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 Lists, Crows, Black Labs, and Råpunk.
Gidday, talofa, and kon’nichiwa. This is the second edition of ICWT for November, and the reasons for a bonus edition are twofold:
- life is tough, and you deserve a treat
- there’s been a mountain of gnarly music released recently
Before I go any further, I hope you’re doing okay, given the world seems intent on self-destruction. Everything is awful, and I have no wise words to soothe your furrowed brow. But maybe the music below can help drown out the worst of your worries, if only for a moment in time.
Onto slightly happier news: December’s edition of ICWT will also be a two-parter. Why, you ask? Great question, my friend. Because end-of-year list season is (almost) upon us, and next month, I’ll be talking about my favourite LPs, EPs and demos from 2023. But what about November’s best releases? Don’t fret, amigo. I’ll leave room in my end-of-year splurge to talk about those releases, too.
Obviously, not everyone enjoys all of the end-of-year hype, and that’s fine — *different strokes for different folks*. If the thought of the upcoming celebrations leaves you feeling queasy, I’ll see you in 2024. For everyone else, I’ll be back in a few weeks with my choice of this year’s rowdiest releases. I look forward to hearing about your red-hot picks, too.
A few more things before we get into the latest batch of noisy releases.
There’s no scene more fetishized in punk rock than Japanese hardcore. Unfortunately, it’s frequently grizzled old dorks like myself who bang on about obscure Japanese bands in the vain hope that knowing a few facts about cult acts will save us from irrelevance. Of course, older fans droning on like energy vampires is nothing new; aging punishers have long haunted the halls of punk and metal. However, let me assure you, even though I’m older than time itself, I have zero interest in mansplaining anything. Mainly because I guarantee you’re smarter than me on every conceivable level.
That said, I do love a little tête-à-tête about music from far-flung locations. As such, I thought I’d take the opportunity to mention a couple of killer Japanese releases from 2022 that I’ve been meaning to write about for months. I’ll start with the latest EP from Tokyo legends Crow.
For the unacquainted, Crow are a hallowed band with a somewhat enigmatic aura, and the group’s Who Killed Dove? EP (1985) and Last Chaos LP (1987) are stone-cold classics. The band took a break at the tail end of the 80s, but since the mid-90s, lead vocalist Crow and co have released plenty more music, including 2005’s Bloody Tear LP, which is another absolute mind-crusher.
Crow’s high-energy 2022 EP, 眼 (Eye), was the band’s first release in a dozen years, and Prank Records have recently given the EP a well-deserved vinyl release. Packed with driving metallic hardcore, Eye was engineered (by Shige, of course) at Tokyo’s Noise Room studio, and the 12″ ends with a “hi-tone” version of the EP’s title track that’d do Pooch-era Discharge proud. Age has yet to erode Crow’s ability to deliver harsh or heavy hardcore. Press the play button below for proof of that.
Also recommended are Osaka-based “doom witch” duo Black Lab. Strictly speaking, the Japanese two-piece aren’t a hardcore band. However, like lots of heavyweight genre-blenders nowadays, Black Lab inject plenty of punk ingredients into their sound. (They also follow a punk-powered model of uncompromising creativity.) Black Lab’s third full-length, In A Bizarre Dream, is a Kaiju-sized beast. It’s hard to believe there are only two musicians here, with Black Lab’s wall of fuzzed-out metal dipping into mind-warping psychedelia one minute and then snapping back into max-riffage the next. In A Bizarre Dream is fantastic – melodic, yet murderous, with plenty of nasty hooks.
Book nerds take note: keep an eye out for the recently published RÅPUNK: The Birth of Swedish Hardcore, 1981–1989, which chronicles the formative years of the influential scene and digs into the history of a lengthy list of well-known röckers. Written/compiled by David Andersson (and featuring a foreword by Lee Dorrian), RÅPUNK also features long-lost live photos, gig flyers, and other “Swedish hardcore ephemera”. Sounds amazing. Looks fantastic! The unfortunate news is that RÅPUNK is costly; I’m looking at $100+ to secure a copy. (It’s time to sell more records; the circle never ends!) Punk fanaticism isn’t cheap. Still, RÅPUNK looks very tempting, so if you can, nab a copy forthwith.
