LOUD AND CLEAR

I've managed to cross off a bit of a white whale type record this month in my purchase of an original copy of one of NYHC's most coveted releases, the "Loud And Clear" 7" from The Abused. The last time I got my hands on a record of this calibre was when I acquired an OG copy of Antidote's "Thou Shalt Not Kill" 7" nearly four years ago. As most hardcore record collectors would probably agree, that EP goes hand in hand with today's blog fodder for more than a couple of reasons, foremost the two facts that they both appeared over the course of 1983, and that they both played a very important roll in the formation of the early NYHC scene.
Regularly, copies of this record don't really sell anywhere for less than around $600US. There's a copy listed on Discogs right now for the ludicrous figure of $1750US. I was lucky enough to get my regular morning email from Discogs a few weeks ago presenting this copy for the handsome sum of $300US. Obviously the sleeve is in less than perfect shape, but for that price you'd have to be a bit of a half whit not to take the opportunity. The vinyl is more or less in mint condition.
While Antidote's EP will always remain my favourite thing to ever emerge from the NYHC scene, it's plain to see how much more of an influence the sound and general look/vibe created here by Crowley and co. still have over the style today. Where Antidote utilised a more seminal thrash approach, evident in the frantic tempos and buzz saw riffs, The Abused relied much more heavily on a chunky stomp with slower tempos over all, meatier riffing, and hoarse, gruff vocals. Even the style and subject matter of the iconic artwork that adorns the EP cover is still recreated on a regular basis today.
This EP officially marks the second highest sum I've ever spent on a record in my collection, though I have quite a few more big hitters that I'd like to get my hands on in the next few years, finances permitting (they won't).

REMOTE CONTROLLED

I posted about this band last month and I'd hope that most fans of early Powerviolence would be familiar with them at least, but this is the s/t 7" from Evolved To Obliteration. Info is slim but I think this had an initial limited pressing in 1995 thanks to Haemorrhage Records, to be followed with a wider press by Clean Plate Records a year later. Grey wax amongst a pressing of three colour ways that also included lilac and red. Influential PV that probably gets a little overlooked sometimes by people these days, but you can hear the legacy that this band left in many modern takes ON the genre. Crushing stuff.

YOU'VE BEEN WARNED

I was certainly surprised when Painkiller originally announced that they were releasing fresh material from Massachusetts' Out Cold, though while I like all of their stuff, I've never been what you'd call an avid fan of the band. Maybe those more familiar with the group were aware that something close to thirty songs were sitting dormant waiting for release? Surely by now most readers would be familiar with the story, but the basics are that central song writers Mark and John wrote and recorded the bulk of this stuff in the mid 2000's before they started to drift apart. After Mark passed away in 2010 the recordings kind of went on the back burner until original singer Kevin was inlisted to lay over the vocal tracks in Marks absence. The end result is "A Heated Display". What you'd expect from the band in just fast, relentless, frantic hardcore punk. The biggest difference obviously being Kevin's slightly higher pitched vocals.

LOSS

And while I was grabbing the Meth Drinker LP, I also picked up their "Desperation b/w Loss" 7" single pressed last year by Raw Birth Records, Crucificados, and Pelo Sistema. Two more tracks of desolation.

INCURABLE ILLNESS

Though I probably should be, I'm certainly no real encyclopedia when it comes to hardcore, punk and metal from New Zealand, nor, apart from a few of the bigger bands, am I any kind of authority on anything sludge related. Maybe this post is doomed from the start then? Meth Drinker from Wellington are possibly one of the better examples of sludge that I've listened to in a while. They've been active for the better part of four years and their name is one I've seen floating around for about as long, but for one reason or another they've always been a band that I've just chosen to ignore. It wasn't until their split record with the UK's Moloch materialised last year that I decided to give their stuff a listen. Impressed enough I was that I decided to order this s/t LP of theirs originally pressed in 2011 by Raw Birth Records. See how downer and depressive the artwork and layout looks? That's how it sounds. Good stuff.

CALL IT

Here we have just some plain, acidic hardcore. I try and avoid using the term 'brutal' as much as possible when it comes to describing anything on this blog, but that's exactly what this EP, "Subhuman", from Kansas' Spine is, plainly and simply brutal. Comparable to nothing currently really, the angst and contempt captured here is very obvious and unavoidable. I can't describe this 7" in a way that would give it full justice. You just need to try it yourself.

ARMED AND USING

Chicago's Repos are one of those bands that have always copped a fair amount of praise and fondness amongst the kind of punks and bloggers whom I would consider posess the same or similar tastes in hardcore as myself. They're a band that over the years have racked up a considerable and worthy catalogue of LP's, EP's and split records under one banner or another. I'm not particularly fond of the material penned while they were going under the Ropes name, but to be honest, while a lot of it does have it's moments, I'm not manic about the earlier stuff they wrote before the first name change either. All material written since reverting back to Repos on the other hand has been pretty great. That aborted LP that ended up being the  "Poison Head" tape last year is fantastic, as is this "Armed And Using b/w Hole In The Hill" single recently pressed by Cowabunga Records. Unsure of the specific details, but I think it's part of some kind of limited singles club type thing that Cowabunga are doing. I may be wrong though. Menacing, down trodden hardcore.

