Sunshine and Circle PIts

I'm sure a lot of other people feel the same way I do about this time of year. No more cold weather jackets and pants. No stupid hats or gloves. We can wear t-shirts and shorts showing off our tough ankle tattoos. And even more important bands tour during the summer. A lot. The average moderately known touring hardcore band might play 100 shows in 120 days or more depending on how much DIY they have in their veins. Just think of how many stage dives, circle pits, high fives, head walks and finger pointing sing-a-alongs just one band incites over the course of a tour cycle. Then just imagine how a fucking sick, original sounding band like Righteous Jams would turn it up. Hardcore in itself is no frills, so the little bits bands add make it refreshing every time they play. And these dudes play energetic simple hardcore with a rock and roll feel. A lot like Black Flag, but less Sabbath more punk and some truly sick bass riffs. Which is something hardcore is bereft of sometimes. They're also from Boston so the lyrics have those awesome hardcore colloquialisms I love. And the lyrics themselves are straight forward and honest, not full of confusing analogies that can be used for multiple meanings. I can say that I read the lyrics of every band I listen to, and sometimes I don't care what a band is saying but there's something about these lyrics I just really love. I think it's because Joey C writes lyrics just like I would.
Even though Righteous Jams hasn't really done anything since "Business As Usual" in 07/08 which really bums me out. They've always been one of my favourite hardcore bands and I would love to hear all kinds of new output. But I'm posting the first LP they did called "Rage of Discipline" on Lookin Out from 2004.

Here is the full track listing, but I left off a couple of songs in the download because I didn't like them. What now?
1.Rage of Discipline
2.Iron Mind
3.Green Eyes
4.Bust It
5.No Glory
6.Small Fish
7.Invasion
8.Scream and Shout
9.Where It's Due
10.Righteous Jams


"I don't wanna listen to you scream and shout,
I don't give a shit what you've been talking about,
all your little mind games are bummin me out!"

Consider this one of (more than one) posts about summer hardcore happy fun time.

From Soft to Hard

Monday I received my vinyl copy of Wormrot's debut LP "Abuse". My iPod said I listened to it over 1300 times since first finding out about them in early December, so thank Merlin that wasn't the deal with the vinyl. It was imported however so there is a little damage to the cover, I mean TVG is in Germany. But oh wait, I ordered this straight from the band, so it came from fucking Singapore, so I'm not really bummed. I got one of the 552 black records, and TVG still has some of the red available, but there are only 110 so if you want one get it quick.
I don't know how to adequately describe what follows after putting needle to wax. One can hear the influences of Insect Warfare, 324 and Napalm Death. But having read interviews I find that there are lots of western pop influences in the band. The is blatantly obvious by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs cover. It's shocking how fucking good it is too. The upbeat tempo and energy out the ass, just their originals. I also love Arif's Engrish lyrics. Reminds me of Total Fury and the Burning Spirit scene, and I dig that shit!
These dudes just got signed to Earache who's reissuing this on double CD (Abuse+34) and vinyl. They have a couple of cool shirts too with cool package deals. I think I'm gonna buy the CD for the extra tracks. Well and because I think these guys are amazing and I can't wait for them to get huge. They are putting together a US tour for later this year, so try to get them in your city.

Abusive grindcore holocaust is right.

No Master-Ruthless Future+3 CDep

So I saw these dudes open for Magrudergind earlir this month. They played after a doomy sludge band called Stull. Stull was alright, when they got heavy, it was real heavy but like most bands of this nature I had a hard time focusing on the music and not the singer's super short cut off denim shorts. Then No Master came on. It was apparently their bass players birthday so the singer called for lots of dick punches as he sucked in a whippit before they started. As the feedback started I began getting excited from seeing the bands they were repping. Assuck, Discharge. Fuckng spiked denim jackets and tattoos. The heavy, crusty, punk that ensued worked the crowd into a frenzy which I loved considering there like 30 people there. Most people knew the ques and went crazy accordingly to whether No Master was crushing with crust or whirl-winding with blastbeats. I'm unsure if they played their demo straight through as their set but I really like Eyes and Act of War as a medley. Slow brooding and heavy until they explode with the raw punk energy missing in a lot of extreme bands. Grind isn't only about being fast and aggressive. Death metal does that too. It's the energy that really sets the hardcore based grind apart from the metal based Death. Is that too obvious of a statement? I hope so because too many bands forget it. I know Magrudergrind recognized it because Avi gave them a shout out and Joe more than complimented them. I believe he took Avi's statement of "Real crusty" and took it to the next level with "Crusty as fuck!".

