Reviews

For review and radio play consideration:

Please send vinyl (preferred), CD, or cassette releases to MRR, PO Box 3852, Oakland, CA 94609, USA. Maximum Rocknroll wants to review everything that comes out in the world of underground punk rock, hardcore, garage, post-punk, thrash, etc.—no major labels or labels exclusively distributed by major-owned distributors, no reviews of test pressings or promo CDs without final artwork. Please include contact information and let us know where your band is from!

Abolition Abolition demo cassette

Gotta love it when a band clocks in with a demo that is a completely realized batch of tunes. That’s exactly what ABOLITION offers up for us here. Four-chord Parisian street punk that attacks like a psychotic mutant with liberty spikes. Striking the balance between hardcore punk and UK82 with catchy, gritty tunes they burst out of the gate as a well conditioned unit. Fans of SAVAGEHEADS should take note, along with anyone who sank their teeth into the INFRA full-length from earlier this year or the 2024 THATCHER’S SNATCH EP. So many groups that attempt this sound fall embarrassingly short, which makes it that much more exciting when a band like ABOLITION pops up. I’m excited to see where they’ll go from here. Yet another great release from the fine folks at Mendeku Diskak.

Alf The Demo LP

Remember Alf? He’s back! In punk form. Back in 2023, these Perth punkers, whom you may know from acts like BIKINI COPS, GHOULIES, and PARANOIAS, dropped their demo cassette, a split release with Goodbye Boozy and what I would guess is their own label, Optimal Tapes and Records. What we have here is the limited vinyl pressing of that demo. For anyone familiar with PARANOIAS (and if you’re not, get on it—their EP from a couple years back was fantastic!), the guitar work across these eight tracks should sound familiar. It maybe lacks that act’s concrete slicing timbre, and the tempos here are closer to typical garage punk territory, but it still sounds like some Dangerhouse act picked up a DEAD KENNEDYS-esque penchant for twangy licks. The vocals are both buried in the mix and very loosely multi-tracked, so I have no idea what they’re on about. But it sort of sounds like Sean from the SPITS singing through BUCK BILOXI’s head. It’s all mushed together with the perfect slapdash production, but it also sounds super thin at times. But, hey, that’s a demo for you! Worth picking up if you come across a copy.

Bibione Paprikatraumbrötchen 10″

The first two records from Czech trio BIBIONE pulled from spiky late ’70s/early ’80s Euro femme-punk and the stripped-down spark of ’90s riot grrrl with plenty of rough-around-the-edges charm, and while this new six-song offering still largely reflects those influences, it also twists the kaleidoscope to bring more sharp lines and angles into focus. ”No Friends Just Customers” is BIBIONE at their most locked-in, with clean, pointillist guitar and taut rhythms vaguely reminiscent of SHOPPING or TRASH KIT, with “Tired” throwing in some judicious cowbell clattering for extra art-punk asymmetricality. “Steve Jobless” hits closer to the noisy/shouty UK wave of riot grrrl (more HUGGY BEAR than BIKINI KILL), the relatively sprawling (meaning barely over three minutes long) “Bambini di Traga” puts a modern post-punk spin on AUTOCLAVE’s knotted, off-kilter pop abstraction, and “Jazz” and “Rats in the Attic” take things in a darker direction, with bone-dry beats, snaking bass, and skronking sax like some band that would have played with XMAL DEUTSCHLAND or MALARIA! in a decaying Berlin warehouse circa 1982, although the (English) lyrics for the latter track are decidedly less serious—something about Swiss cheese and holes?

Burning Kross III EP

BURNING KROSS has elements of Swedish hardcore similar to bands like WOFLPACK/WOLFBRIGADE. They also have a bit of UK  hardcore punk thrown in, like the VARUKERS, DISASTER, etc., and lyrics that are similar to the anarcho scene. Beyond that, this is a really well-recorded EP that allows the power of the music to shine while the vocals are clear and defined. A very good record.

Chumhuffer Slaughterhouse Five EP

I’m often reluctant to hear anything that comes out of NYC these days, because all too often the band is reaching for the lowest rung or overextending themselves for their art. However, CHUMHUFFER is bustin’ out of the gates with a perfectly crafted and accessible five-tune EP. I did a little research on CHUMHUFFER, and found to my delight that the band stole a copy of Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse Five novel from a huge chain store and remarkably used the themes of the book as the architecture for this EP. In other words, CHUMHUFFER, like Vonnegut, is plain spoken and incendiary with their self-reflection and observations on current affairs. This EP has East Coast AVAIL/SILENT MAJORITY elements while adding a little bit of the NYC oddball phrasing. Overall, I think this is a great EP that combines enough melody and hardcore to be much more than a one-time spinner.

