records < food

It's about that time again... I've started working again, so I've had more money to spend of records! A good chunk of these all come from the Sorry State Records web store and Celebrated Summer Records in Towson, MD.

7"s:

Civic Progress- Petroleum Man
I loved their demo, and they ruled at No Way Fest, so I was stoked to help them out with an NJ show. This record is most of their demo songs just re-recorded. The playing is a little tighter, and the production isn't as muffled. The band shares members with Cardiac Arrest, and have a similar early 80's raw hardcore punk approach. The lyrics are more political though, but not in a preachy kinda way- more in a Dead Kennedys kinda way. It rules, and should hold you over until the new 7" comes out.


86 Mentality- Final Exit
I guess this is supposed to be 86 Mentality's last record(?), and it's a great way to go out. It starts with an Outro that's slow and brooding, then kicks into their raw fast sound. They always reminded me a lot of SOA and Negative Approach since the songs have a real monotone rawness to them. No real evolution here, just more of the same great stuff they've been doing all along. Pay your final respects, and get this.





Cross Laws- Behind the Curve
Cross Laws- Ancient Rites
Cross Laws released 3 7"s (one of those being a demo) within a short amount of time before breaking up recently. "Behind the Curve" seemed to sell out immediately, maybe since it was limited to 300- maybe because it rules. By the time I heard it was out, it was already gone, luckily I happened to find one at a shitty record store by me. This record picks up where the demo left off with real stripped down early 80's style HC in the style of mid-west bands like the Fix and Negative Approach. Ancient Rites, which was their final release has that same raw sound, but with a lot more melodic parts that are similar to early Articles of Faith. By no means is it any less raging, just a little different. This band broke up way too quickly, but hopefully we'll see some new noise from these guys soon.


Bored To Death- s/t
Bored to Death are a new band from Japan who play a more American style of early 80's hardcore (DC), almost like Total Fury. The recording sounds like it was run through an old boom box, and sounds real gritty (which is a good thing). The songs are real good and catchy, and naming your band after a Government Issue song helps too.


Crossed Eyes- Rattled
This is a little different than the average Sorry State Records release, and is a lot more pop-punk sounding. Luckily it's the kind of pop-punk that I like (not the border line emo or alternative sounding stuff). Similar to bands like the Observers, but with a more blown out recording sound. There's a lot of sing along parts, and I could totally see these guys going over well at a New Brunswick basement show.


Christian Club- Final Confession
I know this band shares a member with life Crisis, and share some of their blistering fast thrash influences. Sounding similar to early Poison Idea and maybe even Citizen's Arrest, and not pulling any punches on their stance against religion. Another band that broke up too soon.


Episode- s/t
This 7" seems to be surrounded with mystery, but they're apparently from TN. It comes in a printed dust sleeve with the insert stuck inside and hard to get out. It seriously sounds like Systematic Death and other Japanese classic, and I wouldn't joke around about that. All the songs sound different, but all fucking RAGE! Seriously, when was the last time you heard a band from America pull off Japanese Hardcore style well? This record will most likely disappear quickly, and is hard to come by even now, so find it now. I seriously can't recommend this any more.


Bad Dirty Hate- s/t
Bad Dirty Hate was the sleeper hit from "No Bullshit Vol. 1," and finally have something out. I had downloaded some of these songs as their demo, so I'm assuming that it was based on 2 recording sessions. If you read this blog enough, you know I have a huge soft spot for Japanese Hardcore. This stuff is just real fast and insane thrash like Systematic Deth or something like that.


Time to Escape- s/t
I guess this was recorded a while ago, and is just now seeing the light of day. The band had been broken up, but with the release of this 7" seems to have begun playing shows again. There's a big picture of the Capitol Building in Washing DC on the cover, and that's a pretty good way to describe how this sounds. They sound a lot like the Faith and other DC pre-Revolution Summer bands. Maybe we'll see another record from them in the future.


Regulations- Different Needs
I was kinda on the fence about this since the "Electric Guitar" LP was mediocre. This new 7" really didn't change that unfortunately. There's a few decent songs on here, but aren't nearly as good as the stuff on their s/t LP. It's not terrible, but I'd recommend their earlier releases more.


Let Down- Sacrifice Me
Let Down's back w/ another 4 song 7" of pissed off straight edge hardcore. Their sound leans more toward bands like Shark Attack, No Justice and Panic. Similar to their last record, but maybe a little more emphasis on the mosh parts. In a time when most edge bands are jocking shit like Biohazard, it's good to see a more stripped down sounding band in the mix.


The Ergs!/ Lemuria
Yet another new Ergs record, I think that makes 5 so far this year... I prefer the faster Ergs stuff, but this is a bit more like the mid-paced songs on the new LP. They cap off their side w/ a cover of "Hey Jealousy," which has been a staple live song for a little while now. They do the song somewhat faithfully, but add their own spin without sounding like Me First and the Gimmie Gimmies. Lemuria I've seen before in New Brunswick. They play some mid-paced female fronted pop-punk somewhat similar to Discount mixed w/ some late 80's/ early 90's power-pop. No too bad, and a perfect split to commemorate their US tour this summer.


Nightstick Justice- s/t
I'm not sure if they're named after the Negative Fx song or the N.O.T.A. song, but either are great bands to be associated with. I'd say it closer resembles NFX though. This is just NJ's demo repressed on vinyl, but damn is it killer. Aggressive pissed off raw early 80's inspired hardcore punk for CA. Should have a new record coming soon.


Upstab- W/ Report
Upstab's back w/ their 2nd and last(?) record of ripping Clevo style hardcore punk. Fans of bands like Cider, the Inmates and GSMF probably already love this. The singer also used to be in H-100's, who were great. That's all I can say, that scene is a genre all to itself.


Killin It!- s/t
NJ's Killin It unleash their first record of party thrash. Musically, I'd say they have a lot in common w/ Tear It Up, What Happens Next and Life's Halt, but pull it of a lot better than a lot of crappy boring thrash bands who fail at that style. Lyrically however, they're more in tune w/ bands like Municipal Wast, and have (multiple) songs about partying and pizza. It's a little goofy, but too many bands take themselves too serious these days anyway. As a long time edgeman, I'm not one for partying, but even I can get down with this.

