Tomorrow’s Ashes #4
Kia ora, crew. I have no idea if anyone reads this blog anymore. But if you’re out there, I hope you're doing okay. I know that life amid a cost-of-living crisis (and let’s not forget all those other world-ending woes) can feel – (((grinds teeth))) – somedays, but remember this; I think you're rad. Go easy on yourself, kid. Surviving is a feat in and of itself. Keep putting one foot before the other – you’ll get there.
Below are a bunch of blurbs that were going to be published elsewhere in early February. However, they weren't for one (unexciting) reason or another. I decided to post them here rather than throw them in the trash because there are some ripping releases mentioned. Most of the releases below aren't brand-spankin', as such. But there’s still a mountain of killer tunes to explore.
You might be wondering why a few obvious – and heavy-hitting – recent releases are missing (Flower, Anguished Life, Physique, G.I.S.M., etc). That’s because I have another article rounding up great punk and hardcore releases from February and March on the go, which will be posted elsewhere in a few weeks.
Keep an eye out for future drops of similarly nasty noise. I'm busier with legit responsibilities these days, but I’m still keen to continue rounding up great releases when I can find the time. I hope you stumble over something to enjoy below. As always, thanks a million for stopping by.
Stay safe. Be well. Kia kaha.
Before we get to the music, here are a few links to articles and podcasts I’ve recently enjoyed.
Terminal Sound Nuisance's in-depth Live by the Crust, Die by the Crust series has recently ended its lively run. (Terminal Sound Nuisance will, of course, continue with more deep-diving posts.) If you enjoy the blog's animated/opinionated commentary, the site's head honcho, Romain, is now reviewing releases for Maximum Rocknroll too. Double the fun.
How about an oldie but a goodie? In October last year, Negative Insight posted a rigorous exploration of one of punk rock's most controversial albums. See The Downward Spiral: The Story of Discharge's "Grave New World" and its Legendary Fallout. Fun fact: I was a pimple-faced fan of Discharge when Grave New World was released. The cries of 'sellout' and the resulting furore seem comic in the rearview mirror. But gee willikers, at the time, folks were fucking irate. Pro tip: track down a bootleg of Discharge's live shows from that time – hilarious.
Diehards DIY Conspiracy keep smashing out articles like there’s no tomorrow with some great (and diverse) interviews, premieres, features, and reviews. I had a lot of fun writing an epic end-of-year article, Down Under(ground): Aussie/New Zealand Punk Releases of 2022, only for someone to let me know I overlooked the best Aussie crust record of the year – see Ironhawk’s Ritual of the Warpath. In truth, Ritual of the Warpath is fired-up stuff, a veritable Venom via Motörhead scorcher. But the album draws a lot more from blackened metalpunk than it does from crust punk, per se.
Here's a quick scan of punk (and punk-related) podcasts I've enjoyed lately. Most are available on multiple streaming/pod-friendly platforms.
You Don't Know Mojack – an examination of every release from SST Records in chronological order. Features plenty of well-known guests/nerds from the heavy rock and punk world.
Turned Out A Punk – Fucked Up vocalist Damian Abraham’s weekly podcast features a range of famous and obscure guests talking about their formative punk experiences and how the genre's subsequently shaped their lives.
The Chinatown Punk Wars – a recent episode from the 99% Invisible podcast that digs into the LA punk scene in the late 70s and the pivotal role (and sometimes rivalry) between crucial Chinatown venues Madame Wongs and Hong Kong Cafe.
End on End – Brian and Jeff’s 'podcore' adventure surveys the entire Dischord Records catalogue one record at a time. This one is for long-form feature nerds (such as myself). I’m currently deep in a 3-hour-plus examination of Fugazi’s In on the Killtaker, which is only the first part of a two-episode exploration of the classic LP.
Kings of Punk – young guns with strong opinions dig into punk's history while commenting on plenty of contemporary recordings and happenings.
First Seven Inch Club – opinionated older punks (formerly active in the Albany hardcore scene) dissect obscure hardcore and metal 7" releases.
The Alphabetical Fugazi – every song from Fugazi picked apart by host Ian James Wright and a rotating cast of guests. The podcast itself is done and dusted, but I’m still working my way through the episodes.
