Unit 21 - Death Stripes

Artist: Unit 21
Title: Death Stripes
Release: 2008
Label: Under the Surface Records

Track List:
1. Death Stripes
2. Texas Ripper
3. Loki's Traffic Jam
4. Drinking Hell

One last EP from Unit 21. This is probably their best work under that name. If you can manage to listen to this without pumping your fist then you're probably too old to lift your arm above your head anyways.

Once again Sugi did the artwork. And once again, goddamn.

Download: Unit 21 - Death Stripes (LAME 3.98r V0) Multiupload

Download: Unit 21 - Death Stripes (LAME 3.98r V0) Mediafire

Unit 21 - Brain Shred

Artist: Unit 21
Title: Brain Shred
Release: 2007
Label: Under the Surface Records

Track List:
1. Burn the Days
2. Tour Withdrawal
3. Human Oxen
4. Let's Have Fun
5. Soccer Mom
6. Brain Shred
7. We Continue
8. Rise Fall Repeat
9. Empire Laid to Waste
10. Strangle the Reason

An appropriately named album if I've ever seen one. "Brain Shred" marks a dramatic improvement in terms of song writing and playing for Unit 21. Not that they were bad before, but this record is much more cohesive and polished. Those are usually dirty words for anything remotely DIY but I say just because it's punk doesn't mean it can't be done well.

Also, check out that artwork by Sugi. Goddamn.

Download: Unit 21 - Brain Shred (LAME 3.98r V0) Multiupload

Download: Unit 21 - Brain Shred (LAME 3.98r V0) Mediafire

Chaotic Alliance/Unit 21 - split

Artist: Chaotic Alliance/Unit 21
Title: split
Release: 2006
Label: self released

Track List:
1. Chaotic Alliance - Idea of Destruction
2. Chaotic Alliance - Facing the Darkness
3. Unit 21 - Reckless Reality
4. Unit 21 - Force Fed Myths

This 7" is from the tour Dallas' Unit 21 and Cleveland's Chaotic Alliance did in 2006. Both sides offer up raging fast hardcore punk with attitude.

Download: Chaotic Alliance/Unit 21 - split (LAME 3.98r V0) Multiupload

Download: Chaotic Alliance/Unit 21 - split (LAME 3.98r V0) Mediafire

Unit 21 - False Dreams False Hope

Artist: Unit 21
Title: False Dreams False Hope
Release: 2004
Label: self released

Track List:
1. Principle
2. Wrong Room
3. Are You Blind
4. Liberate
5. False Dreams False Hope
6. Fuck Conformity
7. Society's Filth
8. Lost Beneath

Here's an old one from Dallas punks Unit 21. This one's got lots of dual vocals, shredding guitars, and occasional hints of melody. To be honest it isn't quite as good as some of their later material but you can definitely see where things were headed.

Unit 21 has changed their name to Wild//Tribe

Download: Unit 21 - False Dreams False Hope (LAME 3.98r V0) Multiupload

Download: Unit 21 - False Dreams False Hope (LAME 3.98r V0) Mediafire

Nardcore

Artist: Various
Title: Nardcore
Release: 1984
Label: Mystic Records

Track List:
1. Ill Repute - President
2. Ill Repute - Sleepwalking II
3. Ill Repute - It's Not Gonna Happen To Me
4. Scared Straight - Skate To Live
5. Scared Straight - Peer Pressure
6. Rat Pack - Tell Me How
7. Rat Pack - W.W. 84
8. Habeas Corpus - Steal You Blind
9. Agression - The Smell
10. Agression - Calling For You
11. Rich Kids on LSD - U.S. Steal
12. Rich Kids on LSD - Lies
13. Rich Kids on LSD - No Respect
14. False Confession - Feline
15. The Rotters - Song of Howard Hughes
16. The Rotters - Men
18. A.F.U. - High on the Hog
19. Stalag 13 - Statistic
20. Stalag 13 - Do It Right

Oxnard, California (and the surrounding area) has had a fantastic hardcore scene for nearly 30 years now. This compilation from 1984 is testament to the early years of Nardcore.

This was reissued on CD at some point by Mystic Records. I downloaded what I'm pretty sure was a rip of the CD and it sounded like shit. Sometimes when record labels repress long out of print records onto CD rather than use the original masters (often because they no longer exist) they will essentially do what I do and make a recording of the record playing and digitize it. When there's no other option doing that isn't necessarily a bad thing. However, sometimes whoever is responsible doesn't even make an attempt to clean up the audio and it's painfully obvious you're hearing a vinyl rip. I'm fairly certain that's what happened with the CD reissue of this compilation. This rip however has been cleaned up substantially.

This was another random find at Entertainmart, a large used DVD, CD, and video game store with a large but mostly meh vinyl selection.

Just a fair warning: the lyrics to "Men" by The Rotters are extremely homophobic and offensive. I'm not sure if they're tongue-in-cheek parody or serious. Either way it's kind of unfortunate that that song is on what is otherwise a stellar compilation.

Download: Nardcore (LAME 3.98r V0) Multiupload

Download: Nardcore (LAME 3.98r V0) Mediafire

Resigned to Fate - Tragedy of the Commons

Artist: Resigned to Fate
Title: Tragedy of the Commons
Release: 2003
Label: self released

Track List:
1. Burned
2. Protection for Who?
3. Terminal Genocide
4. Tragedy of the Commons

Geometry is hard and Jason Warhammer wants you to hit him up on his cell phone so he can fight you.

