AN ENDLESS LANDSCAPE OF DEATH

Considering my strong interest in the Boston Hardcore scene, I am almost astounded at how long it took me to take an interest in one man Black Metal debauchery, Torture Chain. Friends of mine have blogged about this band before, people who's opinions in music I trust have raved about it, and yet it's taken me more than three years to realise just how good this band is. This is the 2010 demo tape "Across Great Landscapes To A Legacy Of Blood" pressed to vinyl last year by Yersinia Pestis Records. Unsure of the details, though I have a feeling my copy on white wax is of the more limited edition.
Brilliant, melodic, dark, oddly catchy Black Metal is what you get here. Nothing new, nothing ground breaking, just well written and executed blasphemy. Tremolo picking dominates the bulk of the songs, though they're well distributed with more traditional metal riffery, breaks and the odd lead. Raspy pitched vocals as per the quota for this style of music fill the gaps, accompanied with a fair share of grunts and groans, and mid to fast paced blasts and 1-2-1-2 beats.
A classic 80's USHC cover does well to break the Chain, and may offer some sort of suggestion as to who (or what) is composing this stuff. What I suspect is a strong contributing factor to the sudden development of my interest in the band is perhaps these suggestions. Though liner notes and virtually all internet searches turn up nothing more than the name of 'Torturer' as sole driving force (with some contributions made by 'Uksglass'), if one does their homework, it's pretty easy to figure out just who is committing this music to tape. Fuck, just being familiar with the vocal stylings of the singer of one of Boston's biggest current hardcore bands should make it almost a dead give away. Though, like I said, nothing exists anywhere to my knowledge to confirm these suspicions.
The bands brand new full length album has just reared it's ugly head via a sold out tape at Chaos In Tejas, though I'm crossing my fingers for a proper, possibly wider release for the world that accesses this stuff via the internet. If you search properly you'll find a mediafire link too.

NOT THIS TIME

Newest cassette release from the ever powerful Rain On The Parade Records out of Canberra. The 2005 rehearsal tape from the now defunct Hard Luck. Certainly one of the greatest hardcore bands to come out of Australia in the last ten years, this tape and their earlier stuff (their demo, the split with Faux Hawks and the 'What Went Wrong" EP) that followed this is simple, great hardcore. What you get here is definitely a rough cut of the band in their formative period. There's a couple covers from bands like DYS and Negative Approach amongst others and that's a good indication of the kind of angle Hard Luck played at. Most of the stuff here saw reincarnations in the aforementioned later releases, so I suspect that the only real reason you'd want this is of you were a proper Hard Luck fan. Worthy release for the proper collector maybe?

FUCK EVERYTHING

This is the split 7" between the American Roskopp and Needful Things from The Czech Republic. Pressed by Give Praise, To Live A Lie, Nuclear Ass and Psychocontrol on this shitty mixed vinyl. The latest offering from both bands, pressed later last year, I'd argue that this could be some of Roskopp's better stuff. It's got a heavy Insect Warfare lean in the guitar tone and general feel and none of the songs really drop in tempo what so ever. Not being overly familiar with the bulk of the Needful Things catalogue, I could say much the same for their contribution here. It's heavy and loud, though it reminds me heaps of Shit Storm and that bands contribution to a split with Magrudergrind from 2006. I think I get that vibe most from the guys vocal approach. Solid effort from both bands and an entertaining release from some of grind's most consistent labels.

HOLE IN THE SKY

And the last one for now, the bands sixth LP, originally released in '75, "Sabotage". Again, reissued by NEMS and pressed this time on blue vinyl. Possibly one of the hardest riffs ever written can be found on this album in the track "Symptom Of The Universe". Metal. Coincidentally it turns the bands new album "13" is out today or tomorrow? Or yesterday? Should I bother?

WHO ARE YOU?

The next one; the fifth Black Sabbath opus, "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath", repressed again by NEMS on red vinyl.

