Halftime Score: Part #2
Kia ora, crüe.
Welcome to Part Deux of this half-year round-up. I won’t re-traumatise you by repeating the long list of desperate caveats that prefaced Part #1 of this double-header. To put it simply, I enjoy yakking about noisy music, and I figured we could all use some good news, so voilà! Here’s a bunch of top-notch ear-fuckery to raise your spirits.
Below, you’ll find a lengthy list of punk and hardcore demos, EPs, and reissues from the first half of 2025. I tend to favour releases from the rawer, crustier, and/or grottier end of the spectrum, and this post is definitely not meant to be a comprehensive survey of the past six months of punk rock releases. These are just the filthiest earworms that caught my attention.
I know I’ll have overlooked some absolute bangers (apologies for that), and I’m not arguing that every release below is a creative masterpiece. I am, however, strongly suggesting that the 40 or so releases below are well worth a listen.
(FYI, if you’re interested, Part #1 of this two-parter focused on full-length releases – see here.)
As always, thanks a million for stopping by. I sincerely value your time and attention. Thanks also to all of the DIY bands and labels featured in this two-part round-up. Where would we be without deafening music to shore us up, exorcise our demons, and piece together our broken hearts? Here’s to all of the shitnoise and crusty troubadours helping to heal our wounds.
Stay safe. Be well. And please, go easy on yourself.
Kia kaha.
x
Fog: Spring
Before I start listing releases from earlier this year, I want to mention Spring, the upcoming 7” from Aotearoa New Zealand band Fog. I’ve only heard Spring’s title track, but I’m spotlighting the 7” because Fog’s previous EPs – Absurdist Peace and A Black Cloud That Swallowed The Dove – were darkly brooding triumphs. From the sounds of it, Spring will be another creative coup. Anarcho-punk, peace punk, and ice-cold post-punk are Fog’s primary sources. But it’s the band’s imaginative mixing of their influences that ensures their songs sound so distinctive. Recommended for fans of the most artistically adventurous bands on the rosters of D4MT Labs or La Vida Es Un Mus.
(R.I.P. Peace, Always Never Fun)
Frigöra: Fullständig Frigörelse
Kawasaki City band Frigöra’s Dance of the Plague Bearer album is the bucket list LP for me. Realistically, it will be forever out of reach; it’s insanely pricey on Discogs, and last year, I visited dozens of Japanese record stores trying to find a copy, and I came up empty-handed. But now, General Speech has made all my dreams come true with another of the label’s superlative reissues. Frigöra’s Fullständig Frigörelse compilation collects the band’s entire studio discography, including their Dance of the Plague Bearer 12”. As all of those umlauts suggest, Frigöra often looked to Scandinavia for creative inspiration, and the band’s music is very much in the rapid, rabid, and raw-af mode of early Swedish hardcore. All hail Frigöra, and kudos to General Speech, once again.
(General Speech)
Farce: Sights of War
Sights of War is the fourth album from Finnish outfit Farce. (It’s also their third release for Italian label Sistema Mortal – home to the rawest raw punk bands.) Farce’s music is highly corrosive, and Sights of War is filled with waves of static, garbage-can percussion, and half-buried vocals. D-beat is slammed face-first into broken concrete – and stripped of much of its structure – while lyrically, Farce’s anti-militarist lyrics unpack the ceaseless suffering and unending political machinations of war. A total noise assault. Max-aggression. Max-audio violence. Max-devastation.
(Sistema Mortal)
Black Dog: Sewn Into Confusion
Nova Scotia’s Black Dog describe their sound as a “D-BEAT RAW FUKKING NOIZE PUNK ASSAULT”. They also list their hobbies and interests as a “D-BEAT RAW FUKKING NOIZE PUNK ASSAULT”, and their most significant accomplishment as…you guessed it…a “D-BEAT RAW FUKKING NOIZE PUNK ASSAULT”. Black Dog’s Sewn Into Confusion EP features an avalanche of fuzz-throttled, head-splitting, super-negativite punk. Every track here is a savage sonic barrage, but therein lies the all-important catharsis. Liberation via flamethrowing NOIZE – fuckin’ A. Fans of Fragment, Framtid, Disclose, and Gloom, you know what to do.
