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

Correction- demo tape review

Correction- demo tape review

This hits hard from start to finish- burly, fast, gruff straight edge hardcore punk from France.  This has both fast and slow parts, no weak parts or B-sides or anything to suggest that it is anything short of stellar.  Lyrics are straight to the point, vocals gruff grunts of boiling rage, the bass is very distinct and plays a large role in the band’s sound, the drums thump away, never to miss a beat, and the guitar seems tuned down a step or two, but not notably so, at least in the mix.  The hardest song on this tape is the self-titled one, but regardless, this is as close to a flawless demo as one can get for modern hardcore punk, all songs included.  If you can, grab this ASAP.

-Aunty Social

Fake Asian Rolex- 74K34514NR013X EP tape review

Fake Asian Rolex- 74K34514NR013X EP tape review

This French hardcore band is a mix of a noise and wall-of-sound punk, using very simplistic but loud and powerful guitar tones.  The vocals are screechy, high-pitched shrieks that don’t seem to follow any contingent rhythm- it’s atypical for hardcore, no doubt.  However, there is still a subtle method to Fake Asian Rolex’s madness.  There’s a spooky guitar tone whenever a lead is to be found, though that is uncommon.  No lyric sheet here, and given how dissonant and cacophonic the music is, I am hard-pressed to decipher what the band is singing about, aside from the song titles, which are largely nonsensical to begin with.  I do find humor in the last song on side B- something about the opening riff of the song being stolen from a moderately famous band.  For those who like their music shitty or their noise high quality- this darts back and forth across that noise/music border like heart monitor.

-Aunty Social

Gasmask Terror- self titled LP review

Gasmask Terror- self-titled LP review

Obviously, I’m just a bit late to this LP (seeing as how it came out in 2007), but it’s so fucking good that it warrants a review.  I don’t think I could rightfully call this D-beat, but it certainly is influenced by it.  Never without its heaviness or speed, this LP doesn’t have a single mediocre song on it- they’re all at least good.  The three most notable of these are “Life Fucker”, “Wash Off the Bloodstains”, and “Traditions Must Die”- these are just as anthemic, powerful, and energetic as anything Discharge ever did.  Speaking of the latter band, the songs here have a striking simplicity to them, both lyrically and musically, that makes them that much more memorable and exciting.  Even though the riffs are three to four chord licks, they’re as tough as a fist to the face, and the voice heard atop these riffs is a raspy, growling hiss that isn’t easily duplicated.  The production on the album is very strong, giving a real oomph to the songs- no half-assing found here.  Everything is mixed just right, and I don’t know what could possibly make this sound much better- this album is a modern classic.  Will be found jumping off of moderately high objects and angrily moshing whenever this is played.

-Aunty Social