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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. We reserve the right to reject releases on the basis of content. Music without vocals or drums will not be considered. All music submitted for review must have been released (or reissued) within the last two years. Please include contact information and let us know where your band is from!
Very raw post-punk/punky band. There was some pretty witty lyricism which I enjoyed, in combination with lots of discordant, droning, strange guitar noises. There wasn’t a ton of variation with the vocals—I feel like the instruments made up for that, though some of the songs probably didn’t need to be as long. Overall, a solid and unique band worth checking out.
LAME returns with their second full-length, Lo Que Extranas Ya No Existe (What You Miss No Longer Exists), which was recorded primarily on the sunny tropics of the island of Mallorca. This is a carpet-bombing of feedback, power chords, and very good drumming that is a constant shift of rolling patterns. The record is tightly-wound angst, with shredded vocals that are in front of the pack and reminiscent of NAKED AGGRESSION’s Kirsten Patches’s screamed stream of consciousness. Punishing and tight punk.
Here we have a vinyl reissue of the 1987 cassette of the same name, plus four bonus tracks, from the legendary yet short-lived LOS CORROSIVOS of Buenos Aires. Recorded live at the Parakultural Center, the sound quality is actually pretty good for a tape that’s nearly 40 years old, also considering the raw, loud, noisy nature of the band. Drums are big and cavernous and sound fucking incredible, with a bullish bass existing in a similar realm. The guitar gets a little muddied, but ultimately fits in well with the rest of the band, providing that angular noise element, often on its own, squealing and wailing, somehow finding a riff to come in on. Vocals blanket the band’s traumatic shambling, and are both soothing and dissonant. Considering the vocals and general turmoil on display, this reminds me of Jello Biafra with the MELVINS—of course meant as reference only, as this way predates any of their releases. There’s a really great write up on the Bandcamp page from Tomás Nochteff about being at the Parakultural show when this was recorded, if you’re looking for some context on the post-dictatorship Buenos Aires scene that birthed this incredible record. Remastered for Calar by Jorge Morales with release support from Walter Fellini, both original members of the band. A rare, unearthed piece of history, absolutely not to be missed.
DISSENT, BAZOOKA JOE, LIBIDO BOYZ, HEAVY VEGETABLE, SCHLONG(-ish)—all bands that carved their way with quirky hardcore punk. This LP is a relentless barrage of interesting stop/start songs accompanied by lyrics that come from the wisdom of survivors. I love this, and this band would have 100% been on the Welcome to 1984 comp from MRR if they were around then. They also would have been on the MRR comp Noise Ordinance if they would have been around then, too. Go get this, please.
One of the funny byproducts of writing music reviews is learning about parts of the world that I’d maybe overlook otherwise. In reading about NEGATIVE CHARGE, who hail from Winnipeg, I realized I knew next to nothing about the area. In the time between being assigned this review and putting pen to paper, I’ve become aware of the fact that the beloved children’s character Winnie the Pooh was named after Winnipeg, and that the city had a strange affinity for one of my favorite cult classics, Phantom of the Paradise, a film that otherwise didn’t do so hot at the box office nearly anywhere else. Aside from those gems, I learned about their deep-rooted punk scene that has been forged in snow and ice over time to produce a slew of bands I was unfamiliar with that are total rippers, including standouts NUCLEAR MAN, HUMAN TARGET, and JUG. Another among them (and I think including some shared members of the aforementioned) is NEGATIVE CHARGE, whose debut self-titled LP is a lean and mean masterclass in hardcore. Following in the footsteps of bands like POISON IDEA and AGNOSTIC FRONT, everything here is just right; the guitars are muscular, the drums pound and pummel, and the vocals are gruff and tough as nails. The breakdowns are heavy and the guitar leads wail, all surrounded by riffs that sound instantly recognizable. “Shut Me Off” and “Decay” are particularly great, the former boasting some off-the-wall drumming and the latter seeing the vocals reduced to a gnarly snarl. I could go on, but this album speaks for itself. Don’t sleep on NEGATIVE CHARGE, and don’t sleep on Winnipeg. Highly recommended, and a top ten of 2025, for sure.
PROBLEM is fed up with the rise of attacks and violence toward commuters and operators on the L.A. metro rail…fed up to the point of posing with sneers and clenched fists in front of a stationary rail car on the front of this tiresome EP. Three songs of botched street punk emulation that aren’t worth drawing comparison. To say this record sounds contrived would be subtle, and with the band blasting off with such choice lyrics (“Nobody is safe on the train / You can get robbed or you can get slain”) and song titles like “Fuck the Human Race,” I cant help but to think they may feel the same way.
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.
