Oiltanker/ No Tomorrow split LP review

Oiltanker/ No Tomorrow split LP review

A pairing of two East Coast crust bands by means of Profane Existence, this definitely sounded like an exciting release when I first got word of it.  Oiltanker has a pretty killer sound mixing crust and hardcore, while No Tomorrow is mostly crust-laden D-beat- what more can a crusty ask for?  The two previous releases Oiltanker has are exemplary (the Crusades 7” and the Shadow of Greed LP) and No Tomorrow’s demo tape was heavy and epic in its own right.  This was a record designed for success.

The Oiltanker side is a continuation of that crust-core sound-rolling drum beat, equal sounding guitars and bass, and raspy hardcore shouts.  It isn’t innovative or progressive, but it kept my attention for the duration.  All the songs were pretty good- worth streaming/ downloading, at least.  If you like heavy crust or have been a fan of Oiltanker before, you won’t be disappointed.  No Tomorrow’s side is a mix of Discharge, Tragedy, and I can even hear a slight Agnostic Front influence (Victim in Pain/ Cause for Alarm era).  I do want to like this- I really do.  However, the bass sound is almost overwhelming, and the guitar is hard to hear, given that the band seems to do the “wall of sound” style (that being guitars tuned down, bass amped up, and drums in a mid-tempo sort of beat).  Some like that sound, but I like to hear the guitars as a separate part of the music (to the band’s credit, they do have a couple break-off points where they have a separate guitar track that’s much more distinct).  Also, the mid-tempo beat of this throughout can get dreary after a while.  Not “bad” per se, but I didn’t get overly excited.

Overall, a decent split, with Oiltanker being the better side.  I’d say stream this first, and it’s likely a case of “genre music for genre people”.  I like the mixing job on the this record, too; props to the audio engineer.

-Aunty Social

Oiltanker- The Shadow of Greed 12" review

Oiltanker- The Shadow of Greed 12” review

This is a continuation of a killer sound that hasn’t been very played out yet- crust-core, which is crust punk in its traditional vein mixed with heavy 90s hardcore.  It’s an addictive sound; the pulsating drums create an intoxicating background tone for the heavy guitars and bass to wring out some mad awesome crusty jams.  The vocals, meanwhile, are not the high point of the record.  They get the job done for the music, but it’s difficult to discern what the singer is saying, and for something like politically charged crust, the words are probably the most important part of the song and album.  It does work, but I’d like to hear clearer vocals, so I can sing along and really “get” the music, even if I don’t happen to have the benefit of a lyric sheet.  Regardless of vocals, these ten songs are heavy, drum-rolling, ripping crust punk with a sharp-pointed message pushing forward.  The artwork is fucking sweet, the band name is awesome, and this 12” packs a punch.  Definitely belongs the die-hard crusty’s record collection; as for elsewhere… I’m not sure, but it’s worth borrowing and spinning a couple times, for the average punk.

-Aunty Social