Atheist Worship Music

  Here is some way sick grind from Philly. These two guys(+HIRS+) have been at it for a couple years playing fucking devastating grind. They know when playing fast is good and when playing slow is good, really exentuating each part for maximum effect. When they slow down for slam parts I just want to headbang my skull into the fucking wall or onto a table until the concussive force knocks me out. Then the fast parts hit. Fuck. +HIRS+ uses several small elements to set each track on this 7" apart, besides awesome sound clips. Squeels, pinch harmonics and fucking fast grinding. For a one sided 7" they really pack in the riffs, slams, blasts, breakdowns and pure unadulterated rage. These dudes use a programmed machine but they really stick out for me as just pummeling and driving forward towards oblivion the whole time. It's hypnotic and compelling. This type of drum machine grind is sort of hit or miss for me but this band fucking rips. I kind of get a feel of Agoraphobic Nosebleed and a little Kill the Client when I listen to this band, but I like +HIRS+ way more then either of those other bands. I just don't get bored somehow. The vocals are raw and tortured, and the guitar and bass tones are dissonant and crushing. I could probably go for a little bit more chunk and heft in the guitar mix, but that's just dickhead nit picking and I'm not going to get too far into that.
 +HIRS+ is another band that has links to download links to everything they have released so far on their website, just like Crucial Unit. How fucking cool is that? What's that? They're both from PA! Huh, figures. Must be something in the water.


"I PRAY TO YOU, DOG!"

The Bandcamp doesn't have a regular track listing, so here it is for you if you decide to download.
 WORSHIP
1. CIS SIX SIC
2. TRAIN WRECK
3. SELFISH AND ARROGANT
4. I PRAY TO YOU, DOG
5. UNSYMPATHETIC
6. RAPE WHISTLE PART II
7. DONATION TO THE DEAF
8. HUMYN RIGHT
9. BURNED DOWN / PISSED ON
10. KUATO LIVES

Life Aquatic: With Love Garden Sounds

Any large, or at least moderately sized, city needs at least one good and reliable record shop. Where would a music scene come from if there was no place to sell old records to new people or to pick up the newest release at? Even if CD sales have hit rock bottom, vinyl sales have been at a steady increase despite the fact underground vinyl "sales" have remained relatively unchanged due to it never dying, but that's a whole different story. The internet has truly been a blessing from Merlin to any and all music fans making it stupid easy to track down any and all songs from any and all bands to ever exist. This constant streaming flow of information, music and art allows any and everyone to download until they are content, but there is a key element missing in only downloading music. Beyond not seeing the bands live which is a fucking travesty, you miss out on what those bands are about. Without holding a physical copy in your hands how will you really know what the album artwork looks close up?  How will you read the lyric sheet and figure out what the band is saying and truly stands for? Digital files are all just bits of binary information, not beautiful multi-coloured slabs of splattered wax of all sorts of shapes and sizes and what's the beauty in just having gigs of information?
 During the time I spent in Lawrence, Kansas I came upon a couple of local record stores. Kief's was originally located downtown and has moved to the outskirts for a bigger space as the dude owning it also owns a car/home stereo store. The only other shop I found was Love Garden Sounds. They were originally located up above the Toy Store(yes that's what it's called and what it is) up through a hallway covered in band stickers, show flyers and old 33/45 record covers. Once you walked inside it was just wall to wall records of all genres. They have since moved to a larger, more obvious location with big glass windows couple blocks up the street. Many people are still confused about this as they've had loyal customers from all over the lesser KC area and beyond for the last 15 years. As a result they still receive phone calls, e-mails, etc. asking where they are located or if they are still open.
 Love Garden has DVDs and VHS tapes, a cassette rack, used CDs and all the vinyl you could search through as it's an always changing selection. I personally love digging through the used tapes, used 7" rack and the New Arrivals bin. I have found some true gems in those last two spots; "World Extermination" by Insect Warfare, "Anticapital" by Assuck(didn't buy it because it had a $30 price tag), "Violent Noise Party" 7" comp., "Bullet" 7" by the Misfits and an old school pressing of "Vol. 4" by Black Sabbath, amongst the hundreds of other records I bought there. Even for being full of indie rock lovers, hipsters, jazz heads and just good old fashion rockers, the staff knows their shit for the most part and are all very nice and welcoming to talk about whatever genre you're into and help you find something new to listen to. The only negative thing I can say about this shop is the hesitancy the owner has for ordering vinyl for me(others as well). I've tried ordering several different records through them, and the only ones they were willing to get were the first two Krallice LPs from Profound Lore/Gilead Media. They carry Relapse, Southern Lord, Hydra Head and some other high profile labels and will order from them, but I could not for the life of me get Kelly(owner) to get the Magrudergrind LP from Six Weeks or "Abuse" by Wormrot from TvG Records even after explaining I don't have a bank account and it's very hard for me to order things online. He kept saying how obscure those bands are and how hard they are to find, which is bullshit because I could provide exact links to order from I just needed a middle man. I didn't even mind paying the extra cash it would take! Most of the employees would gladly take my requests, but only to be shot down before any ordering took place. Anyway, the city is full of young hipsters, yuppies and indie rockers so most of the music selection is geared towards them. However, there are plenty of high profile metal, punk and hardcore labels and bands to be found especially in the dollar 7" bin and New Arrivals. I can not count how many times I made the "OMFG they have this!?!!?" face digging in the New Arrivals bin. You just really have to be ready to spend time searching for hidden gems, which in itself is part of the magic of visiting record stores. Spending hours on your knees supported only by a hard concrete floor, digging through literally tons of wax finding those rare glimpses of golden vinyl nuggets. That's the true magic. The last bit of true magic for this shop is the in house cats they have. I love the cats dearly and they love me, and everyone else back. I can spend an hour just petting a cat laying on my backpack. But please respect the shop and don't let the cats out if you get the chance to visit.

