomen - Sex on the Bleach 7" (Fat Sandwich)
Second Ep by this Nashville four-piece. The record kicks off with a somewhat surfy three minute jam called 'Tidal Waves'. The song is build around a driving bass line. The guitar stays pretty much in the background. The chorus has whoooooahooooaa's and hand claps. I wasn't a fan of that at first, but grew to like the song anyway. 'Tidal Waves' is definitely different from their earlier material, but I like it when bands try something else as long as it doesn't suck and this song sure does not. On the flip there are two punk rockers more in the vain of the Cannomen's previous 7". The songs are faster and shorter than the A-side. 'No Sex' is a good song. I think the vocalist totally fits this song ('Hey little miss perfect/ I'm mister worthless'). The bridge in the song is a cool addition and is hella catchy. 'I Drank the Bleach' is the shortest song on here and it's probably my favourite. I like the fast three chord hardcore riff and the angry back ups. Another cool record by this overlooked band. I think these cats have a lot of potential which I'm sure will flourish even more with a next release. The band has been meaning to release a Lp forever, but somehow it hasn't happened yet. Let's hope that record will come to be someday.

Cheap Time - Other Stories 7" (Sweet Rot) (6 euro)
This is Cheap Time's fifth single as the attentive reader might already have noticed after a quick glance at the sleeve. It's cool to see Cheap Time return to Vancouver's Sweet Rot Records for another single. The very same label released their second 7” way back when few people were paying attention to this band. Since then Cheap Time has turned plenty of heads. In the meantime they've already got three full-lengths under their belt. The line-up has changed throughout the years with Jeffrey Novak being the only constant member. On this 7” we see a new guy jump in on bass. The band started out with a girl on four string who later got replaced by a guy who dressed as a girl and now there's a new guy. I'm not not in the know about his fashion preferences, but I'm sure he's a sharp dresser. But enough about clothes already! Let's get to the music. This single brings two new songs to the plate. For a moment I thought it was an appetizer for the 'Wallpaper Music' Lp, but neither of these tunes is included on that longplayer. Novak, the man with the stoned look and disinterested stare, has proven himself a great songwriter throughout the years in various projects, but Cheap Time has been his main focus for quite a while now. I was a bit disappointed by the band's second Lp, but 'Wallpaper Music' restored my faith in this Memphis group. It might just be the best thing they did so far. Opening song 'Other Stories' on this single would have fitted in on the full lenght perfectly. It's bouncy and catchy as hell. The addition of key chords in the chorus gives the song some extra swing. The drummer lays down some nice drum rolls in the verse and Novak's vocals in this song are really cool. The little bridge where he just speaks over the guitar playing is a nice touch. The song gets wrapped up with a simple but effective guitar solo. Good song. On the flip we find 'In this World'. This is typical B-sider. It's rougher, has more stomp and rocks more than 'Other Stories'. It's basically a sequence of several two chord riffs with Novak singing over it. The drummer is having a blast with those drum rolls again and a short guitar solo is included here as well. I might make the songs come across as alike, but they're not although this is obviously the same band. I don't really know what else to say about this one. If you like Cheap Time you should pick this up and if you don't there's in all probability something wrong with you.

Condenada - Mother Tongue Ep (Thought Crime)

Third record by this all-women feminist hardcore band from Chicago and it's without a doubt their best so far. Condenada's songwriting is damn good. The music is inventive and dynamic. Overall this band has a mighty fresh sound. I really like some of the bass work on this record. Something that I don't really enjoy about this band however is the singing. The vocals are passionate and at times very tough. It gets a bit too much for me here and there, but perhaps I'm just a bit intimidated... Apparently the lyrics cover feminist topics, but unfortunately for me two out of the four songs delivered here are in Spanish so I do not know what they're about. The other two songs are about depression, subjection and gender issues. I'm inclined to say this is hardcore music for the femmes and I mean that in a good way. Definitely a hardcore release worth picking up. Great artwork too.

Condominium - Carl Ep (Sub Pop)
Review up soon...

Criminal Code - Hollowed 7" (Deranged)
Review up soon...

Los Culitos - Un Ano Sin Verte Ep (Self Released)
Second Ep by this Finnish by way of Spain punk rock band. Los Culitos started out as a three piece, but recently added a bass player to their line-up. This record serves the listener two new songs and two covers. The new songs are good and in the line of their previous record: simple stomping punk rock songs with sharply sung snappy female vocals. Basically this is all that’s important. The two originals are cool, but obviously I have to say something about the covers too. So here we go. Like I said there are two: ‘Don’t Talk to Me’ by GG Allin and ‘In League with Satan’ by Venom. Both songs are translated to Spanish which is a nice touch. I’m no fan of covers on record, but Los Culitos isn’t merely copying the two songs. They do something with them and make them their own to some degree so it isn’t all that bad. Honestly I wouldn’t even have known the Venom song was a cover if it wasn’t mentioned on the sleeve. I checked out the original and it was laughable to me. Then again I could never take metal seriously so it should go without saying that I prefer Los Culitos’ version. Perhaps I’m being sacrilegious here, but wasn’t metal all about sacrilege? The GG cover is alright. It stays closer to the original, but Yvonne’s vocals give the song a different sound and I like the band’s take on the bridge. After listening to the song I don’t think: ‘Damn, the original is so much better’, which is often the case with covers so I’d argue Los Culitos get away with the covering. Still I would have preferred new originals, but I’m sure those will pop up soon enough. If you’re new to this band I’d recommend you to pick up their previous Ep first, but if you’re already a fan you can’t go wrong with this 7”.

Dark Times - Ep (Sheep Chase)

Dark Times are a pretty new band hailing from the cold plains of Norway, a country that isn’t exactly known for their amazing music scene unless you’re into church burning metal acts. The band released a solid demo tape about a year ago. When I first heard the demo it was described to me as ‘death rock’. I wasn’t feeling the songs back then. Hell, I don’t even know what ‘death rock’ means. I feel swamped by all these genres at times, but let’s not digress. A few months ago I gave the tape another shot and I have been in love with it ever since. I tried to get copies of the thing, but it was already sold out. The band had just released their first Ep so I decided to get copies of that instead. So this is Dark Times’ vinyl debut. I find this band’s style hard to describe. There’s some hardcore and noise to it, but I’m pretty sure there’s a thick 1990s influence to their music as well. Since I wasn’t around at the time I can’t really tell where I get the idea from, but somehow I’m pretty sure these kids all have Sonic Youth as well as a handful of Amphetamine Reptile releases in their record collection. I like how Dark Times’ songs move between heavy and slow dirges to faster angry parts. The second song ‘Fakes’ is a perfect example of this. The music is bass heavy, but not in a way that it removes your attention from the other instruments. Ann´s vocals are characteristic. Her somewhat monotonous almost spoken squeals convey despair, bitterness but also anger. There are moments where she actually sings, in ’Wipe the Slate’ for example, but they are scarce. That’s alright though, because her delivery fits well with the angsty vibe of the music. This record is bound to depress you so if that’s what you like in music - you know I do - then look no further. There are two things I don’t like about this release that should be addressed though. First of all I don’t like the artwork. Considering that I’m much ridiculed for my love of skull imagery that should say something. Furthermore I’m a bit worried where these kids will head. They can definitely play and somehow I feel like tapping into the ‘hipster world’ is an option for them. Hopefully they won’t. Please don’t get involved with Vice magazine. You can do without! All in all a strong record. If anyone can hook me up with a copy of the demo I would be ever thankful. Personally I think this Ep isn’t as great as the tape, but it’s still good.

Dawn of Humans - Blursts of the Birdfish Ep (5 euro)
Third release by these New York miscreants that share members with several other bands of which some are more famous than these cats while others are not. I was very impressed by this band's debut Ep and the follow up was no letdown either. 'Blurst of the Birdfish' is a different beast altogether, but before I get to that it should be said that the nonsensical title of this record really pulls me in. What it refers to I do not know, but I'm intrigued. Okay, let's move on to the music.

Whereas the first two 7”s by Dawn of Humans still had structured songs with a shitload of low end in the mix, the tracks on this Ep are pure chaos and mania. Although the noise not music slogan always appealed to me, the bands applying said philosophy never grabbed me. Dawn of Humans sound the way I'd want a 'noise not music band' to sound. They destroy the concept of song and leave the listener with no certainties to hold on to on their manic and deranged ride.

Eugene's vocals are indecipherable and for a lot of the time the sounds coming from his mouth would be best described as squeals or other animal sounds. There's even some evil hyena-like laughter. The guitar on this recording sounds fucked. At times I'm not sure whether it is the six string carrying the songs or a heavily distorted bass guitar. If you listen close however there's some weak plodding audible in the background, so it is in fact the guitar that's delivering the riffs. The drums sound trebly. Each cymbal and snare hit resonates for seconds giving this record a very raw quality. Raw punk if you like, but Dawn of Humans bring far more to the plate than bands wearing that patch with misplaced pride.

I never understood what the dbeat was, but I was pretty sure that was the beat the opening song was played to. A connoisseur told me I was wrong though so apparently I still don't know shit. Either way, what I'm trying to say is although there are elements in here that could be labeled, this record doesn't sounds contrived in any way. Instead Dawn of Humans created an original and daring hardcore record with 'Blurst of the Birdfish'. Twisted music for twisted minds. 

Disparo/ Demenzia Kolectiva - Split Ep (Trabuc) (5 euro)
Review up soon...

Disparo - Ep (Trabuc) (5 euro)
Review up soon...

Druid Perfume - Don't Eat Them, They're Poison 7" (X!)
After two 7"s and an awesome Lp Detroit's Druid Perfume are back to unleash their madness once again. This single was released around the same time as the Weird Worlds single on Italy and M'Lady which by now is long gone. Fortunately for you X! Records did a less limited pressing of this here record. If you've heard Druid Perfume before you should know what to expect by now. Describing this band is not an easy mission whatsoever for Druid Perfume are one of a kind. This band plays some pretty rocking punk with an organ, a saxophone and (I think) some other horns thrown into the mix. Don't expect any catchiness on their part though. They're only there to make the band's music more of a mess than it already is. At times the sounds on this 7" can barely be called music and if it wasn't for the heavy bass keeping the music together it would be easy to classify this record as pure chaos. Add a singer who sounds like a drunken preacher strung out on pills announcing the apocalypse over the top of his lungs and you should have an idea of what you're in for. The A-side of this record opens with a women's choir singing "Don't put 'm in your mouth/ don't put 'm in your teeth/ they're poison" in acapella after which the dirgy title-track of this single kicks in. The flip is more of a song than the A-side, but it's still out of this world. This is not a 7" you'll find yourself spinning over and over unless you've got some serious issues, but hell I sure love these two songs every single time I play them.

Dry Heaves - Loose Tongues Ep (Common Thread)
This is Sheffield's Dry Heaves' first five song counting Ep. The UK seems to be on fire at the moment. Quite a few new hardcore punk bands popped up there lately, Dry Heaves being one of them. I found out about this punk rock group through a review of their second Ep in the pages of MRR a few months ago and was convinced it was a record I needed to hear. Since the band still had some copies of their debut record left, I picked up a few of these as well.

The band hails from England and plays punk rock so of course the Shitty Limits will be used for comparison. I, however, don't think the Limits are all that much alike. No Wire influences are to be heard on this record and there's no flirt with post-punk either. Dry Heaves are more on a late 1970's to early 1980's LA beach punk rock tip. The Angry Samoans would be a better point of reference in my opinion. Like the Samoans', Dry Heaves' lyrics are witty. Their singer seems to be a smartass. He's like Cliff Hanger minus the biting sarcasm and self-loathing. So not as great as Mr. Hanger, but still pretty good. It does the trick. Topics discussed are dumb people talking about nothing, people not taking chances, depression and paranoia. Nothing new perhaps, but things I can relate to one way or the other and I like that in punk rock.

