ANOTHER YEAR OLDER, NONE THE WISER

O Canada!

I just by chance realized tonight that I started this blog exactly 1 year ago today. I never knew how much work it would actually be to maintain this thing, but I also had no idea how rewarding it could be. I've discovered a TON of new bands, developed awesome relationships with other blogs, filled up my hard drive with MP3's, gone broke buying vinyl from random places in Europe for some obscure, amazing bands, and also became friends with a true musical hero of mine. It's definitely been worth the effort and I hope you feel the same, and I hope you continue to stop by, even if my posting slows down from time to time. Thanks & Happy 4th!

-ADAM

CHILDBRIDE - Self Titled

CHILDBRIDE    ☼    BANDCAMP

You don't hear this too often, punk rock n' roll with some over-the-top crust influences in the recording quality. Catchy hooks, walking bass-lines & classic punk chord changes alongside blast beats and wretched vocals. Pretty cool.

- download -

SPLIT w/FIELD OBSERVATIONS - 7" (2014)

1. Fraud

2. Deaf Dumb blind

3. Vagrant

4. Stalker

SLOW METH - Rat Garbage

SLOW METH    ☼    FACEBOOK  ▼  BANDCAMP  ▲  YOUTUBE  ▼  SOUNDCLOUD

Feeling a little sluggish after stuffing your face with hotdogs while celebrating your national independence? Then sit down and listen to some super spastic, intense. female-fronted emotive drug core from Oakland, CA. This demo/EP release is made up of 7 frantic tunes that clock in at just under 10 minutes. Most of the song titles are instant classics, my favorite being "Captain America, Fuck You". So check this shit out now. They sound exactly like what  you are imagining. Then light some sparklers and go jump off your roof.

- download -

RAT GARBAGE - DEMO (2014)

1. I'm Glad You Can't Shit

2. Randy, I Am The Liquor

3. Sounds Like Godzilla

4. Captain America, Fuck You

5. Listerine Baptism

6. Count Staphula

7. Move To Emeryville

EKRANOPLAN - Demo

EKRANOPLAN    ☼    FACEBOOK  ▲  BANDCAMP

Ekranoplan is a killer new crust/doom band from Jena, Germany. They list their influences as Cursed, Rotten Sound, EYEHATEGOD & Disfear. This demo is only 5 songs but is a massive 21+ minute assault combining elements of d-beat, grind, sludge & hardcore. Looking forward to hearing more from them. FFO other great German crust like Svffer, Rant, Slump & Deathrite.

- download -

DEMO - CDr (2014)

1. Broken Future

2. Stop Asking

3. Graues Gesicht

4. Pressure

5. Manchmal

R.I.P. HEKSED [2008-2014]

HEKSED    ☼    FACEBOOOK  ▼  BANDCAMP

Unfortunately, Heksed decided to call it quits the other day via a message from their guitarist on Facebook. The main reasons are medical conditions and general lack of production, but you should go read the post and pay your respects yourself. Heksed was from Oslo, Norway, and over the course of 3 releases, they had managed to master walking the very very fine line between metal and hardcore. They always reminded me a lot of the Belgium band Worms Feed or a more metallic Baptists. Throw in a dash of Cursed and The Swarm and you have yourself the perfect thrash/hardcore band. One thing that always stood out for me about this band was their awesomely superior, and dark graphic design. Their logo is cool as shit and their imagery was always scary as fuck. They mention there may be a return of the band sometime in the future but you never know. In the meantime, start listening to them right now. Their split with Deathseekers is the only thing still in print (I think), so start by buying that. And if you like this stuff, you should give them some $$$ on bandcamp. These are instant classics.

- download -

SELF TITLED - LP (2012)

1. Bleeding In A Red Dress

2. Shallow

3. Mater

4. She Walks On Thorns

5. Trash Your Demons

6. The Prophet

7. Bloodstains

8. Fracture

PLAGUE EMBRACE - CASSETTE/7" (2012)

1. Damned And Dead

2. Waylands Knot

3. Suffer/Fear

4. Blodets Forbannelse

5. Det Brennende Lys

6. Heilbringer - The Prophet 2

You can buy a CD that combines their Self Titled LP & Plague Embrace at SWARM OF NAILS

SPLIT w/ DEATHSEEKERS - 7" (2014) - PURCHASE

1. Human Filler

2. Nine Year Collapse

BLACK SHIPS Reunion - 7/27/2014

BLACK SHIPS    ☼    BANDCAMP

Holy fuck. Black Ships are playing a reunion show this month in Montreal at Turbo Haus. They released an LP & 7" back in 2008 but they still stand the test of time, personally I listen to them on a weekly basis. It's some of the heaviest, smothering, most oppressive but catchy hardcore you will ever hear. If you live anywhere close to Montreal, and you don't go, you are a fool, and I hate you. FFO: Cursed, Heartless & Coliseum

They also just dumped their entire catalog on Bandcamp, so get it ASAP if you don't already have it.

