Bacchus - Self Titled

'Bacchus'
Bacchus
2011

Genre: Neocrust, sludge, doom, hardcore
For fans of: His Hero is Gone, Kylesa, Ekkaia, Neurosis

Four piece sludge/doom/crust band Bacchus hail from Ireland and unleash some mighty, epic and crushingly heavy music. Bacchus combine intelligent and original song structures with the energy of hardcore and the brawn of sludge and it works incredibly well. While they almost sound like they could be another new-wave sludge band from Georgia, these guys have a distinct, darker edge - more nihilism, more aggression and more abrasive sound overall.

TRACKLISTING:
1. Devoted to shit 04:21
2. Parasite 03:40
3. Hopeless daggers 04:38
4. Mutation 06:39
5. Itchy blood 03:48
6. Expand / Submerge 05:00
7. The Living Dead 02:41
8. Knives

Download
Bandcamp

Bible Thumper - Decimation

'Decimation'
Bible Thumper
2012

Genre: D-Beat, Noise Punk, Hardcore
For Fans Of: Lotus Fucker, D-Clone, Church Whip, Confuse

For a two man, bass and drum group, Bible Tumper create an unholy racket (no pun intended). They play a chaotic take on d-beat/hardcore wrapped in a fuzzy, lo fi package. The slinky bass and frantic, screamed vocals make for a charming couple and the drumming is simple, but effective. Give these guys a listen and have a gander at their bandcamp if you like what you hear.

You're Going To Hell
Bandcamp

324 - Boutoku No Taiyu

'Boutoku No Taiyu'
324
2000

Genre: Grindcore
For fans of: Nasum, Discordance Axis, Swarrrm

324 are a brilliant grind outfit out of Japan. Playing a more groove centered style of grindcore, their music is still chaotic and dissonant. The vocals are harsh, gravelly mids (ala Rotten Sound or Nasum) and are delivery mostly in Japanese. I rate these guys as one of the best Japanese grind bands (if not, the best), so you should probably give them a listen.

Silence Before Silver Screen

Battles - Mirrored

'Mirrored'
Battles
2007

Genre: Math rock, Experimental rock, Indie
For Fans Of: Tera Melos, This Town Needs Guns, Animal Collective, Hella

Battles are an odd little band, that combine the jarring complexity of math rock and the twinkly melodies of indie to create some catchy and very strange music. There's some mind boggling effects wizardry on this album; you'll have a hard time discerning the guitars from the keys or the bass. The vocals are typical of an indie band, and will take some getting use to, if you're not a fan of brighter, higher pitched vocals. This is some talented musicians pulling off some eclectic, unconventional music and it's a great entry point for those who want to get into math rock.

Tonto

Nortt - Gudsforladt

'Gudsforladt'
Nortt
2003

Genre: Black Metal, Funeral Doom, DSBM
For fans of: Absum, Ahab, Evoken

You'll be hard pressed to find a more bleak, depressing and pulverizing black metal album than this one. Nortt play slow and heavy on this, with little regard for your mental wellbeing. With a guitar tone that sounds like ten billion angry wasps trapped in an amp, and guttural raspy vocals that are barely there, this is the sort of listen that just encompasses you entirely with it's sorrowful dirges and oppressively slow tempo. There's a wonderfully melancholic symphonic intro, and strings and pianos feature in most of the songs adding an even more sombre element to an already bleak and downtrodden album.

TRACKLISTING:
1. Graven
2. Døden...
3. Glemt
4. Gravfred
5. Hinsides
6. Hedengangen
7. Død og borte
8. Nattetale
9.  De dødes kor
10.  Dystert sind

Download

Night Birds - The Other Side of Darkness

'The Other Side Of Darkness'
Night Birds
2011

Genre: Surf Punk, Punk, Hardcore
For Fans Of: Agent Orange, Wavves, Post Teens

Let's take a break from the usual doom and gloom of the music featured on this blog, and look at Night Birds shall we. Owing as much to Dick Dale and The Trashmen as they do to Black Flag and the Dead Kennedys, Night Birds crank out some fun, catchy surf rock tinged punk. The songs are short and sweet, the reverb is turned all the way up and the guitar leads are superb. The Other Side of Darkness is a fantastic listen and while the music may fun and upbeat, the lyrics aren't. Themes such as transphobia, child abuse, paranoia, pollution and capitalism are explored, presented via some excellently written lyrics. These lads should be releasing their second LP pretty soon, so get excited.