LPs:

V/A- Four Old Seven Inches
This is also referred to on CD as "1981: A Year in Seven Inches," but has 2 extra Minor Threat 7"s. This was recently just repressed on clear vinyl, so I figured it was time to get the vinyl version. I wasn't sure if it would be remastered, but it's not. There is a little bit different art on the insert. If you're not familiar w/ this release (and you should be), it features the CLASSIC 7"s from Teen Idles, S.O.A., Government Issue, and Youth Brigade. Without going into a history lesson, these band were all peers to Minor Threat, so if they're one of the few bands you know of that scene, there would make a perfect companion. I'd also like to add that the S.O.A. 7" is probably my favorite HC record.


Talk Is Poison- Condensed Humanity
I'm still kicking myself for not getting into this band when they toured around here, but I've since fallen in love with all of their records (and related bands). This LP compiles all of their releases (2 7"s and a split 7" w/ Deathreat). I was hoping that I was missing out on a comp song or some demo stuff, but nope. Either way, all their releases have been out of print for a while, so maybe this will get some more people to check them out. Members went on to various other bands, but Look Back and Laugh sounds most similar to the TIP sound. They just did 2 shows on the west coast, and I hear they're starting to play more shows!


Deep Wound- Discography
Fucking Deep Wound! Yes, that classic hardcore band from MA. This is a discography LP which contains their awesome 7", demo stuff and some comp tracks. Members of this band went on to be big in bands like Dinosaur Jr. and Sebadoh, but those bands sucked. Obviously I loved that 7", but hadn't heard the other stuff until now, and it's all great. I was a little hesitant based on the import price on this, but I had some record store credit to blow. These guys were more like Siege, and weren't in with the Boston HC scene, but made some loud noise that made people take notice. The cover art's kinda weird (mine is different from the one above).


The Blinds- On Our Own
I like this a lot more than that 7" that came out recently. This is more tuned into the same Angry Samoans / Circle Jerks sound of their demo, they even re-record some of the tracks from that. I hear these guys are all around the age of 15, which makes this rule even more. They're from Sweden, and fit in with bands like Regulations and the Vicious from there. May be a little tricky to get since it was pressed on a European label, but worth the hunt.


Gouka- Program
I found this used, and all I really knew was that they're from Japan, and toured around here a year or so ago. The music reminds me a bit of Forward, but the vocals are a lot more distorted. Heavy on the D-beat, but more interesting than most crust bands.


Jay Reatard- Blood Visions
Not something I would normally check out, but the songs I heard were real catchy, so I gave it a try. It's got a cool mix of Buzzcocks styled punk mixed with garage punk and some catchy indie type rock. The production on here is real rough, which adds some rawness to these catchy pop tunes. I'm not familiar w/ his stuff in the Reatards, but I can see this straddling the lines between punk and indie rock crowds.

CDs:

Ringers- Detention Halls
This is Ringers' second release. I don't have the first one, but had heard a lot of good things about them, so I snagged this from a used bin. It's poppy, but it also has a real mid paced British punk sound to it as well. It's kinda like Dillinger 4 mixed with the Clash (minus the reggae crap). It's really catchy, and I like the singer's gritty voice. There's some hand claps, catchy sing along parts and I'm sure people into the more recent pop punk scene will be way into this.


the Shemps- Spazz Out with...
I've seen the Shemps a few times, but finally got their CD, and it's pretty cool. Despite having Artie (Millhouse/ Celebrity Murders) on vocals, they sound a lot more like a garage punk band. There's some catchy sing along parts, and some good guitar riffage. Real dirty old Rock N Roll quality to the recording too.

demos:
About To Snap (cassette)
About to Snap aren't new, but this tape is a discography which was made for their last show. It contains their new songs, an unused demo, their "Already Dead" 7", their demo 7" and a live set. Unfortunately they couldn't hold it together, because those new songs are real good. They always reminded me of bands like Voorhees and 97a who took angry early 80's HC, and put a more modern spin on it. Great band- R.I.P.

I Hate This (CDr)
I Hate This is a 3 person thrash/ power-violence band from PA/NJ. They sound real similar to Sick Fix (female singer), and are heavily influenced by bands like Infest. The recording quality is good, but the guitar needs some work to compensate for their lack of a bass player. This fits in well with the recent resurgence of bands playing in the old Slap A Ham records style.

Dead Tired (CDr)
Dead Tired is a new band from the NJ shore with a sound that seems to be a mix of Kill Your Idols with some Faction style skate rock guitar parts. There's some sorta fast parts, but then there's also some real slow parts. There's a mix of styles in there, but they don't melt well together yet. Shows potential though.

Vermefug (CDr)
This was just handed to me at a show, so I don't know much about them. The members all seriously look like Guns N Roses circa 1988, and their sound is very 80's crossover sounding. I mean hell, I grew up on shit like Anthrax and Exodus type stuff, so I'm surprisingly into this. They also have a song about the movie Street Trash, which is pretty cool in my book.

