Troublemaker - Moratorium

I've been meaning to post this New Jersey ripper for quite some time, so I suppose the "better late than never" philosophy can be applied here. Yet another bright spot on the Ride the Fury Records roster, Troublemaker churned out this 13 track monster last fall in both colored wax and cassette format. One part dark, heavy hardcore, one part ear searing speed, and a splash of vocals wrought with anger comprise the band's volatile formula.

The album seems to bob and weave its way through assorted movements, as the band flips the switch from blurring quickness to grinding, collapsing breakdowns in a matter of seconds. Once you attempt to become comfortable (in the loosest sense of the word), they commence lurching back and forth with enough force to have you vomiting right all over your MacBook Pro. Raw, unapologetic, and infectious, Troublemaker skips the chug-a-chug spinkicking nonsense and delivers an LP in terrific, true hardcore fashion.

This is still available in both formats from Ride the Fury, so pick one up on the cheap if you haven't already. Even better, they actually recorded more than 15 minutes worth of music (which seems to be a rarity these days), so don't worry about getting your money's worth with this one.

Download
Troublemaker
Ride the Fury Records

Partisans - 17 Years of Hell

When in doubt, just turn the clock back a few...decades? For your listening pleasure, we're serving up some absolutely classic original punk rock right here from England's The Partisans; no frills, no nonsense, and no complicated chord progressions to get in the way of the snotty, pissed off attitude. Released in 1982 on No Future Records when the UK82 punk movement was exploding across the country, 17 Years of Hell cemented The Partisans into music history alongside contemporaries such as Special Duties, Blitz, Abrasive Wheels, The Enemy, and more.

Following the success of their first single in 1981, Police Story/Killing Machine, the group quickly dropped this trio of raw, unpolished tracks onto the surging European punk scene in the Spring of 1982. As a young, stubborn, and pessimistic group, The Partisans tackled many of the recycled lyrical topics you'd expect to find, lashing out against government, police, society, and nearly everyone else in England. The title track is one of the band's more memorable offerings, remaining an important piece of the early punk rock timeline, riddled with frustration and anger.

The Partisans actually reformed in the late 90s after breaking up in 1984 (as many similar acts did), and released a new EP (So Neat) in 2001, followed by a full length (Idiot Nation) in 2004. As with most reunited punk bands, the reactions are mixed at best, so stick with their first couple singles and self-titled LP to experience the band at their short lived, but exciting peak.

Download

New Stuff from Katorga Works

Western Massachusetts' Hoax return after an ear splitting demo with four more bullets straight through the brain in the form of a 7" debut. Gritty production, abrasive vocals, and thunderous percussion congeal together to create an absolute calamity of an EP. If you were into their first tape, this is an absolute must as far as polluting the airwaves in your immediate locale. Four songs in five minutes, you already know what to expect.

This sold out quickly from Katorga Works but Deranged still has some copies available so snatch those up before all of the vinyl heads flock quicker than locusts to a fruit tree.

Download (link from Katorga)
Buy from Deranged Records

Merchandise returns from humid, sun drenched Tampa, Florida with their latest head scratching musical effort, this time as a split release between Katorga and Drugged Conscience. Blending elements of post-punk, fuzzed out rock, and gritty pop, they create an intoxicating cocktail of tuneage unlike most bands circulating the scene these days. I was pretty psyched on the unusual vibe and surprising songwriting on their first two tapes, and (Strange Songs) In the Dark finds a comfortable home in a similar vein.

This is also sold out from Katorga, but definitely pick this up (as well as the Neon Blud LP) from Drugged Conscience before they're sold out. (Note: this is not a hardcore record, try something different.)

Download (link from Katorga)
Buy from Drugged Conscience

Two Demos

Yikes, I guess it's been too long since there's been some fresh tunes uploaded on here. Fortunately, there's been plenty of aneurysm inducing tapes and records popping up over the past couple months, and I have a pair that I've been meaning to post for a while.