Neon Grey

Fistula - Northern Aggression

'Northern Aggression'
Fistula
2012

Genre: Sludge metal, Doom, Crustcore
For fans of: Eyehategod, Grief, Corrupted, Dystopia

Blending the misanthropic crust tinges of Dystopia and the narcotic fueled nihilism of Eyehategod, Fistula's brand of purulent sludge is drawn out and painful - just the way it should be. The band go between slooooooow sludge/doom and fast hardcore passages complete with harsh, hateful vocals and riffs-a-plenty. If His Hero Is Gone wasn't metallic enough for you, or if you're feeling particularly hopeless and angry today,  give this EP a go.

The Fang

Mind Of Asian - A Small Elephant In A Large Forest

'A Small Elephant In A Large Forest'
Mind of Asian
2008

Genre: Thrashcore, Powerviolence
For Fans Of: Straight Edge Kegger, Exclaim, Razor's Edge

Yet another excellent Japanese thrashcore band. Mind of Asian are an all girl group who play a straight-forward, powerviolence and fastcore influenced thrash. While this sticks to the usual song formulas, Mind of Asian throw in a few segments with tradtional Japanese instruments, killer guitar leads and absolutely furious vocals. This is 16 minutes of brilliant thrashcore in just as many minutes, and you should probably listen to it.

(Note: There's quite a few tracks in here with titles in Japanese characters, that may or may not work with your media player. Download the alternative tracklist here)

We Are Asian

The Festival of Dead Deer - The Many Faces of Mental Illness

'The Many Faces of Mental Illness'
The Festival Of Dead Deer
2001

Genre: Noise rock, Screamo, Post Hardcore
For fans of: Antioch Arrow, Some Girls, The Jesus Lizard, Mohinder

Festival of Dead Deer were a short lived band, and this here a compilation of the 14 tracks they put out between 1995 and 2000. They're a Three.One.G band, so you know to expect an angular, weird take on punk, and these guys do it, via feedback, Jesus Lizard worship and screamo induced dissonance. Occasionally groovy, constantly unsettling, this is a brilliant comp by a criminally underrated band.

In Fifty Words Or Less

Cave In - Until Your Heart Stops

'Until Your Heart Stops'
Cave In
1998

Genre: Mathcore, Metalcore
For Fans Of: Botch, Coalesce, Converge

The late 90s were a simpler time, a time when metalcore didn't involve keyboards, or drop F tunings or Meshuggah wannabes. A time where bands like Botch and Deadguy roamed the Earth, playing what could very well be 2nd hand Slayer riffs, albeit in time signatures no one had heard of.
Much like their fellow 90s metalcore peers, Cave In played chuggy hardcore riffs, at breakneck speeds, with the trademark weirdness and technicality of mathcore. Until Your Heart stops was Cave In's debut album,  and a modern classic at that. It's a very aggressive album at the core, though there are hints of space rock, post hardcore and even shoegaze - signs of the band's gradual transition into an alternative rock band in the 2000s. This is a must listen to fans of metalcore and the fact Hydra Head re-released this for Record Store Day this year is testament to this album's brilliance.

Juggernaut

Fuck On The Beach - Endless Summer

'Endless Summer'
Fuck On The Beach
2001

Genre: Fastcore, Thrashcore
For Fans Of: G.I.S.M, Jellyroll Rockheads, Exclaim

Fuck On The Beach are probably the most well known  Japanese fast/thrashcore band, and for good reason. With their ridiculous name, hilarious fractured English lyrics and pulverizing, ferocious music, there's very little not to like. Here's 11 tracks of thrash-y goodness - complete with blastbeats, catchy hooks and shout alongs.

