Issue 10

Netherlands metalpunk. Metalpunk in that the drummer is using a double-kick pedal for sure (even some metal blastbeats in the first track). Not so much metalpunk like SACRILEGE or LIFELESS DARK although the tape does close with a cover of "Lifeline", I find the rest of the tape draws from a broader metal influence (maybe later thrash) than just SACRILEGE. It's much more like metal played by punks (one of the best kinds of metal). I wish it was a bit crustier, a bit dirtier, a bit stenchier but t...

First side, THE DISSIDENTS. Earnest political lyrics with a melodic delivery. Contextually you are thinking it's crust, but the songwriting is melodic/melancholic punk. Being from Montreal, I'm thinking of BALLAST and PREYING HANDS. There's a bit of synth sprinkled in which brings to my mind Montreal's defunct FACIALS, but really just their BURNING KITCHEN cover. HEARTSOVER would probably be a better comparison from the early 2010s Squalor scene, but at this point probably only 2 people reading ...

"Do It Yourself Violence". This is a "compilation tape of four DIY powerviolence and d-beat projects" from the Netherlands, I assume. It's a bit of a 4-way split, with 3 songs each from PETER R DE VRIES, AARTxSTAARTJES, CHAŌSMELCK, and KRÄNKER. If I'm following the tracklist correctly, PETER R DE VRIES and AARTxSTAARTJES are the powerviolence bands. I would classify them both firmly as pizzaviolence, a term long-time readers of mine will understand. Both being named after Dutch TV media personal...

KOMATITTE - I looked it up. It sounds like a borrowed word from some language that would put an umlaut on that O or A but it's actually a type of volcanic rock. Your first assumption from the name would be correct though: this is fast Nordic-influenced d-beat hardcore. The guitar is "too loud" (good) and the gruff vocals are low in the mix. I expect no less than 4 guitar cabs on stage for this band for proper face-melting. I am biased against guitar solos but the weird and quick ones they deploy...

Having wrangled enough bands to release 2.5 of 'em myself (plus an incredibly ill-fated 2x CS that will never see the light of day due to the endless call-outs and sexual misconduct that plague hardcore punk, to say nothing of literal conflagration and potent personal shortcomings), I can confidently say putting together a compilation is among the most thankless and unenviable tasks someone in DIY can engage in this side of show promoting. That a few people found it prudent to document a certai...

I caught up with Ergot recently to talk about punk and punk graffiti. Slim: When did you start writing Ergot? Ergot: Started writing Ergot in 2006 in Minneapolis. First crew was called BS (Black Sabbath), which was me and my friends' high school code for smoking weed, then later code for doing graffiti… PEB (Pigs Eye Boys), TKG (The Kind Gents), PTS (Philips Terror Squad/Paint The Streets), were all my original crews with my scummy punk/rocker friends in southside Minneapolis. A bunch of misfi...

The occidental world is so fucked up that it's making the president of Spain seem like a good president. Even if the decisions of this government are pure opportunism, and if it fuels the game of polarization that all right-wing politicians started, the (leftist) international opinion seems pretty good about Pedro Sánchez and his government. But that's what happens when everyone reads the headlines instead of the whole article. Let me say this loud and clear: Spain is not an oasis of the left, ...

A lyrical snippet, before we begin in earnest: "Because you're a fucking retard / shoving shit up your nose / because you're a fucking retard / swiggin' shit down your throat." Let's ignore for a second that this is some of the weakest attempt at flow, rhythm, and rhyme scheme; this is straight edge for the absolute lowest common denominator. Absolutely pathetic. Everyone from Convulse Records to Rage Deposit to the four goons responsible for writing this shit should be embarrassed. I guess it...