Idol Punch - Black Diamond

'Black Diamond'
Idol Punch
2007

'Cute hardcore'

Okay, so anyone who knows me or follows my other blog probably knows I have a serious musical boner for anything out of Japan, especially their thrashcore bands. I chose to start off with Idol Punch simply because you'll be very hard pressed to find a working download link for these guys on the web and I just happen to some of their stuff on my computer.

Thrashcore is a pretty straightforward genre, I think. All you have to do is play some sort of variation of a DRI riff, add in a mosh-y breakdown and you're basically done.
And Idol Punch do this...
...But they also have a kitschy sense of humour and will not hesitate to throw in a hook laden pop punk melody to throw you off. Tracks like 'Harkone-Riot' or 'La Mesa Vistosa' are straight up thrash assaults, while 'Fruit Shop Cessna' sounds like something the Descendants could have written. It's this kind of variation that keeps you on your feet, unsure of what strange direction the next song will take, and to me, that is the sign of a great album.

If goofy, fast paced thrashy hardcore sounds like your kind of thang, download this album, by all means.
If you're unsure, download it anyway, it's a hell of a lot of fun and it's free.

Harkone-Riot!