First up we have one of the latest Western Massachusetts disasters, formed by ex/current/whocares members of Aerosols and SQRM. Hoax delivers five tracks of ear splitting, brooding hardcore in a pleasantly gritty and abrasive fashion. Expect raw vocals, fuzzed out distortion, and the somewhat typical (yet purposeful) low-fi recording quality. This tape's been sold out for a while, so check this out if you haven't already.

Download (I heisted this from Derrick's Well Fed blog, stop by for more noise)

Midwest Wolfpack! The aptly dubbed Noose serve up their aggressive vegan straightedge hardcore stylings on their first five track demo. These guys picked up steam fast and quickly joined the React! Records roster to release a 7" version of the demo, which you can pick up here. If you're into the early Boston-era hardcore or other current Midwest bands, this is definitely worth a peek. Look for an upcoming tour with RazorxFade this month which hits a number of cities including NYC, Philly, Boston, Richmond, and more.

Download
Noose

Two Upcoming Shows

Philly and New Jersey both have a solid show coming up to help beat down those icy winter blues. Forget about the weekly ice/rain/snow/sleet storm and head out for one of these. There's plenty more coming in March and April so stay tuned.

2/5/11 - Broad Street Ministry - Philly - 7PM - $12

Mother of Mercy (Record Release)
Cold World
Free Spirit
Cop Problem
Sawed Off

Joe and R5 will also be collecting coloring books and crayons for donation to the Eliza Shirley House Shelter for Women and Children so help out if you can.

2/11/11 - Asbury Lanes - Asbury Park, NJ - 8PM - $10

The Rival Mob
Give
Stick Together
Mob Mentality

Tear it Up Reunion Shows

New Jersey's own Tear it Up will be getting together for a pair of reunion shows to celebrate the reissue of their heralded Nothing to Nothing LP on Six Feet Under Records. It's been years since the band called it quits, leaving a gaping hole in the New Jersey hardcore scene which has ached for a band of their influence since their departure (at least for me). Locals; feel free to howl in delight, as both shows will be in the area, with one in Brooklyn and the other in Kearny, NJ. Full details are below via the promoters:

HARDCORE GIG VOLUME # 149

TEAR IT UP - Reunion, Nothing To Nothing line up
LAST IN LINE - Hardcore Punk Western Massholes, Reunion
CELL MATES - New Hardcore band from Maryland, Members of Deep Sleep

Friday March 25th, 6:30pm - $10 Adv/ $12 At the door - All Ages
@ Europa
98 Meserole Ave @ Manhattan
Brooklyn, NY 
Tickets
 
=====================

TEAR IT UP - Reunion, first shows since 11/1/2003
FULL SPEED AHEAD - A Rare Appearance From NJ's Finest
NIGHT BIRDS - NJ / Bklyn Surf Punks, Singles Collection CD release show
LOOSE ENDS - NJ's Newest Premiere Rock n' Roll Act

Saturday, March 26th, 7pm - $10 Adv/ $12 At the door - All Ages
@ The Irish
95 Kearny Ave
Kearny, NJ
Tickets
for more info: briangorsegner@gmail.com

Both of these shows are expected to sell out quickly, so don't sleep on this short-lived and amazing opportunity, especially if you missed them the first time around. The LP reissue is currently at the plant, so check back with Six Feet Under for more info and preorders coming soon.  


Finally - in case you've been living under a rock or in a cave for an extended period of time, check out a download of The First Four Months here. You can also buy a copy on CD from Deranged Records.

Natural Law - Slump

Brooklyn's Natural Law is surging back to the forefront with a spankin' new EP, Slump. Following a ripping demo chock full of gritty, old school influence, Slump delves even further into bleakness and despair, unearthing waves of deafening, straight up hardcore. A split release between Katorga Works and Hesitation Wound, this one is already flying off internet shelves and distros around the country.