(Iron Lung Records)
Death Side: The Will Never Die
The Will Never Die collects all of the non-LP recordings from legendary Tokyo band Death Side. With 40 tracks gathered, the all-guns-blazing compilation is a boon for diehards and newbies alike. Back in the day, Death Side were one of the key bands to take Japanese hardcore to the next level. The band’s über-energetic/Burning Spirits stylings influenced untold homegrown groups, and Death Side albums like Wasted Dream and Bet On The Possibility have inspired metallic punk outfits the world over. Tune in for razor-blade riffage, breathless solos, and off-the-chain vocals. 10/10. A++. The perfect reissue.
(La Vida Es Un Mus)
Realm of Terror: Beneath The Soil Demo
Realm of Terror’s third release, Beneath The Soil, is putrid, pummeling, and primordial – i.e. it’s prime fucking filth. Forget evolving or maturing, Realm of Terror’s antediluvian sound continues to hark back to the most abrasive works of Doom, Extreme Noise Terror, or mega-crusties Collapse Society. “Stench-filled crasher crust” sets the scene, with Realm of Terror delivering the gruffest, harshest and most troglodyte noise imaginable. Tip-top primitive crust. Grisly. Ugly. Foul. Superb sonic sewage.
(Guttural Warfare Records, Rival Mist)
Barren Soil: All Paths Lead to Darkness
Celtic chain artwork ✓. Apocalyptic vibes ✓. Brooding synth ✓. Crushing caveman crust ✓✓✓. The three songs on Barren Soil’s All Paths Lead to Darkness EP were recorded back in 2021, when the Canadian trio were working on their excellent self-titled cassette. More recently, Barren Soil added soundscape and percussive elements to All Paths Lead to Darkness’ heavyweight tracks, deeming them ready for a public airing. Barren Soil’s sound is grim, grimy, and heavily armoured. Expect ten-tonne metallic punk that’s a shoo-in for fans of Zygote, Swordwielder, and Cancer Spreading, etc. Hulking stenchcore awaits!
(Self-released)
Excrement: S/T
Excrement were a short-lived noisecore band from Hokkaido, Japan. Go-to US label General Speech reissued Excrement’s recorded output on vinyl this year, and if you dig the bleeding-raw hardcore of Gai, LSD, or Confuse – or rabid noise-makers like Zyanose or Gloom – then Excrement’s similarly gut-driven racket will likely hit home too. All the songs on Excrement’s self-titled 12” have been remastered to maximise their strengths, but don’t panic, everything here is still caked in the cruddiest crust and oozes rancid hardcore. Unpolished. Instinctive. Hideous to behold. Pitch-perfect raw hardcore.
(General Speech)
No Sector: Mercury Poisoning
Let me paraphrase what I wrote about Aotearoa New Zealand band No Sector’s Mercury Poisoning EP earlier this year: No Sector blast through six red-lining songs on their EP, mixing UK82’s stomp with Scandi hardcore’s snarl and protest punk’s sneer. No Sector’s vocalist, Caroline, has a unique mode of expression, which injects a dose of anarcho punk eccentricity into proceedings and offers a crucial contrast to all the sheet-metal noise. No Sector aren’t reinventing the wheel, but they do remodel familiar components to craft songs that sound both familiar and new. (It was great to see No Sector getting noticed offshore, too.)
(Razored Raw)
Aberrate: Grounded Demo
Japanese label Punk Bastard Records released Aberrate’s Grounded demo in 2024. However, word of the demo’s quality/intensity quickly spread, and US label Acute Noise Manufacture reissued Grounded earlier this year. Aberrate’s members are linked to formidable bands like Frigöra, Abraham Cross, Life, and Unarm, and Grounded features classic (i.e. super-scuzzy, wildly distorted, and mega-bulldozing) Japanese crust. Fans of the bands above will love this mountain of noise, which is guaranteed to be crustier than your skankiest kecks. Howling madness. Chaos incarnate. So. Fucking. Good.
(Acute Noise Manufacture)
Condumb: S/T
Philadelphia band Condumb’s lineup has ties to Sheer Mag, Kinetic Orbital Strike, Poison Ruïn, and Quarantine. That’s a relatively broad spectrum of punk right there, and Condumb slot into the ‘noise for noise's sake’ category. The band’s six-song 7” tips its hat to Confuse, Disclose, Chaos UK, and similar worshippers of frenzied noise. D-beat tears into bitter crust while raw hardcore thrashes and crashes on Condumb’s vitriolic songs. Expect lacerating guitar, pounding drums, and wretched howls as the world burns. Gruesome and gut-wrenching punk. Blargh. Ugh. Oof.