DC-based SEXFACES are out with their debut LP, and it is not to be missed. Having formed two short years ago, the bandmates sound perfectly suited for one another, albeit very unhinged. With Neil Cobra (TEEN COBRA) on bass , Jacky Cougar (DES DEMONAS, THEE LOLITAS) on drums, Sal Go (STOP WORRYING & LOVE THE BOMB, THE NVS) on guitar, and Hana Racecar (TADZIO, COVEN TREE) on electric viola, it makes sense that this cast of well-established musicians has formed a mutant punk spectacle that’s garnishing attention. The music has that droning death snarl sound that is really accentuated by Hana Racecar’s electric viola, often leading to a VELVET UNDERGROUND comparison, but with noise and rambling scuzz qualities added to the incendiary blend, creating a beautiful dumpster fire. Noted in a See/Saw article, Jacky Cougar and Sal Go started the band with the intention of (in Cougar’s words) “…an atonal, BIRTHDAY PARTY, PUSSY GALORE noise thing.” He then goes on to describe how he got conned into a rock’n’roll band, but the noise elements have clearly stuck with the group—the atonal nature of the viola alone, or the irreverent lyrics on “Babies” where Cougar sings “I don’t want a baby that looks like you,” and the “fall apart only to find the rhythm again” squawking band ethos makes for a great homage to aforementioned bands while, yes, having some catchy hooks (“O My Dima”) and rock-structured songs (“S.C.U.M.”). “Special-Lame” deserves a shout-out for its devolution into a parody of CARLY SIMON’s “You’re So Vain,” with Cougar and Go performing the chorus in moaning rounds. Fucking awesome. While I believe it’s those two responsible for most of the vocals, nowhere does it credit any one in particular, and we certainly get whole-band shouts throughout. Genre squabbling by the band aside, whatever they have made here is special, funny, dark, and with a well-deserved cackle. I’ll be excited to hear any and all directions they go next. Get after this Bad Times OST.
From the streets of Malaysia, these Scandinavian hardcore aficionados scream an emotionally charged statement about the current world. The title (translating to Is Peace Just a Hope?) sets the tone for a band that questions authority, unrest, and the fading dream of harmony in a fractured world. With gritty instrumentals and urgent vocals, SLAKT! delivers a powerful critique that resonates deeply in today’s turbulent climate. A must-listen for fans of politically conscious hardcore punk, or if you are just into bands like SHITLICKERS. With members from INFLUËNZIA, CROWNOISE, and BOMBRÄD.
There’s something terribly comforting about hearing punk bands that are dead-set on keeping old school spirit alive. These Bostonians are doing a little more than that, teetering into genre experimentation, such as on the garage-inflected “Stay Stupid,” and bringing a nouveau Oi! flair to what is otherwise pretty straight-ahead, convincingly-played old school punk. The recording is satisfyingly lo-fi and the vocals have a great deal of character and grit to them. There’s a surprising amount of breadth of style here, but overall, this is hook-filled punk you’d put on at a party—crowd-pleasing without being cloying or boneheaded. It’s refreshing to hear a band having this much fun without feeling self-serving or corny. It’s not going to change your life, but it might change your night. At eighteen tracks, it does slightly outstay its welcome, but in a time when most bands feel it fit to call it a day after a four-track EP that takes as many minutes to listen to, it feels counter-intuitive to criticize someone for having too many ideas.
A remastered Barcelona crossover relic that still packs a bite. TROPEL NAT blended melodic vocals, metallic riffing, and hardcore velocity in a way that must’ve baffled punks in 1989. This reissue restores the grit while sharpening the edges, throwing in bonus cuts for collectors and nostalgia junkies. A must for Mediterranean punk archivists.
This is well-recorded pop punk, and the songs are exactly what you’d expect—just like DOC HOPPER, the A.G’S, the ERGS!, TEENAGE BOTTLEROCKET, CHIXDIGGIT, CLEATUS, BOUNCING SOULS, a couple of those ALL records, and such. This is a perfect record if you have a crush, are getting dumped, wanna ask a person if they like you as much as you like them, are bummed about a pal that is dating a person you like, are bummed about the people you let down, are being hurt, are giving up on a crush, are remembering what being kids was like, are paying too much to see a band you like, and so on, all done in a sing-along way. This is a solid record, and hits on all the MXPX and DESCENDENTS points that it should for a first date. Also, there are sixteen tracks on here. So go ahead and listen to the linked song, add fifteen more to that, and there you go.
Not every band can pull off the clean guitar sound without losing something in translation, but AGUR manages the feat. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that it adds a certain bite to the top end that helps the riffs cut through the mix. It’s also a smart move because it allows the guitar to recede when needed, like when the bass player is going the fuck off, which isn’t a rare occurrence on this album. Throw in some snotty vocals and you’ve got a solid foundation for some memorable ’77-style punk with a garage rock bent. These tunes are frankly infectious, driven by major chord melodies and upbeat tempos. AGUR may venture to implement a piano or saxophone here and there, but even still they keep it lean and stay right in the pocket. I didn’t think this would be my cuppa tea, but I keep returning for repeat listening cause it’s just a fun and easy album to toss on.
