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Detroit, Michigan, United States
I'm a punk rock guru from Detroit. Part skinhead, part crusty, part metalhead, part hardcore kid, part party kid, 100% punk rocker.

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Correction- Weaken the Stronghold EP review

Correction- Weaken the Stronghold EP review
The power of the riff and the drum beat are strong with these ones- the title and band name track and unquestionable signs of this.  The one epic track is the last one, and the most memorable, and the first five are burly bruiser boy straight edge hardcore punk out of France.  The singer has an extraordinarily deep growling grunt to his vocals, the guitars are beefy but still chop pretty fast, and the drums are much the same, strong in both fast and slow parts.  This is good shit right here.

-Aunty Social

Sunday, September 27, 2015

Collapse- Apocalyptic Key EP review

Collapse- Apocalyptic Key EP review
What an EP!  A jarring mixture of genres with unique and fascinating words shouted over top of it, Collapse’s second effort is no doubt both an expansion and an improvement from their previous EP.  The music hits hard, a perfect anthem to capture the anger underlined in the lyrics written by the band.  These words are not only well-written, they are a breath of fresh air (even if you disagree with what they have to say, you will wind up agreeing with this).  Songs about suicide, friendship, the government, and drugs are all interesting at times, but they can also get blasé rather rapidly.  This is something different, and it’s sure as hell worth your time.  They call it hardcoredoompunx, and although this isn’t very snappy or catchy, it’s accurate.  Read the words, jam the songs, and experience something new.

-Aunty Social

Friday, September 25, 2015

Bad People- Pearls Before Swine EP review

Bad People- Pearls Before Swine EP review
Garage-y punk with a sneery tune and an unending drive of tuneless fidgety weirdness.  It’s organized, but only enough to stitch together the essential parts of a song and even then, it’s stretching it.  However spacey the idea of the song is, the energy to drive that forward is there- in the modern day, it seems like an art project, but in days past, this would have fit right next to Lydia Lunch, the Dead Boys, Cinecyde, or most of the bands on the New York Thrash compilation LP.  Very weird, very good.

-Aunty Social

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Back to Back- Of Flesh and Bone EP review

Back to Back- Of Flesh and Bone EP review
Every modern Texas punk band seem to have the same recording guy, it’s odd; still, the songs are absolutely there.  Low-fi hardcore punk with some spacey garage elements here and there, hard to go wrong.  Amongst the Texas bands getting attention, this one seems to be getting overlooked, although this is just as hard-hitting as Glue’s second 7” or Blotter’s demo.  I wasn’t big on the last song with the everlasting outro, but beyond that, it’s tough hardcore punk modernized and filtered through an analog sound.  Like a pair of small pants on an oversized scene kid of yesteryear, it’s tight.

-Aunty Social

Monday, September 21, 2015

Another Mistake- Life's Noose EP review

Another Mistake- Life’s Noose EP review
This is classic youth crew with a slightly more menacing undertone and faster beat.  It’s a good ole’ Midwest Blood style hardcore EP; short, staunch, and danceable.  A new-fashioned take on old-fashioned music.

-Aunty Social

Saturday, September 19, 2015

Raw Justice- Artificial Peace 7" review

Raw Justice- Artificial Peace 7” review
The band’s first EP set the stage for some good old brutal straight edge hardcore punk- I didn’t think that they could improve on it, yet they did.  I didn’t think that one guy belting out some angry shouts backed with thundering drum rhythms could make me want to get violent and mosh, but it did.  To top it all off, this record is named after (inadvertently or not) a lesser-known 80s hardcore band from Washington, D.C.  The only thing that might have made this record better is if Raw Justice had covered one of their songs.  Barring that, this can’t get any better.  The guitars are goddamned brutal, the bass chugs along with all the force of a fucking train, the drums are crushing whether they’re fast or slow, and even though the vocalist sounds like Peewee Herman singing Infest songs, I fucking love it.  This is one of the best EPs I’ve heard all year.  Jaw shattered.