The irony here is that what the band criticizes in the song 'Play it Save', is the one thing that bugs me about this record. It's a nice release, but I think it could have been even better if the band had branched it out a bit more. Admittedly I don't know shit about recording, but I think it would have helped if the guitar sound had been more abrasive. The six strings sounded a lot rougher on the band's demo and I liked it better that way. Maybe the vocals should have had some more sneer to them as well. I wish the singer sounded meaner. It would also have been nice if they played the songs a bit faster. The tunes get a bit lackluster in places now.

I don't mean to be a prick and know everyone's a critic. This is not my band and these kids should do whatever they see fit. I just think this record could have been great if only the songs had been more in your face. I wonder why they're not, because listening to the lyrics, the attitude is definitely there. The songs are good though and I'm sure these guys kill it live. Definitely not a bad start, but there's room for improvement – isn't there always? So I hope Dry Heaves stick around and I'd love to see them live sometime.

Dry Heaves - Medicated Youth Ep (Common Thread, Zandor)
Review up soon...

Flip Shit - Outgoing Rockers Ep (Reel Time) (5 euro)
This right here is the vinyl debut by this Rochester punk rock outfit. I like the band name! Kinda stupid yet it has a cool cling to it. I read about Flip Shit somewhere and the only material by them I could find at the time was their demo tape. That recording left me unimpressed to say the least. There was way too much guitar wankery on there. I'm talking constant heavy metal guitar solos. The band even played a Poison Idea cover of Feel the Darkness, which I think no band should ever do.

So I did not like the band's demo and yet I picked this Ep up for the mailorder. Don't ask me why. Maybe I only heard the demo after I actually made the order? It's really not all that relevant. The bottom line is that a bunch of copies of this record ended up on my record shelves. And great was my relief when I first played this Ep, because it's a whole lot better than the demo material. Out are the heavy metal tendencies. Thank goodness! The guitar player hasn't mellowed out. He's still doing solo's all the time and even his sound is still pretty heavy on the side of 'rock'. However this time around his playing serves the songs instead of the other way around which takes down the wank factor some much needed notches. On this record Flip Shit basically sounds like a punk band with a guitar player that rather listens to rock music than the Killed By Death compilations, which isn't a bad thing really. We all have our vices, right?

Flip Shit doesn't sound 'schooled in punk rock' overall. They seem to be a young bunch that just started a band for the hell of it and this is what it ended up sounding like. The didn't try to kinda sound like the Lewd, which oddly enough is refreshing. The band seems to have the right attitude down. The singer's vocals are bit muffled and obnoxious – in the good way that is. His lyrics are clever, which is always a plus. The drums and bass lay down basic song structures, fairly traditional punk stuff really except for 'End it all' where they get a bit funky. Over this the guitar player can wank away. The bass sounds pretty blown out and clatters which is good, because the guitar sound is definitely on the shrill side. The six songs on this record all have got a nice pace. Things only get slown down during the intro of 'Shit out of Luck' really.

To wrap things up, the artwork is really nice as well. The sleeve is made out of thick carton. I like that the band made the insert look like a torn page from a high school notebook. There's hearts, tokens of love and doodles scribbled in the margin. They even perforated the thing! That must have been a blast, perforating 500 inserts - I know you can do multiple at a time, but like the image of these kids doing them one by one. Don't spoil it! I really like this record and definitely didn't see that coming. I wouldn't mind another Ep.

Folded Shirt - Tiny Boat 7" (Fashionable Idiots)

This is the final record by these Cleveland retards. Folded Shirt are a perfect example of a band in which every member throws in his own personality and in the end the band is bigger than the sum of its parts. Larry’s vocals are very recognizable and great. I love Steve’s bass sound. Mr. California’s guitar playing is probably the craziest I have ever heard. Is he playing chords at all? Last but not least Allessandro’s drumming is just weird. You can hear he’s not schooled and is coming up with silly beats along the way. Add these things up and you have one crazy ass band. Folded Shirt delivers their two last songs on this 7”. What’s striking is that both songs fall apart near the end, but aren’t over. It's almost as if the band forgot to end the recording and both tracks include some 'off the record' wankery and jamming. You know, when everyone in the band is just in his own little world until the one in charge screams what song is next. ‘Mouth Clock’ is my favourite of the two songs here if only because of the line ‘Boring, boring, boring, boring!’ Folded Shirt were an unique band. In my opinion there was something very arty about them even though they’d probably never recognize this themselves. Most of their audience wouldn’t like to acknowledge it either, but it’s definitely there. One could argue that these cats were just weird as shit, which would be a good point, but it doesn’t change the fact that Folded Shirt were able to create a fresh take on punk rock in the 2000s that was catchy as well as downright hilarious. At times one is even left wondering if it is music at all! This is why I love playing Folded Shirt to friends. They just don’t know what they’re hearing. Even after multiple listens this band’s songs have me rolling on the floor with laughter. I can’t say I play their records a hell of a lot, but when I do I fucking love it.

Fontana - Not A Leg To Stand On 7" (Milk 'N Herpes)

Fontana did their first release on Detroit’s X! Records when they were barely housebroken. Their introduction to the world of vinyl, the I Feel Like A Jerk Ep on the very same label, did not get them much attention despite some good reviews. Hopefully this 7” and their Lp on X! will change that. The A-side of the single starts out with vocal melodies that are obviously stolen from Black Flag’s “Six Pack”. Then it stumbles into some subtle guitar work with the singer whinging how nobody understands him after which the song takes a more manic turn before it reaches its end. Yes, this song is all over the place, but Fontana gets away with it. The B-side is more of a straight forward punk anthem although the band shifts from fast to slow in this track as well. There’s a cool guitar solo at the end of the song. Soloing bores my pants off 90% of the time, but this is good stuff. Fontana plays blown out punk rock with mean sounding off key vocals. This band has edge. If you like your punk rock raw (and you should), you’ll love Fontana.

Foreign Objects - Mammonism 7" (Cut the Cord)

Another single by Boston’s Foreign Objects. The band recently did a small Euro tour that went by totally unnoticed by me, because they didn’t come through the Netherlands. Quite a shame, because I would have loved to see Foreign Objects perform live. Despite a lot of praise for the band’s demo and debut single I didn’t care for them until I heard their full length on Vinyl Rites. ‘No Sensation’ was a solid release. Note to self: I still need to get a copy of said record. I’ve noticed that the post punk card is drawn a lot when describing the sounds of Foreign Objects and reviewers also keep bringing up Dangerhouse Records. I never got around to investigating that label much outside of Black Randy and the Metrosquad, so whether that remark is off or on, I do not know. The post punk reference on the other hand makes sense to me. There’s definitely a post punk quality to Foreign Objects’ songwriting. When I say post punk, I mean as in fun like Wire and not depressing like Bauhaus or Joy Division. Moody introspective music seems to be getting more popular in hardcore circles by the day and I don’t like it at all. So instead of labeling Foreign Objects a post punk band, I’d rather call them punk which they basically are. The songs are a bit more complex than your average punk rocker, but that’s pretty much it. Both songs on this single are upbeat and well written. You can tell these kids have some years of playing in different bands under their belt. The musicianship is definitely way above average. Although the lyrical content is very serious – what the songs are about goes mostly over my head to be honest - the songs are catchy and danceable. Terry’s vocals are great and remind me a bit of the singer of Nuclear Family minus the theatrics. On the A-side we find ‘Mammonism’. The song has a cool driving bass line. The chorus, ‘Domination is the game/ But penetration ain’t the same’, sticks with you. I like the discordant bridge at the end of the track. On the flip we find ‘Fable’ which is more of a bouncy tune. The part where the whole band sings is a cool addition. This is a nice 7” by a band that knows its way around a song. Come back to Europe and play Amsterdam, please.

Golden Pelicans - Hard Head 7" (Total Punk) (5 euro)

There's not an awful lot I can tell about the Golden Pelicans. I know they're a four piece from Florida and I know this is their first single. That's pretty much where it ends. There are two songs on this platter and both are really catchy, fun, and yes, memorable even. Although nothing too mind blowing is going on here, you can tell these guys know their way around a song and they can play. The bass walks in 'Hard Head' kick ass.

After hearing Golden Pelicans' live cassette, things started falling into place for me. Hearing the live recording made me more excited about the band. Damn, they must be a blast live. For a moment I actually thought they opened their set with a cover; the song was so catchy and familiar, but I couldn't figure out who did the original. Turns out it's 'Hard Head'! You decide whether that says something about the the quality of this song or my weak memory. Obviously I want you to go for option one. The bands sound a lot grittier and upfront on this recording. I like it a lot. It seems the Golden Pelicans had enough songs to release an Ep with several songs, but decided to release the two songs they liked best as a single instead. That's quality control, boys and girls. I wish more bands would do that!

When I'm trying to review a record I often feel like it all just boils down to the question whether the songs are good or not. If they are you should check the record out. If not, you shouldn't. This Golden Pelicans single definitely falls under the former category, but since none of you cynical fucks ever take my word for anything I'll add that Terminal Boredom described this record as 'one of the first legit garage punk record in a long while'. To me this is just a punk band doing a cool single, but what the hell do I know? If you don't like this record, I hope you take the lyrics of the chorus on the flip to heart and drown. Supposedly another 7” will be out soon. No objections on my part!

Good Throb - Culture Vulture Ep (Muscle Horse) (5 euro)

Review up soon...

Goosebumps - I Hate My Body Ep (Burn Books, SMRT) (5 euro)
Review up soon...

Ghastly Spats - Ep (Heinous Anus) (6 euro)
Review up soon...

Herds - Michigan Ep (Residue)
What's left to say about this hardcore band from Milwaukee that hasn't been said before? I ordered both their Ep and Lp from Fashionable Idiots and still think both are great records, but somehow they haven't been selling all that well. I don't see what the problem is. Herds is one of the most crushing hardcore bands playing today. They are heavy as fuck. I'm a total sucker for their bass lines. The band exclusively sang about nature on their previous releases. They still do on the 'Michigan' Ep, but I'd say there's a slight difference. Three songs on this record cover stories of human casualties from the brute forces of nature. The last song is about us people wrecking nature and as you might have guessed, all events occur in the state of Michigan. My favourite track on here is 'Iron Mountain' which is about a mining accident that killed several workers. There are agonizing guitar cries in the tune that evoke the wails of death from the depths of the mines. Great stuff. This band destroys evertyhing in their wake and won't restrain from trampling you.

Hygiene - Christmas Do 7" (Static Shock) (6 euro)
Review up soon...

Ilegal - La Vida Es El Producto de Nuestra Esperanza Y Las Visiones Irreales Ep (Todo Destruido) (5 euro)
Review up soon...

Inmates - Now We Talkin' Hardcore Ep (Even Worse)
This record has been out for quite a few years, but I decided to stock it anyway. Cleveland has been talk of the town of hardcore for years now and this band has been much praised in several channels, especially Distort and Counterfeit Garbage come to mind, over and over and over. The Inmates are able to blend violence, stupidity, malice and humour into a perfect hardcore cocktail, petrol drenched piece of cloth hanging from the bottle and all. Not every Inmates' song is as good as the next. I don't think many listeners get excited about 'Ode to Henk and Noel' except for Henk and Noel themselves for example. Nor is every song as funny as the next. 'Ode to Henk and Noel' could make one smile had he/she ever met these men, but 'Rub & Tug' is nothing but dumb to me. 'Fainting Goat Never Die' isn't a funny song either yet when my mood is right, it makes me laugh regardless. 'Now We Talkin' Hardcore' isn't even the best record by these guys by far – for those not yet in the know I highly recommend checking out 'Assholes Unanimous Presents the Inmates'. Despite all these demerits however, this Ep is still worth picking up if only for 'On the Dots' which still makes me lose my shit even though I've heard it many many times. The lyrics are so vicious and yet so good. I wish more bands had the balls to come up with lines like “Do the world a favour/ Kill yourself today!” and “Everytime I go outside/ All I see is fucking slime/ Everytime I go outside/ I just want them all to diiiiiiiiiie!” And what better way to wrap a song up than manically screaming “Slit your wrists!” over and over again? 'Jogging in Place' is also a good song. To me those two tracks make this record. The rest is filler in my opinion, but perhaps you'll laugh your ass off at 'Rub & Tug' so by all means don't make my feigned sense of good taste keep you from enjoying the rest of this record.

