!FUCKED BY NOISE MID-YEAR ROUND-UP! - Joe's Picks

Okay, so it's June now, and that means we're half way through 2015. And what a year it's been, holy shit. As far as punk goes, 2015 has been incredible, and there's still so much more to come. This is going to be tough, I'm going to keep it to 5 releases per category (LP, EP, demo), listed in no particular order; and at the end I'll list some more things I was into, plus some releases I'm really looking forward to. Let's get to it.

LP

NO - Treating People Like They Don’t Exist

I reviewed this when it dropped last month and I'm still just as excited about it as I was when I first heard it. I've heard that they're breaking up soon which is a shame, because the three 12"s they put out are flawless and are perfect representations of to make noisy and unpredictable, yet raging hardcore punk.

MUERTE - Muerte

I just posted a review of this a week ago when it came out and like everything on this list, I'm still hyped on it. I listened to it five times in a row the day it dropped and each time I found new things that grabbed me. Deathrock is finally getting its edge back.

FOOT HAIR - Foot Hair

Okay, this one I haven't reviewed here yet. A friend turned me onto this and it's probably the best noise rock I've heard this year (sorry, Rectal). Take the nihilistic stupidity of Drunks With Guns and mash it up with the obnoxious sounds of Upsidedown Cross; and since that's not enough, crank up the scum levels. That's Foot Hair. You should be sold on this already.

HALDOL - Haldol

Here's another release I recently reviewed, and as it turns out it's another new deathrock jammer. All you need to know is this is suffocatingly dark but with enough aggression to still kick your teeth in. I sure hope we don't get inundated with nerds hopping on this deathrock revival and ruining it.

BROKEN PRAYER - Misanthropocentric A.K.A. Droid's Blood

The champions of modern synthpunk are back! Broken Prayer have somehow managed to make their synth more synthy, their angst more angsty, and their pop more poppy, all while funneling it into a caustic and nasty punch to the gut. Here's to hoping they do a tour at some point. 

EP

PERSPEX FLESH - Ordered Image

UK goth punks Perspex Flesh have managed to top themselves with this new 12". They've taken their best qualities and made them better. I'm glad I saw them on their tour with Razorheads (which intersected with the Lotus Fucker / Sete Star Sept tour, resulting in a ridiculously stacked show) and they were just as intense as they are on record. If you're looking for a fucked up, dark punk powerhouse of a release, this is the one. 

BÖRN - Börn

Have I mentioned how much I love this new wave of bands putting the punk aggression back into goth? Börn really draw from the post-punk side of things, but instead of trying to carbon copy that airy 80s feel, they go straight for the throat. Noisy guitar work and winding bass lines are at odds, yet compliment each other in a dirging dance of death (I'll admit that was a little corny). Also they're from Iceland if you care about that sort of thing. 

SADIST - The Shadow Of The Swastika

I didn't find out about this band's demo until about a week after I'd posted my list of favorite 2014 demos, but had I known of them sooner they would have been on it. This 7" is three rerecorded tracks from their 'Blood Song' CS which, while still blown out, have clearer depth to them. I'm just waiting for them to play somewhere that isn't a fest / high profile show in NYC or Boston.

WETBRAIN - Vacant Life

Washington state has been turning out some incredible bands in the past few years and Wetbrain certainly holds their own among them. What starts out sounding like off kilter raw punk devolves into frantic noise rock madness, not losing an iota of intensity. This release is definitely a trip and I wouldn't be surprised to see this band on the Iron Lung Records roster in a year or two. 

BLANK SPELL - Blank Spell

Oh look, it's another Philadelphia dark punk band who put out a great demo last year and an even better record this year! This 7" is comprised of a few rerecorded songs from Blank Spell's 2014 demo tape along with some new tracks which are consistent to their style and quality of songwriting/performing. Get dark, get freaky. 

DEMO

URGE TO KILL - Take Control

I'm going to come out and say it, this is my favorite demo of 2015 so far. Imagine a more boneheaded 'Mankind' era Infest and that's all you need to know. You'll be breaking shit within the first 20 seconds. 

THE DRIP - Demo

The Drip's demo has way too many memorable hooks and riffs, along with plenty of twists, some of which are pretty subtle, all of which keep me coming back for more. Oh, and there are some odd things the band did with the recording which I'm not allowed to talk about, but if something feels weird to you, that's just the way they want it. 

NAAMAHK - Stagnant Pool

Earlier in the year a friend let me know there was a new Naamahk tape on the way, which, if you've heard their 2014 demo, you know is awesome news. I waited for months and heard nothing, and then finally it surfaced. It did not disappoint. These canadian black metal/noise rock weirdos have really worked on fine tuning their sound, this tape sounds bigger and fuller than its predecessor, but has lost none of the freaky vibes. I need more. 

THE BUG - What’s Buggin’ You?

I saw this posted somewhere with the tagline "members of Raw Nerve" and I thought, okay, you got me. Well, it sounds like Raw Nerve insofar as it's fast, ripping hardcore, but that's about the only comparison I can make. The Bug is something else entirely. This band is way noisier, way more chaotic, way more unpredictable, and just all around way better than Raw Nerve. Oh and there's power electronics parts. Forget that it has members of Raw Nerve. Just strap yourself in and go along for the ride. 

DISCIPLES OF CHRIST - 2015 Demo

I ripped / reviewed this a few months ago; it's still dynamite. The previously unreleased tracks on it should hopefully be on an LP in the next year or two. If you don't already know DoC, get ready for some of the best grind of 2015.

Other Notable Releases:

-Rectal Hygienics 'Ultimate Purity' LP

-Solutions 'Life Of Joy' EP

-Barcelona 'Extremo Nihilismo en Barcelona' EP

-Qualm 'Qualm' CS

-Blackmagnum 'Sick Of Living/Unwilling To Die' CS/EP (?)

Anticipated Releases:

-Sin Motivo 'El Desierto' LP (the two tracks they posted are incredible)

-No Form 'No Form' LP (they only posted one track, but it's totally fucked)

-City Hunter 'Open Season' LP (corny/racist antics aside, that tape was bomb as fuck)

-Condition LP (the 7"s were both great, can't wait for more)

-Dreamdecay LP (Iron Lung Records' spaced out noise lords return for round 2!)

-Cape Of Bats 'Violent Occultism' LP (I'm ready for the deathrock / black metal hatred)

-Flesh World LP (noisy aussie punk who apparently broke up, not mellow post-punk on ILR)

-Bone Awl LP (rumored on NWN! boards)

-Column Of Heaven / Suffering Luna split LP (finally?)

-Full Of Hell / The Body collaboration LP (or is that due out next year?)

-Triac / Sacridose split EP (do I have to say anything?)

-Gross EP (just saw them with Dilate and False Punk, the new stuff sounded sick)

-Internal Rot / Mellow Harsher split EP (Mellow Harsher's side is great, I need Internal Rot's)

-Gentlemen '終焉' and 'Pro Famine' EPs (why are there no good rips of these yet?)

-Sickoids (nothing announced, but I'm still waiting for the two records they promised in 2013)