Back in or around 2007 my buddy Jake invited me to a show, I’m not even sure he told me who was playing or if he did I hadn’t heard of them yet anyway. Turns out it was Toronto’s Career Suicide who were on tour with Regulations from Sweden. Both bands fucking ripped and I still remember being pretty blown away- I don’t think I’d seen any hardcore bands that I actually liked since the mid to late 90s! It wasn’t the bands necessarily, I kinda lost interest around the time dudes started practicing round house kicks and windmill punches instead of pogoing in the pit. Anyway, I was messaging with Mikey the bassist from Imploders about this today. I was slobbering over the guitar tone on their new record and he told me it was probably due to Regulations who he said were a big influence on them. The press release that Static Shock sent mentioned Circle Jerks. I was thinking more like Adolescents or Germs but I can definitely hear and appreciate the Regulations worship. Regulations sounds like Chavo/Jealous Again era Black Flag (IMO the best era) so I guess I would describe this as early West Coast … Read more
Formed in 1995, Imperial Domain cut their teeth in the Swedish death metal underground with early demos before dropping In … Read more
There are some musicians that come along and can literally play every instrument and do it well. Such is the … Read more
Twenty years into the grind and The Devil Wears Prada haven’t lost their edge. However, in recent years, it’s a … Read more
Chicago’s Action/Adventure have been grinding the pop-punk trenches since 2014. They have always played pop-punk like it still has something … Read more
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Having only just been introduced to the wonder and at times awe inspiring music of the outfit known as Grails, I may be privy to not having my opinions of their records tainted yet by the "their first or early records were better" attitude. Thankfully so because their fifth album, Doomsdayer's Holiday, might just be the band's best record to date. Picking up where Take Refuge in Clean Living (Grails' full-length that was released earlier this year) left off, Doomsdayer's Holiday further expands on the eastern sounds of its predecessor while somehow pushing into darker territories the mood of the record. The barely human howling amidst the galloping of hooves and some truly wicked sounding percussion which opens Doomsdayer's Holiday (through its title-track) conveys some of the creepiest sounds one … Read more
If you didn’t know, hardcore and punk are alive and thriving in Italy. When I come across bands from there, their scene never ceases to amaze me. Italy gave us Raw Power and Negazione in the ’80s, Slander and Strength Approach in the 2010s. Now 217 picks up that lineage with their own mix of fire and reflection by keeping … Read more
Contrary to what I said on Vh1’s Behind the Music, Tim from Hovercraft is one of my favourite human beings. I suppose in some ways that’s not saying much but Tim plays in one of my favourite bands, I’m a fan of his art and on top of those two things and running a label, his day job is saving … Read more
If the name Ace Enders sounds familiar, it should. He’s been the voice behind The Early November, one of Drive-Thru Records’ cornerstone emo bands in the early 2000s. While that scene exploded, Ace carved his own path with that band, as well as solo experiments under the name I Can Make a Mess, and the occasional record as Ace Enders … Read more
You may not be familiar with the band Summer Blue, but that’s your issue. If you do know the San Jose, CA based band, then you know how enjoyable they are to listen to. For some background for the newcomers, the band started in 2022 as a side project between friends already orbiting the Bay Area DIY and indie scenes. … Read more
At a time when experimental artists are constantly churning out new music, it is curious to find some that take their time. Rachel and Roxann Spikula might not be the most prolific creatives, but when they make an appearance, it is worth paying attention. The twin sisters have performed in Towering Heroic Dudes and Boyzone, but it is their own … Read more
Whenever I see the cover art of an album for a metal band and there’s impaled skulls, blood, and a logo I can’t read, I know I’m getting ready to get obliterated. If I’m at the record store, I instantly flip it to the spine of the album to see the band’s name so I can check them out on … Read more
If I said that Poland is known for pierogis and punk rock, would you believe me? Punk has a deep history in Poland ranging all the way back to the late 70s with the band Tilt and from the looks of it, it’s not stopping any time soon. CF98 has been a part of the scene for over two decades … Read more
Dmytro Fedorenko and Kateryna Zavoloka are two legendary artists who have defined much of contemporary experimental electronic music through both their various projects and through the now-defunct Kvitnu record label. One of their newer collaborations is Cluster Lizard, a project that has undergone an interesting evolution. Starting in 2017, Fedorenko and Zavoloka opted for a deeply off-kilter approach, with Edge … Read more
Sometimes I'm surprised at how averse I am to change. Hearing that Street Eaters had expanded to a trio caused me more trepidation than I want to admit -- and, like most fear of change, it was all for naught. The band hasn't changed and they aren't spilling over with annoying guitar solos either. They just have a little more … Read more
On their debut, Somehow, We Are Here, Faulty Cognitions made their statement. This wasn't a garage-punk band in the style of the members' previous bands (Low Culture and Shang-A-Lang, among others). It's a guitar-first rock indie-punk band schooled by the college rock of the 1980s. This time around the transition has been so seamless that maybe the debut was a … Read more
I used to dislike punk music where people sing. And, well, I'm still not super fond of it but there is an exception to every rule. The Penske File are one of those exceptions and maybe it's because while they have a singer (as compared to a "vocalist"), it's still authentic and conveys that everyperson vibe I seek in the … Read more
One of the most unique voices in extreme music, Menace Ruine stand out in their sonic evolution. The duo of Geneviève Beaulieu and Steve de la Moth started out in a raw, uncompromising fashion, merging black metal and industrial to create absolute havoc in Cult of Ruins and The Die is Cast. In the coming years, they would expand this … Read more
With a band name like Extortionist, you instantly know they aren’t messing around. I’ve watched enough true crime documentaries to know when you’re going to get tangled up with someone you shouldn’t. Hailing from the Pacific Northwest, this band gives you exactly what you want and expect – raw, merciless and unforgiving music. Looking at the cover art and their … Read more
This is one of my "find" records of the year so far. I caught a few songs by The Carolyn at FEST 22 and that essentially put them on my radar, but a new record gets a band even more on my radar. But I've been struggling on how to describe The Carolyn. I'll start with "like The Lawrence Arms, … Read more
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