Los Inservibles - Uno Vida de Tristeza Ep (Shogun, La Vida Es Un Mus) (5 euro)
First time we hear from these Mexican crazies again since their European tour last year. They didn't play the Netherlands back then and I still cry myself to sleep about it on a weekly basis.

There are five new songs here and they're all good. If you heard the band before and did not like them, chances are slim you're gonna change your mind after hearing 'Un Vida de Tristeza'. The band's approach to writing songs hasn't changed one bit. It should go without saying that I don't mind for I was already hooked on the chaos this bunch calls music.

Los Inservibles play some of the vilest and filthiest punk around. You could label this band a hardcore outfit, because of the song structures, but that'd sell these guys short. The band is far beyond categorization and that's what makes them so great. Their songs are a total mess and seem to be recorded in as crappy a way as possible. There's quite a bit of feedback throughout the record and once every band member is playing and Yecal, the singer with the lovely sideburns, opens his mouth, it's hard to make out what the hell is going on. The whole record sounds trebly and hissy as fuck because of the way the cymbals were recorded, but also because of Yecal's venomous vocals.
Like earlier recordings 'Uno Vida de Tristeza' is not for the nice. This band sounds mean and ugly. Evil even! Think rusty screwdriver stabbings in dirty alleys over unpaid drug money and you're close. Los Inservibles are the undisputed kings of dirt. Their music is violent and destructive, but it can bring sweet satisfaction to those who let the madness in. Do it now and get all their other records, because this stuff is sick. Yecal's linocut artwork really seals the deal.

Insomnio - Walking on the String Ep (No Way)

Insomnio from Zaragoza, Spain are a bit of an ugly duckling in the No Way catalogue. Unlike most No Way bands they don’t trace their roots back to a random early 80s hardcore band. Unlike most of their label mates Insomnio doesn’t go for fast. Instead they play some mid paced melodic punk rock with a lot of guitar soloing. The songs on this Ep were taken from the same recording session as the No Escape Lp that preceded this 7” so if you liked that record you’re bound to enjoy this as well. Insomnio’s not reinventing the wheel with Walking On The String. They do however play some catchy simple punk rock you’ll catch yourself singing along to despite their awful English. What more could one ask for?

Krunchies - Ugly Inside 7" (Southkore)

Third 7" by this Chicago three-piece and in my opinion by far their best release so far. The speed at which the Krunchies play would make me call them a hardcore band, but apart from their pace this band is pure punk rock with emphasis on the jangly guitar riffs and screamed boy and girl vocals. The Krunchies' lyrics are fun and witty. Song titles like "You put the 'U' in Useless" and "Ugly Inside" should give you an impression of what these cats are about. There are four frantically fast punk rock songs on this record and there isn't one among them that makes you lose your attention. Then again, you'd have a damn short attention span to lose your attention during songs clocking in barely past one minute. The rad artwork delivers the finishing touch to this record. I'm sure many people will pass on this one for snobbish reasons, but that's their loss. This is a little punk rock gem in my opinion.

Lamps - All Seeing Eye 7" (Sweet Rot) (6 euro)
Los Angeles' Lamps shouldn't be unfamiliar to anyone at this point. The band already has three full-lengths on In The Red Records under its belt so if you haven't heard of them by now, you've just not been paying attention. Lamps are known for their primitive yet often catchy garage music. Their songs are like a garage take on noise rock to me. Quite unique and very nice. The band shows a different side of itself on the A-side of this single however. 'All Seeing Eye' isn't your ordinary Lamps tune. It's far more upbeat and accessible. Friendly instead of mean and. It's their pop song, if you like. I think it's cool how the track totally throws you off. Lamps know it's always a good thing to not give the people what they want. It's exactly what the band is doing with 'All Seeing Eye', which at the end of the day is still a good song, just not the kind of song, you'd expect to hear when you're putting a Lamps record on.

On the flip we get to hear 'G.B.D.' which is more in line with other material by the band. It's a primitive track driven by a one note bass line that keeps on thudding all the way throughout the song. It brings to mind Drunks with Guns, but that might just be because I recently listened to their first record again – so good - and because I just remembered Lamps covered one of their songs on an earlier single. It's cool how the B-side is almost the antithesis of 'All Seeing Eye', because it's not catchy at all. Monty Buckles is clearly holding back on the guitar action in the beginning of 'G.B.D.', but as the song progresses the six string runs wilder and lots of effects are thrown in near the end. A different take of this track is included on the band's third Lp 'Under the Water Under the Ground' under the title 'H.B.D.', which this single was kind of an appetizer for. 'All Seeing Eye' is not included on the Lp though so fans should definitely pick this single up. I love the masculine artwork! Music for real men, ha.

Lipkick - Selftitled Ep (Kink, Monkey Sounds,Sengaja, Spastic Fantastic)

This is Lipkick from Gemany’s first proper release. These four girls play some straight ahead here and there thrashy hardcore. The guitars are loud. Their two singers both sound angry. I love how their German accent comes through in the English. I can’t help but think it’s kinda cute which obviously isn’t intended. There are some German spoken samples in between songs that I can’t really comprehend. This is a nice debut, although nothing groundbreaking, but if you're looking for groundbreaking, you might as well drop out of punk and start listening to electro. What's really cool about Lipkick is that all these kids are just in their late teens! I'm guessing this is their first band ever. With that in mind I’m sure Lipkick can develop a sound of their own over time. I love the zombie artwork. The record is on pink for those who care.

Logic Problem - No Center Ep (Grave Mistake)
This North Carolinan band called it quits a year or two ago or maybe they just decided to take a break. Either way they're not playing anymore which is a shame. Logic Problem somehow seems to have fallen through the cracks despite good reviews and some big tours. To me Logic Problem always seemed 'that band that everyone kinda liked but no one really seemed to care about'. They started playing when the 1980s retro hardcore thing was at its peak and the band didn't really fit in. Logic Problem's sounds are bigger, heavier and darker. The band's rythm section was  powerful. The drumming on this Ep is wild whithout skipping a beat. The drummer lays down cool accents to keep your attention. The bass is very dominant and drives the songs. To top it all was the singer's raspy vocal delivery. Around the time that this Ep saw the light of day they released an excellent Lp on a Belgian label that never got that great a distribution as far as I know. All of that's too bad, because Logic Problem were an excellent band and you could do far worse than spending some euros on this piece of vinyl.

LiveFastDie - Practicing for the Gangbang 7" (Total Punk) (5 euro)

Review up soon...

Long Pigs - Ep (SMRT) (6 euro)
Another record from the much praised New York hardcore scene that brought you all Dawn of Humans, Hank Wood and the Hammerheads and the possibly even more lauded Crazy Spirit. Supposedly Long Pigs even share members with some of these bands, but I don’t exactly know the ins and outs there. The guys in this band also do Toxic State Records. Wow, that was a lot of name dropping, right? If I had a real webshop half of you readers would already have clicked on the ‘Buy-Now-button’ by now. You know it’s true. Don’t you deny it! I haven’t even mentioned a thing about the music yet. Think about that for a second, punk rock consumer. I’ll end my criticism here and will just do what a review is supposed to do i.g. say something about what’s to be heard on this Ep. The Long Pigs play noisy hardcore. I remember liking their demo, but apart from that my mind is a blank. The bass is blown out and the guitar is squealing throughout the entire record. Yes, there’s a lot of feedback to be heard, but it’s not in that contrived way that a lot of modern hardcore bands seem to go for. The drums are pretty loud too, but it’s hard to hear what the drummer is exactly doing underneath the guitar wailing. All six songs on this Ep are very chaotic. They’d have been falling apart if it wasn’t for the bass keeping the riffs going over the drum beat. I like what these guys are going for, but I have one complaint about this style. The songs don’t really stick. I like spinning this record. It has a nice messy, angry vibe, but I hardly remember what I’ve heard after the needle leaves the vinyl. Maybe it just takes more listens before this stuff sinks in entirely. Time will tell. I know there are plenty of people who don’t care about songs. So if what you’re looking for is some pissed off hardcore with lots of noise, you can hardly go wrong with this Ep. The artwork - screen printed cardboard sleeve and insert - matches the music well and like the Toxic State releases this Ep looks beautiful. You gotta give these kids credit for putting so much effort in their artwork. By now it doesn’t even come as a surprise anymore, but don’t you dare take it for granted!

The Love Triangle - Boomerang Girl 7" (5 euro) (Dire)
This is the second single by London’s Love Triangle. The band plays catchy blown out punk rock with soul. Boy, do I love the bass sound. I remember I enjoyed this band's first 7” quite a bit. Especially the first song was really good. What I didn’t like about the Love Triangle’s debut however was that Louis’ vocals immediately made me think of the Shitty Limits. Obviously that ain’t much of a reproach for Louis was Shitty Limits’ vocalist for years and they were a good band. Yet I still thought it was a bit of a shame that the Limits connection was the first thing that came to mind when spinning this band's first 7”. Good news is that this ‘problem’ has disappeared with this single. The Love Triangle  has turned into more of a band of its own instead of a group consisting of former members of other bands, a stage many groups never seem to pass. So that’s already an achievement. ‘But what about the songs?’, I hear you ask. Both are good, but the A-side is easily the winner here. ‘Boomerang Girl’ has a stupid yet very infectious chorus that even your retarded nephew can sing along to. The flip brings a slower tune to the plate that took some time to sink in with me, but I really like it now. Apparently it's a cover of a song by Slaughter and the Dogs. The Love Triangle’s take on the song is definitely a nice twist and they give the song more of a garage punk feel. Now get stupid, dance across your living room and stomp yourself in the face whilst singing  'Booma! Booma! Booma! Booma! Rang! Rang! Rang! Rang!' and make sure you don't miss a beat. Good times guaranteed.

Male Nurses - Wanna Play Doctor? 7" (Cowabunga)
Review up soon...

Manic - Ep (Scavenger of Death)

This Atlanta hardcore outfit did a tape a year or two ago, but I didn’t listen to it that much so all the songs on this record are new to me. It might be worth mentioning to those who did hear the band’s demo however, half of the songs on this Ep were on the cassette. All have of course been rerecorded for this release. Manic plays fast harsh hardcore with a lot of teenage angst and frustration. The drumming is ferocious and the bass sounds burly and sloppy as fuck, which is best heard in the lovely solos in ‘Land of Nod’ and ‘Number’. The more I listen to this record, the more I like the bass sound. The guitar is mainly laying down the riffs. That’ll do though and it’s nice to hear a modern hardcore record that isn’t soaked in feedback for a change. There are some heavy break downs I can see the kids get wild to in ‘Old and Wretched’ and ‘Adversary’, but don’t expect any bro-ish hardcore from these guys. They’re soon back to fast and mean. Manic’s singer shines on this recording. He spits, almost vomits, his anxiety and anger over the six tracks delivered. The guy must have one soar throat after a set. His lyrics are very hostile. The front man makes this band for me. I bet he’s up in your face on stage. The record is off for a strong start with ‘Land of Nod’ which is a solid pace shifting hardcore tune. Record ender ‘Leeches’ is also a contender. Its main riff is good and makes the song memorable. The packaging this record comes in is very minimal, but I like it. You can’t go wrong with black, white and a little red. The artwork seems to be a reference to the chorus of ‘Old and Wretched’: ‘I’d rather watch while your insides are peeling/I’d rather watch while I hang from the ceiling.’ Nice!

