Shooting Spree/TADROAEV - Split 7" (2015) Review

It always happens every year. A record will come along that I missed that kicks almost every top record of that year into the dirt! Happened this year too, after I finally managed to snag the Shooting Spree/TADROAEV split 7" released by Mullet Death Records in 2015. I bought it initially for the Shooting Spree side, since they're basically one of the best bands in Canada right now. But I was more then pleasantly surprised when I played TADROAEV's half. In fact, I was blown away. This is a fucked up split. Shooting Spree and TADROAEV (These Are Da' Results Of A'Thousand Electric Volts) have recorded some of the nastiest and most savage grindcore that was put on wax in 2015. Here's the kicker, I think this was supposed to come out in 2012 or 2013. This masterpiece was kept at bay for 3+ years. Well the wait was worth it.

 TADROAEV have actually won me over through and through with their perfect half. They're actually the side I play the most (and I play it a loooot). This is real deal, no bullshit chaos. Exactly the way I like my grindcore these days. The songs are a blur of unpredictable song twists, massive beefy tones (I think there's like 4 guitar tracks on here), and an unhinged amount of aggression. It's a perfect blend of bands like D.O.C., The Afternoon Gentlemen, Arsedestroyer, and Opstand. And it's fucking heavy!! These tracks get me so fired up, every time it ends I'm just awestruck. I have not been able to find any more recordings from these guys, and I believe they're broken up now. If any other records exist I want them. They even beat out Shooting Spree in claiming the superior side! No diss to Shooting Spree's contribution though, since it is perfect as well. Which comes as no surprise, I've loved every single recording I've heard from them prior. Crazy, fucked up and technical grindcore with a lot of deathy influence. Sudden snare hits, stops, vocal trading, I love it. Also, everything must sound like it's recorded on a boom box, no exception. I love these lo-fi recording's, they always make certain things more present in the mix. Like the "pang" sound of a snare hit, or a beefy guitar tone. Shooting Spree always have the sound of a great demo tape that survived being in your attic for years. It's seriously reinvigorating to hear grindcore written and performed this good. This split has become one of my new favorites for sure.

Everyone should thank Mullet Death Records for bringing this record into the world by spending your money at his store and buying it.

Listen to this: HERE!

~VII

Sordo/OG Jammer - Split 7" (2015) Review

I wish Tyson would kick me in the head for taking this long to score this beautiful gem. That's some pain everyone who doesn't have this record should feel, everyday. Seriously though, if you've been wanting a proper follow-up from Sordo to their perfect "Tactical Precision Violence" 7", you're going to get it here. This split 7" with LA's OG Jammer is a monster. Released by Eddie from Sordo's own label Dina Dog Records last year.

Sordo's side must be leftover tracks from the "Tactical Precision Violence" session. That flawless, Disgusting, punchy and heavy recording is completely the same here. Also they reuse a song featured on their split tape with Chulo from a few years ago ("Chris Doesn't Like Noisecore", but without the long sample at the end). The "leftover" part should not have you worried at all, Sordo bring the pain in full force. There isn't a single dud or dull moment on the whole side. If you like having your ears romped by some catchy-ass drum and bass powerviolence, this is essential. But then again what Sordo release isn't? Almost every track incorporates some sort of Myke Tyson based sample. They are almost as wonderful as the songs themselves. Best samples in the game, Sordo still has that award. This is the real deal shit right here. By far my 2nd favorite Sordo recording.

OG Jammer were a new listen for me. While there's no one that can match Sordo's side in enjoyment level, this powerviolence group does a decent enough job on their short side. You like random, bassy microphone peaks in your recording? OG Jammer got you covered. This recording is a rough one, and a bit distracting at times. Their side consists of five raw and overblown bursts of fastcore/violence. They remind me of a mix of Godeater, Detroit and Goner. Sordo's side does make this a one-sider record for me a majority of the time. But whenever I play OG's side I enjoy more then I remember doing previously. I might track down their other recordings.

This record came in a "green" color variant, probably limited to 100. I don't know, it seems more blue to me. But I guess someone will call is sea foam green, or something like that. It's mine, whatever it is!

Buy this.

