In Crust We Trust: Vol 31 – Part 1

Kia ora, comrades. Every month, In Crust We Trust rounds up the harshest punk, hardcore, and metalpunk releases. Dis-charged or dis-cloned, if it sounds horrible, it’s a contender. Enjoy the ruckus, and thanks for stopping by.

A Note about Love, Hate, and Painkilling Punk.

This month’s ICWT is a two-parter. Why? Well, there’s been an avalanche of new releases recently, and a single edition won’t cut it. But you also deserve a treat for showing a massive amount of resilience in the face of everything. The world is awash in horrible happenings, and life is indescribably tough. I wouldn’t blame you for feeling like you’re drowning in despair, and for all those reasons, I’m upping the positive vibes with a double dose of negative noise.

What to say? Everything is fucking awful. Sifting through endless media analyses or deciphering tit-for-tat propaganda about unconscionable atrocities is exhausting. Whether it’s sickening massacres or desperate people punished for the sins of others, the innocent are always used as political footballs until they are brutally discarded. War is Hell, ad infinitum. Hug your besties and your fam.

In times like these, music matters more than ever. Not because I think some shit-fi 7″ will miraculously heal intractable geopolitical divides. I’m not *that* insane. But on a more intimate scale, the connections we make with music – and the connections we make with each other via music – can help to repair smaller schisms within ourselves and in our relationships.

I say it all the time, but noisy music, whatever its flavour, is a healing elixir. Punk’s blunt realism bolsters our strength, lifts our spirits, distracts us where needed, and fuels necessary outrage, too. Punk (and metal) are some of the most potent emotional remedies around; in fact, I recently read an article that underscored how the music we love is also a powerful painkiller.

Horrible music isn’t going to solve any hot-button issues. But maybe some of the music below will provide that crucial shot of something to help you, me, or anyone struggling to make it through another grim day. That’s a solid reason to keep tuning into the latest noise.

Happier news: Next month’s ICWT will be another two-parter. The end-of-year list season is almost upon us, and I’ll be posting a couple of features covering (1) my favourite LPs and (2) my favourite EPs and demos. I know some people find all of the end-of-year celebrations to be an absolute yawn-fest, and if that’s you, I’ll see you in 2024. For everyone else, I’m looking forward to spotlighting my favourite releases from the past year. Trust me, there’ll be plenty of nasty noise to enjoy.

Alright, here is ICWT:31 – Part 1. I hope a few fist-raising tunes below can tempt you away from the endless doomscrolling. I’ll see you soon with Part 2, which features more electrifying noise.

Various – Screaming Death

North Carolina label Bunker Punks Discs & Tapes’ most recent release, Screaming Death, is a pulverizing four-way split featuring US bands Destruct and Scarecrow, UK group Rat Cage, and Swedish ragers Dissekerad. An “international bombardment of non-stop käng … in the tradition of classic hardcore compilations [like] Thrash ‘Til Death” is Bunker Punks’ mission statement for Screaming Death. And that’s a mission Screaming Death succeeds at, time and again. Destruct’s bulldozing approach is devastating, ditto Scarecrow’s MO, and alongside the applauded Rat Cage and Dissekerad, every band contributes fresh, albeit filthy-sounding, tracks to Screaming Death. The shared link: every group’s take on raw hardcore is equally demolishing.

Screaming Death is bludgeoning throughout, and the split’s artwork – with evocative visuals provided by musician and visual artist Joe Boyd-Brent – mirrors the musical intensity within. Clearly, people consume music in many different ways nowadays. But a flawless split like Screaming Death highlights that the format is still a crushing means of expression. Everything you love about a rock-solid split is here: ferocious tracks, great artwork, a go-to label or two, and, of course, a lineup of absolutely killer bands. Crammed with hammering tracks – and backed by a mountain of authenticity – Screaming Death is the best split I’ve heard all year. Prepare thy mind to be cleaved in two.

(Bunker Punks, Skrammel Records)

Dead Moon – Going South

In 1992, Nirvana approached Portland, Oregon, trio Dead Moon to open for them on their uber-successful Nevermind tour. Dead Moon said thanks but no thanks because they’d already pledged to tour the far-flung backwater of Aotearoa New Zealand and Dead Moon’s singer/guitarist Fred Cole (RIP) had an ironclad rule, “Never cancel a gig you committed to for a better one.” That decision – turning down a mega-star band in favour of playing tiny venues for a handful of fans half a world away – forged an undying love and respect between Dead Moon and their diehard Southern Hemisphere fanbase. Dead Moon may have ended their run many years ago, but the band remain true legends down under.