Okay, onto this month’s second batch of deafening tunes. Enjoy the noise. I’ll see you soon in a few weeks with end-of-year lists galore.
Collate – Generative Systems
Institute – Ragdoll Dance
I’m starting this edition of ICWT off with a couple of LPs that don’t fall into the raw or crusty sphere of punk that this column usually focuses on. I’m breaking with tradition because both albums are first-rate releases, and both underscore that punk’s artistic frontiers are wide open nowadays.
Collate’s Generative Systems LP starts with a riff that pays homage to the obvious influence of Gang of Four. From thereon in, the Portland band shake, jangle, and shudder across minimalist tracks that nod to the finest exponents of no-wave and off-kilter post-punk. (See the earliest works of the Fall, the Pop Group, and Siouxsie and the Banshees, etc.) Generative Systems is Collate’s third full-length release, and it feels like the band’s most complete yet. Recorded on 8-track cassette, Generative Systems is gritty and scratchy – befitting its analog template – and the lo-fi abrasiveness underpinning Collate’s tracks adds to their authenticity. With smart lyrics, hypnotic basslines, and a captivating looseness, Generative Systems comes *highly recommended*.
Institute’s Ragdoll Dance LP is released by labels Roach Leg Records and La Vida Es Un Mus, and the album was recorded at noted Brooklyn studio D4MT Labs; those are a couple of promising facts to digest before you even hit play. Ragdoll Dance oozes rough-edged charisma, especially on Iggy-worthy numbers like “Warmonger” and “Dead Zone”. Institute reshape post-punk on hook-filled tracks, often reaching back in time to draw from anarcho-punk, glam rock, art rock, and even a touch of Bowie’s coked-up years. If you heard and enjoyed Bits and Pieces, the last release from Institute singer Moses Brown’s solo project Peace De Resistance, you’ll be instantly enamoured with much of Ragdoll Dance. Similarly, Institute’s sharp songwriting evokes the old while tapping into something new.
(Collate – Domestic Departure. Institute – Roach Leg Records, La Vida Es Un Mus)
Trenchraid– War Mentality
War Mentality, the raucous debut full-length from Canadian cohort Trenchraid, is a perfect example of how punk can sound bleak as fuck and yet, at the same time, fun as fuck, too. Take a War Mentality track like “Endless War”. The song hurtles along with abundant Hear Nothing See Nothing Say Nothing momentum, but while the doom-mongering grit and grimness of Stoke-On-Trent’s finest is a clear influence on Trenchraid, “Endless War” also features an undercurrent of Motörhead-esque catchiness. Therein lies Trenchraid’s strength; they sound mean as hell, but they also throw in a shout-along, röck’n’röll hooks.
Poison Idea used to do that. As did Anti Cimex. And Trenchraid sounds like both bands channelling Discharge. Much like Trenchraid’s formidable (and highly recommend) 2022 demo, War Mentality explores the endless horrors of global conflict and the myriad frustrations of human existence. Stripped to the bone, War Mentality tracks like “The Hubris of Mankind” and “Disregulated” feature rapid-fire d-beat that’ll obliterate the annoyances of everyday life. Red-raw songs like “In the Wake of the Bomb,” “Never Surrender,” and “Ecocide” are awesome displays of full-force, ferocious punk, with churning bass and sawtooth guitar backed by barking vocals.
War Mentality boils with anger, bile, hate, and hostility. But like the best high-powered punk, rather than being repelled by all that ugliness, Trenchraid’s bulldozing tracks are wholly magnetic. As mentioned, bleak as fuck, but fun as fuck, War Mentality is a foot-to-the-floor ripper.
[Spoilers: War Mentality is a dead cert for my end-of-year list.](Blown Out Media)
Nō – Punk Is A Message
(Whoops. I meant to cover Nō’s Punk Is A Message EP ages ago. But somehow, I lost the blurb below in a frenzied editing accident. Thankfully, I rediscovered it. My ineptitude is no reflection on Nō’s excellence. Punk Is A Message features plenty of high-powered punk.)
