Tomorrow's Ashes #3
Kia ora, crüe.
Whoops! Tomorrow's Ashes #3 is a tad overdue. Apologies for that. I got sick. Not 'global pandemic' sick. Just 'old man falling apart at the seams' sick. I wasn't up to writing for several weeks, and the list of releases I wanted to talk about kept growing longer with every passing day. Eventually, I hit the point where it seemed like too much trouble even to try to catch up. But then I remembered I'm a tried and true Gen Xer, and there's nothing we love more than the sound of our own voices, so here we are.
The good news is, I'm going to clear the ol' backlog by publishing two columns this month. Even better, I've cut most of the blurbs in the next couple of columns down to a single paragraph. Less of me yakking makes room for more ear-slaughtering music — win-win. I'm sure you'll have heard some of the releases I mention. But I hope you find something new(ish) to sink your rotten little teeth into.
As always, thanks for tuning in. Obviously, there are far swankier sites than this one covering much the same music. Thus, I really appreciate you taking the time to visit this obscure corner of the blogosphere. Have a cyber-hug on me, my friend.
Before you dig into the noise below, just a quick note: I recently posted a review of the full-length debut from PDX crusties Rigorous Institution. Feel free to check out that write-up too. Spoiler alert: Rigorous Institution's Cainsmarsh LP is fucking awesome.
Stay safe. Be well. I'll see you soon.
Kia kaha.
xx
Noisy Words to Check Out:
Long-running heavy music website Last Rites also posted an enthusiastic review of Rigorous Institution's Cainsmarsh LP, which you should definitely check out. A HUGE thanks to Last Rites scribe Cap for including a few kind words about my endeavours.
Terminal Sound Nuisance's excellent Live by the Crust, Die by the Crust series continues on with a great write-up of Mortal War's Gates of Hell demo. I'm loving the releases selected for the series.
Can I big-up myself? Check out my review of Aotearoa punks Unsanitary Napkin's incredible new LP, All Billionaires Are Bastards, which DIY Conspiracy kindly posted. It's been great to see the Nappies getting plenty of press offshore. It's well deserved.
Six Noises Jams of the Month:
Oh! Brother: (A fittingly ramshackle podcast focused on The Fall and hosted by former members Paul and Steve Hanley)
Spiritualized: Everything Was Beautiful. (A gorgeous return from one of my all-time favourite bands)
Black Flag: Demos 82 (Grrrrrrrrrreat stuff)
Jesus Lizard: Goat (I'm going through a noise rock phase)
Killdozer: Twelve Point Buck (See above)
Cows: Cunning Stunts (See above)
Unsane: Scattered, Smothered & Covered (See above)
Max Richter: Sleep (8.5 hours of ambient/neuroscience-inspired lullabies. Shout out to my fellow insomniacs!)
Straw Man Army: SOS
A lot of the music we all listen to is much of a muchness, right? Often, the difference between one band and another is more easily measured in degrees of intensity than any quantifiable difference in style. New York City's Straw Man Army are the flipside of that equation. They're a truly singular band, and their 2020 LP, Age of Exile, was unquestionably inventive and unique. Two years on, Straw Man Army's latest release, SOS, confirms their unconventionality. The band remain tethered to punk, with anarcho/post-punk and offbeat hardcore being crucial markers in their sound. However, SOS's grim observations on the human condition also feature elements plucked from psych-rock, alt-rock, and even a big fat dollop of shimmery pop.
SOS sees plenty of bass-driven stonk mixing with vocal tics and eccentric swerves/shudders on jittery/skittery tracks. Straw Man Army's experimentations frequently ignore genre boundaries, so if you feel like punk has grown stale, SOS is here to prove there's plenty of room to shake things up with innovative-sounding songs.
Don't feel bad if you get hooked by the hype; SOS is an instant classic from a genuinely adventurous band.
