Acrylics

'Acrylics'
Acrylics
2016

(Band Submission)

Review by Joey (taking the edge off, going for a softer FBN)

Genre/s: Hardcore Punk, Noise Rock, Noise Punk
For Fans Of: Mystery Product, Cheetah Chrome Motherfuckers, Technical Ecstasy, The Cysts

I'm seriously kicking myself for missing Acrylics when they played Philly recently (and not just because it was with Blank Spell and Cape Of Bats). Acrylics is one of those rare bands who really gets it when it comes to making genuinely twisted punk -- and if you're familiar with this blog, you know how harsh of a critic I am with this stuff. There are no gimmicks, nor does it feel as if they're trying too hard to prove how "weird" they are; just truly disconcerting bursts of anxious energy.

I actually had to think a bit about what bands to compare this to. There's a lot going on here: erratic tempo shifts; tortuous bass lines; and totally absurd, unnerving guitar work that exists in a place where Greg Ginn, East Bay Ray, and Dome (from CCM) all meet. I wouldn't say that Acrylics sounds much like either Black Flag or Dead Kenendys, but I get the feeling that this guitarist definitely has spent some time with the B-side of Damaged/1982 demos and Plastic Surgery Disasters. Do I really need to elaborate on how scary and fucked that sounds? And while I think there should be a background check required to get a chorus pedal considering the obnoxious over-saturation we've seen in the past couple years from punks-trying-too-hard, the chorus pedals on this definitely work to highlight the weirdness of the riffs, rather than acting as the source of it. There are also drums on this release (in case you thought there weren't), and they work perfectly in tandem with the bass to fill up as much space as possible, which of course gives room for more off kilter guitar work. Subtlety is a real strength here, as the drummer's understated use of accenting really drives this whole thing forward.

Look, basically this is some really fucked up shit, and that's what you come to this blog for, right? The other bands I mentioned should be enough to pique your interest, so smash that fucking download, motherfucker, and get fucking wrecked.

Tracklisting:
1. Shame
2. The Germ
3. Mamma's Boy
4. Nada Nada
5. He Wants A Baby
6. Waiting

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Sex Pill - Demo 2014

'Demo 2014'
Sex Pill
2014

Review by Brayden Bagnall

Genre/s: Hardcore, Noise Punk, Blackened Punk
For Fans Of: Slavehouse, Meth Sores, Horrid Cross, Perfume River, Slavescene

First of all a shout-out is in order for my co-blogger Joe for putting me onto this band and potentially letting me steal this review opportunity. Thanks!
Sex Pill are an infuriating band to google for obvious reasons, made even more difficult to very little internet presence. On the plus side, their music fucking rules and is perhaps a faint glimmer of hope for all the 'mysterious guy hardcore' buffs out there. Sex Pill play a style music that fluctuates between coherent - albeit lo-fi stompy blackened hardcore and blown out walls of noise. On top of that the vocals are heavily treated with some sort of chorus or rotary effect, rendering them completely unintelligible, and pretty darn menacing. This demo lapses in and out of noisy freakouts like it's going out of style, once again proving hardcore is at its best after it's been blown well and truly off its hinges. Approach with caution.

TRACKLISTING:
1. 1
2. 2
3. 3
4. 4

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!FUCKEDBYNOISE'S BEST OF 2014! - Joe's Picks (Part 1: Demos)

Okay, so I'm caving and posting part of my list early. What that means is that this list is subject to change, although I'm sure the top 10 will remain the same. 2014 has been ridiculously good and I'm so happy with the amount of amazing releases that were put out this year.  Because of the sheer number of things I loved this year, there will be honorable mentions listed at the end because choosing just 10 is impossible. 

Part 1: Demos

Anti-Zen 'Anti-Zen'
This band bridges the gap between anarcho-punk, deathrock, and hardcore punk through utilizing sinister, hypnotic riffs and minimalist, yet powerful drumming. I have a rip of this that I've been meaning to post for a while, so I'll put that up soon.














Gath Šmânê 'Transmuted Marrow'
What we have here is some truly fucked up death metal with heavy influence from bands like Nirvana 2002 and Nihilist (so basically late 80s/early 90s Swedish death metal) but with subtle atmospheric and black metal leanings and plenty of pinch harmonics.

Blank Spell 'Demo'
Blank Spell has members of Cape Of Bats, Haldol, and other Philadelphia based dark punk bands; they play off kilter deathrock infused hardcore punk which is aggressive and chaotic without losing its bleak atmosphere. This is music for trespassing in cemeteries at night.

Slave House 'Demo'
I think I described this band to somebody as "the black metal Gag." Brace yourself for blown out, stomping madness with evil riffs galore. The only raw black metal/punk bands I can think of that surpasse this level of mosh potential are Sewer Drainer or maybe Sesso Violento.