Every member of the Japanese band Nō plays in another group I love. No surprise, then, that Nō’s Punk Is A Message EP is an absolute belter. A rough bio of Nō includes plenty of exciting intel; namely, the Nagoya-based band features members from pummeling groups like C.F.D.L., Why?, Result, Disgust, Reality Crisis, and more. Obviously, with a lineup like that, authenticity sits at the heart of Nō’s mission. Punk Is A Message kicks off with the EP’s title track, which is slightly slower-paced than the rest of the tracks here. Elsewhere, things hurtle along with vocalist Takeshi spitting out super-politicized English language lyrics as thumping drums and salvo after salvo of gouging guitars build a bastion of noise.
With tracks like “No Means No”, “Anger is Power”, and “Black Lives Matter”, there’s no mistaking Nō’s meaning, even if their message is buried in a blizzard of anvil-heavy anarcho-punk and crust-smashed hardcore. Fired-up, super-energized Japanese punk. Raw, raging, and DIY as it gets. What’s not to love, brothers and sisters?
(Self-released – 10″, Chaos Control – CD)
Daydream – Reaching For Eternity
Reaching For Eternity is Portland, Oregon, band Daydream’s third album, and it’s their best work yet. Reaching For Eternity sees Daydream further broadening their artistic parameters, and the band’s creative adventurism is the prime reason Reaching For Eternity is such a smashing success. Daydream’s potency and ferocity are as strong as ever on their latest LP. However, like the most imaginative releases from groups like Straw Man Army, Kaleidoscope, or Institute, Reaching For Eternity sees Daydream happily ignoring punk rock’s boundaries. (If we’re casting a line back in time, think latter-era Fugazi, where the group were still a hardcore band but also so much more.)
Daydream’s sound is tricky to sum up. It’s jagged, mutable, and weird. But while Daydream disregard hardcore’s rulebook, they’re still a recognizably hardcore band. Anarcho punk + noise rock + noise punk + schizoid hardcore works as a baseline, maybe. Chaos is certainly a core part of Daydream’s method. But the band’s instruments and vocals still work harmoniously to underscore Daydream’s visceral intensity.
Reaching For Eternity songs like “Ritual Fear”, “Conspiratorial Crept”, and “Sun-Shined in You” surpass Daydream’s previous musical boundaries. Daydream still sound like Daydream, but they feel like they have tapped into a fresh creative seam. “Morph to Their Perversion”, “Patron Saint”, and “Hopeless Deceiver” are all hardcore howlers. But there’s also a renewed energy to those songs, a tension, a sense that things could spiral into some new artistic orbit.
Throughout Reaching For Eternity, Daydream’s songwriting and musicianship are impressive. Daydream aren’t a brand-new band on Reaching For Eternity, but they are a better one. They’re more interesting. More unpredictable. More alive with possibilities. Recorded and mixed by Evan Mersky at Portland’s Red Lantern Studios, Reaching For Eternity is phenomenal.
(Blackwater Records, Sabotage Records)
Systema – En Vivo Zarautz
The latest release from Colombian band Systema, En Vivo Zarautz, is a 20-minute live set recorded on the group’s 2023 European Tour in the Basque Country town of Zarautz. Yet another group to emerge from Bogotá’s always-thrilling Casa Rat Trap scene, you’ll likely recognize Systema’s name from their much-applauded Última Guerra 12″, which was released by French label Symphony Of Destruction back in 2021. With a who’s who lineup from bands like Muro, Amenazas, Sinnaciön, and Doomsay, Systema’s vibe is tied to a scene located half a world away and also a fair few decades in the past – ’80s Finnish hardcore.
That’s what Systema serve up on En Vivo Zarautz: sweat-soaked, head-splitting, sonic violence that evokes the rage and frustration of those trapped in the jaws of oppression, corruption, and injustice (or choose your own version of exploitation or enslavement). Systema’s snarling songs encapsulate the anger and discontentment we all feel, and En Vivo Zarautz sees that band purge those emotions in a discharge of full-throated hardcore. Fair warning: En Vivo Zarautz is a screeching noise-fest, and high-fidelity is not on the menu. But that’s also what makes En Vivo Zarautz such a treat; it’s raging, raw, and authentic. Just like Systema, and just a cathartic live show should be.
