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!

Amusement Holding On EP

With their third EP, AMUSEMENT continues to straddle the line between East and West Coast luminaries of the likes of SEAWEED and MOVING TARGETS, while bringing in a level spoonful of aggression just under the tasty melody. It only makes sense that AMUSEMENT is what happens when you have a combined one-hundred-plus years of experience from folks that have played in DIY bands spanning all Maximum Rocknroll’s favorite genres. It’s also impossible not to hear itty-bitty flavors of the thirty or so bands that these folks have been part of, or deny the dazzling RADON and ARRIVALS influences. Each of these three songs is melodic and contains an urgency and style individualized enough from each other to make this feel well-rounded. If it were 1991, I would be putting each of these songs on different themed comp tapes, like “Running From the Cops Jamz” or “Room Cleaning Jamz” or “Tyler’s Basement When His Parents Aren’t Home Jamz.”

Ballistix Starin’ Down the Barrel at… cassette

Six tracks of rough-around-the-edges hardcore punk from New Jersey’s BALLISTIX. Featuring members of the poppier, RAMONES-indebted FREEZEHEADS, BALLISTIX opt instead for a tougher sound more akin to POISON IDEA. That said, they haven’t lost their knack for writing catchy tunes, as evidenced by the excellent third track, “Takin Aim.” Check this one out.

The Black Gloves Five Cuts at 8,000 Ft CD

For me, this album really built itself up. Don’t get me wrong, they had plenty of power and speed throughout, but I felt the last two tracks, “Kubrick Stare” and “X-ray,” were the strongest of the album. The first two tracks sounded pretty similar to me, but “Kubrick Stare” had nice bass licks and was more all over the board sonically, which was fun. Then “X-ray” had a nice kind of breakdown in the middle with short stops and slowing down to almost half-tempo before exploding back to a faster more punk style. Overall, I enjoyed how in-your-face and straightforward punk these guys were.

Bullshit Detector / Liberty and Justice split EP

Everything’s bigger in Texas (or so I’m told), and as splits go, this is pretty big. Both BULLSHIT DETECTOR and LIBERTY AND JUSTICE are some heavy-hitters when it comes to modern street punk, and this release is a lot of fun. BULLSHIT DETECTOR is up first, with an original which doesn’t quite do it for me, but their entirely surprising cover of a BOB SEGER(!) tune completely took me out—it is straight up rockin’ and makes me want to drink one hundred beers. LIBERTY AND JUSTICE follows and continues their purple patch with another genre-agnostic heater, with a ska-punk lilt which feels like a middle finger in the correct direction. A fun live CIRCLE JERKS cover follows with FAT TONY on guest duties, too.

Charlie Continental Singles & Jingles 2016–2021 cassette

Singles & Jingles is exactly what it promises to be, an anthology of remastered songs released on CHARLIE CONTINENTAL’s small, self-sufficient label (Snappy Little Numbers). As a solo project of his, this cassette is charming with its disjointed mosaic of sounds over years of recording. Certainly not a cohesive release, songs like “Be Much Better” goes the SUBLIME pop punk route, while “Monotony of Care” orbits around acoustic guitar and keyboard. Incorporating quick, thrashing drums into each track, CONTINENTAL’s underlying musical style is present but largely at the whim of each song. “Come Howl With Us” features some fun howling backing vocals, though the Colorado-based soloist sounds strained for much of his own singing parts throughout the album. As a wide-ranging release, there is something for every uproarious garage rock and punk fan, though nothing too standout. If you’re inclined to some amusing tamborine and sardonic lyrics, CHARLIE has got you covered.

Dumbells Up Late With LP

Leaving the sparse promise of their brief 2021 demo behind, DUMBELLS’ debut LP is endowed with an immersive, full sound that lends itself to the flood of dreamy tunes therein. Comprised of personnel from various notable acts of recent vintage, these Aussie upstarts fuse elements of 1960s sparkle, 1990s fuzz, and many moods in between into their sharp, imaginative, and organic indie flavor, and it’s easy to get lost in the album’s kaleidoscopic arrangements. Lavishly textured, the songs are simultaneously vibrant and deep, each one propelled by a charming poetic simplicity. There are many memorable moments, like the triumphant and vaguely medieval lead riff of “Automaton,” the unbearable catchiness of “Hammer,” the weighty romance of “Sweetest Reminder,” and the percolating spaghetti western climax of “Bubbles,” to cite just a few, but the record is most impressive when digested as a complete ride. It’s an obscenely good first album that plays like a greatest hits compilation, and when the fluid and hopeful harmony of the psychedelic “Doorbell” fades out, it feels more like a “to be continued” than a proper “the end.”