[D4MT Labs Inc Neurosonic Research]
Savage Pleasure: A Harrowing Cry... From the Shadows
Here's my hot tip for the month: grab a copy of Savage Pleasure's A Harrowing Cry... From the Shadows EP as soon as you can. Like, right fucking now. The NYC crust band's strapping debut is another top-notch release from the Toxic Shock Records stable. Savage Pleasure features members from groups like Inferno, Nosferatu, and Suffocating Madness, so you know you're in good — albeit grimy as hell — hands. The band channel the likes of Amebix covering Morbid Tales on epic tracks, and much like Poison Ruïn, there's an ice-cold, archaic feel to Savage Pleasure's songs. No question, A Harrowing Cry... From the Shadows is one of my favourite heavy-ass punk releases from 2022. It's big, it's brutal, and bulldozing tracks like "The Reaper's Scythe," "The Sentry," and "The Whip" are stacked with gravel-gargling vocals and ten-tonne riffs. HIGHLY recommended.
[Toxic State Records]
Absolut: Kill Your Illusion
I'm pretty sure I'm not alone in being fuckin' stoked to see Canadian four-piece Absolut back in action with their signature 'mangel devastation' brought to the fore, once again, on their new Kill Your Illusion EP. (Sidenote: the title of the Toronto band's new EP is listed as LIVE!! on Bandcamp, but 'Kill Your Illusion' is slapped on the EP's cover, so I'm going with that.) Absolut's first release in many a year features four tracks — some old, some new, and a cover of Gang Green's "Haunted House" — that were recorded 'live off the floor' and then mixed and mastered by Gen Ramz at Hell's Highest. As per Absolut's 'raw blast from the gutter' methodology, violent and volcanic noise — sired by Anti Cimex and born from the kängpunk/råpunk womb — is dunked in acid and then thrown on a blazing pyre. Roaring solos and anvil-heavy riffs sit side-by-side with Absolut's throat-slit vocals and nuclear-tipped drums, making for a manifestly ugly melee. Like all of Absolut's releases thus far, Kill Your Illusion is a balance of forces, heavy as a sack of bricks and still as raw as road rash. Get your Canadian Jawbreaker buzz on.
(Available digitally on Bandcamp. Cassette version available at NE Devastation Tour w’ Destruct, June 2022)
Warthog: S/T
Larry's back! Warthog are a big deal, right? I mean, I live about as far away from NYC as you can get. But I can still hear the band's praises being sung loud and proud right down 'ere at the ass-end of the world. Of course, that makes perfect sense. All of Warthog's rowdy EPs have been crammed to the gunnels with bruising instrumentation. Warthog's latest self-titled EP is no different. The band's most recent release only features three songs. But three new songs from Warthog is more rewarding than entire albums from other bands. As usual, the band deliver hulking basement hardcore with a razor-edged metallic snarl. And everything here adheres to the band's trademark grab-you-by-the-throat ferocity. What's to say? Head on over to Static Shock or Toxic State asap and grab yet another reason to sing Warthog's praises.
[Static Shock Records, Toxic State Records]
Black Dog: Demo 2022
Black Dog's Demo 2022 is about as gruesome as gangrene. That's no great surprise, given the Canadian bruisers are linked to a few other monstrous-sounding groups; see top-class neck-wreckers Fragment, Contagium, Zygome, and more. Black Dog's raw-throated d-beat calls to mind Disaster covering Confuse, with the band's five-song demo hitting the über-fucking-abrasive bullseye time and again. Tracks like "Plague Trend", "Absolute Disaster", and "Masters Ruin" are as concussive as they are corrosive, and things remain harsh, heavy, and welcomingly lo-fi throughout. Obviously, 'black dog' is a well-known metaphor for depression, and it's worth pointing out that Black Dog's music is a kind of therapy, the kind that utilises ferocious noise to help cast out your inner demons. Here's hoping we hear more from Black Dog sooner rather than later. The band's Demo 2022 is a knockout.