~VII

Lung Cancer/Sete Star Sept - Split Cassette

Another curious pairing between the God's on Earth that are Sete Star Sept, and a exceptionally more polished and less noisy fastycorey band to smear in your ear. Lung Cancer are a trio from Calgary, CA, who I wasn't very familiar with until I knew the Chainsaw To The Bass Records guys. On this split C8 cassette we get both bands offering three tracks. Lung Cancer's side comes first and it goes off right away. Definitely not a band you would picture sharing a release with SSS. Playing into the more emoviolence side of fast hardcore. High-pitched, screechy vocals, lots of mosh parts, and some powerful drum work. The first and second song on their side are both great, but I was not a fan of the drawn out intro in the closer, and the song just sort of pitters out at the end. All I'm saying is that they could have fit another song in there. Other then that, no complaints here. Sete Star Sept go completely no-fi and free on this session. Play this on some good speakers with a lot of bass, as you'll need it. Consisting of only mainly mid and high tones, besides Kiyasu's drum hits. Completely free and structures drums under Kae's harsh vocals and "bass playing". Most of the time just letting her bass ring out into harsh feedback. Which to me seemed to work itself more into a power electronics type of sound. Especially on the final track, "Burning Chair". Oh yeah, every song is about chairs too, because chairs. Describing it like this may make it seem like I'm not a fan, but I actually and honestly love when SSS get all weird on our asses like this. Not every one of there releases has to be like "Visceral Tavern" you know. SSS are at it's core a noise band, and that means sound is limitless. As long as it hurts your ears and annoys your neighbors. This tape is awesome, I recommend you check it out. Chainsaw To The Bass Records is putting out this cassette.

~VII

Sickmark - "s/t" II"

The name Sickmark might not immediately strike any bells with most of you. If you were around the ol' internet circles a lot last year, you may have stumbled upon their first 7" EP. What was actually one of my favorite records of 2014. A particularly filthy gem of a powerviolence EP. In that super negative/super serious and mean style of the genre. The first self-titled EP met all the criteria I give bands of that style, and more. Displaying serious technical and frantic songwriting chops, and having a very gruff recording and aesthetic that was also loud as fuck. I really dug the bass in one channel, guitar in the other sound too (fun fact, they switch which channels they're in on this record, haha). Sickmarks newest self-titled offering, which has some seriously baddass cover art, yet again, immediately shows that they are comfortably and confidently sticking to their comfort zones. A bit of a more lo-fi recording this time around though, but the band still sounds incredibly tough and relentless. Sickmark are still an impressively quick and tight unit, and the songs they write on here are brutally breakneck. I did pick up on a lot more focus on grooves this time around. Lots of sprinkles of blasts sandwiched between disgusting breakdowns, too a largely great effect yet again. The track "Hammer" has a particularly big WTF groove in it. Very strong influences are taken from the negative heavyweights, maybe even more so now. Bands like Sea of Shit (they even have a track with the namesake on here), Socially Retarded, and Despise You are obvious comparisons. Or like if Spazz really hated life. This kind of style does tend to sound pretty familiar after a while, and the songs on this EP honestly do tend to all melt together. There is almost no real trace of variation here, which is totally not a bad thing at all, don't get me wrong. But a little bit of the excitement is lost for me when I can almost predict what's going to happen next. It's a solid, consistent filth storm, a very good follow up. Their first EP definitely did have a little bit more going on, but this new EP is still a total ripper. Definitely check this band out, and try and see them on their upcoming August USA tour with PA's, Constraint.