FOREIGN BODIES

Light research tells me that Hard Stripes are from Richmond and they feature members of Hounds Of Hate and Fire & Ice (and probably some other bands). This is their debut 7" pressed on white wax by Vinyl Conflict. The name says it all, this is HARDcore that references all kinds of east coast stuff from the early-mid 80's. Most things I've read place a lineage back to the early Boston hardcore scene, and that's certainly not far from the mark, though an obvious NYHC tone rears it's head here and there with the thick recording. Attribute most of this to the slightly larger budget the band probably had for this recording. Certainly a minor progression from the bands previous demo, and a welcome one.

SUBMISSION REIGNS

Washington DC seems to be on quite the creative streak at the moment. Something like four or five excellent hardcore demos dropped within about two months at the end of last year, as well as the ridiculous demo tape from new Death Metal band Genocide Pact. This is the vinyl pressing of that demo, committed by Flophouse Records And Tapes and Malokul Records.
Various members of other well known bands comprise Genocide Pact, most notably I suppose being Abuse., Triac and Disciples Of Christ. Vastly different from most of the recent wave of DC punk though, this is filthy, stinkin' Death riding the Autopsy/Death Strike/Terrorizer vibe.

BLOOD WILL TELL

Mutilation Rites seem to have been a little quiet for some time now. Though with that said, it's not like I follow every move the band makes. Maybe they've broken up? The last release was in 2012. Maybe they're just in the process of putting together new material. I don't know. This is their MLP from that year, "I Am Legion" put out by Gilead Media. As with most of their output, this is slick American Black Metal. Very much similar to their LP that I wrote about previously. Not something I was overly desperate to get my hands on, but certainly worth the cash when I stumbled across it in All Ages Records. Nice, tidy layout as you'd expect from Gilead with a one sided, etched platter.

RADIATION SICKNESS

I probably didn't need to buy this Nihilist demo discog LP seeing as how I grabbed the Southern Lord version two and a half years ago, but I couldn't really help myself when I stumbled across this 2005 version pressed by Three Man Recordings. A simply package; the bands three officially released demos plus the tracks from the two 'unreleased' sessions, along with the Entombed demo on offer, all on the one LP. Good stuff.

OVERBRED

Not entirely sure of the finite release details of this excellent s/t EP from Koward. I bought it at the end of last year when a large number of them seemed to be circulating around in various places online. Before the end of November it wasn't a record that was too common to come by, though I do know that it was originally released mid 2012 in some sort of limited run. Discogs states only the one 2012 pressing however, so maybe responsible label Total Fucker was holding on to them until November for whatever reason? I don't know.
I do know that it's ripping Scando influenced hardcore punk from Boston. Perhaps the most common footnote that's been following this 7" around is the fact that this group features members of various established bands from the nu scene, most notable in my mind being Scapegoat. Mark Barone, singer of that band plays bass here, and while such differing rolls probably shouldn't have much of a similar influence on the final product, it's remarkable how parallel Koward and later Scapegoat seem to sound. Recording qualities here are massively similar to that of the Scapegoat LP, as is the guitar tone and drum sound. Jesse Cunningham's vocals even echo of Mark's. The biggest difference is the obvious fact that Koward don't utilise blast beats or dirge bits at all like Scapegoat do. Shredding EP, hopefully there's more to come.

SIMULTANEOUS ASSASSINATION

The latest release in a lengthy schedule of EP's, splits, LP's and the like since around '99, this is the most recent full length from Houston's own PLF (otherwise known as Pretty Little Flower), "Devious Persecution And Wholesale Slaughter", thanks to Six Weeks Records. A record that I would have more than likely acquired well before now if it wasn't for postage rates from the US, this was another recent pick up on my trip to All Ages Records in London.
One of the better current grind bands in the US, I suppose similarities could be drawn to fellow Texans Insect Warfare, and that bands more well recorded stuff. Similar tones in the guitar and drums, and a similar clarity in some of the recording qualities. These guys seem to have always incorporated a little more of a Death and Thrash Metal approach into their sound though, where IW, while utilising some very obvious Death Metal elements, were much more a band for grind purists. This is probably my favourite recorded material by PLF at this point. There is some solid riffing and ideas going on here for a band that's been around for such a length of time.

DOWN FOR THE COUNT

Another in a steady line of reissues and compilation LP's from bands of the 80's with this new reissue of Breakdown's previously cassette only demo, "Runnin' Scared". Sharing the work this time are two formidable US forces, Boston's Painkiller Records and 540 Records from Texas. Along for the ride are two previously unreleased Breakdown tracks as well as a WNYU live set from 1989.
I think anyone familiar with the band will have heard the releases namesake;  a knuckle dragging, heavy hardcore classic; typical NYHC of the time that's been floating around online in one form or another for years. The extras aren't far off the mark either. Just unrelenting, ham fisted stuff. Sold out for now, though I suspect the labels intend on repressing it at some point.

THE DEMON

Turned onto this band a few weeks back by a friend, when the opp came up to get my hands on this tape, "Sick Salvation" from Richmond's Obsessor, I guess I couldn't say no. Well executed cross over thrash released with the help of Tank Crimes. Two tracks in around six minutes. This being their debut, a handful of releases follow this including EP's and a collection LP. Worth it.