progression disintegration

A few weeks back one of my posts partially centred around the Floridan grind unit Cellgraft, and at the time I said that I would be posting about them again in the future. Well, the time is here with their EP entitled "Deception Schematic". This is on clear wax. I think an alternate press of green is also floating around. I bought this from the Financial Ruin webstore, but this was pressed by No Reprieve Records.
So from what I can gather, this is the bands debut EP following a demo tape and cassette EP. The material on here is focused noticeably more on the low end than the bulk of their other recordings. I'd put it more down to the mastering as opposed to any kind of intentional change but I may be wrong. The songs are generally less 'hooky' and focused much more on pure, brutal grind as well, something which I think kind of detracts from the EP as a whole, as the songs really do start to blend into each other. With that said though, this is a good listen, probably just not as good as their "External Habitation" cassette.

the truth

Deathstrike hail from the early American death metal scene. This could more or less be regarded as 'first wave death metal' I suppose. Fronted by Paul Speckmann, he created this band during a short lull in the forward motion of his semi established band, Chicago's Master. If you know anything about more underrated American death metal, you'll be aware that this band more or less morphed into the permanent rendition of Master and went on to release a shitload of really fantastic death metal classics over the years. This is a batch of their primary recordings entitled "Fuckin' Death". A lot of these tracks re-appeared as Master songs down the track, hence, they are pretty much regarded by most as Master demo's. Originally recorded and released in small circulation around the mid 80's, one could easily argue that this collection of music was a major catalyst to the American death metal movement of the late 80's/early 90's. The recordings are relatively primitive, and perhaps that's a big part of their charm. Basic, raw metal, that stands up to music of the same era like Bathory, Hellhammer and early Celtic Frost with ease.
So following a vinyl release back in the early 90's by Nuclear Blast Records, this year American label Dark Descent Records has decided to reissue this demo as a 12". A few variations exist; three separate colourways in gold, grey and black, divided amongst two different coloured sleeves; gold and grey orientated. I've got the less limited black wax with a gold sleeve.
And with the LP the label has decided to include a bonus 7" with unheard rehearsal tracks from around the same era.
Doomentia Records out of the Czech Republic has recently reissued a heap of the Master stuff, of which a couple I will be posting about in the coming weeks.

cvlt nation mixtape

I recently curated an all Australian hardcore punk compilation/mixtape type deal for the American site Cvlt Nation and it went live for free download today. 23 bands from a reasonably wide perspective. Some lesser known stuff, some obvious inclusions and a few unreleased tracks. Check it out.

CVLT NATION

crypt infester

Earlier in the year I made a brief post about a brilliant new Finnish death metal band that goes by the name of Corpsessed. Finally after a good six months or more their debut MLP, "The Dagger And The Chalice" has finally been given the vinyl treatment in certainly deserves. Blame the fellow at Dark Descent Records out of the USA for this abomination. resented here on a kind of smokey grey vinyl of 100, black wax also exists.
To use the Finnish death metal description would be a reasonably accurate description. Brooding, slower tempo'd, low end death metal is the name of the game here and it's more or less the best example of the style that I've heard in the last few years. A massive recording, hugely guttural vocals, booming guitars, perfect drums. Forget the scummy, punk leanings of the Autopsy crowd, or the hooky, melodic leanings of the Swedish bunch, this is pure, dark, death metal and will just about be one of my top five of 2011. You can't go past this album at all.

spirit of youth

An original press of this album is a record I've been wanting to get my hands on for years now. Just seems like a record that has always eluded me for one reason or another. I speak of the "Breakaway" MLP from New York's (2nd) finest, Straight Ahead. This is a questionable bootleg that's more or less known as the 'fan club press'. 500 pressed on black 7" with Breakaway on the A as well as the bands tracks from the "End The Warzone" compilation 7" on the B. Shoddy, sloppy sleeve and bare bones layout. Better than nothing though. Someone supply me with any version of the original.

tooth & claw

Here's a band that's kind of just popped out of relatively nothing and managed to build a good amount of excitement quickly. Idylls from Brisbane play a reasonably faithful take on spastic, noisy hardcore. They go on record to list off bands like Converge and Agents Of Abhorrence as influence. I'd immediately compare them to the former, the latter, not so much. This is their debut EP, "Amps For God/Plague Hell" 7". Black vinyl of some limited amount like 150. Pressed by Brisbane label Monolith Records.
So yeah as I said, Converge parallels are blatantly obvious. But for once they're interesting for a band of this style. What's different here is the low gain, heavy tone thing. I'm no muso so I don't know if that's the correct term to use, but in a nutshell, they're using a soft, non heavy/distorted tone coupled with the standard heavy structure and idea. With the recording/mix/mastering style that the bands guitarist Chris has used here, it works really well. Something a bit different from this city.
Very simplistic package. Plain sleeve with one side printed, and this small insert with all relevant notes etc. Artwork by an entity named Rainbath Visual, whom I'd never heard of before, but it turns out they've worked with some pretty well known groups including Wolves In The Throne Room and Deafheaven. Further research leads me to the name Reuben Sawyer if that means anything to you.
For a debut released with just about no notice, this is a great effort. They embarked on a pretty big east coat tour to support this thing a few weeks back, and they apparently have a double LP lined up for early next year, so I guess it's clear that these guys are not here to fuck around.

