Eunuch-S/T 7"

Well executed power-violence with a touch of 90's crust overtones. Eunuch is dark and relentless with "thinkin mans" lyrics, a great blend of everything a lot of bands tend to miss. This six song 7" hits the nail on the head, the dead air, feedback and muffled vocals tie in perfectly with this bass driven music.

Members of Libyans and General Interest. Look for this in your favorite distros.

Weekend Nachos-Bleed 12" e.p.

Weekend Nachos have been playing power-violence and sludge inspired hardcore for quite some time now and with every release the band manages to out do themselves and make their sound bigger and badder, "Bleed" is no exception either.

"Bleed" is a 2 song 12" that shows the band leaving behind the 30 second grinders and the epic blazers from previous albums but instead focus on a slower doomy sound that sets a stark mood which suits this band well. Both tracks are well crafted and lean more towards the sludge influence more then anything but also have enough chord and tempo changes to keep you interested. This time around the Nachos seem even more crushing as the music drags while the hateful vocals bring forward the pain and negativity this band is famous for. The A-side is the title track(a new song) and the B-side is actually an older song rerecorded both of which are on the long side and drag perfectly into oblivion.

I will say though i do miss the shorter faster songs and hope the band hasn't completely abandoned that style. Either way this record is a bleak journey and a good look at what Weekend Nachos is capable of. "Bleed" was released by Relapse records and had 105 on clear(not for the public) 105 on white and 556 on black vinyl.

http://shop.relapse.com/store/product.aspx?ProductID=39515
http://www.myspace.com/weekendnachos

Crazy Spirit-S/T 7"

I haven't felt this way since the very first time i heard Rudimentary Peni, just dirty and pessimistic but somewhat enlightened afterwords. Crazy Spirit is a newish band from the NYC area and I think they have managed to create something unique without being pretentious about it(they come off as a band you would just want to party with) and at the core you can tell that this is just raw punk.

The Record starts out with a slow dragging hard rock riff that would have you believe you are in store for some Tee Pee records stoner jams. Then the song "The Burning Churches" kicks in with a little more speed but the riffs are just as catchy as the intro. The vocals tear in and take you by surprise its like if Darby Crash and Nick Blinko had a baby and raised it in the south.

The A-side and B-side are a little different from each other and i mean that in a good way. You get the tribalistic hard rock Gismish stuff on the A-side and just when you think you have the bands sound pegged down they switch it on you. The B-side brings on the crust/raw punk influence that many have already compared to Cheetah Chrome Motherfuckers. The band burns through this side of the record like its made of napalm and the pay off is huge.

I have heard that Crazy Spirit has got more planned for the future and i cant wait to get my hands on what they do next. The packaging that holds this 7" is great, comes with an envelope so if it turns out this isn't your thing you can just seal it shut forever. Released on Toxic State records. Get on it cause this band is about to blow up.

http://crazyspiritmotherfucker.blogspot.com/
http://www.myspace.com/crazyspiritnyc

Men's Interest-More War 7"

All hail Men's Interest, super heavy and driving hardcore from members of bands you care about. 6 songs laced with breakneck speeds with starts and stops as well as moments that will have you nodding your head, all of which induce anger. The recording is perfect and has the balance of being dirty without drowning out anything and is just menacing. There are times that you are just swallowed by it, the guitar wails in demented ways as the bass and drums just dig into your skin all the while the vocals give us everything they have. At the heart of this 7" you can feel that this is real hate and the record sounds like a monster because it is one.

First press of 500 with more to come. Brought to you by Home Invasion records.

http://mensinterest.blogspot.com/
http://www.mysterypunk.com/

Ecoli-Swarm On The Swine 7"

Ecoli is one of those bands that i feel has perfected their sound and just are really the only ones that can do what they do. "S.O.T.S" is probably the closest thing to a live set they have released, it's violent, brief, and can leave you wanting more. It is somewhat different from previous records which can be a good thing, i mean who really wants to sound exactly the same on every record, some of the best bands vary from album to album.

The recording this time around may have missed the mark. Its a little too noisy at times and the vocals(a key factor in what makes them so intense) are buried and can be hard to spot at times that they should shine.

Despite any small flaws this is truly an ugly record and for me the last song "Wind Chimes" stands out amongst the other two and sums up the dark and brooding mood of this very short record. As far as comparisons go(for those who have yet to hear this band)think Deep Wound meets the weirdness of "Animosity" era C.O.C and bands like United Mutation.

Ecoli are busy writing and recording a full length album which is very exciting as i am sure it will display everything these guys have in their arsenal. "Swarm On the Swine" was released on Stress Domain Records. 500 were pressed.

http://cannedchudgrowth.blogspot.com/
http://stressdomain.blogspot.com/

Mark Sheehan-RIP

Mark Sheehan was the lead singer of Out Cold. Out cold had been playing hardcore punk now for 20 years, their whole career they were one of the most underrated and overlooked bands. If you have any of their records take the time and really listen to them and im sure you will see that they stand in a league of their own. For those of you who have not heard Out Cold you have been missing out.

Mark Sheehan was 41 years old. RIP.

Sidetracked/Hummingbird Of Death-Split 6"

I'll begin with the HOD side of this split since thats how i played it. The first thing i heard from this band was the "Meaning of Haste" lp and to be honest at first there was just something about it that rubbed me the wrong way, it seemed like it was missing something but having said that, these 5 songs really caught me off guard. They are all super short fastcore anti anthems but yet very well crafted and usually played at breakneck speeds. It reminds me of when Municipal Waste was good(except these songs aren't about partying down). Its just a great combo of thrash, hardcore and a little bit of "Kill em all" type metal. The last track "Pear Shaped" even has a slight resemblance to the more dragging parts of the album "Bleach" by that one band.

The Sidetracked side leans a little more towards power-violence then metal. The songs are so short that its almost funny the first time around but after I got passed that I realized that these guys aren't fucking around and the songs leave quite an impact. Sidetracked mixes thrash and old hardcore breakdowns for results that are simply crushing and for a brief moment i even detected an abrasiveness similar to bands like Cold Sweat.

Kinda a long review for a short record, you can probably be done listening to it before you read all this. This split was released on the black coffee drinkin', life hatin', and curvy women lovin' Cowabunga Records. It is a must have for fans of blast beats and fastcore.

http://www.cowabungarecords.com/store/
http://www.hummingbirdofdeath.com/
http://www.myspace.com/sidetrackedhc

Urban Blight-Total War 7"

Urban Blight follow up their fantastic 12" e.p. with a 5 song 7" and once again i am left in a state of awe. The bands wall of noise and feedback makes these classic hardcore songs sound so full. "Total War" opens up with the out of control "Your Abuse" and blasts through the A-side mixing things up here and there with textbook breakdowns and a fair share of catchy mid temp parts. The B-side seals the deal with a well placed steady anthem, "Social Order", and the chaotic "Absolute Control". This thing is really well put together and is a super punishing record. I cant wait to see how far this band takes it and already anticipate another release but even if they were to call it quits tomorrow i would be o.k. because the quality of what they have already released is way above anything i could of asked for. This band is highly recommended and their sound is truly devastating.

Released on Static Shock records a limited color edition was an option.

http://www.staticshockrecords.com/
http://www.myspace.com/urbanblight