(Self-released)
Phantasm – Conflict Reality
“Think Crucifix, Antisect and Anti-Cimex levels of being told and staying told” is how on-point Naarm (Melbourne), Australia label Hardcore Victim describes Phantasm’s Conflict Reality EP. Fair enough, too. The Naarm band’s breakneck EP ratchets up the barotrauma pressure on its propulsive songs, and singer Bernie sounds like they have fiery words of wisdom to impart. Songs like “Bad Dreams”, “No Peace”, and “Lie Of This” are driven by ill-tempered riffs, anarcho punk basslines, and blunt/brutal percussion. Expect grim songs soundtracking the current wretched point in human history. Like much of the rest of Hardcore Victim’s output, Phantasm’s EP combines roiling rage with boiling punk, and Conflict Reality is another certified Naarm-born scorcher.
(Hardcore Victim)
See You in Hell – Do Smrti A Ještě Dál
Czech Republic bruisers See You in Hell formed in 1999, and their latest release, Do Smrti A Ještě Dál (roughly translated, To Death and Beyond), proves there’s abundant creative fuel left in the long-running band’s tank. See You in Hell met with tragedy in 2016 with the heartbreaking death of founding guitarist and DIY linchpin Filip Fuchs, but the band’s continued existence and still powerful music serve as a tribute to his ideals. See You in Hell mix a variety of subgenres – d-beat, crust, hardcore, and plenty of Burning Spirits oomph – and Do Smrti A Ještě Dál rages from the get-go.
See You in Hell sound fully focused and burlier than ever with the heavy riffs and gruff vocals on “Noc Znovuzrozená”, “Pýcha a Pošetilost” and “Další mesiáš” backed by barrelling bass. I love a long-lived band that radiates such resilience and commitment to the cause. If you’re a fan of See You in Hell’s previous releases, you’ll lap this muscular hardcore up. For the unacquainted, Do Smrti A Ještě Dál is an excellent example of See You in Hell’s creative clout. Rugged tunes for tough times – just what we all need right about now.
(Insane Society records)
Ydinaseeton Pohjola – Enää Meille Ei Riitä Kuolema
The title of Finnish band Ydinaseeton Pohjola’s Enää Meille Ei Riitä Kuolema full-length translates as ‘Death Is Not Enough For Us Anymore’. Ydinaseeton Pohjola have been pumping out tracks since 2008, which means you’ve got 15 years of catching up to do. Although, Enää Meille Ei Riitä Kuolema is a great place to start. I haven’t listened to all of Ydinaseeton Pohjola’s deafening works, but Enää Meille Ei Riitä Kuolema (which was recorded back in 2021) is the best release I’ve heard thus far. Ydinaseeton Pohjola drill into the chaos and violence of groups like Kaaos, Rattus, Riistetyt, and Terveet Kädet, with Ydinaseeton Pohjola forming a clear bridge between now and then. The band’s blown-out noise is packed with the energy and anger of contemporary punk, but it speaks to a strong lineage of Finnish bands raging against all and sundry. Enää Meille Ei Riitä Kuolema features 13 tracks of super-distorted raw punk. FYI, that cover art is fantastic, too.
(Self-released)
Golpe – Assuefazione Quotidiana
I first encountered Italian outfit Golpe via the one-person band’s 2021 LP, La Colpa È Solo Tua, released by Sorry State Records. Golpe’s new EP, Assuefazione Quotidiana, is out via two other great labels, Beach Impediment Records and Static Shock Records. Golpe’s latest release features more politically charged d-beat, and Tadzio Pederzolli, the man behind the mission, invests a lot in Golpe’s overall concept so you won’t feel shortchanged. Visually, Assuefazione Quotidiana comes with a fold-out poster, inserts with Italian lyrics and English translations, and everything ties into the same aesthetic framework as Golpe’s previous releases. Musically, Golpe’s blown-out hardcore is 100% pummelling, but it’s not without its hooks. There’s a nod or two to old-school Italian influences here. Still, in the main, Assuefazione Quotidiana looks to the future, with Golpe’s all-fire d-beat attacking prejudices and injustices along the way.