False Negative / Lost Legion Midwest Mouthbreathers split EP

Two cuts from LOST LEGION and three from FALSE NEGATIVE, both of whom hail from the great state of Illinois. LOST LEGION kicks things off with a speedy hardcore number that exhibits some tastefully flashy guitar work. The second song switches up the formula with a ’77-style anthem with a gruff but melodic verse that almost sounds like STIFF LITTLE FINGERS. FALSE NEGATIVE seem like the real mouthbreathers here, smashing through their three selections with reckless disregard for harmony or nuance. Halfway between NEGATIVE FX and NEGATIVE APPROACH, you get FALSE NEGATIVE. Their track “Salt the Earth” is my favorite of the bunch with its shout-along chorus. Altogether, a solid outing on both accounts, living up to the rad cover art of a fire-breathing skinhead decimating a cornfield.

Gristle Maximum Power CD

GRISTLE is a brand new band that, to me, sounds like East Coast-style late ’80s/early ’90s hardcore. Fast, clear vocals akin to RAW DEAL, BREAKDOWN, a little SLAPSHOT, UPPERCUT, DEADGUY, PITTBULL and the like. There are five songs on this CD that leave me wanting an LP. Look, I’m in my mid-50s and I grew up on this sound, and hearing this style again is a memory flood that is transportive in all the right ways. I don’t know if this would make a top ten list, but it will certainly be something you pull out when you want to yell out and put your fist up.

Hellknife Flames of Damnation LP

Have you ever seen the charge of a rhino? Even if the idea of first-world tourists being trampled by what is basically a living tank on a safari is not without its charm, it remains a scary sight, and the epitome of brute force and unsubtlety in the animal kingdom. HELLKNIFE is to punk what the charging rhino is to nature. The band goes straight for the throat and leaves no time to hide. The Germans have been going for a while now, and they bulldoze their way through with a heavy and aggressive blend of beefy Scandinavian hardcore and guttural death metal. I am reminded of WOLFBRIGADE or GUIDED CRADLE going through their collection of Swedish death metal. This hits supremely hard, so much at times that it tends to exhaust the listener (my neighbours couldn’t last more than two songs). Flames of Damnation is not for the faint-hearted, but rather for those dark days when you just feel like you hate everything and need to listen to something that reflects this and makes you believe that you are a charging rhino, too. Really good for what it sets out to do.

Jeffery Sez Building Rafts Out of Burnt Bridges LP

Another one of those albums I threw on without doing any research, so I’ll let you know that my first thought was “Wow, the kids really have the ’90s throwback down pat.” Turns out that— surprise—this recording is nearly 30 years old. This is like if Mark Lanegan of SCREAMING TREES sang with a little more enthusiasm and got Chad Price-era ALL to be his backing band. I’m a sucker for these Eddie Vedder baritone vocals, but I was a lot more impressed when I thought it was a bunch of people trying something “different” in the year of our lord 2025. Regardless, this is still a solid record if you’re nostalgic for the grunge era and the Clinton years.

Kaptain Kaizen Für 3 Minuten 11 LP

On their third album Für 3 Minuten 11, Mannheim, Germany’s KAPTAIN KAIZEN rip through ten tracks of melodic punk rock with emo and indie influences, all played with a fired-up intensity that keeps the whole thing moving forward. The title tips its hat to the pop song attention span, and most of these tunes land right in that neighborhood. The musicianship and vocals are solid, though they mostly ride in the same lane the whole time. The songs feel fun, urgent, and sincere—sometimes like a less aggressive, later-period LA QUIETE. I don’t speak German, but the album’s Bandcamp page says they’re singing about political fakery, media spin, and colonial messes, which gives the whole thing some real weight under all that catchy energy.

