Reviews

Fiadh Productions

High Anxiety Your Dreams Are Caught in War 12″

HIGH ANXIETY from Ontario, Canada plays crust-blown anarcho-punk, and earlier this year, they released Your Dreams Are Caught in War, which is ten tracks of indignation and rage. Espousing post-crust and proto-grind elements, HIGH ANXIETY features noisy vocals, upfront, dirty bass, and guitar riffs that are primitive, rhythmic, and energetic. Lyrically, HIGH ANXIETY cuts through the bullshit with scathing criticisms of political, cultural, and religious institutions of our time. The ten songs on this disc are over in much too short of an amount of time, leading to multiple playthroughs. Your Dreams are Caught in War is a joint release of Fiadh Productions and Violet Hour Transmissions, so the sleeve and disc are of the highest quality.

Rot//Woven No Hope For a Better Past LP

Fiadh Productions has released a slew of gorgeously produced cassettes and records this year, and No Hope For a Better Past by ROT//WOVEN is among them. ROT//WOVEN plays crusty anarcho-punk with a healthy addition of melodic hardcore punk in the mix, creating an impassioned sound of indignation. Vocals range from all-out raging screams to a more traditional gravely punk delivery, with lyrical content including topics like abortion and women’s rights, human and animal liberation, and a big middle finger to the pigs. Sonically, ROT//WOVEN is a three-piece with fuzz-maxed guitar grinding, chunky bass riffs, and speedy drum breaks. “Sinking” is a ripper of a song that invites a more melancholic tone to the band and is reminiscent of CIRCLE TAKES THE SQUARE but with a predilection towards riffing. In all, a highly enjoyable first full-length from these Oregon punks!