~VII

Bandcamp Artist Of The Week: Drug Mule

Instead of following tradition today, buying crappy chocolates and acting like an all around goofball, I say give the gift of blast beats to that extra special loved one. Show them you really care by making their taste in music even better by schooling them about some hot, new groups. And since I love and care for you all, here is one of those said groups. Drug Mule (sometimes DrugxMule), are a fastcore influenced powerviolence band from California. I definitely remember being exposed to their first demo thanks to the amazing Vinod Karki Youtube channel last year. Definitely a solid first recording, relying closely on sounds akin to bands such as Gets Worse or Despise You. Nothing mind blowing honestly, but Drug Mule showed signs of individuality with some excellent use of guitar noises and great sample choices (see the track "I Need A Bath..."). Drug Mule's next two releases however, showed the band had gained all the improvements that I would hope for. They got an excellent third vocalist (aka Blake from Chainsaw Squid), and became faster, tighter, and more urgent.
Drug Mule have an upcoming split 7" with Chainsaw Squid, MxDxFxL and No Fucks Given (to be released by Opaques Records), and a split with Snuffx. The later definitely being my favorite of their releases so far. Drug Mule really get wonky with the songwriting on that one, and also much more technical. Vocals are rapidly traded to match the franticness of the music, and the guitarist really captures some creative sounds and tones. The samples are also a huge addition to this bands sound and inspired aesthetic. Obviously, almost every one deals with drugs or drug references in some way, and actually sometimes do a pretty effective job at showing the grotesque and putrid parts of addiction. Loving the new higher/bitchy screams too, I have a serious soft spot for the kind of vocals in my grind. Stoked too see what else these mules have in the works.

Stream/purchase Drug Mule's music HERE

~VII

Listen To Caged Grave!

I gotta thank my Aussie buddy Sean and his fantastic record nerd blog Skullfucked, a personally trusted source for awesome new bands from the country, for turning me on to these Melbourne rippers. Caged Grave is to my knowledge a fairly new band, and they're by far one of the best new Australian bands I've heard in a while. Their recently released demo tape/CD-r is an 8 track, barely 7 minute asteroid hit of blast beat ridden fast hardcore. Imagine Vaccine, but influenced a little more by sludgy hardcore and maybe throw a little Harm's Way in the mix. Fantastically recorded, perfectly compliments the intensity I'm sure the band was trying to go for. I've played it 4 times already just righting this post, replay worthy material and I can't wait to hear their next recordings. Check out the demo below, give them a like on facebook, and if you can spare the scratch, pick up one of their tapes. 

~VII

Listen To Slave, Right Now!!

I remember posting about Slave and the 2-3 tracks that they had online a while ago. They were good, standard powerviolence, stuff a lot of people would dig. Well, a short while ago, I found out that this band has been very active, and holy shit, I'm sorry I've only been paying minimal attention. Slave are a force to be reckoned with in 2013! Their new cassette EP (as pictured above), is a bombshell of a release. Great recording, and great song after great song. They've really got a nice Triac meets SFN meets The Endless Blockade thing going on, and I fucking love it. I'm ordering a copy of this cassette ASAP (buy here), and if I'm lucky, maybe come across their split tape with Obacha (!!!) eventually. Give Slaves new tape a listen and fall in love like I have. And listen to Obacha too!!!

~VII

Bandcamp Artist Of The Week: Flesh Police

Have I given it up for Australia recently? I'm not so sure I have, but you can be rest assured that the big, beautiful continent is still spawning as many awesome bands as their are poisonous snakes in that country (for those uneducated, that means there's a whole lot of them). The newest venomous offering comes in the form of a new brutal powerviolence outfit called Flesh Police. Not much is known about this band, other then that they are a 4-piece, and come from the powerviolence capital of Australia; Perth! The same home to a little band you may know called Extortion. This new EP/demo is 14 tracks, about 10 minutes, of chunky, heavy, blasting intensity. Great recording, maintaining a raw sound but still keeping enough clarity to make the riffs really punch out. I really dig how non-stop this EP is. From song one, it's just go! They throw in a few slow parts here and there, of course, but then throw in some fake out endings, heading right back into blasting grind parts instead of going the tired sludge route. That's right, no slow song at the end! It just stops, leaving you wondering what the hell just happened. Love it. This should be released on cassette sometime in the future.

~VII

Bandcamp Artists Of The Week: Prison Violence / Self

Double bandcamp helping coming attcha this week! Both bands coming from my favorite scenes ever too! Prison Violence from Squamish, Canada, and Self from Los Angeles.

Prison Violence (or PrisonxViolence, though I doubt there's any straight edge business going on with this group) came to my attention from a recent post on the Obacha facebook page, as this band shares members with them. Totally fast, totally crushing, totally Canadian. It also sounds like they're a drum/bass band too, which delights me to no end. Compared to Obacha, they're definitely less fastcore oriented, with a lot more slow parts, and a bit better sounding recording. They have new tracks up, from an upcoming split with some band, and older tracks from a 4-way split with Skuff, Violent Gorge and Selfish Beings that I NEED! Dig it.