Chlorine 'Demo 2014'
This demo is twisted in the best possible way. Everything about it makes me want to break shit. It's got riffs, it's got breaks, it's got mosh parts, it's got fast parts, it's got noisy parts, it's got weird parts. It came out late in the year, so I'm sure a lot of people will miss it, but this is a band I will be keping my eye on.

Skáphe 'Skáphe'
I'm not entirely sure how to describe this demo.  It's really spaced out, atmospheric black metal like Xothist except it's a little cleaner and possibly a little scarier and it has a subtle hint of death metal thrown in the mix. This is some true nightmare horror black metal madness.













Rash '2014 Demo'
This demo is pretty simple. It's stompy, hyper aggressive hardcore punk.  This is the demo to go to if you want killer punk riffs and way too much mosh. I don't have a lot more to say about this but it's good so listen to it.














Nerium Oleander 'Declination'
Here's another weird demo.  Nerium Oleander plays what can only be described as a mix of atmospheric raw black metal/punk and industrial/noise.  Listening to it kind of reminds me of watching a David Lynch film, or maybe even what it would feel like to be a character in one.













Q "DEMQ" 
This is another straightforward hardcore punk demo.  Every part of it is mosh inducing, from the stompy caveman parts to the stompy d-beat parts. If you like to break things and/or fight dads, this demo is definitely for you.

Naamahk 'Demo 2014'

Although last on this list, this might be my favorite demo to come out this year.  Naamahk combines raw black metal/punk with freaky noise rock to create one of the coolest, most refreshing sounds I heard this year. If SQRM played black metal (yes I already know about Vucub Cane which is just the singer), this is probably what it would sound like. 

Honorable Mentions:
-Haldol 'Demo 2014' (deathrock/hardcore punk)
-Ritual Chamber 'The Pits Of Tentacled Screams' (blackened death metal)
-Disinterest 'Demo' (late 90s/early 00s screamo influenced hardcore punk)
-Shitgrinder 'Life Is Corrupted' (grindcore)
-Choose Death 'Choose Death' (stompy hardcore punk)
-Dilate 'Dilate Demo 2014' (blown out d-beat/raw punk)

Anything you think I missed? Let's fight it out in the comments section.

The Coltranes - The Cat Of Nine Tails

'The Cat Of Nine Tails'
The Coltranes
2014

Review by Joey

Genre/s: Noise Rock, Noise Punk
For Fans Of: Scratch Acid, Brainbombs, Slices, Pigeon Religion

This is another tape from this year which I had hoped would surface on the internet but never did. I picked it up when my band played with The Coltranes over the summer, but I held off on doing a rip because the tape doesn't have a tracklisting and there was none to be found online.  Well, now that the names of the tracks have been made public, I figured it was time to rip this bad boy and share it.

For those of you not already familiar with The Coltranes, they dish out some freaky noise rock in the vein of Scratch Acid and Brainbombs, but the singer croons a good deal of his vocals almost like Glenn Danzig, making for an in interesting juxtaposition. This tape is the band's 6th release, but only the 4th on a physical format.  The B-side was a live recording and the dubbing isn't that great on my copy, so I figured I'd just put up the A-side. For those interested in getting a physical copy of this EP since the tape is long sold out, it's being released as a 7" by SPHC, a label run by Kamikaze Dan from Lotus Fucker which has put out some fantastic stuff by bands such as Inservibles, Sete Star Sept, and Column Of Heaven.

If you like weird punk and noise rock don't sleep on this.

Tracklisting:
1. This Is A Whole New Look For Me
2. Distant
3. Seven Shades Of Shit
4. Parallels

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!FUCKEDBYNOISE'S BEST OF 2014! - Brayden's Picks (Part 1: Demos and EPs)

Welp, it's December meaning only one thing: you're going to be pelted with AOTY lists - much like the way I was pelted with awesome releases this year. Like last year's list, I'm opting for a top 10 system, but unlike last year I've realised I've got waaaay too many demos, EPs and singles to boil down to 10, so demos have their own list. As well as that, I've linked each entry up to a youtube video or bandcamp page in case you've got some catching up to do.

So without further ado here's part one of my Best of 2014 list!

DEMOS

R.I.P FUCKER - Bangers & Fuzz 

Simultaneously earning heaps of praise from me for their brilliant name AND their music, Melbourne band RIP Fucker's demo is all you could want from a D-Beat/Noise Punk band. Blown out walls of guitars, pummeling drums and weird, strained vocals with heeeeeaps of delay. One of many great Australian punk releases from this year. 

Unpeople - Demo

Dystopian rock and roll brought to you by Brisbane band Unpeople. Straightforward punk tunes played at dangerously loud levels with plenty of noise and dissonance injected into the fold to give it some extra grunt. If you're down with down picked power chords and feedback, you'll most likely dig this one.

