Going through my first week of vacations, I came across a band called Disturd from Japan. I was reading an article about them on how fresh and brilliant their first two 7'' were. I searched for their stuff and when I finally got'em I was impressed too, not for “freshness” and “brilliancy” but with their way on bringing excellent Crust back on map. Not crapy Tragedy / From ashes rise influenced bullshit. Sharp guitars with mainly mid-tempo drumming that turns out a bit faster with crazy guitar solos and a bit of thrashy sound. This 7'' (I think it’s their second release) called Collapse delivers two great songs (“Collapse the system” is a fucking 5 minute long anthem) in the vein “more Amebix than Amebix”, with epic bridges and harpist to ensure more dark atmoshpere. They remind me a little bit my favorites Hibernation and the way they construct songs with clean acoustic guitars and then speed up full of distorted energy. With the first listening I felt that I know this band cause the S.D.S, Acrostix and Effigy feeling is in and out, up and down on this 7'', so I asked my good – Japanese hardcore guru – friend milan if there are any members from the above mentioned bands. The answer was not EFFIGY but DEATH DUST EXTRACTOR.
Krigshot started back in 1997 just after a call Jallo Lehto did to Anders Jakobson and asked him to start a new band in the vein of Mob-47. To have a fully vision on who's who of these gentlemen Jallo have been playing drums for No Security, Disfear and Totalitar, as much as guitar and vocals for Meanwhile, Dischange and Kvoteringen. On the other hand Anders have been the drummer of the mighty Nasum (and as a founding member he also played bass and guitar plus yelling in their early days) and nowadays he destroys drum kits for Coldworker. So the Krigshot duo forced Mieszko (also from Nasum) to join the band so they could rehearse and record for free on his own studio. They recorded in a few hours the "Terroristattack" ep that later released by Sound Pollution records. The previous lines were a good history lesson, but what stands for it's own is the greatness of this little piece of wax. One of the greatest scandi-hardcore releases of the late 90's alongside Skitsystem's "Profithysteri" or Diskonto's "DIYanarchohardcorepunk". Simple to the bone d-beat with catchy as hell riffs and dual angry vocals. I firstly listened to this band some years ago and through their final lp "Till vilket pris..." (that i do not particularly like!) and hopefully some friend turn me on this 7'' which could be easily in some of my favorite cassettes - with the trademark sound of the exact era - with Doom, Battle of disarm, Detestation, Fleas and Lice and Hiatus. svärtaoch förstörelse...
I woke up this morning and i was chatting with my good friend vas about the phenomenon band Burning Love. For those who may not know, Burning Love - the name is taken from the famous Elvis Presley song - consists of the huge Chris Colohan who has offered the hardcore / punk community some of the most hateful, clever, salty, pepper, provocative, political through personal lyrics mainly as a singer of the colossus band Cursed, and Our Father members bassist Dave O'Connor, guitarists Pat Marshall and Andrus Meret, and drummer Easton Lannaman. So, the conversation was going somehow like this:
-V: Do you know Burning Love?
-M: I'll kill you, you messing with me.
-V: Their lp shreds...
-M: Their lp is shit, is that "songs for burning lovers" name for an album? And the sound is really shitty.
-V: I'm talking about "Rotten things to say".
-M: I'll check it
Something that i never did, because when you have a certain opinion about a band and the things you like to hear in certain situations and mind conditions. So, i picked up my own copy of their first demo back from 2009 - released in a 7'' format through Deranged records - and put it on the turntable. Fuck man, "lives of the saints" what a fucking anthem , or that "alien vs. creditor" snake type of a riff, or the badass cover to Battalion of Saints (BL does not fear to do crazy covers, check "Jack the ripper" a cover of Nick Cave and the bad seeds) or everything in the end. Sound is perfectly dirty, Colohan is on top form, the band kills and i don't want to listen anything else from this band. Do yourselves a favor and buy it.
Αρχίζω να μην
έχω καθόλου αυτοεκτίμηση. Ντρέπομαι
για τον εαυτό μου, ντρέπομαι για το
γεγονός πως έχω επιτρέψει να κυλά ο
πολύτιμος χρόνος της ζωής μου χωρίς
ουσιαστικά να τον απολαμβάνω, απλά
καταμετρώντας τον με μια σχολαστική
εμμονή και μια κρυφή ελπίδα πως κάποια
στιγμή, με κάποιον μαγικό τρόπο όλα θ'
αλλάξουν άρδην κι ένας ευεργετικός
άνεμος θα φυσήξει κάνοντας πέρα τα
σύννεφα που έχουν μαζευτεί στη ψυχή μου
αποκαλύπτοντας νέους ορίζοντες και
προοπτικές.
κ.π. Βλαχογιάννης
“άυπνος”
εκδόσεις Τυφλόμυγα
Not so much to say, first thought was the creation of a hardcore/punk compilation with the non-clever title "going to Arm Your Desires fest" and that would be it, till i got on my hands the above mentioned book. The writing - in a strange way - made me soliloquize "these words are made for me", and with that in mind i chosen carefully the 16 songs you'll find here. Early anarcho-punk delivered from The System to luxemburg's Petrograd with Born/Dead covering Cress and the london's finest, the Restarts, the greek participation with Ex-Humans, Negative stance and Death Rattle, japanese freaks Bastard and japanese wanna-bes Selfish and Invasion, an anti-fascist anthem delivered surgical from Harda tider, also the swedish "woodcutters" Krigshot and Totalitar delivering first wave noise. Finally we have some rock'n'roll madness from mexico's Crimen and from united states, Severed head of state and Against empire. All in all, a nice comp for your night out or your driving madness. No sleep till...
