Tuesday, 26 September 2023
High Vis
Sunday, 20 August 2023
Silver Scooter
Get Fucked
Get Fucked were a short-lived five-piece hardcore/screamo project based out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They only released one album, a self-titled record in 2004 via Level Plane Records. This project comprised of members from a ton of other notable bands, including Welcome The Plague Year, Neil Perry, Lickgoldensky, Tornado Of Knives, and more. Sonically, this is insanely noisy, dissonant hardcore played at an assaulting volume. It's a solid yet overlooked entry in the Level Plane roster, and is definitely worth giving a shot, particularly if you're a fan of Das Oath or pg.99, as a loose point of reference. Enjoy.
Saturday, 19 August 2023
Growing Fins
Wednesday, 19 July 2023
Articles Of Faith
Articles Of Faith were a five-piece hardcore punk band from Chicago, Illinois that were formed in 1981 by vocalist Vic Bondi and originally disbanded in 1985. They reunited in 1991 for a European tour that wrapped up in 1992, and were inactive again until 2010, when they released a new EP and played a handful of shows. Sonically, the band got their start playing fast, loose and raw hardcore influenced by Bad Brains with overtly political leanings in their lyrics. Where AoF really started to take on a sound of their own was with the addition of a second guitarist in 1983. 1983's Wait EP was a transistional record for the band, with their straight-forward hardcore viciousness still very much intact, but with a darker, noisier, take on it.
They released their debut full-length Give Thanks in 1984, with Bob Mould (of Hüsker Dü) as producer. That influence is definitely apparent on this, as they retain the same fast-paced frenzied attack they developed in their early years, but took a more dynamic, sometimes even melodic approach to it. They were crafting strong songs, with the dual-guitar interplay in the foreground on tracks like "In This Jungle" which was incredibly ahead of its time. After a fantastic debut, the band disbanded the following year, but not before recording its follow-up. In This Life was released posthumously, with Bob Mould once again helming production. The album incorporated those big, distorted and reverb-soaked guitar chords akin to Hüsker Dü, but with one hand still very much on the hardcore wheel that the aforementioned had completely mvoed away from at this point. Lyrically, they eschewed their politics to take a more personal and introspective approach, which paired better with the more melodic sound they grew into it. In some ways you could say they were a precursor to emo, though that's a whole other discussion.
Their full discography was compiled in 2002 by Alternative Tentacles in two volumes. It's worth it to go through everything they released to hear their strong start and quick evolution. I included the individual releases as well (as well as a compilation and live album they also put out posthumously) if you wanted them individually, though the collection is the definitive essential. Highly recommended and insanely underrated, enjoy!
Saturday, 15 July 2023
Econochrist
Wednesday, 28 June 2023
Horsewhip
Horsewhip are a four-piece hardcore band from Saint Petersburg, Florida that started in 2017. Though the band's formation was recent, its members have been heavily active in the Florida extreme music scene for decades now. Horsewhip features alumni from incredible bands including Reversal Of Man, Combatwoundedveteran, Order Of Importance, Early Grace, and more. They fuse their road-worn expertise into dark, heavy and discordant hardcore that also pulls influence from crust punk and elements of prog metal (a la Mastadon). Both their self-titled and 2020 LP Laid to Waste are fantastic starting points, with neither one wasting anytime pulling their punches. They also put out an incredible split with Yashira back in January, with both bands contributing a single track each that collectively conjures up one of the most hellish landscapes crafted this year. Highly recommended, enjoy!
Squid Pisser
Squid Pisser are a two-piece hardcore/noise rock band from Los Angeles, California that formed in 2022. They dropped their debut LP via Three One G and Sweatband Records earlier this year. If you're familiar with the former's roster, this band is a welcome addition to its distinct catalogue. It's harsh, chaotic, and noisy hardcore delivered at breakneck tempos with unpredictable rhythms. The band's turbulent, alien sound is rounded out by a laundry list of excellent features and collabortors, including members from bands as disparate as Melt-Banana, Punch, Tera Melos, The Locust,and Starcrawler. My Tadpole Legion is a fresh take on slimy noise rock, and makes for one of the most face-melting 20 minutes you'll probably hear this year. Highly recommended, enjoy!