Truncheons- demo CS review

Truncheons- demo tape review

This is the new incarnation of After the Bombs with a bit of a sound change-up and a few member switches as well.  Still residing in Montreal and blasting punk rock, the band’s sound has definitely changed from the looming, heavy, crushing crust that A.T.B. had- the reverbed vocals have stayed, though, as both bands share the same singer.  Rather than focusing on the melodies and progression of sound, now the band is a group focused on having a fuzzy background sound; the vocals and the music are seemingly separated from one another but still paired.  However, this is a demo with decent replay value- it is indeed a demo through and through, and the upcoming 7” should be a step up.  A punk album with a closer lean to noisecore than to crust, it’s worth the couple bucks.

-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

Wilt- Your Will Has Been Broken review

Wilt- Your Will Has Been Broken review

Rising from the ashes of Asymmetric Warfare, Wilt is a similarly styled crust band incorporating elements of metalcore, grindcore, and Tragi-core (that is, the melodic D-beat popularized by Tragedy).  Still keeping the personal/ political teeth of the lyrics, the band seems to have retained a core sound (haha, get it?  Core?) akin to A//W, and only changed members and wrote brand new songs, which I like better.  Vocals are hoarse, sub-guttural styled singing, occasionally switching to a higher-pitched growl; guitars are melodic crust with a heavy metallic edge; the drums are pummeling, heavy, and vary in beat from mid-tempo to an almost DRI-like speed (first album, not the metal ones); the bass compliments the guitars very well on the low end, an interesting turn for punk rock bass.  Though one might at first think, “Oh god, another death metal band with cookie monster vocals,” or “Shit, another Tragedy worship band”, think again.  It has definitely worked from the Tragedy blueprint, but adds a few things to make the music more unique and worth the time.  Time for an EP with a professional mixer- these guys have the songs right here, but better sound quality might arise from an experienced engineer.  Anyone who likes crust will probably like this- I can dig it.

-Aunty Social

American Violence- False Idols EP review

American Violence- False Idols EP review

Man, I can’t decide if this is metal or hardcore- it has the hardcore breakdowns and the sort of bulldog-like frontman, but the guitars are straight metal.  This is a heavy little album here- all the parts of the music contribute to this, and it is well-mixed.  In their sound, you can hear traces of early 90s metalcore, a little Pantera, and a bit of Rage Against the Machine.  This combination makes either headbanging or hardcore dancing suitable- very nice.  Although I have not read the lyrics, the sound of the album would indicate a Columbine kid-esque style of lyrics- not happy music at all.  Even unhappy people may not truly get this EP, but they’ll at least enjoy it.  Don’t ever speed this album up- it’s a sledgehammer, not a pair of nun chucks.  Heavy fucking metal indeed.

-Aunty Social

Perversion- Rehearsal MMXI demo CS review

Perversion- Rehearsal MMXI tape review

On the surface, this appears as a typical black metal album- while possibly true, I would mostly disagree.  This is an instrumentally strong demo, in all outlets; the guitars wrings out some pretty nice leads and gnarly riffs; the drums gallop away and echo hardcore; the bass… the sounds is filled, but it’s so inaudible that the guitar is like an instrument and a half (the bass being half an instrument as well).  That’s the only glaring error here- there’s a great need for a remix.  I also wish the words were a little more discernible, but such lack of vocal clarity is often the case with black metal, so that’s forgivable.  This is a surprisingly strong demo, especially coming from someone who doesn’t usually listen to black metal- the songs and riffs are definitely here.  These guys are definitely the sort of band one would find opening for Hellbastard, Destruction, Kreator, Iced Earth, Jag Panzer, or the like.  This is above average black metal, for sure- however, it absolutely needs a level balance between the instruments.  Even HxC kids will dig the drums and guitar on this.

-Aunty Social

Ackley Kid- self titled CD review

Ackley Kid- self-titled CD review

These dudes from Kalamazoo came a little out of the blue to me- who knew there was energetic, pissed-off hardcore in this town?  I certainly didn’t.  It is also worth noting that, in the past six months or so (it’s May 2012 as I write this), Kalamazoo has had a burgeoning DIY music scene- there are so many acts passing through there, it’s unreal.  Though they aren’t always punk or hardcore acts, any kind of DIY activity is a great addition to any music scene.  Anyways, onto this album, from a group taking their name from a popular J.D. Salinger novel…

This is a good hardcore record and band, but there’s something weird about them that I can’t quite pinpoint.  The vocals are probably the main contributor supporting this indescribable weirdness, because the singer’s voice is a mishmash of guttural, shrilly, and shout-y screams- so very odd, but it fits the music, I suppose.  The guitar, too, is a bit frantic in nature- there’s certainly a foundation of power chord hardcore, but the noise jumps all over the place, making for an interesting listen, albeit an enjoyable one.  Drums and bass are more steady, but still seem asymmetric compared to normal hardcore.  The lyrics are largely internally related, being a decent fit for a band named after one of literature’s more internalized characters.  Though this is a decent hardcore record, I get an inexpressible feeling saying that this record is just off, whether it’s off-the-beaten-path or off the end into the shitty abyss.  Crisp, clear, weird, 80s-90s hardcore, it can certainly be dug, despite its oddities.

-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

Masakari- The Prophet Feeds CS review

Masakari- The Prophet Feeds review

This is a hodgepodge of multiple awesome influences- Tragedy is the most prominent, with a few hints of Nails, His Hero is Gone, maybe a little D-beat… undoubtedly, Masakari is among the bands doing the melodic D-beat thing Tragedy started.  However, this is one of the best bands doing it- it’s a mystery as to why these dudes didn’t open for them on May 15^th when Tragedy played Cleveland.  All points aside- Masakari’s “The Prophet Feeds” is an extremely heavy, furious, political crust album.

The vocals for the band are hoarse, thick, barking shouts and screams- perfectly suited for the music.  There’s a lot of energy there- a very different element for crust (usually, it’s just the instruments that have the power), and it’s for the better.  The guitars alternate between the fucking brutal rhythm parts that crush like an unstoppable murder vehicle, and the lead parts providing depressing, hopeless melodic interludes.  The drums are all over the place, but have an ultimate purpose of being the primary instrument that contributes to the background noise- sometimes, the guitar becomes the instrument of noise while the drums are the main focus.  The bass is well-mixed in the rest of the music, crunching along the remains of any unfilled remnants of the song.  Ultimately, the sound is comparable to Tragedy in many ways, but it has a different feel- whereas Tragedy has a desperately hopeless soundtrack for humanity’s downfall, Masakari has a soundtrack to the aftermath mankind faces (at the hands of some deity, mother nature, whatever greater power you want to believe in).  Interesting…

In addition to the killer sound the band has here, the politics are very sharply worded and placed into the music, and the album ends with a soldier’s speech about his service and how it has shamed him, given what he has seen regarding racism and the Iraq occupation- very thought-provoking.  One of the better crust albums of late, and one of the better Tragi-core bands playing out now- grab this, you won’t regret it.

-Aunty Social