100th Post Good Luck Happy Fun Party Time Riot Extravoganza Vacation Slide

 So I was going to do this big huge mixtape of my 100 favourite covers and I have like half of it all written up and was going to finish it but I fucked up and deleted it all with no way of recovery to instead I'm just posting the In Disgust/Mass Grave split 7". I've been listening to this(well only In Disgust) a lot lately. Watching all the In Disgust Speed Trials videos and hearing/watching their split with Godstomper there were always songs played I never heard. Years of listening and wondering where these stupid heavy songs were. Finally I found this thing buried in my external hard drive. The glory. This band really does embody all that is/was/will be grind. They slow it down and play heavy as fuck riffs but I would hardly call them power-violence like some people like to. We can settle on grindviolence but that seems pedantic despite the awesome word it creates. There's only around five minutes of music on here(obviously, it's a 7") but as we all know, that's more then enough time to lay waste to entire cities. This is that top shelf grind with minimal yet effective sludge parts. The highlights for me are the scream on "Chemical Blackout", sweet whammy bar abuse on "Heavy Handed" and "Die Slow". "Die Slow" again with the fucking skull pummeling breakdown at the end. Walking down the street, it makes me want to punch the first guy to make the mistake of looking at me wrong, right in his face. Watch the Speed Trial video I posted before to see what music like this does. Other bands like Ringworm, Shark Attack, Integrity, Gordon Solie Motherfuckers!, Bad Brains and countless other make people go uncontrollably insane with their energy and vibe. Bands like this were too short lived with not enough small energetic output.
 The Mass Grave side is not at all bad, I just don't have a soft spot in my heart for them like I do In Disgust. There are three songs of death infused grind. I may only say that because of the vocal style as the guitars are punk as fuck. The last song is two and a half fucking minutes though and that makes up the bulk of their side. It's not a bad song I just get bored like I usually do with this style of grind. Sorry bros, I still think your part of the world is really awesome though and I'd love to watch Mass Grave play there if I ever visited.
 Anyway, this shit is fucking ridiculous, so happy 100th post! This would have taken longer but I've had a few people badgering me to post again. Sorry it took so long guys. I moved back to OH a few months ago and have had a real hard time getting work. In punk fashion I'm sleeping on the floor of my mom's living room because we live in a one bedroom apartment above a deli above a bar beside a drive thru. Oh and the hot water all runs off the same line, so yeah. No privacy with lack of drugs and significant lack of record player have left little to write about, but too much free time. I also recently came out of a relationship so been feeling sensitive with feelings lately. I'll do what I can to keep this up though.


Saaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaannn  Joseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Violence Violence, Not A Post About Ceremony

A good dose of power-violence on this rainy day. Nothing to lift the spirits like grindingly fast power-violencecore. To be totally honest this is probably my favourite PV record or album ever(the Torture 7"). It kind of exemplifies my idea of how the music form is expressed. It's stupid fast hardcore punk with really heavy sludge parts. PV differs from grind and fastcore with the sludge this type of vocals or crazy high screams like in Magrudergrind and Fuck On the Beach. Up until "Unforgivable" these guys also didn't take themselves too seriously, which I appreciate. I feel like this type of music should be about fun, unless you're a political band. Then it's only serious. The song titles and lyrics are simple and straight forward. A lot of times tongue in cheek funny and the rest is fucking angry. The two tones interplay quite well and just pump you the fuck up. I'm either smiling and wanting to run in circles or I'm super vehement from the loathing want to stage dive into people's heads. When the lyrics get dark, they get violent dark. But doesn't everyone feel like ripping out entrails and cutting sternums sometimes? It's acceptable violence.
 Musically it's a sonic whirlwind of blast beats, angry as fuck vocals and lo-fi guitar and bass. Seriously lo-fi, sludged out bass that's angry as it is fast to match the punk as fuck sounding guitar, which unfortunately get sort of lost in the mix a lot of the time. There's some real fast circle pit hardcore parts but a lot of these seventeen songs are just raging fast and all you can do is sit there in awe going "Holy shit".
 Most people into aggressive music are well aware of this band now after being picked up by Relapse. That's super good for most people involved. I've heard the newest full length, "Worthless" a couple times now and production wise it's a good step up, for instance a new vocal mix which is unlike any Weekend Nachos mix I've heard. The music production kind of makes them sound a lot like the band Nails however and I don't think I like that. I hope it's not an actual stylistic change. Nails is a good band, for sure, but we don't need WN sounding like them. Unique music, not cookie cutter music.

"Revenge is sweet, now you're a mess on my floor, you scum sucking mother fucking road whore!"

Fuck Electrons, Protons Are Posi!

 I've already posted their split with The Waste, so here's Crucial Unit's first 7". 
"Premium Iced Tea" starts off with shrieking, wailed, frantic vocals over sick thrash-punk-core. Blast beats and circle pit inducing drums with funny and well written lyrics. Crucial Unit is sort of like crossover and sort of like thrash metal and sort of like fastcore. This style is very much a product of their geographical environment. The Bay Area, Oxnard, LA, Hunington Beach, etc. all have sounds very much regional depending on local culture, economy and the other stuff that makes punx angry. The first song presented is one with old school hardcore mentality, writing a song with the band name in the chorus. Most good hardcore bands end up doing this for some reason.The Unit also uses another hardcore staple that Spazz likes to point out, the use of  "GO!".
The band has all their material available on their website, which is fucking awesome, and DIY and punk and more cool then most bands that aren't Cellgraft. You see all kinds of bands with songs to stream on Myspace, Facebook, Bandcamp and all that cool shit but not many straight up give all their material away. This kind of promotion only gives me desire to actually purchase their albums. "Premium Iced Tea" has an awesome cover for example. Besides the metal text denoting the band name and the required speed to play the 7" it appears to be exactly what the record title tells you it is. Punks being clever? Never happens, certainly not now.

Baby. I don't wanna make out, I just wanna CIRCLE PIT!