(Stupid Bag Records, Self-released)
Fuckin’ Lovers: Crucifixion of the Masses
It’s been a while since we last heard from Philadelphia noise punks Fuckin’ Lovers, but the band come roaring back on their Crucifixion of the Masses 7”. Formed from the ashes of Allergy, Fuckin’ Lovers’ follow a Confuse via Swankys via Disorder path that concentrates on buzz-sawing raw punk and ultra-distorted hardcore. Direct yet shambolic, and somehow chaotic yet focused, Fuckin’ Lovers’ latest tracks are like scorching hot sewage; blistering and filthy, for sure, but also a disgusting delight to imbibe. Crucifixion of the Masses was recorded at D4MT in NYC, and then mixed and mastered by Shige at Noise Room in Tokyo; how much more of a recommendation do you need? Fuckin’ Lovers, fuk yea!
(General Speech, Discos Enfermos)
Ripcord: The Damage is Done
Ripcord’s The Damage Is Done was originally released as a flexi via the band’s own Raging Records in 1986. The recording’s 2025 reissue – via A1 labels La Vida Es Un Mus and Quality Control HQ – added a couple of compilation tracks and a vintage live set. Mastered by Will Killingsworth, The Damage Is Done sounds great, and its crudeness and roughness remain essential components of its charm. If the idea of Discharge covering Siege sounds inviting, then Ripcord’s old-school mix of USHC and UK82 is a hard recommend. A stone-cold UK hardcore classic.
(La Vida Es Un Mus, Quality Control HQ)
Dukkha: S/T
Youngstown/Pittsburgh trio Dukkha describe their music as “Funeral Crust from the Rust Belt”. Dukkha’s self-titled cassette is certainly as bleak as a burial, and the rough-hewn crust here is primitive and as raw as shattered lives. It’s great to hear the band mixing things up by setting dirge-like passages alongside the hammerings and batterings of lo-fi crust. Dukkha’s debut is a promising start, and fingers crossed, there’s more to follow. FFO of the most abrasive works of Doom, Disrupt, and Warcollapse, etc.
(Self-released)
Olho Seco: Botas Fuzis Capacetes
Olho Seco were one of the first Brazilian bands to foreground the hostile aesthetics of hardcore. Influenced by groups like Tampere SS and Discharge, Olho Seco’s 1983 EP, Botas Fuzis Capacetes, is a genre classic; much like the famed Grito Suburbano comp, Botas Fuzis Capacetes is a formative text in underground Brazilian music. Label Morrer Discos’ remaster/reissue of Botas Fuzis Capacetes is flawless, and the EP’s primitive noise sizzles with unbridled energy and aggression. An essential addition to your stockpile of pioneering hardcore releases. (See also Morrer Discos’ recent reissue of Inocentes’ Miséria E Fome EP.)
(Morrer Discos, Sub Discos)
The Damage: Demo
The Damage’s throat-gripping demo arrives fully formed and ready to take on all challengers. The Damage features most of the lineup of Quarantine (and a Kinetic Orbital Strike crew member for added oomph), and the band’s demo is as in-your-face as it gets. Tough as steel, speedy as dexies, and ugly as a car crash, the demo’s sub-2-minute tracks whiz by with red-lining levels of intensity and animosity. Everything on The Damage’s demo is dialled up for maximum impact, but there’s also fun flashes of more squirrelly muscality – see “Why Try”. Everything you want in a demo is here – ramping up the anticipation for The Damage’s next move. Perfectly punishing hardcore.
(Self-released)
End State: Their System Won’t Be Fixed
In many ways, End State’s Their System Won’t Be Fixed cassette is a giant fucking tease. Recorded at NYC’s D4MT Labs, Their System Won’t Be Fixed only features three songs, which feels manifestly unfair, because each of those songs is a stellar nugget of filthy New York crust. If you’re a fan of D4MT Labs-aligned acts like Tower 7, you’ll love End State’s similarly raw and ragged sound. As an amuse-bouche, Their System Won’t Be Fixed is extremely tasty – now bring on the main meal, as soon as possible. End State are a band to keep a close eye on. I can’t wait to hear more.
