LIKE RATS

New 7" single from the almighty Hatred Surge. Simple, plain black vinyl with packaging to match pressed by Can O Bees. From what I can tell the label is the work of the guys in the band. They pressed the latest Mammoth Grinder single a few month back too. "Purgatory b/w Like Rats" presents two plodding, groove based tracks, not dissimilar to other tracks of this ilk that the band have penned in the past. With Rahi's departure on vocals, the music here also marks the first time in years that original member Alex has been in 100% control of all grunts and groans. It's been told that this record is the lead-in to the bands new full length due before the end of the year, and it's not hard to tell that it's more or less a fund building release for that album, much like the Mammoth Grinder record mentioned earlier. If the vibe that this record emits is anything to go by, it definitely seems like the band are getting back to the sound and recording values that they first made their stamp with on the first s/t 7".

CHOPPING BLOCK

New s/t 12" EP from Boston hardcore unit Prisoner Abuse. Painkiller Records, clear vinyl with black smudges through it. With members of other previous and current notable Boston bands, this platter is certainly subject at the moment to the reasonable amount of hype that seems to surround the fellows that comprise this group. I wouldn't say that the excitement is undeserved, but what's presented here definitely isn't up to the usual high standards that these fellows so often set. It's all relative though; in terms of hard, mean American straight edge hardcore this thing is the kind of album that most bands would kill to write. Rough recording in tact, the music was committed to hard format last year, having being written back in the mid noughties. Jason Clegg laid down vocals for it earlier this year.

SECOND HAND HARDCORE

I initially heard about Think Twice from Nottingham, UK only recently when they embarked on a short European tour with Liverpool favourite's Violent Reaction. Based on the artwork and general kind of aesthetic that the band employ I thought they were some rehash of 90's rehash youth crew and as a result I wasn't that interested. Keep in mind that judgement was made without ever having given the band a listen. Never judge a book by it's cover I guess? That old chestnut? What we've got here is brilliant late 80's styled NYHC that takes many cues from Straight Ahead and the like. Chalk a lot of the sound up to The Abused and throw in some Boston hardcore attitude too. Heaps of hyper fast tempo's, some cool little dance bits, a vocalist that does a brilliant Tommy Carol impression, and a guitar tone that actually reminds me quite a bit of the tone used by Australian greats of times past Hard Luck. Similar grooves to that band too. This is their debut EP "Deficit Youth" pressed by Anger Battery Records earlier this year. Clear wax. Certainly my second favourite EP to come out of the UK in 2012. They've just released a split cassette with Word On The Street and they've got a new EP due on Carry The Weight Records some time before the end of the year. Essential hardcore.

DORMANT

Shackles from Byron Bay are certainly killing at the moment and here's their new EP "Dissolve To Nothing" pressed by Arrest Records Australia. This is the limited grey pressing (of 100 copies I think). Though I haven't heard any mention of it anywhere from the band or label, I think this cover on my copy if some sort of pre-order only deal. Switched on readers will be aware that I handled the cassette version of this EP earlier in the year. Heavy, thick hardcore with blast beats and mosh bits. New music due soon from these lads.

PROUD TO BE DUMB

This will definitely be one of my top demo releases for this year, the debut cassette from Oblivionation. You're more than likely living under some kind of punk boulder if you haven't at least heard this bands name mentioned somewhere in the last few months. Raging, hateful, intelligent, energetic hardcore from Massachusetts featuring members of a load of great older bands, most notably I suppose Out Cold. The formula here doesn't stray too far from what that band were well known for too. Simplistic, no frills hardcore with a pretty solid mid west vibe. Some of the best lyrics I've read in 18 months to boot. This copy comes from the initial band dubbed edition of 50 copies, which I do think is sold out at this point. Comes with a load of various inserts, stickers etc. Another edition of 200 copies is due in the next few weeks (or perhaps is available now?) thanks to Bleeding Edges.
 

HOLY LAWS OF PAIN

I post somewhat regularly on here about various old school Swedish Death Metal and every now and then the odd current Finnish band sees an inclusion as well, but I don't think I've ever really covered anything Finnish pre 2000. My knowledge of the scene there isn't massive I admit, but there are a handful of what I consider to be 'entry level' bands that I really enjoy. Convulse are one of them. As are Helsinki's Abhorrence. A band for roughly a year over the course of '89/'90, in their time they managed to officially unleash one demo tape and a s/t 7". This is the new discography 2xLP released this year in their name by Svart Records. Featuring those two official releases, bonuses also include two other previously unreleased demo recordings and then some padding with a live recorded gig from some time in 1990. Finnish Death Metal is epitomised by the sound captured on this bands EP. With a sound that could be considered less tuneful than that produced by their neighbours in Sweden, these guys, along with a handful of other early bands can certainly be held responsible for creating the typical Finnish Death Metal sound. Less reliant on fancy recording conditions and guitar tones, all you get here is rough, driving death metal peppered with plenty of blast beats and guttural growls. Great stuff.