Marvelous Darlings - Sleeping Like A Dead Man 7" (Bachelor)

There was not much to be heard about the Marvelous Darlings for a few years. Front-man Ben Cook stepped in as Fucked Up’s third guitar player back then, but apparently he has been spending quite some time on his own projects as well. Not only did he release three 7” of which Sleeping Like A Dead Man is one, in a short amount of time. There have also been three releases by his solo project, Young Governor, this year. Ben seems to be a busy bee. Also the guy can sing! If you haven’t heard the Darlings before let me tell you that this is some slick power pop. Boy, are these songs catchy. The a-track is a power pop gem that you’d expect from the Marvelous Darlings. The flip delivers a more lofi song that includes acoustic guitar and a harmonica. Sweet. This band is too slick for me to like and yet I love this shit. A guilty pleasure, I guess. Shame on me!.

Moralens Väktare - Konsumera! Ep (Sweken) (5 euro)
This is the second Ep by this young punk rock band from Sweden. No they’re not from Umea! Moralens Väktare delivers four short songs on this record. All of them clock in under two minutes except for the last which just crosses that mark. There are no stinkers on here, but the title track is probably the best song if only because one can sing along to the chorus without any knowledge of the Swedish language whatsoever. I can only guess that ‘Konsumera!’ means something along the lines of ‘Consume!’. This might have you think that there’s a political message in the song, but this band doesn’t strike me as the type that’s trying to get a message out there. Perhaps they are. The language barrier keeps me from saying anything decisive about this matter. Fortunately music knows no language. One thing is clear from the moment the needle hits the plastic; Moralens Väktare can craft a punk rock tune. All these songs are filled with hooks. The guitars are jangly and the songs are catchier than the flu. This record is bound to get people dancing and I imagine the band is an absolute blast live. Looking at the pictures on the sleeve these kids are still young which makes this Ep all the more impressive. Basically these four tunes are a ton of fun and if you like punk rock in a foreign tongue, you really can’t go wrong with this Ep at all. Same goes for their first 7", but I think that's sold out. Ask the Ken Man. There also is a split 7” out there, but I've heard mixed stories about that one. The band just released a full length on Dead Beat Records which you should definitely pick up. I'm sure it's killer. If only I had the money to pick me up a copy.

Moralens Väktare/ Röda Sten - Split Ep (Self Released) (5 euro)
This is Moralens Väktare’s third 7” output if I’m not mistaken. I’ve been into this band’s previous stuff and their side of this split is no letdown either. The band plays punk rock with a bit of rock ‘n roll thrown in. Their songs are catchy. Of the two songs the band delivers on this Ep the first is definitely best. You gotta love the dual guitar one note solo in that one. It made me chuckle. Punks need to wake up and embrace this young Swedish band. Whenever I read about them people seem a bit lackluster, which doesn’t make any sense. People lose their shit over so much mediocre shit from Sweden and a good band like this remains in the margins. Punks can be a tasteless bunch… On the flip we find Röda Stens who I had never heard of before. From the first few chords it’s clear that this band is more in the rock ‘n roll camp than Moralens Väktare. They’ve got that Motörhead vibe going. You know the deal. Steaming riffs backed by a pummeling bass and a lot of guitar solos. I never liked Motörhead – call me a Luddite. All of their songs remind me of ‘Ace of Spades’, but perhaps that’s the attraction? - and I don’t like Röda Sten’s song either. I was ready to write Röda Sten off, but then the second track kicked in and it’s way different. This could have been a different band, but it is not. This song is more of a bar rocker with a shitload of swagger and driving piano chords. It’s nice. Very catchy. Why isn’t the other song like this? I’d have preferred that. So the Röda Sten side of this Ep is a mixed bag, but the opening song of the Moralens Väktare side should be reason enough to get this record. Make sure you pick up their Lp on Dead Beat. Maybe I’ll stock that one at some point myself. Who knows?

Mr. California/ Flyin' Trichecos - Split Ep (Non Commercial) (6 euro)
Let me start off by saying that I got this record for the Trichecos side. I've never been a fan of Mr. California even though his guitar playing in Folded Shirt makes me roll on the floor with laughter and his butterfly-shaped guitar makes me giggle like a little girl. So let's play the the Trichecos side first. The band delivers its two last songs of mongoloid punk here and neither is about snorting coke. What the fuck? I thought that was what this band was all about! The first track 'Tick Tock' is the kind of song you expect from this band. I love that you hear someone scream 'Faggot!' somewhere in the back before the song kicks off. It makes me think of that Louis CK joke, but I digress. The second track is called 'Barack' and is about, you guessed it, the president of the United States. If the title had you think the Trichecos traded their cokey message in for serious politics, you probably never heard this band before. The song is about Barack Obama mowing the singer's lawn. Yup, you read that right. The song is a Mr. California cover. It is totally stupid, but the line 'Barack Obama mowes my lawn' will be stuck in your head guarantueed.

On to the Mr. California side of the split. Terry's music is hard to describe. Mr. California uses simple drum computers and programmed bass lines for his songs. Over this he sings and plays guitar although on these two songs there's no six string to be heard. Maybe he left his butterfly at home? His songs have a childish naivety to them. By childish I don't mean juvenile in this case. The lyrics however are juvenile and stupid as well. They're offensive to some, but some people just listen to music to whine about it in a column or something. It's somewhat ironical that the Trichecos' songs on this record are not about drugs, while both Terry's songs are. The first track is called 'Smoking Crack'. It's sung by Terry, Larry and Anus of Folded Shirt fame. The second song is a cover of the Trichecos' 'It fell up my nose' with Alessandro doing back up vocals. All in all this record is more of a last coming together of this Cleveland crowd, celebrating the good times and brain cell destruction they shared. I'm sure they all had a blast recordings these song, but this record is probably not for anyone who wasn't already crazy about the Trichecos or Mr. California. I guess that's fine. I like the stupid artwork.

Mundo Muerto - Rompe El Silencio 7" (Mata La Musica)
This is a repress of LA’s Mundo Muerto’s debut single that was released a few years ago on Que Punk? Records. It has been out of print for a while. The band has released a strong 12” Ep and even better full length since this 7” and with that came some more attention. Now that people know about Mundo Muerto they’re interested in hearing the first single, I assume, so Guss, the band’s singer decided to repress the thing on his own label Mata La Musica to make it available to all the sleepers after all. Reviewing this 7” is a bit of a call on my conscience, dear reader. I’ll be honest. When I first heard this single I wasn’t at all convinced. In fact when I tried to find my original copy to review this record I discovered I had filed the thing away in a purge not too long ago. I remember I was really pissed at the time that I had paid four bucks for only two songs, haha. Quite a thing to be angry about. Punks… I didn’t really appreciate a ‘song’ back then. After digging this single up and giving it some spins, I must admit that my judgement at the time was definitely harsh. This is a nice single with two cool anthemic hardcore punk songs sung in Spanish. The guitar riffs are simple, but catchy. Guss’ vocals are passionate. His voice is good, but all the ‘whoooaas’ on the A-side are a bit too much for me. Still that’s not that hard a thing to forgive. I could label this ‘raw ponk’ or ‘Latino punk’ for those of you who fall for fashionable terms like that, but to me this is just a hardcore punk band playing catchy hardcore songs. When I say catchy I don’t mean there’s no anger to these tunes, because there is. Still at the same time I think you can hear this band is having fun while playing. I can’t make out the words, but the B-side cut is called ‘Politicos Falsos’ so it looks like they’re political. The artwork looks like an old anarchist lino propagating the freedom of speech, which I like. If you want to hear this band at the top of their game get the ‘Entre El Kaos’ Lp, but if you’re already a fan or don't have the attention span to listen to a full length, adding this Ep to your record collection won't be a decision you regret.

The Narcs - I want Dope, I want Pussy, I want all that Shit Ep (Reel Time) (5 euro)
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Negative Lifestyle - Panic Ep (Deranged) (5 euro)
Negative Lifestyle’s first Ep was on Bat Shit Records. The thing was fairly limited. This might explain why the band hasn’t had much attention so far – not to my knowledge anyway. This seven song Ep on Deranged Records should change that. This Swedish hardcore band plays some nice stripped down 1980s hardcore punk sung in English. Obviously this has been done a million times before. In all probability more 1980’s USHC records have been released in the last couple of years than in the early 80s, haha. My point being that this genre has been saturated for quite a while now. That said I love classic sounding hardcore punk and I’m guessing you do as well - otherwise I don’t see any reason for you to read this really. So instead of dismissing this kind of music entirely, which seems to be the thing to do these days, it makes a lot more sense to separate the good from the bad, because there’s still plenty of gold buried in the piles of shit that is retro hardcore anno 2012. This is where Negative Lifestyle comes in, because this band is definitely worth your ears or what’s left of ‘m. What immediately strikes me about Negative Lifestyle is their minimalistic approach. The band is a three-piece; guitar, bass, drums and of course vocals. The guitar sound is very clean. I’d almost say wimpy, but that sound like such a bad thing while it isn’t in this case. In fact I really like the guitar sound. Anders’ vocals are urgent and the thick Swedish accent in his English makes me smile. ‘So far so good, but nothing special…’, I hear you think. WRONG! This band is able to create interesting and catchy hardcore songs with very little. The song ‘Trying to fit in’ is a perfect example. Forget about ‘retro-hardcore’. That sounds generic. This shit is timeless. ‘Panic’ is a cool record that should be a reminder there will always be good hardcore as long as you’re willing to give it a shot.

Negative Lifestyle - End Up Like Them Flexi (Signaler Fran Ovan) (5 euro)
This is Negative Lifestyle’s third vinyl output. ‘End Up Like Them’ serves the listener four new hardcore songs clocking in under six minutes. The first three songs are good mid paced hardcore punk songs. It’s obvious that these three guys have been listening to a lot of early 1980s USHC. Can you blame them? Opener ‘End Up Like Them’ is yet another anthem to alienation, which seems to be a returning subject in Anders’ lyrics. The topics Negative Lifestyle addresses are not new and fairly typical for the genre, but somehow they don’t feel played out when Anders sings about them. It all feels sincere. That all boils down to gut, I guess. Some bands are believable. Others aren’t. I don’t know why. It might be a very personal thing. ‘In My Head’ has a catchy and simple chorus that sticks with you. ‘Borderline/ I think I’m stuck/ Borderline/ It’s in my head’. This is probably the catchiest song of the four. The last track ‘Never Silence’ isn’t really a song. It’s a bass riff repeated for two minutes. The guitar player hits a chord every now and then and in the background we hear some indecipherable whispering. Scary! This Flexi was released around the same time as the ‘Panic’ Ep on Deranged and I remember the two records got reviewed by the same reviewer in one issue of MRR. He said this flexi was way better than the Ep. Perhaps ‘End Up Like Them’ is a bit more direct than the Deranged Ep, but overall there’s not much of a quality difference between the two releases in my opinion. Isn’t it typical that whenever there’s two things, one always has to be the better? But let’s not get too philosophical. I’d argue you should pick both the ‘Panic’ Ep and this Flexi up if you’re still among the people who like classic sounding hardcore with its roots in the early 1980s. Negative Lifestyle are really good at what they do. I think it’s time this band does a 12” Ep.

Las Otras - Ep (Discos Sense Nom) (5 euro)

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Pedestrians - Killing Season Ep (Residue)

Killing Season is Chicago’s Pedestrians’ fourth and (to my knowledge) final release. This band played a style of punk that wasn’t covered much back then and in fact still isn’t. Jordan’s vocals give the Pedestrians a distinguished sound. I really like the way he sings. The four songs on this 7” are in the same vain as their previous outputs and they are all good. Although the Ideal Divide 12” remains my favourite Pedestrians release, this Ep is up the same alley. If you liked Pedestrian’s previous releases, you’re bound to enjoy this Ep as well. For those of you who’ve been sleeping on this band this release gives a final opportunity to get your hands on some of their vinyl. I’m pretty sure that their other stuff has been out of press for quite a while. The Pedestrians definitely had a fresh sound to them and they will be missed. I’m sure we’ll soon hear from new projects by their former members though.