Cult Mind Infected LP

Rowdy and rabid punk from San Jose’s CULT MIND. Rumbling bass and thrashy guitars accompany vocals that certainly call to mind Jerry A. I can’t think of better comparisons than the one’s on CULT MIND’s Bandcamp, which include WASTED YOUTH, STRUNG UP, and SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, the latter of which definitely comes through in spirit. There’s nothing remarkably innovative going on here, but that wouldn’t stop this from being an enjoyable listen while ripping a bowl.

Dirty Wombs / Sludge split EP

Both bands rock pretty hard. DIRTY WOMBS have a blazing guitar solo to start this off. The production is thick like a POISON IDEA record. That’s not a terrible comparison, either. SLUDGE is from Japan, they also have good production and their songs benefit from it. I put this on and I immediately knew this band was from Japan. The phrasing is very distinct-sounding to me. If you are into hard rock with a little hardcore thrown in, this might be of interest to you.

Ex Parents Failure EP

Rooted in ’90s basement shits, with a modern ferocity that will straighten you up in mere seconds. Check “Reaper” and hear past decades meeting modern one-two-one-two stomps, and then there are the guitar melodies just kinda floating over the whole thing…repeat listens reveal additional layers. On the one hand, EX PARENTS are no frills, no bullshit, and the listener seems welcome to leave it there should they choose to do so. There’s a lot more though, and deep listening is recommended. This four-song EP sounds absolutely fukkn timeless to these ancient ears, and Council Records continues to be a standard bearer in modern DIY hardcore with foundation in the…well, in the foundation of US DIY hardcore.

The Gamits Endorsed by You LP reissue

I have a group of pals, and once a year we meet somewhere for five days and we make an album of songs. In May 2010, we went to a Denver, CO recording studio and two things happened: I have never written a better song than I did on that trip (the song is called “God Killed My Grandma”), and secondly, the guy that was recording us said he was in a band called GAMBITS that I might enjoy. I went home to look for the GAMBITS and I never found anything about the band or even a band with that name, so after spending something like eleven hours a week on the internet for nearly fifteen years searching for the GAMBITS, I gave up and I stopped looking. Until today! As I was doing research on the band the GAMITS, I realized that fifteen years ago, I heard a “B” in the name of the guy’s band (and there is no “B”)! I’ve been chasing a shadow, and now I get to check out his band as though it was May 2010, only ten years after it originally came out rather than twenty-five years after it was initially released. From the first track “15 Minutes,” this record sets a high-energy pace with tight, heavy guitars while still leaving room for the bass and drums to come through very nicely. This could easily fit in with the ERGS, DOC HOPPER, HOUSE BOAT, DIRT BIKE ANNIE, the HUNTINGTONS, and folks of that ilk. The lyrics are smart, clever, and biting from time to time. If any of the above bands I mentioned tickle you, then you shouldn’t sleep on this twenty-five year anniversary edition. I am over the moon that I can finally bring this GAMITS ship to port. The fifteen-year search is over. Full circle, brother. Full circle.

Hacked Apart Hacked Apart LP

Grindcore is a bit like Marmite, innit? You either love it, own 100 AGATHOCLES split EPs, know the medical terms of a lot of disgusting diseases, and are able to decipher the messiest and hairiest band fonts, or you absolutely hate it and leave the venue as soon as you hear the first blastbeats. I am somewhere in the middle (for Marmite as well). I can really enjoy some old school primitive grindcore (the punkiest side of the spectrum) if the time is right, but I cannot stand technical grindcore (which I associate with metalheads). You guessed it, HACKED APART is a grindcore band, from Canada, and this is their first LP. The artwork says it all, I suppose—this is filthy extreme music, and thanks fuck for that. We are deep in primitive and raw grindcore territory here and it is bloody brilliant. Thrashing riffs, all sorts of fast beats, hoarse bear-like vocals, and a production overall highlighting the Neanderthal brutality of the music. This is the old school of WARSORE or ROT. They remind me of MASSGRAVE because they have that manic crust vibe at times. A full album of grindcore can sound a bit long, but this is quality.

Iron Gaze Exordium 12″

A thick, cursed debut EP from Malaysia chewing through doom, crust, and black metal like tearing off a festering bandage. IRON GAZE sounds terminal—dragging riffs, cavernous production, and vocals rising from a pit. Exordium is bleak and atmospheric metallic hardcore, with enough nihilistic weight to turn your speakers into ash.