BUCKET FLU

Something a little different, the new 4-way split 7", "Drawn And Quartered" from Bear Trap and Anti Venom from the US and our own Downpour and Shackles. Limited orange vinyl pressed by both the American and Australian branches of Arrest Records. I'd never really heard the American groups before I bought this, though I'd been told plenty of good things about Bear Trap. They live up to those good things. Rough, fast hardcore that takes obvious influence from modern and old PV kind of stuff. Anti Venom have a slightly more polished sound and feature two songs. Less blast beats and a singer that possesses a pretty destructive snarl. The Downpour stuff is previously unreleased. Four songs with a really lo-fi (maybe no-fi) recording. As some of you may know, I released this bands demo last year, and I preferred those songs. With a better recording, these songs would be killer. Shackles stuff is massive as always. Three songs (two of which are previously released, by me, on the "Dissolve To Nothing" tape) and a new one that they recorded during the sessions for said cassette.

NOBODY CARES

Demo tape from Sydney band Blow Your Brains Out released by Rain On The Parade a few months ago. Burly hardcore that takes pretty obvious cues from Straight Ahead and Agnostic Front and does a brilliant job with it.  Bulked out with an Australian rhythm section, fronted by a German fellow with some brilliant vocals. Said German went home, so I guess this band is on some sort of hiatus for now, but I'd love the chance to see them live. Very good stuff.

FEW QUICK POINTS

Off the regular tested vinyl posting track for today's banter.

- As if you didn't know, Infest are doing at least one reunion show next year at Maryland Death Fest (is it likely that they'll do Chaos In Tejas too?). I have already bought my three day pass for the punk stage at that festival. I'll be buying at least two day passes for the metal stage once they're released too. Hoping that Bolt Thrower announce another set at some point in the weekend as their Thursday show is already sold out at this point. Anybody interested in hanging out next year? At this stage it looks like I will be travelling solo.

- In other news of reunions, NYC's Antidote have announced a proper and (I'm assuming) more permanent reformation, with corresponding full length album due for releases on B9 in November. I don't know what to think. I've documented extensively on here my fondness for the original '83 incarnation of the band but the new song they've previewed this week is pretty average.

- Earache Records last week launched pre orders for the repress of the essential Bolt Thrower album "Realm Of Chaos". Not available on wax since '89, original versions of this record sell for shitloads on eBay, Discogs and the like. I got up at 3am and secured the most limited edition of the new version of 100 copies. I'm not positive at this point, but I think the entire repress may be sold out. I can't find it for sale in either the Euro or US Earache webstore. Might be smart to check yourself. Certainly the best Bolt Thrower stuff.

- As you lot may know I do tapes. I'm doing one more, the last for a while at least, due in a fortnight or so. It's DR#12, and it's new material from dual vocal fastcore/mosh band Nazi Dentist from Brisbane. Better recording than their last tape and plenty more stop/start riffage. Check the band out on facebook.

NO CREDIT

Another Extortion record to post about, this time a new variation of their recent split LP with Cold World. The story with this one's a bit peculiar. The original press of this release can be chalked up to RSR, here though a label that I'd never heard of before now- Nerdcore Records is to be held responsible. I only really found out about this record when this label included me in some sort of generic email to push it. Initially I thought it was some sort of bootleg but some further research revealed that the guys that run the label more or less paid RSR some sort of licence fee for the opportunity to release it in this deluxe, hand assembled set up. Turns out they've also done this with a handful of other records before this one too. With all my previous complaining about RSR and their need to release every Ex record in multiple silly variations, I am pretty stoked on this one. Very tidy hand screened and die cut sleeves and inserts make for just about one of the cleanest record presentations that I own now. 50 copies, all on black wax. Mine's number 09. Sold out in less than a day.

JESUS SAVES

Slayer. "Reign In Blood" LP. Original press from 1986 (thanks Akerbeltz) thanks to London Records licensed from Def Jam/Geffen. This is more or less the English/European version of the album. Same songs. Same layout. Same everything. Black vinyl. The greatest metal album of all time. Thank you.

PEARLS AND PIGS

Brilliant Shipwrecked demo tape circa '04. From what I can tell this is a recent bootleg as I've seen a few floating around on Discogs as of late. I'd argue that this stuff could be their best recorded material. It's certainly my favourite. What energy the new album lacks due to the lacklustre recording, this thing's got in droves. Hardcore for fans of hardcore.