This split 7" from Basement Records teams up two Los Angeles hardcore veterans for two tracks each: Bullet Treatment and It's Casual. Everything about this record, from the music and the lyrics down to the artwork, screams of the early years of hardcore.
Bullet Treatment is back in action again, this time with a new vocalist, Jordan of Vultures United, as well as a new bassist and drummer. The band sets the tone with "The Bride and the Wolf" and "Law of Observation." Both tracks are high-octane punk/hardcore tunes that bring to mind the body of work of Black Flag, 7 Seconds, and all those bands documented in the book American Hardcore.
It's Casual offers up two of their own, but with a little different twist. "Insane Terrain" and "Let it Out" are more rock/metal influenced - think Motorhead or Bl'ast. So they may not be your typical punks, but they sure do unleash some serious tunes.
Overall, this split is a nice documentation of a world of hardcore that shouldn't be forgotten, but is unfortunately overshadowed by the glossy metalcore and bruising mosh-core world.
