Dead in the Dirt- The Blind Hole LP review

Dead In The Dirt- The Blind Hole LP review

This manages to be heavy, fast, artsy, and thought-provoking, all in one.  And all this, coming from a grindcore band.  That’s right, the genre known for non-sequitors, an uncanny emphasis on drugs and political incorrectness, tunelessness, and generally being uncompromisingly stupid, managed to churn out something THIS good.  Heavy riffs, blastbeats, social critiques, oh my!

The guttural and shrieking vocals going back and forth is one trait of grindcore that the band kept, but the rest almost seems like it’s too good to be called grindcore.  Some songs clock in well under a minute, while others are almost three minutes, and the nigh-sludgy riffs are what keep one’s interest peaked.  Downright crushing!

-Aunty Social

Captive Bolt/Gary Francione split EP review

Captive Bolt/Gary Francione- split EP review

An interesting mix of forces here, done in an atypical way, unlike most splits.  One force is a band, the other a professor with strong opinions and the four songs are a split in an AB-AB format, rather than the usual AA-BB one.  Aside from that, this EP has some vegan teeth, being very opinionated and bordering on angry.  Too, the politics is not an interruption in what one would usually experience listening to an informed argument and a hardcore punk band- the anger, energy, and focused but not hopeless negativity of the band and the organized, logical, professional, and non-dismissive but opinionated attitude of the speaker.  This is highly recommended for punk/hardcore fans, vegans and non-vegans, and those who simply enjoy fast music and wise words.

Captive Bolt’s two songs never relent on energy or opinion, and can start a pit just as much as they can start a conversation.  Gary Francione’s spoken word tracks are very interesting to listen to and dissect, logically speaking.  The argument is sound; there are few, if any, fallacies in the words he says.  Although his assumptions and preconceived notions of “truth” as he sees it are relative and I don’t necessarily agree with all of them, I fully understand his point of view and it makes logical sense, but the presumptions he has that are of pure opinion are not my bag, so to speak.  Still, there’s much to be said for one who doesn’t shame someone else for having a differing opinion, and still manages to make logical sense- much respect on that regard, as it has truly given me something to consider.  Two thumbs up.

-Aunty Social

Poison Planet- Boycott Everything 12' review

Poison Planet- Boycott Everything 12” review

Though this EP was previously released on a 7”, it has been re-released on a much cooler format- the 12” EP.  One side is screen-printed with a “We Can Fight, We Can Win” quote atop some cool imagery, the quote being from the chorus of the band’s signature song “Boycott Everything”.  The 12” also comes with a lyric sheet and an extensive explanation of the band’s philosophy, which after reading made me stop and consider sobriety and vegetarian/ veganism (still in the process of making that decision).  For the visually oriented, there is also a 24x36 poster of the band playing- killer.  On the music side of the 12” are five pointed, speed driven anarcho hardcore punk attacks on the contemporary capitalist system.

“Liquor Flesh Trade” is about the liquor industry, how it links into establishments that serve it, and how these bars/ taverns/ pubs are creating a breeding ground for predator/ prey battlefields within (with ladies nights and men on their never ending quest to get some tang and whatnot).  “Boycott Everything” is a push pit masterpiece, being anthemic, fast, concise, and poetic, all at the same time.  It’s the band’s signature song, and it’s the center of their philosophy, that being to understand the power a consumer has, which lies in their pocketbook/ checking account, and to object to the abhorrent actions of companies by refusing to pay for the products they offer.  A thought for any knowledgeable consumer to pose to oneself.  “I Hope You Choke” is a very quick song about the power words can have, even whilst joking, and how it can apply to insulting those already under the scope of oppression.  “Border Fences” is another anthemic tune, this time about the border fences in the United States, and how they must be torn down.  The first half of the song is the usual fast verse/chorus/verse stuff, then the tempo shifts, slowing just a bit to break it down, so to speak, and the singer goes on about how “We build these walls… and we must tear them down.”  He makes an interesting point in the explanations on the lyric sheet, and his point in those few words- definitely thoughts worth considering.  The last song “Tidal Leveling” is a short song with half of it being a build-up (the song is already only around fifty seconds long to begin with).  It’s a song about how natural disasters tend to hit hardest n the poorest areas of the world, and how such areas are often the last to be taken care of in these cases.

Overall, the instrumentation is pretty much high speed 80 hardcore, but the singer is a rare blend of snot, righteous anger, and bulldog hardcore that really sets the band apart from the other bands who sport the vegan straight edge.  I may not be in 100% agreement with what the band says, but I absolutely believe they have a philosophy that everyone should consider.  A very righteous, radical, ripping album.

