SF: January 2013

Thursday, January 31, 2013

BACK ON TOP

Trench Rot from Orange County play a good take on Southern Californian hardcore punk with bursts of Swedish elements. This is their s/t 7" which is in fact their demo plus an extra track. Released by Do Some Harm Records in 2011. Raging, fast, no frills hardcore, I recently secured this from Video Disease Records along with a few other goodies including the bands new 7". Though to my knowledge the band haven't really claimed Poison Idea and similar bands as influence, I'm hearing a handful of references to "KOF", "FTD" and the like. Great record, and they are only getting better.

Saturday, January 26, 2013

PECKING ORDER

New split tape between Byron Bay's Shackles and Worn Out from Chicago. The first release from Castigated Records, the label that I think is the work of the Shackles guys. This is to be pressed as a 7" in the coming weeks also. The Shackles portion was recorded in Perth when the boys were over their recently, and the result is certainly a less polished batch of songs compared to their last two EP's. Much more suiting their style too. Blast beats and mosh bits. Marks vocals go from strength to strength. On top of the vinyl release this will see, they also have a new 12" EP on Arrest records Australia and a new 7" on Urbn Rage Records due within the next few months.
Being completely unfamiliar with Worn Out before hearing this I can describe them as some kind of modernised PV/grind blend akin to a heap of the bands doing the rounds on To Live A Lie Records and the like at the moment. Light speed blasts, metallic guitars and filthy bass tone offset a mix of high end, and hoarse yelled vocals. Obvious comparisons would include Magrudergrind, ACxDC and Magnum Force. Good stuff in small doses.

Friday, January 25, 2013

WORLD WITHOUT GOD

Here's the 2010 reissue of the brilliant "World Without God" LP by Finnish death metal torch carriers Convulse. Originally pressed back in something like 1992, I missed this repress until last fortnight. Along with the original album, this slab also includes the bands "Resuscitation Of Evilness" demo and a bonus live track on the B side. Sounds so much better than my shitty digital rip plagued with hiss and noise.
Though they garnered virtually zero recognition at the time, along with bands like Abhorrence and Demi God, these guys were more or less at the forefront of the infant Finnish scene of the early to mid nineties and subsequently responsible for one of the most identifiable sounds of the genre. They released another (heavily 'death n roll' inspired) album, "Reflections" as a CD only release three years later and then called it a day. The proliferation of the internet would be largely responsible for the bands now infinite popularity within particular metal circles and as a result they have reformed and only today released a new MLP, "Inner Evil" on Svart Records. Thankfully back to their depressing death metal roots and featuring two new analogue studio tracks, I will probably procure said record. A tape version of the EP was also made available by the band last week featuring rehearsal recordings of some old classics as extras. A new full length is said to be rearing it's head before the end of this year too. If the general high quality of music released by now reformed original Norse bands in the last year is anything to go by, this should be interesting.

Thursday, January 24, 2013

TRENDS

I've been involved with the release of a few cassette tapes in the last few weeks. First up is the Ripped Off jam room demo tape. Brisbane locals playing grim, nasty hardcore akin to that of the early UK pack; Ripcord, Concrete Sox etc. I must note that the nature of the music creates somewhat of an obvious Japcore lean too. 50 copies. The first 30 came as you see below; with nothing but I mis shaped logo insert. The remaining 20 had no such insert and the band gave them away. It was dodgy as hell, but it's what they wanted. I have no copies. The band may have a few.

The new demo tape from Brisbane stoner metallers; Black Deity. Five tracks spread over around thirty minutes. Very obvious Sleep and Saint Vitus leanings, this thing is riff city. 50 copies and the band will have all of them this Friday when they play with Iron Lung, Last Chaos and War Trauma.

And finally, the new War Trauma demo tape. Following a digital only demo release last year, this new tape presents six new tracks of grinding, feedback violence. No guitars, just bass, vocals and drums, the recording on this thing is BLOWN OUT and sounds so good. The band will also have their allotment this Friday at the Iron Lung show and I will have some for online sales next week. 50 copies in total.

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

INSECT POLITICS

The second of the two new EP's from the mighty Purity Control. Self released by the band themselves, this one's called "Adjusting". Since I first blogged about the other 7" a few weeks ago, I've read a number of reviews and such more or less pinning these guys as a through and through powerviolence band. I'd argue against that idea pretty stringently; as I stated in my previous post, while they do utilise a certain stop/start style, there's too much of an individual approach going on here for it to be just stapled with that boring PV label. Recorded at the same time as the previous EP, like that record, the sound captured here falls in line much more with some kind of raw grind approach, though I hesitate to even compare it to something like that. On a side note, they've re-recorded a song from the second demo tape. Probably my favourite from either of the demos too, "Swallowing" sees a breath of fresh air.

Saturday, January 12, 2013

HALF PAST DEATH

Following their demo from last year, here's the debut 7" EP from Boston's MFP. Recently pressed by the mighty Painkiller Records, my copy comes on the more limited blue colourway. Recorded by CC, it's got the distinctive Paincave sound most typified I supposed by the ripping guitar tone and the very obvious snare strike sound. Rough, fast Boston hardcore with a bit of a Japcore influence, this thing reminds me a little of the recent Prisoner Abuse 12". Brilliant cover art by Shaun Filley of Annihilation Time fame.

Friday, January 11, 2013

HARD LESSONS

New Terror 7" single, "Hard Lessons/Only The Devil Knows". Pressed by Reaper Records, my red copy was also released simultaneously with clear and gold, though I just bothered to grab this colourway. A lead-in to the bands new LP due in the next few months, the two tracks here are assumedly to be included on said album. The lead track is a total mid paced stomper, the Second one moves the tempo up considerably. I'm still getting a proper feel for both of these songs, though to be honest, I'm not as excited about them as anything from the last LP. Willing to bet that they'll grow on me though. Still head and shoulders above any other band attempting this style at the moment.

Thursday, January 10, 2013

LIFE SUCKER

New red vinyl press of the popular Violent Future demo from last year thanks to Painkiller Records. Presented in a cool 7" single kind of deal with a glued sleeve and a 45 hole. One of the better demos of 2012, now on wax deservedly. New music from this band this year.

Thursday, January 3, 2013

SHAME IN THE WAY

New Converge, over four months since I paid for it. "All We Love We Leave Behind" on double black 180g wax of 1000 copies with a gatefold sleeve. Pressed by Deathwish Inc. I actually really like this album and the whole package (music, presentation, art etc) is a bit of a step to the left for the band in relation to their last couple of albums. Nice, sturdy matte sleeve with silver foil print, and some pretty lush artwork inside. 17 tracks including the vinyl only bonus songs, yet it still manages to clock in at around a similar time to the bands last few albums (close to 45 minutes).

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

RAW MALE POWER

Another cool, abrasive stop/start PV styled band from Perth is Flesh Police and this is their new demo tape. Incredibly low quality recording, this thing shows heaps of promise, and if the band manage to stick around and record more material, I think I'll get pretty excited. The music here is harshly recorded live jam room type stuff, where all the knobs have obviously been turned up to 10, right up my alley.