Los Revolucionaros / Same River Twice split LP

A pairing of two neocrust acts from separate continents. Czechia’s SAME RIVER TWICE kick things off with a scathing batch of tunes that oscillate between anguished D-beat with harmonizing guitars and a style formerly known as emotional hardcore. Trade-off screamed vocals, clean guitar interludes, and tempo changes reign across four longer-form tracks that remind me of ENVY in the more epic moments. Mexico’s LOS REVOLUCIONAROS are a good pairing, pushing further into post-hardcore, nay, screamo terrain. The raw production gives an added bite that makes their cuts more intense. The guitar work here is reminiscent of EKKAIA, brutal with a shimmering beauty. A potent unification of fury and melancholia on both accounts.

The Matthew Teardrop Orchestra The Matthew Teardrop Orchestra cassette

Six songs, and five of the six are over four minutes long. Jesus, this is going to be tortuous. Cut number one, “I Always Think About Dying,” is a slow, depressing tale, as one might expect. It’s almost a parody of itself. Ballad-like. Three minutes in and I get the message. Why do we need the last two minutes? Kidding aside, I do think that MATTHEW has a way of sharing his pain in a very personal way. Just hearing him sing is sort of depressing, but it’s backed by rather catchy and occasionally upbeat guitar, bass, and drums (and harmonica). Interesting combo. In the end, I actually really do like it, in a BAUHAUS kind of way. I’d also say that my favorite cut is the only one that was under three minutes.

Nine-Eleven Fuck You Bomb Me cassette

Unlike fentanyl, drum and bass duos—not to be confused with drum’n’bass—never go out of style. With their unapologetically angry and straightforward breed of powerviolence, NINE ELEVEN sneaks up on you in a dark alley and beats the shit out of you to prove a point: it is possible to convey ungodly aggression with such a compact lineup. All six songs on this six-minute EP are structured around a freight train of a bass that crushes everything in its path, and ruthless drums that repeatedly slam you on the head with the pingiest snare ever. But it’s the pissed-off dual vocals and the occasional mindless goregrind gutturals that seals the deal for me. Fuck You Bomb Me is a great debut that I was listening to daily way before it ended up in my review bin, and it looks like it will stay that way in the foreseeable future.

On the Block Ride or Die cassette

Sophomore cassette release out of Asheville, NC. Three songs of bare-bones, stripped-down punk rock. In a day and age where every rock’n’roll-infused punk band is flying the Oi! banner, ON THE BLOCK is actually a lot closer to sounding like an authentic band of that style. Simplistic riffs, catchy guitar licks played over top, repetitive choruses. I stand by my assessment of “closer,” as ON THE BLOCK is still sonically a very modern band. I have yet to see a contemporary self-proclaimed Oi! band really lean into shitty-sounding recordings and bordering on novelty music, let alone fully stomping one big boot over that line into parody territory, but I will keep waiting for the day!

Poor Impulse Control Tourist Trap EP

Solid hardcore effort from this quartet of skinheads. These folks fancy themselves as an Oi! act, but it comes off a bit more youth crew to me—sounds a lot more like GORILLA BISCUITS and YOUTH OF TODAY than it does ANGELIC UPSTARTS and the like. Very heavy, powerful gang vocals laden throughout. The singer, while unique, has a RAY CAPPO edge to him as well, especially during the spoken word parts where their Northeastern US accent is in full effect. This one flies by; I was shocked when it was finished, but was all too happy to start it up again.

Psychic Pigs Psychic Pigs LP

From the jump, this slab was produced by Jonah Falco, so you already know it sounds fantastic. From there, you take in the music and find yourself treated to ten tracks of high-energy, garage-y rock in the lineage of BAD SPORTS or MEAN JEANS. These tracks come at you fast, and while it may take a couple listens for them to start to leave an impression, it’s definitely advised to flip the wax back to Side A and let these tracks start to take root in your head. With most tracks lasting around two minutes, it can be easy to miss a lot of good stuff happening here—the slick guitar lead on the title track that keeps ripping even when the chorus comes back in, the layers of pummeling drum fills throughout “Stranded in Bullshit City,” and the appropriately organ-like guitar lead-in on “Love Bite” are all great little moments deserving of their time. Ground doesn’t necessarily have to be broken for an album to bend your knees a little bit. Sometimes you just want something you can crank way up, and drown everything else out.