Pink Nightmare - Ep (Compact Chaos)
This is the debut Ep from Boston's Pink Nightmare, an all female band that shares members with several Boston acts you might have heard before. If you wanna know who and what just google that shit. This Ep delivers four hardcore punk tunes with some bleak topics such as war, alienation and misogyny. I'm really into this record, but find it hard to put into words what makes it good. All the instruments come through well in the tunes and especially the vocals sound really cool. The singer sounds angry in a bratty way. The drumming is some super stripped down bashing at times which is awesome. The guitar playing is simple, but there are plenty of memorable hooks throughout the four songs. This record is excellent proof of the fact you don't need to be the next Hendrix to write some cool tunes. 'Misogynist' is the standout track to me. Pink Nightmare deliver a good debut here. Why? I guess the songs are just there. Too bad the artwork on both the sleeve and labels looks  pixilated. I don't know if there's anything on the agenda for this band, but I'd love to hear more, because this Ep is promising.

Pizza OD - Ep (Self Released)
This is Pizza OD’s debut record. The three-piece hails from Lyon, France, a city that seems to have a pretty vivid punk scene lately. There are five punk rock song on this Ep. Most striking about Pizza OD are Alex’s vocals which are pretty upfront in the mix. I like his voice a lot. He sounds juvenile and obnoxious. All songs are sung in French which is a plus to me. I like it when bands sing in their own language. It just makes more sense.  Unfortunately I can’t make out much of the lyrics apart from the ‘une, deux, trois, quatre’s. The lyric sheet could help, but I’m afraid my French sucks too bad for it. My only complaint would be that the guitar sound is too wimpy. Turn that thing up! My favourite songs on here are ‘Cigarettes’ and ‘Meme pas Mal’, which means something along the lines of 'not bad at all' if I’m not mistaken. The bridge in that song is catchy as fuck. The song ‘Au Fond du Ravin’ is the odd song out. It’s a bit slower and emotional, I guess. I wish I could get the lyrics here. I think the title means ‘on the edge of the canyon’. I saw this record described as pop punk in the pages of MRR and although I can get that I wouldn’t have labeled this band pop myself. If I had to apply a genre to this I’d go for inept punk rock. These kids are no musicians. The songs are simple, but fun. I’m sure they make the French pogo in their squats. The packaging on this record is really topnotch. The artwork looks great, there’s an insert with all the lyrics and the protection sleeves of the vinyl have spray painted stencils. The band released the record themselves to boot. Punk!

Pizza OD - Second Ep (Self Released)
What I like about Pizza OD is that they are inept ‘musicians’ playing simple but catchy punk rock in their native tongue. A fun fact is that they started out with the intention to play wild raw punk in the vein of Firmeza 10, but fate had other plans with them. Some call this pop punk, but that term rubs me the wrong way. I’d rather call it punk rock. There are four new songs on this self released Ep and they’re all fun. Alex’s vocals are snotty and obnoxious. The songs on this Ep sound better than the ones on their previous record. It seems they turned that guitar up after all. Good! Somehow this band always leads me to the whole punk rock relevance debate. Let me try to explain. I ‘know’ two of the three people in this band and have been corresponding with them and they come across as good guys with the heart in the right place. Don’t you hate how that sounds dismissive? Anyway these guys being nice and all makes me want to like their band. So basically I’m biased. I like Pizza OD, but whenever I listen to them I wonder what makes them good, what makes them a band you should check out. That’s a hard question to answer, because honestly I don’t think I would ever have listened to Pizza OD had I not met Alex and Vinnie. Wouldn’t that mean that it’d  be full of shit if I were to tell you that you need this record? You don’t need this record. Let’s face it, despite that compulsive urge to get yourself a fix of vinyl constantly, you don’t need any records. Why are people going crazy for certain releases? It’s tempting to say it’s because the music they contain is worthwhile, relevant. Tempting, but I personally don’t buy it. There’s no such thing as quality, no such thing as relevance. It’s all make-believe. Punk rock is not relevant in 2012 and Pizza OD are not a band worth your time, but you can bet your ass they’ll be playing their irrelevant and disposable tunes all the same in front of disinterested wasted youth in squats all over France regardless and that, my friend, is pretty damn punk.

P-Nissarna - Ep (Reken) (6 euro)
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Pregnancy Scares - Ep (Deranged)
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Primates - Control Salvaje Ep (Thought Crime)

The Primates hail from Spain which seems to be the new breeding ground of punk rock. Eat your heart out Denmark! According to the Thought Crime site this band would’ve been gods in the US if they’d  have sported some Mohawks. I don’t know if that’s true, but this is definitely a good record. Control Salvaje is Primates’ second Ep and in my opinion it’s a lot better than their first which wasn’t bad at all. Primates’ drummer is fast and their guitar player has to keep up with that frantic pace yet is able to lay down some nice riffs. The music is very energetic and catchy. All the lyrics are of course sung in Spanish so I’m clueless as to what they’re singing about. Looking at the artwork of this Ep I’m guessing they do not like the big brother society we seem to be heading for. This is a solid release and it’s only their second output so far. It’s nice to hear a good new band from the continent. More please!

Pukeoid - Ep (Not Normal)
Pukeoid who hail from Chicago, released a demo tape about a year or two ago. That thing stank and I can’t say the artwork, which showed a lady shoving her head up another lady’s crotch, helped grabbing my interest. I tried to get into the tunes, but it was just too much of a mess for me. The recording was really poor. I think it was the singer of Fucked Up who once said that a lot of hardcore bands forget that hardcore is supposed to sound ugly, but with that said their own demo was definitely a piece of shit. Well, Pukeoid’s sure as hell didn’t forget that hardcore is supposed to sound ugly, but that didn’t make them any good either. But enough about the demo already! This Ep is definitely a step up from the tape. Pukeoid plays fast, sloppy and chaotic hardcore that will probably make many people pull out the Void-card, but I’ll just stick to saying that this is nasty and messy hardcore. The mid paced intro serves the listener some sweet guitar squeals and after that the band is set to go. Pretty much every song is a scorcher and all these tracks are fast. The drumming on this record is relentless. The drummer’s non-stop bashing creates a constant wall of noise underneath the pummeling bass and wild guitar playing. The bass comes through well and carries the riffs mostly, but the guitar adds some extra wildness to the music by wailing, squealing and lashing out at the listener. I guess it’s fair to say that the style this band goes for is fashionable, but Pukeoid pulls it off well. I can’t help but be reminded of the Repos, who these guys have certainly witnessed live whether in the Ropes incarnation or not. The vocals obviously aren’t as over the top as Aaron’s, but Pukeoid has that same kind of take-no-prisoners-approach. Some of the lyrics on this record rule. Especially the bleakness of ‘Today, Tomorrow’ and the black humor of ‘Front Page’ are noteworthy. The packaging of this Ep is great. The artwork looks cool and the record is on pink vinyl, which is so unfitting that it kinda makes sense.

Pusrad - Smartramz Ep (Just 4 Fun) (5 euro)
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Pusrad - Akta Dig Ep (Sweken) (5 euro)
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Rákosi - Second Ep (Lengua Armada) (5 euro)
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Ras - Ep (Memoire Neuve) (6 euro)
Another (re?)release on France’s very own Memoire Neuve. This time around we get served some French punk rock that goes back all the way to the late 1970s. Ras, not to be confused with the contemporary Swedish band, was a band consisting of some French teenagers. They started out in 1977 and practiced in one of the band members’ room without drums so the rhythm section was played on pots, pans and Tupperware with wooden spoons from their momma’s kitchen at the time. Shit, that story makes me all warm inside even though I heard it before about other bands. When hearing the three songs on this record I feel like Ras’ main influences were probably their parents’ record collections. It’s nothing like say the Pistols or the Clash. If I understand the insert correctly – it’s in French yet again – the Beatles were a shared love at first. Later they found out about punk rock through magazines and turned punk without having an idea what the music actually sounded like. So they created something that they thought was punk. I love how this seems to be a common thing in the late 1970s. The first two songs were recorded during practice in 1978. The recording is anything but perfect. The drums, which apparently had been purchased in the meantime, sound pretty shitty and the singer’s voice is a bit too low in the mix, but that’s all part of the charm. The clean sounding guitars sound pretty damn sweet though. Both A-side songs are upbeat. The bouncy lead and solos in ‘Illusions calculées’ are really cool. It’s a great song. On the flip – don’t forget to change the rpm - we have ‘Tueurs de stars’ which is apparently a live recording from a radio session. This song is quite lengthy and way moodier than the two on the A-side. The song is build around a simple guitar line that will stick with you after listening to it. The accompanying bass line is simple, but it drives the song. The chorus has cool back up vocals. They’re actually singing. Nice. The B- side might just be the best song on the 7”, but I have to say ‘Illussions calculées’ grew on me as well. All in all this is a rad record. The pictures on the sleeve and insert are cool as shit and give you a nice look into the past. That kid smoking a cig on the left on the front cover looks so badass! Same goes for that guy pulling up his pants. Was I born too late to a world that doesn’t care? Ha!

Ratas Del Vaticano - Rafagueados 2x7'' (Bat Shit) (12 euro)

Let's kick off with a short introduction to this band for those yet to be initiated. These four Mexicans have been kicking it for a few years now. They got much love from the MRR crowd back when they released their full-length 'Mocosos Pateticos' and toured the States. Their interview in the pages of said rag was one of the better band interviews I read over the years. It was entertaining and gave insight into the people forming this band... obviously, but more so than in other instances. A long conversation was dedicated to masturbation, which I found very entertaining and ballsy – get it? Anyway that interview really made me want to hear this band's music. They seemed like cool cats with an idea of their own behind what they were doing.

The tunes these rodents produce turned out to be something different indeed. Always a plus in my book. Forget about raw punk! In most, almost all cases bands sailing under that flag are boring and predictable, nothing but uninspired wannabe – that's right, like the Spice Girls song – punk bands that rather stick to a formula than take any chances. Compared to the Ratas Del Vaticano they're nothing but a bunch of spineless wimps. Ratas del Vaticano play punk rock and you bet your ass it's raw! However they're not riding the current wave of Discharge inspired hardcore at all. Their music is actually hard to categorize, but if I had to I'd fall back on classic Killed By Death singles as a reference. The recordings are fucked up and all the songs are kinda dumb but fun. I wonder what they sing about? I'm sure it's witty. The songs are mostly on the slower side of the punk spectrum which gives them that bored punk vibe. The band picks up the pace on some tracks though so it's not all slow. Plus I'd argue that the vocals add some liveliness to most tracks so although they might sound bored, they are not boring. There's a difference there boys and girls.

The title track opens with an ugly simple guitar riff that actually has me thinking of the Nervous Breakdown 7”, but once the other instruments and the vocals kick in it's one big mess again, which is great, just great. I think three out of the four members of the band do vocals and they all have a recognizable voice – I just checked and they all sing so I guess two of them don't have such recognizable voices after all or my mathematical skills are letting me down again. Anyway, I think it's cool these guys and girl all sing. You don't see that a lot and it makes the whole thing more of a group effort. I hope they all write their own lyrics. That would be great. There are eight new songs on this double 7” so that's two per side. See my math ain't that bad! Every tune on these two records is a beautiful mess. 

For a while I thought this band was done for. Dave started several new bands; Tercer Mundo and there was his one-man-project of which the recordings were just released by Bat Shit as well. Although Bat Shit announced this release years ago I had my doubts whether it would actually be released. For a moment I was afraid Benedictus got rid of that vermin that has been harrassing his residence, but as it turns out rats are hard to get rif off. Thank the Lord for that, Benedictus! It's good to see this band still around. The packaging of this 2x7” is great as one has come to expect from Bat Shit Records. It's a gatefold sleeve with cool artwork of which some is done by Yecal of Los Inservibles', their brother band, fame. Pick this one up if you like your music raw and stupid.