(Self-released)
Cotgrave: Never Believe! EP
Tokyo band Cotgrave crammed 10 songs onto their first 7” release, Never Believe! . Formed by former members of Voĉo Protesta and Crocodile Skink, Cotgrave’s 2019 demo got tongues wagging, and their self-produced 2025 EP is stacked with super-primitive hardcore. Nods to Scandi raw punk feature, as does the strapping sound of prime 90s Nippon crust, while abundant anti-war sentiments mix with plenty of ‘fuck the system’ attitude. Tune in for a total noise assault purpose-built for fans of Life, Framtid, Frigöra, Collapse Society, and more. All-fire!
(Self-released, Broken Noise Records)
Tramadol: S/T
If you love peak-era Discharge, then prepare to clutch UK band Tramadol to your bosom. The West Yorkshire group’s self-titled 7” is a formidable blast of the hardest hardcore, and the EP’s four songs blend barrelling (read: Motörhead-worthy bass) with tandem six-string salvos, clobbering drums, and barking vocals. Think D-beat at heart, but plenty more vicious ingredients scattered within. Hooks? Yes, sir! – jagged, bloody, and dripping with venom. Tramadol’s breathless attack is perfect for when only the fiercest hardcore will get you through.
(Donor Records)
Karma Sutra: The Daydreams Of A Production Line Worker
Karma Sutra’s sole full-length, 1987’s The Daydreams of a Production Line Worker, features the band’s most creatively diverse songs. Grounded in anarcho-punk, The Daydreams… sees catchier agi-punk and moodier post-punk playing more prominent roles. Capitalism’s ills, gender and class inequities, and the depths of the human condition are explored on ambitious songs. The Daydreams… is a magnificent coda to Karma Sutra’s short but captivating career.
(Sealed Records)
Total Con: Who Needs The Peace Corps?
Total Con squeeze nine rapid-fire tracks onto their first 7” release, Who Needs The Peace Corps?. Every righteous is a neck-wrecking display of hardcore’s quintessential strengths. Hook-laden anthems, roiling instrumentation, raging lyrics, warp-speed tracks…it’s all here in spades. (And Who Needs The Peace Corps? features of the best covers of “Riders on the Storm” you’ve ever heard.) Total Con’s mantra – “MAXIMUM VOLUME. DEATH TO CAPITALIST HARDCORE!!!!” – is one for the ages. Always good to hear a band walk the walk.
(Static Shock Records, Unlawful Assembly)
Danse Macabre: S/T
Japanese band Danse Macabre was formed by ex-Zouo frontman Cherry in the late-80s. NYC label General Speech released an excellent self-titled compilation of Danse Macabre’s early recordings this year, with every track remastered to maximise its metaphysical might. Danse Macabre aren’t a goth-punk band, but their sound is shadowy and sinister. The group’s songs feature deathrock-worthy hooks, and horror punk springs to mind occasionally, but Danse Macabre’s music is also heavy enough to tick many of metal’s boxes. Point being, Danse Macabre dwell in multifaceted darkness. Grim is good.
(General Speech)
Bad Breeding - Blood Manifest
Bad Breeding have always released fierce recordings filled with rabid critiques of end-times capitalism’s endless/exploitative cruelties. The band’s Blood Manifest EP follows the same trajectory. The four-track 7” was recorded over a weekend, and from the sounds of it, the Stevenage-based hardcore crew were fuelled by smash ‘n’ grab energy. You get three face-melting songs, and just when you think you’ve got Bad Breeding all sewn up, they drop a 5-minute dirge that feels as annihilating as any of Blood Manifest’s faster tracks. As always, Bad Breeding expertly marry full-bore hardcore to equally impassioned lyrics. Blood Manifest is another knockout.
(Standard Process)
Pray to be Saved: Demo
Pray to be Saved’s label, Sex Fiend Abomination, sums the band’s demo up thusly: “SIX TRACKS OF EXTREME NOISE TERROR WORSHIP PLAYED WITH EXPERTISE. FOR FANS OF FAST DRUM BEATS AND THE BOSS HM-2”. That’s bang on, and in case you’re wondering, Pray to be Saved’s demo is definitely an all-caps kinda deal. The Washington, D.C, band – named, no doubt, after the first track off E.N.T.’s Phonophobia LP – have gathered a bunch of fans on Bandcamp, which isn’t remotely surprising, given Pray to be Saved’s demo hits like a runaway truck. Perfect for long-in-the-tooth crusties and whippersnapper scooter-hogs. A definite holocaust in your head.
