Reviews

Belladonna

Bitemarks Sucia LP

While knowing that BITEMARKS has folks from older Florida bands such as TRUE NORTH and PALATKA might not give you a full picture of this band, it does work as a starting point. It has a similar feel to those 90s No Idea post-hardcore bands in that it’s aggressive and punchy but catchy and melodic without sounding cheesy or boring. Where this differs is that it is a little more straightforward, a little more rock, and the vocals are snotty and in your face. It’s like if one of those Chris Thompson bands had guitars that are big and heavy sounding rather than that noodly stuff. Top it off with a full sounding recording, and you have a record that really smokes, even if it is only single sided.

Dead Sea Lords Dead Sea Lords LP

Gainesville band with the classic Gainesville sound. Whoddathunk? This actually has sort of a Midwest twinge to it, as if DRIVE LIKE JEHU started playing twinkly parts like CAP’N JAZZ while still maintaining that darkened Rick Froberg edge. Of course, there’s still that Northern Florida energy that pokes through their brooded facade, channeling No Idea Records honeys like HOT WATER MUSIC and LEATHERFACE. Shit, there’s even a MINUTEMEN cover reimagined in DEAD SEA LORDS’ own image, and it doesn’t suck! Really solid album here. I’d go as far as saying this is a must-listen if you’re fan of what’s been unfortunately termed as “orgcore.”

Palatka We Were Right 2xLP

Released in 2024 on Belladonna (the label run by bassist Jason Teisinger), We Were Right is a sprawling 62-track discography from Gainesville, Florida’s fiercely DIY hardcore/emoviolence band PALATKA, capturing the entirety of their pre-2000 output plus three practice space recordings from 2015. The disc includes their full-length, split contributions, compilation appearances (including tracks from the classic Possessed to Skate comp), and eight demo cuts, making it the definitive PALATKA release. Fans of screechy, high-pitched vocal intensity in the vein of ORCHID, REVERSAL OF MAN, and SAETIA will feel right at home, and while the vocals on the 2015 tracks don’t reach the same piercing register, the songs themselves are among my favorites. Covers of songs by GORILLA BISCUITS, GO!, and STRAIGHT YOUTH round out a collection that’s raw, relentless, and required listening for fans of chaotic ’90s screamo.

Terror Management Band Austerity Gospel LP

This is the second LP from this Florida crew, featuring Mike Taylor of PALATKA fame.  Everyone here’s been in five other bands with names like MINIMUM RAGE or STAB THAT MOTHERFUCKER, so the pedigree is real. They bill themselves as “Southern Gothic noise rock,” and what that translates to is 39 minutes of feedback, lurching riffs, and rant-sung vocals that evoke the experience of someone cornering you at a party to explain why everything is collapsing. The problem for me is momentum. When I think noise rock, I default to the AmRep strain of ’90s bands that sounded relentless, punishing, always moving forward. Austerity Gospel doesn’t really deliver that drive. Too often, the music sinks into plodding tempos without the weight that might make those moments feel crushing. Instead, some of these songs drift toward post-rock soundscapes. The second song “Minorcan” especially feels more MOGWAI than UNSANE, which for me blunts the record’s impact. Not a bad album by any stretch, but it left me wanting more force, less drift. Maybe it’s about expectations? Check it out if you’re a fan of music that drifts between post-hardcore, post-rock, and noise rock without fully committing to any. “The Chisel” was probably my favorite track.