POSSESSOR - Stay Dead

GENRE - Stoner Rock, Black Death Metal, Doom
FFO - Black Sabbath, Atlas, Waingro
D/L - Zippyshare or Bandcamp
FACEBOOK - INSTAGRAM

This is a massively enjoyable EP from London's Possessor. Awesome doom-punk tone to the guitars and strained vocals with tons of echo. And I swear to God they are using Black Sabbath's snare drum. This is what you listen to while carving pentagrams into schooldesks before skating home while headbanging with your hair in your face. Tons of evil and occult imagery as well, but what makes this band good is all the riffs and grooves in the music. Light some candles and turn this up.


ENDLESS SWARM / BRAINSHIT - Split

GENRE - Grindcore, Powerviolence, Hardcore Punk
FFO - ACxDC, Water Torture, Puig Destroyer
D/L - Zippyshare or Bandcamp
ENDLESS SWARM  -  BRAINSHIT

This split cassette is the newest release from Mind Ripper Collective. These two UK bands are from Edinburgh and Bedford, respectfully, and both bring a very oppressive and damaging style of grind/powerviolence. Neither band EVER lets up, and what you end up with here are 11 songs of pissed-off blast beats to the head. Screaming vocals, tons of distortion and plenty of feedback accompany all of this quite well. If you like this, each band has other releases on their Bandcamp pages that you will probably like as well.


NO FEALTY - They Love the Soil Which Makes Their Graves

GENRE - Punk Crust, Grindcore, Hardcore, Thrash
FFO - Torch Runner, Hatred Surge, Iron Lung
D/L - Zippyshare or Bandcamp
FACEBOOK

Here's the newest 8-song 10" from No Fealty, a Copenhagen based crust/hardcore band. They describe themsleves as caring about fast, loud, abrasive and aggressive music, politics, DIY and nice people. Their name basically means "No Loyalty". As far as their music goes, it's a non-stop barrage of ANGRY hardcore that stays mid-tempo for the most part, while dropping in bits of blast beats here and there along with a lot of interesting breakdowns. Above all else, the recording and production is top notch, making this record even more enjoyable.


WOUNDS - The Valley Of Death

GENRE - Blackened Death Metal, Hardcore
FFO - Ancst, Leviathan, Deafheaven
D/L - Zippyshare
FACEBOOK - PURCHASE

Wounds is a new band from Sarnia, Ontario, Canada that plays an interesting style of black metal/blackened death metal. Their debut release "The Valley of Death" was independently released in January of this year. While it only features 3 songs, you get your money's worth as it clocks in at over 27 minutes. Each song starts out beautifully and seamlessly evolves into a bobbing ocean of blackness, calming down just in time for the next track to start. I really enjoyed closing my eyes and listening to this EP, and if you are a fan of this genre, you will too. 


WHITE SPOT - Father Songs

GENRE - Experimental Grindcore, Noise Rock, Mathcore
FFO - The Locust, The Chariot, The Taos Hum
D/L - Zippyshare or Bandcamp
FACEBOOK - PURCHASE

White Spot is a genre bending, noise induced project filled with structured chaos containing elements of noise rock, mathcore, grind and sludge. Whats so impressive to me is that this is a one-man band. Marcus lives in the middle of Louisiana and, through a self-admitted bare-bones setup, manages to make some fantastic stuff. It would be easy enough I guess just to make some punk demos by yourself, but like I mentioned earlier, we're talking mathcore here. That means weird timing, weird breaks, weird everything sometimes. I mentioned White Spot's debut here last year and I'm happy to say that Father Songs is a worthy follow up. The songwriting is interesting, the production is big, and at no point does this feel like a "solo project". This is a no-brainer if you are into experimental hardcore at all. This is also getting a limited cassette release through Procurement Records. Pre-orders are now up on Bandcamp. They are limited to only 50 copies, with 3 of them being special editions, including alternate album art. The release date is 4/8/15.


REMINDER - New Burning Love 7" Is Out Now



Heads up in case you haven't picked this up already. The newest 7" from Burning Love is now available in vinyl & digital form. ALWAYS great to hear new music from this band, and this new stuff does not disappoint. This record picks up right where their last LP left off with their unmistakable punk/hardcore sound melded with the inimitable Chris Colohan lyrics/vocals you've come to expect. The vinyl has 2 songs and can be ordered from Deathwish (along with new shirts). You should get a digital download if you buy the 7", which includes a 3rd bonus song, or if you don't want the vinyl, just pick up the songs below for $2.50.