Dead Moon’s 1992 tour of New Zealand saw Fred, bass guitarist Toody, and the drummer Andrew (RIP) play a host of shows in shithole bars and slightly cleaner rock clubs across the nation. I saw the band on that tour – in a jam-packed bar in Ōtautahi (Christchurch) – and the sheer intensity of Dead Moon’s all-fire garage punk that night was withering. To this day, that show remains the best gig I have ever seen. Dead Moon blew my mind and, by all accounts, blew the minds of everyone who witnessed that 1992 tour.

Dead Moon’s new double LP, Going South, captures one of the nights on that tour. Recorded on cassette by soundperson Graham Bennett in the South Island town of Invercargill (a place Keith Richards famously labelled “the arsehole of the world”), Going South sees Dead Moon firing on all cylinders in front of 40 or so fans. Audience sizes never mattered to Dead Moon; they played their guts out regardless, delivering sweat-soaked punk, night after night, for decades. Going South conjures cherished memories, but more importantly, Going South is a visceral living showcase, documenting why Dead Moon are so revered.

Dead Moon may be gone, but their discography lives on. Going South is another reminder of the pure pleasures of sweltering rock ‘n’ roll.

(Mississippi Records)

Dust Collector – Night Shocks Carnival

Night Shocks Carnival, the latest release from Los Angeles ‘noise fuckers’ Dust Collector, takes a couple of tracks from the band’s excellent Demo 2023 cassette and slaps ’em on the punkest of all formats – a flexi. I’ve been pretty enamoured with everything Dust Collector have released thus far. The band’s Under The Scalpel Blade meets Spending Loud Night sound is rawer than a urinary tract infection. However, while Dust Collector deal in primitive punk, their stripped-back tracks often exhibit a punchy, pogo-like oomph. Night Shocks Carnival‘s two songs (“Scalpel Life” and the flexi’s bass-pumpin’ title track) feature raw-bone noisecore with super-caustic guitar and acid-dripping vocals. If this is your first interaction with Dust Collector’s coarse/crude wares, Night Shocks Carnival is as great a place to start.

(Fall Down Laughing Records)

Voltage – Claustrophobia

British Columbian band Voltage’s 2022 demo, The War to End All Wars, led with a Dis-charged uppercut, and followed that up with a hefty Motörcrust wallop. Voltage’s new EP, Claustrophobia, is heavier and burlier (both welcome additions), while musically, Claustrophobia follows a similar brute-force punk ‘n’ roll path. The five songs here have rock-solid hooks, and they hit hard, too; “Claustrophobia” batters, “Sanctuary” pummels, and “Can’t Stay Clean” clobbers, etc. Voltage’s songs land with savage impact, and while Claustrophobia is a bruising encounter, its short, sharp tracks are made for repeat listening: a knockout release all round.

(Blown Out Media)

Secretors – Comparing Missle Size Vol.1

At the time I’m writing this line, there’s only one track streaming off Secretors’ upcoming Comparing Missle Size Vol.1 EP. But if you think that will stop me from ranting and raving about that band, you haven’t been following ICWT for long; I make similarly dubious decisions constantly.

Secretors features a bunch of members from other bands you definitely like, and Comparing Missle Size Vol.1 EP is the group’s follow-up to their 2019 flexi and cassette, Antidote For Civilization. I guess I can’t claim to tell you much, considering I’ve only heard one song. Still, that track, “Comparing Missle Size”, is a raw hardcore number with bellowing vocals and blasting bass and while it feels like it’s about to lose control, “Comparing Missle Size” holds it together to hit the target dead centre. Let’s not beat around the bush: Secretors’ ties to Roach Leg Records are intimate, and like all of Roach Leg’s releases, Comparing Missle Size Vol.1 is going to blow the roof off, or the doors in, or (choose your own expression to denote the EP’s crater-sized impact). No question, Secretors are a band steeped in anti-war sentiment, but like many of their ilk, they arrive armed to the teeth in creative terms.