Download: Resigned to Fate - Tragedy of the Commons (LAME 3.98r V0) Multiupload

Download: Resigned to Fate - Tragedy of the Commons (LAME 3.98r V0) Mediafire

Hoover - Hoover

Artist: Hoover
Title: Hoover
Release: 1997
Label: Slowdime Records

Track List:
1. TNT
2. New Five Drive
3. Breather Resist
4. Weeds
5. Relectrolux / Electrodub

Here's the rest of Hoover's recorded output.

Download: Hoover - Hoover (LAME 3.98r V0) Multiupload

Download: Hoover - Hoover (LAME 3.98r V0) Mediafire

Hoover - The Lurid Traversal of Route 7

Artist: Hoover
Title: The Lurid Traversal of Route 7
Release: 1994
Label: New Renaissance Records

Track List:
1. Distant
2. Pretender
3. Electrolux
4. Shut
5. Route 7
6. Regulator Watts
7. Father
8. Cable
9. Letter
10. Cuts Like Drugs
11. Return
12. Private
13. Dries

What little I know about Hoover comes from Discord website so I might as well just copy and paste it since I have very little to add.

By the early 1990s, DC had become well-known in the underground music scene and had become a destination for people looking for a place to land after leaving their hometowns. Because many of the people moving into town were musicians, a number of new bands featuring these transplants began to spring up and, probably owing to their unique perspective on what was happening here, they brought with them new interpretations of the music. One of these bands was Hoover. Ian MacKaye had met most of the members in their respective towns over the years while on tour with his band, Fugazi, and rolled in the same circles when they moved to DC. Their early shows convinced him to go into Inner Ear with them to record their first single, which was released as a Dischord/Hoover Limited half-label. Later they would record an album for Dischord with Geoff Turner at WGNS studios, but, in keeping with the DC tradition, in 1994 after two short years the band broke up.

This is really good stuff. From a time that now seems long ago and nearly forgotten except by a few who choose to hang on. When "emo" was just a superfluous word for emotional hardcore. I'll spare you the rant about how bastardized the word has become. If you're a fan of the "D.C. Sound" you probably already know about this album.

This is the 2005 reissue with additional tracks. I encoded this from a perfect FLAC rip I downloaded.

Like everything from Dischord (to my knowledge anyways) this has never gone out of print and can still be purchased. As usual if you like it you should at least consider purchasing it since it's still available.

Download: Hoover - The Lurid Traversal of Route 7 (LAME 3.98r V0) Multiupload

Download: Hoover - The Lurid Traversal of Route 7 (LAME 3.98r V0) Mediafire

Kublai Khan - Annihilation

Artist: Kublai Khan
Title: Annihilation
Release: 1987
Label: New Renaissance Records

Track List:
1. Death Breath
2. Mongrel Horde
3. Down to the Inferno
4. Liars Dice
5. Passing Away
6. Kublai Khan
7. Clash of the Swords
8. Battle Hymn (The Canturian)

I found this album posted on another blog and was pretty impressed by it. It's really nothing terribly unique or exceptional. But it's still a fun listen if you enjoy thrash metal. "Mongrel Horde" is probably the best song on this album.

The copy I downloaded elsewhere sounded like absolute shit. So, I was pretty happy when I found a lossless rip of this album made from a CD copy. The recording quality is pretty bad. Or maybe it's just the way it was mixed. But I always say it's better that that be the bottleneck for sound quality not the way it was encoded to mp3.

Download: Kublai Khan - Annihilation (LAME 3.98r V0) Multiupload

Download: Kublai Khan - Annihilation (LAME 3.98r V0) Mediafire

Skitsystem - Stigmata

Artist: Skitsystem
Title: Stigmata
Release: 2006
Label: Iron Fist Productions

Track List:
1. Apokalypsens Svarta Änglar
2. Våld
3. Stigmata
4. Hat, Klass Och Rang
5. Min Borg Av Hud
6. Blodskam
7. Det Samvetslösa Hatets Plågor
8. Den Mörka Floden I Vårt Hjärta
9. Öppen Grav
10. Slutstation Babylon
11. Solidaritetens Sista Utpost
12. Lepra

Same story as the previous post.

Like some other posts I've made this one is in a 7-Zip archive. You can download 7-Zip for free from here. I highly recommend it.

Download: Skitsystem - Stigmata (LAME 3.98r V0) Multiupload

Download: Skitsystem - Stigmata (LAME 3.98r V0) Mediafire

Skitsystem - Allt E Skit

Artist: Skitsystem
Title: Allt E Skit
Release: 2002
Label: Barbarian Records

Track List:
1. Profithysteri
2. Maktens Murar Rasar
3. Revolt (Asocial)
4. Human Waste
5. Alla Jävlar Ljuger
6. När Skall Ni Fatta?
7. Jag Vägrar
8. Ondskans Ansikte
9. Profit Overshadows Need
10. Ett Liv I Frihet
11. System Collapse
12. Dödsmaskin
13. Krossa Mig
14. Allt E Skit
15. Välfärd
16. Pigs
17. Levande Lik
18. Slaves to Misery
19. Civiliserad?

Tracks 1-6 from "Profithysteri" 7" (1995, Distortion Records)
Tracks 7-16 from "Ondskans Ansikte" 10" (1996, Distortion Records)
Tracks 17-19 from split 7" with Wolfpack (1998, Distortion Records)

Same story as the previous post.

Like some other posts I've made this one is in a 7-Zip archive. You can download 7-Zip for free from here. I highly recommend it.