CORDELL - 2 EP's

GENRE - Blackened Crust, Hardcore, Punk
FFO - Amenra, Young And In The Way, Nails, False Light
D/L - Zippyshare or Bandcamp
FACEBOOK

Cordell is from Melbourne, Australia and describes themselves as a congregation of four friends that like crust and the cold weather. Earlier this year they release 2 EP's. Felo De Se, which contained 4 new songs, and Anything is Everything, Everything is Nothing, which is a re-recording of their 2013 Demo. That's 8 songs full of blast beats and guttural vocals played at a breakneck speed. As I listen to these EP's, the same comparison keeps coming to mind. FULL OF HELL. Maybe a little more rough around the edges, but that's how we like things around here, right? Needless to say, if you like Full Of Hell, get these EP's.


WAR WOLF / CROSSBURNER - Split

GENRE - Crust, Blackened Hardcore, Punk
FFO - Deathrite, Black Breath, Hellmouth
D/L - Zippyshare
WAR WOLF - CROSSBURNER

Absolutely killer split cassette that came out late last year but recently made available for free download. Crossburner is from Miltonn Keynes and formed in 2013. Taking influence from the early 90's Swedish death metal scene and mixing it with aggressive speed of 80's UK punk and hardcore, the sound is abusive and bleak. Expect buzzsaw guitar tones, D-beat onslaught and lyrical content that covers a range of topics from personal struggles to the Occult. War Wolf is from Brighton and formed in 2012. Where Crossburner leans towards the crust-side of hardcore, War Wolf punishingly lays down a thick coating of doom-tinged hardcore punk. Their LP "Crushing The Ways Of The Old" from 2013 was, and is still awesome. And of course, all of their stuff can be had on Bandcamp for free.


SLOWLY WE ROT - Poverty Of Existence

GENRE - Crust, Blackened Hardcore, Grindcore
FFO - End Reign, Harrowed, Depravation
D/L - Zippyshare or Bandcamp
FACEBOOK - PURCHASE

OK so this cassette came out a few months ago, and a lot of sites have covered it already, but I'm mentioning it again here because I love it so fucking much. As goofy-sounding as "Blackened Hardcore" is for a genre, it really is my absolute favorite kind of hardcore. And Slowly We Rot does it perfectly. Hailing from Belgium, they rose from the ashes of Worms Feed (who put out one of my favorite records still to this day), and this tape picks up right where WF left off. Again, for me, it all comes down to the production and execution. Something sounding solid while being out of control at the same time. Hardcore that's dark and mean, all the levels in the red, yet not sounding messy. I guess that's just a description of blackened hardcore. Whatever it is, it's fucking rad. So, if for some reason you haven't grabbed this yet, get it now. A link to buy the cassette is above and I also believe a vinyl release is planned.


GETS WORSE - White Horse

GENRE - Grindcore, Powerviolence, Hardcore
FFO - Fissure, ACxDC, Sick/Tired
D/L - Zippyshare or Bandcamp
FACEBOOK - TUMBLR - TWITTER

Gets Worse is a crazy high-energy, in your face powerviolence band from Leeds, England. They have been around for a while now, with releases going back to 2012. And every one of those releases is great. Super powerful, insane rhythm and spastic vocals all over the place. It helps that all 3 members are credited with singing. Their latest is the 7-track White Horse, and it's just as good, if not better than all their other stuff. So go and check it out. It, and everything else, is free at their Bandcamp page.


LOWEST POINT - S/T

GENRE - Chaotic Hardcore, Crust, Mathcore, Metal
FFO - Gorguts, Seizures, Coalesce, Coilguns
D/L - Zippyshare or Bandcamp
FACEBOOK - YOUTUBE

I'm having a hard time describing what I'm listening to while trying to write this review for Lowest Point, a 3-piece dissonant band from Toronto. Their music is a crust-laden, mad-science experiment that successfully intertwines mathcore, noise and metal all while crushing it into a gutter of hardcore. I can't help but be somewhat reminded of bands I used to listen to like Oxes or Pink and Brown, but thankfully Lowest Point sheds all the hipster bullshit that came attached to those bands. These five songs are REAL. The song structures impossibly stay together all while the music seems to be decaying around it. I don't know if this is making any sense because I think I'm having an anxiety attack right now. And for that, I thank this band. 