(Roach Leg Records)

Lexicon – Poison Head

Twelve months ago, Seattle hardcore band Lexicon released their Devoid of Light LP, which quickly found a place on my end-of-year ’22 list. The group’s new Poison Head 7″ isn’t out until the end of the month, but if the two preview tracks streaming – “Antiquated Life” and “Illusion Of Choice” – are any indication, Lexicon have honed their ‘hardcore-infused noise-crust’ to an even deadlier degree. “The perfect meld of Japanese noise, British chaos and American muscle” is how label Iron Lung sells Lexicon’s sound, and they’re not wrong; this is full-throttle, triple-threat hardcore, for sure. Lexicon’s latest tracks are off-the-chain and yet, as always, somehow tight as a gnat’s ass. Production-wise, the band pushes every slider into the red, and once again, Lexicon’s crasher crust and max-distortion raw punk radiates solar-flare strength. I think it’s safe to bet that Lexicon’s Poison Head 7″ will once again slay the hardiest hardcore connoisseurs. Violent. Vicious. Fucking impressive.

(Iron Lung Records)

Kontusion – S/T

East Coast world-eaters Kontusion released their self-titled demo digitally and on cassette in 2022. More recently, stalwart label Sentient Ruin Laboratories have stepped up to the plate, once again, deeming Kontusion’s demo worthy of re-release on multiple formats, including silkscreened, single-sided vinyl for trve diehards. Kontusion’s drummer Chris Moore (Repulsion, Coke Bust) and vocalist, guitarist and bassist Mark Bronzino (ANS, Mammoth Grinder) cite groups like Terrorizer, Napalm Death, Discharge, and Convulse as prime influences. It’s no surprise to find Kontusion’s demo spews forth a red-raw mix of butchering death metal and mangled hardcore torn asunder by guttural primitivism. Imagine the crudest punk and ugliest metal distilled to pure bile and hate. Disgusting, disfiguring, and destructive. Kontusion’s demo is perfectly demented.

Quarantine – Exile

Exile is the latest powerhouse release from American hardcore crew Quarantine, and it’s even nastier than the band’s first-class 2021 LP, Agony. Many bands have been referenced regarding Quarantine’s aggressive approach – see United Mutation, Negative Approach, Gudon, YDI, Jerry’s Kids, and plenty more hardcore champs. The common denominator between every band cited is an uncompromising approach to music-making, and that’s Quarantine to a T.

Exile‘s OTT intensity makes for a skull-splitting experience. Quarantine’s approach is unyielding, wholly feral, and wild guitars, a roaring rhythm section, and vicious vocals deliver tracks at neck-snapping speeds. Having studio kingpin Arthur Rizk in the mix ensures Exile hits like a sledgehammer, and tightly-wound creativity and precise execution sit alongside plenty of sharpened hooks. Even better, there’s also an eccentric edge to Exile that keeps things thrumming with nervous energy. A 45rpm MLP delivered at a million mph. Blow thy speakers; Exile is another cacophonous classic.

(La Vida Es Un Mus, Damage United)

Socio La Difekta – Promo 2023

Japanese five-piece Socio La Difekta found immediate success. The band’s 2021 EP, Kreski (released by Beach Impediment Records), rocketed off the shelves for three good reasons:

1. Socio La Difekta features members from bands like Unarm and Malimpliki, and the group’s musicianship is ferocious but equally precise.
2. The band has a powerful dual vocal setup, with singers Nanae and Iŝimura working in different (but similarly fierce) registers to brilliant effect.
3. As a definite point of difference, Socio La Difekta’s songs are all sung in Esperanto.

Socio La Difekta’s latest release, Promo 2023, features five more tight but loose tracks, including a cover of “Factory” by long-lost Dutch punks Jezus And The Gospelfuckers. As before, Socio La Difekta work to their savage strengths, combining raw crust with rawer hardcore, and tracks like “Ne kaptu!,” “Libera maŝino,” and “Ama letero” are as rabid and riotous as the band’s previous work. Released to accompany Socio La Difekta’s recent Japanese tour with UK punks Subduded, Promo 2023 is another instant success from a super-engaging band.