At the Movies

I've recently caught 2 horror movies in theaters, one being Rob Zombie's interpretation of Halloween,the other being Hatchet. Halloween is pretty much showing everywhere, but Hatchet was only playing in 1 theater in the tr-state area.
While I'm not a fan of more recent horror movies, and even less a fan of remakes, I saw Halloween anyway. I had seen Devil's Rejects, and thought it was ok, so I figured Rob Zombie might do a decent job. The original Halloween movies were pretty awesome, but the last few were terrible. In this one, they try to go more in depth with the origin of Michael Myers and Dr. Loomis' relationship. In reality, they waste a good 45 minutes to establish that Michael just kills for no reason... As if I couldn't figure that out already. They show his affinity for masks, and how he obtains his trademark jumpsuit. There's plenty of blood and nudity, which all self respecting horror fans love. Zombie naturally cast his usual cast of characters to play cameos in this as well. The best casting decision was to cast Danielle Harris (Halloween 4/5) as one of Laurie's friends. The ending seemed so forced that by the end of the movie I really didn't care anymore. It seems like they added an extra half hour just for a chase scene through the house. Hopefully there won't be any sequels, which I don't think they planned since Michael and Loomis seem to be dead.
Hatchet is promoted as "old school american horror," which is basically referring to classic slasher gore. The movie follows a group of tourists who find themselves stranded in the woods of New Orleans when their boat tour crashes. The woods are inhabited by Victor Crowley, a deformed man who was thought to have died in a fire. Or maybe it's a ghost, either way the dude's huge and violent. The special effects are all makeup and no CGI (thank god), and the gore is top notch. The story kin dof falls apart, since you don't really see much of Victor aside from when he's mutilating people, and the tourists are all annoying and un-funny. This movie had a lot of potential, but could have been a lot better. If this had the support that Halloween did, maybe they would have put more development into it. Even though it was kind of disappointing, it was still way better than most recent horror movies by far.
I did see a really good horror movie recently, which was the straight to DVD movie, Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon. It started off as a sort of documentary of a reporter following a man in trainign to be a killer. In this reality Jason Voorhees, Michael Myers and Freddy Kreuger are all real people. They follow his training, finding his target and setting traps in a house. In the end, the reporter and camera crew find themselves in the main event. In a way it's similar to Scream how they talk about horror movies in a horror movie, but didn't completely suck like Scream did. This movies is a horror movie for horror fans. It's got loads of cameos, humor, gore, nudity and a damn good story. I highly recommend giving this one a spin, I found it on DVD real cheap on Amazon.

Sweet Jesus, it's...

Sunday September 16th

THE DEGENERICS (NJ hash/thrash zombies)
http://www.myspace.com/thedegenerics

SPLITTING HEADACHE (Jersey shore all-stars)
http://www.myspace.com/splittingheadache

CIVIC PROGRESS (St. Louis Hardcore- members of Cardiac Arrest/the Breaks)
http://www.freewebs.com/civicprogress

STARING PROBLEM (Jersey shore bros)
http://www.myspace.com/staringproblemnj

Killin' It! (retro early 2000 style thrash- new 7" out!)
http://www.myspace.com/killinitson


@ the Popoff
New Brunswick, NJ

$5 / 6pm

e-mail bleedingXedges(at)gmail.com
http://bleedingedges.net

My claim to fame

Back in 2002, I won a design contest to do a t-shirt for a horror movie website. I got some free shirts, but that's about it. The site was cool enought to put my contact info on the page for the shirt. Occasionally I'll get fan mail from people who were just really into the design.


A few years ago my old band, SNAKEBiTE, played with another local band called Scream Hello. I was looking at their merch at the show, and saw a sticker with some familiar artwork. I guess they saw the shirt design online and liked it. As an artist and a punk, I've stolen tons of movie images for flyers; it's pretty flattering to have the punk scene steal my art.


When I went down to Richmond for No Way Fest a few months ago, and I ran into someone with the same art tattoo'd on their arm. I was shocked and excited that someone thought it cool enough to get permanently inked on their body.

This weekend I was at the Monster Mania convention, and saw a vendor selling that same shirt design. I guess it's cool to create something of quality that is still being produced. It would've been nice to get a cut of that, but it's just cool to have been a part of something like that.

Ramen Noodles

Being as I've been unemployed for the past few months, I've fully embraced the lifestyle. I've been going to the local library pretty regularly, and eating a lot of Ramen Noodles (8/$1.00!!!). I've taken the liberty of suggesting a new recipe, since the one on the back of the packaging is totally wrong. The most glaring problem being "serve immediately for best results."


1. Boil 2 cups of water (that's the only thing they did right). For god's sake don't add any salt to make it boil faster.

2. Once the water is at a rolling boil, add the flavor packet. I recommend "oriental" or "beef." The packet should dissolve instantly.

3. Place brick of noodles in water without breaking them up. Let them sit in there and soak up the broth.

4. Once the noodles begin to soften, lower the heat, and unfold the noodles. You can see the difference in color, so make sure to stir it around.

5. Let the pot sit and cool for around 15 minutes. There should be little broth left, and the noodles should be brown colored.

I recommend putting the whole pot in a large bowl and eating it with a fork (or chop sticks if you're so inclined). Enjoy!

Overdue record reviews- pt. 2: 7"s / demos

Ok, so here's the rest of the stuff I got recently. I've gotten a lot of demos lately, which is great. 7"s seem to pile up a lot quicker than anything else, and there's a lot of future classics out there. Some of there are still unreleased officially, and I was just lucky enough to snag tour pressings.

7"s:

Government Warning- Arrested
So the new Government Warning EP is finally out. They'd been playing the song "Arrested" for a little while now. It's kind of more mid paced, but just as catchy. The rest of the songs are more in the faster GW style. Government Warning are the best current band going, so obviously you're going to get this record.


Wasted Time- No Shore
If you thought the last Wasted Time record ruled, you're in for a treat; this new one is even better. Still fast and aggressive in a Poison Idea kind of way, but there's an almost Deathreat style heaviness to it all. They're really improved a ton over the past year since Brandon (Direct Control, Gov't Warning, Municipal Waste, etc) has been drumming for them. Even if you were kinda on the fence about the last EP, this is really great and should make more people take notice.


Life Trap- Bleak Reality
This came out of nowhere, the demo songs online were cool, but holy shit! These guys are all pretty young; but play faster, tighter and better than most bands twice their age. Fast songs about frustration and rage. At No Way Fest they covered Koro and Articles of Faith, and I can't think of a better comparison.



The Ergs- Blue
The Ergs/ Grabass Charlestons
The Ergs' new record assault continues. "Blue" is a song from an old demo that's finally seeing the light of day on a 7" that's got a blue cover and blue vinyl w/ a B-side being a cover of the song "Blew" by some crappy 90's alternative band. If you're a fan of the earlier Ergs stuff, the song Blue is more of the speedy pop-punk you'll love. The Grabass Charlestons I was never too keen on, but these songs sound cool I guess. The Ergs side has a few songs they've been playing live for a while. I'm glad all these Ergs songs they've had demos of for a while are finally seeing the light of day with official releases.