Shout out to my buddy Alex for showing me this band. Self are a relatively new band on the west coast, and they play crustcore. I don't really ever post crust stuff on here, because honestly, crust bores the shit out of me. But throw some blast beats in the mix, and voilá, it becomes pretty damn good! The songs on this "Divine Intervention 2013" demo/ep are ragers, and are sure to turn a crowd into a flailing frenzy at live shows. Pretty killer stuff, can't wait to hear more!

~VII

Grindcore, Fastcore, and Powerviolence: What Is It?

I can't count the number of time's I've been asked; "what's grindcore?" or, "what makes this powerviolence?" or, "what the hell is fastcore, how is it different than powerviolence?". And usually, I feel like I can give a pretty legitimate definition about these genres, but that being said, it has kind of gotten to a point where even seasoned listeners can get a little tripped up pinning down what subgenre a band falls into. It seems every band with a blast beat these days is labeled as a "grindcore" band, and every fast band with a sludgy part is "powerviolence". So, let's put it all to rest, I present to you, my take, and not very encyclopedic definitions of these three genres. Hopefully we can reach some level of understanding.

10 Great Releases That Are Under 10 Minutes: Part 2

Y'all seemed to really like the first article of these that I did. And I enjoyed doing it, and my jihad against long grind albums is forever active, so let's make like these great records and not waste anytime getting right into it!

10. Extortion - "Control": Out of all of Extortion's EP's, I'd say that this one is their strongest. But considering how fucking solid their discography is, it's really not for any huge reason other than it's just really really really good. Excellent recording, super intense songs, and an outstanding vocal performance from Rohan. Dude's vocals in the earlier days were nearly untouchable, and I'd put him up their with some of the best vocalists in the genre. Their split 12" with Cold World this year was a great return to form for him and the band.

9. Beartrap - "Nailed Shut": A 16 track, under 6 minute release release from these TLAL favorites. Mmm, yes, let the brevity of it all consume you. If you like your hardcore fast, and unrelenting, "Nailed Shut" is for you. These songs literally bleed into each other, leaving absolutely no room to breath between songs (unless you're spinning the actual record, then you have to flip it half way, of course).




8. Thousandswilldie - "A Carcass Is Only Dead Once": Now this record right here, let me tell you, one of the craziest grindcore EP's I've ever heard. NO songs over one minute, hell, most barely reach 20 seconds. This record is all about fucking your shit up, being as crazy as possible, and blasting it out as fast and tight as possible. Excellent musicianship to bring it all together too, thankfully, so it doesn't sound like some amateur noisegrind band having a giggle and blasting out the quickest jams they can. 25 songs in 7 minutes, RIP Thousandswilldie.

7. No Comment - "Downsided": If by reading this you are just now learning about this record, you need to stop right here and learn up before going on. Widely considered one of the best hardcore/powerviolence records EVER, and it's not hard to see why. The importance and influence of this record can not be understated, you can hear it's influence in almost every modern fastcore band today. TIght musicianship, constant riff and tempo changes, and creative ones at that, and tons of stop/starts. A classic.

6. Spazz/Lack of Interest - Split: This is an essential powerviolence record, in my opinion. Not only because it pairs two of the best WCPV bands, but because, duh, it has some of their best stuff. Particularly the Lack of Interest side, goddamn son, it's just so good. The first song, "Mislead and Deranged", unf. Track this one down.

5. Parlamentarisk Sodomi - "Regnskog, Fred Og Vegetarmat": I really can't get over how fucking incredible Parlametarisk Sodomi was/is. This one guy, all by his lonesome, made some of the best and creative grindcore I've ever heard. His first EP didn't really have as much of the unusual riffing as his full-lengths, but the impact is more visceral and pulverizing. I love the almost blown out recording too, everything just sounds like it's exploding off the record. And the vocals on the track "Sakkosekk, Kaos Og Anarki" always put a smile on my face. RIP Parlamentarisk Sodomi (come back, please).