Qiik Qiik II cassette

Second demo by Honolulu punks QIIK. And quick they are! Short bursts of intensity, with each song dripping with anger and frustration, propelled by snotty, in-your-face vocals. There’s a sense of urgency in every second, making it clear that QIIK isn’t here to make friends. Fast-paced, no-frills punk in the tradition of the USHC originators that doesn’t pull any punches, this new demo hits the mark perfectly.

Science Man Monarch Joy LP

Another home run for John Toohill and co. on SCIENCE MAN’s latest LP, Monarch Joy, a collection of nine well-crafted and slightly offbeat hardcore tracks. Never so far-out musically as to lose a casual listener but just quirked-up enough lyrically to stand out from the multitude of hardcore bands currently on the circuit, the album is incredibly dense and moves at a breakneck pace. While best ingested in one sitting (preferably alongside its video companion piece put together by Toohill and visual collaborator Lindsay Tripp), if I had to recommend specific tracks, I’d go with the one-two punch of “Puzzle Hoax” and “Lesser Species” on the backside of the record. Don’t sleep on this one.

Sex Scenes Everything Makes Me Sick LP

What made the songs for me was the lyricism. The true punk anger and wit of lyrics like “It only gets harder / The harder I try,” in combination with the fast-tempo distorted guitar, really makes a classically punk sound (you can’t go wrong). They touch on a bit of a more HC nature in some breakdowns with some slower tempos, but overall, they just make you want to get up and jump around like an animal.

Sick Dogs Sick Dogs LP

As if the lovechild of AC/DC and the NEW YORK DOLLS released an album on BYO Records in the mid-’90s. I’m absolutely blown away by the fact that this is a duo. I know with this being a studio recording that things can be layered, tracked, and such and such, but the energy is palpable and very high-level for this being just two dudes. And speaking of, the production on this is incredible. Fantastic mastering work here, with everything sounding huge. The LP is topped off with an OPERATION IVY cover done in their own styling, and it wraps things up nicely. Would love to see how these guys sound live. In the meantime, I’ll keep this album spinning.

Sistema Obsoleto Esmagado Pela Engrenagem Capitalista EP

SISTEMA OBSOLETO is a D-beat band from Macedonia, whose lyrics are in Portuguese, and their sound is inspired by ANTI-CIMEX. On the five-track Esmagado Pela Engrenagem Capitalista EP, SISTEMA OBSOLETO blasts through with impossibly swift rhythm shifts while buzzsaw guitars and rage-filled vocals conspire to create a whirlwind of hardcore punk. “Alucinação Consensual” picks up at the midpoint of this 7″ and is an absolute specimen of D-beat with screaming guitars, pummeling drums, and chugging bass. The closer “Ideias Venenosas” is a bit more mid-paced with its slight Motör-swagger, but the vocals and harsh instrumentation drive it into an anguish-ridden, blackened opus that clocks in at over three minutes and is the longest song on the EP. The whole disc is only around eight minutes in length, so you’ll definitely be replaying it, and is available through Neon Taste Records.

Tassottis Dolor y Niebla EP

A solid serving of workmanlike Euro Oi! Gang vocal “whoa”s? We’ve got ‘em. Slightly too polished guitar tone? Bucketloads. Slightly bizarre saxophone solo? Just a bit, mate. This is very much one of those If You Like This Sort of Thing releases—absolutely nothing bad here, don’t get me wrong, but there are tens of releases that do exactly this, and perhaps I am after something a bit less meat-and-potatoes.

The Vacant Lot Creaures of the Night EP

A change of pace for the mighty Iron Lung Label, this 7” resurrects material from Australian first-wavers the VACANT LOT. Citing the BUZZCOCKS, MAGAZINE, and WIRE as influences, their four-song Living Underground EP was the band’s sole release from their initial late ’70s run. Vocalist George Howson has rebuilt the band here with a strong new lineup including ALIEN NOSEJOB-er Jake Robertson in order to properly document some previously unrecorded songs from their original tenure. With poetic lyrics and an emboldened sound, the revamped LOT pairs an energetic earnestness with fluid angularity, like a cocktail of the SWELL MAPS mixed with the SHAPES—an interesting and worthwhile post/punk spin.