(Self-released)

Ego – Grob

Italian label Agipunk Records has released two of my favourite records from the past year: Warkrusher’s essential Armistice LP and Misery’s equally mandatory The Early Years compilation. Ego’s Grob LP sounds very enticing, too. It’s been a while since I pressed play on the Berlin-based band’s 2020 LP, Ego​-​ism, which was tagged as a demo but featured ten well-constructed songs. Back then, Ego’s dark punk drifted into post-punk and darkwave territory. Although, the band also put their foot down and upped the d-beat where required.

Grob sounds heavier and features more of an apocalyptic tenor than Ego-ism. Fair enough, too. A lot of grim events have plagued Europe in recent times. Grob‘s evolution in sound sees Ego filtering their previous influences through a harsher and gloomier lens. But Grob still adheres to Ego’s core creative aesthetic, using dark art to explore even darker themes.

(Agipunk)

Høax / Motron – Split

If you’re a big fan of umlauts and “röck’n’röll madness!” you’ll have a ball with the fuel-injected split from Italian mönsters Høax and Motron. Released by a million and one labels, Høax and Motron’s split release contains 14 hook-heavy tracks, and every one of them (covers and all) mixes d-beat and raw rock, calling to mind groups like Inepsy, Poison Idea, Overcharge, and Motörhead. Five-piece Motron’s tracks sound crustier, raspier, and much more guttural, which suits my tastebuds more than Høax’s contributions. But all credit to power trio Høax, too, who put plenty of grit and gusto into their songs. If you’re hunting for punchy and propulsive punk, you get a mix of both right here.

(Born To Waste Records, Missing The Point, Bologna Punx, Phobia Records, Angry Voice Records, Pasidaryk Pats Records, Nothing To Harvest Records, ZAS! Autoproduzioni Records)

Tupperware – Summer Tour Tape ’23

To paraphrase Philip K. Dick, sometimes the only appropriate response to reality is to go insane. That message feels like something Olympia, Washington, band Tupperware have very much taken to heart. The group’s Summer Tour Tape ’23 (yes, I know I’m late in covering this one) was a nice in-house treat for those who attended Tupperware’s shows a few months back. For those yet to witness the band in full flight, a digital hook-up will have to suffice. Tupperware’s previous EPs featured claustrophobic tracks that crackled with as much mania as they did mayhem, and the band’s tour tape continues that tradition. Musically, Summer Tour Tape ’23 is laser-focused in its psychosis. Vocals screech on wild/weird tracks as Tupperware drag you into the depths of their madness. As mentioned, Tupperware’s insanity seems the only rational response to a world in flames.

(Self-released)

Yellowcake – Can You See The Future?

Yellowcake’s Can You See The Future? EP was originally released on cassette back in 2022. The Phoenix, Arizona band’s 7-song release was well-received by scores of fans, and thus, it’s not wholly surprising to see Can You See The Future? getting a vinyl re-release by labels Not For The Weak Records and Suicide of a Species. In many ways, Can You See The Future? is the perfect punk 7″ – vicious, energetic, and deafening; what more do you want? Explosive tracks whiz by at top speed as singer Genesis’ blown-out vocals punch through flaming walls of Scandi-inspired hardcore. Yellowcake’s tracks are dark and grim but also hot enough to cauterize a wound. Guitarist Raul’s riffs are as sharp as buzzard’s talons, and Can You See The Future? is equal to the hype. (FYI: much-loved Californian label Transylvanian Recordings have recently re-released Can You See The Future? on cassette, too.)

(Not For The Weak Records, Suicide of a Species)

Phane – Police System
Svaveldioxid / Parasit – Split
Cimiterium / Slavery – Split

Czech Republic label Phobia Records has released plenty of murderous music in the past 12 months, and here’s another batch of bangers.

Canadian punks Phane specialize in “charged hardcore”, which is to say, fans of GBH, Broken Bones, and The Varukers will find a lot to enjoy on Phane’s Police System EP. There’s obviously a strong throwback echo to Phane’s punk, but it’d do the band a disservice to say they were simply mimicking the past. You could argue that rather than simply emulating anything, Phane are, in fact, refining a much-loved street punk recipe; honing its ingredients, and dusting with other inspirations, to heighten the taste. Expect anthemic 80s punk, but Phane’s Police System EP also features plenty of modern hardcore muscle.