4. Sidetracked/In Disgust -  Split: Hey look, my favorite fastcore and grindviolence band made a split record. I love when that happens. This fut rucking monster of a split has my favorite material from Sidetracked on it, rivaling the near perfect, "Uniform" EP. Best sounding recording from Jay and co. and crazy great riffs. The In Disgust side is incredibly solid too, more of the same stuff from them, but the Sidetracked side is a real winner here.

3. Defeatist - "In Praise Of False Hope": My favorite EP from a band that was criminally underrated while they were still active. Great "tech-grind" that I never really thought was all that technical though. The riffs they made though were always intriguing, and they definitely gave Defeatist a recognizable sound that was all their own. Heavy as iron knads too. This EP is a total ripper, pick it up. RIP Defeatist.

2. Quattro Stagioni - "S/T": If you're looking for the fastest fastcore bands there is, I bet you Quattro Stagioni can keep you satisfied for quite a while. Inhumanly fast drumming, like the dude injected a cocktail of testosterone, cocaine, and speed into his arms right before recording. The first time I heard this, I was blown away just from the sheer ridiculousness of it all, but in a good way, of course. If your curious about where The Afternoon Gentlemen got a lot of their sound from, it's these guys.




1. SFN - "Itching": I'd say these guys are on of the most promising modern fastcore bands right now (I hope they didn't break up, please tell me they didn't). "Itching" is a lo-fi, distorted little gem of techy-fastcore. I'd almost say it's a little too lo-fi, since a lot of the great riffs don't really shine through the mix that well, but you can tell these dudes have their shit together and know how to write interesting and pulverizing music. This EP is progressively getting harder to find, so pick it up if you can. I hear a posthumous split with In Disgust is somewhere down the line too, let's all hope that's true.

~VII 

Bandcamp Artist Of The Week: Corrupt Bastards

You guys know that I love me some bass n' drum powerviolence. So there's absolutely no reason why I shouldn't love the Texas duo, Corrupt Bastards. And...I don't, at all. There's actually nothing bad I can really say about these guys, and what they've recorded so far. All the goods are there; they got the grooves, they got the good recording, they got the good bass tone, it's just instantly enjoyable and solid powerviolence. Absolutely nothing wrong with this band. I'm stoked as fuck for their upcoming releases, including a split cassette with Calafia Puta, and a six-way split with bands including Sordo and Water Torture. Get your jizz rags ready, people.

~VII

Bandcamp Artist Of The Week: Damaged Goods

This is a long long long long LONG overdue post. This here demo from Damaged Goods, my homies from NJ, is a top-notch, excellent, mosh-pit-bloodbath-inducing piece of hardcore. Professionally recorded and played by two young kids with the utmost knowledge and respect for hardcore and powerviolence of all kids, and it definitely shows; the songs on here showcase influences ranging from the discordant(Irong Lung, big influence on the riffs), to the beatdown. Fans of bands like Punch, Spazz, and the previously mentioned Iron Lung should definitely listen to this. These guys play a lot of shows, and hopefully will be recording later this year. Keep a look out, best young band going right now! Be sure to follow them on their Facebook too.

~VII

Grind Worldwide: Singapore

Yeah, I'm doing another one of these. The first article in this series was very well received and quite popular, and yet also met with much criticism about the lack of my including this band and that band. No one's perfect, I'm not trying to list every single grind band from the country I'm choosing, my apologies if I get your panties in a bunch. I'm only human.

Now that I've gotten that out of the way, lets talk about Singapore. A small island country off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula. Grindcore fans worldwide really took notice of this country with the break out popularity of the excellent band Wormrot a few years ago. They definitely made me want to investigate what this country had to offer in terms of grind, but it's been a bit difficult finding bands on my own. Not a whole lot of bands from this country are talked about. A million thanks to all the people who have helped me and given me bands to check out.

Wormrot: Their inclusion is downright obligatory. I mean, this blog is named after one of there songs for christ sake. By far one of the most promising and solid grindcore bands going right now, with two excellent albums issued by OG grind label Earache Records, and a couple more splits and EP's, Wormrot have continued to amaze and grow in popularity. Their style is definitely inspired by the old-school (thrashy riffs, tastefully deep and piercing high vocals), and mixing it up with more modern tempos and start-stop song writing. One listen to their latest album "Dirge" will leave you catching your breath and trying to keep up with their relentless intensity. I think that a new album is in the works (fingers crossed), and also keep an eye out on singer Arif Rot's new project Code/Error, which also features members of Maruta and Noisear.