Download: Skitsystem - Allt E Skit (LAME 3.98r V0) Multiupload

Download: Skitsystem - Allt E Skit (LAME 3.98r V0) Mediafire

Skitsystem - Enkel Resa Till Rännstenen

Artist: Skitsystem
Title: Enkel Resa Till Rännstenen
Release: 2001
Label: No Tolerance Records

Track List:
1. Den Yttersta Dagen
2. Helvetesmarschen
3. Förtärd Av Smärta
4. Ursinnets Återvändsgränd
5. Knytnäve Med Vigselring
6. Längst Ner På Samhällstegen
7. Snutstat
8. Avgrund
9. Skitliv
10. Välkommen Döda Värld
11. Jag Talar För De Tysta
12. Under Hopplöshetens Kalla Stjärna

Same story as the previous post.

Like some other posts I've made this one is in a 7-Zip archive. You can download 7-Zip for free from here. I highly recommend it.

Download: Skitsystem - Enkel Resa Till Rännstenen (LAME 3.98r V0)

Skitsystem - Grå Värld / Svarta Tankar

Artist: Skitsystem
Title: Grå Värld / Svarta Tankar
Release: 1999
Label: Distortion Records

Track List:
1. I Skuggan Av Erat Sverige
2. Det Sociala Arvet
3. Pain, Death, Hate
4. Skrivet I Blod, Ristatisten
5. Grå Värld
6. När Ska Ni Fatta? (II)
7. No Hope, No Future, No Second Chance
8. Apati
9. Svarta Tankar
10. Steget Efter
11. Stars & Stripes = Scars & Strife
12. Sömnlös Skärseld
13. Missledd
14. Mina Ögon Har Äntligen Slutat Att Se
15. Untitled

This isn't exactly hard to find. But, the difference between this download and what you might find elsewhere is that this is a LAME V0 encode made from a perfect FLAC rip of the CD. I've seen the log file and can vouch for its quality. I transcoded it to mp3 myself.

I don't really feel like writing a whole bunch about this. Skitsystem has been around for a while and is fairly popular so I'm sure that if you're not already familiar you can just google them and find out anything you'd wanna know.

Like some other posts I've made this one is in a 7-Zip archive. You can download 7-Zip for free from here. I highly recommend it.

Download: Skitsystem - Grå Värld / Svarta Tankar (LAME 3.98r V0) Multiupload

Download: Skitsystem - Grå Värld / Svarta Tankar (LAME 3.98r V0) Mediafire

Nightburner - Demo

Artist: Nightburner
Title: Demo
Release: 2011
Label: self released

Track List:
1. Not on My Block
2. Bullshit
3. Summer
4. Do the Right Thing
5. Two Worlds

This is so fresh it doesn't even have cover art.

I've made it a mission of sorts to try and track down some of the current lesser known hardcore bands from the midwest. Chicago's Nightburner is one of the better ones I've found so far. This demo is nothing out of the ordinary these days, but it's pretty darn good for what it is. Fast, angry, distorted hardcore.

The band posted this on their blog in 32-bit wave format and as one giant mp3 of unknown quality. I took the liberty of reducing the bit-depth to 16-bits (LAME will only work with 16-bit wave files), splitting the tracks, and encoding them as separate mp3s for your convenience. Just a warning though, this clips out a fair amount and is LOUD. Like REALLY loud. I just got done listening to it four times and my ears hurt.

Download: Nightburner - Demo (LAME 3.98r V0) Multiupload

Download: Nightburner - Demo (LAME 3.98r V0) Mediafire

Empty Skulls Vol.#2 - The Wound Deepens

Artist: Various
Title: Empty Skulls Vol.#2 - The Wound Deepens
Release: 1986
Label: Fartblossom Enterprizes

Track List:
1. E.A.T.E.R. - Abort the System
2. E.A.T.E.R. - Death Wish
3. Stranglehold - She's Not Leaving
4. Half Life - Old Glory
5. Half Life - Wise Up
6. Pillsbury Hardcore - Kill Everyone Now
7. Pillsbury Hardcore - I Hate Paper Cuts
8. Pullsbury Hardcore - S.E.V.F.P.
9. White 'n' Hairy - Involved
10. Corrosion of Conformity - Center of the World
11. Corrosion of Conformity - Eye for an Eye
12. Corrosion of Conformity - Negative Outlook
13. Legion of Parasites - Dying World
14. Legion of Parasites - Boredom
15. Justice League - Looking Back
16. Colera - Em Voce
17. Colera - De o Fora
18. Pandemonium - Wir Gegen Fahren Nazis
19. Pandemonium - Sucks to This Wall
20. Crude S.S. - Svensson, Svensson
21. Ugly Americans - Buffalo Bill

How rad is this comp? Totally rad. Rad enough, in fact, that I'm not sick of it even though I've been working on this off and on for days now.

Initially when I chanced upon this record last year at a local store called Entertainmart, Corrosion of Conformity, Pillsbury Hardcore, and Crude S.S. were the only bands on this compilation that I was familiar with. They're in good company though as the rest of the bands do more than a good job of keeping up.

Ernst and the Edsholm Rebels' "Abort the System" is pretty much as punk as you can get. And I couldn't agree more with Pillsbury Hardcore, paper cuts suck. But my personal favorite track is the borderline pop punk song by Stranglehold. I really love the vocals and the guitar solo about midway through. It's upbeat and has more rhythm than anything else on this compilation.

There's a little bit of everything on this record. So no matter what style of hardcore punk you tend to favor you'll find at least a track or two that suits your tastes. I suspect most people will be most excited about Corrosion of Conformity.