Leopardo Side A / Side B LP

This album starts off with a beautiful, bizarro warble of a song that could have been a lost track from SWELL MAPS’ 1979 opus A Trip to Marineville. The album takes off from there with experimental looping tape sounds, off-kilter timing, mesmerizing Dean Wareham-esque vocals, and plinky melodies reminiscent of the VASELINES. Hints of TELEVISION PERSONALITIES and PERE UBU pop in and out. I’m sure the band could and probably has drawn VELVET UNDERGROUND comparisons, but in a more focused sense, it’s the vision and spirit of JOHN CALE that shines out from this unique body of work.

Meat Shirt Acid Dove 12″

There is a sort of psychedelic sheen to this sunkissed, driving punk, with its chorus-dripping guitars and expansive sound all anchored to a full-charge beat and vocals with capital “C” conviction. This band means it while still having fun, as evidenced on tracks like the brief but outstretching anthem “War Against War,” which features a glut of ideas in under two minutes. There’s an artfulness to this approach to punk, but rather than bogging things down, it’s also a blast to listen to from start to finish. Pretty damn impressive.

Nasty Black My Heart 12″

Boston’s NASTY returns with a crushing metalcore release steeped in mid-2000s breakdowns and ultra-serious vocals, channeling early TERROR, ON BROKEN WINGS, and maybe a touch of 100 DEMONS. It’s heavy, angry, and tailored for spin-kicking in parking lots, with production that emphasizes every drop and chug. Nothing subtle here—just beatdown anthems and hate-fueled energy. Still swinging hard.

Pressure Pact Visions of Terror EP

Another banger from Mendeku Diskak, who seem to be batting a thousand these days. PRESSURE PACT from the Netherlands plows through five tracks of tough-as-nails hardcore. Inspired by the likes of NEGATIVE APPROACH and SSD (rest in peace, Al Barile), Visions of Terror sees PRESSURE PACT employ dizzying guitars (“Big City Stinks”), whiplash tempo changes (“Visions of Terror”), and very gnarly drumming (the whole damn EP). Killer stuff.

Psychoactive Don’t Wanna Wait / Seditionaries 7″

Sometimes, a two-track record is all you need to hear—whether it be because you love it from the jump or think it’s total trash immediately. This is not the case with the new offering from PSYCHOACTIVE. The A-side got off to a pretty solid start, especially when the dynamic vocals of the chorus hit, reminding me a bit of MARKED MEN. The B-side, however, stayed more kind of one-note the whole time and didn’t really go anywhere; it was kind of uncompelling, despite the guitar solo trying to change my mind. So if the A-side is more representative of the PSYCHOACTIVE sound, I’d be interested in hearing more for sure.

Rotting Carcass Amis Raus Demo + Live LP

ROTTING CARCASS is German hardcore’s best-kept secret! With a band named ROTTING CARCASS, one might think that they played grindcore, but soon one realizes that it is far from that. Not that far actually, as they were very ahead of their time and delivered some ferocious hardcore that leans more towards the faster style that was pivotal for the creation of the aforementioned genre. They seem to have disappeared after this recording, and what a shame it took so long for this demo to be dug out of its grave. The Amis Raus demo, originally released on tape, finally gets a vinyl edition on the A-side of this LP, while on the B-side there is a live recording from 1985. Viciously catchy hardcore punk that never loses focus or direction.

Rudimentary Peni Pope Adrian 37th Psychristiatric LP reissue

As I write this, the pope has died and a papal conclave is sequestered while Catholics the world over wait with bated breath for the result. In 1992, a similar transition of power occurred, although on a much more personal level. Nick Blinko, guitarist, vocalist, and visual artist for RUDIMENTARY PENI (joined by the immensely talented Grant Matthews on bass and Jon Greville on drums), experienced severe delusions to the point that he was detained in a psychiatric hospital after revealing he was ordained Pope Adrian the 37th. This experience led to a singular piece of essential punk art that is finally seeing a crucial reissue. There are two ways to absorb this record. You can drop the needle and enjoy a ripping anarcho-punk band delivering off-kilter anthems (check out the nasally vocal hook on “Il Papa Puss” and the instant earworm of “Pogo Pope”). Or you can tentatively step into the world Blinko expresses through the audio and visual translations of his delusions and appreciate a wholly formed, intensely complex piece of outsider art. Repetition is used to great effect, punctuated by an unceasing chant of “Papas Adrianus” that plays on a loop through the whole record, like even in the background of songs and in between tracks. The aforementioned “Pogo Pope” is such a killer raw melodic punk song that it isn’t immediately apparent that the lyrics consist of only the title repeated ad nauseum. If you can make it through the running time, I think you’re in for life, baptized through punk hymns and decrees from the outsider pope himself. This lovingly prepared reissue gets my highest recommendation (I have had my copy for months), and I encourage you to pick up a physical copy if you can due to the incredible artwork, sixteen-page booklet, and layout.

