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.

Guess what I just bought today?

That's right, an old laptop from a friend. Expect updates sometime soon.

Crippler Crossover

So before me or anyone else talks about any of these bands anymore: Crucial Unit, Municipal Waste, Hummingbird of Death, Kill Your Idols, Slayer, Leeway, Suicidal Tendencies, North Side Kings, or Capitalist Casualties, we need to talk about D.R.I.
Ultra old school, ultra fast, ultra D.I.Y. hardcore from Texass. The Dirty Rotten Imbeciles are one of the few bands to write the rules for crossover, thrash, hardcore, and fastcore. And probably indirectly for grind and powerviolence too. On this LP (The Dirty Rotten LP) they blow through 27 in less than an equal amount of time. Almost always keeping it interesting mixing in slower parts ("I Want More", "Violent Pacification", "The Explorer") with just rad fast hardcore. The drums are fast circle pit beats side by side with loud talking vocals. Not much yelling or screaming, just loud fast talking and some regular fast talking and a little normal talking, all discussing lyrics of various subject matter. Serious, fun and overall important things are discussed. Their guitar player shows nods to his favorite bands with Discharge ("Dennis' Problem"), and the staple DC and OC bands ("Closet Punk", "Commuter Man" etc.). These influences are good to have though since it keeps the ideas new and flowing but only in the circular constraints of awesomeness. Sort of like a circle pit. Album highlights for me are "Money Stinks", "Couch Slouch (The Crucial Take)", "I Don't Need Society", and "Snap". I can't explain that last one, that's just how it is.

"Money stinks, money stinks. Yeah it stinks."

Here's a full split that will only get half reviewed. Why? Because only one side blew me away. Sylvester Staline is a French poweviolence band that blasts like having a Fuck On The Beach never went out of style. Screaming, blazing(LOL GET IT) fast hardcore about Satan and smoking weed. Most of the songs titles give indications how they feel about recreational cannabis use. I've never been, but I wouldn't be inclined to see the French as crusty stoner punks, but here they are blasting away between feedback laden interludes. This four piece really puts out a cacophonous wall of sound. The only real low end is in the bass which lays down some thick groove over two-stepping drum beats. They're druer doesn't do much beyond two-steps and blasts but that's a-hokay with me. The vocals and guitar are both wailing, screeching forces of punk recognition only discernible by lyrics, which are unintelligible and almost exclusively about weed. Tre bien!
Appropriate anecdote, my friend Teen Wolf has a steam roller pipe in the form of Satan. What do we do? Smoke out of it listening to these guys and Slayer!
There aren't too many bands I'm aware of from France besides these guys and maybe with reason, because they're so sick. Seth. Rainbow of Death. Gojira. None hold a candle to Sylvester Staline. Like I said, grinding powerviolence!

"Hey ladies! If you ain't no bitch, don't like to be called bitch, put ya hands up like this, here!"

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!"

Not dead, just still computer and even internetless. Sorry bros. Hopefully soon I'll have more links, bong rips and blast beats.

Not For Babies

So I'm stealing a link so I don't have to upload this, but here's the Chainsaw to the Face/Hummingbird of Death split 10". My copy was on black, although there are 170 on purple marble, which is sexy. The artwork on this is amazing as well, I love the combination of both bands names into the image. Grinding fastcore brutality on the cover, and the vinyl.
The Chainsaw to the Face side is what you expect from a band with that name. Good musically, real fucking fast. I just cum buckets for HoD though, sorry dudes.
The HoD run through six songs in a freight train frenzy or blast beats and sincerity. One thing first kicked my dick and always will is how passionate and sincere Mike sounds on this recording. They write songs about all kinds of subjects,remaining intelligent the whole time, but on socially political songs their message really shines through. This 10" hits me like the first Gorilla Biscuits LP. It's hardcore about something. But really fast. What's not to like?
"First We Should Observe the Ancient Ritual of the Traditional Pre-Fight Donut" is a blast filled shredding intro that leads into "Shittier Luck Next Time". It and "Great Annoyance and Displeasure" deal with the shitty human beings wer're all forced to deal with on a daily basis, and those even worse exceptions. The true shitbags needing to choke on bags of decaying anus'. And "Ordinary Hard-Working-Law-Abiding Homophobes" is about what you think it is. It's Mike being fucking pissed about how normal people (gays, lesbians, bi-sexuals, transgender) people are treated by the majority. I know exactly what he's talking about. There's also a rad Koro cover on here, they do the song "Acid Casualty". And at the end is the epic three minute "Anytown U.S.A." The excerpt at the end is Mike/the band's feelings on the us's war efforts in the Middle East. It's full of Discharge inspired lyrics, blast beats and fucking shredding. Oh the shredding.


“Look, you got to remember that if Washington D.C. were the size of Baghdad, we would be having something like 215 murders a month. There's going to be violence in a big city. It’s five and a half million people.” Donald Rumsfeld, former US Secretary of Defense, June 18, 2003
“I'm more puzzled by comments that the violence [in Iraq] isn't any worse than any American city. Really? In which American city do the headless bodies of ordinary citizens turn up every single day? In which city would it not be news if neighborhood school children were blown up? Day-to-day life here for Iraqis is so far removed from the comfortable existence we live in the United States that it is almost literally unimaginable. I don't know a single family here that hasn't had a relative, neighbor or friend die violently. Imagine the worst day you've ever had in your life, add a regular dose of terror and you'll begin to get an idea of what it's like every day for a lot of people here.” -Jane Arraf, NBC News correspondent, October 10, 2006

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!