With five songs clocking in at about five and a half minutes, Natural Law's latest work picks up where the demo left off, but with even better sound quality and tighter playing. Like pulling the ripcord on a chainsaw, Slump immediately ignites into fast paced hardcore fury and blazes through the entire EP from front to back. Stripped down and in your face, the band leaves cutesy guitar diddlys and sluggish breakdowns in the dust, pouring all their effort into a positively crushing slab of wax.

Slump is already sold out from Katorga Works, but copies are still available from Hesitation Wound, so act fast if you haven't grabbed one of these already. The download link comes straight from the label, so support these guys if you can.

Download
Hesitation Wound
Natural Law

Wiccans - Teenage Cults

Fresh in, we have a slab of sweet black wax from Pass Judgement Records, containing four filthy songs from Denton, Texas' Wiccans. An intoxicating blend of old school punk rock and Midwestern hardcore, Teenage Cults delivers a nice injection of mid-tempo aggression. Hand stamped labels and black vinyl, housed in a thin inner sleeve completes the packaging on this baby.

Stripped down and relatively simple, Wiccans play a brand of hardcore which isn't afraid to ink songs longer than 45 seconds long, and use a speed other than "blurring" while playing their instruments. Something about them reminds me of UK82 era punk rock bands, a la Special Duties or The Partisans, with a more modern hardcore edge added to similarly dirty, power chord laden riffs. Adam Cahoon's vocals are gruff and abrasive, shouting the lyrics in a manner which is tough to follow even with the lyric sheet, but I'm sure you'll be able to make out enough to understand their general theme.

The best song on the record might be the opener, "Repetition," which utilizes familiar punk rock progressions accentuated by simple, yet catchy lead lines. Wiccans chugs along swiftly through the three minute song, with momentary mid-tempo breaks and plenty of tormented howling from the vocals. Each track maintains it's own memorable characteristics, but remains true to the band's desired style, rendering Teenage Cults a slight cut above some other similar records out there.

There's just something deliciously snotty and nasty about this band, which makes it an entertaining listen from top to bottom. Wiccans can squeeze in with the hordes of other hardcore acts out there, but they tend to hang around the No Class or Male Nurses end of the spectrum rather than Raw Nerve or Natural Law. Copies of the first press out of 300 are still available from Pass Judgement for $4.50, so SUPPORT THE BAND AND LABEL if you like the download.

Download
Wiccans MySpace
Wiccans Blog
Pass Judgement Records

Localized Noise Volume 1 Out Now

Localized Noise Volume 1 has finally arrived. This is a production of the blog, and thanks to a number of generous people, the 20 page zine is printed and ready to go. Included in the first issue are interviews with Raw Nerve, Weekend Nachos, Iron Rain, and Poison Planet, as well as reviews of various releases and photos from Futurebreed and others.

The main focus of the zine is on one particular city, and we begin with Chicago. The initial run is limited to 100 hand numbered copies, and available for $2.50 ppd. Paypal as a gift to nalfonse@gmail.com (please include your shipping address), and for wholesale rates please email me first. Thanks for the support and I hope you enjoy it.

Mammoth Grinder - Obsessed with Death

Now that this is completely sold out, I figured it was time to post a rip for those who missed out on the one time pressing of 300 copies. Featuring one fresh blast of death metal laced intense hardcore, and a classic cover from one of the more well known metal bands of all time, Obsessed with Death is another welcome installment in the Mammoth Grinder catalog. A bleak, two color silkscreened cover and a sweet slab of black wax round out the packaging from Hell Massacre Records.

It's all there in a touch over two minutes, everything we've come to know, enjoy, and bang out heads to from Mammoth Grinder. "Obsessed with Death" grinds out a lovely jagged d-beat assault, as Ulsh's echoing, demonic vocals roar above the equally harsh music. Flip this sucker over, and you'll be treated to a well executed cover of Venom's "Welcome to Hell." Recorded in all of its raw, offensive glory, Mammoth Grinder recreates the song pretty well, accentuated with black metal flairs and stripped down distortion.

Check out the download below to ensure your ears are properly deafened, and pick up one of this Texas three piece's records if your into it. Their latest full length, Extinction of Humanity is sold out from the label as well, but you should be able to locate a copy in distros still. Have fun, kids.