(Beach Impediment Records, Static Shock Records)
Rattus – Rikki
Finnish veterans Rattus formed in 1978, and 45 years later, they’ve just released their 10th (or is it 11th?) full-length album, Rikki. Full disclosure: I’ve only spent time with Rattus’ influential pre-break-up releases (the band folded in February 1988 but reformed in 2001.) I briefly checked out Rattus’ last LP, 2013’s Turta, which sounded full of vim and vigour. But a decade on, Rattus sound even better.
Rikki sounds heavier than Turta, and with a heftier production behind them, Rattus have never sounded tougher. In fact, all of the band’s members sound in fine fettle, although Rikki does feature Rattus bassist Tomppa’s last appearance, with the bassist choosing to retire after decades anchoring the band.
Rattus’ oeuvre has inspired everyone from virtual unknowns to underground legends and even a few chart-botherers. But after so many years in the punk rock trenches, you’d be forgiven for thinking Rattus might sound ready for a nice hot toddy and lie down. However, Rikki is anything but. The album is chock-a-block with ricocheting hardcore that grabs you by the neck and slams your face into the concrete. Tracks within thrash and smash, mixing melodic riffs with much uglier moments. Rattus definitely sound like they’re still up for the fight, with Rikki built on punk’s foundations but delivered with hardcore’s pounding drums, dissonant guitars, and gravel-gargling vocals.
FYI: The LP version of Rikki comes with a bonus CD, Laulajat On Sairaita, which features classic Rattus tracks performed by Finnish guest vocalists.
(Finnish Hardcore)
Britney Fears – S/T
Scholars regard Greece as the birthplace of democracy, but for scumbags like you and me, Greece is also home to scores of underground bands with fervent fanbases. Greek label Nothing to Harvest Records has released some great punk recordings over the years, including highly recommended releases from groups like Procrastinate and Dishönor, who I’ve raved about before. Ioannina band Britney Fears’ self-titled tape features gut-driven raw punk that buzzes with live-wire energy. It’s a dark, d-beaten stew of bleak tales of authoritarian oppression and odes to the failures of the human condition. Like the rest of the world, battles around every imaginable financial and sociopolitical issue have plagued Greece in recent years. All of that is channelled into Britney Fears’ max-rage music, which is both a call to arms and a call for compassion. DIY in ethos and action.
(Studio From The Down, Nothing to Harvest Records)
Disclone / Unit 731 – Split
Austrian band Disclone have released a dozen or so recordings, and they’ve all featured the same “shit-licking crasher mangel discore”. Disclone’s obnoxiousness – and, of course, the band’s moniker – display a reverence for the holiest of raw punk deities, Disclose. Like Disclose, Disclone shout and scream about the barbarity of war and society’s many ills, all the while dispensing a nerve-shredding torrent of ‘music’. Disclone’s recent split with Hungarian outfit Unit 731 features more maximum sonic mayhem. Disclone lob three noise grenades your way, and each is as über-blown-out as the other. Unit 731 muck about with feedbacking punk, too. Only their contributions have marginally cleaner hooks, which isn’t saying much, given the amount of corrosive distortion that also smothers Unit 731’s tracks. Raw punk nerds, great news: more amp-melting tracks awaits.
(Ingen Framtid Kassetten, Shrekords)
Intrigue – Sniff
One of the great things about underground punk is that it routinely offers no-cost lessons in multiple fields of study. For example, I saw that Intrigue refer to themselves as “Tobacco Town Hardcore”, and the next thing you know, I’m neck deep in Wikipedia, discovering that tobacco is the largest cash crop for Intrigue’s home base of Temanggung, Indonesia. Boom: another free history, geography and economics lesson. Ain’t punk grand.