Ooooffff—bombastic and chaotic hardcore taken to another level by Virginia’s AXON. Words like “relentless” get thrown around a lot, but the side break here comes as a very welcome respite after less than four minutes. The breakdown in “Industry” is fukkn everything, and the rest of this record is literally everything else. Furious, intense, thunderous, fast, metallic, and relentless hardcore punk. If you have a black vest and you only listen to one new record this month? AXON.
BOMBARDEMENT’s live LP A L’ombre des Crassiers, recorded in Bordeaux as part of the Kick Rock Live Series, captures nine scorching tracks of what they cheekily describe as “adult-oriented D-beat.” True to their name, this is an unrelenting assault—drums and bass locked into a pounding rhythm while the two guitarists peel off their own tangled, sometimes metallic freak-outs. The performance may sound chaotic, but it clearly rests on serious musical skill. Oriane’s vocals cut through the din with power and authority—urgent and commanding. While the bass came in last in the mix, the guitars more than compensate, occasionally threatening to rewire your brain. I’ve never fully clicked with D-beat as a genre, but whatever BOMBARDEMENT is doing here absolutely rules. The mix and recording quality are surprisingly strong for a live release, but with only 200 copies pressed, good luck getting your hands on one.
Beer-soaked skate-punk thrash from Columbia, SC—fast, reckless, and self-aware enough to be hilarious. High-velocity riffs collide with party chant vocals, weaving in skate references, thrash swagger, and the occasional lyrical face-plant. Like SLAPSHOT crashing a backyard ramp session—rowdy, sweaty, and way past curfew.
Until now, CROW PEOPLE has been a band veiled in obscurity and almost lost to the sands of time. Formed in Doncaster UK in 1979, CROW PEOPLE released several discs during their tenure, but remained a lesser-known act due to geographic isolation and limited pressings. The double disc Wasteland: Recordings 1985–1994 is a tidy package of almost every song recorded by CROW PEOPLE and filled with historic documentation of the band. This collection provides an extensive experience of the band whose sound started as jangly, BUZZCOCKS-inspired post-punk but evolved into powerful anarcho-rock that sounds a lot like KILLING JOKE or AXEGRINDER. The first few songs of this collection have hints to the future sound of the band as the distortion pedal launches a crunchy guitar lead through the midpoint of the individual tracks. However, by the fifth song “Ambition,” it becomes evident that CROW PEOPLE is headed for a much heavier direction. Most of the songs are longer than your typical punk tune, and this allows for CROW PEOPLE to explore rhythms and riffs with a bit more depth. If you’re into ZOUNDS, AMEBIX, and the MOB, then you’ll absolutely want to check this out.
I think there is a motorcycle that starts this off. Ya know that side of the BLATZ/TRIBE 8 split 7” with that amazing BLATZ song? Well, that is what this reminds me of. Lots of thoughtful lyrics that singer Hanna delivers clearly, backed up by one of the dudes in the band (backing vocals not listed). As this goes on, there are driving portions that are reminiscent of ARCTIC FLOWERS and SIGNAL LOST. This is their second EP. What I’m going to say now might be a little controversial, but here goes: DARKER THAN is doing this the right way. Allow me a minute of your reading time. MRR fucked up in the mid-’90s when they stopped reviewing demo tapes. That single move gave birth to a million bands that would have been given a shitty review and never committed themselves to vinyl, and now, well, look around at all the dollar bin records we don’t buy. DARKER THAN has two cassette EPs and a CD, all while taking the time to figure out who they are as a band. The lyrics “I wish my mom was an anarchist” on the seventh track show DARKER THAN’s playful quality while trying to take on big topics in two minutes. This is available on cassette, too.
A two-piece recording project that I have to admit is wildly over my head. I recognize that I may be a bit of a simpleton and that the concepts found in a lot of “art” elude me. Well, if those are known truths, then the DICK BURRILLS have got to be the deepest and most profound release I have ever been sent to review. Nowhere on the sleeve or on the internet is there a single track name. There are an unknown number of tracks, broken apart by spoken word slam poetry. Clearly an attempt to make a comprehensive project dipping toes into many different aspects of punk—dare I say, attempt failed. I am just left feeling underwhelmed, very confused, and a little bit dumber than I started. I say art-punk, with a heavy emphasis on art and a minor in punk. The band (I’m sorry, the recording project) and the label self-describe this thing as “refracted-nostalgia.” Attempting to understand that fabricated term alone was enough to blow the fragile fuse in my brain.
