Violent Reaction- Marching On LP review

Violent Reaction- Marching On LP review

This is what I’ve been waiting for!  The steady improvements that Violent Reaction have been since their flexi (when I started listening, anyways) have culminated into this monster of an LP, one of the best I’ve heard as of late.  The blue-collar straight edge skinhead/Oi! influenced hardcore punk they play hits harder than any mid-tempo band who focuses exclusively on breakdowns and sloganeering lyrics ever could.  The vocals are booming, the guitars are tuned and distorted just the way they should be (normal EADGBE and high-EQ distortion, I think), giving off a bit of an 86 Mentality vibe but better, the bass is bouncing like their Doc Marten soles, and the drums hit on all cylinders, large and small.  The lyrics are no doubt primitive at times, but still provoke enough though to be worthwhile and still fitting of what is no doubt a genre best left to the realms of simplicity.  From the brutal intro of M1 Stomp to the almost Blitz-ish Marching On, this is THE LP to get if you like hardcore punk, no matter who you are, or what subgenre therein you like.  This is the New Wave of British Hardcore, and VxR are the ones marching on into battle, waving its flag.

-Aunty Social

Violent Reaction- City Streets LP review

Violent Reaction- City Streets LP review

Harder than NAILS and more straight edge than Project X, Violent Reaction’s debut LP is a hard-hitting hardcore punk record that also happens to be catchy at points, much like the early 80s.  Burly, beefy, and deep-throated vocals are coupled with powerful guitars, bouncing bass lines, and dead-on drumming to make this one-man project a reality of a band- it’s hard to believe that one guy could be so fucking on point with all the instruments, not to mentions the vocals, the lyrics, and the genuineness of character, he (Tom Pimlott) is.  There’s no other way to describe this than pissed-off hardcore punk- put it in any subgenre you like (and I tried to, too), it’s the shit.  Where you’re punching a hole in the wall at a show or at home, or better yet, shouting the words to these catchy tunes at a show, at home, or in your car (my personal favorite) you will be moving.  Packaging and design work is superb- Painkiller is on top with good records right now, and this is one of their best.  The best of the best of the best, sir, uh… with honors.

-Aunty Social

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

The Repos/Auslander/Known Abuser/some Clevo noise band at the Bunker, 9/5/14

Show review: The Repos/Auslander/Known Abuser/Cleveland noise act, at the Bunker, September 5^th, 2014

Now, this was a weird show, and it would eventually be in a good way.  I spent 3 hours driving around at my job, and another 3 driving to Grand Rapids from Detroit- the long drive was enough, not to mention the freak storm that knocked out a bunch of power all over the state later on, that I drove right fucking through.  Eventually, I made it to Grand Rapids for a record store trip (got a nice haul), a stop at a local pizza place (surprisingly good), and a show.

The show starts around 10:30, which is way later than usual for a Grand Rapids show (usually, these are dead on time, short sets, everyone's up and out of there in time to get 8 hours of sleep and go to work in the morning).  The first band (not sure if it was Broth or if it was a band who replaced them) was some noise project that seemed like it was straight out of a college art class- take elements that don't usually mix together, and mix them together, and call it art.  The problem with this, is that it sucked, even from a "broaden your horizons" perspective.  Some noise isn't too bad, some of it is even good- but this, this seemed so contrived and by-the-book for a musical endeavor that I couldn't take it seriously, but they did leave me a nice opportunity to nod off and get some rest.

The second band went on maybe 10 minutes after the first one, so I thought it might be flowing really well, as per usual for a G.R. show.  Known Abuser went on, and they did a fucking HAUNTING cover of "How Much Art Can You Take" (by SSD) that rivaled the original.  The originals were not far removed from the style of the Repos, to the point of where I thought I was watching the Repos and was waiting for them to do some songs that I knew, which never happened outside of the first song.  So, with this in mind, I was kinda bummed, and wandered around looking for people I knew, only to find that there weren't much of any friendly faces at that point.

I retired back to the couch for the third band, Auslander, who played this really rhythmic "out with the boys" kind of Oi!  Not bad for what it was, but given that I was very tired and the music was kind of dry and mundane (like most Oi!, mind you), I quit paying much in the way of attention.  I'd like to see these guys in Detroit, I feel as though they'd have quite a bit more ability to interest the crowds here.

After an hour and a half of waiting for the Repos to go on, I was about to leave, since I had to work in the morning and had a 2.5 hour drive ahead of me.  I noticed that a drummer was setting up equipment, but it seemed like everyone had filed out like the show was over, so I went upstairs to piss to see if that was indeed the case.  It kind of looked like it, but I held out hope for a few more minutes until I could buy some much-needed Repos merch.  I did this, and I noticed more people filing back down and more band members setting up.  FUCKING FINALLY!  The Repos were going on!