Intrigue’s Sniff EP spits, growls, gurgles, and roars. The five songs here sound rough and tough, befitting Intrigue’s raw hardcore credentials, but there are also a few of death metal’s ‘urghs’ and ‘arghs’ to be found, too. Intrigue’s tracks explore anger and frustration, with a lyrical focus on anxieties around “greed and oppression”, and Sniff features plenty of production punch, too. More great Indonesian punk.
(Selektif Records)
Money – S/T
Money, it’s a gas. Or they’re a gas, in this case. I hadn’t heard of Texan band Money until Beach Impediment Records combined the group’s previous The Final Bag and 3 AM Eternal cassettes on a handy LP. Blackened metalpunk is what you’ll find within, with blistering tracks like “Secure It”, “Bomb Up My Nose”, and “No Cut”, nodding to groups like Darkthrone, G.I.S.M., Venom, and Anti-Cimex. Think thick lines of nose candy, an Ouija board, and Satan hot on ya heels. Money’s metalpunk is sizzling and sulphurous, and with a tidy remaster from Arthur Rizk, the band’s tracks are in the fiercest and evilest shape of their lives.
(Beach Impediment Records)
Vasanist – Deceptor
Listen to stampeding songs like “Rotting Alive”, “Psychophagus,” or “Typhus” off Vasanist’s Deceptor debut, and it’s pretty clear the Greek trio are a death metal band. However, you could also point to plenty of stenchcore and grindcore ingredients on Vasanist’s debut, and the band definitely have a dark and crusty vibe about them. (And Deceptor‘s cover art by Khaos Art – aka Konstantinos Grigoriadis – is stench-friendly, too.) Ultimately, it doesn’t matter what Bandcamp tag fits Vasanist best. More important is the fact that Deceptor features a heap of filthy and heavy components that stomp all over sub-genre boundaries, and while the sum total of Vasanist’s sound leans harder on metal, there’s still plenty of Cro-Magnon hardcore to hook crust fans’ ears. Recorded, mixed and mastered by Vasanist drummer Sal at his home studio, Deceptor isn’t reinventing the wheel. Nonetheless, Vasanist’s debut might be just the kind of death/crust/grind/stench you’re looking for.
(Self-released)
Nuclear Man – Demo 2023
Every edition of ICWT ends with a quick-fire round-up of recent demos. Sometimes, a particularly ferocious demo stands out, and so I drop it right here in the main feed. This month, it’s the fission-fuelled demo from Manitoba’s Nuclear Man, which blew all my fuses. Like many of the fiercest demos, the production on Nuclear Man’s six-song debut is withering, far exceeding the raw power of many ‘pro’ releases. High-octane tracks like “Red”, “Nuke Man”, and “Warhead” will take you out at the knees. Nuclear Man’s breathless sound draws from crashing d-beat and scything hardcore, and while the band’s demo fittingly hits like an A-bomb, there are a few blink-or-you’ll-miss-them Dis-charging hooks in the shock-wave mix. Nuclear Man’s high-yield demo is the kind of release you’d generally find on the roster of a killer label like Roach Leg Records. Absolute sledgehammering hardcore – easily one of 2023’s best demos.
(Self-released)
Bloody Hell – Blood Metal
Blood Metal is the follow-up to a lower-fi demo from Aotearoa New Zealand band Bloody Hell. In keeping with the title of the Ōtautahi (Christchurch) group’s full-length debut, Blood Metal mixes Steve Harris-worthy basslines with guttural growls and thrashin’ black metal riffs. So far, so metal, but there’s plenty of punk here, too. Bursts of d-beat and stacks of punk attitude run rampant on tracks like “Obsessed with Knives” and “Fields of Blood”. Plenty of punk fans will dig the old-school accent here; think the snarl and bite of Bathory, Venom, and Nuclear Assault rather than any top-tier shininess. First-wave thrash, death, and black metal underpin tracks like “Death Rider” and “Gravespawn,” while punked-up NWOBHM-powers “Vae Victis”. Blood Metal’s raw metal will suit rivetheads and dumpster divers alike.
(Landmine Records)
Dissocial – War will never end?
