Selfish & Liberate - split - The only thing between life and death ... is you

Let's get once more, "back in the day". It was propably 2001 or 2002 when alex from hibernation sent me a bag of cool stuff. Detestation's "the inhuman condition" 7'', Cavity's "Fuck diablo" 7'' and this masterpiece split between two of the greatest japcore bands of the planet... I couldn't find it ripped anywhere, that's why i rip it. Since i can't trace it anywhere and as it was a request of buddy 7inchcrust here we go...

This 7'' has been released from H:G fact records (H:G fact-111 release) in japan and contains 4 songs of ultimate destruction...Songs to drink beers, songs to cry, songs to wake-up from hangover or songs to stare at birds (Liberate's "need the power..."). Also, Sugi's artwork is amazing and propably one of the best drawings the dude ever done.

On a-side we have Liberate from Tokyo, japan and the only think i know about them is that they are ex-members of ACID and Macrofarge and pre-members of Crossface.
Now, the sound is thick, modern japcore with great metallic riffs and crazy vocals like a dog barging before the bite. the japanese motherland has the tendency to offerr us... thanx for that... (and the bassist is Kawagutsi that i can not recall...other bands maybe?)

Selfish on the other side, is more or less well-known as one of the best japcore bands outside japan (alongside Burial). They started as a crustcore band with uk influences and soon change their sound to japanese hardcore. This is the first 7'' with the usual solid japanese sound. Tight ass maybe is the most ugly and sing-along song Selfish ever wrote and has a secret magic power to make you wanna do harakiri..Yeah right, and you know something... Chelsea (from Death side and Paintbox) do the guitar-solos here... The grave is open, go on and hide... Last chance.

Never gonna lose it

World burns to death (What do you, still, seek to know?)

-DBILL, the lazy malakas... :

Mike has been expecting this review for about a month (or maybe three months, bill?), so i can guess the look on his face when he reads these words. My apologies Mike, but better late than sorry!!!!...to the point now:

World Burns to Death. Fuck! A band that continues to surprise me with their 7'' releases. It's not that their LP's are bad, it's just that their 7'' are so fucking ''knife to the bone'' that without wanting it, you let their 12 inchers aside.

"So welcome home heroes to a sea
of "made in china" U.S. flags
Ceremonial burial shrouds
For these, your honorable dead"

I'm referring to the split 7''s with Japans Slang and Blowback, as well as (actually ESPECIALLY) the ''The War Can Go On Forever'' 7''. The band seems tighter, faster and more ferocious than ever before. Imagine ''the Graveyard of Utopia'' era songs, blown out to total punk chaos hymns. Like a 10 ton bulldozer building up speed, the songs just grow and grow and grow, eating up everything. These new 7'' also celebrate the inglorious return of that echoing effect on the guitar leads I was missing since ''No Dawn Comes...Night Without End'' 7'' and the split with Sick Terror (NEVERENDING WAR...what a song!)...all hail that echoing effect!!

Actually I've been listening to the World Burns to Death sides so intensively (almost like some drug overdose religious ceremony...) I haven't gotten to the Japs yet...no kidding...
I'll leave a comment though when I get to them!

World Burns To Death - The War Can Go On Forever EP

World burns to death - splits with Blowback and Slang

(some rips are stolen from fugitive equilibrium)

Quattro Stagioni - Self Titled LP 2010

Here we have Quatro stagioni from Trier / Germany. The band existed from 1998 to 2008 and this Lp released some months ago from 625 Trash records and RSR records. As i clearly enjoy 625 releases i didn't lose any time and pick this Lp up, first sight. So, these pizza-makers (yep, Quatro stagioni is a type of pizza) do it the right way. Groovy style hardcore mixed up with low-tuned old-school grindcore and the usual power-violence assaults to make the whole thing packed (δενει το γλυκο που λεμε). The only shitty thing is that the lp carries no lyrics. Who needs lyrics in grindcore, you may say but i think lyrics is equal to the music.