one day

Just shy of two months ago I posted about the tour version of the new Mindsnare/Ringworm split 7". Well here's the normal version from Resist Records and A389 Records. Unlucky I guess in that I again landed this green variation as opposed to the purple press, but you can't win 'em all I guess. Anyone who's willing to trade should contact me.
So as most should have heard at this point, the sleeve acts as a mini comic with art and shading all handled by The Human Furnace. While the storyline is relatively pointless, the penmenship is outstanding and a nice touch.
I mentioned in the previous post about how the Ringworm tracks must have been recorded in a separate session to their new LP from this year, "Scars", mainly due to how different they sound from that LP's content. As it turns out, the tracks are credited to have been laid down back in 2005. Baring more than a few similarities to the material on the bands LP from that year "Justice Replaced By Revenge", I'm assuming that these were left overs from their time in the studio then.

shit for brains

For whatever reason RSR has decided to press the Extortion/Rupture split 5" again. The last press on white is still widely available, so I don't really understand the motivation for this new red edition other than what skeptics will immediately describe as obvious reasons. I doubt I disagree. How far can this go? Over the years I've posted about each press as it's come about, here's my post about the first edition from nearly exactly three years ago.

armchair critic

So as some readers may have noticed, I've developed a healthy interest lately in a good share of the mid to late 80's UK fast punk/grind scene. Following in today's post is in my opinion one of the best records to come from this era of music, the debut EP from the south-west's Ripcord, "The Damage Is Done". Now this is a recent 25th anniversary repress by a label that I'd never heard of prior, Boss Tuneage. Black vinyl of some number that I'm unaware of. This was originally pressed in 1986 as a flexi by the bands own label, Raging Records, following a handful of demo tapes. The band went on to do a few more releases after this one, including another tape, a couple of LP's, a live record, and another EP.
Their entire catalogue is absolutely top notch, fast, thrashy hardcore, heavily influenced by a lot of the east coast American scene of the same time. From one angle, this could have come out of Boston in the mid 80's without sounding out of place at all, but at the same time it manages to retain a totally unique, obviously English sound. They even went as far as to record covers of SSD and Siege songs near the mid point of their collective career and surprisingly neither cover is mangled at all. Quite tasteful actually. I do find it hard making a proper decision about which release of theirs is my total favourite, it largely depends on whatever mood I am in, but usually I'm pretty biased with this 7", just for the opening riff in the opening track alone. I've never been one for lyrics revolving around political or animal welfare issues like the content of this song, but it's a total blinder of a track, and easily the best of all of their work. Brian Birchell's amazing vocal style is displayed perfectly here when he wring's out his vocal chords as far as he can.
Regular fold out sleeve with the lyrics and notes on the inside, but also included is this slightly smaller insert with the same layout in Japanese. I've never seen an OG copy of this EP, so I have no idea if this little feature was part of said OG or not. I'm betting it was though. I bet someone who reads this knows?

flesh revelation

Just over a month ago I posted about that compilation LP from Canada, "City Limits", and in said post mentioned this great new(ish) PV styled band Purity Control. After I first heard their contribution to that comp I went about seeking out the rest of their catalogue. By way of the VLV forum I was lucky enough to get into contact with one of the guys in the band, Brandon, who was kind enough to send me both or their demos (two extra copies of the latest one for Brisbane heads who are interested in their own copy) and a shirt. Not sure of the numbers, but I do know that the first one is now sold out, and I suspect I got the last copies of the second.
13 tracks spread over both releases, with the newest tape there's a noticeable progression on from the blatantly obvious PV styles prominent on the first demo, into a straighter, noisier, more streamlined hardcore approach. Rest assured this is still rooted in stop/start hardcore, but the band seem to have grown a little beyond the shameless Crossed Out worship into a more individualised unit. The replacement of their original drummer and the addition of a second guitarist may or may not have something to do with this also.
Again, with that progression in mind, their contribution to that recent Canadian compilation saw them again morphing further from the approach used with the songs on these demos, to produce a slightly more metal approach, evident with the intense thrash riffing in the second half of their song. Take note though, that that was only one song and hardly a good example of a concrete direction that the band is taking. I'm really curious to see what they do with future releases.
Speaking of future releases, word was getting around earlier in the year that Colohan would possibly be releasing an EP with his label. I've heard nothing since, but I suspect this could still happen. I hope something happens, both of these demos rule.

weapon abuse

I'm going to list a handful of similarities that todays post fodder possesses with yesterday's blogging. Here's the new split 7" between Ireland's Drainland and Florida's Cellgraft. Black wax. The following list may seem totally irrelevant in your mind, but to me it works. a)- It's been pressed again by Superfi Records out of the UK (in conjunction with IFB Records and De Graanrepubliek Records). b)- It came in the same package as the TEB/PHT split. c)- Both records use the imagery of a piggy as part of their layouts/themes. d)- Both are certainly going to battle it out for my personal favourite for artwork in a record in 2011. e)- In the last six months or so have I begun to speak regularly to members of one band on each record. f)- Said members are also very good mates from way back, totally unbeknown to me until recently. g)- Both records are comprised of bands that hail from differing countries. It all makes sense in my head at least.