Self Prison Self Prison cassette

Deep in the Caucasus region of Eastern Europe, Tbilisi sits as the cultural and population center for the country of Georgia. The culturally rich city of Tbilisi is also where SELF PRISON calls home. SELF PRISON is a four-piece raw hardcore band whose five-song self titled cassette is full of anguish-laden vocals and fascinating instrumental runs. If you’re not hooked on SELF PRISON by the gritty guitar riff on the intro track, then I give up trying to convince you.

Student Nurse Safety Last LP

From the bedrock of the Seattle punk scene, making their first music from ’79–’84, STUDENT NURSE reemerges some 38 years later with fresh energy and new music—this ain’t no reissue! Revived from the long view allowed by the pandemic, Helena Rogers’s vocals and guitar still front the band. She writes lyrics that young punks haven’t yet earned, like “Look at us, we’re not the ones to blame” from “Aurora.” The band works hard to produce an album that weaves between off-kilter rhythms and on-the-four convergence that will undoubtedly get you nodding. Bass riffs wander effortlessly all over the fretboard, rarely ceasing, while guitars scratch out bittersweet riffs and skronky upstrokes. The drums order this chaos, catching everybody’s irregular grooves, bringing back to center this electric orchestra for verses where Helena and David’s vocals tell it solemnly. This clearly isn’t a cash grab to capture old fans, given their short and fractured stint so many years ago. Instead, we are lucky enough to witness a group of artists who have put out some truly special music. Each of these eight tracks are over four minutes long, and none of them drag. For a good taste, try out “What Happened to Me?”—I think it encapsulates the spirit of the band, their tenure in the scene, and their ability to somehow, 38 years later, not miss a beat.

Supersonic Deuces Deuce on the Loose CD

I really had no idea what to expect here with a band named SUPERSONIC DEUCES. Actually, no. That’s not true. I fully expected this to be some sort of filthy grindcore act. Instead, SUPERSONIC DEUCES is a self-proclaimed “action rock” band, which is just another way to say garage rock for old Gen X-ers. Hot rod imagery paired with a ton of wah-pedal action. Like, seriously way too much wah-wah for me to handle. The kind of band Bam Margera would have been repping in the early ’00s like TURBONEGRO, except this sounds more like some AEROSMITH B-sides with a grittier vocalist. The band is clearly very talented, it’s just something we’ve all heard a million times before.

Tojo Yamamoto Turning Face! 12″

Kentucky noise-rock-influenced punk focused on pro wrestler Tojo Yamamoto (I know next to nothing about wrestling, but this guy was apparently a hated “heel” from the ’60s through the ’80s). For fans of CHERUBS or USA/MEXICO, the band plays heavy, feedback-drenched riffs with raspy, hollered vocals. On a few tracks, like “Loser Leave Town (A Cautionary Tale)” and “Work,” the bass leads the way with a swaggering, blues-punk feel à la CLUTCH (minus the everyman mechanic shtick) by way of KILLDOZER. The best part of the record is that the whole thing is filled with classic wrestling interview samples. Everyone joins the ring, from refs to someone’s mom (her tough-guy son is just misunderstood) to incredible promos of ridiculous threats, insults, and arguments. It makes for a very fun, heavy rock record with crisp production and infectious energy.

The Weirdolls Almost Unbreakable Toys LP

As with a lot of power pop, here’s a band that’s not necessarily doing anything wrong, but there’s just scenes missing that keep this from being a movie. Mining New York’s ripe ’70s era, these contemporary Italians are just a little too precious and clean-cut. The songwriting is solid, but there’s little to no danger in the proceedings. New York was scary in the ’70s, and that’s something you heard in the music. I’m sure there’s plenty in present-day Italy to write songs about, but this looking backward just fails to land on a human level. It feels like the image the album cover presents, which is a group of collectible figures left in the box and never played with.

