Skism – 2021

Got a CD in the post box the other day. It’s been on deck in the CD player for a week or so now. Finally enough of a lull in the day job to throw a few words at it. A paucity of words leaves them hanging though, right?

Here’s some quick thoughts about Skism and their new release “2021”. A blast of old school (which I realize is a term I use a lot) street punk from NYC. 

Loud, gritty, in-your-face Punk / Hardcore / Oi

The lyric run a course from the murderous lament of “Eyes”, into the markedly anti-Nazi “U.S. Nazis Fuck Off and Die”, to the questioning retorts of “Agent Orange” and “Trioxin”. 

Things delve into the personal with “Knocked Down With A 40”, a song, as it turns out, about being knocked down with a 40. The final track, something we all can relate to, “Outside the Club” brings how the feeling of being shut out in the cold. 

You know what street punk sounds like? The drums pound. The guitar chugs. The bass rumbles. The vocals are somewhere between a sing and a shout. You know what you like. So check out Skism on all the streaming platforms. (but especially Bandcamp)

Tracks:
1. Pain and Pain 02:12
2. Eyes 02:24
3. U.S. Nazies Fuck Off and Die 01:32
4. Agent Orange 01:46
5. Trioxin 01:52
6. Knocked Down With A 40 01:26
7. Nomad 02:08
8. In Control (Eyes Reprise) 02:00
9. Outside the Club 01:29

Bio:
Skism is an anti-social, angst ridden, hyperactive punks who pound out driving music with screaming vocals, fast guitars and pounding drums, with old school punk, hardcore and oi influences, featuring players who played in The Krays, American Eagle, WRENCH and Mad Mulligans. 

Cheers!
Jerry Actually

Split – Voidcrawler & Deconvolution

I was in the mood for something a little more brutal today, and well, I guess I’m in luck. I’m listening to the new split with Deconvolution and Voidcrawler; Four tracks of pure fucking onlsaught!

The EP opens with blistering metal as Deconvolution belts out “Sanctimonious”. A track lodged between some seriously dark metal, and later era Hardcore. Razor vocals, but not screamo, inserted into a crushing metal cacophony of bass, guitar, and drums.

Track two, “Guillotine” introduces itself at a slightly slower pace, only to accelerate into Slayer speeds. It owes as much to 80s Thrash as it does to 90s Death metal. 

Photo by Reikon Devore

Track three brings us into Voidcrawler territory. “Certain Fatality” offers further sonic assault. Relentless chugging riffs and an angry growl grip you straight by the throat. The song winds down with what I can only describe as death by weed wacker. 

The final track “Torment” bursts at the seams with unbridled anguish, the very torment the title invokes. Extreme metal solos lace the tracks and neatly sew up its bone crushing grind. 

A brief, yet brutal split from bands who, if they haven’t been, would be right at home at Wacken Open Air. (During some better year, when music festivals return) 

Tracks:

1 Deconvolution- Sanctimonious

2 Deconvolution- Guillotine

3 Voidcrawler- Certain Fatality

4 Voidcrawler- Torment

Press Release:

Blindsided Records’ 4th release is about to be unleashed into the world. A 7” vinyl record featuring Voidcrawler (NL) & Deconvolution (CH), each taking up one side of the wax. Having played together several times the combination was a slamdunk as the music from both outfits complement each other perfectly. The riff filled record will drop both digitally and physically on 7” vinyl on June 12th, 2020.

DECONVOLUTION will kick off the record with raw hardcore combined with juicy thrash metal riffs. The Swiss band, hailing from Solothurn, has been working hard since 2015 and released their first EP ‘Fool’s Path’ in 2017. Sharing the stage with major hardcore bands Terror, Broken Teeth, Hawser and Expire to name a few, they gained momentum in the European hardcore scene. A promo cassette was released in 2019 and Blindsided Records is more than proud to feature them on this record.

On ‘Sanctimonious’ the band talks about the annihilation of our world, two faced politicians and the destruction of the environment. ‘Guillotine’ is about a group of people suffering and rising up against their leader through violent means. It’s easy to draw parallels with certain US leaders as the symbolic monarch, especially in these trying times.

Side two is occupied by the most terrifying band in the Netherlands, VOIDCRAWLER. In just two years the Dutch band have already played shows all over Europe and released their acclaimed EP ‘Maddening Descent’ last year. The band produces an unique blend of extremely angry metal and hardcore. Lyrically frontman Lennart explores similar themes as DECONVOLUTION, for example he imagines the end of the world on ‘Certain Fatality’.

Blindsided Records
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Voidcrawler
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Deconvolution
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Supreme Commander – Tooth And Nail

Ok, so I’m a total newbie to DC based Supreme Commander, and boy howdy have I been missing out. Right now listening to Tooth And Nail, the newest release from this hardcore quartet, and it’s shaking the dust off my ceiling.