Socialcide- Sick of the Pressure
Socialcide- Burn in Hell, Bundy
Sick of the Pressure is a reissue of the demo, which I loved and already reviewed. If you missed out on that, I highly suggest you get this then. In the time that passed since recording the demo, Socialcide had a few lineup changes, and sound even better. The new record picks up where the demo left off, and will leave your head spinning. I don't know what's in the water in Richmond, VA; but there's a ton of awesome bands down there.



Forced March- Wasted Existence
Raiser/ Forced March
Forced March play some raging fast heavy hardcore, in a similar way to bands like the Holy Mountain, Deathreat or From Ashes Rise. Pretty fast for the crusty crowd, but there's political lyrics. The Wasted Existence EP has some cool art with one of those obi strips. The layout on both records is a little plain. Raiser is from Spain, and play a somewhat similar style, but with some more metallic guitar tone.


Fighting Dogs- s/t
Fighting Dogs were a band from Philly up until recently. They have a female/male vocal attack, with some raw crusty metal music. I was lucky enough to snag this EP at their last show, but the real pressing isn't out yet. They revisit "the Witching" from their demo, and add some more guitar parts. Bands like this always seem to be lacking on a 7" format. Their songs are pretty long and complex that I wish they had an LP worth of material. Unfortunately they are no more, but if you're into crusty Japanese influenced punk metal, check em out (RIP).


Total Abuse- Sex Pig
Remember the Snobs? Well they grew up, and are playing some awesome retro sounding hardcore punk again. They sound more like Koro and Negative FX than the Dischord worship of the Snobs. It's real fast tight noisy hardcore punk, and it's damn good.


Life Crisis- Churchstate
Ever wondered what would happen if you crossed Poison Idea with DRI and the Circle Jerks? The answer is Life Crisis. They play some fast raging California styled thrashy hardcore, it has a skate punky feel like RKL. Some smart political lyrics to boot about religion and government.


Sex/Vid- Tania
I suppose they're sorta hyped in certain circles, not around here though. Sex/Vid play some really cool low-fi hardcore punk in a similar way to bands like Career Suicide or Terminal State. It's pretty noisy and the sound quality isn't great, but most of my favorite 80's hardcore records sound like crap too. Good luck finding it, their first EP sold out in no time.


Ecoli- Rape
I saw this listed in a distro described as "for fans of Koro and Neon Christ," and that's a hell of a sales pitch. It doesn't let down either, this is some fast shit here, but doesn't tread into the crossover or power-violence genre. This seems to be a part of the ever growing younger California thrash scene. Good stuff for sure.


The Blinds- s/t
I LOVED that demo they put out a while back, so I was excited to see that they recorded again. The songs are a little more complex than the demo songs, and it's not bad. I was just expecting the same raw sound of the demo, but it's still got a fast tight Angry Samoans style sound. The cover art looks like it should be in color (mine's in black and white), and there's no insert or lyrics. I hear their LP is good, but I haven't picked that up yet.


Destroy L.A.- Vandalize
This kinda reminds me of early DRI mixed with some Nardcore, but the singer's voice kind of reminds me of Grimple a little. Pretty good thrashy stuff here.


Sick Fix- s/t
Sick Fix re-visit last year's demo, and re-recorded the whole dang thing. Since I loved the demo, I needed no convincing to pick up this. The guitar tone sounds a lot heavier, it could be from a better recording quality. It almost sounds like it's a different tuning maybe. Either way if you're into heavy power-violence type stuff with sXe lyrics, you win. Musically it reminds me of Infest and Failure Face, but the vocals are similar to Look Back and Laugh.


0DFX (Zero Defex)- War Hero (1983 demo)
For those not down w/ 0DFX, they were a hardcore band from Cleveland, OH in the 80's. I would categorize them in the same league as mid-west greats like Negative Approach, the Fix, Mecht Mensch, etc. Great to see more stuff by them becoming available. Another demo 7" is coming out shortly.


V/A- Demolition Series #1
The first of hopefully many Demolition compilations compiles 4 7"s of bands' demos (get it... DEMO-lition). Each record is limited to 200 ever, and the set is limited to 155. Obviously since the bands recorded this stuff as demos, the sound quality varies, but is surprisingly good. Rabies- Before the Disease compiles a few demos they did before the Disease-core EP. The A side is a little rough, but the B side is a lot more like the Rabies we know. Cross Laws- Can't Sleep is a 1 sided 7" with some good early 80's mid-west influenced old style hardcore punk. This record is probably my favorite in the set, and I still need to track down the new EP. Despite the sloppy cover art, the Vile Nation- s/t record is pretty raw and has a sweet NegFX cover. Chaotic Mess- Bloody Fetus in the Toilet looks and sounds like a California thrash record, like Suicidal Tendencies. Good luck finding this bad boy, it was pretty much a mail-order only type deal.


V/A- Mass Confusion
This record came with issue 3 of the Big Hurt fanzine. The zine is a great companion to this record, since it has interviews with every band on here. Most of the bands seem to be from the Chicago/ Toronto area. There's a good variety of punk and hardcore on here. My favorite song is the Terminal State one. I'm not sure if the rest are previously unreleased, but I know the 86 Mentality one was on their last record. I don't think the record and zine stand alone well, but make a great pair.

demos:

Bad Advice (CDr)
Sweet new band with some familiar faces from VA (Government Warning/ Direct Control members). This is pretty fast, but more straight up punk than hardcore sounding. This kinda reminds me of Battalion of Saints. There are some mid-paced upbeat songs, and the last song's actually kinda slow, but really good. It says inside they're going to do an EP on No Way Records, so you know you're gonna like it.

Civic Progress (tape)
Some members of Cardiac Arrest play some pretty ripping hardcore. Sound reminds me of Negative FX a lot, pretty fast early 80's Boston style HC. Pretty similar to other St. Louis, MO bands like Cardiac Arrest (obviously) and the Breaks. They have a song on her that bashes Crimethinc on here, which is pretty cool.