(Sex Fiend Abomination)
Narcan: Demo II
Atlanta, Georgia label Designated Moshers Unit has released some rock-solid music this year, including Exo-Gen’s rip-roaring demo and Baltimore band Narcan’s Demo II. Narcan’s second demo is a beast. Recorded and mixed by Luke Reddick and mastered by Arthur Rizk, Demo II sounds mean ‘n’ massive, and the hardcore within charges like a rhino. Narcan’s blown-out sound and fierce aesthetic are utterly jarring – in a good way, of course – and with seven songs delivered in 7.43 minutes, Demo II hurtles past at breakneck speeds. Demo II is a fucking monster.
(Designated Moshers Unit)
IDX: Onslaught Within
IDX’s Onslaught Within EP was released digitally at the tail end of 2024, but it didn’t see a physical release until March this year, so that qualifies the Onslaught Within for this listicle. Singaporean trio IDX dish out heavyweight stenchcore, and Onslaught Within is a big step up from the band’s 2020 debut, Stark Reality. Whether that has to do with the band’s rejigged lineup, I don’t know, but Onslaught Within is a lot heavier and it’s more thickly armoured, too. IDX’s guttural combination of UK, Japanese, and Scandi influences makes for a dense and super-dark stew of stinkin’ crust. Southeast Asian stenchcore is clearly in furious form. See you on the shieldwall, brethren.
(Secret Records, Drunk Scum Records)
Corpse Gas: 4 Track Promo
Los Angeles crasher crusties Corpse Gas are very much in the “Kill the Poser! Noise for Scum!!!” camp when it comes to crafting deafening ditties. The band’s 4 Track Promo cassette is a shit-fi fiesta, and with links to bands like Anguished Life, End Result, and Dust Collector, Corpse Gas’ raw punk credentials are in no doubt. Corpse Gas’ sound is exceptionally dark and extremely fuzzy; perfect for fans of Confuse, Shitlickers, Frigöra, or Gloom. Best thing: Corpse Gas’ demo is only four minutes long. So slap that rewind button and press play all over again. Gnarly nuclear blizzard noise; bring on the end times.
(Self-released, Phonophobia Records)
Nuclear Fear: Pantomine of Power
Some folks argue that a 7” is the ideal format for punk rock releases. Nuclear Fear’s explosive Pantomime Of Power EP is proof of that concept. The six-minute EP is a wild ride, and to be honest, more than half a dozen minutes of Nuclear Fear’s thundering hardcore would probably kill an old codger like me. With members linked to NWOBHC heroes like Arms Race and The Flex, Nuclear Fear’s music is similarly blunt, brutal, and unrelenting (and the ultra-gruff vocals here seal the remorseless deal). Nuclear Fear’s guitar tone borders on the caustic buzz of noise-punk, dripping with corrosive distortion as it batters all comers. “No metal, no melody, no problem”. Expect to see this ripper on every EOY list come December.
(La Vida Es Un Mus)
Axon: S/T
Axon’s self-titled 7” features four tracks of full-bore Japanese-influenced hardcore. With a lineup featuring members of Mutant Strain, Lethal Means, Reckoning Force, and Homemade Speed, Axon’s take on Japanese hardcore is on-point and riff-tastic. With shrieking guitars, sizzling solos, and growling vocals, the influence of groups like Gauze, Death Side and Nightmare is unmistakable. But Axon also syphon plenty of creative fuel from the blistering depths of US hardcore. If you’re currently hunting for a copy of Death Side’s The Will Never Die compilation, then add Axon’s debut 7” to your shopping cart, too. You will not be disappointed.
(Not for the Weak Records)
Amerol: Demo
Sometimes life can feel overwhelming, and if you’re feeling bewildered/befuddled right now (which is more than understandable), then great news: Amerol are here with a raging cure-all. The Perth band’s demo features straightforward early-80s hardcore; the kind of barelling punk that crushes your woes and worries and encourages you to feel at one with the raging beast within. It’s no criticism to point out that Amerol’s music is uncomplicated – it cuts through all the shit and gets right to the heart of what’s so great about sweaty, grimy, and extra-gritty hardcore. A brilliant demo, all round.