Lowest Point also references Cursed as a musical influence, which almost guarantees them a review here. And it just so happens that Alec (bass/vocals) made a short film called "Don't Call Me I Won't Call You" a few years ago about Toronto's most prolific extreme music artists. In it he interviews Chris Colohan about Cursed and there is some great Burning Love live footage. I remember watching this a long time ago and thinking how great it was. I just watched it again and it's still great, and you should watch it as well:


GODHOLE - S/T

GENRE - Powerviolence, Hardcore, Crust Punk
FFO - Nails, WVRM, Vermin Womb
D/L - Mediafire or Bandcamp
FACEBOOK - MERCH

HOLY SMOKES this is one mother of a release from the 3-piece Godhole from Edinburgh, Scotland. Billed as a "Double EP", this release really has two sides to it, no pun intended. Side A (which is what is on the physical vinyl release) is an incredible whirlwind of 7 of the most brutal powerviolence songs I have heard in a long time, all with a slight touch of black metal and crust. Really, this shit is so good. Now, Side B is not really my thing, but it's 7 more songs of atmospheric/noise so it's a bonus if you are into that stuff too. Beyond all of that, this really is a concept album of sorts. You can read more about it in detail at the Bandcamp page but to simplify it, the singer's brother committed suicide at a young age and while going through his brother's art and lyrics, he was inspired to take pieces of that and create this project. It's really an amazing thing to complete and you should really go read it in his own words for yourself.


TARSIUS TARSIER - Ceremonia de Atadura de Manos

GENRE - Blackened Hardcore, Crust, Punk
FFO - From Ashes Rise, Disfear, The Hope Conspracy
D/L - Zippyshare or Bandcamp
FACEBOOK - PURCHASE

Tarsius Tarsier, from Madrid, features current/ex members of Knowledge is a Weapon, Trecedeluno, Muerdelágrimas, Lösung & Forzuda. Two years ago, they gathered with the idea to play fast, dark and intense music, & Tarsius Tarsier was born. Although they didn't look for the sound of a particular band, they naturally transformed into one that can be compared to Ekkaia, Converge, Orchid or His Hero is Gone, to name a few. This is a GREAT release and if you even remotely like any of the bands mentioned, you need to take a listen.


TAKE THIS TOWN - Waking Dream

GENRE - Blackened Hardcore, Metal, Doom, Sludge
FFO - Rorcal, Celeste, Oathbreaker
D/L - Zippyshare or Bandcamp
FACEBOOK

Take This Town is a four-piece band from the Bavarian Forest in Germany that draws influences from black metal, sludge, doom and hardcore. They released their second EP last year, Waking Dream. While only 3 songs, it clocks in at over 13 minutes, and none of it is filler. The terrifyingly intense vocals create a great harmony with the hypnotic, sludge-like rhythm section. The only bad thing I can say about it is that there are not enough songs. Hopefully they make more.


CURSED EARTH - Vae Mortis

GENRE - Hardcore, Punk, Metal
FFO - Entombed, Black Breath, Code Orange Kids, Harms Way
D/L - Zippyshare or Bandcamp
FACEBOOK - YOUTUBE

Fuck, another amazing band from Australia. Cursed Earth is a female-fronted hardcore band from Perth. I'm seriously loving everything from Australia these days. Like Caged Grave and Removalist, this band straddles the line of so many genre's perfectly. Sort of like how Nails can be described as 10 different things at the same time, that's how this band is. Catchy, heavy and mean. That, and the badass cover art makes this a no-brainer.


THE BLONDE TONGUES - New Air Blues

GENRE - Punk, Rock
FFO - Rocket From The Crypt, Burning Love
D/L - Mediafire or Bandcamp
FACEBOOKBIG CARTEL

The Blonde Tongues is a fairly new band that formed late last year in Tampa, FL with members of Florida's Reveal Renew, The Dead Legs & Sleep Patterns. They list their genre as simply "Rock", and I suppose that's fairly accurate. But this 4-song EP is much better than most "rock" you hear these days. Incredibly catchy, mid-tempo stuff that manages to sound nostalgic and brand new at the same time. The band screams "Florida", yet seems "California" too. Very weird, but very cool. They'll have a new record coming out soon too, I'm going to be looking out for it.