Punky garage rock, mostly mid-tempo distorted guitar with melodic vocals. While the tempo didn’t vary a ton between tracks, they kept it fresh with unique sonic twists, like a more post-punk vibe to “Cotton Candy” or a nice sludgy bass in “Takes One to Know One.” My favorite track was “Imperfection,” as I thought the lyrics of “I am enough / You are enough / We are enough” or “Embrace your imperfection” seemed so inspiring, especially with the heavier, distorted guitar that created just a super fun contrast.
As an uninitiated outsider, it took me a bit of digging to grasp why this two-song 7” is being touted as a classic of Australian rock’n’roll. To my untrained ear, this sounded like a band trying to ride a ’90s grunge nostalgia trip that appears to be having a resurgence. Well, it turns out I had that exactly backwards. My Pal is genuinely recognized as an iconic single from the pre-grunge era of the late ’80s that built on the foundation of Aussie staples like RADIO BIRDMAN and X, and essentially paved the way for a whole slew of groups that would run with things in the coming decade. The topside title cut is the kind of song that you’ll feel like you’ve heard before upon first listen, channeling the same energy and tenor that would rocket NIRVANA into stratospheric super-stardom. The refrain, a raspily crooned “You’re my only friend / You don’t even like me,” captures the essence of the aroma of disaffected youth in a way that was at the time entirely novel. Not to mention the fact that when this came out in 1987, the band members were bona fide teenagers. The flipside cut, “A Man Without a Woman is Like a Nun Without a Jackhammer,” is more straightforwardly punk with a driving rhythm section and an altered vocal approach, landing somewhere between LUBRICATED GOAT and MUDHONEY. For better or worse, it’s hard to imagine that a band such as SILVERCHAIR would have come into being without GOD setting the scene. Props given where props are due. It’s stated that this is the final re-issuing of this record, so if any of the above appeals to you, this may be your final chance to procure a piece of Melbourne rock history at an affordable price.
HAVANA SYNDROME’s debut Demo 25 tears through orbit and crash-lands near Buffalo, New York with an earth-shattering, sinister force. This alien breed of synth punk sounds like it was made by an invasive species and transmitted across outer space as a big “fuck you” to all the other lifeforms. Although it’s driven by melodies seemingly coming out of a toy synth, this thing isn’t fooling around or trying to be quirky. Instead, it finds a steady balance between unbridled aggression and a twisted sense of fun. The claustrophobic, lo-fi production makes you feel handcuffed to a steel pipe in a humid boiler room, while the combination of harsh drums, nasty bass, and disgustingly hysterical vocals slam your eardrums like a rusty flail. I know it doesn’t—and shouldn’t—sound fun to anyone in their right mind, but I can guarantee it absolutely is. And if you are a fan of RESEARCH REACTOR CORPORATION like I am, I know for a fact you yearn for it.
A crasher crust wet dream! KHLORE’s debut pulls no punches. Raw, tense, and relentlessly furious, the demo blends hardcore intensity with noise-soaked riffs and a bleak atmosphere that feels suffocating. There’s a cold, calculated rage in every track, not just noise for noise’s sake, but a focused outburst that hints at deeper unrest. KHLORE may be new, but this demo proves they’re not here to be ignored and that they are putting France on the crasher map. Long live Kawakami!
I’ll wait in line for a band like this any day of the week. Infectiously melodic, convincingly pissed-off, with rhythms and riffs that snap like rubber bands. As far as I can gather, this is a Leipzig-based crew that sings in French? But that’s all minutiae. Eight tracks (if you don’t count the intro, which I don’t) in under twenty minutes that bob and weave through toothy garage with hollering vocals. Few bands sound this confident, and it drives home tracks like “Grands Cerveaux,” with a bouncing bass line and submarine echoes of guitar that is as gleefully rock’n’roll as it is brainy. Overall, this is just highly energetic melodic punk that isn’t flashy, because it doesn’t have to be. It impresses on its own terms, and bows out without making a scene. I’m definitely left wanting more. On closer “Victoire,” it’s clear this is a band that is focused on what they want to be doing. It’s not trendy, it’s not fussy, it’s just cool. You can’t fake that.
LES LULLIES play a brand of punkish rock’n’roll that proudly wears its French roots on its sleeves. Yes, you’re gonna hear influences from the EXPLODING HEARTS, and you can compare their approach to bands like ROUGH KIDS, but there is an underlying tinge of that French garage sound that will not be denied. That dancey/joyful vibe certainly underlies this live LP that resolved the question of “what do they actually sound like live?” for me in quite a satisfying way. I found the first LP to lean a little too hard on production to make it feel like garage rock, while the second saw them commit to a cleaner and much more powerful punk rock sound which made it my favorite of the two. The live setting lets the band come through way more than the production choices of the first LP could, lending energy and a little fun looseness that feels like actual personality, while the amazing recording job (direct soundboard, if I had to guess) gives you a pretty broad sense of their power as a band. The night’s proceedings feature a very well-curated selection of originals from throughout their career, plus a DEAD MOON cover that earns its spot but feels the lesser surrounded by so many great original tunes. Like most live records, this is a no-brainer purchase for already established fans, but it also upends the “preaching to the choir” nature of other such efforts working really well as an introduction to the band at its best for the uninitiated. This kicks ass.