Maximum Rocknroll Radio – always rockin' radio show from the punk institution featuring brand new and cult classic releases from across the punk and hardcore spectrum.
Conan Neutron's Protonic Reversal – I love the sheer variety of guests from the worlds of alternative, experimental, and fringe music interviewed on this one. Reliably fascinating, even if I’ve never heard a note of the interviewee in question's music.
Before I go, a trans-dimensional farewell to Television singer, guitarist, and songwriter Tom Verlaine. In the words of Mogwai's Stuart Braithwaite, "Name 10 minutes of music as good as "Marquee Moon". You can't. It's perfect. Rest in peace, Tom." All the love, brother.
Okay… onto the noise!
Szkło/Putrid Future – Split EP
Attention audio masochists and degenerates, the deafening noise-fuckery of Australian outfit Szkło and Aotearoa New Zealand crew Putrid Future will satisfy all your perversions. The recent trans-Tasman split is a meeting of minds in both creative and aesthetic terms. Szkło and Putrid Future's music hit like a nail-spiked cricket bat, and both bands admirably adhere to a DIY or die creed.
Naarm (Melbourne) group Szkło have recently issued a couple of raucous releases – seek out their ear-splitting Without A Resurrection Of Hope and Parasitic Attack EPs. Szkło's tracks here follow a similar course, spitting out caustic chunks of bloody-raw punk. The best of the bunch, "Violent Police Machine", kicks into gear with a gruesome chainsawing riff before Szkło tear into a storm of mangel-driven primitivism. As I've said before, SzkLo's music is brutally listener-unfriendly, and all the better for it.
Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington) band Putrid Future features a genuine NZ chart-topper in the ranks – see the band's bassist Woodsy (aka James Woods from popular homegrown beard-metallers Beastwars). However, there's no sign of Beastwars' sludgy, craft beer-friendly rock here. Putrid Future are artisans of assaultive noise, all toxic fumes and aural muck 'n' murder. The band's contributions, "Dead Already" and "Two-Tier Economy", mix thumping acidic punk with cesspit-stench hardcore. Best of all, Putrid Future's inherent rawness doesn't come at the expense of their eviscerating heaviness.
A horrible-sounding split from two stubbornly obnoxious bands. Win-win.
Πυρ Κατά Βούληση – Θύματα Ειρήνης
DIY Conspiracy alerted me to the barrelling debut from Athens-based Πυρ Κατά Βούληση (Fire At Will) back in early January. Unfortunately, I was about to head off-grid for a few weeks at the time, so I didn't get a chance to shout about Θύματα Ειρήνης (Victims of Peace) back then. Still, better later than never because Θύματα Ειρήνης is an absolute bruiser.
Πυρ Κατά Βούληση was formed by members of several Greek punk bands, the most prominent being well-known/all-fire crusties Sarabante. If you're a fan of Sarabante, Totalitär, or any of the latter's fist-pumping progenies, you'll be all over Θύματα Ειρήνης. The album's powerhouse tracks are driven hard by muscular yet often melodic riffs while d-beaten percussion hurtles along and throat-shredding vocals rage. Like a lot of Greek hardcore, Θύματα Ειρήνης features plenty of beefy punchiness, but the album also maintains a jagged core that tethers it to raw punk. More A-grade mayhem that ticks all the much-loved Greek hardcore boxes.
Repellent – Homemade Bomb
Written, performed, and recorded by Minneapolis, Minnesota-based Morgan Carpenter, Repellent's Homemade Bomb 7" slams misanthropic fastcore into attack-dog hardcore. Repellent's breakneck tracks are vortex-like in tone and temper and "play fast or die" is clearly the guiding mantra throughout. Carpenter has cited the "speed of European '80s thrash, the anger of '80s American hardcore, and '90s California powerviolence" as inspirations for Repellent's blistering momentum, and Homemade Bomb's antagonism is also dialled up to 11. If Repellent's warp-speed methodology appeals, great news; a few split releases and a new EP are set for release later in the year.
Sirkka - Viivyttely
It's not surprising that early Finnish hardcore has remained so influential over the years. Much like the progenitors of US hardcore, Finnish wunderkinder like Terveet Kädet, Kaaos, Riistetyt, and Rattus (or the various contributors to a Suomi punk comp like Propaganda 83) have a primal gravity that's tied directly to their unadulterated intensity.