SWEET LEAF

The local big business, national chain electronics and entertainment store has recently started stocking vinyl LP's, and much to my surprise their collection isn't half bad. I would assume that this little venture of theirs would be based solely off the current popularity of record collecting amongst the trendier types, and though their range is mostly reissues and the like, they're actually stocking a good amount of stuff that caught my attention on a recent trip. Black Flag, Down, Pantera, Metallica, Saint Vitus, Bad Brains, Fu Manchu, Sleep, Misfits, Slayer amongst others. This past weekends browse turned up reissues of the last three Black Sabbath records that I wanted as part of my collection. Here's a recent repress of the bands brilliant third album "Master Of Reality" by NEMS on red wax.

BLUNT TRAUMA

It's cool that one of history's greater grind bands hailed from Australia. More precisely Melbourne. I speak of Warsore. Perhaps why such a high concentration of our nations purist grind bands spawn in the 'culture' capital? Heavily active for around 10 years from the mid 90's onwards, the bulk of their recorded material is spectacularly low quality, home recorded stuff with no real fidelity. Lucky then that all of their stuff was brilliantly written, no bullshit grind. The kind of stuff that I have advocated in good grind bands many times on this blog over the years.
This EP of theirs, some of their later material, the "Brutal Reprisal" 7" was pressed in 2003 by Psychocontrol Records. The sound, to be realistic isn't that great, but it's one their recordings that has always stuck with me the most, alongside their contributions to the splits with GBN, IRF, UG and Nee! I've said it a million times on here, I doubt I could really present anything new. It's just great, heavily abrasive grind core. Break neck blasts, d-beats, three chord wailers, bowel twisting bass, trash bag vocals.

CAN YOU SEE ME

Perhaps a little off the regular Skull Fucked subject matter tonight is this recent pick up in a new reissue of "Are You Experienced" by The Jimi Hendrix Experience. This thing's been pressed many different times over the years in various different packages and this copy is a reissue of the original UK Mono version pressed by Track Records back in 1967. The same cover they used on that initial press. This is the version I grew up listening to my father listen to when I was quite young so it's always the cover and mix I've correlated with being the only version. Months after this original album was released in the UK and throughout Europe, Reprise Records out of the US committed to the Northern American Stereo version with vastly differing artwork and a modified track listing. A handful of songs were omitted completely in favour for the inclusion of a few of the bands earlier singles that hadn't appeared on the UK version. Two of those songs would have to be my favourite Hendrix songs hands down ("Hey Joe" and "Purple Haze"), but neither of them are on this record here.

EXTORTION

As mentioned in the last fortnight, here's my second pick up from Cali grind shit heads Excruciating Terror, in their first album "Expression Of Pain". Originally released on CD by Theologian Records back in 1996, it was only given the vinyl treatment in 2010 by Insane Society. 525 copies on black vinyl.
The band certainly honed in further on the craft with the LP after this one, there's a certain less focused approach here, though it's still largely a pure grind record. The blasts definitely aren't as hectic, and the band allow more often for slower moments to worm their way into the madness. The recording is noticeably more dense than the later stuff too, and it does add a bit of a different dimension to the songs. Vocals are still of that gurgled, groaned style that to me define this style of music. I don't need lyrics, just give me grunts and screams. In general this LP is just as good as "Divided We Fall", the album that seemed to set the benchmark for a lot of good grindcore, just different.

PAIN IN THE ASS

The last time I had the opportunity to post about the masterful Dishammer from Spain was back at the beginning of 2011 when I spoke about their post mortus discography cassette tape. As mentioned in that post, their debut LP, "Vintage Addiction", pressed by the mighty Hells Headbangers was at the time a massive priority for me in the 'to get' stakes. Forgiving a little apathy on my part over the last couple of years, the record has remained a leading want, despite the very apparent lack of copies available anywhere online or in the real world. It seems that those who know about this band aren't willing to let go of their copies of this record because they know just how good it is. These days you can find just about everything for sale in at least one store on Discogs, but even this regular gatefold black vinyl variation rarely shows up there or on eBay for that matter, and when it does it doesn't normally sell for anything less than $50 plus postage. Don't get me started about the die hard white vinyl pressing.
So when my daily 'new items for sale in your want list' email showed up from Discogs a couple of weeks back and this record was included from a German seller for a relatively handsome sum (still ended up costing me around $55 including the international postage via DHL), I decided to bite the bullet and commit to the purchase. I don't regret it. One of the best albums to come from any band anywhere in the world in the last five years (pressed in 2008, though I think I said it was pressed in 2006 in that post about their tape). Pure d-beat punk metal mayhem. No other band sounds quite like this, and no other band attempting anything resembling this style sounds this fucking top shelf. As with all of the bands material, this album was tracked live, over the course of a few sessions in early 2008, and I think the spirited end result is one of the main reasons why I am so fond of it. It's raw as fuck without being unlistenable. The guitar feedback that leads into most songs produces a pretty obvious rattle in the snare head, and you can here it loud and clear here. It's like a filthy combination of Hellhammer, Venom, Discharge and Motörhead. Dopi (read- Machetazo's drummer) posesses arguably one of the coolest and most unique vocal gargling approaches in Europe, and the pure quality of the songs is just jaw dropping. These isn't a bad song on this album, and with that, I don't think there's a single stinker in the bands entire discography.

