Reviews

Yoyodyne

Barrage Barrage LP

Latest release from France’s BARRAGE. Non-stop crushing crustcore in the vein of EXTREME NOISE TERROR or DISRUPT, although BARRAGE sticks to hardcore punk roots rather than the crustier realm of the aforementioned bands. Some death and thrash metal phrases can be heard in parts of the album, yet it successfully avoids the modern-sounding extreme metal approach. The D-beat tag does get thrown around, but D-beat masters out there might not call it quite that. Still raging, full-front ferocity of in-your-face sonic bombardment.

Dögmën All Men Must Die cassette

Belgium’s DÖGMËN cover quite a bit of ground on their second release, All Men Must Die. The band toggles from straightforward punk instrumentals to powerviolence blastbeats to LONG KNIFE/POISON IDEA-style hardcore to an acoustic intermission that leads back into a thrashy punk burst (and that’s only the first three tracks). There are a lot of ideas swirling around here, and DÖGMËN are adept enough to make it all make sense, putting together a strong collection of songs that keep the listener on their toes. Additionally, as a dog person myself, I’m awarding some bonus points for the band’s name and this tape’s excellent artwork. Highly recommended.

Guimauve Effondrement LP

There is a long-standing tradition in punk stating that some good bands willingly shoot themselves in the foot by picking too odd a name as a moniker. Time will tell if GUIMAUVE belongs to that heroic category—GUIMAUVE meaning “marshmallow” in French. This Parisian hardcore unit does not, however, indulge in sweet, lush punk music. Paris is hardly known for its scarcely populated hardcore scene, so bands like GUIMAUVE are always a breath of fresh air (in a manner of speaking). On a lot of levels, the band is of its day, as their hardcore punk sound borrows a number of different influences and uses diverse paces and atmospheres to get their political lyrics (in French) across. GUIMAUVE deals in mid-paced, dark hardcore as much as they can deliver the faster, wilder moments you’d expect from the genre. As a result, this first album does not feel redundant or repetitive, and even if they use effects on both the guitar and the vocals, they do not overwhelm the listener or try to hide simplistic compositions. The songs are usually well-thought-out, and I really enjoy mid-paced numbers like “L’apogée du Spectacle” or “On Aurait Pu.” The vocals are raucous and direct, but remain intelligible in spite of the rapid delivery. Old school ’80s US hardcore bands clearly got invites, but as mentioned, GUIMAUVE sounds more like a contemporary take on the old school rather than worshipping the old school, and I can see them appealing to fans of NEGAZIONE, POISON IDEA, or BAD BREEDING alike. Give this one a chance.

Prise Rapide Trop Plein cassette

Goddang, you ever just hear a band that means what they say and plays it well? Admit it, it happens fewer times than you think. Well, let’s take a look at PRISE RAPIDE from Paris (not Texas). This music feels like it wears its heart on its sleeve, and drives it home like a stake through a vampire’s heart. The hooks and melodic turns here will keep you locked in throughout its relatively short runtime (just under 30 minutes). The bass is honey bright with presence, anchoring otherwise zig-zagging melodic post-punk without ever getting too dour. It’s good stuff, I don’t know what else to tell ya.

Arno De Cea & the Clockwork Wizards / Semivortex split EP

Split EP offering two flavors of French instrumental punk-adjacent rock. On the A-side, ARNO DE CEA & THE CLOCKWORK WIZARDS shred through two tracks of trebly surf, with the intertwining leads, exotica-leaning chord progressions, and speed the genre is known for. The production has a live feel, which gives it a nice garage punk edge to the songs. “Apollon” ends with a noisy laser blast phaser breakdown while still retaining the classic surf feel. Check it out if you’re a hang ten type. SEMIVORTEX brings dissonant, math-influenced instrumental noise rock on the B-side, recalling the best of classic Load Records releases. There is a propulsive LIGHTNING BOLT-style build-and-release pattern on “Operratique” with as much metal chug as higher-pitched repeating patterns. Both sides are a win.

Put Pùrana / Tromblon split LP

There’s got to be a joke that goes “you can tell how good a screamo release is by how many different labels are putting it out.” Seven different labels coming together to release four tracks by two bands? This split is surely transcendent, no? Well, it is pretty great, to be honest. PÙT PURANA offers three hectic tracks, with often-discordant guitars and great shifts throughout each song, and at their more melodic moments, vaguely reminiscent of BIRDS IN ROW. TROMBLON offers up a different approach on their side of the wax, with one track clocking in at over eight minutes. Opening with a somber, religious feeling of organ sounds and chant-like vocals, the vocals then shed their effects and pick up intensity as the drums build, the guitars rise, fall, and rise again, and the walls of sound they build start to threaten to topple over—and this is all in just the first half of the song. Thankfully, the back half of their singular track is just as rewarding as the first.

Without Skin Collecting / Inner Debts LP

Man…if this past is the future? I am fukkn here for it. France’s WITHOUT SKIN delivers uncompromising heavy hardcore with metallic leads and meandering art/core riffs. Think of a time when ASSAULT, ANODYNE, TORCHE, and CAVE IN walked the earth and just destroyed shit, you know? That’s the energy I get from WITHOUT SKIN—power without pretense. The internet suggests that they’ve progressed considerably since 2022’s four-song assault Ascents, but it’s a progression that comes with an increased focus on the greater mission that lets them exude power in a manner of their choosing, you know? This one was extremely refreshing, highly recommend.