Economical art-punk from Nantes, France that’s constructed like matchstick architecture, simultaneously precarious and precise. Spacious but taut mutant funk rhythms provide the grounding for short, scratchy shocks of guitar, blasé guy/girl spoken word vocal trade-offs, and on tracks like the gyrating, 99 Records-styled “Adjoining Wall,” some emphatic punctuation from a skronking saxophone. “Some Trivial Task” echoes the bass-forward, Euro neo-no-wave minimalism of bands like DUDS and HANDLE from the past decade or so, as “Non Sense” hits a slinky, all-night LIZZY MERCIER DESCLOUX-ish beat. “A Leak” and “Neurotic Pressure” lead off the back half of the tape with smoldering, dubbed-out grooves occupying a similar headspace as modern practitioners NON PLUS TEMPS, but any release of tension they might signal is then quickly interrupted by “No More Guests” sounding the FIRE ENGINES’ anxiety-disco klaxon call. I’m sold!
Not to sound hyperbolic, but NO SECTOR’s Mercury Poisoning is in my estimation a perfect EP—a tight mixture of international hardcore elements that doesn’t waste a moment of its nine-minute run time. Hailing from Wellington, Aotearoa, NO SECTOR masterfully blasts through six catchy tracks that smack with UK82-inspired fury and heavy anarcho-punk themes. Sonically, NO SECTOR is relentless, with buzzsaw guitars intertwined with floor-shaking bass and drumming that rattles and rolls with chaotic precision. Lyrically, the band continues on the path set forth by many who have come before them, painting a picture of modern society that is anything but glamorous, delivered with a perfectly deadpan style that occasionally boils over in a rage. Everything from rotten housing to rotten government to rotten food (on standout “80HG”) is touched on, with NO SECTOR all but asking the same question CRASS did 47(!) years ago on “Do They Owe Us a Living?” Smart, powerful, and effective, Mercury Poisoning is an absolute banger that will easily be in my top ten 7” records of the year.
Released in 2024 on Belladonna (the label run by bassist Jason Teisinger), We Were Right is a sprawling 62-track discography from Gainesville, Florida’s fiercely DIY hardcore/emoviolence band PALATKA, capturing the entirety of their pre-2000 output plus three practice space recordings from 2015. The disc includes their full-length, split contributions, compilation appearances (including tracks from the classic Possessed to Skate comp), and eight demo cuts, making it the definitive PALATKA release. Fans of screechy, high-pitched vocal intensity in the vein of ORCHID, REVERSAL OF MAN, and SAETIA will feel right at home, and while the vocals on the 2015 tracks don’t reach the same piercing register, the songs themselves are among my favorites. Covers of songs by GORILLA BISCUITS, GO!, and STRAIGHT YOUTH round out a collection that’s raw, relentless, and required listening for fans of chaotic ’90s screamo.
Modern shoegaze that sounds a whole hell of a lot like SWERVEDRIVER, but also incorporates parts of FU MANCHU and QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE. Lots of groovy, doomy, desert rock breakdowns that go heavy on the fuzz pedal. There’s a wealth of diversity packed into this four-song EP, with each song sounding a little different from the one preceding it. For example, the slab kicks off with a RADIOHEAD-esque, riff-driven vehicle, and ends on a chaotic garage punk track that falls more in line with the CONEHEADS. This one goes by quickly, and is well worth a listen if you’re a fan of that mid-to-late ’90s alternative rock sound.
The combination of PDX bands plus Iron Lung equaling some of the best bits and bobs on the market is becoming more and more fact, not opinion. Case in point: this spastic hell-ride from RETIREMENT, which is the second LP the band has put out, following 2023’s Buyers Remorse. The band makes note that Attention Economy is their “cathartic release”—I hear it more as a type of primal scream therapy backed by a repetitive, death toll of a drum beat. The band is on full display in all of the LP’s fourteen-song set; there are no skips and the consensus is complete hatred towards the consumerism and materialism our culture is lost in. “You Will Be Forgotten,” “Parasites,” and the slowed-down “Next Time” should be your start.