I Have Never Seen Myself

Cape Of Bats - Transylvania/Olcott Rites

'Transylvania/Olcott Rites'
Cape Of Bats
2012/2013

Genre: Blackened Punk, Black Metal, Raw Black Metal
For Fans Of: Old school Mayhem/Darkthrone, Bone Awl, Raspberry Bulbs

It's no secret that black metal and punk are not-so distant cousins (Deathcrush by Mayhem, anybody?) and with black metal enjoying something of a renaissance in the US, Many bands have started embracing the punkier side of the 'kvlt arts'. Cape of Bats are one such band. While the vocals and
aesthetics are firmly rooted in black metal, the instrumentation and music owe more to hardcore and punk. Here are two of Cape of Bats' releases, a 7 inch and a tape, teeming with ghastly, ghoul-y blackened punk. These guys will be releasing some new stuff very soon, so make sure to keep an eye out.

TRACKLISTING:
Translyvania:
1. To Transylvania
2. Seas of Screams
3. Night of the Vampyre
4. Castle After Dark

Olcott Rites:
1.Verdunkeln
2. Spidernest
3. Death Kami
4. Lamb's Lament

Download
Bandcamp

Boris - Vein (Both Versions)

'Vein'
Boris
2006

Genre: Hardcore, Noise, Noise punk, Drone, Crust, Doom metal
For Fans Of: Confuse, Gauze, Earth, Incapacitants, Macronympha, Sunn O))), D Clone


I love Boris. I really do. They've explored so many different genres in their 21 year old career - whether it be doom metal or J-Rock. Their constant evolution and disregard for typical music is a massive inspiration to me, and this album is an excellent example of their ability to explore new genres. Vein is probably Boris's most noisiest, abrasive release to date and is a homage to their various hardcore and crust influences. Released in two different versions, Vein explored the realm of drone metal, noise, hardcore and crust punk. The drone version features two lengthy tracks, devoid of vocals, drenched in an ungodly amount of feedback and noise. Vein's Hardcore version however features short, noise-punk tracks with harsh, screamed vocals courtesy of drummer Atsuo. All in all, this is a very different kind of release from Boris, not surprising given their highly unconventional approach to releasing and creating music. Vein  is a raw, ugly beast of an album and both versions are well worth your time.

Vein

Gasp - Dome Triler Of Puzzle Zoo People

'Dome Triler Of Puzzle Zoo People'
Gasp
1998

Genre: Powerviolence, Sludge, Doom, Noise, Experimental
For Fans Of: Man is the Bastard, Una Bestia Incontrolable, Suffering Luna

From what I can tell, Gasp were seriously overlooked while they were a band, and they still are to a certain extent. While they were a powerviolence band at heart, there's a whole lot more going on with their music. Noise, sludge, screamo, doom, tape manipulation and experimentation all come together to create the whacked out, spacey psychedelic monster that is Gasp. Dome Triler is one of those truly emotional and cathartic albums that says more with dissonance and harsh instrumentation then it would with sappy lyrics or angsty song titles. The ambient build ups and sudden bursts of drums, screaming and noise lead to such a great soundscape, comprised of sudden twists and turns - one that you'll never feel certain or safe with. This is certainly one of the best Slap A Ham releases, and most definitely worth a listen.

Sky Flowers Through Horse Eggs

Fucking Invincible - Very Negative

'Very Negative'
Fucking Invincible
2012

'Another awesome band from Providence, Rhode Island'

Fucking Invincible are a brilliant little hardcore band featuring the ex-singer of Daughters and the bassist (I think) of Dropdead. These guys play a very fast, very mean strain of hardcore that definitely takes cues from fastcore and powerviolence. There's a still a slight hint of David Yow sass from vocalist Alexis Marshall, but for the most part he sticks to a fierce hardcore scream. Great face paced stuff, with plenty of floor punching moments. Get it in ya.

The Hellbound Heart

Merzbow and Gore Beyond Necropsy - Rectal Grinder

'Rectal Grinder'

Merzbow and Gore Beyond Necropsy

1995

'Grindcore + noise = even more noise'

Rectal Grinder seems to be a pretty apt title for this EP - four tracks of brutal harsh noise, presented by noise's most well known artist (Merzbow) and one of the more weirder, abrasive grind bands out there (Gore Beyond Necropsy). While there are instruments and vocals involved here, there is no structure, just vicious atonal pulses and screeches. If you no longer value your ears, if you fancy spending 13 minutes or so in extreme discomfort or if you're a Japanoise geek - this one's for you.