Download
Mammoth Grinder

Punch - Push Pull

It's been quite a while since I was legitimately excited about a female fronted hardcore band, especially one which maintains the particularly vicious edge which Punch portrays. It almost reminds me of a buzzsaw rehash of Ceremony (demo era), which in turn reminds me of early 80s Southern California powerviolence and grind. Perhaps I'm drawing some crazy conclusions here, but either way, Punch is smashing face-first into the genre.

Each of their records seems to build upon the last, while honing a razor sharp edge with plenty of abrasive vocals and thrilling guitar riffs. Skipping past repetitive breakdowns and delivering straightforward fast, sludging hardcore, Punch is putting an axe right through the pop-punkcore segment of the musical scene. Check out the download for their now sold out LP, Push Pull, which features 13 songs of aggressive, pissed off fury. If you're feeling it as much as I am, hit up the webstore and SUPPORT the band. 


Download
Punch
Punch Webstore

11/5 - Cro-Mags in Philly

No introduction needed. Be there.

Friday November 5, 2010 - 7:30 p.m. - $13
Broad Street Ministry
315 S. Broad St. (Broad and Pine)
Philadelphia, PA

Cro-Mags
Hands Tied
Cast Aside
Agitator
Outlast

Vaccine - Human Hatred

Yes, this has already been posted in a handful of other blogs, but I purposely decided to hold off for a while since I figured this record would sell out pretty fast. Painkiller Records is down to their final copies, so without further ado, this is the most recent shot of edgeviolence from Massachusetts' Vaccine. Fold out cover art, slick transparent blood red vinyl, and a digital download card are all included.

Similar to their demo, Vaccine blasts through their songs like a buzzsaw through warm butter, emitting crushingly abrasive riffs in quick 20 to 30 second blasts. Ten songs in about four minutes goes by like a blur, as the group delivers punch after devastating punch of lightning fast powerviolence inspired tunes. Of the crop, only a couple of the songs including "Limited Edition" and "Enlistment" even attempt to slow down a bit, with "slow down" being a highly relative term here.

Despite the almost endless, and undoubtedly unwanted hype which surrounded this band for a while, they produce some seriously vicious music which delivers on each and every track. Completely unapologetic lyrics are delivered in a beastly roaring fashion as the band takes aim at a number of topics such as drug use, religion, self-loathing, and record flipping. "Rotting Away" might be my favorite of the group, which includes a particularly infectious riff towards the end which should have the room moving side to side with enough force to bring the building down.

Copies on black vinyl are still available from Painkiller Records, so if you don't already own this ripper, buy one soon before they're all gone. Vaccine has rips of their demo material on their blog as well, so check that out too if you haven't heard it before.

Download
Vaccine
Painkiller Records

Long Pigs - Tape

So it's been a little while since the last update, but I'm happy to serve up a tape from New York's Toxic State Records. This five piece unit of snotty hardcore punk, appropriately dubbed Long Pigs, presents their latest tape with seven doses of noisy, crashing tunes. White unlabeled tapes, fold out insert, and a lyric sheet are the presentation on this one.

First off, there isn't much information on this whatsoever (at least that I could track down). The tape was sent in by the label along with a few other items which should hopefully be on here soon as well. While the recording quality is clearly a little bit on the more scruffy, low-fi end of the spectrum, it pairs pretty well with the disdainful, negative outpouring of angst which flows like water from Long Pigs.

Fast paced with blaring distortion and relentlessly pounding percussion, Long Pigs stumble their way through their seven tracks in about nine minutes like a drunken brown out. A wall of sound fires out from the speakers, which is more caused by the searing feedback and ragged recording levels, rather than something created by a razor sharp powerviolence band played at max volume. However, this particular brand of near sloppiness coupled with unmitigated anger and roaring riffs seems to work pretty well. Besides, there are tons of other demos or tapes which have sounded worse, with far messier recording and playing.