Teo Wise Fermo o Sparo! LP

There’s an Italian concept called “sprezzatura,” which refers to the art of making something difficult look effortless. While it’s mainly used referring to one’s visual style, it’s the perfect encapsulation of all aspects of this TEO WISE record. This collection of Italian punk, with a spaghetti Western veneer and power pop sensibilities, is the freshest thing you will hear all year. From the instrumental title track into the brilliant early highlight “Confusionale,” to the glammy pop of “M’ama non M’ama” (which is wonderfully reminiscent of the stellar ’70s Italian nugget “Shy Wa Wa” by SHY WA WA), to the eggy attitude of “Non Importa,” this record feels so nonchalant while also sounding so singular and masterfully crafted. A continuous barrage of adjectives and praise could be added here, along with pondering the parallels this record evokes in the listener compared to hearing ADRIANO CELENTANO’s “Prisencolinensinainciusol” for the first time, but truly one just needs to hear this to get it. If anything cooler this year comes along, I would be stunned.

Agen 53 Sp​ä​tgeburten LP

Killer grip of newly unearthed mid-‘80s punk from Verden, Germany’s AGEN 53. The first eleven cuts are studio recordings captured toward the tail end of the band’s existence in 1985, followed by some live performances and a handful of demo tracks. Stylistically scattershot, the tunes range from bouncy ’77-inspired punk with a smattering of post-punk elements throughout. Some songs are jangly and melodic, but they’ll also whip around to a tougher, proto-hardcore approach that exhibits a penchant for aggression and fury. A little something for everyone, this collection makes for a solid introduction to a proficiently eclectic band.

Automated Execution Automated Execution cassette

AUTOMATED EXECUTION from Austin, Texas brings us some raw D-beat hardcore punk with growling vocals, guitar that is on the attack, and drums and bass that really hammer the point home. Most of the songs hit you hard and are over in one to one-and-a-half minutes. This is a really good demo tape. The band is fully formed and plays as a cohesive unit. Raw hardcore sounds better to me than overproduced slick punk played by people trying to make it big; this is real punk.

Billiam / Busted Head Racket Kidnapped! EP

I loved how these guys pushed the limits of electronic-y, punky sound. “Have A Panic Attack With BBHR” is witty, fast, and punky, but quickly devolves into utter chaos and explosion. I loved it. Throughout the EP, the lyrics were sharp and matched the uptempo energy of electronic, distorted chaos. I felt on edge the whole time, so good.

Blone Noble Life’s New Adventure LP

Debut LP from Los Angeles-based BLONE NOBLE, the brainchild of Pat Salway, pictured on the album cover. I imagine this is going to be something you love or hate—the featuring of this release in MRR may have inner critics and readers alike wondering if this falls into the “punk-adjacent” category at all. Prefaces aside, Life’s New Adventure is a dark, moody, synth-driven self-exploration on vinyl. Describing his genre as “doomsday disco,” referenced from the Post-punk.com article on the band, makes for an on-point description. I hear similarities to fellow L.A.-ers COBRA MAN (following the disco thread), with the vocal saturation and broodiness of ORVILLE PECK. I also hear shades of JONATHAN RICHMAN on “Cosmic Ghetto,” with spoken word verses and shouted choruses. In addition to the spiky, haunting synth, a drum kit and drum machine keep a simple, slow beat while bass lines slap, bounce, and give way to that disco groove, with guitar lines taking a backseat in the mix. For me, genre squabbling aside, I really like this. It’s both moody and driving and somehow…fun? Sure, it’s a throwback to ’70s and ’80s disco, glam, synth—especially watching the VHS-quality music video for “Weapon of Love” from a previous release—but what isn’t some homage or amalgamation of sounds these days? Try it out and you decide.

Casual Hex Zig Zag Lady Illusion II LP

CASUAL HEX just might be the last band standing from Seattle’s mid-to-late 2010s DIY post-punk boom, where, alongside similarly-minded outfits like NAIL POLISH and VATS, they pushed back against the city’s rapid gentrification and tech hellscape wealth disparity (instigated by Amazon, Microsoft, et al.) with an appropriately sharp and panicked sound. It’s been seven years since their last record (2018’s Zig Zag Lady Illusion LP), and they’re not exactly a Seattle band anymore (guitarist/vocalist Erica Miller is now based in Portland), but the more things change, the more they stay the same—the trio’s recurring lyrical themes of devalued labor, mindless consumption, social engineering, and the corrupting effects of power are all still firmly in check here (and as relevant as ever), with an instrumental backing that’s just as scathing. Opener “The System” cuts right to the chase, with exacting stop/start beats, needling six-string scree, and Miller’s perfectly-in-control deadpan giving voice to the sorts of internal monologues that should be shared by anyone actually living in reality (“The system, we feed / Has no belief”). The frigid clang of “Letters & Numbers” picks up the screwdriver baton passed on from Confusion is Sex-era SONIC YOUTH, and the sparse, spring-loaded bass bounce launching the standout “Like a Product” signals toward 99 Records-style no wave danceability, while the ensuing claustrophobic crush of piercing guitar pulls from the most caustic side of genre—think Glenn Branca-helmed projects like the STATIC and THEORETICAL GIRLS, or the art-noise meltdowns of INTERFERENCE. No illusion, this is frighteningly real.