-Aunty Social

Thursday, September 17, 2015

Old Wounds- Death Projection EP review

Old Wounds- Death Projection 7” review
The opening riff on the first song is enough to get this EP a review- it’s one of the hardest and most brutal riffs I’ve heard this side of the 80s.  ‘Dead Beat Blues’ hits hard all the way through, ending with the prophetic line “Life is pain, death is release”.  ‘Ritual’ is a unique song that blends just about every kind of extreme music into one (save for harsh noise).  ‘Bloodpact’ is much the same, and is notable for the fact that the vocals are abrasive yet distinct, clear enough to discern the lyrics the singer is uttering.  The last song ‘Epilogue of a Possession’ is the epitome of a long 90s hardcore song- melodic and cacophonous at different times, and reaches epic proportions at times as well.  The lyrics of the band are largely on another level- I do not understand some of them.  They’re a mix of storytelling and a rhythmic blend of philosophical musings from a strange, interesting fellow with a lot of heart and even more charisma.  This band is one I admit that I do not fully grasp, but it’s pretty fucking good, much more intelligent than most 90s-influenced hardcore and metalcore jocked today.  Through the sheer application of hard work, this band DESERVES your attention.  Donkey kick your neighbor and dwell on the deeper elements of your life.

-Aunty Social

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Special Duties- '77 in '82 LP review

Special Duties- ’77 in ’82 LP review
Underrated, supercharged Oi! with a faster beat and a bleaker outlook- this is the epitome of what UK 82 was, and although these guys weren’t as well-known as the likes of their contemporaries like the Exploited, One Way System, Abrasive Wheels, and any band on a punk’s denim/leather jacket circa 2006 (that they probably didn’t listen to), these guys were just as good, if not better.  The rhythm is much heavier than the melody here- it’s downright thudding, stifling even, and not in a bad way.  The simplicity and brutality of these songs is what sets them apart from their predecessors.  Neither an evolution nor devolution, it was a progression that left a permanent imprint on the world.  This is what the “hardcore” movement in the UK was, the one that sprouted up alongside Black Flag, Minor Threat, Bad Brains, Negative Approach, etc.  Since the cultures were different, they progressed and manifested differently as well.  The songs and demeanor were different, but there still existed a camaraderie of sorts.  Those who make the effort to research history will be the ones who unearth lost treasures.  This is no doubt one of those.

-Aunty Social

Sunday, September 13, 2015

Angel Du$t- A.D. LP review

Angel Du$t- A.D. LP review
I tried liking pop punk once- the Descendents’ ‘Milo Goes To College’ is an awesome record.  Some of their later material isn’t bad.  Hell, even some of the best punk music has its roots in catchy bubblegum pop, some of these songs are even love songs.  The potential does exist for catchy punk/hardcore music that isn’t necessarily rough-and-tough all the time (though that is the best kind).  This record, and this band, is not that.  The singer’s voice is vexing- it’s melodic, sure, but it sounds strained, unnatural, forced, like something that doesn’t fit.  The music is far from catchy or enchanting- think Cro-Mags’ ‘Revenge’ B-sides or the Buzzcocks on a fucking shitty and awful day where they play their instruments too hard and too fast just so that they can get the set over with and leave.  Even if this music is innovative and unique, it is truly god-awful.  Buy this for someone that you’re fake friends with as a gift so they know how you really feel about them, that you paid good money and wasted valuable time in order to subject them to this swill.  That would be one cold dish of revenge.

-Gary Abusey

Friday, September 11, 2015

Meth Mouth- Waste of Life EP review

Methmouth- Waste of Life EP review
Powerviolence/fastcore at its finest and downtuned-est, it’s maybe the length of the single side of a 7” at 33.3 RPM, but enough anger for both sides of it.  Think Downsided with less political commentary, tuned down a step or so.  Not complicated, but still pretty good if nothing else for a slipping in someone’s hipster party playlist just to piss everyone off, because that’s funny.

-Aunty Social

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Spitback- Skate the Streets demo tape review

Spitback- Skate the Streets demo tape review
Mid-tempo hardcore a la Bridge Nine circa 2006 with basement quality production (this is a good thing- hardcore is not meant to sound overly slick).  What if the U.S. Bombs were a hardcore band?  What if the Faction or JFA grew up in the Midwest in the 2000s rather than the west coast in the 80s?  It’s a very fun band, the kind that would play a house destruction party in exchange for a 30 pack and a couple blunts- very punk rock attitude for a hardcore band.  It’s a hardcore band for everyone- crowd-killers, two-steppers, circle pitters, push pitters, posi-jumpers, all are welcome in Spitback’s music and at their shows, and none are out of place.  The music isn’t amazing, but it’s what you’d expect a hardcore demo to be.  These cats have the energy and the mentality; I think the songs are forthcoming.  Not a bad demo tape.