Seeing as how this is from 1986 my copy has some expected amounts of scratching and general noise causing damage. I did all of the standard noise removal stuff in Audition and found it to be lacking. So I decided to take the time to go in and hand edit out as many of the audible pops, clicks, and other bad noises as I could. All told I probably removed about 200. If there are any left it is either because my shitty ears couldn't hear them or they literally could not be removed without fucking up the rest of the surrounding sound. The end result is very much to my liking. If you ignore the fact that the different bands obviously recorded on vastly different equipment at varying volume levels I'd say it sounds about as good as any new record.

Download: Empty Skulls Vol. II The Wound Deepens (LAME 3.98r V0) Multiupload

Download: Empty Skulls Vol. II The Wound Deepens (LAME 3.98r V0) Mediafire

R'N'R/The Suicide File - split

Artist: R'N'R/The Suicide File
Title: split
Release: 2002
Label: This Blessing This Curse Recordings

Track List:
1. R'N'R - Poser
2. R'N'R - All Murder, All Guts, All Fun! (Samhain)
3. The Suicide File - Some Mistakes You Never Stop Paying For
4. The Suicide File - Achtung! Landmind!

This one requested on a certain message board. Obviously I wouldn't go to the trouble of ripping something this awesome and not post it here as well. R'N'R and The Suicide File both play a sort of Boston hardcore with strong rock and roll undertones.

The R'N'R side is kinda quiet so you may have to turn up the volume. As usual I recorded it as loudly as I could without distorting the sound.

Download: R'N'R/The Suicide File - split (LAME 3.98r V0) Multiupload

Download: R'N'R/The Suicide File - split (LAME 3.98r V0) Mediafire

Nagoya City Hardcore

Artist: Various
Title: split
Release: 2009
Label: Prank Records, Agipunk Records, MCR Company

Track List:
1. 九狼吽 - Soul Head
2. 九狼吽 - The World
3. 九狼吽 - Bastards Law
4. Reality Crisis - Engrave
5. Reality Crisis - Rise Again Make Your Burning
6. Reality Crisis - Sucidal Law
7. Zilemma - Alone Soldier
8. Zilemma - ヒビカセロ
9. Zilemma - 紫 -Descry February Ver-
10. D-Clone - We Make Next Generation
11. D-Clone - Hatred
12. D-Clone - Darkness
13. Demolition - Hell Angel's Destination
14. Demolition - Rising Thunder
15. Demolition - Life in Black

Holy fucking shit. I love this compilation. Everything about it. Every song is is perfect blazing fast hardcore punk. The artwork (by Sugi) makes it abundantly clear what you're getting yourself into and is punk as fuck to top it off. The booklet it comes with is surprisingly high quality with lots of huge photos. My favorite being the one on the back of an upward looking view of what I assume are the stairs leading into the main punk hangout in Nagoya City. I've only had my copy for a couple of weeks and I can already tell this is going to be something that I gush over every time I look through my records.

I still can't believe I actually got a copy of this. Especially since I ordered it so long after it came out and it was limited to 1000 copies. I got my copy from No Idea Records. If you're lucky they might still have some left. DO NOT SLEEP ON THIS.

I decided I'm not even gonna try and pick a favorite track on this. It's just too hard to choose. Nagoya must be a happenin' city because when these are your local bands you're doing something right.

While doing a bit of research on this compilation and on Nagoya's scene I came across this blog run by what I assume is a member of Nagoya crust band Disgust. It appears to mostly just be a place for information on upcoming local shows. It's totally worth checking out just for the flyers though.

I really wish I had a scanner big enough to capture the LP sleeve and the giant booklet in one scan. I'd have to stitch multiple scans together and I've never had that turn out very well.

Download: Nagoya City Hardcore (LAME 3.98r V0) Multiupload

Download: Nagoya City Hardcore (LAME 3.98r V0) Mediafire

The Beach Boys - Getcha Back / Male Ego

Artist: The Beach Boys
Title: Getcha Back / Male Ego
Release: 1985
Label: Caribou Records, CBS

Track List:
1. Getcha Back
2. Male Ego

What's that? You didn't know The Beach Boys existed well into the 80's? Well, they in fact still exist, but without any of the Wilson brothers.

Any fan of "Full House" can tell you about the time D.J. won tickets to see The Beach Boys and had to make a tough decision on who to bring (spoiler alert, she chooses uncle Jesse). But did you know that for a brief period of time Jesse Katsopolis himself was their drummer (and sometimes guitar player).



And let's not forget the time we found out that Wilson from "Home Improvement" was their cousin.



One last fun fact. There are a mere six degrees of separation between The Beach Boys and Minor Threat.

Seriously though, this single is really bad. I'm only posting it here because it was in the stack of records my girlfriend asked me to rip (this is the last one). Just go and download their early 60's albums.

Download: The Beach Boys - Getcha Back / Male Ego (LAME 3.98r V0) Multiupload

Download: The Beach Boys - Getcha Back / Male Ego (LAME 3.98r V0) Mediafire

Joey Casio - Debtor's Prism / Artists in Times of War

Artist: Joey Casio
Title: Debtor's Prism / Artists in Times of War
Release: 2009
Label: K Records

Track List:
1. Debtor's Prism
2. Artists in Times of War

I don't think my girlfriend has even heard this yet. She picked it up because it was cheap and was put out by K Records (who has quite the impressive roster). This record is some sort of weird mix of house and what I believe is called "dance punk". I must confess I know next to nothing about either genre. I rather like this though. The beats are danceable and borderline infectious. And I love the keyboards.

I googled this Joey Casio fellow and came across this short article about him. I found this bit to be particularly amusing:

A little while later, Joey moved to San Diego to be in a relationship. When describing to a friend his idea for a punk band that played all electronic instruments, and no guitars (“Like Gorilla Biscuits, but all on keyboards”), he was introduced to the late 70’s LA band, The Screamers. With their snarling vocals, drums, synthesizer, electric piano, and no guitars, The Screamers became a huge influence on Joey.

