XNo MoreX- demo tape review

XNoMoreX- demo tape review

This Midwest XVXers play classic hardcore punk with a mix of youth crew and political 90s hardcore sensibilities never straying far from their steadfast beliefs in a better way of living, that being a sober, poison-free one.  Though the lyrics are pointed and invective and that sort of thing can be very valuable, the serious use of the term “bloodmouth” is rather cringe-inducing, similar to the way a band would ask you to “check them out on Myspace” or do a Minor Threat cover.  Despite that, it still provokes some thought and manages to bring the mosh.  It doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it spins it just fine.

-Aunty Social

Kontrasekt- End of Destruction 12" review

Kontrasekt- End of Destruction 12” review

Drenched in reverb and apocalyptic overtones, this diabolic d-beat trio is at first glance rather simple and cookie-cutter:  “Oh fuck,” you think, “Not another goddamned Discharge/Confuse/Totalitar rip-off!”  Not this time, true DIS-believers.  There is something subtly sophisticated and differently dissonant about this band- maybe it’s lyrics, a more intelligent approach to cacophonous music, or an unidentified attribute to the entirety of the band altogether.  Whatever it may be, it takes the seemingly drab and done D-beat raw punk sound and enhances it, makes it seem fresh and new once more.  The guitar tone is just right, the vocals akin to a B-12 bomber over Berlin, and the drums the thundering crash of the bombs as they hit- war time music for anti-propagandists, to be sure.  Suitable music to be played at the nearest Gathering of the Crusties, though these cats aren’t rank and file- they outrank and take cuts, and it’s just as well, for they should.

-Aunty Social

Lungs- 10" record review

Lungs- Sermon on the Plain b/w The Pith 10” review

Something about this album is fucking menacing.  It’s hardly even mid-tempo, but goddamn if the notes rung out don’t send an eerie chill down my spine and through my brain.  This crust-influenced doom metal moves like a tank- slow, but unstoppable, powerful, and murderously intimidating.  If these songs had more lyrics, I imagine they would be apocalyptic and hopelessly bleak, because this music has not one shred of hope in its sound- this is the younger cousin of Black Flag.  This punch takes seven and a half minutes to hit you, but it’s deadly.  Only the likes of the Twin Cities could spawn something so unexpectedly awesome.  The place that gave birth to Havoc and Profane Existence, anarcho and crust labels from the start, churns out something like this… and it works.  This is music to scratch your skin off to and scream at the top of your lungs.  Gnarly!

-Aunty Social

Embrace the Kill/ Hellmouth/ In Defence/ Opposition Rising 4 way split 7" review

Embrace the Kill/ Hellmouth/ In Defence/ Opposition Rising 4-way split 7” review

I want to like this record; I really, really do.  Four stellar bands on the same piece of wax and some artwork by Alex Awn is a recipe that sounds like it will churn out a tasty recipe of a record.  However, the result, while not bad, by any means, is a bit underwhelming. It starts off well enough, with Embrace the Kill’s track “Blacklisted” pushing its way along, delivering a heavy, hard, hopeless and bleak black metal-influenced crust tune.  The song rules, and Embrace the Kill further solidifies itself as a killer west coast crust band (among who include Tragedy, From Ashes Rise, Asymmetric Warfare, Short Changed, and loads more).  Next is Hellmouth’s “Amen Assholes”, a favorite song by a notably popular Detroit group that most in the area familiar with.  However, this song was apparently an earlier tracking of the song, and with it is a lesser level of quality.  Nothing is wrong with the song, but the levels, the mix, the sound quality… something is just not right.
Following this is the In Defence track “United Farces”, again earlier tracking of a song that would later be renamed and slightly reworked to “Corporate Bailout”.  This one suffers from the same problems as the Hellmouth track, although I liked this track of Ben Crew’s vocals better than the one used on “Corporate Bailout”.  The saving grace of this record would come in the Opposition Rising track “F.T.W.”, an oft-used acronym for a feeling that resonates in many of us.  Before deviating this into another populist misanthropic rant, I’ll return to the record:  Opposition Rising puts out probably the best track of theirs on this split (best compared to the rest of the songs on their Aftermathematics LP, which too rules).  Formed from the intact remains of Mouth Sewn Shut, the band is essentially the next chapter in the Toxic Narcotic saga.  While Mouth Sewn Shut (and Opposition Rising as well, for that matter) is known mostly for their blends of crust, hardcore, and reggae, this track is more of a hardcore track, but still retains the traditional M.S.S./ O.R. aura.