[Sore Mind, Fuzzed Atrocities]
Puffer: Demo 2022
Another month, another ass-kicking demo from Roachleg Records. This time it's the turn of Canadian rockers Puffer. The Montreal-based five-piece features members from Ultrarat and Mueco, but unlike Mueco's d-beat/raw punk, Puffer lace up their big boy boots and dish out roughneck punk 'n' roll. The band's Demo 2022 features hard-as-nails street punk and pub rock, with guttural tracks accentuating all the beer-in-the-car-park grittiness. Gruff, catchy, and the real deal. Here's a hook-laden debut for you street urchins and guttersnipes.
[Roachleg Records]
Destruct: Onward to Collapse: Live 2021
Destruct's 2020 LP, Echoes of Life, found a perfect balance between sounding utterly massive yet blisteringly raw. The band injected rabid Japanese influences (Bastard, Framtid, etc.) into Discharge's driving momentum, with Destruct's blasting riffs and bloodthirsty vocals tearing chunks out of heavily muscled hardcore. The band's recent live release, Onward to Collapse: Live 2021, catches Destruct's core strengths to a T. The release sounds king-sized, and pro as hell, but not too pro, with the visceral feel of the live experience left fully intact. Onward to Collapse features nine eviscerating tracks, including a couple of numbers from Destruct's upcoming LP, and the release is a cranium-cracking reminder of the intrinsic power of Destruct's raw hardcore.
[Self-released]
Poison Ruïn: Not Today, Not Tomorrow
The first two releases from Pennsylvanian punks Poison Ruïn proved to be extremely popular with underground freaks and geeks. (FYI, if you haven't heard it already, the band's recent tour tape is a certified ripper too.) Poison Ruïn's latest 7", Not Today, Not Tomorrow, is another D&D nerd's dream come true. The three tracks here are first-rate rockers — ice-cold but red-hot, you know the deal. As Poison Ruïn's label Roachleg rightly points out, the band's latest tracks are also perfect for soundtracking your next 'medieval vision quest'. Fans of dungeon synth, stripped-down post-punk, and raw punk will find a lot to enjoy in Poison Ruïn's bitter tracks. Not Today, Not Tomorrow is littered with bone-chilling hooks, and sublime songs like the EP's title track and the anthem-like "Edifice" showcase Poison Ruïn's continuing artistic prowess.
[Roachleg Records]
Primer Regimen: 1983
I doubt the band are aware of it, but Colombian outfit Primer Regimen scored themselves a host of fans Down Under following the release of their ripping 2018 album, Ultimo Testamento. The Bogotá-based band are back with a new 7", 1983, which features a subtle shift in the band's sound. Post-punk fuels more of the action here, with a brooding temper and tempo underscoring Primer Regimen's latest tracks. Have no fear; the rawer punk of old is not forgotten. Blazing riffs and howling vocals still appear. There's plenty here that'll appeal to established fans. Primer Regimen have simply chosen to explore a darker creative vein on 1983.
[Discos Enfermos]
Skaven: Flowers of Flesh and Blood
OG crust band Skaven might not have stuck around for long, but the Oakland group's influence is undeniable. Californian label Carbonized Records clearly recognises that fact, choosing to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the band's final recordings by reissuing Skaven's 1996 EP, Flowers of Flesh and Blood. (The EP also features an extra track lifted from Skaven's acclaimed split with the almighty Stormcrow.) Skaven took the grim ferocity of groups like Amebix and Axegrinder, mixed that with some Nausea and Neurosis-like intensity, and delivered a stench-heavy sound that was darker and more destructive than a lot of the other '90s Bay Area punk output. Flowers of Flesh and Blood is an essential addition for any crust collection worth its salt, as is the rest of Skaven's hard-hitting discography.