Dissocial’s War Will Never End? EP isn’t for everyone. For a start, the EP shaves off heaviness in favour of upping its lo-fi harshness, with hissing static engulfing every second of War Will Never End?‘s tracks. That’s no biggie, though. Dissocial are from the “DIY OR DIE!!!” and “MAKING RAW PUNK A THREAT AGAIN!!!” schools, so maximizing the obnoxiousness and abrasiveness of their shitnoise is, essentially, de rigueur. There are solid songs here; “Mother Earth Dying”, “Nuclear War Age”, and “War Machine of Destruction” sound great in an extremely crude and crust-riddled way. In the end, War Will Never End? is best suited for fans of Gloom, Gai, Disclose, or Confuse. Or, if you collect bootleg recordings of Discharge at their absolute fucking rawest, you might ‘enjoy’ this, too.
(Green Peace Distro, Sukma Records, Broken Noise Records)
Auxiliö – Dimensión Oscur
The four women who comprise Los Angeles quartet Auxiliö create a hell of a racket on their Dimensión Oscur EP. Like the band’s previous releases, Dimensión Oscur doesn’t waste time on subtleties or niceties. Auxiliö get straight to the pissed-off point, blending d-beat and jagged-edged crust with thrashing hardcore. Dimensión Oscur‘s six songs feature guttural vocals, battering drums and bass, and super-dark riffs. Auxiliö rage against the world, with myriad forces and sources of oppression on the band’s hit list. Spanish and English lyrics mix on gut-punching tracks, and if you’re a fan of the rawest strains of Latino punk, you should definitely hit the play on Dimensión Oscur. Auxiliö stand ready to fire up moshpits or soundtrack street battles. Fight or flight isn’t an option – it’s fight all the way.
(Self-released)
Fénwär – S/T
Punk sure gets around, huh? Fénwär are from Saint-Paul, the second-largest town on the remote island of Réunion, located in the depths of the Indian Ocean. Fénwär’s self-titled LP blends anarcho-punk with d-beat, and it includes covers of Discharge and Nailbomb. The latter’s not an obvious inspiration, unlike Discharge, whose influence rings loud, but Fénwär’s Nailbomb cover sounds excellent nonetheless.
Fénwär’s album isn’t quite as crusty as its cover art suggests, but that’s not a problem per se. Fénwär sound enraged and engaged, and I’m sure living in a French overseas colony inspires a range of political and social issues to reflect upon, too. Fénwär’s first full-length sounds tough as steel, and with Will Killingsworth getting involved at the mastering stage, all of Fénwär’s tracks feature plenty of heft.
(A quick aside: I am obsessed with sharks, and I listened to an interesting podcast, Shark Attacks in Paradise, which dove into the tensions around shark attacks and shark conservation in Réunion. I guess wherever there are surfers, adventure seekers, and, of course, locals struggling with the legacy of colonialism, there are punk fans, too.)
A quick Google search shows Fénwär’s name is popping up on old-school punk forums aplenty. It’s good to see the band hustling for listeners in a DIY fashion. It would be interesting to learn more about Réunion’s punk scene, so if you’re plugged into it, I recommend you reach out to a site like DIY Conspiracy, which often publishes articles covering far-flung locations.
Major Mistake – Wire-Brain Children
“GRINDING HARDCORE METAL PUNK OF DEATH!” is the all-caps way Finnish band Major Mistake describe their sound. Another way to explain it would be to say that Major Mistake’s latest release, Wire-Brain Children, will hit the mark for fans of Prophecy of Doom, Putrefaction, or plenty of other cruder/cruddier deathcrusties. Major Mistake chug, grind, and regurgitate their way across Wire-Brain Children’s ten tracks, with most songs being the rough equivalent of a gangrenous gut wound. Major Mistake sound wholly gruesome, and Wire-Brain Children offers a variety of unsavoury options:
- filth-caked grindcore (see “Affluenza”)
- dumpster-dwelling stenchcore (see “Qualm”)
- hammer-wielding death metal (see “Human Plastic Bag”)
Disgusting DIY noise for even more vile creatures like you and me.