(Helta Skelta Records)
Culture Shock: S/T
There’s hardcore, and then there’s hardcore, and Culture Shock definitely fall into the latter category. The band’s self-titled EP is a lot; a lot of hate, a lot of hostility, and a lot of harsh opinions about humanity’s prospects. Backing up Culture Shock’s bleak estimation of society’s worth is a fittingly pitch-black torrent of feedback-fuelled (and often bass-blasting) hardcore. For all Culture Shock’s nihilism, though, their songs are still anthemic; grim, for sure, but blistering fun, nonetheless. If, as Culture Shock suggest, civilisation is collapsing, then hell, you might as well crank this misanthropic mayhem as everything implodes.
(Youth Attack)
Criminal Assault: Demo
Criminal Assault are from Austin, Texas, and the band’s demo is an awe-inspiring assault of chaotic, craggy, and entirely untethered hardcore. Criminal Assault are one of those bands that sound off-the-chain and yet, somehow, tight af. The seven songs on the band’s demo are stripped-down yet muscular bangers powered by spite and rage. On the one hand, there’s nothing groundbreaking here; on the other, fucking hell, Criminal Assault’s demo is so accomplished and ready to enter the fray that it hardly feels like a ‘demo’ at all. A rip-roaring success. One of the year’s best.
(Sound Grotesca)
Auto Sear: Demo
Handily, Richmond, Virginia band Auto Sear slap an accurate description of their sound on the cover of the debut demo: “Speed Noise Hardcore”. That’s spot on. As Auto Sear’s label, Sex Fiend Abomination, points out, the band sounds like Gloom – if they were from the suburbs of Virginia. (You can probably throw in influences such as Disclose, Zyanose, and every other Japanese band heavily invested in combining max-noise + max-distortion, too.) Auto Sear’s five-song demo hisses, screeches, carreens, and smashes, and if crasher crust or discore appeal, then this reekin’ shitnoise will no doubt float your boat. Great stuff.
(Sex Fiend Abomination)
Burning Chrome: S/T
Minneapolis/NYC band Burning Chrome formed after the break-up of Zero, who put out a tasty full-length back in 2016 (via Anomie, Desolate, and Farewell Records). Zero were heavily influenced by the blazing yet melodic arc of Japanese hardcore, and while Burning Chrome’s rocketing riffs tick many of the same boxes, the band’s self-titled EP is also a lot crustier and rawer. There’s still plenty of Burning Spirits guitar gymnastics here, and no one's denying Burning Chrome’s love of that magnificent milieu. Still, the band’s lower-fi sound adds a welcome layer of grit and gruffness to Burning Chrome’s debut. Kick-start this ripper, forthwith.
(Desolate Records)
Switchblade: Demo 2025
Switchblade deliver top-notch Philadelphian punk on Demo 2025. With former members of Psych War and Plague Dogs in the ranks, Switchblade’s all-fire debut sees Motör-charged D-beat careening headfirst into crusty metal-punk. Expect big hooks a-swingin’ and phat riffs a-blazin’ on Demo 2025’s three smokin’ songs. Gravel-garling vocals and sky-rocketing guitar histrionics ensure every steamrolling track is super-catchy and more than likely to drag you along. It’s only a matter of time before some smart-thinkin’ label snaps these fellas up.
(Self-released)
Throat Lotion: Scheiß Kranke Welt
Pogo punk doesn’t usually grab my attention, but I keep a close eye on LA label 1753, and if they’re releasing Throat Lotion’s high-octane Scheiß Kranke Welt EP, then I’m checking it out. (Scheiß Kranke Welt = shitty sick world, if you’re curious.) Throat Lotion are a multinational band; LA-based but featuring musicians from Germany, Ecuador, Mexico, and El Salvador. The group’s German-language songs mix snotty street punk with dumpster-diving (and ugly-as-an-abcess) hardcore. There’s plenty of that aforementioned pogo punch here, but it’s Throat Lotion’s rawer/crustier elements that hooked me. The band evoke the hopelessness of life on the edge, and there’s a fuck-ton of wretched vibes oozing from Throat Lotion’s six-song cassette.