Guilty Faces (tape)
Some good old sounding punk with ex- Ratbyte members. This has a more mid-paced sound kinda like the Adolescents or the Faction. The singer, Tommy's voice is really raspy, which gives it an added edge. There are a lot of cool guitar leads, which is pretty cool. Kinda similar to the Bad Advice demo, someone do a split 7".

Life Crisis- Political Religious System (CD)
This is the pre-release for the new 7", which wasn't ready in time for their tour. The CD looks to be pro-printed, which is kinda cool. This is a little heavier, in a DRI sense, than their last record. It's still ripping fast, with short songs. A little lineup change, but still fits in the same style as the previous EP.

Retard Strength (tape)
I got the limited edition "Jeff DeSantis" pressing of this demo, so I don't now if this is the same thing they've been selling. I know they just recorded for a split 7" with Concrete Facelift. Despite the silly name, Retard Strength actually plays some pretty awesome hardcore punk, which reminds me of some of the bands on the "Not So Quiet on the Western Front" or Middle Class. Pretty low-fi fast hardcore punk with a spastic singer (with the best vest ever). Keep an eye out for these guys.

Zhenia Golov (CDr)
Zhenia Golov, from NJ, with members of some other local bands, but this is much better than their past efforts. The sound reminds me more of heavier crusty hardcore punk bands like Wolfbrigade with politically minded lyrics. Some good raw distorted crusty hardcore here, which very rarely pops up around these parts. The guitar sounds a little low, but I think they just recorded for a 7", so I'm sure the quality on future releases will be more evenly mixed.

Always Aware (CDr)
Some pretty generic sounding youth crew straight edge type stuff here. I think they have a member of Expired Youth, which were kinda similar. I could see people stage diving and finger pointing to this, but it's really nothing new. It reminds me of the late 90's youth crew revival, but I guess bands like that are a little more scarce these days.

Pitfall(CDr)
Despite having an S.O.A. cover and a bunch of samples, I can't say I'm too into this. While it is kinda fast, it's got some almost metal breakdowns. I'm not too into that stuff, but it kinda sounds like early Cro Mags I guess.

Plead the Fifth(CDr)
They were sending these out for free, so I suppose I can't complain too much. The recording quality is pretty good, but the packaging leaves much to be desired. I guess this would be considered more like faster modern hardcore- something like Ceremony, with fast parts and mosh parts.

Hit the Books- Read Fast, Die Young (CDr)
OK, Scholastic Deth did the whole thrashy punk about books and stuff years ago. These guys play some fast thrash punk with most songs clocking in around a minute. The playing and recording quality needs to get worked on, but I'd rather hear this than most jock metal core that's big these days.

Oh, and my band, Wormeaters has a split demo tape w/ the Kanamits out. Get in touch w/ me if you want to order one. Both bands share members and both play fast hardcore punk. The Kanamits play some early 80's California style fast hc/punk with a female singer. (For fans of Sin 34, No Thanks, I Object) Wormeaters play a more aggressive angry style of early 80's influenced hardcore with dystopian political lyrics. (For fans of Negative Approach, Mental Abuse, YDI, Agnostic Front)
http://myspace.com/kanamits
http://myspace.com/wormeaters

Overdue record reviews- pt.1: 12"/ CDs

Ok, so these are basically all the records / CDs / demos I've acquired over the past 2-3 months. There's a ton, so I apologise if I don't go as in depth as you'd like. I've decided to break it into 3 parts: LP/CDs, 7" EPs, and demos

LPs:

Double Negative- The Wonderful and Frightening World of...
North Carolina's best kept secret emerges with by far one of the best LPs that I've heard in a while. I think the average age of these guys is in the late 30's, and they show no signs of slowing down. What you get is blisteringly fast heavy hardcore. It sounds like if you were to smash together the raw sound of the early Corrosion of Conformity, the intensity of Gauze and the driving beats of Discharge. There's really no current bands I can think of that are this intense. Seriously, stop what you're doing, and order this record right now!


Repercussions- 11 Song EP
After all my friends who went to Chaos in Texas fest came home raving about this band, I figured I should give it a chance. I'm glad I did, because it's some great raw heavy hardcore. With a resume that boasts bands like Deathreat, Balance of Terror, Cold Sweat, Pedestrians and Army of Jesus; you'd assume it'd be great. The sound leans heavily toward the Deathreat sound, with heavy guitars and quick time changes. I hear they may have broke up, or went on hiatus, but don't miss out on this.


Look Back and Laugh- State of Illusion
LBAL come back with a new 1 sided 4 song LP. The B side has a cool looking screen, but the cover art is kinda weird looking. I think I like last year's Street Terrorism 7" better, but this is pretty good. It's more of the same good fast hardcore you've come to expect from them, but nothing new. But hey, why change what works right?


Criminal Damage- No Solution
If you're like me, that first "Crim Dam" LP took you by surprise, and you fell in love. This new LP is certainly not going to disappoint. It's got the same Blitz inspired anthemic backup vocal, and mid-paced drumming. The recording quality is about the same as the other record, and picks up right where it left off. There's really no reason to not get this.


Warkrime- Get Loose
Warkrime are back with a followup to their "Give War a Chance" 7" that came out last year. I think I like this one a lot more, there's a lot more guitar work on here, and the songs just sound tighter. I think the vocals seemed a little low or distorted, but it works. They remind me of Verbal Abuse a lot, with some in your face antics like Sick Pleasure. When I saw them a few weeks ago the singer was shoving people and slapped me in the face. Hell, if I wanted hugs and handshakes, I would to see Lifetime or some shit.


Autistic Youth- Landmine Beach
Autistic Youth from Portland came through here on tour recently, and I picked up this little gem. It's really catchy and poppy in the same sense as the Observers and Pink Razors, but it seems to have some more early punk influence. It's really good stuff that more people should be stoked on.


Pisschrist- Nothing Has Changed
Australia's Pisschrist came to the US a few months ago, and I saw them in a basement (with Lifetime of all bands) in NJ. While they didn't fit on the bill, they played some awesome raging D-beat hardcore. Stuff like this I always like more live than recorded, but this is real good. Real fast and heavy with distorted vocals that the punx just love.