The album features 10 tracks of defiant and decidedly East Coast Hardcore. The sound is reminiscent of the likes of Sick Of It All, Madball, Slapshot, and so many other bands that typify the 80s/90s HXC sound.

The songs are brief and intense. The lyrics are both relevant and topical, with tunes about everybody’s daily grind, ala track four, “Rat Race”. Track five, “Logos” brings reference to the piercing pain that most folks know, “stepping on a lego, in the dark.” Track nine, “Keyboard Warrior” delves into the world of the online badass. As a bonus at the end, you get a solid cover of Minor Threat’s “Guilty of Being White”.

Front to end, a solid release. From slow mosh grind to complete windmill-inducing frenetics, Tooth And Nail covers all the bases. Don’t believe me, go check it for yourself: https://supremecommander.bandcamp.com/

Cheers,
Jerry Actually

Tracks:

1. YOUR TURN 02:28

2. TOOTH & NAIL 02:28

3. YOUR OWN PRIVATE JONESTOWN 02:00

4. RAT RACE 01:33

5. LEGOS 02:42

6. WHAT’S IN THE BOX? 02:12

7. ONE-ARMED PIT BOSS 02:23

8. ICARUS 02:09

9. KEYBOARD WARLORD 02:19

10. GUILTY 01:33

Released September 9, 2019

Supreme Commander:

VOX – Boo Dixon

GUITAR – Dan Cohen

DRUMS – Ryan Burke

BASS – Andrew Blake

SKUM City – Rise of the Skum

Gonna bust out a dirty one here for NY punk rockers, SKUM CITY.

Rise of the Skum is an 11 track blast of aural assault that will simultaneously stab you in an ear and peel your face off. Old school East Coast HC vibes on short punchy tracks.

Gritty by snotty vocals and vintage shred, clock radio speaker distorted guitars, combine with stripped down drums and bass definitely impart a garage / basement vibe.

Excepting track 5. “Don’t Worry/Maggots” (arguably two songs) is well under the two minute mark. (Which, as you may well know, the appropriate time span for songs to exist in.)

By and large a punk rock / hardcore release, the signature drifts a little towards speed metal turf with track 8. “People You May Know” … It doesn’t drift too far mind you, just enough.

Vintage / old school aside, the sound isn’t lost in the pas. It’s fully engaged in the present and showcases the fact punk and hardcore remain vital forces in music to this day.

End of the line it’s a kick ass new release from SKUM CITY. It’s old. It’s new. It’s fucking true.

Tracks:

1. Rise of the Skum 01:38

2. Diazepam 02:07

3. Stay Home and Fuck 01:28

4. 24×4 01:09

5. Don’t Worry/Maggots 03:17

6. Front Me A Quarter 01:23

7. Coexist 01:57

8. People You May Know 01:44

9. Why Even Have Friends 01:06

10. Leg Rub Steve 01:02

11. Driven By Distraction 02:14

Bio:

Skum City is a bone crushing hardcore punk rock powerhouse that hails from NYC. They’ve been around the block a few times and like aged BEEF, they only get better with time. Beef ages well with time, right? RIGHT?! Their songs are hook-driven, guitar- heavy blasts of energy that will leave you breathless, yet begging for more. The band was started in 2007 by the hell raising husband and wife team of Mike Moosehead, on searing guitar, and Xtene on scintillating bass. The two most recent additions to the band are drummer Gisel, who plays so fast that her wrists look like humming birds fluttering above barrels on honey, and vocalist Christopher Thee Wailing-Siren. Christopher is a charismatic singer who is equal parts fearless front man, as well as a no-holds-barred, poet, borderline stand up comic in the vein of say a Lenny Bruce or a Don Rickles.

RAM ONES – Real Tree Camo

This is the best cover art I’ve seen in some time.

Currently rocking to the crushing rhythms of Real Tree Camo, the new album by Cleveland hardcore quartet, RAM ONES. (The band name is comedy gold, btw.)

This brief bit of skullcrushamania brings about 10 tracks of what I would consider 90s style Hardcore. Reminiscent of early Jughead’s Revenge and mid-career M.O.D.

The guitar work vacillates between rapid and plodding with equal verve. Rhythm is rock solid, and the vocals, though gritty, are still intelligible. The tracks are brief. In essence, it checks all the boxes.

In the words of Billy Milano, Short, but sweet!

Check ‘em out on their Bandcamp page.

Cheers!

-Jerry Actually

Hemorrhage – Chapter One E.P.

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(c) 2012 Abduct Tape
Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆

hemorrhagecircle1_croppedHey you! Yeah, you. You like new CA hardcore that sounds a little old school but not quite, right? I thought so. Well here’s something for you. Hemorrhage is a badass little combo out of Huntington Beach, CA. You’ve heard of that place right? I think you have.