Real Numbers - Tear it in Two 7" (Florida's Dying) (5 euro)
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Recide - Statues Ep (Even Worse)
After a well received demo tape on Not Normal, their second, Austin, Texas' Recide return with their vinyl debut. 'Statues' contains eight songs of which six were on the second demo as well. So if you already heard the band's tape, you might be disappointed by this Ep because there's barely any new material here. This record is for those who did not hear the demo or played the demo cassette so much that it has by now worn out and a vinyl copy is much needed.

This eight song Ep was released by Even Worse Records, which should give you an idea of what to expect; no bullshit, just solid straight forward hardcore. Recide plays fast hardcore punk with an obvious nod to the early 1980s and traces of the days mysterious guy hardcore was considered a genre – it is not. The band has been compared to many classics, but I'll abstain. You come up with your own comparisons! Saves us the disagreement. Nasty riffs, a fair share of feedback and fast drumming characterize these songs. The recording is rough. I like how the snare and toms sound muffled as fuck while the cymbals sound shrill and sharp. The music overwhelms the vocals, but the singer gives it his all to make himself heard. His delivery has that falling apart at the seams quality. Always a good thing. The more I listen to this record the more I hear cool twists in the songs. It's sad that people don't seem to give these kind of bands a shot anymore. Perhaps that's just my cynical take on today's hardcore scene though. Feel free to prove me wrong. The artwork reminds me of 'Landspeed Record', but that might be unintentional.

R.O.B.O. - Ep (Solo Para Punks) (5 euro)
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Sänkt - Kaos I Skallen Flexi (Signaler Fran Ovan) (5 euro)
Another flexi from this newish Swedish label that seems to be releasing nothing but these thin little pieces of plastic. Supposedly flexis are not made to last, but then again what is? You yourself won’t be here in another seventy years, my friend. ‘Memento mori’ and all that. Think whatever you want about the format, but it’s cool that Signaler Fran Ovan is releasing records by young Swedish bands that nobody has heard of yet. I know very little about Sänkt. It seems to be a rather young Swedish hardcore band influenced by the American greats of the early 1980s. Looking at the insert they appear to be yet another band from Umeå. It reads ‘UMEÅ HARDCORE!’ anyways. The four songs on this record are all fast to mid paced hardcore tunes built around simple beefy guitar riffs. It should be mentioned that the guitar player pulls of some short solo’s on the opening track though. The lyrics are in Swedish and I like the singer’s voice which is a bit hoarse. The drumming is pretty straightforward and I guess that can be said for the music overall. Problem with this kind of music is that it has been done to death and especially Sweden contributed to this genre in a major way over the passed decade or so. Because of the amount of bands doing this kinda thing it's hard to set yourself apart from the pack. I can’t say that Sänkt sounds all that different than other bands doing this, which doesn’t necessarily mean this is a bad record. The bridge near the end of ‘Döt Liv’ makes for a nice change in the song, but I find the vocals a bit lackluster on that track. The best tune on here is ‘Sänkt’. It’s a mid paced punk rocker with a catchy guitar lead as its main theme. It’s good. I can’t say the other three songs grabbed me though. All in all this is a decent release and if you’re into hardcore with its roots in the early 1980s you’ll like this. For me, however, there is just a bit too little to hold on to here. Then again that song ‘Sänkt’ grew on me. I’m sure this band is fun live and maybe I’d pick up this record after their set if I’d have money and was in a good mood. That doesn’t happen too often, but that probably tells you more about myself than about this release.

Satellites of Love - Ep (5 euro) (Milk)
This is the vinyl debut by Satellites of Love from London. A quick google search just taught me the band’s name is coming from a Lou Reed song. Really? Maybe all the good books have been written and all good names have been made up leaving bands today with no option left but naming their band after a well known song. But enough stabs already! After all, a name is just a name and one shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. Sattelites of Love have a really heavy Revolution Summer vibe going. Their music immediately has me thinking of early to mid 1980s DC, when bands started popping up that were coming from a hardcore background, but wanted to lift the music to the next level. The songs got more melodic and complex. Satellites of Love’s singer actually reminds me of Guy Piciotto, but maybe I’m way off there. I never liked Rites of Spring all that much. This music is what people used to call emotional hardcore before emo turned into a foul word associated with kids wearing eyeliner and caps with energy drink logos on it. It's not a style you hear a lot these days and these cats are really good at it. It’s obvious the band members know their way around a song and all of them can play their instrument. Each of the four songs on this record is intense. Although I can’t make out the lyrics well and there’s no lyric sheet included I’m pretty sure the texts are introspective, abstract and personal perhaps bordering on the intellectual. I think Sattelites of Love should be able to do an interesting full length, but I'm not sure if I personally would be able to sit through it. This brings me to my criticism, if not of the band per se but more of the style they’re playing. What the Revolution Summer bands gained on the depth and musicianship front, they lost in directness, which is something I personally always had mixed feelings about. Another complaint would be that this record grasps a period in time so perfectly that it gets awfully close to formulaic. Yes, I’m kind of saying it’s too good to be true. That’s me: always something to whine about. Basically this band is really good at what they do. I just don’t know if it’s for me, but as much as I’d like to deny it, there’s a right time and place for this kind of music even for a cynic such as myself.

Sauna Youth - False Jesii II 7" (Static Shock) (5 euro)
Review up soon...

Secret Police - They're Everywhere Ep (Caproulet)
Vinyl debut Ep by this American hardcore band from New Jersey. I wonder if they took their name from the No Hope For the Kids song? I hope not. There are six songs on this Ep of which five were on the demo tape they did a few years back. I’ve said this a million times before, but I always feel a bit disappointed when a new record barely delivers new songs. Yet whenever I hear a cassette that rules a little voice in my head says: ‘these songs deserve vinyl!’ so maybe I’m just full of shit. Whatever the case, Secret Police delivers the goods when it comes to hardcore music. Both the guitar and bass sound pretty clean, by which I mean both instruments are probably directly plugged into the amp. There’s not a lot of distortion or other crazy effects. I like that. It makes the bass come through well. The man on the four string actually pulls of some pretty fast bass walks. Nice! The drumming is fast and the snare is very loud which adds to the violence contained in these songs. Although the instrumentation is on the cleaner side of things, this band is anything but crisp. This can mainly be attributed to their pissed off singer whose voice is very guttural. His delivery is throaty which could have turned a bit tedious after a few songs, but fortunately he changes things up here and there, at times talking to the listener, so it doesn’t get too samey. It’s probably better for his vocal chords as well. The lyrical content is typical hardcore shit; ‘I hate this world and hate myself. Fuck you all!’ That whole thing. I like that they’re taking a piss at ‘photographers’ at shows – those kids with there camera phones up front, ya know. This band plays the way I like my hardcore. It’s angry, mean, bleak and desperate, but it seems like these things no longer cut it for your average punk. Their loss. The artwork looks cool and thumbs up for the Michael Jackson sample. This is a nice record all around.

The Secret Prostitutes - The Ken Rock 7 Inch Ep (Ken Rock) (5 euro)
Review up soon...

Las Senoras - Selftitled Ep (Sola Para Punks)

Four song debut Ep by this new five piece from Spain. When I hear this band I think of the following scene. Five friends are hanging out in their shitty town on a Sunday afternoon. They're bored senseless. Then one of 'm says all out of the blue: "Hey, why don't we start a band?" A hunt for instruments follows and our five heroines reassemble in some garage an hour later where they write these four songs. I guess I should say that the band plays synth punk since the music is punk and there is a synthesizer among the instruments (I'm sure they found one in some attic dating back from their teenage years), but I don't think that label is apt. I don't know much about synth punk to begin with. Maximum Rock 'n Roll described this band as the Circle Jerks trying to cover a Lost Sounds' song which is a pretty cool description. Yes, there's a synth here, but it's not dominant in the sound. Las Senoras play simple punk rock with a synthesizer which makes for silly, bouncy and catchy songs you can spin all day. This is a fun record (yes, I said it!). For those of you who were into that Matado por la Muerte compilation a few years back, Las Senoras would have fitted right in on that record. So if you liked that Lp make sure you give this record a hear.

Sex Bunker - Elephant Skull Ep (Self Released) (5 euro)
Debut Ep of this new Chicago band. They did two tapes before this record and both were nice. The first was pretty straight forward hardcore that reminded me of Bill Bondsmen a bit. On the second tape they sailed into noisier territory. Things got weirder and horns were included on some tunes. One song was called ‘And Now You’re Gonna Die, Wearing That Stupid Little Hat’. I have no idea what the band was referring to there, but the song title made me laugh and stuck with me. On ‘Elephant Skull’ Sex Bunker takes one step further away from hardcore. The influence is still there, probably most of all in Mez’s vocals, but several other influences are seeping in. I don’t want to turn this review into a labeling fest so I’ll keep it at that. The five songs on this 7” are all twitchy. The song structures are angular and often go against your gut. This record makes me think of drinking too much coffee. You can’t concentrate and get paranoid. Those of you with a caffeine addiction know what I’m talking about. Sex Bunker shifts from one rhythm to another, one riff to the next in mere seconds which makes the listener feel confused and disoriented. The song structures are a mess, but the songs aren’t. Some might hate this, but I love it. Why else would I drink as much coffee? The guitar sounds thinner on this record than on their demos and is doing a lot of dissonant soloing. Sex Bunker is real about what they’re doing without taking themselves overtly serious. It doesn’t get much more diy than this band. The band members wear their politics on their sleeves, which seems to be a rarity these days and is, if not for that reason only, something that should be applauded. It also makes the idea that these cats grew up on independent music from the 1990s more plausible. Opening song ‘I’d Buy that for a Dollar’ takes a stab at consumer culture which unfortunately infiltrated the punk scene in a major way. My favourite song on this Ep however is probably ‘Sir, we are they/ Where I am from’ if only because of the line ‘I don’t trust anyone who thinks they’ve got it all figured out.’ It rings close to home. The artwork of this Ep rules and seems home made. There’s an insert and a sticker included which makes for a top notch packaging. This is a cool release that unfortunately seems to have a hard time finding its audience.

Sex Drive - Urban Predator Ep (Snack Boy) (5 euro) 
Sex Drive is a newish hardcore band from the beautiful Netherlands, the country I call home. I saw the band live with Crazy Spirit and Vaccine in July and was quite captivated by their set. Whereas the supporting band is often a part of the night you have to stand or sit through and forget about all together shortly after their set is done, Sex Drive made a lasting impression. Especially their balding barking singer demanded attention. He was strutting over the stage like a wild man. I was glad to see a Dutch hardcore band do a strong hardcore set. I’d argue they were second best next to Crazy Spirit that night. Stoked because of faux nationalist sentiments one gets fed in primary school and is never able to shake entirely, I felt a compulsive urge to stock Sex Drive’s debut Ep. Support the locals! Be the good guy! Everyone wants to be a hero. I’m no different. So I bought some copies. Here it is. This Ep delivers five tunes on 45 rpm. The songs are short. All clock in bare seconds over a minute. Sex Drive plays hardcore music and that’s perhaps all you need to know. The band mostly plays fast, but there are parts where they slow down and the guitar player lets the feedback wail. The music is not necessarily rooted in the 1980’s nor does it sound overtly modern. Someone said this band was tapping into what Youth Attack has been known for in the past years, but it isn’t that noisy really. Actually I don’t think the band is tapping into anything except their rage and urge to play. Wasn’t that where hardcore was coming from to begin with? These songs are about the riffs and the ferocious drumming. I have to admit I was more impressed by these guys when they were playing right in front of me, but overall this is a strong debut. One minor complaint however would be that the insert’s layout is a bit shitty and I think the artwork, although not terrible, could have been more fitting. Those are just asides though, because this is a good hardcore Ep by a band that shows promise. Let’s hope these guys stick around. I’d love to hear more.