Broken Needle- s/t
I'd been hearing about Broken Needle for a while, since they have ex- members of Life's Halt. Finally a record surfaces with what looks like like a compilation of demos with some sweet cover art from Biscuit (RIP) of the Big Boys. It has pretty much all the good elements of the 2000's thrash explosion. Fast punk hardcore with some leads and no metal. Very catchy, very California sounding and very punk.


Zodiac Killers- Radiation Beach
I found their previous CD in a used bin, and picked it up because it looked cool. This is unfortunately their last album, but it's a good one! Some surfy Angry Samoans/ Ramones influenced punk. Real catchy and fast, it's a shame they're done. Give it a shot, you may be surprised...


V/A- Killed By Death vol. 1
I was surprised to see this in the store, I don't know if all the old KBD comps were reissued or just re-bootlegged. Either way, these compilations are great to get into stuff you probably wouldn't even know exists. This one has stuff like the Authorities, the Mad and Kraut. I'm sure a lot of these records are available on mp3 blogs now, but for the KBD novice this is a great intro. Compilations used to be pretty important to introduce people to new bands, or in this case old bands. I saw other volumes in the store as well, I hope I can still get my hands on more of these.

CDs:

The Degenerics- Generic Record Collection
I supposed I should preface this with the fact that the Degenerics are one of my favorite bands of all time. They were one of the first local hardcore bands I heard, and left a lasting impression. This collects pretty much everything they recorded. There's the classic Generica LP, the s/t 7", the No Comply 7", the Final Chapter 7", and demo, comp, outtakes and part of a live set. They were one of those bands that if you saw them, you loved them. They didn't get out of NJ as much as they should have in their 8 year existence, so if you missed the boat here's your chance to catch up. All of the tracks were remastered ans sound great, except that all the samples were removed. I guess legal issues over the past few years with samples is why that happened. It's not a huge problem, it just sounds different. If I were to have to describe their sound, I guess mix Discharge with Bad Brains, Black Sabbath and Void. I don't think that comes close to doing them any justice, but I guess stuff like Aus Rotten or most good 90's crustish HC. Crappy descriptions aside, this rules and they started playing a few shows again.


Seasick- Awakenings
NJ's Seasick bring you their first solo record, after a few demos and a split 7". The sound is really polished with great recording quality. They still have the same thrashy anarchist sound, but this reminds me of the early American Nightmare 7"s. There's some re-recorded demo tracks, but they sound on par with the new stuff. They kind of straddle the line between the thrashy hardcore and the melodic hardcore scene.


V/A- Drunk and Alone (Don Giovanni Records sampler)
This is a comp of Don Giovanni's most recent roster of punk/ power-pop releases. The Dustheads open up the comp with a song from their new album which I believe isn't out yet. For Science has 2 different songs from 2 different albums with 2 different lineups. The Ergs also boast 2 songs, from their 2 DG releases. Most of the bands are more in the pop-punk/power pop vein. It's cool that bands are still out there playing this stuff, without at the same time trying to get a major label deal. I'd rather hear some good ol' hardcore, but that's just me...

Who needs the Kwik E Mart?

I do!
While I generally try to avoid NYC, despite living about an hour from it. I just find it way too crowded and big, plus it just seems so dirty. I had heard that 7-ELEVEN had converted a handful of stores around the country into Kwik E Marts to promote the upcoming Simpsons Movie. I gotta be honest, and say the Simpsons hasn't been funny in over 10 years, and I'm not really too excited about the movie. However, when it was good, it was great! Anyway, one of those Kwik E Marts is in NYC on 42nd St., and since I had a job interview in the city, I figured I should go check it out.

It's pretty crazy all the effort that they put in this promotion. There were life size stand-ups of a bunch of favorites, and Simpsons related products. They were selling Krusty O's, which I remember they made a few years back and were pretty good. They also had Buzz Cola, which kinda tasted like Vanilla Coke, and the pink donuts w/ sprinkles. I there was supposed to be a Radioactive Man comic for sale also, but they must've sold out. All of the clerks had Kwik E Mart shirts, which would make Apu proud. I think my favorite was that they had a huge sticker of Jasper on one of the fridge doors, which referenced the episode where he froze himself, and Apu changed the store to the Freak E Mart.

For all the effort they put in, it seemed like it was packed w/ people just visiting it as a tourist attraction. A lot of people were buying Simpsons related merchandise, so I tip my hat to you Fox.


I know I haven't done a reviews post in a while, I've been busy with shows (booking/ attending/ playing) and searching for a job. I'll try to compile a mega post soon.

No Way Fest!!!

First of all, thanks to traffic we got there 2 hours later that we had expected. We got in just as Civic Progress was starting. I may have been the excitement of finally getting to the fest and out of the car, but they sounded awesome; I picked up a demo. Luckily the lineup had shifted, and we didn't miss Wasted Time. The last time I saw them they blew me away, and the new 7" rips. They played awesome, and got a great reaction. Acid Reflux was next, and played great. I fell in love w/ their demo (which was repressed on No Way), and they played even better. Their songs are so stripped down and raw. We left to get some food, since we hadn't eaten since the morning. We found a burrito place around the corner, which had the worst burritos I've ever had in my life. It was more like a pizza w/ beans inside. We had to just listen to Social Circkle from outside. The club was interesting in that there were tons of windows and garage doors, so you could hear almost perfectly outside. Stayed outside regretting the burritos during Caustic Christ, who played a lot off the new LP (which I wasn't as fond of). Direct Control was next, and It's been almost a year since I saw them last. They played even better than they normally do, and did a good mix of old and new. They even played "Hardcore for Heroin," which I haven't seen them play in a long time. Career Suicide made a rare appearance, piggy-backing on Fucked Up's tour dates. Since their guitarist is in Fucked Up, they haven't really done too much lately. They played a ton of stuff off the new LP, which was cool to hear live. The last tour they did they were selling the new LP, so it was the first time seeing them where I actually knew the songs. Lots of energy/ lots of fun, and it was only 9pm!