I guess this is what happens when hardcore kids make club dance music.

Download: Joey Casio - Debtor's Prism / Artists in Times of War (LAME 3.98r V0) Multiupload

Download: Joey Casio - Debtor's Prism / Artists in Times of War (LAME 3.98r V0) Mediafire

Mates of State/Dear Nora - split

Artist: Mates of State/Dear Nora
Title: split
Release: 2003
Label: Polyvinyl Record Company

Track List:
1. Mates of State - These Days (Jackson Browne)
2. Dear Nora - Girl from the North Country (Bob Dylan)

Kansas's Mates of State joins Oregon's Dear Nora to offer up two acoustic covers. Mates of State doing Jackson Browne and Dear Nora doing Bob Dylan. I think the fuzz on the Dear Nora side is part of the recording.

As with the Rainer Maria 7" I posted earlier, this is still for sale over at Polyvinyl. Looks like they have some copies on blue. My girlfriend's copy is on a neat peach/pink color.

Download: Mates of State/Dear Nora - split (LAME 3.98r V0) Multiupload

Download: Mates of State/Dear Nora - split (LAME 3.98r V0) Mediafire

Of Montreal - Voltaic Crusher / Undrum to Muted Da

Artist: Of Montreal
Title: Voltaic Crusher / Undrum to Muted Da
Release: 2006
Label: Suicide Squeeze Records

Track List:
1. Voltaic Crusher / Undrum to Muted Da
2. Noir Blues to Tinnitus

From the girlfriend's collection, here's Of Montreal with Voltaic Crusher / Undrum to Muted Da b/w Noir Blues to Tinnitus.

This band is a bit strange. They're from Georgia, however I reckon that has nothing to do with it. Of Montreal sometimes play fairly normal, by the standards of the genre, indie pop/twee. But they also sometimes play a mix of music that can only be called eclectic (another cliched word that I hate in the context of describing music). This 7" is more towards the normal side. It's enjoyable but not stellar. But it's far better than some of their unfortunate later material.

Download: Of Montreal - Voltaic Crusher / Undrum to Muted Da (LAME 3.98r V0) Multiupload

Download: Of Montreal - Voltaic Crusher / Undrum to Muted Da (LAME 3.98r V0) Mediafire

Slang/Mind Eraser - split

Artist: Slang/Mind Eraser
Title: split
Release: 2010
Label: 540 Records

Track List:
1. Slang - Drug Society
2. Mind Eraser - Prime
3. Mind Eraser - Crushing in My Dreams

This has probably been posted on just about every music blog that focuses on hardcore. And for good reason. Mind Eraser has had quite a bit of well deserved hype behind them for years now here in the US. Hopefully the long time Sapporo veterans featured on the A side of this split will get the recognition they deserve after their summer tour with Mind Eraser last year. I'm sure anyone in Japan and any die hard Japanese hardcore fans elsewhere have long been familiar with Slang, as they've been around since 1988.

Slang's single song clocks in at just over a minute and I don't think they could be faster if they tried. Pretty standard fare for them. Excellent as always. Mind Eraser's side is (in my opinion) their best material yet. I really hate using words like "punishing" or "brutal" to describe music. Not just because it's so cliche, but because it's always sounded stupid. But goddamn Mind Eraser makes it hard to come up with any other way of describing them without consulting a thesaurus.

This is a personal rip, not the scene release that has been floating around on the internet since the first half of last year. I got my copy from the bass player of Criaturas' distro. When I saw Slang and Mind Eraser play in Dallas (after having missed Slang during Chaos in Tejas down in Austin the previous week) I didn't have enough money for this 7" and a Slang shirt. And I really really wanted a Slang shirt.

Scans of the sleeve are included. As usual, Sugi's cover art cannot be fucked with.

Download: Slang/Mind Eraser - split (LAME 3.98r V0) Multiupload

Download: Slang/Mind Eraser - split (LAME 3.98r V0) Mediafire

Criaturas - Arañas en el Corazon

Artist: Criaturas
Title: Arañas en el Corazon
Release: 2011
Label: Lengua Armada Discos

Track List:
1. Arañas en el Corazon
2. Mentiras
3. Paranoide
4. Sombras Ocultas

Coming from Austin, Texas, Criaturas is female fronted Spanish d-beat hardcore. Members were in Filthy Fuckers, Bastard Sons of Apocalypse, Vaaska, Deskonocidos, Severed Head of State, Storm the Tower, J Church, Signal Lost, Scorched Earth Policy, Kodiak, and Meadowlark. Pretty awesome pedigree there. And it shows on this record.

I must admit, I hate the artwork though. I fucking loathe spiders.

Their bass player has a fantastic distro, from which I bought some of the records posted on this blog. As usual, if you like this you should definitely hit the dude up and order a copy.

Download: Criaturas - Arañas en el Corazon (LAME 3.98r V0) Multiupload

Download: Criaturas - Arañas en el Corazon (LAME 3.98r V0) Mediafire

Endless Nightmare/Dissystema - split

Artist: Endless Nightmare/Dissystema
Title: split
Release: 2005
Label: self released

Track List:
1. Endless Nightmare - Nostalgic Deathtrap
2. Endless Nightmare - Legions of the Dead
3. Endless Nightmare - No Peace
4. Dissystema - Limbless
5. Dissystema - Beggar at the Gates
6. Dissystema - A Dime's Worth of Difference

Hope ya like crust punk. Because that's what you're gonna get on both sides of this outstanding split by two bands from Philadelphia. I don't know anything about either except for what is on the inside of the sleeve (scans of which are included). I'm tentatively more fond of the Dissystema side.