Origin of M comes from Hiroshima city, japan and features mr. Guy, the singer of GUDON and Maru, the guitarist of ASPHALT. The band reminds me of the usual burning spirits sound but with more rock'n'roll and metal stuff in it. Tight and steady sound bringing a huge hardcore wall in front of you. Like a speeding kawasaki motorcycle the hiroshima citizens delivers up-speed hardcore punk with a delightful rock touch like Death Side used to mix Iron Maiden with Chaos U.K. The album starts with gunshots and guitar leads. You know the japanese madness, i bet they'll have you jump around like an evil goat, and in case you like to know the cd version released from Straight Up records in 2010. Danceable burning spirits, punk...
You have been drinking for hours, you driving the rubbish called car a night ride near by sea, you wear your favorite Midnight shirt and your tight pants, Motorhead delivers “On parole” and you wanna puke. Take a deep breath, throw Crime Wave cdr into your stereo and let it work. Here's just a brilliant three chord 12'' ep came out in 2010 from agrowax records (a great label, and Mike who runs it is the guitarist/vocalist of Janitor). Eight songs in less than 16 minutes and the lethal touch by No Talk, PMRC, Janitor and Sore Loser members offering the perfect soundtrack for a Monday morning bank robbery or a well planned stabbing on your boss throat. Some times I think that punk is just a metal chain on your hand and the ability of causing problems and Crime Wave flashes pics like that on my mind. Don't try to understand, just go with the flow “if you know what I mean”...
Padlock is one of today's best japanese hardcore punk bands in the burning spirits style.I think I've read somewhere that they have broken up some months ago(??). Whatever. This is their first release from 2003 entitled "Struggle in Red".
Hardcore riffing with a touch of melody, a vocalist screaming like there is no tomorrow and a snare-backbeat like a trash can , which is also a signature in their other two releases. A great debut from a band that deserves more attention in my humble opinion! Check'em out! Up The Burning Souls!
On friday, 22 of june we'll attend a road of Kerameikos territory and we'll unleash some deadly hardcore punk tunes. The show starts at 20:00 so be there and bring your money. Some of the best greek hardcore bands will be there. Our brothers from patras, Dirty Wombs, the zeke tribute band V8Carburetor, the crusty kids Inhuman Poison as also the snake biting hardcore of Antimob. That will be fun
feeling numb and bored. can't find the meaning in all of these. want to punch someone in the face. the lyrics on this comes naturally : Your father, your son, your husband - TRUST NO ONE. we lost our faith in humans. if you're going through a shitty week that's your soundtrack. Bring it on.
The kind asshole who their stepfathers called him borja, sent me another great review folks (and save me a huge amount of time) with the promise for another two columns (have you seen the length? alright then...). So, the pride of basque country delivers some aggressive punk / proto hardcore madness and you should take his words for granted as i am right now (these guys sounding like early Chaos UK with a bit of Blitz).
-Borja, the violent queer dancer:
I was surprised that Mike remembered our first conversation. It´s more or less true what he says. But whatever, thinking about Mau Maus and that he didn’t listen to them let me thougt a bit. I am a punk fanatic, I was born for punk and for hardcore. Specially for the aggressive and fast one. I don’t care where this bands comes from or if their lyrics are not 100% political. This is anyway a important point of view, because just singing about anarchy doesn’t make you an anarchist, and being one and talking all the day about it is quite boring. So after so many years listening punk and hardcore and trying to be an anarchist the moment came to talk about
Mau Maus.
I don’t remember the first time I listened to this band. I think it is a lot of years ago and for sure one of my friends from Barcelona who opened to me the fantastic world of European hardcore. Because this is a very important think to say. It is not about fucking countries and nationalism, but the European hardcore (not just the English, but the Italian, the German, the Spanish, the Yugoslavian,…) has become a shadow inside the world of hardcore. When in the 80s in the USA incredible bands started, in Europe there where as well totally brutal amazing hardcore bands. Even much more aggressive and rough, and not slower or something similar. One of this bands is definitely Mau Maus from Sheffield. This is HARDCORE!
Their first seven inch, Society's Rejects, is in my opinion their best. They don’t take fucking prisoners. Two, three, four… what a voice, you feel like a society's reject. A society you don’t want, and which definitely doesn’t wants you. The drummer hits the snare drum like a prisoner the bars of his cell. With hate and doesn’t regret it for a single moment because he wants to get through. Yes, that’s it, this single is a fucking hymn for every prison escape, into a society you hate and you want to tear down, nothing has to last, not even a single brick. If you listen to this during you are driving a car, you wanna hit every cop, crush into every bank… If you are still alive when you are listening. Leaders (song number six), the enter into Crisis, which starts soft, but the kicks your head. And at the end, when you listen the Oath, you´ll remember a band called like this and you will think that Mau Maus is hardcore and everything you listened before was just power pop.
The second, No Concern and the third, Facts of War, seven inches don´t miss a bite of the furiousness of the first seven inch. They are just more clean recordings. The aggressive moment when you want break every single of your bones in the library during you are listening to them wont stop. But you´ll do it more carefully, because after the first seven inch you´ll be already in a wheelchair. This is something forgotten, and it must be discovered again, hundreds of punks singing Mau Maus while they assault society, that’s a must, all what I want. They kids will have their say!
