BOOT PARTY

Possible contender right here for hardcore album of the year for a lot of people I am willing to bet. I speak of course about the brand new LP, "Mob Justice" from Boston power house The Rival Mob. Sea foam green wax of 400 copies that sold out in something like an hour I think. Guess I just got lucky with it. Their debut for Revelation Records possibly sees the band employ their most 'studio' recording to date, though I suspect that may come down to a matter of opinion. Certainly compared to the promo tape of the same name from mid last year, this thing takes on a cleaner sound anyway. Five jams here were first made public on that tape also, and though they've been buffed up thanks to Trevor at the Colosseum, they don't really differ a whole lot in anyway from Chris Corry's work with the first incarnation. More of what you'd expect from this band: no frills, gritty hardcore with that stark New York City Hardcore bend. Hard breaks, dive bombs, crew shouts, sneered vocals, witty lyrics and the odd solo. The best in the business.

UNWELCOME MAT

Regular readers may have noticed a sizeable lack in the frequency of my posting over the last few weeks. A few factors have made contributions to the situation but at the end of the day the leading culprit is certainly the recent increase in USPS rates, and more to the point, the increases in international priority rates that exceed more than a 100% step up in most cases. Most of you should be familiar with the rate hikes that I am speaking of as I am sure it's affecting you in much the same way. Likewise, you probably understand that a good chunk of my posting is about stuff from abroad, and it's a shame to say that around 80% of my incoming vinyl is sourced directly from the USA. Upwards of $30 to have ONE 7" record posted to Australia is obviously out of the question. With that said though there are certain bands that will not be ignored no matter what the costs (2 new records from Bone Sickness this year, new LP's from a couple of the best bands from Austin, Texas, new Violent Reaction LP on Painkiller, and a rumoured release from my favourite Boston blast beat/mosh bit hardcore band, just to name a few) but I expect that regular posting of new platters will take quite a kick to the nut sack in 2013. Perhaps we can expect posts centred around various releases that have been a part of my collection since before this blog existed. I haven't really decided what I'll do yet, if anything. I would like to know how other collectors have been affected by the recent changes, and how they're getting around it.

Anyway, a recent acquisition made before the rate spikes is this demo tape from the newly named Social Damage from Indianapolis. For those of you playing at home, this is the demo from the band formerly known as Blind Justice, not to be confused with the group of the same name from New Jersey. This recording made my best of list for 2012 based purely off the digital tracks alone. Reportedly they managed to move something like 500 copies of the hard copy under the old name and I never managed to get my hands on one, until recently when they put the final batch up of something like 70 copies with the new moniker. Hard, simple New York styled HARDcore with a big, loud recording. They take massive and precise cues from mid to late 80's bands from the Big Apple, namely Straight Ahead. Like Nottingham's Think Twice the singer here does a brilliant Tommy Carol impression also that goes very far to concrete the comparisons to that amazing NYHC group. Actual no frills, brilliant hardcore sans bells, whistles or any other filler bullshit.

SCUM ON THE RUN

Northern UK hardcore holding it down once again in this new rehearsal/covers tape "Flexual Healing Vol. 1" from Leeds own The Flex. Comprised of rough versions of two new songs due for release on the bands upcoming 7" plus three classic cover tracks, all done very well. Released in an edition of 70 copies by the new Milk Run Records. I think the label may be the work of one of the guys in the band. Following last years demo tape, there is certainly a noticeable step up in quality of material here. The recording's better, the songs are harder, and the vibe is just overall meaner. The new 7" should be with us within the next few weeks thanks again to Milk Run and Video Disease Records out of California.

LEAD COFFIN

Second release from Texas death fiends, Church Of Disgust, the "Incantation of Putrid Worship" demo. Following the original demo from last year, this thing follows a similar path, putting to use a somewhat cleaner, more crushing recording. Perhaps capitalising on said opportunity at a superior sound, the guys have decided to re-record the three tracks from that initial demo while coupling them with two new numbers. The label responsible, Filthy Cave likens this stuff to Autopsy and Bolt Thrower, and those sounds certainly play a role here, but as I've stated before, I like to think that this band is drawing on a more Norse sound ala the filth of the Finnish. Regardless, this is top level death metal, and these guys have an LP due before the year is out that I will certainly be purchasing.