Download: Endless Nightmare/Dissystema - split (LAME 3.98r V0) Multiupload

Download: Endless Nightmare/Dissystema - split (LAME 3.98r V0) Mediafire

Mass Sterilization - Punk Sounds

Artist: Mass Sterilization
Title: Punk Sounds
Release: 2010
Label: Kills You Records

Track List:
1. Spray
2. Repair
3. Over
4. Accident
5. Clutter
6. Selection
7. Babysitter
8. Playground
9. No Brainer

Yo. This shit is my jamz.

Mass Sterilization is from Denton, Texas and features lots of cool dudes doing cool things, ya hear?

If you like punk that doesn't suck I suggest you download this.

Download: Mass Sterilization - Punk Sounds (LAME 3.98r V0) Multiupload

Download: Mass Sterilization - Punk Sounds (LAME 3.98r V0) Mediafire

Sacred Shock - Demo

Artist: Sacred Shock
Title: Demo
Release: 2007
Label: Self Released

Track List:
1. Deadlines
2. Pedestal
3. Planet Decay
4. Bridge Burner
5. Best Interest
6. Sacred Shock

I've been meaning to post this for a while.

Sacred Shock is yet another band brought to you by Machine Gun Romantics/Hatred Surge mastermind Alex Hughes.

You're probably going to need to crank up the volume on this one. When I was ripping the tape I noticed that the sound was clipping off causing lots of bad distortion. Sadly the only way to remedy that problem is to re-record the tape with a lower input level on the line in. This means the sound is better but the volume is lower. I had to re-record it like five times to get it right.

Download: Sacred Shock - Demo (LAME 3.98r V0) Multiupload

Download: Sacred Shock - Demor (LAME 3.98r V0) Mediafire

Rainer Maria - Hell and High Water

Artist: Rainer Maria
Title: Hell and High Water
Release: 2000
Label: Polyvinyl Record Company

Track List:
1. Hell and High Water
2. Paper Sack

If you've heard of Rainer Maria I bet you haven't thought of them in a few years. If you've never heard of Rainer Maria, they were an emo band from Wisconsin featuring male and female vocals. Pretty good, but nothing exceptional.

This is still for sale over at Polyvinyl. As usual if you like it you should buy it since it's still in stock.

The second track was recorded live so that probably accounts for the slightly inferior sound quality.

Download: Rainer Maria - Hell and High Water (LAME 3.98r V0) Multiupload

Download: Rainer Maria - Hell and High Water (LAME 3.98r V0) Mediafire

Iron Age - Demo

Artist: Iron Age
Title: Demo
Release: 2005
Label: Next Level Records

Track List:
1. Intro
2. Forked Tongue
3. Brainwreck
4. Comin' Down
5. My Level

You've no doubt heard Iron Age's debut "Constant Struggle" and 2009's magnificent album "The Sleeping Eye". But, unless you own a copy of their demo I suspect you've probably never heard it as I couldn't find a digital version of it out there. Fortunately I have a copy and have taken to trying to rip my cassette collection.

I picked up my copy of the demo in early 2005 at a Terror show. I think it was actually Terror that was selling the demo which is kinda weird since they're from LA and all. If I had to guess they probably got a few copies to distro when they hit up Austin. I hadn't heard of Iron Age at the time and whoever was working the Terror merch table insisted I spend my leftover 2 bucks on the Iron Age demo. I'm really glad I took that dude's word for it. They may not have been at the time of the demo but Iron Age is without a doubt one of the best bands in Texas. I'd even go as far as to say one of the best in the country but I'm probably a little biased towards anyone from my home state.

This tape is a piece of crossover greatness in the rough. Nowadays Iron Age is pretty much straight up metal with only occasional forays into what is still obviously hardcore. This demo is sort of the opposite, hardcore with just enough metal to make it really stand out, especially back in 2005. Were this released in 2011 one could probably be excused for calling it generic or riding on a wave of similar sounding bands. But I like to think Iron Age is largely (at the very least partially) responsible for the popularity of more crossover-type bands we've seen in American hardcore the last few years.

Download: Iron Age - Demo (LAME 3.98r V0) Multiupload

Download: Iron Age - Demo (LAME 3.98r V0) Mediafire

Chest Pain - Discography Tape 2010

Artist: Chest Pain
Title: Discography Tape 2010
Release: 2010
Label: Kills You Records

Track List:
1. North Coast Wizard Violence
2. S.O.B. Story
3. Wasted Effort
4. Wage Assist the Machine
5. Gandhi 2
6. Behold the Infinite Meaninglessness
7. Nihilgasm
8. Embrace Despair
9. Biscuit's Blues
10. Getting Old
11. Red River Waste Water
12. Real Talk
13. Sex Fear
14. Murderers
15. Brave New Bullshit
16. Carcinogen
17. Mass Produced Death
18. Yellow Noose
19. False Self
20. Murderers
21. Shop til You Drop
22. Reverse Baptism
23. A Lifetime of Spit and Swearing
24. Live Set at The Phoenix Project (Dallas, Texas August 14th 2010)

I've posted Chest Pain before. Now here's everything they did up until the last time I saw them, which was in October of last year. They've probably done ungodly amounts of writing and recording since then (or will do so in the near future) so this is by no means a current discography. Merely it is a snapshot of everything up until these tapes were made.

What you've got here is slightly over 22 minutes of raging non-stop angry hardcore. And as a bonus a short set from when they played at The Phoenix Project here in Dallas. I really can't recommend this enough.