Burlap - Demo

I told myself I wouldn't do definite favourites, but this here is definitely my favourite demo of 2014. Noise rock with a fair bit of drone and shoegaze influence, with a bit of post hardcore to top it off. I've reviewed them previously here, but I'm more than happy to keep showering them with praise. LISTEN TO THEM NOW

Shitgrinder - Demo

I really only have to say that this band features members of Idylls and Shackles to justify its place in this list, but I guess I'll expand on this by saying SWEET MOTHER OF GRIND. Three Brisbane dudes making super erratic, punk-y grindcore that does not let up. 15 tracks, 9 minutes and one very hard to explain erection.

Cum - Fuck Cops

I'm largely biased on this one thanks to the Beastie Boys cover on it, but Adelaide punks Cum really do pack on hell of a punch on this demo. Think a much more metallic, meaner Gag and you'll have a pretty good idea of what's in store. Keen to hear more from this band.

1/4 Dead - Demo

1/4 Dead play noisy hardcore that's comprised of wonky guitar riffs crazed vocals and plenty of negativity. Definitely one of my favourite demos from the states this year, and possibly my favouite hardcore demo. Also their singer Joe writes for this blog, so there's that too.

Oxygen Destroyer - 2014 Demo

Ferocious, blown out tunes that marries Japanese and US hardcore in the sloppiest, most deranged way possible. This demo's made even better by the goofy Godzilla samples in between songs, most likely as a tribute to their namesake. The band has zero internet presence but thankfully Terminal Escape has a rip and some information here

NAAMAHK - Demo

NAAMAHK are a Canadian blackened punk band who unleashed this killer demo earlier this year. They've combined the stompy, aggressive punk usually found within the genre with a much more weirder, angular noise rock approach. Off kilter, lo-fi and totally essential.

L.O.T.I.O.N - Second Audio Document

I recently reviewed L.O.T.I.O.N's first demo on this blog and I really can't get enough of them. It's old school industrial meets fucked up EBM, harsh noise and hardcore spawned from the same minds that gave you Dawn Of Humans, Survival and Nomad. Seriously killer stuff.

Gath Šmânê - Transmuted Marrow

So I'm not massively keen on death metal, but there's the ocassional band that makes me sit up and pay attention - Gath Šmânê being one of them. The three piece play absolutely massive sounding tunes of this two track demo that's dominated by gnarly tremolo riffs and disgusting guttural vocals.

EPs

Danny Whitten's Veins - Self Titled

This five track tape was most definitely the scuzziest thing to surface from the Australian punk scene this year, and boy am I happy it did. Danny Whitten's Vein's are a bunch of Adelaide misfits playing dirge-y noise punk in the vein of Flipper and Venom P. Stinger, but with a slightly more brutal and nosier slant to it. 

Multiple Man - Persuasion

Equal parts Gary Numan and Primitive Calculators, Brisbane synth-punks Multiple Man have been inching towards a decidedly more pop and dance oriented sound and hey, it still rules. Seriously, Persuasion has one of the coolest synth bass lines ever recorded - and the music video rules too.

Iron Lung - Savagery 

Like I have to fucking explain this one??

Cottaging - The Amyl Banshee EP

Featuring ex members of CULT RITUAL (!!), Cottaging actually put out two EPs this year, both as good as each other. Amyl Banshee in particular has an incredibly accurate title, given the psychadelic, drugged out noise rock emanating from within. Seriously good stuff. 

Qualm - Passive

As far as hardcore goes, it doesn't get much more primitive and ugly than Qualm. The Amsterdam band play mean, ugly tunes with deranged vocals and more stomp mosh parts than you can shake your fist and grunt at. UGH

DiE - Vexed

UKHC actually had a preeeetty good year - Perspex Flesh, The Lowest Form, Mob Rule and these guys, all releasing some killer stuff. DiE in particular play what's essentially super sped up, aggressive oi coupled with unhinged hardcore, but with less nationalism and lower middle class romanticism. For fans of speedy 1-2 beats and punching things 

UltraMantis Black - Self Titled

So members of Pissed Jeans teamed up with an actual pro-wrestler essentially forming a more genuine version of The Ultimate Warriors. Except this time it's gnarly, weird grindy-fastcore with lyrics about environmentalism and Native American rights. What's not to love really?

Dead Boomers - Privilege&Obscenity

Two members of True Radical Miracle doing a very nicely potent take on harsh noise, industrial and power electronics. The Melbourne duo incorporate percussion and structure into their music to recreate incredibly dense and enveloping dirges. Definitely Australia's best noise act. Apart from Justice Yeldham, of course.

Coffin Birth - Necrotic Liquefaction 

Insect Warfare lives on through a Brisbane three piece grindcore band. Seriously concise, walloping stuff with delicious guttural vocals and unrelenting riffs. Awesome on record and even better live.