Dez Dare Cheryl! Your Love Shines Down Like a Supernova’s Death CD

Wow, has it been so long since 2009 that we’re starting to get nostalgic for unnecessarily long album names? Interesting record here: synth-rock that sounds a bit like the SHOUT OUT LOUDS if they had the same set up as ATOM AND HIS PACKAGE. One of those slabs I wanted to like, but nothing really sticks out or grabs me. It’s a tad dry, which is unfortunate because the composition is interesting. They clearly took a lot of time with the instrumentation, and did a good job weaving the synth leads with the guitar riffs. It never sounds too crowded. The vocals, however, are very drab. This might have been intentional, but the lack of any energy is glaring. I do need to give DEZ DARE a shoutout for using a Casio EP-10 drum machine on “Light Touch of the Man Spreader.” Easily the best preset of all time. If you were big into that Brit dance-pop wave in the mid-to-late ’00s, you might dig this.

Christopher Alan Durham & the Peacetime Consumers Play Atlantis LP

Cool rock out of Michigan exploring lots of different sounds, with a layer of art splashed across them all. Lots of sax, lots of tempo changes, lots of changes in general. Sometimes this results in killer tracks like “Seeing Double,” while at other times, the songs can feel like exercises that weren’t fully fleshed out or just ended too soon. But while their name denotes a desire to keep things civil, their music prefers to challenge; these tracks actually aren’t here to resolve how you want, or make you feel at ease. A summer read, this album ain’t, and that’s clearly how they want it. This isn’t music for your book club, unless your book club is full of freaks and weirdos who prefer ZAPPA anyhow.

End State Their System Won’t Be Fixed cassette

Perfectly executed crust outta NYC. END STATE’s first cassette is a raw, noisy, excellent snapshot of the style that would sit nicely on the Peace of Mind Records roster. Recorded at the illustrious D4MT Labs, the guitars are wicked, the drums are relentless, and the vocals are abrasive as hell. I definitely hear some FRAMTID influence here, which should tell you what you need to know about this tape. I wish there were more than three songs, but it’s a nice taste while we wait for more material. Highly recommended.

Hollywood Fuckheads Totally Fucked EP

Opening with the hideously distorted rock’n’roll of “I’m Not Afraid of You,” these UK budget rockers come in sounding like the SPACESHITS if they were relegated to playing out back by the dumpsters instead of inside the dance hall. “Do You Like Still Life?” drags this sonic muck into a different dimension, twisting it into a crude impression of the SWELL MAPS “H.S. Art.” “Shit Blows Up” is a classic lo-fi stabber in the vein of the RIP-OFFS or the INFECTIONS, and the last couple of tunes most closely resemble the work of New Zealand’s the CAVEMEN. It’s a depraved funhouse of an EP for acolytes of especially chaotic garage.

Kürøishi Egocide of the Warmad LP

Excellently executed crust punk from Finland with an epic scope and an anti-militarist pulse. KÜRØISHI drops a concept LP that sounds like DISFEAR filtered through AMEBIX and a global sabotage manifesto. Galloping drums, dramatic epic riffs, and the kind of political urgency with a dragged soul that steps you into the fire. Not just apocalyptic in sound—it lives it. Recommended.

Life Violence, Peace, and Peace Research cassette reissue

Originally released in 2013, this album punches you in the gut like a pro boxer. With Scandinavian-influenced hardcore riffs à la MOB 47 layered under rumbling bass and thunderous drums reminiscent of the Japanese classics like ACID, LIFE always finds a metallic edge that keeps every track brutal and relentless.There is room for all sorts of vibes and speeds here: the title track opens with a fast-paced banger, while mid-album tracks like “Dead Silent Spring” and “The Way of Human Existence…” deliver epic mid-tempo tunes amid the chaos. There is also a nod to genre forebears in the form of “Conquest,” a DISCLOSE cover. Violence, Peace and Peace Research is a ferocious assault of angry, political, and intense punk. If you crave raw power with an ideological bite, this reissue is essential.

Lower Minds World is Collapsing cassette

Extremely rockin’ release from Tbilisi which reminds me of NO TIME and ARMS RACE in places. Real primal, pissed-off hardcore which will grab you by the lapels and give you a dry slap for your troubles. Get it listened to.