I had to make some decisions myself about when one track ends and the other begins as some of the songs kinda blur together with only short bits of feedback giving any indication that a transition is occurring. I advise you to listen to it all at once and in order. Just a warning though, you'll probably be physically exhausted by the end of it.

Download: Chest Pain - Discography Tape 2010 (LAME 3.98r V0) Multiupload

Download: Chest Pain - Discography Tape 2010 (LAME 3.98r V0) Mediafire

Calling Gina Clark/Dispensing of False Halos - split

Artist: Calling Gina Clark/Dispensing of False Halos
Title: split
Release: 2003
Label: Init Records/Crucificados Pelo Sistema

Track List:
1. Calling Gina Clark - Wir Nehmen Abschied
2. Calling Gina Clark - Blumen Gießen
3. Calling Gina Clark - Ich Fühle Mich Von Ihrer Autorität Auf Den Schlips Getreten Herr Oberkommissar
4. Dispensing of False Halos - It Does Not Not Hurt
5. Dispensing of False Halos - Which Way to Transparent Blue

Here's some more screamo from my collection. If you've read this blog before you probably already know I'm a huge fan. This split was actually one of the earlier records I ever bought. I got it from Init Records when they still had copies.

Calling Gina Clark was from Germany. They changed their name A Fine Boat, That Coffin sometime around 2005. Dispensing of False Halos was from Des Moines, Iowa and was part of that wave of late 90's early 00's American screamo bands that were all the rage for a short period of time. They just don't make it like they used to.

A quick note about the track order. The track listing on the record itself and elsewhere on the internet is incorrect. The Dispensing of False Halos side is out of order. "It Does Not Not Hurt" is the first track on the record even though it is listed as the second.

Download: Calling Gina Clark/Dispensing of False Halos - split (LAME 3.98r V0) Multiupload

Download: Calling Gina Clark/Dispensing of False Halos - split (LAME 3.98r V0) Mediafire

Ursa Minor - Smoke

Artist: Ursa Minor
Title: Smoke
Release: 1997
Label: Abraham Records

Track List:
1. Smoke
2. When Ships Set Sail
3. Goodnight

I picked this record out of a bargain bin based solely on the cover. It screamed mid 90's emo at me. And guess what, it sounds exactly like Mineral, The Gloria Record, and Knapsack. I love that about emo bands from that time. You can tell exactly what the music is gonna sound like based on the cover. Obviously to an extent that's true with a lot of bands. But with 90's emo it just seems more so for some reason.

That being said, if you've listened to the more popular examples of the genre then you probably know exactly what to expect. Quietly sung vocals, mildly dissonant but not unpleasantly so guitars, and a subtle hint of a keyboard buried somewhere in the mix that occasionally stands out loudly. All played at a speeds shifting between drudgingly slow to just a pace above mid-tempo.

I could not find a damn thing about Ursa Minor on the internet. My guess is that they probably only did this record and maybe one or two others. They probably didn't tour much or at all. And they probably never tried to make a name for themselves. If I had to guess, they were probably just college friends who played for a few years then went their separate ways after graduation. Nowadays with the ubiquitousness of the internet bands like that tend to leave a bit more of a record behind. But even in the 90's it's entirely possible that not a single word about Ursa Minor ever made it to the internet. Being the nerd that I am, to me there's something sad about that.

The 7" came with a small insert with the track listing. It says the record was recorded at Wintersound by Bob Gurske in the fall of 1997. I looked him up. It appears he's retired from recording now. Wintersound is in Gloucester Point, Virginia. The address for the record label says Charleston, South Carolina. So my guess is that they're either from Virginia, South Carolina, or somewhere nearby.

Download: Ursa Minor - Smoke (LAME 3.98r V0) Multiupload

Download: Ursa Minor - Smoke (LAME 3.98r V0) Mediafire

The Go! Team - Ladyflash

Artist: The Go! Team
Title: Ladyflash
Release: 2004
Label: Memphis Industries

Track List:
1. Ladyflash
2. Ladyflash (Hot Chip Remix)

Pegging a genre on The Go! Team is a bit difficult. Wikipedia lists them as alternative dance, indie rock, hip-hop, and noise rock. That sounds about right to me.

Download: The Go! Team - Ladyflash (LAME 3.98r V0) Multiupload

Download: The Go! Team - Ladyflash (LAME 3.98r V0) Mediafire

Terror/Ringworm - Dead Mans Hand 02

Artist: Terror/Ringworm
Title: Dead Mans Hand 02
Release: 2003
Label: Deathwish Inc.

Track List:
1. Terror - Out of My Way
2. Terror - Nothing to Lose
3. Ringworm - No One Dies Alone
4. Ringworm - House of Hell

The matrix on Terror's side of this split says "I need maximum output - more stage dives!!!". Anyone familiar with Terror probably knows that Scott Vogel tends to say some really silly things on stage. Back in 2005 I saw them play in Houston with Madball, Will to Live, and Your Mistake at a tiny venue packed with dudes twice my size. During Terror's set someone brought out a mini trampoline. It wasn't out there for long but people put it to good use. Later, in the middle of a song Scott Vogel literally picked the dude next to me up off the floor onto the stage by the front of his shirt and yelled "MORE STAGE DIVES!" and then threw the poor kid back into the crowd. "Out of My Way" is probably my favorite Terror song.

Sadly I have no Ringworm stories. I've never gotten the chance to see them. They're probably in my top five or so bands that I want to see (if you only include bands where it's remotely possible). Both of their songs on this 7" are heavy as all hell.