Reproach Vol. 666

So if you're unfamiliar with this band, you need another serious lesson music history. This 7" came out way back before I was born, in 1982 and is a preamble to all the bands you love today. Dropdead (their biggest non-Siege influence), Knife Fight, Spazz, Haymaker, Chokehold, XBrainiax etc. Shit NA and the Misfits influenced each other immensely. These guys are one of those super proto bands that you don't even realize the number of bands they influenced. Brannon gave hardcore it's demeanor for Merlin's sake. Bald. ANGRY. Insightful. Powerful. Jamey Jasta ain't got shit on John Brannon. He even uses a lot of tough man talking instead of a yell or scream to get his point across in another fashion instead of just blitzkrieg.
Negative Approach is equal parts Blitz, Sham 69, Black Flag and Misfits. One could cite DC band also, but I hear it less than the Necros or Meatmen. Negative Approach fits the aesthetics(music and lyrics) of the aforementioned bands and not the latter. One could argue this, but why would they? Regional hardcore sounds different for a reason. Besides all the comparisons one uses these guys play fucking fast, pissed hardcore with usual one minute run times. There are some grinding examples("Pressure", "Chaos"(not on this 7")) and some bad examples("Nothing"). And in all honesty "Nothing" is the only song I never listen to as it's the last one on side A right before you flip it and crank up "Fair Warning". This rager starts ripping with the rambunctious jam "Can't Tell No One" which is a fucking anthem. Try to not pile on everyone in sight grabbing the mic. "CAN'T TELL NO ONE! WHAT TO DO! CAN'T TELL NO ONE. WHAT TO DOOOOOOO!!!!!" From the first riff you just want to fly off the hook and circle pit like a mother fucker if you're not singing along. Or do both! "Sick of Talk" has an americanized d-beat rhythm section. "Why Be Something That You're Not" is mostly sick mosh riffs. Try not to mosh if a band ever covers it. I dare you. "Lead Song" is another anthem full of gang vocals and sing alongs. Much more punk then hardcore on this song. "Negative Approach" and "Whatever I Do" are two more anthems with fucktons of singing along. The energy in the last two minutes of this record rivals most full-lengths.
Once again the lyrics here are great. They're simple, emotive, to the point and easily singable. I love the things they had to say. Even at 25 the words of a 19 year old ring more true to me then Dostoyevsky ever could. Sorry Andrew. Well, every song but "Nothing". But really, nine out of ten is perfect for a 7".

"I can't take this,
PRESSURE, PRESSURE, PRESSURE, PRESSURE!"
Too many things are too extreme
There's too much shit, too many schemes
It never makes sense, it's just a hype
Forget about it, live your own life

PRESSURE PRESSURE PRESSURE PRESSURE
PRESSURE PRESSURE PRESSURE PRESSURE!

March Thrash Madness!

 With lots of thrashing happening here, I might as well keep it up. I'm exclaiming this to be March Thrash Madness! I'll try to do only thrash and crossover all of March. I even had this INSANE inclination to wait until March Madness hits and taking the final (x) teams and posting bands from their corresponding states. We'll see how lazy I get and how many drugs I can do first. Haha. But onto the music!
 Here's a sweet split from Municipal Waste and Crucial Unit. Municipal Waste you should be quite familiar with since Dave Witte has played drums with them for a few years and Municipal Waste were fore bearers of that "modern thrash revival" we had. Thrash never died, it just went back underground. Regardless, they're a super D.R.I. influenced crossover style thrash band. That's a good pick up reference, but I hear a lot of hardcore influences on here. A couple of breakdowns even. Not slams, this isn't death metal.  Fast, sloppy drum fills. Fast talk/yelled lyrics. Fast punx guitar parts. These guys are the line between fastcore and crossover. A few more BPMs and they cross that line. The newer material is longer and much more thrash-tastic. I prefer the shorter crossover songs on their early material a la this split 7". I really love the samples they use as well. Some people aren't too keen on them, and they're missing out. Really adds to the atmosphere for this band.  "Born To Party" also appears on the "Art of Partying" LP in a varied form with lots and lots of gang vocals. I also want to note the sweet band Poser Disposer got their name from MW. Cheers.
 Crucial Unit play short, fast thrash. Straight up. Their singer should maybe be in a power violence band, but it's interesting over the thrash. One thing making them interesting is the Macabre influence. It's much more prevalent here then on the "Moshzilla" 7". I just don't hear enough Macabre in sweet bands. The other non-Macabre aspects of their music are fucking fast and chaotic hardcore punk thrash. Crucial Unit like Municipal Waste have fun lyrics but some of their tongue-in-cheekery is done with political motivations. I love this lyrical style because it doesn't get boring. It's like those lines you quote in movies over and over before your band samples them.