"I've been bled dry. Pain is weakness leaving the body."

Check the two newer songs on their Myspace too. The demo is from May of 2009 so compare and contrast.

Pulverizing Hate Mongers

The show was fucking sick, as expected. Didn't stay for Misery Index because I didn't want to walk home. Also only got to make small talk, no cool questions. Sorry guys.
But I also saw a super gnarly local band called No Master. I bought their demo and will post it first chance I get.

From Soft to Hard

Ringworm/Terror split 7"
This guy came out in 2003, back when Terror were relativly unknown and Ringworm was still just blip on the massive Victory radar, though thankfully Deathwish Inc. pulled this split together. It's the second part of a four part series dealing with the four card suits. They've done three so far, the heart still to be released. This was the second 7" (the first having Hope Conspiracy and Suicide File, the third having First Blood and Blacklisted(originally supposed to be Integrity, lucky Blacklisted)) with two pressings. 4,000and 1,000 for the second pressing. I have four copies, two randomaly fell into my possession and two I sought out for purchase. One orange(500), clear(1500) and red(500) from the first set and I have an uncut blue record(325) from the second pressing. In the matrix on the Terror side it says "I need maximum output-more stagedives!!!" and in the matrix of the Ringworm side it says "For a good time call 804-306-6134...", which I did call once but the guy had no idea who Ringworm was, and I was nervous because I was like 16. Anyway, the hardcore.
Terror play that tough guy, self-affirming hardcore that got big(again) around that time. Scott Vogel, who I love as a singer, really steps it up when his band writes short songs. The "Lowest of the Low" EP shows this. Unfortunately the two songs on here don't hold up to the EP, and can in no way hold up to Ringworm. I just find them boring and too slow paced. Not to say I don't like Terror, just saying this was their weakest output until "One With the Underdogs".
The Ringworm side however is fan-fucking-tastic. Raging Clevo style hardcore played fast and hateful. These two songs also appear on the follow-up full length "Justice Replaced By Revenge" that came out two years later, obviously with a different production. I believe the two songs posted are from that CD, sorry guys. The 7" versions are better in my eyes.


"Seeing red, until I finally reach my THRESHHOLD!"

From Soft to Hard

Hatred Surge/Insect Warfare split 7"   
I found my copy of this online for like eight bucks , which I thought was a steal. I'm pretty sure mine is a second pressing (this originally came out in 2006) as the cover is white and the vinyl is transparent green. A few notes about the packing. The artwork on the front and back is SICK, Daniel Shaw is the man. And super big ups to Hatred Surge for giving Poser Disposer a shoutout. Those dudes are awesome. I found some of their 7" (which I own) online, if I find the rest I'll post it. Poser Disposer play a thrashy-grind, maybe akin to that of Macabre, which I hear in so many other bands I love. But I digress.
Hatred Surge is some Despise You style power-violence/grind that while awesome in it's own right, but has a hard time comparing to fucking Insect Warfare. Anyone unfamiliar with them with quickly learn they play Napalm Death to the extreme style grind fucking core. Rahi's demonic vocals and Beu's outrageous static guitar create a pummeling four minute orgasm. Obvious highlights are "Reanimated Horde" and "Hurricane Death", the latter having a tremendous amount of groove.

The correct track listing is also as follows:

1. Rot
2. Out of My Head
3. Pile of Shit
4. Funeral
5.Old and Tired
6. Farce
7.Negative Appeal
8. Obscene Creed
9.Reanimated Horde
10.But Now You Die
11. Hurricane Death

"Cut up the skin, drink from the vein. Obliterate the body, but the brain must remain!"