Download: Terror/Ringworm - Dead Mans Hand 02 (LAME 3.98r V0) Multiupload

Download: Terror/Ringworm - Dead Mans Hand 02 (LAME 3.98r V0) Mediafire

The Smittens/The Just Joans - split

Artist: The Smittens/The Just Joans
Title: split
Release: 2009
Label: WeePOP! Records

Track List:
1. The Smittens - What Do We Do Now?
2. The Smittens - Summer Sunshine
3. The Just Joans - Gin and Platonic
4. The Just Joans - I Hear You're the Man Now, John

I like to give my girlfriend grief about liking a band named The Smittens. She would. The truth is they're actually pretty good. Some of their material is a bit too slow and quiet for my tastes but their side of this 7" is just upbeat enough for me to really get into it (despite the depressing lyrics). I'm not so much a fan of The Just Joans' side. It's not bad, it's just not my thing.

Download: The Smittens/The Just Joans - split (LAME 3.98r V0) Multiupload

Download: The Smittens/The Just Joans - split (LAME 3.98r V0) Mediafire

Mandatory Marathon

Artist: Various
Title: Mandatory Marathon
Release: 1999
Label: Amendment Records

Track List:
1. Charles Bronson - So What If I Puked up McDonalds
2. Charles Bronson - ESP: Girls Love Me
3. Capitalist Casualties - Sarin
4. Capitalist Casualties - Methamphetamine
5. Capitalist Casualties - Worker
6. The Gooch - Boxbot
7. Gasparilla Day Parade - No Escaping the Almighty Wrath of Lee Ralph
8. Captain 3 Leg - Tommy G Song
9. The Gaia - 1999 Genocide Introduction Extraversion Colors
10. The Pervatrons - Spanked by the Fairy Godmother
11. Palatka - New Feedback
12. Palatka - Yours at Best
13. Palatka - Nathan Collier
14. Palatka - Choicenochoice
15. Gob - Itamae-san
16. Gob - Chapmaster
17. Laceration - Maximum Catalogue
18. Laceration - Friend Song
19. Laceration - Don't Believe in Love?
20. Last Remaining Pinnacle - Mantle Rotation

Some records have no business being in the bargain bin. And yet that's where I found this gnarly power violence (and grindcore) compilation 7". It's as if whoever put it there didn't even bother to at least google a couple of the names on the front cover.

To be honest this is somewhat of a mixed bag. There's some real gems on here and some real head-scratchers. But I suppose that's sometimes part of the charm of this kind of music.

I've included scans of the insert which has more information on all the bands and the release itself.

Unfortunately my copy has some slight crackling and popping that I wasn't able to fix. To be honest though that really doesn't matter since nearly all the songs are so poorly recorded anyways. In fact, as with other recordings of this nature it might be a result of the recording process rather than the playback process.

Download: Mandatory Marathon (LAME 3.98r V0) Multiupload

Download: Mandatory Marathon (LAME 3.98r V0) Mediafire

Betty and the Werewolves - Euston Station

Artist: Betty and the Werewolves
Title: Euston Station
Release: 2008
Label: Damaged Goods Records

Track List:
1. Euston Station
2. Wind-Up

More indie pop from my girlfriend's collection. The title track of this 7" is pretty good. I'm not so much of a fan of the B side though.

Download: Betty and the Werewolves - Euston Station (LAME 3.98r V0) Multiupload

Download: Betty and the Werewolves - Euston Station (LAME 3.98r V0) Mediafire

Włochaty - Bank $wiatowy

Artist: Włochaty
Title: Bank $wiatowy
Release: 1996
Label: Nikt Nic Nie Wie

Track List:
1. Bank $wiatowy
2. Jednego Nie Mogę Zrozumieć
3. Umacnianie Pokoju
4. Przeciwko Uprzedzeniom
5. Do They Owe Us a Living? (Crass)
6. D.J.U.T. III

I love when bands with strong anti-capitalist and anarchist messages have slick websites with plenty of goods for sale.

Włochaty (The Shaggy One, apparently) is a lot like Crass, except Polish. In fact they cover my favorite Crass song on this record.

Download: Włochaty - Bank $wiatowy (LAME 3.98r V0) Multiupload

Download: Włochaty - Bank $wiatowy (LAME 3.98r V0) Mediafire

Bunnygrunt - Standing Hampton

Artist: Bunnygrunt
Title: Standing Hampton
Release: 1994
Label: No Life Records

Track List:
1. Macho Beagle
2. Mississippi
3. Favorite Food
4. Cry (Raspberries)

Bunnygrunt, from St. Louis, has been around for a long time in the indie pop/twee scene. What little I know about them I know from Wikipedia so I'm afraid I have very little to add about their history.

This 7" is pretty much exactly what would come to my mind when I think of twee. Poppy but fizzy guitars, drum beats with roots firmly planted in punk rock, and vocals sung in a sing song sort of way with lots of back up harmonies. Oh and hand claps. Can't forget those. "Cry" is a top-notch cover of a song by 70's power pop group Raspberries.

I got to see Bunnygrunt in May of 2009 with Denton, TX's Fishboy (albloltross). Sadly they didn't get much of a response from the 20 or so people there despite playing an excellent set. I blame the fact that they hadn't done much of anything in a really long time. I bet most of their original fans are old enough to have better things to do than hang out in a pizza place's basement on a Friday night.

I don't remember where it was (probably in Austin) that I bought this record for my girlfriend. I'm glad I did because I enjoy it an awful lot too.

Download: Bunnygrunt - Standing Hampton (LAME 3.98r V0) Multiupload

Download: Bunnygrunt - Standing Hampton (LAME 3.98r V0) Mediafire