Sick Mormons - Why does shit keep falling from the Sky? Ep (Gummo Punx)

In case you didn't notice yet, I'm not all that much a fan of the Dutch punk scene. Everybody knows that the best bands are from someplace else, right? Well, Sick Mormons were from my beloved country and they weren't all that bad! Still my feelings about this band are mixed. They were going for that  late 1970s LA sound ala TSOL which you can hear best in their guitar and warm bass sound.  However the Sick Mormons always had less of an artistic vibe to me yet they do go for some epic synthy part on the second song of this record. The guitar sounds cool and the bass pulls off some nice lines in these four songs. Some of these tunes will stick with you partly because of the simple lyrics. Vork's vocals are perfect snot in dumbed down English at times, but at other times I find them lame and downright annoying. The fact that the band repeats verses in every song on this makes this complaint more agonizing than necessary. I think the songs would have been better had they been shorter. I could also do without the wimpy backups. My biggest critique, however, would be that their liveshows were always a snoozefest, but guess what? You can't hear that on vinyl! So if you're into surfy melodic punk this could well be your bag. The artwork is funny, but giving your songs Japanese titles isn't.

Silla Eléctrica - No Controlo Ep (Solo Para Punks)

If you haven’t heard about Silla Eléctrica by now you must have been living under a rock. Somehow this band seems to get more attention in the States than on my beloved continent, but that goes for practically every decent Euro band. The boys and girls at MRR headquarters have been in love with this Spanish three piece since day one. Haters say there’s nothing special about this band and that there’s no reason Silla Eléctrica is getting the amount of attention they got over the past years. If I had to pick sides I’d be in the MRR camp, because I enjoy this band’s music. Silla Eléctrica plays simple yet catchy three chord punk with a garage production. Not garage as in the style of music, but garage as in these tunes might actually be recorded in someone’s garage. They don’t sound like shit, but they sound minimal which is fitting. This is the band’s fourth Ep and it delivers four new songs of which one is also on their full length that was released around the same time as this record. It’s kind of like an appetizer being served at the same time as the main course, which doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, but it’s hardly a problem either. It’s just a bit weird. If you’ve heard Silla Eléctrica before, you know what to expect and this record will not be a surprise in any way. However, like on their previous releases, this band can craft a tune and these four songs are all good. There’s nothing new to be heard on this Ep and if you didn’t like Silla Eléctrica before, ‘No Controlo’ will not make you a convert. On the other hand, if you loved this band’s previous 7”s, you will like this one too and you probably won’t give a shit that the band sounds practically the same as before. I hate it when people say shit like ‘don’t change a working formula’, but in Silla Eléctrica’s case it’s more than apt. I liked this band before. I still like them. I like this record. Give it a hear. I love the artwork and the insert. The whole package looks great.

Skäms - Konfirmation 7" (Reken) (6 euro)
Review up soon...

Slugz - Suit and Tie Ep (Feel It)
Debut Ep by this young band from Virginia, an area that got known for producing some solid 1980s throwback hardcore over the past years. Slugz don’t really fit that mould, but I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if you can find these boys going through record bins at Vinyl Conflict in Richmond on a regular basis and perhaps some of Brandon’s bands convinced ‘m that they too could pick up instruments to start a band of their own. Slugz’s music can best be described as filthy rock ‘n roll with a major hardcore punk influence. It’s basically hardcore kids playing rock ‘n roll. The three songs on this Ep are played with conviction. There’s no holding back and you can tell they put thought in their tunes. Furthermore these dudes can all play their instruments well which makes for songs that are more interesting than your average hardcore tune. The opening track sounds pissed as hell and is kind of their anthem. Sure the lyrics are nothing you haven’t heard before, but that doesn’t make them any less true or relevant. Is anything in punk still considered relevant today apart from obtaining the right records? Furthermore I feel like these kids are sincere which seems to be a rare thing. The drumming is heavy as hell and pretty dominant. The guitar does cool memorable leads and some not annoying solos. Even the bass is lent some moment to show his chops which, being a bass player, always makes me feel warm inside. The most striking about Slugz however is the singer who has  a raspy and filthy vocal delivery. The guy is not sparing his throat one bit on this record. If you like your hardcore with some swagger this might well be your favourite new band. I’m not in the know about any future plans for the Slugz, but I’m guessing it won’t take long before we hear from them again.

Slugz - Empty Space Ep (Cowabunga)
Another record by these four punks from Richmond, Virginia. They're a young bunch. It's nice to see new bands come from Richmond. The city had such a prolific hardcore punk scene a few years ago, but things seem to have turned awfully quiet recently. I'm sure Slugz made it their mission to stir things up again and I can imagine them trash basements all over the East Coast. 'Empty Space' is the band's second record. If you heard Slugz first Ep,you should know what you're in for. Although the band isn't doing anything new – bands playing rock ('n roll) has been going on for decades now – I wouldn't be able to come up with another group that blends rock 'n roll, hardcore and punk rock in the way these cats do. Later Poison Idea comes to mind although no human band will ever get close to the magnitude of those 'Gods among men'. That said, the Slugz do share Poison Idea's nihilism and urge for destruction. They sum their mentality up best themselves in the title track: 'There's something tearing up my brain/ but I wouldn't say that I'm insane/ and I know I've got nothing to gain/ but living fast eases the pain.' Although I'm not living fast by any standards – time seems soooooo sloooooow – I've always had a soft spot for lyrics like these. These kind of sentiments used to be at the heart of hardcore, but it seems like bands have been more occupied with 'rape as a concept' and other such nonsense lately. Slugz music isn't by far as heavy as late Poison Idea, but they do have a thing for guitar solos. Fortunately the guitar player has the chops for it so it goes down smoothly. These kids seem to be playing loud rock 'n roll for the heck of it. I wanted to say 'for the fun of it', but looking at the picture of the band on the insert I feel like 'fun' might just be a word they aren't too familiar with. The music is tough and the singer sounds even tougher. His vocals are Slugz trademark. A reviewer in MRR bet you could get this record from the band at their shows in exchange for drugs and I dare anyone to take that on. There's not a doubt in my mind they'd would be happy to trade vinyl for speed. I wouldn't be surprised to read one of them OD'd, but let's hope that doesn't occur. Too few bands are as PUNK as these guys and it's a damn shame. That's right, capitals right there. No new grounds here, but good for some head banging and pushing people around wasted in the pit. If you liked their first record, you'll like this. If you didn't you won't and I don't want to know you.

Smärtstillande - Flexi (Signaler Fran Ovan) (5 euro)
It took me forever to review this record and it probably has a lot to do with the fact that no mp3 rip has shown up. Confrontational! I’ll shamefully admit that I based my reviews of the other flexis on Signaler Fran Ovan on the digital format out of fear of wearing the things out. Before I could play this record I had to cut it out of the square piece of red plastic it was in and even after doing that the thing doesn’t play properly. The needle keeps leaving the plastic without playing the last two songs, which is frustrating. Maybe my record player is to blame though. Anyway I don’t want to turn this review into an essay about the pros - are there any apart from them being light which makes 'm cheap to ship? - and cons of the flexi even though that issue is in the back of my mind when spinning this record. Smärtstillande hail from Sweden and plays simple and straight forward hardcore punk not unlike the other stuff on Signaler Fran Ovan and the recent Lars Adaktusson Ep on Den Magiska Cirkeln. The band takes cues from the old American greats without particularly sounding like one in particular. The eight songs on his record are all short. I’m pretty sure they all clock in under a minute except for the fifth track wich lasts about twice as long because it has an intro, haha. The guitar player brings some cool leads to the plate which elevates this record above your average hardcore release. The songs are good and have character by which I mean the record doesn’t end up sounding like one undefined grey mess. A lot of hardcore records pass without leaving much of an impression on me. Little sticks, but maybe I’m just not paying attention well enough. Either way I like this record even though I can’t play the last two songs. It might be the best release the label did so far. After repeated listens the music on this thin piece of plastic still sounds fine to my impaired hearing so maybe the whole flexi debate is a load of shit. And let’s face it, you’re probably not listening to records anymore anyway. Upload those mp3’s on your Ipunk instead. No more flipping! Saves you time to do… what again? It’d be cool if Smärtstillande would do another Ep sometime soon. More people would be talking about this band if it had been released on a ‘more respected format’, which makes you wonder.

Surgeons - Whip Them Lord 7" (Total Punk) (5 euro)

Review up soon...

Svart Städhjälp - Under All Kritik Ep (Halvfigur) (5 euro)
Review up soon...

Street Legal/ Frozen Teens - Split Ep (Shut Up!)
I picked up this Split Ep for the Street Legal side so let’s start off with that one. Kansas’ Street Legal did a mighty fine demo last year. It took a while before any vinyl saw the light of day, but here it finally is. Street Legal plays punk rock with a bit of hardcore blend in. Lauren’s vocals are great. She has a strong voice and she means what she sings. I like her lyrics. They cover how life sucks and yet always have a positive message to them. I don’t mean that in some bullshit youth crew kinda way, OKAY! Most striking about the band to me is the lightning fast bass playing. The guitar plays surfy lines over the bass attack. This combination gives the band a distinguished sound. It’s a bit of a shame that the two songs on this 7” were both on the demo as well, but the recording is a lot better this time around. Especially the bass sounds clearer and less fuzzy than before. Hopefully Street Legal will do another Ep soon, because I know they’ve got some great songs on the shelves. On the flip we find Frozen Teens who hail from Minneapolis, Minnesota. Their songs are on the poppier side of things. Pop punk? I don’t know… I think there’s a huge scene for this kind of music in the States; the Fest, Pabst beer, beards, all that. Although I’m no connoisseur when it comes to this kinda music, the two Frozen Teen songs sound alright to me. The music is somewhat sugary with a warm bass sound under jangly melodic guitar lines. ‘New Year’ is a cool song with bleak lyrics. The words make the tune for me. Their other song leaves me cold. ‘Support’ is just another love song I could do without. It’s too sappy. This is a cool split Ep by two bands that are friends with each other, released by one of their friends. The packaging is nice. I’ll take a release like this over some of the semi-professional ‘must-haves’ of this day and age any day.

Sucked Dry - Falling Apart at the Seams Ep (Less Slow, More Go)

Sucked Dry from Missouri deliver their first vinyl output with this here 7". As soon as the needle hits the vinyl we get to hear a pretty rocking mid-pace intro, but don't be fooled. It's just a matter of seconds before the drummer hits his hi-hat four times and the band is of to go. Sucked Dry deliver some heavy, raw and fast hardcore on this Ep. These guys sure didn't try to make themselves sound better through some studiowork. What's striking about this record is the loud one-two-three-four snare hits. It's like getting your face kicked in. Sucked Dry's guitar sound is low and harsh. The same can be said about the vocals which somehow bring to mind the first Direct Control Ep although that's probably more in the direct delivery than in the guy's voice which is way more guttural. Unfortunately there are no lyrics included, but the song titles gives a pretty bleak impression; "Give Up", "Ready to Die" and "Living in my own Filth". The artwork doesn't look too optimistic either. Sucked Dry shreds through seven song on this platter and the only time they'll leave you to catch some breath is when it's time to flip this thing over. I'm sure plenty of people will dismiss Sucked Dry as being "just another retro band", but let's just leave them to their new challenging mysterious hardcore. I'm sure these guys could care less for they're just playing the music they love for the sake of it. So if you're looking for a band that plays some harsh hardcore without any bullshit or pretention, make sure you pick this one up.

Thieves - Positive Vibrations Ep (Suburbanite, To Live A Lie)

North Carolina served us some good bands over the past years. Double Negative and Logic Problem come to mind, but apparently there's a fair share of new young hardcore bands coming from this area as of late. Thieves is one of those and "Positive Vibrations" is their first vinyl output so far. These guys deliver no less than eight songs on this Ep and you better believe me when I say there aren't too many positive vibes to be heard on this platter. The tunes are more complex than your average hardcore track without the band trying too hard. Thieves change pace a lot which makes for interesting songs. Throughout the record every band member shows his skill at some point. The guitar does some nice leads, but it's the rythm section that's stealing the show here. Fierce drumming and great clearly audible bass riffing, which is always a plus in my book, make this record standout. Thieves' singer sounds a little more monotonous on this Ep than I remember him sounding on the demo. His vocals are pretty hoarse and intense which adds to rawness of the music, but some more dynamic to his vocal delivery would benefit the band's sound, I think. The lyrics are hateful and cover both their local scene and everyday life. This is a good hardcore release from a relatively unknown scene we'll hopefully hear more from soon. In the meantime I'll give this Ep another spin.