V/A Pomegranate Seeds: An International Benefit for Mutual Aid in Gaza cassette

I love punk compilations that offer a huge variety of subgenre sounds, and Pomegranate Seeds: An International Benefit for Mutual Aid in Gaza does not disappoint. Pomegranate Seeds is, in fact, packed to overflow with some of the best tracks from bands like DISAFFECT, WET SPECIMENS, SYNDROME 81, GUERRA FINAL, OMEGA TRIBE with D.O.V.E., and a bunch more. Pomegranate Seeds was created by Philadelphia’s the DISSIDENTS, and is a fantastic assortment of punk rock that flows smoothly between hardcore to jangly garage and to everywhere else in between. I was pleasantly surprised by AMUSEMENT and “Standing on Top of the A Bomb” and VAMPIRE with “Evidence,” and at the end of it all, that’s what punk compilations are about—finding new bands that kick ass.

Argh Se Pudrio Todo​.​.​. Adios LP

Some real evil Troglodyte hop for the real rockers in this release. The chaps from Chile have produced an addictive mix of hardcore and Oi! with rocker flourishes to genuinely dizzying effect. Genre-hopping even within songs, swinging between the sort of dark and dense Oi! of the modern French wave, chugging hardcore, and even guitar noodling, it’s hard to put a precise pin on it, other than it is, quite simply, raging. It does come across in parts as a turbo-charged ESKORBUTO too, which I consider a compliment.

Autor Kommen und Gehen LP

Post-punk-adjacent band from Vienna. Something that really stuck with me was how consistently strong their rhythm section was; the bass and drums were so solid and a heavy backbone to the music, which allowed for more variation for vocals and guitar.  They also had great transitions, both within a song and from one song to another, like the feedback from the end of “Das” blending into the noise in the beginning of “Leere.”

Bamberdöst Songs About Your “Girlfriend” CD

Formerly the solo project for BAD WHOREMAOANS’ vocalist Paul Mauled, BAMBERDÖST presents here as a fully realized melodic punk trio. Thirteen heartfelt, love-laden laments with titles like “Tell Me You’re Safe,” “Favorite Creature,” and “I’m Not Leaving Sleep Over You,” to give you a little insight into your listening mission before you even embark. They’re from New Jersey, but I hear NOVA MOB and D4 in these tracks, and I get distinct Midwest energy mingling with jangly almost-emo and hints of gloomy garage. Rare to see (hear) an outfit successfully make the move from solo acoustic act to full band, but BAMBERDÖST appears to be doing exactly that.

Bliss Pure Bliss LP

You tell me something is glam/punk and you’d better deliver. This band was active from 1976 to 1979, and all of these unreleased cuts were recorded beginning in 1978. In the cover photo, they look very wholesome, almost BAY CITY ROLLERS-like. And while there’s definitely a pop vibe to go with the glam, it’s definitely got some edge to it. More than glam or punk, I feel like I’d call this power pop. That said, “Mirror Mirror” has a definite GENERATION X sound going on. Some of the songs have some very curious interludes in them, like they just fade off into space. Overall, I’d say it’s worth a check-out.

Cheap Entertainment Le Dernier Mistral 12″

A clean and unique hybrid of styles coming out of France’s CHEAP ENTERTAINMENT. This eight-song record, the band’s debut, is decidedly post-punk in spirit, but no-frills in delivery, and there’s also an undercurrent of spirited pop-punking lurking here. It seems to be informed by both the more anthemic side of the ’90s and the moody Oi! movement of recent years. Is “working class emo” a thing? Because this is kind of like that.

Cucuy People Talking cassette

Great six-song tape from this Chicago band that blends the jazzy aspects of the MINUTEMEN with the unhinged, off-kilter vocal approach of MYSTIC INANE. Not all great punk bands need to be technically proficient, but this one is, jumping from complex top-of-the-neck guitar leads with bouncing bass and skittery, roll-heavy drums to straight-ahead hardcore with ease. “Speed of Smell” (best title I have heard this year) has a catchy tapped-guitar hook that manages to rage like mutant garage punk. Closing track “You Want a Picture” moves from exasperated hardcore shouting and hits a noise-punk groove that jams for about a minute until the end. Like a high-speed rally race, CUCUY is equally precise and out of control. Check it out—it rules.