[Carbonized Records]
The Flex: Chewing Gum for the Ears
Ten years into their career, The Flex deliver one of their finest recordings yet. Stacked with the band's sledgehammering NWOBHC, Chewing Gum For The Ears is a righteous slab of hardcore-crammed power and prowess. The Flex take a smattering of UK82, throw in a chunk of 80s NYHC, and shove the lot down the neck of old school Massachusetts hardcore. The usual mosh-hard guitars, barking vocals, and pummeling drums and bass are all here. However, more Japanese influences punch their way through the red-lining mix this time around. Expect super-tight and super-strong musicality, and a relentlessly explosive momentum. With jaw-walloping anthems galore, Chewing Gum for the Ears hits like a runaway bull. It's rare to see a band working this hard after a decade in the game. The Flex impress — all over again.
[Static Shock Records]
Obsoletion: Demo
Veneno: Camino de Espinas
Prousted: Demo
Californian label Sentient Ruin Laboratories has a solid rep for releasing some of the nastiest underground metal around. The label's also dipped its toes into the more caustic end of the punk pool; see Last Agony's The Imminent Slaughter, one of 2021's gnarliest punk LPs. More recently, Sentient Ruin has released three punk recordings worth their weight in bullet belts. Brazillian band Obsoletion's demo spits plenty of venom with its vitriolic raw punk conjuring the difficult issues plaguing the band's São Paulo locale. Argentinian punks Prousted's demo is an equally gruesome delight. The band's red-raw and super-acidic songs radiate heavy doses of blistering black metal à la Blasphemy and kin. Fellow Argentinian band Veneno also deals in blackened punk, mixing Hellhammer-like crudity with bestial hardcore on their Camino de Espinas cassette. Obsoletion, Prousted and Veneno share two common features. An ability to ferociously channel social tensions and emotional stresses. Plus, a gruesome mix of primitive and markedly sinister sonics.
[Sentient Ruin]
Warkrusher: Pils Sessions #11
Pils Sessions #11 sees Montreal "crust fuckers" Warkrusher deliver three noxious tracks indebted to ye olde stenchcore warriors like Deviated Instinct and Hellbastard (with a heavy helping of Bolt Thrower's trampling momentum sprinkled on top). Much like Pils Session #1, which featured a fierce fusion of deathcrust and stenchcore from Montreal band Collapsed, there's a lot to like about Warkrusher's tough-as-steel aesthetic and their grim-toned tracks. The band's 2019 demo, All is Not Lost, was an extremely promising release. Here's hoping Pils Sessions #11 signals more tracks are incoming from the hard-hitting band.
[Pils Sessions]
ExtinctExist/Bordger: Split
I was hoping to tell you all about the cross-Tasman collaboration between Australian band ExtinctExist and Aotearoa New Zealand group Bordger when the release day for their 7" split rolled around. Unfortunately, there's still only one song from each band streaming online, and I haven't seen any copies of the 7" floating around on my side of the pond (as yet). Still, ExtinctExist and Bordger are great bands, so I'm going to try and convince you to grab their split anyways.
The recently defunct ExtinctExist featured a host of DIY veterans in the ranks, and the crust/metal/d-beat ensemble was a consummate heavy hitter; see their thundering Cursed Earth and Anthropocene LPs. Like ExtinctExist's previous work, the track streaming off their split with Bordger ("The Haze") is a heavyweight dirge backed by a mountain of metallic muscle. It's sad to see the band go, but ExtinctExist released some first-class Herculean crust in their time. "The Haze" is more evidence of that fact.
With members drawn from groups like Indiscriminate, Piggery, and the almighty Meth Drinker, Bordger also has plenty of experience in the DIY trenches. Bordger's 7" debut, 2020's War of Extinction, was an ear-splitting free-for-all, and the band's track streaming from their split with ExtinctExist ("Eel Bones") continues in the same deafening vein. "Eel Bones" sees a couple of grind-worthy riffs tear into grotty-ass crust and d-beat. It's an ugly-as-fuck song, and all the better for it.
[Bitter Loss Records]