"It's circular. Round. Circular. Circle. With the music. The flow."

Almost Focused

Bones Brigade is a ripping fast hardcore band from Boston, Mass that plays songs about skateboarding, hanging with friends(and all that entails), skating, video games, quandries of life, skateboarding, the scene and what goes with it, skating and getting wasted. My favourite track from their S/T EP is opener "Never Meant Much". It's three minutes long, but still rips and shreds the whole time, much like the shorter songs following it on the EP. Bones Brigade plays fast skate influenced hardcore. The only thing I want to do during the EP is circle pit. Quite fast. It's all circle pitting drums, shredding guitars a la Black Flag and tons of sing alongs parts. This is all very conducive to stage diving and head walking. I would totally love to see these guys live because of all the ridiculous energy they'd put into the crowd for use. The amount of fun had would have to be illegal. I have to warn you there is some melody in the guitar, but it's forgivable for the rest of positives this band has going for them.
I also have their "Focused" 12" LP on Coalition Records(from 2004). It's gray marbled vinyl and contains fourteen more raging tunes from these dudes. Songs are much the same with a slightly longer average run time then the EP. This is one reason EPs, 5-10" and splits are such a good idea. A large portion of a band's fan base prefers less songs with most being of very high quality so they always come back wanting more. Is "World Extermination" a great listen front to back? Yes of course! Are all the individual 7"s comprising it more enjoyable listening experiences individually? Ninety eight percent of the time yes.
They also have at least two more CDs and another LP. One CD is a comp of 7" songs and demos, one is a repress of their 10" and they have a debut full length LP as well.




"There are few certainties in life. You see people losing their jobs, you see people losing their money, and you see very little stability. But, some things never change. Ninjas are awesome and hardcore played at light speed rules."-Bones Brigade

From Soft to Hard

It's getting super shitty outside right now in Lawrence, KS. The amount of snow falling and that's expected to fall is just like it was when I lived in OH, except back there it's like this much more frequently. It's only like the third time since the onset of winter it's snowed like this. It's also really shitty like this the further north you get, like Cleveland.
Shitty weather of course calls for specific types of music to cope with. Copious snow is best dealt with black metal(Krallice) or stupid fast, blasting hardcore. The XBrainiax "Disgrace to the Corpse of Eric Wood" 7" is perfect for this. The fastly yelled lyrics of vehemence at ignorant republicans, shit head scenesters,crusties and non-straight edge "substance abusers" thrown against sick power-violence/fastcore is more than enough to power one through inches of snow on foot. And you really can't help but to love the songs with silly lyrics and concepts. I mean their demo was called "Light Speed Demo" and the band have used a heavy Star Wars motif since the beginning. Their take on the skull around the band name is by far my favourite because it's fucking Chewbacca. You get thirty one songs in about ten minutes. 31 songs is a shit load for a seven inch, so it's totally worth it. Stand out tracks for me are "Jaded, Twisted, And Evil", "Trekkie Killer", "Actually, Freedom Is Free", "Mos Eisley", "Young Republicans Fuck Off", "My Way" and "Lenny Kravitz Is His Answer". There's even a No Comment cover(more like Slow Comment HAHA)that ends with some sweet groove XBrainiax uses in multiple songs.

"Cry me a river, emo Spock!"