Contemporary punks Sirkka take considerable inspiration from the rabid depths of vintage Finnish punk. Originally a New York duo – and now featuring members based in Germany and the US – Sirkka distil Finnish punk's old school intensity to its boiling essence on their Viivyttely 7". Vocalist Sanja howls in Finnish with all her might while the rest of the band delivers jagged tracks sizzling with raw energy. It's not all frenzied Finnish-style happenings here, though. Viivyttely is also indebted to the aforementioned early days of stripped-back US (in this case, East Coast) hardcore. The point is, Viivyttely features a classic sound honed to a ferocious modern edge. Great stuff!
Fükkheads – Speed and Political
I've written about Australian punks Fükkheads' Speed and Political demo before (see the list of my favourite Antipodean punk and hardcore releases from '22). However, I recently noticed that the Naarm (Melbourne)-based band's demo had been uploaded to Bandcamp by A+ Aussie label Hardcore Victim, so I'm taking the chance to yack about Speed and Political all over again.
Fükkheads' debut is a certified horrorshow, and it's a challenging listen, but therein lies Speed and Political strengths. The symbolic resonance of such recordings is well documented, with the harshest strains of noise punk detailing humanity's ugliest flaws and evoking our self-destructive tendencies. Conscious or not, Fükkheads' chaotic approach offers a much-needed recalibration of the senses. Sure, they conjure our worst failings as a species, but in doing so, Fükkheads' music also provides a cathartic (read rotavirus-like) purge.
Side A of Speed and Political features a half-dozen crust-hammered tracks referencing groups like Death Dust Extractor, Abraham Cross, Doom, and Repulsion. Side B features an off-the-chain live set recorded in a disused factory that's a dissonant fucking nightmare. Again, therein lies its purgative brilliance. (Strap in and enjoy the ride, mate.) Fükkheads' brutally primitive noisecore isn't for everyone. But if you're a trve fan of blown-out subterranean noise, Speed and Political's confrontational tracks will sate your ear-shattering desires.
Dispose – Split
Earth Crust Displacement – Under The Surface
Swedish group Dispose and German outfit Earth Crust Displacement share an iron-willed determination to deliver genuinely unsavoury noise. Dispose's latest digital release features six tracks lifted from an upcoming split cassette with fellow Swedes Förgör. In the past, Dispose's raucous tracks have paid tribute to raw punk big guns like Disclose, Confuse, and Shitlickers. However, there's a notable uptick in the brawniness/beefiness of Dispose's latest recording. The expected hiss and static of old are still there, but there's a heavier punch to proceedings. A crustier tone suits Dispose well, and anyone who enjoyed the band's previous abrasiveness won't be disappointed; there's still plenty of rawness to Dispose’s sound.
Earth Crust Displacement recently uploaded side A of their upcoming Under The Surface 7" to their Bandcamp page. (The full 7" is due at some point via long-running Czech Republic label Phobia Records.) Unsurprisingly, Under The Surface features more uncompromising blasts of Shitlickers via Bombanfall-styled mayhem, precisely the kind of head-splitting stonk that Earth Crust Displacement's fanbase (myself included) crave. The band's relentless d-beat is dragged across the floor of a dirty squat and then shat on by varying grades of heavyweight filth. It's a speaker-melting free-for-all, and Side A of Under The Surface sounds entirely disagreeable throughout; business as usual for Earth Crust Displacement.
Speed Plans – Statues of God
Speed Plans' Statues of God 12" cuts straight to the marrow in record time. The Pittsburgh band's fourth release – their first for respected label Iron Lung Records – goes hard, real hard, from its first second to its last. (We're talking Damaged or Victim In Pain levels of hardness, kid.) Speed Plans' most significant strength is their capacity to operate at full ((throat-gripping)) power throughout Statues of God, never once easing off the gas. Unsurprisingly, the 12" is withering – a no holds barred rampage of venomous hardcore. Speed Plans aren't reinventing the wheel here. But they are covering it with gasoline and setting it ablaze. There's urgent, and then there's the chest-crushing velocity of Statues of God. Wickedly fast, wickedly vicious. Praise the sweet dark lord.