-Aunty Social

Monday, September 7, 2015

Humanerror/Snakes split tape review

Humanerror/Snakes split tape review
Two bands with their respective brand of heavy, dark hardcore manage to complement one another here, almost a necessity for a split.
Humanerror is a chug-friendly band that also uses powerviolence-y drum beats while sludging away on the guitar and bass, not terribly far off from Eyehategod.  The two tracks they offer are no doubt the better two here, though it’s admittedly difficult to best the band from Texas who has been around for six years.  Still, the two tracks Snakes have are no slouches- they’re dirty and grindy but still possess some clarity.  The Nails-worship HM2 sound is absolutely present, but it doesn’t sound like leftovers, it is a sound unto itself that mixes hardcore and metal in the dirtiest of ways, the way it was meant to be, the way Cleveland bands from the late 80s and New York bands from the early 90s intended it to be.  Homage-paying and still an independent force.  A good blend.

-Aunty Social

Saturday, September 5, 2015

Kontrasekt- s/t 7" review

Kontrasekt- self-titled 7” review
Primitive, raw, noisy, fast d-beat that is equal arts Disclose and Discharge.  Not a fantastic EP, but if you like simple, this is indeed simple.  Norden’s Hammer is probably the best track, though all these songs sort of blend together, and it’s over before you know it.  It will either leave you relieved (that it’s over with so quickly) or leave you wanting more (because it’s over with so quickly).

-Aunty Social

Thursday, September 3, 2015

Spine/Repos split 7" review

Spine/Repos split 7” review
The same sides of a different coin, these tracks, this split, fucking rip.
On Spine’s side, there is more of a sociopathic late-80s NYHC feel to it (not New Breed Comp. style, though- more like the bands on The Way It Is).  The lyrical content is on point; one song is about a dystopian future complete with cannibalism, another about the problem of sexual assault at shows, one about the future already being written for you, and the fourth is about problems with dentists.  The final song is a cover of the Repos’ Kids Don’t Care (off their first 12”); these tracks are a simultaneous continuation and evolution of the songs laid down on their first EP.
On the Repos’ side, it’s clear the band has changed since their first incarnation (they broke up in 2008, members went on to form the Ropes a couple years later, and due to threats of litigation by a more commercially successful band also named the Ropes, that band folded, and thus the Repos were reborn).  The jagged, disjointed, angry, and puzzled sound still remains, however, and the charm of the first band also still exists.  Blurry in its blending/mixing of the instruments, the sound is one ugly mix of killer hardcore punk with rough enunciations of something resembling words.
The packaging is excellent, everything a split should be.  Same goes for the sounds- this record has reinvigorated my belief in the power of the split(s).

-Aunty Social

Tuesday, September 1, 2015

Skaven- Discography review

Skaven- Discography review
Crusty west coast sludge dirtier than almost anything of its time, Skaven’s small but sinister discography is a precursor to the American crust bands of the modern era.  Raspy, somewhat discernible vocals, clear but still animalistic in energy, were not a common vocal type, but went on to be used fairly frequently.  The guitars, though dirty and tuned down to emphasize heaviness, still possess enough drive to be “punk”, although this would not succinctly describe Skaven’s sound to any but the most unfamiliar of individuals.  The bass is blended into the overall guitar sound well, but there does remain some distinction between them, the former having a very punchy sound.  The drums, though the driving force of the overall sound, are not set in their speed, speeding up and slowing down all over the songs.  The overall mix is excellent; everything is distinct, clear, well-blended, and alters as is appropriate for the atmosphere of the sound.  This is also a mix of the dirty punk and metal primitivism and the unending artsy and melodic complicated-ness, as hardly any bands had done before this.  The lyrics are much the same- at times primitive, other times artsy, and often mixed together.  Too bad this band only lasted for a couple of years- these songs rip and could have evolved only further.  If nothing else, this reminds me slightly of the evolution of His Hero Is Gone into Tragedy.

-Aunty Social