Magnicide: Here's another band that shows incredible quality, and I think could definitely become a widespread favorite if more people knew about them. Magnicide is a 3-piece grindcore band that started in the mid/late 2000's. Much like Wormrot, their style pays homage to the old-school nuances of grind, but beefs it up with the tempos and guitar tones of today. Hardcore punk fueled riffs are played at light speed, I definitley can make a big Phobia comparison. These guys have a few releases out, including a split 7" with OG favorites Noisear. Check them out, I think you'll like them.

Demisor: We're going way back now, back to the late 80's when grindcore was really starting to take off. I have no doubt that Demisor didn't contribute to the worldwide grind scene, but for Singapore, I can definitely see them being one of the first bands to play that style in the country. If you like your grind crusty and reeking of death and rotten flesh, listen to Demisor. A band that has never released a full-length in their entire existence, instead releasing split after split for decades. Kick ass stuff, recommended for fans of Agathocles, Dahmer and Denak. 

Fallen World: The great part of doing this series is that I get introduced to quite a few really excellent bands I might not have known about had I ventured into the countries scene. A big case in point; Fallen World. This is a top notch grindcore band, I believe there a 4-piece, who definitely know how to deliver all the goods. For one, the vocals are fucking excellent! A deep, low, crusty male delivery, and a second vocalist that sounds something like if Avi from Magrudergrind was a chick. Not the fastest grind band there is, instead opting for more of a 1-2-1-2 blast momentum, with some tasteful metallic tremolo picking and breakdowns added into the mix. Check these guys out.

Pluto: From what I can tell, this is a pretty knew and relatively young band. I definitely wouldn't call them a grindcore band, not even a powerviolence band. Grimy, sludgy hardcore music is what we have here. Very occasional blast riffs leading into mid-tempo to molasses tempo riffs make up the music on their four song demo. It's a pretty solid release with a nice, bassy production and really good vocals. I'm stoked to hear more material from this band in the future. Download the demo here.

~VII

Stream the New Eddie Brock EP "Brand New Day"!

Baltimore hardcore band Eddie Brock have just dropped a new 7" titled "Brand New Day" on A389 Recordings. Eddie Brock play a style of hardcore heavily influenced by early powerviolence in the vein of bands such as Infest and Lack of Interest. I was a huge fan of their first 7" and after a few listens of "Brand New Day" I can definitely say that they have stepped their game up.

Thanks to A389 for letting us stream the EP!

Eddie Brock: Facebook, Bigcartel

A389 Recordings: Facebook, Website

~Andrew

Bandcamp Artist of The Week: Crutch

When a band takes their name from a Crossed Out song, you pretty much know you're gonna get something ripping and powerfully violent (see what I did there?). Such is the case with Crutch, a San Diego powerviolence outfit that strictly plays no bullshit fast hardcore songs. Fans accustomed to the genre pretty much know what they're going to get, and Crutch definitely don't do anything groundbreaking or original, but their songs definitely deliver in all the criteria you need to be a solid powerviolence band. Good recordings, good vocals, good everything. Three of their releases are currently available on their bandcamp, definitely check them out and buy the physical releases if you come across them. 

Also, for any readers of this blog who are also hip-hop fans, I highly suggest you listen to drummer/guitarist Matt Ants self-titled rap project. Dope lyrics and a plethora of different types of production. Listen and download here, my favorite release he has is definitely "TORTUREFUNK". 

~VII

Bandcamp Artist of The Week: Suffer On Acid

Holy shit, it's been a while since I've done one of these. Truth be told I had a pretty hard time finding new grind bands on bandcamp that I wanted to talk about, so I decided to give this series a hiatus of sorts. Well, it's back, and I got a hell of a band to talk about today! Suffer On Acid is a heavy powerviolence band from Boston, MA, and as far as I know this is their debut recording. Very awesome stuff, blending old-school powerviolence in the vein of bands like Infest and Crossed out with modern production and down-tuned heaviness. I've been seeing a lot of people talking about this band/EP on the "blogosphere", hopefully they get some physical releases out soon! Listen to the EP here.