Top Ten of 10'

So instead of pretending I know what the best albums of last year were I'm just listing the records I listened to the most at home and at work/in transit. The first list is a concise list of ten full length CDs, EPs and 7"s I listened to eternally on my iPod. Each one got well over four hundred plays. The second is a hand picked list of 12" LPs and 7"s I blasted at home when my ex-roommate wasn't around and when the neighbors baby wouldn't shut the fuck up. There are some trends to note, for instance things I have on both formats I still listen to excessively. I spent way too much time last year listening to Krallice. Hours and hours. I also sorted some bands with multiple albums together because choosing is for gays and this is my list.
324-3 Way Split, Across Black Wings
No surprise here, one of my favourite bands with two solid releases to keep grinding to. Get into it.
Hummingbird of Dead/-Chainsaw to the Face split 10", HoD side only
Six songs in eight minutes. Intro, shredding, blast beats, Koro cover. What more do you want?
Insect Warfare-Endless Execution 7"
Speaks for itself.
Le Scrawl-Eager to Please
Grindska? Skagrind? Jazzgrind? Grindjazz? I mean, what the fuck. It's catchy, makes me want to dance and is full of metal.
Weekend Nachos-Punish & Destroy EP
Stupid fucking power-violence from the grain belt of america. No wonder this shit rips.
Implosive Disgorgance-Chapters EP
Five songs of death influenced grind. Has sludge parts, has songs about cannabis, all songs are short and fast. What more do you want? Oh, these kids were 17 when they recorded this. Fuck. Later went on to Maruta. What?
Krallice-S/T LP
Amazing epic black metal. Sweeping, fast, kvlt. Long mohawks, shredding metal.
Black Sabbath-Vol.4/Masters of Reality
I don't need to explain this.
Wormrot-Abuse
Southeast Asian grind. It's fun. It's DIY. Fucking get into it. New LP this year.
Cellgraft-S/T
Even though this is digital only and they have a newer full-length I love this album. Assuck, Napalm Death, Insect Warfare worship. These guys do it right. Like Wormrot.


Negative Approach 7"
Old school hardcore. Influenced everything you listen to.
Weak Minds s/t 7"
Bass heavy power-violence from TX. Has touring bassist from Insect Warfare.
In Defence/Motherspeed split 7"
In Defence is from Chicago and plays tough guy style hardcore with less chug and shorter songs. Love the lyrics on this. Fave is "In80'sdancepartays". Motherspeed is a hyperactive hardcore band from California. Fuck the fourth song, it's a take on Rage Against the Machine. Faves are "Boy And His Blob" and especially "Dudeside Assistance". All songs have rad lyrics, and the cover and general layout all rule FYI.
Misfits Bullet 7"
The song "Bullet" is a great precursor to modern aggressive music, no way around it. These guys have tons of song like that, but it's the only record I own, and "Earth A.D." only half counts. Well not really, but I have it on tape, so you know.
International Fight/Blast Comp. 7", Side B only
Has songs from tons of awesome grind bands on this side. Yacopsae, In Disgust, Nashgul, Insect Warfare, Matka Thersea.
HoD Show Us the Meaning of Haste LP and split 10" with Chainsaw to the Face, HoD side only
See above.
Krallice s/t and Dimensional Bleedthrough
See above
Nashgul-El Dia Despues Al Fin De La Humanidad
Awesome grind from Spain. Influenced by Napalm Death, Repulsion, awesome 80's movies, Repulsion, punk rock and Repulsion. The LP has a Repulsion cover, no surprise. The album artwork is really sick and done by their bass player Ivan . The record is a sick transparent splatter blue. It's such a beautiful package. Comes with Metal-Punk Division poster.
Hatebreed-Satisfaction Is the Death of Desire
Yes it's on Victory Records, yes they rip off Slayer and yes they inspired hundreds of horrible bands. But this is still a fucking good hardcore record. Circle pits, mosh parts, sing alongs. Dig it or not, I don't fucking care.
Black Sabbath-"Masters of Reality"/"Vol. 4"
Once again no intro needed. Just ripping metal of high quality. The best actually.

