Reviews

Society Suckers

Decorticate Conditioned By Violence cassette

Danish powerviolence with a hint of Ray Cappo thrown into the batter, sounding like BETTER THAN A THOUSAND merging with CAPITALIST CASUALTIES and other similar Slap-a-Ham-adjacent bands. Tightly mixed without being too over-produced. The drums are killer and direct traffic throughout, as is the case with most bands like this. Dueling vocalists channeling both youth crew and death metal energies. They’re not reinventing the wheel, but the nuanced singing styles make the album feel fresh, relentless, and unwavering. I am absolutely amazed that this is a trio. The sound is huge and intense as all hell. Well worth a spin if you love it fast and loud, which, if you’re reading this, I’d assume was the case.

Fazed Humanization Now cassette

Collecting four previously released songs from these Belgian punks, the music on this cassette reminded me of metal-inflected hardcore from the ’80s with its crunchy guitar sound. The songs are fast-paced and engaging, with dynamic intros and tempo shifts that keep things interesting—none of the tracks exceed two minutes. Vocalist Kevin Hellbuyck alternates between singing and sing-talking, reminding me a bit of Shawn Knight from CHILD BITE. The band says, “FAZED as a band favors kindness over cruelty, tolerance over intolerance, altruism over egotism, cooperation over authority, communication over frustration,” and those all seem like worthwhile causes to champion. This is good shit. Check out “Go for Broke.”

Moral End Demonstration cassette

K-town punk’s blistering sounds are definitely here—chainsaw guitars with acute sharpened tones, sick-sounding pinched vocals, plus maddening drums with excellent fast cadences that never seem to stop jumping on this record. Suggested tracks: “Black Eye” and “Back Against the Wall” for a pulsating urge to pogo the life out of you. It rings with speedy classic punk rock and hardcore, yet it has a twist of filthy modernity to it. Highly recommended.

Natural Fun Natural Fun cassette

NATURAL FUN of Copenhagen reminds me of Retro-Bution-era EXTREME NOISE TERROR with some more metal and hardcore influences such as AUDIO KOLLAPS and SHARPVILLE. This has a heavy crust drive like VISIONS OF WAR, but also brings it down with bitter hardcore fury like SEVERED HEAD OF STATE, and accomplished solos in the style of NIGHTMARE or BASTARD. Vocals have a sort of NYHC attitude, too. NATURAL FUN is not overly flashy, but what they do, they do tightly, especially back to those constant ripping solos. The track “Wind” opens like a mix between THIN LIZZY and HOLY MOUNTAIN or INFEST. The vocals are utterly killer, the more I get into this—sung, but from the back of the throat like a furnace. Their longest song is three-and-a-half minutes. NATURAL FUN puts down what it needs to, wants to, and is out. I think this is their debut (apologies if not), but it’s an impressive one at that.

Rosie Rosie demo cassette

Five-song debut demo of sleazy, nasty, riff-heavy rock’n’roll from Barcelona, Spain. This appears to be a recording project of sorts, with only two people credited. The songwriter handles all the guitars as well as vocals, while the other person is responsible for the entire rhythm section. The guitars on this recording are sharp and discernible, but they’re paired with muffled vocals and a drum sound that feels like it was recorded in a closet using a single microphone. Somehow, the result is both crystal clear and completely blown-out at the same time. Most importantly, the songs are there. These tracks are so immediately catchy that you’ll find yourself nodding along on first listen, convinced you’ve heard them somewhere before. With a whole lotta riffs and hopefully a whole lot more forthcoming, it’s safe to say this reviewer wouldn’t turn down a heaping portion of a whole lotta ROSIE.