The Doodlin' Twist

Clutch - Transnational Speedway League

'Transnational Speedway League'
Clutch
1993

Genre: Stoner rock, Hardcore, Alternative
For Fans Of: Queens of the Stone Age, Melvins, Corrosion of Conformity

They are. Clutch are the coolest band ever. Fuck you if you don't think so. Seriously.
This album is a salute to everything trashy, redneck-y and eccentric. Stoner rock riffs, hardcore energy and a pervasive oddball feel that makes this album so damn, well, cool. Transnational Speedway League spends it's time darting between anger and angst then back to nonsensical tales of monster trucks and samurais, an odd combination, but one that works. Neil Fallon's raspy, blues shout combined with his skill with lyrics and prose (I'm not counting Binge And Purge, you'll find out why soon enough) are the driving force behind this release, there's so much personality and flair to them. While I've enjoyed their progression into the funky/blues hard rock band that they've become, this will always be my favourite Clutch release. It's angry, it's weird, it's catchy and it's free, so you should listen to it.

A Shogun Named Marcus

Gay Kiss - Fault

'Fault'
Gay Kiss
2012

Genre: Noise Rock, Hardcore
For Fans Of: Cult Ritual, White Guilt, Retox,

Gay Kiss are an annoying band, deliberately. From their name, to their odd and jarring music to the in your face, scratchy, grind-esque vocals almost everything about this band is meant to be provocative. All that aside, the band produce some of the weirdest, most intelligent hardcore this side of a Three One G release - the math-y guitar riffs, noise rock influence and the dirty, sleazy feel to their music  keep things fresh and new. If you're sick of the brawn and machismo of modern day hardcore and looking for something a little strange and different, I'd definitely give this a go.

Spit Oath

Nihilist Commando - Demos

DEMOS 
Nihilist Commando
2002 - 2006

Genre: Noisegrind
For Fans Of: Fear of God, Death Toll 80K, Insect Warfare, Anal Cunt

Noisegrind is a funny genre - the drum count ins are longer than the actual songs, musical talent is totally irrelevant and it's self parody about 85% of the time.
Nihilist Commando are purveyors of the aforementioned genre from Finland and are comprised of a vocalist, a drummer and two dudes swinging axes around.Yes, axes (rigged up with noise gear, of course). There's probably about a million songs in here, the lyrics are indistinguishable and it'll hurt your brain and/or ears - how fucking grind is that?!

NIHILIST COMMANDO

Ape Unit - Albert

'Albert'
Ape Unit
2008

Genre: Grindcore
For Fans Of: Squash Bowels, Hemorrhage Agathocles

Ape Unit are an Italian grindcore band who are big on the riffs and even bigger on gross, guttural vocals. On this EP, they bring the ruckus with  7 punk/hardcore influenced grind tracks filled with puerile humour. I couldn't find anything else by these dudes, so get this while you can.

Ninja Audition

E-150 - Discography

DISCOGRAPHY
E-150
1995 - 2004

Genre: Fastcore, Hardcore
For Fans Of: Los Crudos, Heresy, Lärm

E-150 were a hardcore band from Barcelona, Spain who released some great stuff in the 9 or so years that they were a band. Here you'll find some angry Spanish language fastcore jams, that really don't let up on the throttle. The vocals are urgent and furious and there's more bedroom mosh opportunities than you can shake a stick at.

Propaganda

Family - Portrait

'Portrait'
Family
2012

Genre: Post Metal, Alternative, Progressive Metal
For Fans Of: Baroness, Unsane, Kylesa, Classic Rock

Congratulations! Either you had to try a thousand different combinations on google to find this or you follow this blog regularly, so either way you get kudos.
Anyways.
Family came out of nowhere and blew my mind with this release in 2012. Their style of 90 alternative, modern progressive/post metal and 70s classic rock kinda sounds like if Led Zeppelin somehow grew up listening to Baroness and had Chris Spencer from Unsane as a vocalist. The musicianship is flawless, the riffs and progressions catchy and overall, it's an intelligent and well put together album. Also, that fucking album art is amazing. Just saying.

Exploding Baby

Godstomper Mega Post

!MEGA POST!