KICKBACK

Breakdown's '87 demo would arguably be one of the best demo's to come out the 80's NYHC scene. It's certainly my favourite and just about the only content of the band that I really like. Can't get into any of the the other stuff, including "Blacklisted" or any of the tracks from the comps that they contributed to. Put that down squarely to the brilliant, meaty, thick recording that this demo possessed. Pure neanderthal hardcore. I doubt I need to really explain it; the break in "Kickback" is just about the best thing to come out of the late 80's USHC scene, full stop.
Originally pressed to wax in the early 90's by Blackout! and Noiseville Records out of the US, my version is a 2005 edition from Dead Serious Recordings out of Germany. Yellow wax, unsure of the numbers. News has it that 540 Records and Painkiller Records are splitting the release of a Breakdown discog type LP this year containing one of the other demos and some unreleased stuff. Something like that anyway. Should be interesting.

GRISLY WISHES

People who know me even a little know how disgracefully obsessed I am with Washington State's Bone Sickness. Following a demo in 2010 to be followed by my absolute favourite record in their EP of 2011, Inimical Records out of Seattle has recently pressed said demo to vinyl. I'm unsure of total pressing numbers, but I know this black version comprises the die hard edition of 100 copies. Mine's numbered 34 and comes with a BS patch. The rest of the pressing came on 'mixed' colours and as far as I know it's all sold out by now. As part of the pressing, the music's been remastered and I must say that the job done is just jaw dropping. All kinds of music gets remastered all the time, but I don't think I can think of anything that has made such a marked improvement with a remaster as the tunes here have. It may have something to do with the fact that I've been jamming the original version for the last two years with tape hiss and all, where this master has obviously come straight from the original recording. Whatever the reason, if the demo wasn't listenable before to certain folk, I can't imagine a single true death metal fiend who wouldn't find interest in this now. Bone shaking, blood curdling American Metal of Death.

All new music in the form of a 12"EP on 20 Buck Spin and a 7"EP on Iron Lung Records are both due this year, the 12" should drop by April, the EP, pending recording. If the various live videos doing the rounds on youtube and vimeo at the moment are anything to go by, the new tracks should be crushing. Case in point: the second song they play in this vid:

MASS GRAVE

New demo tape from NS Mayhem. Originally I thought the name stood for 'North Sydney Mayhem' but I've since heard that it either stands for 'Newcastle Sydney Mayhem', or something along the lines of 'Noble Savage Mayhem'. I think it's somewhat of an in joke. I also originally expected this to sound like some gruff NYHC from the mid 80's ala a similar namesake. Elements of that sound certainly exist, but really what you get here is a stark Boston '82 sound in the realm of early SSD and the like. A bunch of great, well written songs. Pity that the absolute dog piss recording really drains the bulk of the power here. Bet they're good live.

TO A FLAME

More weirdo noisy hardcore from Video Disease Records in the form of the second s/t Yodakai 7". Another solid mix of a traumatic, dismantled sort of USHC and eerie nasty Japanese punk. Plenty of frantic structures that lay foundation to shrieked, spent vocals, fuzzy power chords and noodly guitar bits. First press with a 45 hole, black vinyl, on 400 copies.

BONEYARD

Following a demo tape in 2011, Syracuse noise merchants, Hunted Down released last year their debut EP of dissonant Japan-by-way-of-lower-East-Coast-US-hardcore-punk, "Life's Womb". With the help of Video Disease Records, my copy came as a freebie recently direct from the label with the previously blogged about two Trench Rot EP's. Second press on what the label describes as 'bone splatter' which translates more or less to white with some darker smudge through it. 200 copies. Bludgeoning, DC styled outsider hardcore with a stark Kuro vibe. Very typical of the weird guy kind of hardcore that you'd expect from Video Disease.

DRIED OUT

Further to yesterday's post about the s/t 7" from Socal's Trench Rot, here's the main reason I made the recent order with Video Disease Records; the bands latest work, their 7", "Tyrant". More of the same as the older record, though the recording here is improved ten fold with a massively thick sound throughout. The singers vocals have also improved greatly here, with a much louder, more 'manly' approach. Limited green wax of 100 copies with a 45 hole.