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

Disobey- Power & Greed tape review

Disobey- Power and Greed tape review

Beginning with a black metal “Oomph!”, one might get the wrong idea about this EP.  However, this is His Hero Is Gone worship with an occasional lead break or melodic harmony shared between the two guitars.  This is dark hardcore that sounds like sludgy crust punk- even the likes of Xibalba and Harm’s Way come to mind when jamming this tape.  However, this is definitely a great majority part HHIG, a larger minority part Tragedy, and a smaller part general punk/ hardcore influences.  In a town devoid of decent crust punk, this is a refreshing sound to hear at times.  I kind of wish they were from here, as it would be a nice change of pace.  Worth the jam, no doubt.  For the crust, a must.  For the punk, not quite a slam dunk.

-Aunty Social

Disobey- Human Suffering in Five Moments tape review

Disobey- Human Suffering in Five Moments CS review

Extremely heavy and mystic, the only band I can truly compare these guys to is His Hero Is Gone, whom they sound like an unrefined demo version of- nothing wrong with that.  These songs are mostly mid-tempo and focus more on the brooding, dark tone than the speed or the breakdowns.  That being said, this sounds like a 90s era Cold As Life worship band just discovered HHIG (or Tragedy, or anything the Burdette brothers do, for that matter) and decided it was their new favorite band.  This is definitely off-kilter for a crust band to play, and it’s pretty damn good.  Not over or under-produced, everything is mostly clear in tone (although my tape deck gives a little fuzzy feedback that unpleasantly distorts things), and not everything is linear and straightforward.  If nothing else, these guys get credit for being able to fit on a hardcore crusty punk bill without too much difference between the bands they’d probably play with.  Not on a Tragedy or a Civil D level, but well worth tape trading and listening to.

-Aunty Social