Reviews

Kill Enemy

Alamoans Licking the Boot EP

More Pittsburgh power here from ALAMOANS, contributing to the Steel City’s steady rise to becoming the hardcore capital of the US. Comprised of members of SPEED PLANS and EEL, this configuration eschews the pure violence of those two brands in favor of a more distorted and atmospherically foreboding approach. There’s plenty of punch to these tunes, but everything is covered in cobwebs of eeriness that create a distinct persona for the band. With five tracks in about eight minutes, it effectively whets the appetite.

God Plutonium Demo 2022 cassette

This is exactly what a hardcore punk demo should be! It’s fast, it’s pissed, the recording sounds completely demented, and above all it leaves you wanting more! GOD PLUTONIUM features members of NECRO HEADS, LIVING WORLD, ALAMOS, and presumably countless other Pittsburgh bands. The masterminds over at Kill Enemy Records have done it once again, continuing their flawless output thus far.

 

Illiterates Illiterates LP

Imagine if the strong metal influence, basketball jerseys, and corporate co-opt never happened to hardcore in the ’90s. ILLITERATES from Pittsburgh have been hard at work keeping the grand tradition of making good, old-fashioned music-to-not-do-your-homework-to alive. Here we have twelve pure old-school U.S. hardcore blazers in the spirit of bands like JERRY’S KIDS, the F.U.’S, and ILL REPUTE, and it’s a job well done. My favorites on here are probably “LB Scheme,” “Stupid Privilege,” and closer “We’re Coming Out.” Turn your brain off and turn it up.

Little Angels Little Angels demo cassette

You’d think that a little plastic shell cannot possibly contain all of this hotness. All of this wildness. But it does. They need a guitar tuner (like…badly), but Pittsburgh’s LITTLE ANGELS absolutely annihilate six shit-hot raw hardcore tunes that are blown to fucking smithereens right out of the gate. Listen to the vocalist barking at the start of “Party.” That’s not some reviewer speak for a vocal style, the singer is fucking barking. Like a dog. And then screaming: “Where’s the party?!” This demo is just out of control across the board—everything pumped harder and pushed rawer than everything else, and it’s everything I need right now.

Nasty Nancy Hardcore Hotel cassette

Pittsburgh, PA’s gift to hardcore punk, Kill Enemy Records, blesses us with yet another disturbing cassette chock full of nasty, unrelenting hardcore. It seems NASTY NANCY is the solo project and brainchild of Devyn Brown, who is the drummer from LIVING WORLD. The recordings are entirely done by Devyn, but apparently he has a backing band playing with him to perform these monstrosities live. This is absolute outsider music, hardcore for the damn freaks. Put this high up on my list of bands I am dying to see!

Necro Heads Necro Demo cassette

Lo-fi, nasty, knuckle-dragging, booger-eating hardcore punk. NECRO HEADS from Pittsburgh, PA sound like they kind of don’t take any prisoners. Six songs blistered through in just over five minutes, which is collectively shorter than the seventh and final dirge of a song on the demo. This is some nasty, no-bullshit, gross hardcore and I want more.

Necro Heads Mindless EP

NECRO HEADS bring us some brazen hardcore in the vein of NEGATIVE APPROACH and NEGATIVE FX. If you’re looking for artful nuance, keep looking. If you’re looking to thrash around like an animal for a few minutes until there’s spit and snot dripping from your beet-red mug, this aptly-named record will probably do the trick.

Speed Plans Field of Vision EP

The twelve-song 7″ is always welcome because I know the songs will be short, fast, and to-the-point. That’s pretty much what this Pittsburgh act gives us on their fourth offering. Good riffs and angry vocals recall classics like POISON IDEA and NEGATIVE APPROACH, as well as lesser-known Ohio band PLAGUE (shoutout to COVID). The rhythms are creative and dizzying, and while there aren’t any particular standout tracks it goes down nicely in one big gulp. I’m inclined to guess that SPEED PLANS are a particularly excitable live band, as Ron’s previous review of their LP confirms.

Speed Plans Speed Plans cassette

Three lean and mean cuts of hardcore à la NEGATIVE APPROACH from SPEED PLANS, who continue in the wake of last year’s excellent Statues of God. Blown-out and grimy, the lo-fi recording definitely works in favor of the proceedings, in particular adding a gnarly sheen to the already gnarly vocals. Fast, catchy, and angry, with song titles like “Shut Up” and “Shut the Fuck Up,” this is all I really want from this style of hardcore.