Deathfiend Dark Rising LP

Doomy, psychedelic death metal merged with sludgier sounds on this one. Relentless and progressive second release from this Birmingham outfit, pulsing with old school death metal and applying pinches of doom, black metal, sludge and hardcore with maddening, trance-like outer space sounds. Darkened final doomsday vibes with a fulminating string section and vocals that reach for a beat more all record long. Intense and cathartic.

Der Moderne Man 80 Tage auf See LP reissue

Considered one of the first German punk albums, Tapete gives us a reissue of this incomparable LP by DER MODERNE MAN. If you’re not already familiar, congrats on getting to hear this one for the first time. This is Neue Deutsche Welle before there was a word to even describe what you were hearing. Absolutely brilliant post-punk mixed with some electronic sounds, the energy here is tense, taught, turbulent, yet fully in control. The simmering build of “Haarschnitt” into the controlled mania of WIRE-esque standout “Dauerlauf” is a perfect one-two punch. The variety in these twelve tracks is a testament to the group’s expansive sonic palette, having traveled to New York and London to dig into those scenes before creating this album—you can hear RAMONES, you can hear CLASH, you can even hear MAGMA (were they hanging in Paris?), but you’d never mistake DER MODERNE MAN for anything but themselves, pioneers in sound. Put this in your ears.

Ferida Aberta Resultado da Guerra cassette

When someone mentions traditional Brazilian hardcore thrash, you instantly think of contagious energy, of punk-as-fuck aggression with super angry vocals, and of bandanas. FERIDA ABERTA seems to be a new band from São Paolo, as Resultado da Guerra is a tape reissue of their first LP from 2024 and their songs from the split tape with ESCORIA from the year before that. The name actually comes from a song from the legendary LOBOTOMIA, and unsurprisingly, this hardcore punk unit doesn’t dick around and does rather well what it is supposed to. I am reminded of more experienced bands like ESCALPO or ODIO SOCIAL, although FERIDA ABERTA are more raw and perhaps more primitive with some crunchy tempo changes. I hadn’t really listened carefully to that type of sound for a while and I have to say I quite enjoyed it, even if it does feel a little long at times. Just good, dynamic, honest metallic hardcore punk that must be very entertaining live.

Golden Shitters Brutal Planet LP

Hamilton, Ontario’s GOLDEN SHITTERS deliver twelve tracks of snotty, ’77-style punk that’s fast, infectious, and just dirty enough to keep it fun. If you’re into the MARKED MEN, you’ll dig this—riff-driven, high-energy, and catchy as hell. The vocals get a little snotty at times, throwing off some SCREECHING WEASEL or QUEERS vibes, but it’s the guitars that really drive the thing home. Most songs barely hit the two-minute mark, and even though tracks like “Everything Sucks” and “I Don’t Wanna Live” lyrically aren’t exactly sunshine and rainbows, the band’s energy will put some boogie in your butt. If you like your tunes with a little attitude and a lot of energy, this band is worth your time.

Hyperdog Frog Mountain cassette

Debut full-length from HYPERDOG of Linz, Austria. The opener, “Enter The Mountain,” starts with the original Playstation boot-up sound (can’t forget that noise), followed by a sort of lovely, moody synth track, completely disorienting you from the garage-y, distorted-vocal hardcore that follows. Looking at the psychedelic album art, I thought I was going to get some southern US doomer band, but obviously looks deceive. Is that a theme here? The eleven tracks within are fast, short, and tight. Some songs yell at you, like “Cop,” while others have a playfulness, like “House on the Hill,” featuring carefree, shimmery guitars. This is the US release, with the same release available on vinyl from Swish Swash Records in Europe (slightly different album art, same vibe). Fun debut that keeps you guessing!