Following in the veins of, well, I’m not sure. This new EP from Hemorrhage is pretty freakin’ brutal. If I had to describe the sound, I’d say, aggressive. To further clarify, I’d say it’s somewhere between Helmet and Snapcase or even more so, a combination of the two. I don’t want you, the reader, to think that this band is entirely derivative though, they got their own mojo going on. I’ve been rocking the CD in my car for the past few days and I can say with certainty that Hemorrhage has some songcraft skill. Songs are brief; two minute style, which we all know I prefer. They vocals aren’t so filled with broken glass that you can’t pick out the words. The music is artfully complex without being pompous. All and all, a solid start from a energetic upcoming band.

The gist of it is seven tracks of crushing music filled with both angst and spirit. (By spirit I’m talking about the fact that the band didn’t bother with labels. They made their own. They have that much dedication.) So seriously, if you like west coast hardcore (or any fast heavy music) check this band out. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

www.hemorrhage.bandcamp.com

-Jerry Actually

Lay It On The Line – A Lesson In Personal Finance

Lay It On The Line – A Lesson In Personal Finance

(c) 2012

Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆

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A Lesson In Personal Finance is the new EP from South London Hardcore act Lay It On The Line. This four track follow up to Midnight In The Bellagio shreds through those tracks with a mighty fury. The music is intense with elements befitting both the hardcore and metal monikers.

Short, sweet track length for the short attention span and more than enough aggression to rock the room. I’d recommend playing it about six times in a row to get the full dosage. Fans of Snapcase and those who enjoy a subtle hint of Maiden in their Hardcore should definitely check this band out: http://layitontheline.bandcamp.com/

–Jerry Actually

Chotto Ghetto – Sparkles

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© 2012 Asian Man Records
Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆

I’m not immediately sure what to make of Chotto Ghetto. Their music is a bit of a mystery, the good kind of mystery though. I’ve heard folks say that they are “progressive hardcore”. I suppose that is as reasonable a description as is needed for the time being. Reasonable, that is, if you think that unusual structures, instrumentation and odd melodies are progressive.

Vague descriptions aside (to be followed by vague postulation) Chotto Ghetto brings an interesting amalgam of sounds that you are sure you like but aren’t quite sure where they are from. If I had to try to pigeon hole this, which will be hard, I’d go with this. The band is a largely unidentifiable hybrid of Yes, Death by Stereo, The Police, Sound Garden, Pink Floyd and Voivod, only with more hardcore riffs and beats. You’re probably thinking, wtf, but I assure you that it works. I think their website says it all, “Chotto Ghetto is a band from Los Angeles California.”

Anyhow, their new release, “Sparkles”, out now on Asian Man Records, offers 15 tracks of musical diversity and a rare fresh sound that you just aren’t hearing much of these days. Some of the stand out tracks, at least for me are 3. Ghost Finders and 5. These Kids Crave Discipline.

Overall, this release is a winner and a great choice for any serious fan of the arcane art of music collection. It may not be for everyone. However, if you like you music (mostly) fast, diverse and complex, then this is a must have for you.

–Jerry Actually

No Means No – Close Minded (EP)

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Rating: ★★★★★★★★★☆

Agro eighties hardcore. Very syncopated. Short and sweet! I guess if you want some pissed off hardcore, this will float your boat. If you aren’t into that, then never mind. You’ve read it all before. You’ve heard it all before. So you’re saying, “what’s there for me?” nothing! You’re a jaded prick that doesn’t’ like anything. So go! Rock it! If you have made it past that section, then maybe, just maybe, this is for you.

It is hardcore punk. It’s rowdy. It’s angry. It’ll shake the floorboards a bit if your stereo plays along.

Enjoy while you can. The Fascist state will take it away soon enough.!

(I would normally take points away for band name reuse, but this time, it is unnecessary.)

Cheers,

Jerry Actually

Society’s Ills – Full Length

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© 2011 Society’s Ills
Rating: ★★★½☆

I don’t want to be the guy that throws labels around. Honestly, there are just too many of them, but since I’m a jerk, I’ll throw one more in the mix. Montreal’s Society’s Ills is (and you can quote me on this) “post-punk-core/hardcore/semi-melodic”

No, but really, I’m listening to the new full length by Society’s Ills and it is pretty damn rockin’. My goofy labels aside, it is 14 tracks of short burst hardcore laced punk with a lot of energy and decent amount of grit. As I listen to this, the tracks get better and better. I can see this becoming a regular rotation release on my car ride to work, ‘cause nothing makes the ride into work better than some kickass fastbreak punk rock.

So, um yeah, 14 fast tracks of hardcore punk with great guitar work, intelligible vocals, and a rock solid rhythm section. It reminds me of H2O a bit with undertones of way fast Black Sabbath, but more punk less posicore (regarding H2O, not Sabbath) if you know what I’m saying.
Bottom line is, great stuff, buy it now!

–Jerry Actually