RORCAL / PROCESS OF GUILT - Split

GENRE - Black Metal, Doom, Drone, Crust
FFO - Cult Of Occult, Sumac, SUNN O)))
D/L - Zippyshare or Bandcamp
PURCHASE

I'm a little late on this one, but here's a great split if you are into Doom-y Crust stuff. Rorcal is from Geneva, Switzerland and formed in 2006. Lately they have become obsessively dark and heavy, Like its source of inspiration, Rorcal music has no boundaries, When Doom turns into Black, you can't expect anything but chaos. Process of Guilt started their existence in early 2002 having their foundations firmly based in doom and dark music. Process of Guilt paint desolate sonic landscapes and dig their own place in the scene even deeper. After a first premonitory meeting at the first edition of Amplifest in Portugal in 2011, Process of Guilt and Rorcal finally joined forces to present this split on Lost Pilgrim Records. Limited to 666 copies, you can still pick the LP up at the label's Bandcamp.


ADED - Monstrum

GENRE - Metal, Experimental, Hardcore, Mathcore
FFO - The Rodeo Idiot Engine, KEN mode, Oblivionized
D/L - Zippyshare or Bandcamp
FACEBOOK

Check out this 4-song EP from ADED, a project that isn't strictly mathcore, but definitely inspired by it. The recording and production is super compact and precise, but brutal at the same time. These songs give off a feeling that they were created in the bowels of some deep, dark factory somewhere. There's an overwhelming mechanical/industrial vibe to them that works really well with the hardcore aspect of the music. If David Lynch was into metal, I would imagine that this is what he would listen to.


CHOKE - War Of The Suburbs

GENRE - Punk, Hardcore, Powerviolence
FFO - Caged Grave, Harm's Way, Left For Dead
D/L - Zippyshare or Bandcamp
FACEBOOK

Choke is yet another great hardcore band from Australia, located on the Central Coast of New South Wales to be exact. They draw their influences from Cali punk, 90's powerviolence and Australian hardcore. Their first 12" LP will be out later this year, but until then, check out their 5-song "War Of The Suburbs" 7", and buy it if you like it. They also have a cool shirt for sale in their merch section on Bandcamp. 


STORM OF SEDITION - S/T

GENRE - Metal, Anarcho-Punk, Crust
FFO - Alpinist, Jungbluth, Cursed
D/L - Zippyshare or Bandcamp
FACEBOOK - BLOG

When I first heard this cassette I would have bet anything that this band was from Berlin. That's just how good of a crust-punk band this is. But in fact, Storm Of Sedition is a DIY green-anarchist punk band based out of Victoria BC, Canada. Their bio states they aim to spread through their music, the hatred of civilization, domestication, and control, while promoting resistance to the techno-industrial capitalist system. Check out their blog for more info if you are into that sort of stuff, and grab this free download because it is fucking fantastic. Seriously, the recording and production is near-perfect. Also, they have a new LP in the works for 2015. Pressing 1,000 for North America and possibly Europe as well. If you have a DIY label and you're interested in helping with this release, email them at stormofsedition@riseup.net


SHOTO - S/T

GENRE - Grindcore, Mathcore, Metal, Sludge
FFO - Bleed The Pigs, Pyramido, Plebeian Grandstand
D/L - Mediafire or Bandcamp
FACEBOOK

SHOTO is a kind of chaotic sludge band from Kalamazoo, MI featuring current/ex members of Sender Receiver, Seventeen Again, The Reptilian and William Bonney. Really cool stuff that goes from super heavy, bludgeoning sludge to complicated instrumentals almost effortlessly. Check it out if you even remotely like the bands I listed above.


JUST A SMALL UPDATE

Hello everyone, just wanted to let you know that I've been trying to go through all my old band submissions to the blog going back a few months, so you might start to see things popping up here that may be older, or maybe that you've seen on other blogs. So sorry for that but I feel like I owe it to the bands to at least mention them. Still trying to get back into a posting schedule, which I have failed at, again. But shit happens. Thanks for hanging around.

Don't forget to check out the Recommended Blog list on the left, it's updated in real time when those sites post something new. And if you found some good shit somewhere, drop a link in the chatbox on the right.

HUMAN BODIES - No Life

GENRE: Raw Black Metal, Punk
FFO: Young And In The Way, Moral Void, Funeral Chic
D/LZippyshare or Bandcamp
FACEBOOK

Shit. It has been a long time since I've posted. Sorry about this. Too much shit going on in real life. But I'm going to try to post more, and hope to have a new contributor that will be very welcomed. I have so many fucking band submissions in my inbox I don't even know where to start, so I'm just going to start off by posting about the bands I've been listening to a lot recently. So here is the newest from Human Bodies. This might be an older recording but if my memory is correct, it just got released earlier this year. Either way it rips. I still listen to this weekly when I'm pissed off at work. It's just great metallic punk from Boston that sounds like it's from the depths of North Carolina (that's a good thing). Nothing better than toe-tapping hardcore.