(1753)
Dismay/Dekrepit: Split EP
I love scanning all the emails Bandcamp sends me to see what the people I’m following have been jamming. That’s how I discovered Dismay and Dekrepit’s self-titled split EP. Phoenix, Arizona’s Dismay drop three D-beat bunker busters in your lap, and there’s abundant heavyweight ordnance from the raw punk sphere here, too. Tacoma, Washington crew Dekrepit also deal in D-beat and raw punk, but their sound is more corrosive – more like being liquefied in a battery acid bath. What’s great about Dismay and Dekrepit’s split is that it shows that even in the most niche punk sub-genres, there’s still room for variance and difference. Rad!
(Self-released)
Cascades: Tyrannical Lust
Montréal label Sore Mind has released some phenomenal music over the years, and Cascades’ excellent Tyrannical Lust EP is another prime slab of squalid stonk. Cascades’ mid-tempo bombardments/songs are replete with lo-fi, ultra-guttural crust and the fetid odour of stenchcore clings to everything here, too. There’s a real old-school crawl to Tyrannical Lust; a slow, steady, and deliberate desire to crush all comers, step by mind-mangling step. Amebix, Axegrinder, Zoe, Filth of Mankind – you know the deal. First-rate noisome noise. More, please, asap.
(Sore Mind, Filth Holocaust Records)
Sistema Obsoleto: Esmagado Pela Engrenagem Capitalista
One of the reasons I love punk rock is that it inspires bands from every corner of the globe to reach out and share similar ideas and give voice to similar concerns. Sistema Obsoleto hail from Macedonia, but the band’s lyrics are in Portuguese (yet another reason to love punk – multinational mash-ups). You don’t need to speak Portuguese to understand what Sistema Obsoleto’s debut EP, Esmagado Pela Engrenagem Capitalista (Crushed by the Capitalist Gear), is all about. Sistema Obsoleto’s high-energy tracks radiate enough anger to power a small city, and the band’s relentless riffs and spitting vocals speak to punk’s universal truths.
(Neon Taste Records)
Side Channel: Demo
LA band Side Channel’s music is tagged, among other things, as ‘psycho-electronic mind warfare’. I like a band that appreciates that noise is a weapon, and in Side Channel’s case, their four-song demo is festooned with steel-tipped spikes and crusty raw punk hooks. There’s nothing better than twin-guitar D-beat either, with Side Channel doubling up the jagged riffs and saw-tooth racket. Yes, please, to more songs and a combat-ready 7” as soon as poss. Side Channel’s demo is a raucous good time. Unless they’ve skillfully mind-fucked me into thinking so. In which case, kudos to the band’s psycho-electronic warfare.
(Self-released)
Katorga / Asocial Terror Fabrication: Split
I am beyond excited to hear the upcoming split 7” from Katorga and Asocial Terror Fabrication. Three great labels are involved in releasing the EP: Doomed To Extinction (from the US), and Black Against Night Records and Feral Dog (from Oz). Only one song off the 7” is currently streaming online; “Tragedy”, which is a storming track from Australian crusties Katorga. Asocial Terror Fabrication are one of Japan’s mightiest stench/crust bands, and Katorga’s metallic crustcore is a heavyweight triumph, too. I wholeheartedly recommend that you keep an ear out for this split. That artwork has got me feeling giddy already. I’m pretty sure the actual music will be the end of me.
(Doomed To Extinction, Black Against Night Records, Feral Dog)
Tokarev: 8 Track Kassette
I’m sneaking this one in, after already hitting the publish button, no less. One of the YouTube channels I follow posted Rhode Island band Tokarev’s 8 Track Kassette today (thanks to Billy Crustie’s reliably on-point curating), and I thought the tape warranted a mention. 8 Track Kassette features raw punk, and when I say raw, I mean fuckin’ raw. The eight songs here are blown-out, speaker-melters with echo-smashed vocals, chain-sawing guitars, and unrelenting drums. That said, while everything here is unquestionably ravaged by raw punk, there’s also a ton of engaging musicality in the salvos of guitar, and a heap of avant-garde soundscaping is mixed into songs and let loose on grinding interludes. A definite recommendation.
(Ragdoll Records)
Thanks to everyone (or anyone) who made it to the end of this feature. I hope you found something to assuage the pain of existence – or at least something to blast through your earbuds while you skate to the store.
You rule. Take care. And thanks for tuning in.
See you round.