Killing Frost Years in Permafrost​: Recordings 2021​–2024 LP

From what must be the most frigid Finnish wasteland emerges KILLING FROST, delivering a thrash metal/hardcore mash-up that feels like a frozen hammer smack to the dome. Years in Permafrost cobbles together their demo, EP, and some extra gems onto a convenient 12” slab. Expansive and epic forays with soaring solos, melodic backing vocals, and synth are juxtaposed with driving metal punk with Scandinavian-inspired riffs. CELTIC FROST bears an undeniable influence, but there is an obvious love for DISCHARGE as a counterweight. If you like metal in your hardcore, this is certainly worth a look. I’m hoping this is a prelude to a proper full-length.

Magic of the Marketplace Jealous Moon CD

Four great songs that are fine in both execution and melody. I think this band would be okay with me drawing a LEATHERFACE comparison, and if you’re good with a LEATHERFACE similarity, and a likeness to LEATHERFACE inasmuch as that songs contain emotive personal songs as do LEATHERFACE, and wherein personal journey through LEATHERFACE-styled songs are those in which you find your soul being pulled, then this is a near-perfect four-song EP that is akin to the better mid-tempo LEATHERFACE songs. You could grab it right now if you’d like to.

Over the Hill Older Not Wiser LP

As charming as they are self-deprecating, the cleverly-named OVER THE HILL features veterans of the scene playing straightforward Oi! with lyrics sung in French and English. Musically, this is standard fare, with few exceptions outside of the closing track “Young Again,” which features some glam-y piano bits that makes the song boogie. The real entertainment value comes from the lyrics, most notably on tracks like “Can’t Run,” which features the gem “Next thing you know we’re on the run / Bad knee kicks in and I get caught / Geriatric skins on the pavement.” I’d be lying if I said some of these songs aren’t a bit clunky and at times so earnest it hurts, but overall I appreciate the honesty. Also, “Conformist Pawn” calls out right-wingers, misogynists, transphobes, and racists, and for that they get my support.

Pantano Es Dificil Escapar El Culto EP

I find a specific kind of joy in listening to music that has punk in its roots but doesn’t necessarily sound like punk. Mexico City’s PANTANO surely falls into this category. It has punk in its DNA, but it’s definitely not where it starts or ends. Chanting vocals, simple but captivating synths, and playful rhythms loosely remind me of the industrial milestone 20 Jazz Funk Greats—minus the eerie, noisy elements— but along with that, there is a freezing coldwave atmosphere that is present throughout the record. Es Dificil Escapar El Culto was an interesting EP, and I’m definitely keen to hear how far they will evolve their unique sound.

Pest Control Year of the Pest 12″

Yorkshire, UK thrashcore project that’s been active for at least a lustrum. A solid pinch of classic ’80s thrash metal in the vein of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, but also taking a much more aggressively raw and incisive approach with the blunt force of hardcore punk during breakdowns, impasses, and in its wall of sound. A resolutely swift, blunt, and great listen; four tracks with the sufficient amount of riffage and ambience-switching to keep you hearing. Greatly surprised by this UK project, eager to hear more from them. Recommended. Favorite track: “Time Bomb.”

The Rabies Dumb It Down LP

When you land on this page, you can’t help but think of the RAMONES. The fact that they’re from NYC, their cover art… but they are definitely not just a RAMONES copycat band. They are a serious band, but you can tell that they don’t take themselves too seriously. That’s a healthy combination. These guys are a softer, poppier brand of new wave. The vocals range from being pretty to almost LOU REED-like spoken word. These guys are just a little goofy and they seem totally okay with that. Or maybe they’re just brutally honest. Nice work.

Rotten Heads Historias Para No Dormir LP

Blasting its way to the present from the past, this LP captures the output of ROTTEN HEADS, a ’90s political punk outfit from Spain (not to be confused with the Mexican death metal band from a decade later). This collection exhibits the band’s extremely tight overall sound, with bouncing rhythms, intricate guitar leads, and passionately shouted male/female vocals via a spitfire delivery. Historias Para No Dormir brings to mind a favorite from the same era, HOMOMILITIA. If you have a soft spot for ’90s crust, this will be one you won’t want to miss.

Shatter Deny the Future EP

SHATTER has become known for their hybrid style of hardcore street punk and Japanese-influenced D-beat; the twinning of anthemic and technical. Deny the Future is a four-song EP recently released through Desolate Records, and each song is a speedy rip of SHATTER’s hallmark style. Breakneck tempos fused with nearly impossibly tight riffs lay the foundation for urgent and crucial lyrics. I also really appreciate the graphic style and presentation SHATTER employs and Deny the Future provides. If you’re a punk, then you should probably already own this one.