-Aunty Social

Captive Bolt- Rape, Slaughter, Slavery, & Vivisection 7" review

Captive Bolt- Rape, Slaughter, Slavery, and Vivisection 7” review

The first thought I had when I heard this was that it sounded like U.D.I. added a couple breakdowns and went vegan; in retrospect, this is somewhat accurate, though not entirely so.  This music is a bit asymmetrical, and it works.  Their rhymes are slanted, their time signatures are a little off, and their timing is not exact; it doesn’t even matter (I prefer it this way), because the vocals on this record are so accusatory, venomous, and snotty that it feels like the proverbial finger is being pointed directly at you.  Musically, this is asymmetric 80s hardcore as it should be- young, fast, and snotty.  There’s nothing to complain about there.  The lyrics are relatively usual vegan punk stuff, but one line really caught me for some reason or another, and it set the band’s lyrics one notch above their contemporaries:  “I’d call you a sheep, but that is much too kind.”  Burn!  “Justified Arson” also has an appropriate, killer breakdown towards the end; 80s hardcore doesn’t usually do well with breakdowns, but this particular one ruled.  The band finished the record with the Gorilla Biscuits cover “Cats and Dogs”- an unexpected surprise, and a pleasant one at that.  This record fucking rules, especially for a first 7” release.  Captive Bolt is already on the rise as a stellar band- look out for ‘em.

-Aunty Social

Bullshit Tradition- Empty Eyes demo review

Bullshit Tradition- Empty Eyes 2011 demo review

As of late, vegan punk bands have been making their mark in a very positive way- it has evolved from the slightly cheesy, takes-itself-too-seriously (anagrammed as TITS, by the way) Earth Crisis.  Now, bands like Poison Planet, Noose, Captive Bolt, and Dropdead are becoming known, and deservedly so, because all of these bands rip.  Now, there is another- a band from Vermont (likely a wasteland for a music scene) called Bullshit Tradition.  Can the northeast compare to the rest of the U.S. for vegan-core (hardcore punk with a vegan take on life)?

It can- this “demo”, even though it too has cheesy moments, kills like a real album would.  This group sounds like gnarly mix of three parts Tragedy and one part Earthmover (the guitars sound like it, and the vocals resonate a bit like them, too); it’s epic at times, but it’s also very heavy and angry, so the energy remains through all the epicness (note: epic here is used to refer to a longer song, and not the more contemporary meaning of epic as it is used on the internet).  The best track on the demo is undoubtedly “There Is No Hell But War is Close”, ripping along like a melodic crust song should, and is ended with a somewhat humorous audio sample.  I don’t have a lot to say about Bullshit Tradition, other than this demo by them is fucking good, and it resonates heavily with the likes of Tragedy and From Ashes Rise.  If you like them, you’ll love this.  If you don’t like them, listen anyway- it’s a great demo.

-Aunty Social

Noose- It's Your Time. 7" review

I’ve never really been in touch with the straight-edge/ youth crew scene; don’t get me wrong, I love the shit out of a lot of those bands (Youth of Today, XPlaguedwithragex, Ten Yard Fight, etc.), but I am not one with the guys who play it, and they are not one with me.  Though I am on friendly terms with most straight-edge folk, that deeper connection to a person and their music is simply not there; the way they live and the way I live rarely intersect, and without some kind of similarity or mutual understanding and respect, there is no deep connection, only a superficial/ social connection that keeps me out of the loop for good straight-edge hardcore bands.  I happened upon this straight-edge/ vegan hardcore band from the Windy City early this year (March 2011) as the band passed through Ann Arbor’s Metal Frat.  The live set was not particularly exciting, but it passed, at least enough for me to buy a 7” and see what they were like in the studio.

Tough I wasn’t amped the first time or two I heard these songs, I suddenly started digging the fuck out of this album; they were doing something different, something their colleagues didn’t quite do.  The bass tone is very punchy and dominant, moreso than a usual bass; here, the guitars seemed to support the bass and drums, rather than the other way around (as it usually is).  Secondly, the music is uncompromisingly fast and doesn’t have to stop for breakdowns to achieve its power; the songs all speak for themselves, which leads me to a third point…  Third the vocals are a definite change of pace for youth crew-style punk; they are very low-pitch when translated to recording.  The vocals are done at a distance, giving a sort of spacious feeling that turns higher-pitched vocals down a couple notches, and given the intensity of the singer’s voice, I don’t blame them for spacing/ dialing back the vocals a bit.

This is not your dad’s youth crew; these guys are high… on life and energy, and are essentially an American, straight-edge, and vegan version of Infest, with an equally cool name (because, come on…Noose… that’s just awesome).  These guys are the punch-you-in-the-balls hardcore kind of intensity that got D.R.I.’s first album all that much-deserved attention.  Though I know I don’t see eye to eye with these guys philosophically, I can feel that they feel same fire-in-the-pit-of-your-stomach anger and emotional rage that makes hardcore worthwhile.

-Aunty Social