Thurneman - Tegelsten För Tegelsten Ep (Sorry State)

When I heard Thurneman's first record I wasn't all that amazed and forgot about the band all together. It turns out I've been missing out, because, man, did they improve. These Swedes deliver no less than eight perfect hardcore punk songs on this Ep. Thurneman gets compared to Hüsker Dü (one of my all time favourites) a lot and that comparison actually makes sense in this case. Like the Hüskers these guys sure know how to write a good song! But let's not get into comparisons here, because that wouldn't do Thurneman any justice. What can I say other than that I love this band? I'm a total sucker for this stuff and I can't think of a single band that has come close to nailing this style as well as these boys. Thurneman's songs are inventive, the bass sounds awesome, the vocal melodies get stuck in your head. You'll be flipping this thing over and over and over. I know what you're thinking: "It can't be that good." But you're wrong. I can't recommend this Ep enough. Their second release is definitely worth picking up as well. I've heard talk of a new Ep on Puke 'n Vomit. Last thing I heard was that these kids were working on a 12" and were looking for shows in Europe. So what are you waiting for? Book them already!

Total Trash - Ep (Deranged)
Review up soon...

Tyvek - Mary Ellen Claims 7" (X!)
I think Detroit's Tyvek has been causing quite a fuss over the last years. They left a trail of singles and split 7"s over their first years of existence that most of you have probably missed out on. A shame, because Tyvek wrote a fair bit of memorable tunes. So hooray for X! Records rereleasing this single. For those who haven't heard Tyvek before, this band plays some catchy as hell shambolic punk rock with jangly guitars and kinda nerdy and retarded lyrics that will instantly make a smile appear on your ugly face. Both songs on this 7" are winners. On the A-side we find Mary Ellen Claims which is pretty much like other songs Tyvek did before. The B-side Honda makes me laugh each time I hear it. The lyrics are: "Can you drive a Honda like I can drive a Honda? Do you drive an Escort? A fucking Escort? Can you drive a Honda like I can drive a Honda?" and at some point the lyrics change to "Can you rock a samba like I can rock a samba." Pure genius, I say!

Tumor Warlord - Subway Gas Attack Ep (Ken Rock) (5 euro)

This is the second Ep by this Danish synth punk band. Their first was on Jeth Row Records which should give the initiated a bit of an idea of what they’re in for. Tumor Warlord – what a name – sounds mean and ugly. Most striking is their singer’s voice which you either love or hate. I find myself going back and forth on the matter. Which side you’re on will probably be decisive as to whether you’ll enjoy this record or not. ‘Subway Gas Attack’, a reference to the gas attacks by members of the Aum Shinirkyo cult on the Tokyo subway system in 1995, delivers four new songs. The title track is the slow opener of this record. The song had me wondering if I was playing the record on the wrong speed. Sure, the label says it should be spun on 33 rpm, but it wouldn’t be the first time the Ken Man fooled me there. In this case the label is right though. I understand the band is trying to sound creepy by playing slow, but I can’t help but wish the song would speed up. Unfortunately my wish remains unfulfilled. This gets accentuated by the slow repetitive guitar riff and the singer’s delivery. It gives the song a nagging vibe. We’re not off for a good start here, but fortunately things get better. The other three tracks are more enjoyable. They don’t drag like ‘Subway Gas Attack’. The simple guitar line in ‘Crimson Clone’ works and makes the song memorable. The chorus in ‘Flesh is Weak’ on the flip has a cool guitar line as well. ‘Womb Stalker’ wraps the record up and is the best song here. The band picks up the pace a bit and it looks really good on them. The music drives the singer’s voice a bit to the background which isn’t a bad thing either. I don’t mean to beat on the guy. It’s just that his voice is really dominant and it’s cool to hear the band demand some more attention. This record is a mixed bag for me. Sometimes I like it, sometimes I don’t. I wonder what’ll be next for these guys?  A full length would be interesting.

Urban Blight - Total War Ep (Static Shock) (5 euro)
Let's start out with the obvious. Urban Blight plays simple and agressive Boston styled hardcore. This Canadian hardcore band has been around for some years now and recently did a European tour. This five song Ep was released around the same time. I don't really know all that much about Urban Blight's early years. I think the song(s?) they did on the second 'Generation' cassette released by Fucked Up got people talking.  The Ep on Deranged was loved by some, but a letdown to others. I enter the story here. The first thing I heard by Urban Blight was their 'More Reality' 12" on Slasher which is one hell of a hardcore record. The recording is dirty and raw as fuck which makes the band sound primitive and angry as hell. This Ep takes things a step further or perhaps I should say back, because these recordings are even more minimal than those of the 12". There's a lot of hiss. The guitars sounds fuzzy and there's quite some feedback throughout the songs. The drums and bass are blown out and loud. All of this gives 'Total War' a damaged feel. The vocals are somewhat buried in the music, but still sound pissed. The title track is a keeper. Although I like this Ep I think the sound they went for on their 12'' was more fitting. The record comes in a huge foldout poster.

Violent Reaction - Ep (Static Shock) (5 euro)
Review up soon...

Wallrides - Bomb the Hills Ep (Sweken) (5 euro)
Review up soon...

White Load - Pig Eyes 7" (Ken Rock) (5 euro)
Yet another 7” from this Providence three piece. This is their fourth single and like their first it’s one sided. I wonder what made this band fall in love with the format. There are two new songs here so they might as well have made it a two sided single. Their decision to release the record as a one sided 7” instead, reeks of a certain nihilism that’s fitting when you hear the band’s music. It also saves your lazy ass the effort to flip the thing over. The theme on this record seems to be pigs. Why? I don’t know. Are we talking cops here? The sleeve shows us a pig with a nosering, sunglasses and cum all over his chest. A punk pig? I’d like to think there’s a hidden message in the image, but chances are there isn’t. These guys wouldn’t admit there is either way. The opening track ‘Pig Eyes’ is White Load as we’ve come to know them. I guess one could label this band as hardcore, but there isn’t any Black Flag or Die Kreuzen worship going on here. I know the band has token cues from certain old bands, but I think instead of going for a certain sound they created their own which would be best described as loud, pounding and vicious. It’s nothing new, but they do it with a lot more vigor than most. This shit is primitive and stupid in the best way. The guitar and drums sound louder than ever on this 7”. I don’t know if they did something else recording-wise, but the band sounds more powerful than before. Bigger perhaps. It’s lovely that two guys can create this much noise. The vocalis are one of the things that make this band awesome to me. The singer sounds totally insane and so angry. The lyrics are near impossible to make out although the lyrics to the second song seem to be: “Little Black Pig! You make me sick!” Poetic! The last song was originally released by Black Traitor, which was basically a White Load alias. The track is different than most White Load stuff. It’s them playing one riff into the ground Brainbombs style. Although it’s the same formula (can you really call it that?) it doesn’t sound anything like those rape and murder loving Swedes. I love this band. This shit is probably more punk than ¾ of your record collection. They just did a full-length on Load. I’m actually going to leave the house for that to buy it in a record store. Man, that hasn’t happened in ages!

Wooden Kimono - Ep (Perennial) (5 euro)
I should have written this review ages ago, but I couldn’t get myself to. This is without a doubt my toughest write up so far, because Wooden Kimono is not a band I would have listened to had I not picked up this 7” presuming it was a hardcore record. Wooden Kimono is not a hardcore band. I don’t think the word band is appropriate here either. The four songs on this record seem to be a one-lady effort. The constant throughout the tracks is the female vocalist. On several tunes there’s also a guitar included. The guitar sounds dreamy and hypnotizes you. At times it feels as if Wooden Kimono tries to connect to your subconsciousness through the music. The most impressive song on the record does not include any instruments at all. It’s just vocals delivered over a tapping foot. It’s as if you hear someone on heels walking down an empty hallway of an abandoned psychiatry ward. It gives the song a sense of deep sorrow and isolation. There’s a distance between the recording and the listener that feels unbridgeable. There’s something introspective about the music on this 7”. The record comes in a fold out sleeve which looks like someone’s notebook. There are sketches for drawings and lots of handwritten text of which none seems to be lyrics. The random sentences come across as ideas to be worked out later or perhaps mere thoughts. The abstract and artistic artwork fits the music on the record. In fact I’d argue that they are intertwined, two parts of one whole. This Ep raises so many questions and after listening to it many times I’m still not able to answer any of them. Maybe that’s the beauty of this release.

Year of the Rat/ Clocked In - Split Ep (Bird Law) (6 euro)
The two Canadian hardcore bands teaming up on this split Ep have one thing in common; a love for Black Flag. Now I can’t imagine a punk that does not love that band in one form or another, but supposedly such specimen exist. Let’s start off with Year of the Rat’s side, because that is the one I picked this record up for. The band did an excellent cassette last year and their four songs on this record are in the same vein as their other material. This is a hardcore band with a very thick bass sound and heavy riffing. There’s dissonant guitar work which brings in the Flag reference, but instead of trying to be Black Flag, which some hardcore bands of the last years blatantly did, they’re just drinking from the same cup. The band’s singer sounds angry as hell. Every now and then one of the musicians jumps in on vocals too. The songs are dark and the lyrics are bleak covering fairly typical hardcore topics such as suicide and angst. Although the band isn’t breaking new ground lyrically the quality of the tunes more than make up for it. It’s clear from the recording that we’re dealing with a contemporary band here and that’s fine. Year of the Rat’s four songs clock in around four minutes, but somehow it doesn’t come across as particularly short. The band reminds me of Rational Animals a bit, but there’s less dirge and desperacy and more anger to their songs. On the flip Clocked In delivers one song only. It’s slower and heavier than Year of the Rat’s stuff. The theme throughout the track is a Ginn like guitar lick that will nest inside your skull whether you like it or not. The vocalist gets buried by the music a bit, but that’s alright, because this song is about the riff and not the singing. The bass on this side of the record is heavy as well. A bit burly actually. There’s a lots of low end on this 7”, but you don’t hear me complaining. The guitar runs wild at the end of the track which is pretty cool. When I started writing this review I was planning to say the Year of the Rat side is the better one, but the Clocked In song shreds as well. So why pick a side? This is a really nice hardcore record for them long haired punks who like to bang their head to some rocking hardcore. Year of the Rat could pull off a strong full length and Clocked In should do a droney 12” or something. It’d work.

Yperite - Ep (Close Up) (5,50 euro)
I had never heard of Ypérite until picking up copies of the Peripherique Est Ep from Close Up Records. The garcon running said label turned me onto them. Apparently this Ep is Ypérite’s first vinyl release. After some research I discovered that the band does already have two cd releases under its belt, but since you’re probably as much of an elitist prick as yours truly, i.e. you only care about vinyl, I’m guessing I’m not the only one who hadn’t heard of these guys before. Ypérite delivers four polished punk rock songs with French vocals on this 7”. I imagine these guys being in their thirties. They’ve probably been in a handful of bands before which means they can all play their instruments. Especially the guitar player has some cool tricks up his sleeve. Furthermore Ypérite’s singer has a good voice and if my French wasn’t très mauvais, I’m sure I could have made out the lyrics sans problème. All the songs on this Ep are catchy. The band employs some ska elements in the opening track without it being irritating, which is quite a feat. The standout track to me is ‘Les Temps Sont Dur’. It’s urgent and the guitar playing is very subtle apart from the solo in the middle. I don’t have much of a clue what these songs are about, although I’m pretty sure the last track is about a certain bunny rabbit. Said song is mostly instrumental and I have mixed feelings about it. On some days I find it hilarious while on others I find it annoying. It definitely has a caffeinated vibe to it, which is cool. Overall this is a nice punk rock record with good songs. Can’t really go wrong with that, can you?