Ripcord - Poetic Justice LP

Ripcord was founded in Weston-super-mare in 1984, they had released some of the most ear breaking albums in their brief career. From their thrashy hardcore of "Defiance of Power" to the this-is-hardcore "Poetic Justice" lp of 1988 the band have redefined the terms of fast, catchy, breaking, awesome and in the end they made the term hardcore a synonym of their name. When i first bought their Discography part II from skuld releases i felt like a tornado was blasting my brain cells (not unlike to the death metal fans when they first listened to "altars of madness" from Morbid Angel). Fast, short songs with simple distorted riffs with fast drumming to ensure the noise and a guy in sideburns yelling with Siege, SSD or Deep Wound as influences. Simple as that and the masterpiece took form. Still i ask myself if poetic justice never saw the light of day, what would be the shape of today's hardcore punk. For me, this is probably the best hardcore album ever, and yes, i still prefer Ripcord to Heresy. If you like it, check also bands like Dumbstruck, Spite, Cracked cop skulls, Filthkick and Violent Arrest. All of them have Ripcord members. Simple, dark, old-school, uk-style hardcore punk. This is all there is...

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Icon Gallery - Self titled Lp

Lately nobody seems to give the less interest, rather our lives passes in front of our eyes, and we can not even touch em. We may are close to distance. Nobody seemed to care about the mundo muerto post, but I'll continue and today we will talk about an amazing band coming from Pittsburgh, the icon gallery.

One or two years ago, batguano have posted the demo and 7'' and wrote "What we do have is some kind of awesome post punk-rock-hardcore with a fair amount of complexity, melody, grit, and hooks; the kind of rock that needs to be heard and not analyzed". My love for the melodic female punchy vocals is beyond doubt with bands like Petrograd, Cojoba, or the Assassinators always been on my top-lists when i have to make a suggestion to some buddy that has some serious psy problems, and that's where Icon Gallery settles in. Powerful, passionate, with some high edged vocals with sincere depression that fluids outta the lyrics ("highway 44" is the proof). To say it in other words, music played be three hipsters and a girl in a Hellshock t-shirt. Or just the american answer to the TERRIBLE FEELINGS madness, or maybe even better. Listen and don't analyze.

"so i got to hold tight and pray, we'll never see the light of day"

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Mundo Muerto - Entre el Kaos

Mundo Muerto comes from California and delivers catchy, up-tempo hardcore punk. They have released a tape and two 7'' and this is their first lp with eleven dynamite punk hymns. Fast, tight, somewhere between the usual latino hardcore of the california scene and the spanish punk of the 80's, something like modern Eskorbuto, or something like Appendix flerting with Peligro social. Nice distorted guitars without being noisy, the vocals are great, just what you want to go on with your filthy life. Sounds like being recorded especially for gigs. I can imagine dozen of punks attack the singer only to shout some words on the mic. I can see "Ciegos al poder" or "Dias oskuros" be on your next car cd compilation. Ace...

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Land of Martyrdom

''Ανακάλυψα'' τους Land of Martyrdom μια Δευτέρα πρωί....
Με διάθεση σκατά, από αυτές που σε κάνουν να καπνίζεις ενώ σιχαίνεσαι τη νικοτίνη και με το άγχος να δίνει το τελικό κροσέ κάνοντάς σε ''να ψάχνεις τα δόντια σου με σπασμένα δάχτυλα''.
Το πρώτο κομμάτι που άκουσα ήταν το ''ganges''. Και λέω δεν γίνεται να υπάρχει κάτι άλλο στον κόσμο αυτή τη στιγμή που να περιγράφει καλύτερα αυτό το συναίσθημα.
Δεν υπάρχει κάτι άλλο που παράλληλα να το προσπερνά. Σαν οδοστρωτήρας.
Τα φωνητικά στα κομμάτια είναι όσο απόκοσμα χρειάζεται για να θυμίζουν πώς θα έπρεπε να ψελλίζονται οι ''καλημέρες'', πώς να ξερνιούνται οι πληροφορίες στις συνεντεύξεις για δουλειά, πώς να στριγκλίζονται τα τελευταία αντίο.
Τα τύμπανα με ακρίβεια και ξεσπάσματα που σπάνε κόκαλα, ο ήχος συμπαγής σαν ''steel and stone'' (στο κεφάλι φασίστα) και η κιθάρα συντροφεύει/συνθέτει με τον καλύτερο τρόπο αυτήν την ατμόσφαιρα που κάνει τα βράδια στα μπαρ να φαντάζουν πιο βαρετά, την ημικρανία της διασκέδασης ακόμα πιο ξένη.
Σε αυτό το ''έδαφος'', το διάτρητο από μέταλ, χάρντκορ και άλλες (κοντινές /;/ ) διαδρομές, συναρμολογείται αυτό το ''μαρτύριο'' που στέλνει στα τσακίδια τις κατηγοριοποιήσεις.
Η μπάντα αποτελείται από δύο άτομα. Και οι δύο παίζουν κιθάρα και στους Hellstorm...
Συνιστάτε ανεπιφύλακτα και αφιερώνεται σε αυτές και αυτούς που τριγυρνάνε στα στενά των πόλεων ''άσκοπα'', ψάχνοντας χαραμάδα που να μην την έχει διαποτίσει το lifestyle, που να μην την έχει ισοπεδώσει το socializing.
Ψάχνοντας γωνιά που να μην την έχει ''καθαρίσει'' το γκλομπ του μπάτσου ή η τιμιότητα των ευυπόληπτων πολιτών.

-r φρομ ντα μπλοκ

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Conspiracy of Denial - demo 2012

My good friends Conspiracy of Denial starts tomorrow morning their mini tour alongside turbo-blast sacrilege Jagernaut. Their heading to the east, and to be specific to Instanbul and Ankara for two gigs. First, they'll unleash their inferno stings to Biologiko squat in Thessaloniki tomorrow night. Please support both bands, because they fucking deserve it. Conspiracy recorded the three tracks i have posted a while back again with their new drummer and he has been also the mind of the recording procession. Nice recording, this time with some blast-beats, the vocals sound better and the leads are killing me slowly (τις κοβω τις φλεβες, που λενε...). They have also a brand new bandcamp and you can download their demo. Great artwork from andreas.

"Conspiracy of Denial is a five piece war machine that will not ask your little sister a romantic date, NO. The only date you go with those nuts will be on amazon jungle with machetes and colt shotguns."

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Cojoba - Vienen por Nosotros

Another high-school post.  I must have been 15 years old when my mutual tape-trading friend D. has sent me two Cojoba demos alongside the "booklets" photo-printed in a C-60 cassette. We'll focus on the second demo "Vienen por nosotros" (exp. They're coming for us) recorded back in 1998 in Puerto Rico, self-recorded, self produced and self released through band's label Anaconda records through the big diy worldwide network of the time. I used to know Cojoba through their participation to the New Days Rising compilation, and i have to say that i was so amazed with their up-tempo energy. Powerful female vocals (i always thought Taina is the sweeter Saira for some reason) who add great feeling to the simple three-cord punk assault. True latin melodic and political punk with drum machine instead of a human drummer. The booklet have all the lyrics with the translations, and i'll scan it tomorrow (hope...).

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