Australian band Cimiterium also look to the past for inspiration with their scorched-earth stenchcore calling to mind Deviated Instinct, Hellbastard, Axegrinder, and most importantly of all, the chuggin’ riffage and rawness of Bolt Thrower. Phobia Records recently re-released Cimiterium’s self-titled 7″ from 2022, and the four songs within are replete with rotten-sounding/gravel-gargling metalpunk. That release comes highly recommended, as does Cimiterium’s upcoming split with Czech Republic crusties Slavery, who share an affinity for thickset metallic crust that stinks to high heaven. At the time of writing, tracks from Cimiterium and Slavery’s split are streaming on the bands’ respective Bandcamp pages, but their collaboration is due for release via Phobia at some point soon. Fans of Warcollapse, Contagium, Cancer Spreading, Hellshock, and Stormcrow take note.

Last but not least, keep an ear out for the 7″ split from Swedish kängsters Svaveldioxid and Parasit. Like Cimiterium and Slavery’s upcoming release, Svaveldioxid and Parasit’s collaboration features two bands in sonic and philosophical sync. Svaveldioxid and Parasit’s foot-to-the-floor d-takt features a similarly old-school – but still highly effective – plan of attack. Svaveldioxid released a great EP earlier this year (Mental Skyttegrav, out via Blown Out Media), and the band’s split with Parasit features the same heavily built d-beat that gets straight to the point in the most brutal way possible.

(Phobia Records)

Nagazaki – Due​ñ​xs de Nada

Bogotá-based five-piece Nagazaki recorded their Due​ñ​xs de Nada cassette at their hometown’s famed Rat Trap House. (Home, studio, and creative hub for the much-adored Muro and kin.) As Nagazaki’s UK distro Noise Merchant Records says, strap yourself in. Due​ñ​xs de Nada features seven howling tracks that explode with the heat and ferocious energy of Colombian raw punk. Nagazaki’s vocalist Alex sounds like they’re about to spontaneously combust, while guitarists Bichas and Wilson’s lacerating riffs burn like battery acid. Nagazaki’s third release in as many years is their best work yet. Propelled by unfettered rage, Due​ñ​xs de Nada is a searing reminder of street-level punk’s passion. Inferno hardcore: light a match and watch it burn.

(Z-X Produce, Noise Merchant Records)

Jim Jones and the Kool-Ade Kids– Trust Me​.​.​.

I didn’t envision that much-respected Colorado metal label Dark Descent Records would be the ones to reissue Jim Jones and the Kool-Ade Kids’ debut. The Michigan band’s first release, Trust Me​.​.​., was originally issued by Wa Records in 1986, and an original LP pressing sells for a hefty sum nowadays. All credit to Dark Descent for putting Trust Me​.​.​. back within the reach of most of us, and while the album exhibits plenty of cough-syrup heaviness, it isn’t a max-metal release like Dark Descent’s usual output. There’s is plenty of recognizable metal here, with raw thrash and proto-death metal appearing throughout, but crossover hardcore plays a significant role, too. Jim Jones and the Kool-Ade Kids formed with a hardcore mindset. Still, as guitarist Paul Pretzer explains, “By the time we were writing and recording Trust Me…, I was just trying to combine my love of music like Black Sabbath, with that heaviness, with my love of bands like Battalion of Saints, who were aggressive and raw.” Trust Me… is pretty much the perfect representation of that; think Corrosion of Conformity’s early adventures or imagine Black Flag at their sludgiest covering the entirety of Paranoid. Not every album lost in the mists of time warrants a repress. But Trust Me… deserves the attention.

File under ‘rad reissue’, alongside Мир’s 1985 LP, Mindecision, which Beach Impediment Records kindly re-released earlier this year. Much like Мир, Jim Jones and the Kool-Ade Kids deserve to have the volume turned up on their contributions to the cause.

(Dark Descent Records)

B​.​O​.​R​.​N. / DRACULA – Split

It wasn’t that long ago that I was writing about Alabama outfit B.O.R.N.’s excellent Belligerent Onslaught Relentless Noise EP, and here they are again, appearing on a split release with New Orleans band Dracula. As I said a few months back, B.O.R.N.’s raucous racket is pitch-perfect for fans whose lugholes are beyond any hope of repair. B.O.R.N.’s four contributions here are absolute scorchers, a white-hot fusion of crasher crust, ear-shattering hardcore, and primitive d-beat. Dracula’s tracks feature plenty of visceral rawness, too, but the Louisiana band dangle legit hooks amongst their otherwise dis-rockin’ d-beat. B.O.R.N.’s concussive music deserves more attention, and while I hadn’t heard Dracula before, their ‘freak rocker’ approach catches your ear as much as it batters you senseless.