There was an after party show at a warehouse not too far away. We stopped off at a supermarket for brews (for my crew), and iced tea for me. We got there before most of the crowd, and just hung out w/ people. There were some hoola hoop competitions, and lots of drinking. Bad Advice were supposed to play, but their singer was either too drunk or missing. The Fratboys played first, which seemed to have members of Socialcide. Not too bad raw fast hardcore, with a sweet SSD cover. Life Crisis, who I had done a show for earlier that week, played next. They sounded even better at this show, which was the end of their tour. A great way to end a tour for sure. The Inmates were next, and due to the amount of drinking everyone was doing, I knew it'd be awesome. They opened up w/ "cement shoes," and the hoola hoops and milk crates went flying. People were running around like maniacs, and throwing fireworks. After getting hit in the throat with a hoola hoop, and almost narrowly deflecting a crate w/ my forearm, I decided to move to the side. They probably played the best set of the weekend. Fucked Up played next, and I haven't been too keen on the most recent Fucked Up material, so I sat this one out. They played a handful of covers (Blitz, Black Flag, the Nubs, Poison Idea), but none of them were too great. There were maybe 3 other sober people at this, but I think it was more fun. Best weirdo was the dude w/ the Hurricane 40 and A W.K. tattoos, who was hoola hooping while balancing on a wire spool. Then when he fell, some girl got on top of him, and they started making out.

I didn't sleep much that night, since I slept on a chair. We went out for breakfast, then to check out the huge weird cemetary. We found some weird looking tombstones, and someone named "Morecock," which we all took pictures of. The show this day started later, which was cool, but ended later. Socialcide was playing first today, and I was excited to finally see them, since their demo ripped. I expected them to be good, but holy shit, what a great way to kick off the day. Deep Sleep rose from the dead earlier this year, along w/ some members of the Spark. I had loved their 7", it had an almost poppy vibe, but still stayed real punk. It was cool to finally see them live, but the crowd didn't seem into them since they weren't super fast. Next was Cloak Dagger, who I'd seen before. I think they're ok, a little too slick sounding for my liking. I had heard a lot of great things about Life Trap's live show, and the songs I heard online were pretty cool. Nothing I heard could have prepared me for one of the tightest, most energetic sets of the fest. They blazed through their songs and awesome covers of Koro and Articles of Faith, all while the singer had his fly down. A hard act to follow, but Chronic Seizure were definitely up for it, despite probably being almost twice Life Trap's age. Both of their 7"s are great, and highly recommended. Cardiac Arrest was another band I was excited to see for the first time as well. I loved both of their records, and the singer's voice is a dead ringer for Choke (Negative FX, Last Rites, Slapshot). They were awesome, and someone finally suceeded in taking off the singer's bandanna. After seeing Government Warning a ton of times, I know I'm always in for a high quality show. Despite their singer almost breaking his neck at the show the day before, they tore through the usual set and surprisingly played no covers. Double Negative were a band I'd been hearing a lot of good things about, so when their LP finally came out, I ordered it right away. I was definitely not let down, and my expectations were high for their set. They played really awesome, but unfortunately it seemed like a lot of people left since it was getting late. Their loss, since Double Negative were one of the best sets of the night. Up next was the much anticipated Sick Pleasure set. I'd seen Nicki Sicki weirding around outside the past 2 days, but didn't see any other old weirdos with him. Turns out it was just 3/4 of Government Warning as his backing band. They played a handful of songs, and were tons of fun. He even pulled his pants down during "I've Got Herpes," and was waving his dick around. They ended their set with a cover of "sonic reducer" by the Dead Boys. The show ended pretty late, and I didn't get home until like 6am. If I had a job, I would've been tired going to it.

Thanks to Brandon and Lauren for setting up such an awesome fest. Thanks to everyone who picked up one of the posters I made. It means a lot to this unemployed artist.

*Normally these reviews would be coupled with photos I took. Unfortunately w/ my hard drive crashing, I lost all of my website files. At the same time, my parents took the camera I usually use on vacation with them. Seems I'm out of the show photography scene for a little while.*

June 30th in New Brunswick, NJ

Saturday June 30th

AUTISTIC YOUTH (Portland, Observers-styled punk rock)
http://www.autisticyouth.com
http://www.myspace.com/autisticyouth

FORCED MARCH (Portland, raging fast political hardcore like Deathreat)
http://www.myspace.com/forcedxmarch

SEASICK (new 10"/CD, if American Nightmare had anarchist lyrics instead of fruity emo lyrics)
http://www.myspace.com/seasick

Straitjacket Mind (dark melodic well dressed punk, ex-Blind Society, Tear It Up, Kill Crush Destroy, Forward To Death, Dead Nation, Fast Times, The Rites, The Bad Form, Heatseekers...)
http://www.myspace.com/straightjacketmind


@ Fuck Mountain
New Brunswick, NJ

$5 / 7pm

*AY and FM are playing at ABC No Rio in the afternoon, so the show's starting a little later than usual, but still will be over by 10* you'll have plenty of time to still go to the Degenerics reunion/book release show @ the Court Tavern after*

*Middle America had to cancel =(, I'll have them back here ASAP though*

June 27th in New Brunswick, NJ

Wednesday, June 27th

LIFE TRAP (intense young HC from TN, No Way Records)
http://www.myspace.com/lifetrap

KILLIN' IT! (NB thrashers, like TIU and Lifes Halt)
http://www.myspace.com/killinitson

WORMEATERS (nobody likes us, everybody hates us...)
http://www.myspace.com/wormeaters

HIT THE BOOKS (from MA, same gimmick as Scholastic Deth)
http://www.myspace.com/hitthebookshc

ZHENIA GOLOV(house punx, ex-Malakoi/Ashtray Dirt)
http://www.myspace.com/zheniagolov


@ the Bread Box
New Brunswick, NJ

PM or e-mail me for the address

Wormeaters weekend tour

So my band, Wormeaters did a little weekend tour June 1-3. We had gotten on a show in Baltimore on the 2nd, and got on a show in Philly for the 1st to make more of a weekend out of it. At the show in Baltimore, we were offered to play a show the next day at the UMD Campus. We only had a 4 song demo CDr, and had a great time. This is the first tour type thing that I've done in a while, so I was a bit nervous. It's rough being in a new band w/o any ex-member cred to draw people, luckily we had pretty well attended shows and played w/ great bands.