Moto On the Run CD

First off, this is not the Paul Caporino-fronted band M.O.T.O., and the almost unsearchable name and album title keeps this CD a bit of a mystery. The rough recording production and bar-band garage rock leanings actually do align musically with Caporino’s similarly named project, or something akin to the GIZMOS—the difference being that all the songs here are over four minutes, while the “band with the periods” rarely breaks the two-minute mark. Some of the tracks like “Dandelions and Butterflies” have a psych bend like early COMPULSIVE GAMBLERS or late the KNOWBODY ELSE.

None Shall Sleep A Slow Steady Decline / Hope Dies at Dawn LP

NONE SHALL SLEEP has captured elements of MISFITS, the FIENDZ, GASLIGHT ANTHEM, and BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, blended them into their very own sound, and put out a perfectly New Jersey brooding and catchy record. This isn’t a beer-soaked bar-stomper, although it does have those pieces, but it is more driving late at night through the little NJ towns scattered around from the shore to the mountains and falling lyrically into lost hope and melancholy choruses. There is a lot of introspection in these songs, and a maturity giving me the feeling that these gentlemen have been around the sun a few times and seen some shit. It’s hard to write from a point of view centered around your disappointment and not have the songs sound whiny after a while, but they do it and keep it interesting. A couple of the longer songs bring in EFFIGIES and parts of NAKED RAYGUN to round out the entire batch of tunes. I’m not entirely sure where this would fit in my record collection, but I know it definitely fits in there somewhere. Also, the song “Is This My Uniform?” has the Bill Murray speech from the movie Rushmore, so that’s worth it right there.

O-D-Ex My Pleasure / Save : Buy 7″

A melodic yet cacophonous layer cake of digital synths and drum loops propel the two newest tracks from Mark Ryan of MARKED MEN/MIND SPIDERS and Micah Why (KITBASHES, MISSION GIANT). The A-side sounds like the soundtrack to escaping a corporate office building in a dystopian future, while the B-side sounds like the event that may have caused the future to turn dystopian to begin with. While the music won’t make you think of MARKED MEN on the surface at all, the underlying ethos definitely shares a kinship. These tunes hit hard, get right to the point, and leave before you’ve gotten too comfortable.

Perverts Again The New Man LP

With their latest LP, Ohio’s PERVERTS AGAIN carry the torch of URANIUM CLUB’s charismatic humor and SKULL CULT’s contagious quirkiness. Sizzling, fuzzy guitars and gnarly, overdriven bass come together around solid drum grooves to make up a hypnotizingly repetitive, lovably playful and delightfully lo-fi record. With the memorable hooks, mischievous backing vocals, and fun lyricism that The New Man offers, I can guarantee that you’ll have a hard time getting this album out of your head. Well, don’t quote me on that, though—maybe you don’t like fun as much as PERVERTS AGAIN do.

Phobophlyptix Phobophlyptix LP

Holy shit, PHOBOPHLYPTIX fucking rips! The Los Angeles-based thrash metal crossover band also uses an equal amount of grindcore influence, and the entire package comes out sounding brutal, vile, and captivating. Old school sent through the modern meat grinder renders a ten-song, single-sided 12″ that is over before you know it, and rocks so hard that you’ll be replaying it for the entirety of a day.

Rufinoos JF.FJ. EP

I’m going to like this one. Four songs in less than six minutes. Now we’re talking. Yes, female-fronted, super catchy pop punk. Pretty and mid-tempo, maybe even a little speedy, this is not at all super sticky sweet. Jesus, just amazingly catchy. Short and to-the-point. In Spanish, if that matters to you. I really like this.

Self Improvement Syndrome LP

From Long Beach, California, SELF IMPROVEMENT is out with their second LP. Compared to 2022’s Visible Damage, this release dives further into the no wave realm, with slower tempos, sparser arrangements, and fewer heavy moments. If you like the slower parts of the CONTORTIONS, maybe mixed with a little ESG, then you’ll like SELF IMRPOVEMENT’s sound, which, in the end, doesn’t need comparison. Guitar riffs snake around beneath Jett Witchalls’s rich and compelling vocals, while bass and drums are lockstep throughout with an effective propulsion. The band also features a synth and drum machine, but they’re blended so well I can hardly tell, besides the obvious click track or one-off synth eccentricity. The overall feeling here is a skewed pleasantness, like a shaky and out-of-center photo of someone smiling. Witchalls’s vocals create this tension on a dime, coming in smoothly, then changing over a sour chord or drum clatter, as she sends the band into a diagonal spiral wherein you may cock your head to one side, intent to hear whatever’s coming next. Unique sound for the languid and perturbed.