As soon as the opening track on this collection of previously unreleased tracks from 1980–1982 kicked in, my ears perked right up. “The Other Myth” comes right in with some urgency, and I was so eager to hear where it would go, hoping it would continue to sound like “Ambivalence and Spark Plugs,” the only single released by former Chicago new wave outfit IMMUNE SYSTEM. Unfortunately, the urgency that pulled me in gave way to more of a dreamy art pop that just felt too impactless. There is a certain curiosity that is enjoyable to explore here, as it feels a bit like stepping into a time capsule with these tracks being offered up for the first time in over forty years. But a lot of these tracks spend a bit too much time exploring their space, and the end product just doesn’t seem to land. Should these tracks have stayed buried? No, no, nothing like that. But perhaps I was set up for failure expecting one thing right at the drop of the needle and only getting something else entirely.
Malaysian punks SUICIDE CLUB channel USHC’s finest on Facing Fears, an EP that sounds like something Unlawful Assembly would put out. Each track is as straightforward as you can get without any extra bells or whistles, just pissed-off, head-pounding rocker after rocker. Second song “Torn World” stands above the rest with some sinewy guitar leads and drums that really smoke. If you like your punk from the school of POISON IDEA, this one’s for you.
You aren’t even ready. You think you might know what’s about to happen because you’ve heard TOTAL NADA before, but.you aren’t ready for this. The EPs are good, don’t get me wrong (they’re great, actually), it’s just that TOTAL NADA has done something truly special on Aqui y Ahora. Blistering hardcore punk that compresses all of the bouncy energy that makes Spanish punk so unique and just makes it….more. It’s faster, it’s more intense, and it’s more infectious than should be allowed. When they unleash, it’s impossible to not hear the influence of the Italians, but TOTAL NADA do all of this without sounding like anything except themselves. They manage to do all of these things in “Punta De Lanza,” but it’s still impossible to isolate just one track here. Their sound feels realized, they feel like a machine…now, what are they going to do next?!
For lived-in, gritty power pop with a rock’n’roll spirit, you never have to look far past Australia. From the chugging downstroke riffs to the saturated full-throated vocals, this band knows what works and weaponizes it. Hooks galore and no shortage of riffs, all while embodying a timeless sort of cool that sells the whole affair. I sincerely hope bands never stop sounding like this, because it still sounds fresh even if it’s arguably “retro.” A song like “I Know That You Know” sounds like you grew up listening to it, and that’s a major compliment. Rather than sound stale, this is a group that’s keeping something alive that will always feel vital.
Up first on this split is VACATION from Cincinnati with a fun, rock’n’roll-driven sound on “Armory of Bays.” Heavy drum and bass propel a perfectly crunchy rhythm guitar with a tinkling, clean lead over powerful and rich vocals that sound like Paul Weller from In the City-era the JAM. I really like this one, and am excited to look back on their fifteen years of making music together. Next, we have WHIPPETS from Wisconsin, who put out their self-titled debut LP just last year. This is a group comprised of members from the HUSSY, TENEMENT, and PONEY, to name a few. Their contribution to this split, “C-Thru,” also has a fun rock vibe, with some really great riffing under creepy-crawly vocals singing “Hey you / See through” drawn out through the chorus. The ending picks up quite a bit, with a heavy rhythm, death screams, and fuzzed-out guitars. Great complimentary split from some Midwestern heavy-hitters.
In our day and age when bands often don’t last longer than two years, I am always astonished that WAR//PLAGUE has kept it going for so long. I distinctly remember when I got their first EP and have more or less followed them since, sometimes from afar as I must admit I did not get into all their releases, but I am always happy and relieved to see they’re still at it (a bit like that old friend you bumped into every five years and are relieved to see that he’s still a punk), and it makes sense that fate attributed their new LP The Rot Thickens (what a sadly relevant title) to me for review. The WAR//PLAGUE gents are old school punks raised on ’90s and ’00s DIY anarcho crust-punk, so you know you’ll be offered honest punk music, and that is the case here. The band is back to dark, metallic crust bordering on stenchcore on this one, reminiscent of Minneapolis crust anti-heroes MISERY and early HELLSHOCK, but also faster, “blackened” (I dislike the term, but it makes sense here) hardcore crust, not unlike MARTYRDÖD maybe? I find the album pretty solid, classic in terms of songwriting and riffs too, and I believe that’s when the band is at its best, as a resilient old school metal crust unit with something to say.