The main cast of characters is me of course (I play bass), Ray the guitar player, Kris the drummer, Seb (aka: Spazz, aka: First Base, aka: (B.A.) Barak Obama, aka: Phelipe Anselmo) the singer/whipping boy, and John who recorded our demo/ Kris' #1 fan. John was also filming our sets and other things here and there

Friday: We all meet up (minus Kris) to pick up the rental car. We rented a car so we wouldn't have to worry about our own cars crapping out, but it left little room for equipment. We had to borrow drums and bass/ guitar cabinets at every show. After we pick up Kris, we quickly realize that the car is WAY too small for all 5 of us. Luckily he lives close to Philly. We meet up w/ Rob (AKA the Captain), and stop off for food and drinks before the show. We get to the show on time, and nothing was going on (no surprise). We wait around, and a bunch of our Philly friends come, as Seb hits on 2 young crusty girls. The first band, Acid Drop was good, and had a few of our pals from Retard Strength. Before we played, we couldn't find Seb, and I used that as an opportunity to reference the beginning of the Warzone LP. "Yo, where's Seb at? He went to get the Wormeaters women!" Ray had a little too much to drink in too short of a time, which added to the mess that was our set. During that time, Ray was drop kicked into the amp we were borrowing and almost knocked it over, put a fresh bloody tampon in his mouth that he picked up from the floor and smashed his guitar. We played a Negative Approach cover, and in the process he broke 3 strings, and thought it'd be a good idea to just Pete Townsend his guitar. In the process he also cut up his hand real bad. The rest of the bands weren't really our style, but it was still cool. When I went to thank the guy who's house it was, one of his friends accused Ray of being a homophobe. I don't really know what he said, but we always make homosexual jokes to eachother, but nothing malicious. Oh well, but we're not homophobes. I just wanted to get that out there before people start writing letters to MRR. Seb also met a nice young lady friend, and made us all jealous.

Saturday:
We stayed the night at Rob's place, and I didn't sleep too well because of a jerk cat, and John's snoring. In the afternoon, we wandered the streets of Philly. Went to Gianna's and a bunch of random record stores. On the way down to Baltimore, Rob was awesome enough to drive down w/ us, so we weren't all crammed in one car. Before the show we made a detour at Celebrated Summers Records in Towson, MD. If you're ever in the area, I'd highly recommend checking it out. We all got stuff; it's got a great mix of old used stuff and real good current records. It's located in the back of a comic shop, combining the best of both of my nerdy obsessions. The show in Baltimore was originally scheduled to have the Inmates, but they had to cancel. Still, there was a decent amount of people there, and we got to play with Blank Stare and Pulling Teeth. We had kind of loosely discussed going down to the show the following day that Government Warning was playing, but at the show we were asked if we wanted to play, since 2 of the bands dropped off it. When I went outside to tell the guys, John had drank too much and was basically passed out on the street. Apparently the cops came by also, yikes. We were able to stay w/ Michelle from Sick Fix for the night. Apparently we parked the car on a bad street, and when we went back 5 minutes later to go move it, there was a car on the corner w/ its flashers on, and a group of people on the sidewalk next to the car. I think a few minutes later, and it wouldn't have been there anymore.

Sunday:
We figured that we should get to the show early today, since we were playing first, and added last minute. We quickly realize that we have no clue where on the University of MD campus the show would be. I call Michelle, and find out the building name, and we eventually find it and it's all locked. We eventually find an open door, and get to where the show was going to be, and that's locked too. I left a note and pinned it to the door that we left to find food and we'll be back. We find some expensive Mexican restaurant, and when we return there's a bunch of people there, and Let Down was all set up to play. I don't know how everyone else found it so easily, I guess they have enough shows there that people can find it. We borrow more equipment, and I think we played best this day. Some people seemed to be nodding their heads, and someone even moshed during our Agnostic Front cover. The other bands all played great, and it was awesome to get added to such an awesome show. We kinda had to get out soon after that, since most of us (not me) had work to get to on Monday.
Overall, we didn't sell a lot of demos, and it didn't seem like many people really liked us. Either way, I was real happy with the way we played, despite being on mostly borrowed equipment. I'm hoping we can do another weekend tour before the end of summer.

Thanks to Rob Systema, Johnny Moontits, Dom, Mike Blau, Parsons, Nick, Michelle, Pulling Teeth, Blank Stare, Let Down, Acid Drop, the Claw, and everyone else who helped us out.

*I uploaded a bunch of pics to the Wormeaters site too...

June 19th in New Brunswick, NJ

Tues. June 19th

Life Crisis (from CA- on the way to No Way Fest, hc thrash punk)
http://www.myspace.com/lifecrisis

Straitjacket Mind (ex-Blind Society + Tear It Up, dark well dressed punk)
http://www.myspace.com/straightjacketmind

Kamikaze Noise (on tour w/ LC from MD)
http://www.myspace.com/kamikazenoisernrmf

Killin' It! (New Brunswick HC/punk, ex-Kudata)
http://www.myspace.com/killinitson

Retard Strength (Philly HC/punk, Matt Slamdance sings the hits)
http://www.myspace.com/r3tardstrength

Wormeaters (80's style hardcore, homemade shirts and sleeveless flannels)
http://www.myspace.com/wormeaters

@ the Pop Off - New Brunswick, NJ
7PM / $5

http://bleedingedges.net

PM/E-mail me for more info...

*the first 3 bands will be splitting one gigantic set, so despite there being 6 bands it should flow nicely. plus it's a Tuesday and Gilmore Girls got cancelled, so come out!*

keep an eye out for:
Life Trap (TN) on June 27th(?)
Autistic Youth & Forced March (PDX) on June 30th
About to Snap (Canada) on August 11