Shikabane - 自我と煩悩

Artist: Shikabane
Title: 自我と煩悩
Release: 2000
Label: Agipunk Records

Track List:
1. 憎悪 (Hatred)
2. 繰り返し・・・そしてまたその繰り返し・・・ (Repeat... And Repeat It Again...)
3. 自我と煩悩 (Ego and Desire)
4. 人のために生きるか 自分のために生きるか (Living for Someone or Living for Myself)

This record has been sitting on my desk since my last post nearly two months ago. I just never got around to ripping it. Better late than never I suppose.

I should note real quick that this fine blog, which I frequent, posted a rip of the CD version of this record that was put out by MCR. The CD version actually has an extra track, but for some reason it isn't noted on the disc itself nor is it included in the lyrics sheet.

This record is a bit more on the melodic and metallic side of things. In fact at times there is too much melody for this EP to really be considered grindcore like. It works for Shikabane though because this 7" is no less intense as any of their other output. The song length however might be an issue if you suffer from ADD as all the tracks are over two minutes.

Download: Shikabane - 自我と煩悩 (LAME 3.98r V0) Multiupload

Download: Shikabane - 自我と煩悩 (LAME 3.98r V0) Mediafire

Agathocles/Shikabane - split

Artist: Agathocles
Title: split
Release: 1997
Label: Keloid Records

Track List:
1. Agathocles - Bio-Industry Fucked Up Humanity
2. Agathocles - Macho-Crowd
3. Agathocles - Just Injust
4. Shikabane - 所業
5. Shikabane - 無
6. Shikabane - 仏造って魂入れず
7. Shikabane - 摩訶般若波羅蜜多心経
8. Shikabane - 欲にきりなし、地獄に底なし

Fans of grindcore should be very familiar with Belgium's Agathocles as they've been around for the last 25 years (yikes!) and have been regularly putting out split 7"s with seemingly any band that will agree to do so. Wikipedia lists 69 splits but I would not be shocked if there were more out there.

The B-Side of this record (which I tend to favor considerably) is by the less prolific but no less awesome Shikabane.

I didn't mention it in my last post but their name means "corpse". Although my understanding is that 屍 (shikabane) is really closer to like what we might call a zombie or ghoul, although not necessarily animated. The implication is that some evil shit has gone down at some point and the result is a shikabane, a body without a soul, and thus no life. 死体 (shitai) just means a dead body usually of just any person. 亡骸 (nakigara) however is the remains of someone close to the speaker or for whom a degree of respect is given.

I only mention all that because the nuance of shikabane is a whole lot more appropriate for a grindcore band.

Download: Agathocles/Shikabane - split (LAME 3.98r V0) Multiupload

Download: Agathocles/Shikabane - split (LAME 3.98r V0) Mediafire

Shikabane - 人間に生まるること難し・・・

Artist: Shikabane
Title: 人間に生まるること難し・・・
Release: 1997
Label: Self Released

Track List:
1. 善悪
2. 人間に生まるること難し・・・
3. 独裁者
4. 現実逃避
5. 罰すべき世俗の偽善者
6. 過剰欲
7. 精神安定剤
8. 虚栄の過ち
9. 心身脱落
10. 無心無念の境界

This here is Japanese hardcore/grindcore act Shikabane's first EP. Recorded in 1996 and self released in 1997. This shit rips. If you're a fan of thrashy fast and loud hardcore that borders on grindcore half of the time this is for you.

This is a personal rip. I got super lucky and was able to snag a copy for myself a few weeks ago. I've seen this posted elsewhere many times but it's always been the same kinda sub-par sounding rip. I thought I could do better so here it is.

I really wanted to provide pronunciation/translations for the song titles but I suck at reading kanji still and even when I can read them I don't know which onyomi or kunyomi pronunciation to use in a sentence just yet (生 has 2 on and a whooping 17 kun). I can tell you the title of the EP roughly translates to "It's difficult to be human..." or something like that.

Download: Shikabane - 人間に生まるること難し・・・ (LAME 3.98r V0) Multiupload

Download: Shikabane - 人間に生まるること難し・・・ (LAME 3.98r V0) Mediafire

Japan in Decline

Artist: Various
Title: Japan in Decline
Release: 1999
Label: Six Weeks Records

Track List:
1. Slang - Yukusaki-Wa-Michi
2. Fuck on the Beach - Go Muscle
3. Shikabane - Pain of Existence
4. 324 - Advance
5. Smash Your Face - I Believe in My Way
6. Frigora - Ett Krig Formel
7. Curtainrail - Away
8. Hellpop - Act Like Nothing
9. Kung-Fu Grip Man - Like You
10. Mass Genocide - Justice?
11. Vryker - Do as You Feel!
12. Unholy Grave - Kamui: Indigenous Peoples
13. Smash the Brain - M.F.
14. Majestic Four - 出るなら出てこい!
15. Carcass Grinder - Waffle Is Not a Crepe
16. Judgement Disorderly - Crazy
17. Dudman - Simon Hell
18. Su19b - Disappoint
19. More Noise for Life - Exterminate Racism
20. Hashdum - Insain and Future!!!
21. T.R.U.T.H. - Hatred for the Self-Humanity of Stupidity (Total Raw Death Noise Mix '97)

You know that feeling when you're browsing through the wares of a record store and you chance upon something totally unexpected and totally awesome and you take it right out of the bin or whatever and think to yourself "Holy shit!"? That was exactly what I felt when I found this record. I still feel like I won the lottery when I look through my own record collection and see sitting nicely near the end where I keep all my compilations.

If you're a fan of any of the bands on this compilation you've probably already seen this posted over here before. The dude who does that blog does excellent work. But, sadly the CD version of this compilation, which is what he posted, inexplicably leaves out two tracks. I'm mystified as to why since the LP version is a mere 2 minutes 11 seconds longer (clocking in at 26:14). That's short enough to fit on a CD two and a half times over.

So here it is, a rip of the LP version of this fantastic compilation of Japanese hardcore and grindcore (mostly grindcore) bands. There's some real gems on here, notably from Slang and Shikabane. Both of whom would be placed up fairly high if I had to make one of those bullshit favorite bands lists.

I really wish I could have scanned the insert but it's far too large for my scanner. The only band to put lyrics (in English) in their info was Unholy Grave. I'm really glad they did because they touch on a very sensitive subject in Japanese history, the Ainu people, who are the true indigenous people of what is now known as Japan. Since around 720, and likely before, they've faced persecution and outright genocide at the hands of various Japanese administrations mostly so that their land could be taken for farming. Today they still face discrimination even if it is no longer sanctioned by Japanese law. I've been told that the subject brings up lots of strong negative emotions in Japan, so it's kinda cool to see a Japanese band discussing the issue of indigenous people's rights. Especially since it took until 2008, 9 years after this compilation came out, for the Japanese government to fully recognize the Ainu people as a distinct culture of their own.

Kamui: Indigenous Peoples
Ainu-moshiri... We know it as Hokkaido
Before... No Japanese there
It was land for the Ainu race
For indigenous peoples living with Kamui

They have no letter
It never means the lower race
Before the Japanese invasion
It was land for the Ainu race
For indigenous peoples living with Kamui

Download: Japan in Decline (LAME 3.98r V0) Multiupload

Download: Japan in Decline (LAME 3.98r V0) Mediafire