No false advertising here, this is indeed very old shit from both bands. The YACÖPSAE side is remarkably consistent in recording quality for a collection of 30-plus-year-old tracks, though you are going to get way more of a “mid-’80s German hardcore punk band in the practice room” feeling than you will their insane, speed-obsessed final form. There’s a couple songs that set foot into the blastbeat zone and scream of things yet to come, but overall, you get a lot more punky tupa-tupa than you see from the lads these days. Being firmly in the YACÖPSAE camp in terms of preference, I enjoyed their side way more. I found it interesting hearing them sound like they could have become an altogether different band from these recordings, an alternate universe version where YACÖPSAE went more straight-up hardcore punk. The AGATHOCLES side varies wildly in quality almost from track to track; you can tell these are from a lot of different recordings and they definitely dip below the “listenable enough” line a few times. You get very primitive-sounding mincecore, from probably one of the best documented bands in the history of the planet. The vibe on this side is more along the lines of a band working out their shit to become what we all know them to be, and that I just found less compelling. Overall, this is for the diehards, kind of inessential truth be told, but maybe something people interested in the history of the bands or with a love of that “we brought a boombox to record our band practice” sound will find value in.
High-energy, high-end ear-splitting garage hardcore from Santiago, Chile. Serious US Midwest energy and focused sonic damage over the course of five songs—vocals damaged to oblivion and showy guitars treated to a wall of effects, while a blown-out rhythm section propels the entire experiment forward with a careless urgency. A gloriously exhausting listen, highly recommended.
This new EP from Halifax noizecrust fanatics might be the best five minutes you are going to spend this month. Sure, it might get you sent to Bedlam because doctors are bound to ask what sane person in their right mind would enjoy being subjected to such a D-beat raw noize punk assault? The answer is easy: punks of good taste, that’s who. I was fortunate enough to review the band’s first EP, and I am happy to announce that BLACK DOG haven’t become a revival skacore band in the meantime. In fact, they sound even more ferocious, somewhere between D-CLONE at their most intense, FRIGÖRA, FRAMTID, and contemporary bands like PHYSIQUE, SCUMRAID, and others who wished they had been around at Final Noise Attack gigs in the ’90s. Sewn Into Confusion is masterfully crafted by this crew of Halifax punks who just know how to be genuinely good at being genuinely noisy. I love how aggressive and direct the vocals sound, closer to Scandicore bands than the more extreme Japanese ones. If you don’t like this kind of hardcore, this EP will not reconcile you with it, but if you do like it, it will make you love it even more.
BLANK WHEN ZERO’s Stagna EP is a blistering four-song burst from this long-running hardcore trio out of Bingen, Germany. These tracks may be short—most clock in around two minutes—but they pack a sound that’s weirdly massive. The singer’s voice hits with a theatrical clarity that brings to mind the question “what if Michael Kiske’s kid started a punk band?” and it mostly works. Picture the spirit of DRAGONFORCE filtered through a punk lens (with a tiny fraction of the production budget and none of the guitar showboating), rooted firmly in their progressive politics. My favorite track, “Momentaufnahme,” is pure cardio for the drummer. This EP really grew on me after repeated listens. Maybe for fans of HELLOWEEN and PROPAGANDHI.
The city of Lille is a working class metropolis in northern France near the Flemish border. Aside from being the location of this year’s Tour de France Grand Départ it’s also home to goth punks CANTELEU. Late in 2024, CANTELEU released their inaugural self-titled EP and effectively laid down some of the best goth tracks ever to be recorded to tape. This three-piece whipped out five originals and a cover of Q LAZZARUS’s “Goodbye Horses,” with delightfully heavy synths, pounding beats, and urgent vocals that immediately conjure memories of French compatriots and punk legends EDITH NYLON and MÉTAL URBAIN. However, there is a dark, melancholic bent to CANTELEU that comes out with pop-infused howls and is accurately dubbed “Coal Wave” (as the north of France is its coal region), as CANTELEU brings a wave of chilling, dance-ready energy. If you’re struggling to maintain an icy cool demeanor during this hellscape of summer heat, then I’d suggest giving CANTELEU a shot.
Have you heard of the saying “a chain is only as strong as its weakest link?” Well, there are no weak links on DANA’s latest LP, Clean Living. Every member, every instrument, and every song is perfectly on-point and solid as they could ever be, so much so that I won’t even bother dissecting every single element of their music. Just know that DANA is like a complex organism that works in perfect harmony—and disharmony, when they want to—without breaking a sweat. Clean Living radiates this energy of boundless creative power that always enchanted me with no wave acts like JAMES CHANCE AND THE CONTORTIONS, TEENAGE JESUS AND THE JERKS, and BUSH TETRAS. While it’s possible to hear influences from these classic bands, DANA is by no means a copycat group. If you don’t mind me, I’ll just go ahead and call this album a ten out of ten. P.S. Can somebody tell me what the fuck is going on in Ohio and how they always come up with the best, the weirdest, the quirkiest post-punk imaginable? Thanks.