Siniestro Total Acto Fundacional LP

SINIESTRO TOTAL is one of Spain’s most famous classic punk acts, and this LP showcases the band’s first-ever live performance from 1981 before they became the polished unit that would go on to release twenty-plus albums. Their early sound on this seventeen-song set shifts between bouncing along and falling apart. Charmingly out-of-tune at times and frothing with youthful enthusiasm, it has a minor league GERMS-meets-the PLUGZ kind of feel. Tunes featured here including “Las Tetas Di Mi Novia” (“My Girlfriend’s Tits”) and “Hoy Voy A Asesinarte” (“Today I’m Going to Murder You”) ended up on the band’s debut LP, but a handful of these songs never made it to record. While many bands would reasonably want any evidence of their very first live show erased from existence, ashamed of their fledgling incompetence, the fact that SINIESTRO TOTAL’s is being celebrated in this manner is a testament to their confidence as veteran rockers, like looking at baby pictures. You know, if their baby pictures included images of them singing a song called “(Aunque Este En El Frenopatico) Te Tirare Del Atico” (or (“Even If I’m in the Mental Hospital) I’ll Throw You Out of the Attic.”)

Skappository For Your Health! CD

If anyone at any time in the last 30 years would have bet me that I’d find a ska band in 2025 that I like, I would have taken that bet and ended up broke. SKAPPOSITORY, with charm and humor, applies the classic sounds of the SPECIALS, BAD MANNERS, and MADNESS, as well as a more modern feel from the likes of MUSTARD PLUG and the SLACKERS. I know that typically in a review of ska that folks would throw around OPERATION IVY for points, but this ain’t that. I think SKAPPOSITORY has a more refined sound and a tuneful maturity that OPERATION IVY didn’t have. If I haven’t sold you yet on SKAPPOSITORY, how about the fact one of the folks in this band plays a keytar? Yeah, I said it. Go click into your favorite online search engine and look at pictures of them from basements to clubs and you’ll see a fella with a keytar strapped onto his body. I think it’s pretty bold to be a ska band these days, but SKAPPOSITORY pulls it off well.

Screaming Mailboxes of Destiny Morgantown, WV 7/11/85 cassette

Live cassette of a single track, recorded just a few weeks shy of forty years ago. The SCREAMING MAILBOXES OF DESTINY were a short-lived hardcore punk band from Pittsburgh, PA spanning from 1984 to 1985. They posthumously released a ten-song, one-sided 12” in 1986. This tape, however, features a live show where the band is introduced by an unbeknownst-to-them poet. The only music on the cassette is the very first song they played that night on July 11, 1985, fill-in drummer and all. Oh, and it is only on the A-side of the cassette. In my opinion, the same test-tone that was included on the B-side of their LP should have been recorded onto the back of these cassettes, but that might be taking the absurdity of that story told within the included zine a bit too far. Did I mention the cassette also comes with a huge zine? It is filled with classic SxMxDx flyers, newspaper clippings about the band, bad reviews from this and other classic punk publications, as well as existential autobiographical memoirs of the singer of the band, Jim Hayes. This was an absolute delight to read, and I must have listened to the cassette four times before seeking out other recordings by SxMxDx to have in the background while I fully digested the zine. I truly and thoroughly enjoyed this and recommend it highly. Am I really singing the praises of a three-minute, one-song cassette with a twenty-plus-page, full-size sheet of paper zine, double-spaced like a high school essay and limited to a total of twenty-three copies? You better believe I am! It is one of my favorite things about punk, that every single aspect of a release can be arguably shitty, yet the beauty of the project can shine through regardless.

Tiger Helicide Species of Concern CD

Twisted hardcore that rouses punk’n’roll and even some sounds from BLACK FLAG’s darker progressive eras, right from the paranoid corners of the mind. TIGER HELICIDE builds songs like homemade noise bombs—ugly, shaky, and ready to explode. Filtered vocals, caveman drums, and riffs that dissolve in acid. Punk from a broken lab. Six tracks, endless threat.

Ultimate Disaster For Progress… 12″

This is an impressive record. It makes me wonder what it would sound like if DROPDEAD put out a D-beat album. I bet it would sound something like this. Fast, well-played hardcore with some very big hooks. I’m looking forward to catching them live at Skull Fest this August. Great sound, well-played and attention-grabbing. This is a record I will listen to quite a bit.