When you're guitarist plays with gloves (check the right hand) and a helmet, you can't go wrong. Check also here for previous releases : s/t 7'' and split with Iron lung.

download

La casa fantom - fredlos

Some days ago i reached the little social centre called pikrodafni, in a suburb of athens to watch La casa fantom. The gig was among friends, via mouth to mouth communication - no posters, internet etc. The 50 bastards that saw the norwegians i can say that were more than lucky if i can judge from the smiling faces right after the gig. A 30 minutes set with a drummer that stands for 10 drummers together, and a rythm bassist with great voice. As my shirt was completely stinky sweat i knew that i have to make a post for La Casa Fantom.

La casa fantom started back in 2000, when two friends - Lars and Bard - start to jamming in the livingroom of their collective outside the city of Oslo. Staying in the forest of oslo, eating from the garbage of the "civilized" society (the band has a track that means "dumbstep diving"), using amps that they found'em among trashes and fixing 'em by themselves i dare to say that these guys have made their own big refusals against modern society normes and capitalist system.

"Our name comes from a do it yourself wine kit which gives you 20 liter of redwine in 24 hours. It was just like our music, fast & dirty with a lot of nerves."

The band has already released two lp's (including Fredlos) and a bunch of 7inches, in their own label Iskrem Plater records (means icecream records) and all of them are great. This lp starts with a great simple intro with a little bit pessimistic lyrics to continue with a death-hymn full of blast beats and broken voices. These guys mixing so fucking good melancholic atmoshferes with crust, black metal (Norwegians, remember?) with grindcore. Jazzy grindcore (or post-crust) would be the most accurate description for the band's sound, as a friend told me in the show and i have to agree with him. Lars, the drummer, also palys in the sludge-hardcore band Hombre malo that features members from Ictus and This thing called dying.

You just need a drumkit with an octapus instead of a drummer, two voices that spitting venom, a bass with plenty of pedals with a dreadlock guy for the arms and... who the fuck needs guitars?

If you are familiar with this type of experimental noise, i'm sure you'll love La casa fantom. Give it a listen, in this rainy and numb day it's the perfect soundtrack.

download

p.s. dedicated to d.

Isterismo - Non Puo Sopprimiere Il Mio Conflitto 7''

This post - to be honest - was a huge fuck-off to the neo-trend band Kriegshog. Not that i have something to say about the band itself, but i have to criticize the hole "KVLT" thing that surrounds them. Kriegshog recently released a good - indeed - album on La vida es en mus records (spain) and H:G fact. The press made in japan and sent to europe overseas, so the guy from la vida had to pay extra taxes for the vinyls. The price of the lp is close to 19 euros (if you're lucky and have the privilege to afford to pay for 25 copies). So, why a god-damn lp of a diy band costs 20 fucking euros (in usa will cost close to 35 dollars!!!!!!!). And why all the guys go on and pay 20 fucking euros to buy a god-damn album. Is this punk? Are we so privileged nowadays? I ask that, knowing that the first press of the lp is sold-out. I don't know, i can't understand. Why do you pay 20 euros? Because they are japanese, they have distorted guitars, they make very intense shows, they have black and white covers, cool song-titles and because they are japanese. Oh, i told that already. They have plenty of elements to be the new cult. Fucking hipsters, i say. The album is good but not for 20 euros for sure (HELLOOOOO, it's a punk record). And for sure you ain't gonna see that album posted here!

So, I asked d. (black trinity / go filth go) to make a review about a very good band - that is not so trendy - called Isterismo. They are also from japan, they play distorted hardcore punk and as Tomorrow they are influenced from the late '80s - early '90s italian hardcore scene. They have released also a split tape with D-Clone and have been part of two great compilations called "Hard Core Inferno" (2010) and "Yotsuva" (2009). Both comps will be posted here in the next months. So, pay attention to d. :

Aaaaaarrggghhh!!! This is japanoize to the fuckin’ bone!!!
The name of this band describes perfectly what they are all about:
Hysterical japanese raw noise hardcore punk!
I first checked out Isterismo on their split tape with D-Clone on which both bands were absolutely insane! Here it’s the same.
Ultra raw, ultra distorted guitar sound, massive drum beating and frenzy vocals! Also a LOT of energy! Makes you wanna crush things! All the titles are in italian (?!). I guess they were listening to a lot of Wretched when they wrote them! But the title means “Can’t suppress my conflict” or something like that, which I like.
This EP (that lasts less than 7 minutes) is a shot of nitroglycerin!
Swallow and die!!!

d. (ownload)

Zegota - Reclaim!

