NO OPTION

What I don't know about Hailgun from Melbourne would fill a warehouse. They were up my way playing shows recently along with a few other bands from the south, so I thought I'd grab their self released EP, "Accident" on a whim. A small amount of research tells me that the band sees classics such as the bulk of the "TIBNLA" line up as heavy influence, though I'm not really hearing that here. The relatively clean recording and monotonous vocals coupled with the break neck singularity of the upper tempos lends itself tremendously to some sort of skater thrash hybrid, though what I know about that kind of music is minimal also, so I may be wrong? I don't know, they seemed tight live, and everyone I know seemed to rave on about them, but apart from a few cool little parts, I just find this record kind of boring. There's certainly a lot worse out there, but if you have similar tastes to those of my own, I doubt you'll regret passing this up.

TEMPER TEMPER

Further to yesterday's post, here's the final (bar the new stuff that's about to happen) material from Out Cold. Another pick up for dead cheap from Kangaroo Records. Again, I won't go into detail except to say that I think the cover art for this record would have to be their most iconic. I think you'd be hard pressed finding a punk who hasn't at least seen this before. Ripping hardcore.

LIKE CLOCKWORK

Seeing as how in the next few weeks PKR is setting to release the first half of the final Out Cold material (and the first new stuff since 2005) on LP, I thought it about high time that I got around to getting my hands on some of the bands brilliant work. This is the bands second album, "Warped Sense Of Right + Wrong", and their first with Mark on vocals after he moved across from Bass after Kevin left the band. I'd argue that this album was their best, though everything they did was top shelf stuff. Black vinyl, and I'm assuming some kind of more recent repress, as I was able to pick this up from Kangaroo Records direct for around $20 posted. Often I write about bands that need no real introduction. These guys are one of those bands. I think I'd feel dumb explaining any further the pure mastery that went on over the course of their powerful lifespan.

BULLET HELL

New second press of the Extortion/Cold World split LP originally from last year. Clear wax this time around. More info can be found here.

BUTTER ME UP

New self released demo tape from Adelaide degenerates, Simfuckers. Drenched in noise, feedback and scum, this thing has managed to develop a small amount of hype lately amongst those who know locally and abroad. Deliberately sloppy, there's a pretty blatant outsider vibe emitted here. Likely to suit fans of a heap of that kind of Youth Attack vibed stuff without the fanboy contingent in tow.

REDUCTIVE LIVING

New Iron Lung album, "White Glove Test" with the bonus noise LP that was only really made available to attendees of the bands recent Oz and US tours. Originally they were to have hard copies with them when they were here, but for whatever reason, the pressing plant had delayed the release. As a result, I paid the band to secure a copy with the bonus disc, and then it arrived in the post last week. Split pressing between Iron Lung Records and Prank records. Unsure of the pressing details, but I know that it's long sold out now. The second 12" offers a noise track that syncs in perfectly with the BPM of the music on the first 12". The idea is that you would have two record players and spin both discs simultaneously. Or you could just listen to the noise record alone if you're a bit of a fiend for that kind of thing.
Again, the band have released here a total lesson in how to write and play good quality PV influenced hardcore that retains qualities of both an older and more modern stand point. If you're after a pure blast ridden grind fest like the bands previous album, "Sexless//No Sex", you probably won't be quite satisfied; for one the recording is somewhat different here, not as loud and less concerned with the immediate gratitude that a loud mastering job often delivers with grind records. Secondly, the ratio of lower to faster tracks here is arguably larger. To me it seems that way anyway. The tracks that have become engrained in my mind with this album are all of the slower, doomier tracks, not the frantic stuff. Best played from beginning to end to get the full feel of the album, this thing peaks and valley's through a bulk of really cool, depressing, drone stuff and a handful of violent, fast, hyper blasts. Jensen again validates any claim that he is one of the best drummers across any genre at the moment with his work. A little to my surprise, a few previously released songs have seen a re-do here- the tracks from their contribution to the "Brutal Supremacy" compilation from 2011, "Reductive Living" from the "Saboteur" single from last year, and "Nothing" from the "Exposed" 7" from 2009. Artwork by the bands guitarist Jon aka Feeding.

STUCK PIG

A good friends band spent this past weekend recording their new demo. They are called Coffin Birth and I will be releasing this on cassette in the coming weeks. This will be DR#17 and will be the last tape I have anything to do with for a little while.

 

STRUCTURAL OPPRESSION

On strong recommendation from a mate, I've purchased this new 7", "Structural Oppression" from Finland's Foreseen. Black vinyl, a split release between Take It Back and Collision Records. Following an earlier 7" (that I haven't had a chance to grab yet), what you get here is pretty on point crossover thrash hardcore ala Leeway and later Cro Mags. Hard NYHC styled riffs mixed up with a heap of thrash metal gallops and leads. The band even open up with a brilliant high pitched scream that would likely impress Tom Araya himself.