S.H.I.T. Live at Idrima 2.14 LP

Idrima 2.14, founded in 2014 in Athens, is a legendary venue that hosts independent concerts for both local and international bands, a space for DIY events that furthers the union that is so important in punk music. If there is a band that embodies this spirit, it is Toronto-based powerhouse S.H.I.T., a band that needs no introduction, steadily paying their dues in the international hardcore scene and channeling the essence of the ’80s. Recorded just before the pandemic locked everything down, this live album feels like the last cry for a world that was still alive and kicking, but on the edge of collapse. Tracks like the closer “Feeding Time” come out swinging with an intensity that makes you feel like you’re right there in the pit, choking on the sweat of bodies in motion. It shows a band at the top of their game ripping through a feverish set. This isn’t the sanitized, overproduced punk that’s become more corporate than countercultural, this is raw, straight-up hardcore, just like it should be. It’s ugly, it’s messy, and I can’t help but love it.

Smackbeat Little Letters LP

This LP starts this with a high school soundtrack-type tune (“1999”) about life and growing up and stuff. I can see this as a summertime record that plays loudly from cars with windows rolled down, arms flailing, and everyone inside shouting the lyrics. Perfect mid-tempo GIN BLOSSOMS, with elements of POLITICAL ASYLUM, STATE DRUGS, and the OFFSPRING sorta, with a general Fat Wreck Chords feel. Personally, I’m on the fence with this one, because I know that this will be the favorite 2025 release for some people. However, for me there’s just not quite enough for me to sink my teeth into. Take this for what it is: I was playing SMACKBEAT loudly in an effort to really dig into it, and my ladyfriend popped her head in and asked if I was listening to Christian rock, so there’s that.

Sofocada Ultra demo cassette

SOFOCADA does not fuck around! Ultra-primitive punk with a muffled claustrophobic sound. I guess the band’s name (“suffocated” in Spanish) reflects both how they feel and how the music sounds. Very nihilistic and very emotionally heavy, especially because it is a rehearsal recording, so every detail is a product of spontaneity. This Chilean three-piece features members of GÜIÑA. There is a YouTube video clip for the whole demo that vividly paints the picture the music is trying to show. Highly recommended.

Tiger Helicide The Last Album CD

Fun album here; a nice mixture of a sinister energy with tongues firmly placed in cheeks. It has a dark RICHARD HELL AND THE VOIDOIDS vibe mixed with the gang vocals of some classic Ray Cappo project. The singer sometimes does this Jello Biafra whimper that sounds a lot more like Fred Schneider, which is much cooler in my opinion. I’d be remiss if I didn’t shout out their track “Bad Street,” which references some of the best beat-’em-up video games of the past thirty years. Your typical local-punk-band affair, but you can tell these guys had a fun time recording this and it makes for a charming listen.

UltraNothing UltraNothing 10″

Not quite sure how to categorize these guys (punk, post-punk, HC, all of the above maybe), but they rocked regardless. Great use of building tension; loved when they got more noise/chaos-oriented, too. “Animosity” was one of my favorite tracks as it was at a much faster tempo and more classically punk, but their other tracks were each strong in their own way. I loved how they transitioned between a cleaner post-punk sound to a much more distorted and crazier hardcore vibe as well.

Varonas V​í​timas del Ritmo LP

VARONAS’ Vítimas del Ritmo (translated: “Victims of Rhythm”) is the debut LP from this Madrid four-piece featuring vets from MALLORY KNOX, THEE GIRLFRIENDS, THEE SUCKIN’ DICKS, and RADIO ZOO. The music meanders between garage rock, power pop, and straight-up ’70s-style rock’n’roll, with dual vocals from guitarist Vanessa Herrero and bassist Gema Bañares that are intended to channel a B-52’S vibe. While the album has its moments, including a cover of “Love Shack,” the vocals sometimes lack the strength that could have taken it to the next level. It’s fun and really not bad at all, but it could’ve been a lot punchier. Check out “Es a Mí” if you want a taste.