Zegota also known as the "Konrad Zegota Committee",was a codename for the Polish Council to Aid Jews (Polish: Rada Pomocy Zydom), an underground organization of Polish resistance in German-occupied Poland from 1942 to 1945.
The Council to Aid Jews operated under the auspices of the Polish Government in Exile through the Government Delegation for Poland, in Warsaw. Zegota's express purpose was to aid the country's Jews and find places of safety for them in occupied Poland. Poland was the only country in occupied Europe where there existed such a dedicated secret organization.

Now, Zegota is (was?) an international conspiracy - members of the band lives in sweden, usa etc - of four great musicians and political aware individuals. They have released one seveninch and three full lenght albums. Reclaim was released in 2006 and it's their last record

We can say that this album is a little bit experimental, has a lot of tempo changes, some cariibbean percussion, some noisy parts reminds me mainly the european screamo scene of the 90's. The lyrics have that strong political message well-hiden to some self-destroying lyrics, screams against the cops and the capitalist system dressed with great cutting-up drums and sickening guitars (the strange thing is that the guitars have not so much distortion but you get a weird feeling, trust me). If you seeking a reason to cut your veins tracks like "never trust a cop" or "struck by the wild"  i think it's the right one. So much depression.

Also one guitarist has been session guitarist for Catharsis, that's why we have a strong connection between zegota and the great CrimeThink records. Also, interesting is the way zegota organize their own gigs or set-up gigs for other bands 'coz they use the "free-entrance" system (ελευθερη συνεισφορα το λεμε εδω αν και καποιοι φαινεται οτι το εχουν ξεχασει...). A very good release that comes in recycled paper so order a copy from crimethink and dance in the rain while you're crying.

download

Death some times is so ugly cold

You know already my love for Out cold.
Mark sheehan, singer - and bassist for some time - in OUT COLD (one of the best hardcore bands ever), guitarist of GG Allin and guitarist of Bad Chopper, died in the age of 41.

It's so terrible to try to describe how much a person (or a voice) had fueled your anger through the years. Even if i don't know Mark i can say that i was shocked when i first read about his death. Words can't do any good, so i stop. Long Live Mark Sheehan, hope we'll meet someday in another place and drink a beer together, talk and have fun. You're missed man and thanx for the memories.

Nightbringer - Inhale, the night begins 7'' (2010)

Just get home from my best friend's birthday party. Everything was fucking awesome. beer as well as wine runs in my veins. As i opened the door and pressed the pc-button i realised that i have a fucking gift. Drock from the canadian bulldozer called System Shit (check them here and here) sent me the new 7'' of canada's japunks Nightbringer released this year on Chris Colohan's (yep, Cursed fame) label High Anxiety records. I'm so fucking excited.

Motorhead meets Bastard. Can you call this life?

Here we have, ann arbor's nightbringer - consisting of Ruination, Earthmover and Life set struggle members among others - that offer us three raging hardcore hymns in the vein of their first demo but with more (or less.hahahah i'm drunk) japanese elements. Imagine judgement plays like Warcry. D-beat mania for the wicked. The second song is a fucking killer that starts with all that cliche motor engine (BIKES SOUND - JULIA’s 1984 HONDA VF500F and IAN’s 2003 KAWASAKI Z1000) giving heads to a great rock'n'roll riff, fucking reverbed vocals and a bass-guitar like a five-speed fueled engine. Something like Burning Leather αλλα φουλ πιο αλητεια. Yes, they play both kinds of rock n roll...fast and loud, indeed. The sound is great, dirty and punky as it should be - Chris Colohan made a great job as producer - and if you like i can upload also their previous demo that is solid as hell but i know that you now found your new fix, one way or another, you have to ask for it. Finally, if i have a statement, this propably is :
INHALE, THE NIGHT BEGINS...

"I stormed the gates of heaven
And found their god was gone
Despite all those converted
By the sword and by the crown"

Nightbringer - Inhale, the night begins 7''

Nightbringer -  demo 2008 & live concert