Cocktheft

New grimy, outsider hardcore in the debut s/t 7" from Irish Bears, Strong Boys. Self released and on baby blue vinyl. From what I can tell, this is mostly the work of one fellow, Emmet, the guy that plays guitars and bass in numerous other Irish bands past and present, employing various other local notables for the live setting. Following on from the bands demo tape from last year, but with an ever so slightly updated recording quality, what you get here is more raw queer core that takes stark cues from early 80's West Coast and Mid West hardcore. I read another blog that made a comparison to Necros, and that sits alright with me. This thing is REALLY raw and stripped down hardcore that may not suit every punk, but the bare quality of the recording would certainly lend itself well to the live environment I think, and some of the riffs here are just really really catchy, namely the fast break bit in the first track. Though sonically, it's not all that large a step up from the demo, the slight improvement, coupled with the fun as hell songs make this 7" a big surprise for me and a certain new favourite.

THE NUDGE

It's a little tricky for me to pin down juste exactly what distinctive style of hardcore New Jersey's Altered Boys are playing at. Equal measures of obnoxious Boston hardcore and Southern Californian punk dilute the mix, along with a good dose of Mid West attitude. Tempos switch frequently between the mid to upper pace, mixed with bouncy, harsh chords and gruff, thick vocals. This is the bands latest EP, their s/t 7"(possibly also known as The Nudge 7" I think?), pressed by Katorga Works. Black vinyl. New EP due on Deranged Records this year if I'm not mistaken. Good solid hardcore worthy of any collection.

VIOLENT STREAK

New Delayed Response release. A split release with Rain On The Parade Records out of Canberra, this is the "Fakes Rule" Promotional Cassette from Brisbane's own Sick People. DR#14 - ROTP#10. One new song, two re done demo songs and a Negative Approach cover, all exclusive to this tape. This thing serves as a preview to the 7" of the same name due mid year. These are available now. I have some, and ROTP do too, but the majority are in the posession of the band. You can contact them at sickpeople.ahc@hotmail.com.

WINTER LIGHT

Boston does it again with the brilliant new s/t LP from Doom Metal merchants Magic Circle. Pressed and distributed by the Armageddon Record store in Boston, I'm unsure if multiple colourways exist, but as you can see, I scored black vinyl. I would imagine that most people who are fond of the pedigree that Boston is so renown for producing would be at least familiar with this band. Since mid-late 2011, excitement has been growing around this record thanks to the digital release of the the albums (arguably) stand out track, "Scream Evil" via youtube. I wouldn't be able to tell you how many times I have listened to that track over the last year. Comprised in bulk by the central characters of the nu scene, what you get here is heavy, old school doom metal with an obvious Black Sabbath lean. While you can certainly attribute that comparison to a few things, including guitarist Chris Corry's brilliantly huge jammed out riffs, the bulk of the praise should be put down to singer Brendan Radigan's flawless vocal performance. Maybe I would't be so blown away by his work if he wasn't better known for fronting a number of gritty, angry hardcore bands over the years (Rival Mob and xFilesx), but the truth here is that with this LP, he's more or less put just about every current long haired doom metal singer to shame in just over 40 minutes. Top shelf metal. Worth all the hype.

NO MOTIVE

I suppose they've reached that kind of status now where Extortion bootleg records would be somewhat acceptable or at least unsurprising to most people. Besides the bootleg cassette from a few years ago, this thing marks the bands first subjection to the idea, the "Live/Dead" boot LP taken from a live recording in Paris from 2010. Black wax, 250 copies. This LP's producers, Usa E Getta, a label that I am completely unfamiliar with, have certainly put the term bootleg to full effect here too; this thing sounds like it would have been recorded with a mobile phone in someones pocket, it's really that rough and blown out. Unless you're a big fan of the band and very familiar with the bulk of their better mid era output, I suspect that you may have a little trouble really following along with this recording. Obviously though, I had to grab it recently when a friend brought it's existence to my attention via Discogs.

RICE PUDDING

The new Iron Lung Mixtape, aptly titled "Mixtape II", sees the label extending further long the trajectory that the first incarnation ended at. Twenty tracks from twenty acts presented, a fairly wide scope is on offer here, ranging from the fast and violent (Hatred Surge with a re-recording of a previous favourite, Iron Lung, Gas Chamber), the heavy and violent (Column Of Heaven covering Integrity, and Gehenna), the obscure and noisy (Useless Children covering Metallica, Gag, Negative Press), right down to the peculiar and outright grating (Brainoil, Bite Itself, Mutant Video). This thing is bound to please most punks just for the pure fact that there's a heap of stuff on offer here, scanning infinite little sub genres. A perfect example of where the label is at the moment I suppose. The new Iron Lung (band) LP is en route to me, expect a post soon hopefully.

EMPTY SPACE

Debut EP, "Teenage Nightmare" from Rochester's Death Camp. Black vinyl pressed by new label Black Rebel Records. Certainly a surprise record and band for me, this is likely to make my top ten for this year. Heavy, groovy hardcore with a bit of a metallic lean. Obvious cues to mid 80's New York, as well as later stuff like All Out War and maybe Earth Crisis. Really thick recording thanks to Will Killingsworth with some amazingly deranged vocals. I'd dare say that the guys pipes would have to be the highlight of the recording. That and some of the great mosh bits. Knuckle dragging, heavy hardcore for the masses.