~VII

Curmudgeon-Human Ouroboros(Review)

I just recently heard this EP. I saw it posted on the TLAL facebook page, and TLAL has become my favorite label with some of my favorite new hardcore/pv/grind bands such as Sex Prisoner, Get Destroyed, ACxDC, Magnum Force, Eddie Brock, but most importantly two bands that have become my favorite bands, Lapse and D.O.C. I feel like those two bands encapsulate everything I want in powerviolence, definitely two of the angriest sounding bands I’ve ever heard. And now I think Curmudgeon has become my next favorite super pissed band. This band is relentless. They play a style of powerviolence that I think is a little more metal influenced, and they’re definitely not trying to be the fastest powerviolence band out there, in fact I think they rely more on groove then blast beats, but I really like that about them. But they have a great mix of everything, sludge, blasts, moshy mid tempo parts that make me want to destroy everything, d-beats, and even gang vocal parts that don’t sound like total bro bull shit, they just add to the intensity.

Another thing I really love about this EP is the production, it’s clean, but doesn’t sound over produced at all. And the fucking drums sound amazing, they pound your fucking head in, and they kind of sound like they have a little bit of an echo to them, which makes them sound really powerful, and it kinds of reminds me of drums on a doom metal album or something.
Now, lets talk about the vocals. When I first heard about curmudgeon(for anyone who doesn’t know, the singer is a female), my friend told me they sounded like Punch without any of the catchy parts. I don’t think that was a great description. First off, the vocals are nothing like the vocals in Punch. Don’t get me wrong, I love Punch, but the girls vocals can give me a headache after a while. I like Curmudgeon’s vocals more because it’s more of just a higher pitched yell, and I really like that I can make out most of the words the girl in this band is shouting because the lyrics kick ass! The lyrics for the most part are negative, but I feel like in the end are trying to convey a positive message. For example in the song “Worthless Generation” the lyrics are something like “Fuck me and fuck you too. The world tells me I’m not good enough, so it all must be true.” I feel like they’re trying to say, just because the world thinks our generation is useless doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to prove them wrong.

And the lyrics in the last song “Devoid” are also really great. It’s a song about consumerism, which is a subject that I feel passionate about, and this song just gets out exactly how I feel about it. Some of the lyrics go something like “I reject morality, while you reject everything, except another way to fulfill your desires. Ethics are not a dilemma when you ask yourself no questions. Living blindly to consume, you yourself are consumed. YOU YOURSELF ARE CONSUMED!” I don’t think it could be put any better than that. Very well written lyrics all around, and they’re all written in the vein of anger, which is what I fucking love.

This band delivers everything I want musically and lyrically. I really can’t ask for much more from this band. So if you’re a fan of really overly pissed off dark powerviolence such as D.O.C., or Lapse, or anything crushing... do yourself a favor and go listen to this band. http://curmudgeon.bandcamp.com/album/human-ouroboros-ep

P.S. for any hardcore fans in North Carolina, this band is playing NC on January 15th(at King's Barcade) with Torch Runner, another really fucking pissed band from NC that delivers live! And my new PV band Mad Dog!

GO LISTEN TO CURMUDGEON NOW

~Eli Thorp

VII's Top 10 EP's/Splits/Demos of 2011

10: +HIRS+ - "Worship": This Philadelphia drum machine grind duo has made quite a strong first impression with their debut physical release "Worship". This 4 minute, 1-sided 7" not only showcases this band has the ability to create and blast quality grind with the best of em, but also that they take an incredibly professional approach to their music and their athstetic, and I'm very excited to hear everything this band makes in the future.

9. Inside the Beehive - "Drink Bleach; Live Forever": A relatively late-comer this year, and another band that has displayed incredible quality with their debut EP. This NJ tech metal/grind outfit plays a style of music that I'm admittedly very picky about, bands like this are usually too spazzy/wanky for my taste, but ITB throw in enough good(and memorable)riffs and interesting song structures to keep me coming back to this EP. Plus a clean/polished production that still keeps the aggressive tone of the music, which I applaud them for.