JUNE 2014 UPDATE

Well I'm back to bring you another monthly round-up of new shit I've discovered recently. And here's my obligatory apology for not updating the blog more frequently. But anyway, lots of good stuff below to shove in your ear-holes. Mixed in with the usual bounty of hardcore & crust, there is some stoner, doom & even screamo stuff. I don't know what's wrong with me, maybe I hit my head, but I'm digging all of this stuff, so you should too. And as always, be sure to visit The Elementary Revolt, Manic Compression, Cut & Paste, Toxicbreed's Funhouse and all of the other recommended blogs on the right side of this page. Groovy. 

MAY 2014 UPDATE

So I'm still completely and utterly failing at updating this blog, and again I apologize profusely. I've been in a horrible mood for what seems like forever and until just recently, I haven't even been listening to hardly any fucking music at all. But, I have heard some real killer shit lately, so, I thought I'd share it with you. Enjoy.

-Adam

CHEST PAIN - Weltschmerz

CHEST PAIN    ☼    FACEBOOK  ▲  BANDCAMP  ▼  BIG CARTEL

"Weltschmerz" is the new record from Austin, Tx band Chest Pain. After forming in 2008, the band has had a few different releases, with their last being a self titled 7" in 2010. This summer, To Live A Lie records will be releasing the band's first LP, Weltschmerz. With a crushing 16 tracks in 19 minutes, this PV powerhouse brings to mind bands like Infest, Iron Lung, Capitalist Casualties and Eddie Brock. Its enough to make your head explode in the best way.

With songs about being fed up with trend hoppers, calling out homophoic assholes, the lack of all ages shows with decent bands being set up by promoters, and even one about skateboarding, this is the kind of record that is a prime example of powerviolence/grind-y/hardcore executed right. My personal favorite songs on the record are "Carbon Copied" and "Shut In."

FFO: Infest, Iron Lung, Capitalist Casualties, Hatred Surge. Currently only 2 songs are up on their bandcamp page, but they will put up more later...

If this band doesn't catch your attention right away, thats ok, because they are going to be on tour from the end of May until the end of June. So if they are in your area, go out and catch them and decide for yourself in person, because obviously bands are able to tour because people like you go out to shows, watch them play, and maybe buy a record or a shirt.

May 28 - San Antonio w/ Capitalist Casualties 

May 29 - El Paso w/ Capitalist Casualties

May 30 - Los Angeles w/ Final Draft

May 31 - Las Vegas w/ Capitalist Casualties, Endless Demise

June 1 - Oakland 

June 2 - Eugene 

June 3 - Seattle Black Lodge w/ Warthog, Gag

June 4 - Portland w/ Night nurse

June 5 - San Jose w/ Venkman 

June 6 - Los Angeles w/ Suffering Luna

June 7 - Phoenix 

June 8 - Austin

June 9 - Houston w/ Turbokrieg

June 10 - New Orleans 

June 11 - Atlanta 

June 12 - Raleigh w/ Suppression

June 13 - Baltimore 

June 14 - New Jersey 

June 15 - Philadelphia Matinee w/ Chainsaw to the Face

June 16 - Long Island NY 

June 17 - Boston 

June 18 - Providence

June 19 - Amherst

June 20 - NYC 

June 21 - Pittsburgh w/ Rabid Pigs

June 22 - Cleveland w/ Rabid Pigs

June 23 - Chicago 

June 24 - Kansas City 

June 25 - Denton

Or If they aren't coming around you, feel free to pick up a copy of their new LP, or any of the other awesome releases that TLAL has put out from their webstore! http://www.tolivealie.com/store/

- Jared

FUNERAL CHIC - Self Titled

FUNERAL CHIC    ☼    FACEBOOK  ▼  BANDCAMP

First off, let me apologize for my recent hiatus and general lack of posts here. Real life is just getting in the fucking way like it always does and I am just unable to keep up with this blog as I had originally intended. This could be my last post, or I could go apeshit and post a million things tomorrow. Either way, I'm sorry.

But let's move on to this new band, Funeral Chic, that brought me out of hiding. Consisting of members of the incredible band Narratives and also Pain & Panic, Funeral Chic has been lurking in the muddy shadows of Southeastern USA, waiting to rip your face off. They played their first show last month and now we have their first self-titled release, recorded by Rick Contes from Young And In The Way. This is 5 songs of tormented, pummeling, blackened grind-crust. The production is fantastic and when you're not headbanging your neck into oblivion, you'll be tapping your toes to killer grooves that will make any Cursed fan drool. 

You can download it for free at their Bandcamp page, and cassette versions will be available April 20th and will be limited to 30 copies, so be sure to get in touch with the band if you want one. This shit is definitely for fans of Trap Them, Cursed, Young And In The Way, Full Of Hell, Dephosphorus, Deathseekers etc.. etc...

- download -

SELF TITLED EP - CASSETTE (2014)

1. Good Fucking Riddance

2. Hood Collector

3. Targeted

4. Humanity Abandoned

5. Death Celebrated