The Impalers - Demo

I picked up this beast at a recent Mammoth Grinder show over the summer; a spankin' new demo from a Texas duo. Featuring an obvious member from MG and another recruit from Hatred Surge (YES), they deliver five thumping, precisely chaotic tracks which almost sound too good to be a demo. Green pro tapes, color printed j-cards, limited to 100, sold out. You know it.

Start off with some intense d-beat influences ranging everywhere from Discharge to Disclose, and add in some old school metal from across Europe like Motorhead, and you've brought The Impalers' foundation into focus. Crashing percussion, rip roaring guitars, and devilish vocals set up a complete sonic assault on the senses, leaving everyone pleasantly weary.

Each song builds a steely wall of sound, brick by brick, cementing The Impalers' aggressive sound and raw tendencies. Some are laced with searing solos, such as "Rabid Transgressors," while "Turn Me Loose" is near perfect d-beat worship banged out at max volume. However, one of the aspects which allows this demo to be great is their ability to refrain from the complete redundancy which seems to ruin somewhat similar bands while boring people to death. Unfortunately, the tape doesn't come with lyrics, but it's Ulsh, so that should give a pretty easy clue where this might be headed.

The initial run sold out on tour, but there should be another press available soon from Nuclear Solution. Check out the blog below for further updates, and if you're in the Texas, check out their debut show on 9/25 at Beerland during the Vaaska record release. Trust me, this is absolutely worth your while.

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Nuclear Solutions Records

Mindless - Human Conditioning

Somehow this band managed to sneak by me over the past year or so, and I'm definitely kicking myself already for missing out on the demo. Featuring Faiza of Hatred Surge, Mindless just dropped their latest installment of teeth grinding, instrument smashing tunes on Financial Ruin. Seven songs not for the faint of heart, this truly rocked my world the first five or six times through, and continues to force a grin upon my face each time I hit play on my tape deck again. Amongst a smorgasbord of hardcore, punk, grind, and metal tapes being released faster than you can possibly listen to them, Human Conditioning stands tall; head and shoulders above many of their similar contemporaries. 

Financial Ruin masterfully pulled off the release, with black pro tapes, fold out glossy inserts with lyrics, and excellent sound quality. Seriously, this is some of the best sounding music I've heard in a while, especially for a band of Mindless' ilk. The guitar tone is wretchedly distorted, and shreds its way through the songs while remaining remarkably clear. Grinding bass lines provide a thick foundation, from which completely insane drumming is fostered, charging with the force of a rhinoceros stampede. Faiza's vocals are harsh, angry, and couldn't fit the music any better, similar to Hatred Surge. For those waiting to jump all over this and bash female-fronted vocals; this is capable of changing your entire point of view.

The lyrical content isn't anything particularly ground breaking, but still falls in line nicely along with the violent, grating musical tones. There's plenty apocalyptic imagery of war, death, and disease, along with hatred and disdain for humanity, society and everything in between. Mindless is about as negative and dark as you can go before becoming completely monotonous and boring, although I'm sure lines such as "Society's fucking leeches/Human scum/Left to rot" might turn some people off.

I could continue gushing and start making stupid comparisons to bands like Infest or The Endless Blockade, but it's probably better for everyone if you just pick this one up. Brutal, heavy, and forceful, Human Conditioning is nearly everything I look for in bands like this, and one of my favorite releases of 2010 so far. If I have to choose a favorite, it'd be "Mental Deficiency," but there is literally zero filler on this tape. High quality rip includes lyrics and cover art, so you can feel free to attempt to follow along with Faiza's lightning quick delivery. Play as loud as possible and destroy your parent's living room while your house caves in around the explosive sound of Mindless. Again, SUPPORT THE BAND AND LABEL.

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Financial Ruin Records
Mindless MySpace