Even though I was not wowed by the two earlier tracking of these later-to-be excellent songs, there were okay, and the stellar tracks by Embrace the Kill and Opposition Rising makes this album worthwhile.

-Aunty Social

Triple Crossed- Trapped Like Rats review

Triple Crossed- Trapped Like Rats review

This record cuts right to the chase, so I will do the same- this is that gap between youth crew and 80s hardcore, and it fucking rules, especially here because it has so much that sets it above the rest (note, not apart, above).  It has this incredibly punch-y bass that sounds a lot like the bass in Choking Victim songs, twangs and punches alike.  It’s odd that such a thing would be the primary distinction in an 80s hardcore record, but such is indeed the case.  Back to what makes youth crew and 80s hardcore awesome… it’s high energy, stop-and-go, done-in-a-minute hardcore, i.e. the kind of hardcore that existed prior to windmilling, Henry Rollins-wannabe macho jocks and their subsequent takeover of the pit.  This is some real punch-and-crunch hardcore (punch in the bass, crunch in the guitar), and along with In Defence, this is one of the best Twin Cities punk bands active as of late.  Fucking stellar.

-Aunty Social

The Terrordactyls- Unknown Terror 7" review

The Terrordactyls- Unknown Terror 7” review

Being a kid from the digital age, I find it tremendously odd when a metal album comes out on vinyl at all (metal-heads are usually a bit less idealistic than the punks, not that there’s anything wrong with that), and to see it on a 7” record is even weirder, given the average length of metal songs.  Regardless, as soon as I heard this band had members of In Defence and played straight-up thrash, I knew that it didn’t matter one bit what format the record came out on.  It was set to be pretty good.  Did it live up to the hype that I had preconceptually given it?  After a spin or two, I would have my answer.

The first song “Straight Edge Kids at the Liquor Store” takes up a whole side of the EP, and it’s well worth an entire side of a record.  The song is one of the best, most refined, most captivating I have heard come from a metal band in a very long time.  I’m talking levels of attention-grabbing near “Painkiller”, “Iron Maiden”, and “Angel of Death”.  That’s how good this song is.  It’s got the thrashing speed, both on drums and the guitars, and the vocals are straight youth crew style singing, and surprisingly, it works here, better than it would any other thrash band.  However, add in the gang vocals for the chorus, and you can see the members are very influenced by these youth crew bands.  Shit, sounds good to me!  Next was “Dude-geoisie, Oppressors of the Bro-letariat”, and while this one was shorter, it still packed the same punch-y vibe the previous song brought; though this song wasn’t quite as good as the first, it’s still pretty fucking good- I prefer to think of it as the epilogue to the last song, at least a bit.  Concluding this metallic EP was “Chemical Toilet”, which, while fast, seemed a bit more mid-tempo than the other two gems.  Too, it accompanied more gang vocals this time around, though I could not complain.  It was still a gnarly song, but I wasn’t as wowed as I was with the first two.  Regardless, this one still trumps “Between the Hammer and the Anvil”.  That’s something!

Thrash-tards, crossover cretins, and putrid punks alike ought to love this EP.  Speed, hilarity, gang vocals, low cost… what the fuck else do you want!?  It’s all here- buy or die.

-Aunty Social

In Defence- Party Lines & Politics LP review

In Defence- Party Lines and Politics LP review

How I do enjoy this band… it’s hardcore and crossover thrash for those who can take a joke.  However, I most definitely didn’t expect as much thrash from the band as I got; I love thrash too, but I expected an LP of pit-bull vocaled, chugging, pummeling hardcore skate punk.  What I received was different than that, to a very great extent.  With high expectations amended, the band could have been like Cryptic Slaughter, and gotten better, or like S.S.D., and gotten worse…

Neither one occurred; instead, it was just as good as their previous releases (specifically Don’t Know How to Breakdance), but for entirely different reasons.  This record, much more thrash-y and heavier than ever, still has that gut-busting, jaw-breaking hardcore flow I adore, all differences and changes aside.  A song that praises The Police, on a Profane Existence album!?  They’ve got my vote.  Even when they aren’t joking, they have a very party punk, think-for-yourself vibe in their lyrics, all the while bashing out some heavy and fast crossover jams.  In three words:  This band rules.  The main thing (I believe the only thing) I can complain about is that this is a band that should be big on the Bridge Nine forums (a.k.a. 4chan’s b/ board for hardcore), and somehow, they aren’t.  Oh well, trolls naturally have bad taste.

Now you have NO EXCUSE:  Thrash-tards, b/ posters, hardcore dancers, 80s hardcore kids, unite (for) In Defence!

-Aunty Social