Reviews

Manic Noise

Adrenochrome The Knife 7″ flexi

ADRENOCHROME is a dark punk supergroup of sorts straight out of Oakland, with members of bands like CRUZ DE NAVAJAS, ZOTZ, KURRAKÄ, ÖTZI, and FALSE FIGURE. The Knife is released as a 7″, a story of reflection on the trauma and abuse experienced by women in the world, through fantasies of revenge and violence and self-empowerment. Musically, it is thrilling and addictive, the bass and drums building a solid and muscular base where the riffs work in a really expressive way, and the vocals, full of tribulation and agitation, deliver the message in a direct and brutal way. They also have a great EP, The Buzz or Howl Sessions from 2018, highly recommended.

Big Rat Rock n’ Roll Fever cassette

BIG RAT’s new EP brings us four pure rock’n’roll tracks for the politically-conscious party animal in all of us. Singer Ian Brink channels Richard Hell and a nasally David Johansen, so naturally you’d think he was born for the role. With almost all of the energy coming from Brink, this is a very vocal-driven record, showcasing the authentic “punk” attitude that some attempt unavailingly. The rest of the band sounds very much like STREET BRATS and the JABBERS. Some great guitar licks here, at points giving off a real classic AC/DC vibe. All in all, nothing groundbreaking, but is absolutely worth a pick-up if you dig these types of tunes.

Horrendous Cutthroat System Horrendous Cutthroat System demo cassette

This demo cassette by HORRENDOUS CUTTHROAT SYSTEM is four songs (about one minute each) that push the limits between noise and hardcore. This two-person operation emits a powerful blast that is full of rage and menace while still remaining fun to listen to. Like D-beat dis-rocker noise that worships HANATARASH while shotgunning beers over lines of cheap speed. This shit rips and I want more.

Korrosive Hiroshima flexi

Sizzling hardcore from Oakland densely churning with Finnish inflection. Vocals trill and cinder over gloomy mid-tempo tribal percussion. Guitar wanes and dives like a bomb raid alarm, with bass pulling the message through with poetic meter. A lengthy piano outro reminds of ANTI-SECT’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” Get this limited edition flexi, a single track called “Anti,” which encapsulates the mood of the year quite provocatively, however stating all due respect to the victims of Hiroshima—an incomparable devastation, this year marking its 75th anniversary. What have we learned?

Twompsax Disgusting Me Out cassette

Hot on the heels of her excellent solo debut, Oakland-based artist Cher Strauberry is back with a seven-song cassette of 4-track recordings, this time under her TWOMPSAX moniker in preparation for a late 2021 tour. If you’ve been a fan of Cher’s work thus far, this is more of what you love—minute-long bursts of the lowest-fi punk (equal parts garage-, egg-, pop-, and hardcore) interspersed with odd snippets from ’90s movies. If you haven’t been a fan, you need to get with the program! One of the most essential voices in contemporary punk!