If you like it raw and dirty, you should not pass up this band. They broke up in 2010, but not before unleashing another MLP, a split 7" with The Warwolves and a limited 7" single. Here's the highlight of "Vintage Addiction"...

BACK OF MY HAND

More Violent Arrest stuff, this time their 2011 LP, "Tooth And Nail". Again, no excuse why I've ignored this band for as long as I have. Somehow they just managed to get lost amongst the hundreds of groups that I've been jamming over the last 12 months I guess. This record was a joint pressing between Boss Tuneage, Farewell Records and Tadpole Records. 500 copies on black vinyl.
Though this was the first VA stuff that I heard, I'm not as into this record quite as much as last night's post subject. Musically it runs a relatively similar course to that of their debut album; fast, three chord hardcore, but the recording is just a little too refined and hence looses a good chunk of the raw power that was so prominent on that LP. The band also manage to slow the manic tempo down a bit a couple of times here. The songs in question are fun and really hooky, but I've found with this band that they excite me the most when they're going at a million miles an hour. This album is still very fucking good though, just not quite as strong as earlier music of theirs.

BORN ON YOUR KNEES

I wouldn't blame you for arguing that it's been pretty bad form for me to have ignored the UK's Violent Arrest for as long as I have. A unit since around the mid noughties or so, the stuff they play could be described pretty accurately as the kind of hardcore that I generally find the most interest in; simple, fast, gruff, three chord punk. Coupled with the fact that I'm pretty smitten with a heap of new upcoming UK groups as of late, and this bands strong links to 80's UK powerhouse speed freaks, Ripcord, you could down right label me as ignorant to this bands quality. Until the last few weeks that is.
This is their first s/t LP from 2006 pressed by Deranged Records. Mine's on black vinyl. Unsure of any further pressing details, though I'm assuming that there must be a pretty wide press, as I picked this up on Discogs for a song. Of the material of the bands that I have managed to hear so far (around half of it), this is my favourite. Just relentless, angry hardcore that takes strong influence from a handful of the 80's US east coast stalwarts. A Jerry's Kids cover goes along way to solidify that vibe. The recording here is the best; not overdone, though not sounding like shit. And all the elements seem to be mixed perfectly. Nothing's drowned, and nothing's too far in front. The singer's stark UK accent also gives the band a bit of a UK Oi! vibe, though the band rarely slows to any kind of tempo that could be considered fitting of that style of punk.
Coincidently the band have just released a new 12" single via Boss Tuneage. Maybe I need to investigate that one.

KEEP YOUR MONEY

I don't know much about Barge other than the fact that they are from Richmond and they play raging, powerful, fast hardcore. Following a demo tape from last year, this is their debut 7", "No Gain". Pressed by Vinyl Conflict. Before this record was released I had never heard of the band and that surprises me a little because this is the kind of stuff that's right up my alley usually. I've seen in a few places in the last fortnight or so people more or less labelling them as a half PV half more traditional kind of hardcore band and I guess that description isn't hugely off the mark. The immediate impression I got when I first spun this thing was of that more modern, fast hardcore thing ala Coke Bust and the like. I think you could attribute that one down to the LOUD recording and the mosh driven breakdowns. The frantic tempos, fitful song structures and Denunzio impressions though, really make this record more of a PV geared release, and the great release that it is.