I've already posted about Drainland on here in the last year. Downtuned, aggro hardcore from Dublin. Their two tracks here aren't totally dissimilar to a lot of their previous music, most obvious though is the improvement of one of the singers, Jamie's vocals. He sounds a lot more in control of his pipes these days and comfortable with his approach. Due virtually to this very fact alone, the two songs here come across as more entertaining to listen to than the stuff from their debut MLP and split with Grinding Halt. To me anyway. I'd try to make comparisons to other great bands but I'd more than likely get it wrong. Just think of a reasonably modern sounding, dark, down-tuned hardcore band.
I've never taken a massive interest in Cellgraft. I did post very briefly about their demo mid last year, but for whatever reason they've just never grabbed my interest like a lot of other modern grind bands have in the last five years. Aware of this fact, I kind of feel a little stupid, because their half of this split is pretty great. They'd quickly be compared to greats like Excruciating Terror, and even early Napalm Death I think, and as with most of todays good grindcore bands, i'd immediately parallel them to Insect Warfare. Maybe it's goofy, but that band almost seems like the benchmark for modern grindcore these days. Heavy, metallic production, dominant shorter song structures, loud, grunted vocals offset with lots of high end stuff, relentless blast beats, and the odd peppering of some cool groove based breaks. And with that blueprint, the band has run wild here. This would easily represent their cleanest and heaviest recording to date, and I don't doubt that fans of any of the bands I just mentioned would turn their nose up at these seven songs. Expect more posts about this band in the approaching weeks.
So as I mentioned, here's a contender for artwork of 2011 and I doubt I need to explain why to most readers. For once we've escaped a stock standard drawing or photo of a dead guy or a skull. I'm certainly no horror or gore freak, but I do find myself fascinated by this photo for whatever reason.

qabalistic zero

Here lies the new split 7" between two of North America's noisier exponents of hardcore punk, Toronto's The Endless Blockade and Washington State's Pig Heart Transplant. 500 copies pressed by Superfi Records out of the UK, with, as Andrew from TEB so charmingly states, 'six panels of meat baby action'. Artwork by none other than the folks at Feeding, and it's arguably their best work to date. Off the top of my head I can't think of anything that they've done that I prefer. I will admit though that the sentiment is probably largely realised due to the fact that the screen print job put together by The Print Project is absolutely top notch (edit- not The Print Project, it was in fact printed by Heavy Rock Screen Print). The first thing I noticed when I opened the package was the stark smell of the rich ink and the feel of the premium quality matte card stock. Here's a record that evokes more than just the senses of sight and sound. This package could possibly be my favourite of the year.
So if you don't know by now you probably live under a boulder, but this more or less represents the final recorded output by The Endless Blockade. Recorded back in 2009, there's two songs on offer here, the first, this posts namesake, could probably be interpreted by most as a somewhat 'conventional' TEB song, being largely comprised of the standard guitar, drum, and vocal attack. The song is more of a grower though as it plods along at a reasonably consistent mid/slower pace. For over four minutes it rummages through various progressions, as Andrews patented noise effects gradually build momentum in the background, before it seamlessly rolls into the second track, "Your Curse", a complete noise track with randomly screamed vocals. I don't pretent to be this bands number one fan, nor to I know their entire catalogue front to back, but this seems like the most fitting Eulogy.

This post represents only the second time that I've ever had the chance to post about Pig Heart Transplant, the first being my post about their collaborative live LP with Iron Lung and Walls last year. The majority of this bands earlier work is very hard to come by as most of it was only ever released in very short runs. Coupled with the fact that I am not the biggest fan of dedicated noise/drone approaches like this, it means that I would never bother to grab PHT records unless they were literally within my grasp. What's to say here? Comprised most notably by Jon Kortland of Iron Lung/Feeding, their side of this split showcases just under five minutes of ambient, dark, random noise. Electronics, feedback, discordant drums and guitar. Gruff, belched vocals. Comparative to what previous PHT material I am familiar with, this isn't really at all removed from that stuff. I suspect established fans won't at all be disappointed.
If only more bands and labels were geared for releasing more premium quality packages like this. I really doubt that this splits sleeve and artwork will be topped this year.