'Grief For The Fallen State'
'Saturday Morning Powerviolence'
'Hell's Grim Tyrant' 
'Anarchy USA'
Godstomper
1996, 1998, 2001, 2008

Genre: Powerviolence, Grindcore, Noise, Experimental
For Fans Of: Man is the Bastard, Spoonful of Vicodin, In Disgust

Godstomper deliver some of the gnarliest, fuzzed out, distorted bass and drum powerviolence out there. Awesome grooves, double kick pedal barrages and the best (in my opinion) vocals in powerviolence, these two dudes have been going strong since 1991. This here is a collection of four Godstomper releases, including their Slap A Ham classic, Saturday Morning Powerviolence. While it's mostly good ol' grind and violence, Anarchy USA stands out from the others. A purely experimental album put out by the band in 2008, it's an eclectic mix of industrial, electronica, samples and even soft rock.

Grief For The Fallen State
Saturday Morning Powerviolence
Hell's Grim Tyrant
Anarchy USA

D-Clone - Creation And Destroy

'Creation And Destroy'
D-Clone
2012

'Holy noise-punk, Batman!'

D-Clone are a bunch of crazy motherfuckers playing some intense hardcore, forced through a fine mesh of noise and abrasiveness.  D-Clone's music incorporates a whole heap of genres - thrash, d-beat, Japanese hardcore, noisecore - all played at almost grindcore speed and intensity. You may have heard the term, 'buzz saw guitar tone', but you haven't actually heard it until you've listened to these guys. There's so much to like about this album, it's production, the energy, the chaos, the vicious vocals and the breakneck speed that's maintained the entire way through. This was a highlight of 2012, so you'd be crazy not to give this a listen.

History Of Error

Revenants In Poveglia - Lazzaretto

'Lazzaretto'
Revenants In Poveglia
2011

Genre/s: Black Metal, USBM
For Fans Of: Revenge, Gorgoroth, Conqueror

I don't know much about these guys, but I do know they're a killer black metal band from Oregon, USA. Revenants have a bit of a grindcore/death metal feel to their music (a la Revenge), which lends itself to some angry, raw and aggressive tracks. Vocally you've got some deep guttural grunts, as well as some trademark black metal shrieks and moans. Lazzaretto is up as a pay what you want download on the excellent Glossolalia Records bandcamp, so I strongly suggest you pop on over there and suss it out.

TRACKLISTING:
1. A Tormentare
2. Campinale
3. Incendi
4. Malattia

Bandcamp

Consent - Conception

'Conception'
Consent
2012

Genre: Powerviolence, Power Electronics
For Fans Of: Column of Heaven, Full of Hell, Whitehouse, Psychic Limb

So as we all know, 'power' genres have become pretty trendy popular as of late, and while ultimately it's a massive hit or miss situation, a few bands have come out and haven't totally sucked - Consent being one. Featuring members of that trendy popular drone/doom band, Bongripper, Consent play a modern strain of powerviolence with a healthy dose of experimental electronics and noise. So while they don't anything to original in terms of song structures (stop/start, slow than fast etc etc) they make up for it with their seamless combination of hardcore and noise. If you liked the Endless Blockade (or Column of Heaven) or just copious amounts of feedback, this is a  release you'd probably dig.

Conception

Boredoms - Pop Tatari

'Pop Tatari'
Boredoms
1992

Genre: Noise Rock, Krautrock, Experimental, Noise
For Fans Of: Melt Banana, Naked City, Happy Flowers, Captain Beefheart

I'm going to save myself some trouble and throw some genres at you right here and now: noise rock, krautrock, japanoise, punk, disco, hardcore, electronica and jazz. Sound good?
No. No it doesn't.
Boredoms are the best sounding worst band ever, and yes, that is a compliment. Of sorts.
Boredoms blend multiple genres in some sort of wacky, goofy blender of noise and chaos and somehow it ends up being really, really fucking good. Atonal then catchy, abrasive then groovy - it's these sorts of drastically different dynamics that keep this album shifting from feet to feet, uncertain of whether it wants to be noise or 'legitimate' music.  The vocals really make this album something else, with an assortment of shrieks, shouts and screams, provided mainly by resident madman Yamatsuka Eye. Download this album, give it a listen and just let it scramble your brain, at least for a while. You'll be glad you did.

Molecicco