(Self-released)
Gravestone – Hollow Be Thy Grave
Beloved by metal dorks and punk geeks since its birth, the HM-2 guitar pedal has stamped its mark on both sub-genres. So it is with Gravestone’s Hollow Be Thy Grave LP. The band describe themselves as “death metal punks from Sweden, playing punky death metal”, and while there’s more buzz-sawing HM-2 metal than grotty punk in Gravestone’s sound, there’s enough of an old-school crust stink for the reference to make sense. Crust fans also love the skull-crushing works of groups like Entombed, Carnage and Dismember, and that’s the sonic sweet spot that Gravestone operate in. Hollow Be Thy Grave is the kind of gruff, guttural, and growling album that seeks to unite punk and metal fans, with “Cannibal Curse” and “The Tower Of Horror” appealing to dog-on-a-string crusties as much as “Mosh Of The Living Dead” and “Bring Out Your Dead” will thrill bullet-belted headbangers.
(Raw Skull Recordz)
Parasite – S/T
About 60 seconds into the opening track on Belgium band Parasite’s self-titled debut, everything comes together, and the band’s Discharge via Tragedy (or d-beat via burly hardcore) sound is unfurled in all its chest-thumping glory. In fact, if you’re a fan of the Tragedy school – or the From Ashes Rise or His Hero Is Gone academy – of sturdily built yet hook-heavy hardcore, you’ll love Parasite tracks like “Scorched Earth”, “Psychotic”, and “Blood Money”. Parasite balance clobbering and catchy riffs on debut, and a little of the tough but tuneful grittiness of street punk creeps through on otherwise Dis-charging tracks like “State Control” and “Built To Destroy”.
(Self-released)
Final Dose – Void Inside
Void Inside is the first full-length from more-evil-than-evil UK band Final Dose. The band’s conceit, or artistic device, is that Final Dose are a hardcore band masquerading as a first-wave black metal band, except for when the situation is reversed. The upshot is that wicked-sounding tracks, like “Unchained”, “Cold”, or “Iron Will”, have their claws in the corpsepainted milieu, and yet, look at those sinister songs from another angle, and they’re all nasty hardcore numbers, through and through. Darkthrone pulled that trick a few times, too. Although Final Dose approach black metal from hardcore’s borders rather than the other way round. Void Inside‘s boneyard tracks have plenty of unholy hooks and fiendish lyrics to possess degenerate souls aplenty. Too punk for metal, too metal for punk. Who cares. Just lap this poison up.
(Neon Nile, Crew Cuts)
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.
Lovebite – Demo III
Imagine a hammer hitting a fingernail, over and over, until that fingernail is pulped beyond recognition and the board beneath splits in two. That’s Michigan-based Lovebite’s Demo III. It hammers hard, song after song, with a pace and temper similar to bands like Bib, Gag, Gel –– and other three-letter hardcore whiz kids.
(Richter Scale)
Epoxi – Demo 2023
Epxoi’s Demo 2023 features six paint-stripping tracks delivered in a frenzied/caustic fashion. Nothing here reinvents hardcore, but everything here showcases how engaging a gut-driven demo can be. As Epxoi’s label Upset Condition says, “Sleeping on this band will be your biggest mistake”. Get in now before Epxoi release an instantly sold-out 7″.
(Upset Condition)
Squelch – Demo 2023
Alberta band Squelch combine the grottiest elements of crustcore, grindcore, and powerviolence in a warp-speed blender. The band’s Demo 2023 features six songs in as many minutes, and they’re all a spew-fest of mangled noise and power-drill percussion with ultra-guttural barks and the occasional throat-slit shriek. Urgh. Blurgh. Argh. Etc.
Cracked Molar – Demo
Gainesville, Florida, is the most alligator-infested city in the USA, and that’s where one-person swamp/noise/punk band Cracked Molar calls home. Jason Jewell (on vocals, guitar, and drum machine) crawls through seven bad-vibes tunes on Molar’s demo. Every one of them is a headache-inducing nightmare, and all the crashing instrumentation here will rattle your teeth in their sockets. Great stuff.
(Bellicose Records)