Check out Toxic State for more NYC hardcore punk and support what these guys are doing, this is the real deal. All of the bands affiliated with the label are worth a spin or three, so hit them up on the blog link below if you're into the download.

Download
Toxic State Records

New Log Cabin Show - 10/15

For everyone's sweaty enjoyment we have another show lined up for The Log Cabin in Toms River, NJ. The last one this summer went unexpectedly well, so be sure to head out on Friday, 10/15 to support all the bands.

Doors @ 5 p.m. - $10 - show will be over by 10 p.m. (seriously.)
8th Ave and Morningside St in Toms River, NJ

Dead End Path (Wilkes-Barre, Triple B Records)
Born Low (Albany, Reaper Records)
Doubledealer (Delaware, Harvcore Records)
Line of Scrimmage (Brooklyn)
Rock Bottom (Doylestown, Harvcore Records)
Good Times (Cape May, NJ)


Please respect the venue, and stop sitting on the stupid fence outside because it's going to break and people will have to spend money they don't have to fix it. Thanks Ian!

Bad American - EP

Bethlehem, PA's Bad American serves up a split release between two budding record labels, Bad Recordings and Discontent Records. Gritty hardcore punk with scorching vocals and a venomous delivery, this four piece pumps out eight songs on their debut EP. Glued cardstock sleeves with sweet artwork, mixed vinyl, a sticker, and lyric insert are all part of the presentation.

Right off the bat, these dudes remind me of the first Outbreak EP mixed in with some more abrasive, older punk rock qualities. The heat pounding speed is right on point, as the raging guitar riffs work in complete cohesion with the rest of the group. On occasion, the vocals become slightly blown out, but everything pairs pretty nicely considering their non-stop, no frills approach. Forget the cutesy guitar diddlys and pseudo-indie vibe; Bad American is pumping out fast paced hardcore with a scintillating punk edge.

While their musical formula is pretty standard, there's still a few pretty memorable moments scattered throughout the record. The thumping bass 'n drum intro to "Rodent" is a perfect fire-starter, building in anticipation before exploding into an all out attack. "Snake Doctor" puts an insanely catchy riff to work, ripping into a 50 second barn burner as the record works its way to the final ear shredding scream in "Combat."

Give the download a spin or two (I listened to it about seven times), and snatch one of these up before everything's sold out. The limited covers (/100) and their demo (/50) are already sold out, but the band still has copies of the mixed lavenderish color in the picture above. Support the newer guys who are doing something positive. Thanks again to the band for sending this one in.

Download
Buy It
Bad American

Vile Gash in Philly

There's not a plentiful amount of information on this one but here's what's out there right now:

Teri's - 1126 S. 9th St. Philly
9/30/10 - 9 p.m. - Free - 18+ (don't be an idiot)
Vile Gash
Leather
No Coffins
DJ Recordmoney

Rotting Out @ Brick Moose Lodge

The Jersey Shore hardcore resurgence continues. West coasters Rotting Out headline the joint with plenty of regional bands rounding out the line up for this banger in Brick. Get out there early and support all the local dudes on the bill. Check out the Facebook invite if you're into that.

10/1/10 - 5 p.m. - $5
Rotting Out
Soul Search
Ramming Speed
Filthy Habits
Worlds
Country Drop

Mother of Mercy and Nails @ Sellersville VFW

Joe Hardcore is officially at it again. While this next jaunt isn't in Philly, the Sellersville VFW hall is set up for an explosive night on September 28th. Make sure you get there early for this one.

9/28/10 - 7 p.m. $10
Mother of Mercy
Nails
Agitator
Lifeless
Black Feathers

9/23 in New Brunswick, NJ

Quick heads up for people in the area about another HCHC show in New Brunswick, NJ. There isn't a flyer yet so just details for now:

9/23 @ 7 p.m. - $5
Troublemaker
Fleshtemple
Bear Trap
Dethroned Emperor
Sick Fuck

This will wrap up at 10 p.m., please do NOT show up without any money for the touring band. The address can't be posted online so "askapunk."