(Bloodlust)

Repression – War Comes Home

Repression’s three-song demo from 2022 sold out in the blink of an eye. The trio’s new War Comes Home EP underscores precisely why. Repression’s new six-song 7″ digs deeper into their “Burning Spirits-by-way-of-Boston” sound with thundering bass, face-smashing drums, and uranium-tipped riffs raining down like artillery shells. Vocalist Delivan rips their throat out, and tracks like “Nuclear Tomb,” “Eradicated”, and “Actionable Threat” are all volatile combinations of thrash, hardcore, and barrelling metalpunk. War Comes Home is a significant step up from Repression’s demo, featuring more explosive tracks fleshed out by a heavier and, dare I say it, even more swaggering sound. That’s a hard recommendation from me.

(11 PM Records)

Mutant Strain – Murder of Crows

Mutant Strain’s self-titled 2020 LP was an absolute ripper, the perfect combination of punk’s audio assaultiveness and its gritty visual aesthetic. The North Carolina band’s second LP, Murder of Crows, delivers another on-point mix of blazing hardcore framed by terrific artwork and design. (And it’s no surprise to see on-point label Sorry State Records supporting Mutant Strain again, too.)

Murder of Crows features an in-your-face barrage of incendiary instrumentation backed by the firestorm vocals of Mutant Strain singer Maryssa. Every member of Mutant Strain sounds in lockstep, musically, and yet every member also sounds wholly unleashed. High-voltage hardcore flys by at dizzying speeds, but while Mutant Strain’s tracks are often jaw-droppingly fast, they’re not so fast that you can’t appreciate the skill required to balance their explosiveness with their tightness. Mutant Strain’s debut was killer; Murder of Crows is even better.

PS: The LP version of Murder of Crows features impressive front/back cover art by Jack Sabbat, a double-sided poster, an illustrated booklet, and more visual treats. Well worth your money, believe me.

(Sorry State Records)

Kontaminate – 8 Song EP

It’s been a while since we’ve heard from Richmond, Virginia, d-beat band Kontaminate. The band’s 2021 demo, Blood Hunger, featured five ultra-violent tracks that were frenzied yet focused. Kontaminate’s new 8 Song EP sounds even nastier, and it ever-so-slightly alters the band’s line of attack. Kontaminate’s latest songs are still minute-long maelstroms boiling with the anger and frustrations of life. And hardcore’s snarl still drives Kontaminate’s d-beat. However, the abrasiveness of raw punk is more apparent, and Kontaminate’s 8 Song EP sounds even better with that extra layer of roughness and harshness. Eight songs, ten minutes; a brain-smashing experience throughout.

(11 PM Records, Broken Skull Records)

Mindclot – Profit Over People

Mindclot’s Profit Over People EP is the St. Louis, Missouri band’s third release. Crust punk is a primary ingredient here. However, Mindclot add plenty of blackened hardcore into the mix, both vocally and instrumentally, on songs like “Poison” or “Distrust”. D-beat raises its head, too. But in the main, tracks like “Exploit Us” and “Hypocrisy” lean into super-dark hardcore with their spitting vocals combining with a doom-shrouded atmosphere. Listening to Mindclot’s back catalogue, they’re clearly improving step by step. Profit Over People‘s heavyweight tracks are the band’s best thus far. Chomsky would be proud, I’m sure.

(Self-released)

Mazandaran – S/T
Stiff Meds – Tales From the Slab

UK label Quality Control HQ is a go-to source of belligerent yet cathartic hardcore, and here are two more prime examples of that. Mazandaran deliver howling protest punk from the perspective of the Iranian diaspora. The band’s self-titled EP draws from Persian mythology and utilises tales of heroic battles with demons to frame significant issues today, like theocratic oppression and the fight for freedom from political persecution. Instilled, as it is, with a revolutionary message, Mazandaran’s rabble-rousing hardcore is, of course, punk as fuck.