Pisscharge – Crecimiento es Muerte
Pisscharge calls Hannover, Germany, home but the crossover band's members hail from Germany, Brazil, and Chile. Pisscharge's "100% political punk" focuses on the issues plaguing communities close to home and broader international concerns. The obvious clue to Pisscharge's modus operandi is right there in their name. The band's Crecimiento es Muerte album features 12 rapid-fire tracks that echo with the influence of everyone's favourite bruiser’s Discharge. There's no mistaking the passion or anger here, with Pisscharge's vocalist Kassandra sounding utterly enraged throughout Crecimiento es Muerte. Tune in for metal-armoured d-beat that hones in on hot-button issues. In a world full of bands afraid to stand for anything, Pisscharge are unashamedly punk in action and resolve.
Bar Tape – S/T
The self-titled debut from Irish band Bar Tape is stacked to the gunnels with shout-along skate punk. If you're wondering why genuinely listener-friendly punk is appearing around these parts, it's because Irish label Distro-y Records released Bar Tape's LP, and Distro-y has an excellent ear for rock-solid releases.
(There's also the fact that I am old and thus intimately familiar with pop punk's golden years. In fact, I've got a sweet spot for plenty of hook-heavy punk, from melodic progenitors like Hüsker Dü to long-time favs Propagandhi or Bad Religion.)
Bar Tape's songs plug into the ol' nostalgia circuitry, and the band's tuneful tracks are custom-built to grab you in a hearty embrace. Catchy harmonies sit alongside abundant good humour, with Bar Tape's sound inspired by a CD rack bulging with releases from Hellcat, Epitaph, Fat Wreck Chords, and Lookout! You can draw comparisons to various energetic groups like Hot Water Music, Samiam, 88 Fingers Louie, Lagwagon, and Dillinger Four. But what hooked me most were Bar Tapes' scruffier edges, where reminders of a much-loved band like Leatherface resound.
Bar Tape's LP is loads of fun and overflowing with exhilarating energy. If I hadn't fucked my knees decades ago, I'd be dusting off my board right now. Great/gruff stuff, all round.
Enter The Grave – S/T
Also out via Distro-y Records is the self-titled 12" from Dublin, Ireland duo Enter The Grave. The band's doom-drenched crustcore will resonate if you're a miserable bastard and/or a fan of heavyweight champs like Amebix, Antisect, Misery, or Axegrinder. Like those bands, Enter The Grave mine an extremely dark creative seam where a fittingly ominous sound supports the band’s apocalyptic predictions. Enter The Grave wrote and recorded their debut during Covid-19's initial rampage, and there's little doubt the uncertainty, fear, and myriad social tensions added to the portentous atmosphere right here. One for catastrophic crust devotees. It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel – well, definitely not fine – more like resigned. People = shit.
Rat-Nip – My Pillow
Plenty of the folks I follow/stalk on Bandcamp grabbed a copy of Rat-Nip's My Pillow 7" as soon as it appeared; in fact, physical copies of the 7" sold out in a blink of an eye. Released by Pennsylvania's Song Book Records, you'd be hard-pressed to find a hardcore EP that emits more stripped-down anger than My Pillow in early '23. Press play and a stampeding mass (or uncontrollable wildfire) of instrumental and vocal ferocity barrel towards you at top speed. Even when Rat-Nip slow down on eccentric-flavoured tracks like "Too Late" or "Old Sky", the band still sounds as mean as a cut snake. There's nothing complicated, convoluted or affected here. My Pillow is relentless and unadulterated hardcore – fast, loud, and brutal with a capital B. In the immortal words of one Bandcamp supporter, My Pillow is "Fxxkn sicccccccc!".
Destruidö – Infernö
Infernö is the best-sounding release from Mexican crusties Destruidö thus far. That said, Infernö still features migraine-inducing levels of abrasiveness. That's no bad thing, though. Certainly not for Destruidö, whose bellowing raw punk is dead set on capturing the absolute desperation of life on the harshest edges of society. Destruidö's vocalist has a fearsome shout, and her rallying cries for social, environmental, and gender-related justice are unmistakable. Take a dose of über-unpolished d-beat (driven hard by jarring bass), throw in fierce political content (backed by spitting rage), and the result is Destruidö's strongest release yet. TBH, I still feel like there's better work to come. So here's to Destruidö's next set of bracing tracks.