I also realize this post is "late". But fuck it.

7" to Do Bong Rips To

I've been seriously rocking the Birdflesh/Embalming Theatre split 7". If I could find a physical copy for myself I'd play the shit out of it but instead I've just listening to it nonstop on my iPod. Although I must admit I only listen to the Birdflesh side, even though Embalming Theatre do an Infest cover, and only the first four tracks. "Vikings From the North(Carnage From Beyond)" is good every once in a while but I usually skip it. The black metal vocals and tongue-in-cheek lyrics with the newer style Darkthrone music turned upbeat instead bleak and grim is entertaining but not a conducive to getting ripped and rocking the fuck out.
The rest of this side of the EP is some sick death metal influenced grind. Deep, gruffly growled vocals with thick, well produced blasts and chugging riffs. Kind of the Attack of the Mad Axe Men style if that helps, especially because i have this idea of both bands always playing with huge smiles the whole time. My favourite track is "Blind Butcher" because it has the most energy. The whole time I want to circle pit and fucking kick people in the face. There's even a violin solo and a hilarious sound clip. But don't take just my word for it. Smoke. Listen. Grind.

"I am so big and müscular!"

From Soft to Hard

Here's both sides of the Hirax/Spazz split that came out in 1997. I have no idea what kind of pressing info there is and I doubt I have an original pressing. The Hirax side of the cover is a band photo while the Spazz side contains the brutal exploding face illustration used on "Raging Violence". Max Ward played drums for Hirax at one time and sang for Spazz. The Hirax song was apparently recorded for the "Blasted In Bangcok" demo but was left out. Either way I prefer Hirax over Spazz. It's not that Spazz sucks or anything, I just havn't gotten into them. Hirax however has an awesome, raw old school traditional metal crossed with early thrash. This obviously evolved to the full blown thrash band they are now. This real fast hardcore with Katon's vocals is a sure way to get you pumped up. Living room circle pits abound. His lyrics about world unity and peace is nice and all and I support how he feels. However, that's not how it works out unfortunately. But who am I to tell him not to have hope.

SHOCK!

Sunday 7" to Do Bong Rips To

First up, props to whoever I downloaded this from. You rule for showing me these dudes. Also props to my friend Teen Wolf for talking about them non-stop. It paid off.

Here's a sixteen track 7" in just just over eleven minutes of raging hardcore/fastcore/power-violence. The power-violence is mostly in the music though as WM have the strained hardcore vocals Weekend Nachos and all those other bands who have that awesome sound. Musically they have fast, really fast hardcore and then moshtastic sludge parts. I believe this is why WM calls themselves of power-violence band even though to me it's more hardcore/fastcore. And these guys actually know how to write songs with memorable parts. Like the double take on "Setec Astronomy" with a four count, then an eight count before the songs takes off. There is lots of groove on here that can mostly be attributed to the heavy bass presence. It's very thick and put in front of the guitar for optimum effect. Weak Minds apparently has an ex-touring member of Insect Warfare, but they're from TX so who is surprised there? It really shows though both musically in print, i.e. song titles. "Fucked Up on PSP's" is a good example as well as "Art Is the Bastard" and "Crowhurst". I also really dig their appropriate take on satire with audio samples from "The Big Lebowski" and video game references. I'd point them all out but if your geek isn't big enough to know already then listen to another band.
There's also a cover on here with some dude in some band. I'm not sure exactly what song, but I think it's the one that sounds like Macabre. I love hearing Macabre influences, don't you?


The one about Freakazoid

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!"

From Soft to Hard

After hearing the xBrainiax/No Comply split I was interested in hearing more No Comply even after the aural destruction that xBrainiax cause. Lucky for me I found this 7" at a local record store and I like it even more than their side of the split. They have a real gnarly surf/skate punk vibe in the lyrics as well the music, which is some awesome Georgian hardcore to begin with. I'd liken them to faster version of Ceremony with less Motorhead and a more punky Discharge meets Blood for Blood feel.
The packaging for the vinyl itself is two colors(Orange and black) silk screened onto thin cardboard. I found that there are 75 that were printed on clear vinyl but mine is black and I have no info on pressing numbers for it. Inside the sleeve is a lyric sheet and a digital download coupon where you can download MP3s of your new 7". That's what I did and now I'm passing on the savings to you!