Stiff Meds’ Tales From the Slab LP features 12 songs that hurtle past at whiplash speeds. Fastcore, you’d call it. Pop a pill, down a pint, cue up some video gore-fest, and repeat. Tales From the Slab‘s maelstrom tracks are packed with whirlwind riffs, throat-shredding vocals, and supersonic drums. Fuelled by the legacy of bands like Siege, Infest, and Napalm Death, Stiff Meds’ sound is similarly blistering. Tales From the Slab delivers a high-velocity kick to the cranium – fast enough, for sure, to put you in the morgue. As a bonus, purchase the LP version of Tales From the Slab, and you get an exclusive live set on the B side.

(Quality Control HQ)

Suffocater – Deadlights

I read an interview with the Salt Lake City, Utah, band Suffocater, where they listed the bands and records that had inspired them. In the mix were groups like Slayer, Acid Bath, Eyehategod, Coalesce, and Botch, and you can hear all of those bands on Suffocater’s new Deadlights album. Not explicitly, nor in terms of mere mimicry, but Suffocater’s hardcore/metal mix is the sum of its influences. There’s music here that’ll suit the metalcore crowd but also post-metal devotees and straight-up burly hardcore fans. Sometimes Suffocater even drift into neo-crust territory (see “Morphine” or “Bodiless”), and sometimes they fire off barrage after barrage of steel-tipped riffs (“Embitter”). The point is that there’s a lot here to consider and consume, meaning Suffocater are a band with depth.

(Self-released)

Demolishing Demos

Below are a bunch of demos that caught my tinnitus-ravaged ear recently. I’ve kept the blurbs short ‘n’ sweet so I can cram in a little more noise. Thanks for visiting ICWT. Fingers crossed, I’ll see you next month. Be excellent to one another.

Bitter Hate – Demo 2023

Straight outta Nova Scotia, Canada, Bitter Hate’s Demo 2023 features a stench-heavy discharge of d-beat, grind, and hardcore. The lo-fi murkiness of Bitter Hate’s Demo is one of its finest features. There’s every chance the next time we hear from Bitter Hate, the band might have polished a few of their edges. But there’s absolutely no need to clean this shit up.

(Sordid Bin)

Human – Earth Demo 2023

Human sound inhuman. The Fresno, California band’s Earth Demo 2023 hisses and spits like a creature sent to punish us all for our myriad sins against the earth beneath our feet and each other. Fuzz-fucked noise punk gnaws on red-raw punk while split-second songs shriek and howl. Awesome.

(Self-released)

Skill Issue – Total Doom Demo

Pennsylvania band Skill Issue deliver fired-up LGBTQ+ hardcore for the freaks and weirdos among us (that’d be me, and likely you, too). Skill Issue’s Total Doom Demo isn’t as bleak as its title sounds, though. It’s crammed with genre-ignoring hardcore that tears into the prejudices and hurdles that folks who are so often sidelined or overlooked face. Hardcore resistance for hardcore fans.

(Chooch Bear Tapes, Richter Scale Records)

Accusation – Demo

UK band Accusation’s demo features stripped-down, mosh-ready hardcore. Recorded by Violent Reaction founder Tom Pimlott, Accusation’s demo will appeal to those who view Boston as the holiest city in the Straight Edge Empire. Blast, breakdown, blast, breakdown, blast, breakdown, repeat. Load’s a fun, innit.

Necron 9 – Demo II

Necron 9’s second demo for 2023 features more gutter-raw sonics crackling with urgency. Again, the four songs here twitch and buzz with nervous tension, and Necron 9’s lo-fi abrasiveness accentuates the nerve-tweaking desperation of anxiety. Great stuff.

(Unlawful Assembly)

Dimension – Demo

Dimension’s six-song demo is fierce and frantic. The Massachusetts band’s tracks are, primarily, no-frills rippers with venomous vocals, relentless drums, and jagged chords aplenty. Sometimes Dimension put their foot to the floor, and sometimes they attack at a slower pace or from a different angle. Either or, Dimension’s demo is all killer, no filler.

(Iron Lung Records)

Posted by Craig Hayes

Old man from Aotearoa New Zealand. I write about dadcrust for d-beat dorks, raw punk nerds, and metal dweebs.

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