Intention – Brand New Story
Kon'nichiwa, my friend. I'd love to tell you about the ins and outs of Japanese band Intention's debut, Brand New Story. In theory, everything about Brand New Story screams 'Hell, yeah' in my book. Unfortunately, only one (eponymously titled) song is currently streaming online, limiting the ol' analysis to approximately 2.12 minutes of (admittedly excellent) music. However, you're a smart cookie, so look at Brand New Story's cover art by renowned illustrator Sugi, and now guess what's on offer.
You'd be bang on the money if you picked squealing guitars, rabid vocals, and a blood-boiling tempo. It's an aptly scorching Burning Spirits party on "Intention", and while it's hard to extrapolate from a single song, bands like Tetsu-Arrey, Death Side, and Bastard definitely spring to mind. I think it's safe to assume that the rest of Intention's debut will be an all-fire fiesta. Yet another blistering release from the Japanese label Break the Records.
Utsatt – 4 Songs
Kibera – S/T
Say hello to a couple of recent releases from the reliably noisy Phobia Records stable. For Swedish group Utsatt, it's all about their dirty-ass pedigree. The band features former members of 3-Way Cum and Disarm – and current members of heavy-hitters Warcollapse and Exploatör – and Utsatt put their years of experience in the punk rock trenches to excellent use. The tracks on the band's 4 Songs EP were initially set to appear on a split 7" with Fear Of Extinction, but you know how it goes, life's full of changes, so 4 Songs is now a digital release. The tracks here are all churning, chugging, and thuggish, seething with metal-worthy riffs and slathered in putrid crust and d-beat. It's all a dark-hearted audio assault. Grim, bleak, and heavy as a tank. Fans of guttural raw punk will lap this shitstorm up.
Czech Republic band Kibera make a solid albeit well-worn first impression on their self-titled debut. There's nothing innovative about the band's first release, but I doubt Kibera were aiming to reinvent anything. Theirs is a gravel-gargling sound indebted to the well-known progenitors of Scandi d-beat and crust. However, Kibera offer icier riffs that add dark metallic nuance to their growling songs.
Total Fraud, Closetalkers, Disgradation, Cell Deth, Hollow Point, and Ordinance
Here are six smashing demos that have recently tickled my tinnitus-ravaged ear.
Total Fraud's First Demo starts with a hot shot of ear-piercing feedback before the German band mould their harshest influences into a caustically raw battering ram of screeching hardcore. Sheet-metal punk to soundtrack the disintegration of minds and metropolises. Awesome.
Canadian band Closetalkers mete out full-bore belligerent d-beat on Demonstration '23. The notable difference is that Closetalkers' knockout, bass-heavy tracks have a catchy – almost fist-in-the-air –momentum that sits alongside their otherwise combative undertakings. Gritty and dirty punk that offers a deafening respite from life's eternal struggles.
A million raw punk and d-beat bands have sung about the scars of war. But Ukrainian outfit Disgradation get closer to the brutal reality of heavy weaponry's impact than most. Disgradation's super-acidic demo features achingly raw tracks propelled by abundant muscle; see the gouging riff that powers "Полігон Масового Звірства" (Knocked down by Stacks of Coffins). Tough as steel.
I don't know the name of the Canadian band Cell Deth's singer, but her withering vocals perfectly match the Prince Edward Island-based band's pummeling sound. Roaring, passionate, and vitriolic are the keywords to describe Cell Deth's demo. Decapitating-speed hardcore delivered with a maximum-strength attitude. (Out via the always satisfying Sewercide Records.)
If a band has caught the ear of British Columbian label Slow Death Records, there's a good chance they'll hook you too. Case in point, cut-throat crew Hollow Point. The eight songs on the four-piece band's demo are all brutal, kick-your-teeth-in stompers. No flashy bullshit. Bloodthirsty. Berserk. Bestial. You get the... point.
The demo from Richmond, Virginia, band Ordinance is lean, mean, and loaded with rapid-fire tracks. Of course, so is every other demo mentioned above. However, Ordinance's demo takes a darker and arguably more violent turn than most, with the band's bass-blasting (and markedly blown-out) d-beat and hardcore feeling downright unnerving on occasion. Grim, abrasive, and utterly ruthless. A+. That's the stuff.