DIAMINE is a Washington, DC three-piece made up of musicians from CAPITOL CITY DUSTERS, SEVERIN, and Florida’s DISCOUNT (a band fronted by Alison Mosshart, later of some band called the KILLS). Their debut LP Ancient Riffs mostly reads as mid-tempo alternative rock with personal lyrics delivered by a singer who sounds like a worn-down B.A. from SLOPPY SECONDS. Track seven, “Either/Or,” was the only one that I thought showed any bite. While some bands use “post-punk” to describe a distinct sonic signature—anxious tones, driving bass lines, sharp edges—others use it to mark what ex-punks did next. Ancient Riffs lands in the latter camp, and not necessarily in the best way. Coming of age in DC in the ’90s meant navigating wave after wave of projects built around ex-members of great bands—most of whom had lost whatever made those earlier bands compelling. DIAMINE sounds like one of those projects: the kind of group you might accidentally catch while waiting for the headliner. Recommended for friends of people who work at Dischord.
From the Spanish island of Tenerife, ESKOLOPENDRA conjures up passionate and sinister punk with classic deathrock vibes. The tunes on are undeniably catchy, propelled in no small part by the fantastic vocalist, and this young band has assembled a record here that plays like an album and not just a collection of songs—a solid debut. The name of the Spanish label that released this translates to “Methadone Records,” which is crazy, and if you want to put a creepy little jolt in your day, look up image results for the band’s name.
FLOR spans an interesting gamut across the eight cuts on this release. The backbone of these tunes consists of anger-fueled, straightahead punk. It’s a rip-roarin’ time with chaotic elements that makes it feel like the whole thing could fly off the rails at any moment. Polished this is not, but fidelity here is replaced with passion and charm. And while the core sound is free of extraneous complexity, FLOR takes some interesting turns, like on “Preludio Al Dolor,“ where they veer into URINALS territory. This tape is a solid reminder that a band doesn’t have to spend a small fortune in a fancy studio or flaunt their technical chops to make a compelling release. They just have to give a shit about what they’re doing and go for it.
Seven-song debut release by a new band from Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia. Each of the seven songs by GREEN FINGERS LTD. is a bit like a roller coaster ride in the dark—there are elements that are fun and entertaining, but ultimately the unknown curveballs thrown at you feel more jarring than they do exciting. Musically, this is mostly some kooky, synth-driven egg-punk. The vocalist is doing real barked, gruffly delivered Muppet style vocals, which works for some realms of hardcore, but sounds wildly out of place in this context. That, plus the wacky decisions to add a Star Wars cantina-band-style transition in one of the songs and some real yo-ho-ho pirate chants in another leads to most of this tape coming off as a bit of a novelty project. There are aspects that make your ears perk up in a good way and wonder exactly what’s going on, but the piss-take is what really shines through above all.
Brutal Spanish guitar-free D-beat. There’s a dark and sinister energy that their sound creates, even though (or specifically because) I am constantly yearning for that guitar. My mind is reaching for the empty space, and there’s nothing there. Because it’s empty. Because there’s no guitar. The songs are absolute shredders—erratic, no-bullshit, shit-fi D-beat mania punctuated by mid-tempo slogs like the title track. The songs are killers, the production and presentation are flawless. HILERRI is evil as fukk and they’ve got me hooked…and still I want those six strings.
From their Bandcamp page, I learned that “after thirteen years and close to three hundred shows in around fifteen countries, IRISH HANDCUFFS are calling it a day.” To be honest, I’m bummed that I’m just now hearing this band. These four songs are mid-tempo and contain the speckled reflective parts of SAMIAM, JAWBREAKER, and MOVING TARGETS. Tunefully akin to OFF WITH THEIR HEADS and LEATHERFACE, but without that over-the-top, “gargle with sand” vocal style that many try and few do well. I appreciate that every guitar and bass note, every drum hit, every syllable is clear and mixed well enough to be a DESCENDENTS record, but not overproduced to where the tunes become flaccid song bags. I dig it.
Two tracks by SMOG, four tracks by KRIGSSYSTEM, all absolutely DISCLOSE-dosed. I dig the two tracks by SMOG as they walk the fine line between raw D-beat and full-on noise, while I like the KRIGGSYSTEM tracks as they embrace the noise nearly entirely but still manage to push adrenaline-inducing punk. Limited to a pressing of 300, this record is sure to sell out fast.
A huge collection of almost all of LA FLINGUE’s output, Boredom With the La Flingue brings together all four of their previously tough-to-find 12” releases. On its surface, 24 tracks can seem a bit daunting, especially given the average attention span in 2025, but just like the ocean, if you allow yourself to simply jump in, you’ll be glad to have submerged yourself fully. Whether they’re singing in their native French, English, or even German on the early standout “Hass Hass Hass,” these garage punk hits come fast (only one of the two dozen tracks breaks the three-minute mark) and loaded with snot. While this collection represents over four years of songwriting from LA FLINGUE, there isn’t a huge difference in sound between track one and twenty-four, proving that there was a singular mindset with these lads—once you’ve gotten into the water, sometimes you just want to stay forever.