They were of course the last band of the night, and there was no explanation given as to why they went on late.  They went on, and blasted away their demented 80s-style fast/faster/fastest hardcore punk, the way I've always envisioned it.  Though I didn't know a few of the songs they did, I did know a few of them, "Valium Coccoon", "Pig Acts", and I think they also did "Kids Don't Care".  It was brief, but energetic, volatile, yet friendly and welcoming, the way a hardcore/punk set should be.

Also, after the set was over, I ran into the folks in Snakes and Detain (some of the nicest folks I know, and some of the only Grand Rapids people I'm fond of), and had a merry time with them until I had to depart for Detroit.  It was worth the long drives and sleep deprivation the next day.

-Aunty Social

The Plain Dealers- Terminal Darkness 45 review

The Plain Dealers- Terminal Darkness b/w Die With Me 45 review

I wasn’t a fan of this 45 at first, but I did come around to it eventually; the A-side is a decent first effort, although it takes a minute to kick into gear.  The narrative is interesting, though the B-side is a better musical expression of this.  The bleak, dark tone of the lyrics is contrasted by the simplistic driving chords of the guitar and the bouncing bass lines that ring of a punk rock sound from happier times- still, it manages to work.  “Die With Me” is a bit more fitting in terms of blending the sounds and the words- both are equally bleak, and more driving than the A-side.  For an initial effort, thumbs up.

-Aunty Social

The Plain Dealers- Get What You Get 12" review

The Plain Dealers- Get What You Get 12” review

With a careful mix of Jabbers-era G.G. Allin, the Dead Boys, and the Sex Pistols, the Plain Dealers play some of the catchiest music I’ve heard to date, and still manage to sound original without it seeming contrived.  This record had me singing along to the words in no time, and relating to them shortly thereafter.  The mix on this record is just fantastic- everything is audible, none of it overbearing; I don’t think there is one error in the audio mix here.  The nascent voice is a piercing sneer that rings in one’s ear for hours- classic.  The guitars, bass, and drums mesh together to create an impeccable rhythm that drives the vocals along as the singer croons about scum-city living- much as Detroit is known for that sort of thing, Cleveland is also an arbiter of dirty, depraved life, and I could not be more glad that it is, because it is cities like that which inspire people to create music like this.  One of the best classic-sounding punk records I’ve ever heard, and that includes the classics.

-Aunty Social

Born Free- 2013 demo review

Born Free- 2013 demo review

Super chuggy, burly, 86 Mentality-esque hardcore/Oi!  The songs are decent, lyrics are alright, but the breakdown in ‘Power’ is brutal as fuck.  Even though I am not overly impressed with this, it’s a demo, and for that, it’s not too bad.  It seems to take more from the influences of Oi! rather than modern hardcore, and even though this group sounds a bit like this aforementioned hardcore, the aesthetic is more from the former.  Again, a notable, but not absolutely remarkable, demo.

-Aunty Social

The Destructors/Ziplock- Pax Romanus split CD review

The Destructors/Ziplock- Pax Romanus split CD review

The Destructors side of this CD is modern-sounding Oi! with a left-leaning political stance.  The cover of Peter & the Test Tube Babies is notable, though it does seem to be a bit simplistic for the usually complex Destructors.  The vocals don’t do it much for me (it seems far too steeped in the sort of Dropkick Murphys style of Oi!), but the lyrics are intelligent, and the music, especially this time, is pretty good.  If the vocals could be a bit more gruff and grunty, I’d really dig this more than I do.  Still, a very worthy offering.  As for Ziplock, even though the name kind of annoys me, these songs too, are pretty good.  Gritty, heels-dug-in, ready to fight punk rock that could easily be hardcore or Oi!, but is neither.  These songs have some substance to them, no doubt.  I feel like their last song could have been a bit more urgent than it was, but no complaints otherwise.  Definitely the best thing I’ve received from the Destructors yet.

-Aunty Social

The Destructors- Ragnarok 12.12.12 CD review

The Destructors- Ragnarok 12.12.12 CD review

Compared to the previous releases I’ve received from these guys, this stellar.  This has a mixed Oi!/UK 82 sound that surprised me quite a bit- they do a couple of pretty good covers of the Exploited “Dead Cities” and Discharge’s “The Final Bloodbath”, albeit with a clearer, less cacophonous singing style.  Though I am not into the singing style the band usually employs, this is a modernized version of UK 82 bands, and it’s done very well.  Even the slower songs are pretty good most of the time.  The topics are still very political, one thing that’s never changed about the band in my time of being aware of them (and one thing I have mad respect for them on).  No songs that were notably bad, and the best song was the “War of the Worlds” jam; definitely above average.  If nothing else, I have a few tracks I’d certainly recommend off this record.

-Aunty Social