Grinding and grinding and grinding!
My fist into the earth!

From Soft to Hard

I bought this slice of hardcore gold when I was a sophomore in high school from Used Kids and I downloaded it from here. And the first thing I have to say is everyone should go to the 7inchpunk link and read the story about how this was recorded, it's good shit. It also might be one of the most DIY things ever done outside of Black Flag pushing the school bus they took on tour. As for the music, you get two songs of 90's style youth crew hardcore. The band name is from a DYS song and there are a couple of dudes from Chain of Strength in this band so you know at least this isn't a mediocre band wasting wax. There are all kinds of little things I dig about these song, but they're all standard hardcore cliches, like the gnarly gang vocals for instance. But a lot of the things that make this music simple and standardized are the thing I enjoy the most about it. And in all honesty, a little energy can go a long way and these guys have that shit amped up to 11.


"I won't fucking turn away!"

From Soft to Hard

Backstabbers Inc.- "Evolution" 7"

Notice the Man Is the Bastard style skulls,
this trend has been going strong for quite some time.

First off this post is in response to to am I mean? for him posting about a Trap Them 12".
In an effort to post more informational posts I'm going to start actually looking at my copies of the records I post. For instance this 7" came out in 2000, is the first Cadmium Sick Records released and the lyrics are printed on a separate sheet of paper. It's a little less than seven minutes of fucking hateful hardcore/grind. The kind of music that warrants stomping head walks and vicious circle pits. These guys can even get really dense and chaotic and with blastbeats and some ripping low end. This is a really good precursor for the rest of their material and the next band some of the members are in, Trap Them. I haven't heard more than like four songs by Trap Them (who changed their name, see below) but apparently it's been a good transition is style for them. But BSI is just an honest expression of contempt for the things we that we all hate played in a very fast and loud. Which is how it should be. The only time I've seen them was at the first Bottlerocket Fest in MI. They were one of the bands I was most excited about seeing and I was not disappointed. Every second was they played weighed so heavily on me by the cacophony they were releasing through the amps. Every second Ryan was screaming was a moment the anger he felt about the things happening around seethed out. I think it's great when people's faces get so ready and strained from moving and screaming, and that's just what everyone in the band was doing.
I also have have a 7" comp call "People Don't Take Photographs of Things They Want to Forget" with Transistor Transistor, Purity's Failure, Trap Them & Kill Them and Advocate on Broken Press. The BSI song is called "Flesh Wounds, Target Practice and How I Became a Statistic" It's transparent blue, side A says "Cir Sus Peanuts..." on the matrix and side B says "Get fucked" on the matrix. I don't have any of the songs from this in digital format, but I would like to find a way to rip my vinyl.
I unfortunately couldn't really find any pressing information on either of these.
BSI also put out a discography on Black Market Activities (Guy from The Red Chord's label) called "Bare As Bones" that has the 7" I posted, and I believe two other 7"s. They also put out an LP called "Kamikaze Missions" on Trash Art! before they broke up. They were originally based out of Vermont/New Hampshire, but had a large number of member changes including lots of drummers and at least three bass players, and I know some of their drummers were also in The Red Chord and Unearth.

The correct track listing is as follows:
Hair and Nails, Nails and Hair(Don't Kiss the Rapist)
I Wish You Were Here (So I Could Tell You to Leave
Still Photos Exemplifying Blind Rage
"Sergeant Gun In Mouth, Reporting For Duty"
Problem Solving Technique Of An Asshole
Send Me A Fucking Blitzkrieg
What If He Shouts Back? (The Anti-tortured Souls Campaign Anthem)

"Thanks to those who've pulled the knives from our backs."