#8: Punch - "Nothing Lasts": Simply put, Punch play a style of hardcore that I just love! "Nothing Lasts", my first real introduction to the band, is a solid 8 minute blaster that melds classic hardcore with hints of powerviolence. The vocals are aggressive, the songs are memorable, the drums are incredibly powerful(I love hearing this guy blast!). But my favorite thing about this EP has to be the production; a warm analog recording that suits the bands aggressive/raw sound like a glove. 

#7: Hoglust - "Support Hate": This is one of the first things released on the uber-prolific Grindcore Karaoke(back when they actually showcased grind and hardcore), and it's one of the only GK releases that has stuck with me and that I've listened to repeatedly over the year. Save for the completely unnecessary 2nd track,  I can't think of a single issue I have with "Support Hate". The dual vocals are fantastic, the production is excellently raw, the songs are great, what more can I say? Download it now!

                                           











#6(Tie): The Afternoon Gentlemen - splits with Cyborg and Osk: Holy fuck! The Afternoon Gentlemen completely came out of nowhere and left a coffee can sized hole in the heads of underground grind freaks in the states this year. A band this good needs to be heard by every grind fan in the world! I honestly can't say one of these splits is better than the other, they're both so damn good! Both TAG sides are some of the best grind I've heard all year, the Cyborg side is excellent old-school sounding powerviolence, and the OSK side is fucking stellar as well. It's just quality grind and hardcore with both of these splits, nothing bad about them at all!

#5: Worn Out - "Demo 2011": Here's one of the best demos that you hopefully, but probably didn't hear this year. Yet another up and coming band that made the smart move to have an incredibly professional first release. A pro-cassette demo with perfect production, a gnarly bass tone, seamless transitions between the short and oh-so-sweet songs, and face grinding intensity. It's just an incredible demo. Hope they record more in the future!

#4: Get Destroyed - "Shut In": I like Get Destroyed's previous 7" "Burnt Offerings", but I freaking love "Shut In"! Taking everything that made "Burnt Offerings" good and improving upon it ten-fold, Get Destroyed's latest offering is a mean, gruff, meaty, tough bastard child of powerviolence. The slow parts are devastating,  the guest vocals from Landmine Marathon vocalist Grace Perry are a great addition, just...just get it! 

#3: Sidetracked - "Uniform": How can I sum up Sidetracked's glorious 1-sided 7" "Uniform"? "Fucking brilliant" works. So does "Holy shit" and "what the hell was that". Perfect fastcore right here, 13 songs in about 2 1/2 minutes. Brevity's the name of the game, which can be the downfall of most grind bands, but Sidetracked have perfected the art of short-and-sweet on this release. "Runaway" is a fucking catchy song, it's true, and it's only about 20 seconds! The super raw production only enhances this blasting onslaught. Again, fucking brilliant.

#2: Water Torture - "s/t": Definitely the most enjoyable, catchy and listenable powerviolence EP I've heard this year. Half of the mighty Inerds make up this devastating Buffalo, NY duo and they play generally the same thing, but with a much darker/sludgier/heavier tone to them. I love the bass tone on this release, and the drums are played just right. Nothing flashy, nothing technical, just pure aggression. Yeah, I said it was catchy, but make no mistake there is nothing pretty or polished about this beast!

#1: Sea of Shit - "s/t": Probably won't come as a surprise to a lot of you that Sea of Shit's latest 7" made  my #1 spot. I praised the hell outta this thing in my review, and I stand by every word that I said in that post. This is the best EP I've heard this year. Fucking filthy, disgusting, distorted, grimy, disturbingly grotesque powerviolence. There is so much power and momentum to this release, it's just nonstop punishment, complete and utter audio torture, and I mean that in the best way possible. Sea of Shit 2011 son!!

Honorable Mentions:

• Mammoth Grinder/Hatred Surge - split
• Danny Brown & Black Milk - "Black and Brown"
• Dethroned Emperor - "War Grind Hell"
• Bastard Noise/Actuary - "Skeletal Uncertainty"
• Fuck the Facts - "Misery"
• Agoraphobic Nosebleed/Despise You - "...On And On And On"
• Grudges - "DEMOlition 2011"

~VII