Ornamental Headpiece - Mask Of Ash

Not gonna lie, CSR totally dropped the ball on the latest A Pregnant Light album - but, in its place here's a much more fierce and ugly EP. Ornamental Headpiece are a blackened hardcore band featuring members from various CSR projects. Moody black metal riffs, galloping drums with occasional forays into post punk. Not bad at all. 

Honorable Mentions (Of many, many others)
Funeral Parlor - Axis Flowers

Frame 313 - Split with Wrong

DeadShred - Thousand Yard Staring Competition
Warthog - Prison

Una Bestia Incontrolable - Nou Mon

Gentlemen - S/T EP

Gag - Locker Room

Pleasure Cross - Wait For The End

Puke - S/T EP

Volahn/Blue Hummingbird On The Left Split

Velvet Whip - Bronze Medallion

Cottaging - Mis En Abyme

Oily Boys - Majesty

Sperm - Yahweh Bring Us To This Hell

EARLY 80S JAPANESE PUNK MEGAPOST

I'm sure that if you're into punk and you have an internet connection, you've probably seen something about punk from Japan. Everybody knows about Gauze and G.I.S.M., but neither of those bands is really a good representative of the punk that came out of Japan at the time.  Sure, both were hugely influential to punk there and around the world, but there aren't many other bands who sound like them.  I could attempt to give a history lesson or rave for hours about how Japanese punk is really awesome, but that's been done about a million times already so I don't see much of a point.  Plus, I feel as if a lot of people who do that seem to fetishize Japan in the same way that weeaboos do.

This megapost contains 20 of my favorite Japanese punk EPs released in the early 1980s (through '85).  I left out the super obvious ones (The Stalin, Lipcream, Zouo, Kuro, etc) but for the most part I feel these aren't too obscure.  That doesn't mean I didn't throw in a couple hard to track down goodies, but the main reason for making this megapost is to introduce newcomers to early 80s Japanese punk without them having to go on a scavenger hunt all over the internet (or spend over $200 on a 5 minute flexi shipping from half way across the globe).  There's something in here for everyone: noisy, weird, thrashy, dark, fast, and even some straightforward, ripping hardcore/punk.

So, enough of that, let's just get to the fucking music...

'No More Hiroshima' 
 Gas
1982

Aside from SS and The Stalin, Gas is probably one of the best examples of hardcore punk emerging in Japan.

'Plastic Scandal'
奇形児 (Kikeiji)
1983

This band offered some off kilter, yet still very catchy punk similar to the UK's Gang Of Four.

'Masturbation'
Masturbation
1983

Masturbation dished out nasty, dark, repetitive punk. There's a lot of deathrock and post-punk vibes on this, but it still has the raw aggression of early hardcore punk.

'あぶらだこ'
あぶらだこ (Aburadako)
1983

Although they would later become an avant-garde group, Aburadako started by playing wonky, noisy punk. There's not really anything else that sounds like this.

'Go To Hell !'
The Execute
1983

The Execute played bulldozing hardcore punk with some metal tinges thrown in for good measure.

'Hiromi’s Party Part 1'
Bitousha
1984

This band gets frequently overlooked and I have no idea why. Their only release was this three song flexi, but it's overloaded with badass stomping fury.

'自我'
自我 (Jiga)
1984

This one's fairly straightforward hardcore punk laced with some metal influence, but it's a total ripper.

'Carry Out Fucking'
Ghoul
1984

I can't help but feel this band was probably a huge influence on Death Side and other late 80s thrashing hardcore punk bands.  It should also be noted that I like this band way more than the neo-thrash band with the same name.

'Destroy'
L.S.D.
1984

L.S.D. played some totally fucked blown out stompy hardcore punk with delayed vocals. I shouldn't have to say anything other than that.

'Many Question Poison Answer'
Outo
1984

This is a good example of what would come to be known as "noise punk." It's lofi, fast, and totally reckless; so in other words, essential.

'The Middle East Combat Area'
The Clay
1984

The Clay slams you with riffs on riffs.  They're kind of like the missing link between UK82 (Discharge, G.B.H.) and late 80s Burning Spirits bands (Death Side, Tetsu Arrey).

'Diabolism'
 Mobs
1984

Mobs is similar to The Clay in that they play nasty, riff driven hardcore similar to what was being played in the UK at the time.  Despite the comparison, they still hold their own.

'残忍聖者'
愚鈍 (Gudon)
1985

If you want lofi, you got it. Probably one of my favorite Japanese punk releases of all time, this flexi absolutely destroys.

'In A Coma....'
Coma
1985

Ever wonder how goth/deathrock would manifest itself in Japan's punk scene? Well, now you don't have to imagine anymore.

'Gasmask'
Gasmask
1985

Of all the bands on this list, I'd say Gasmask is probably the closest sounding to US hardcore punk. Even though this material is pretty straightforward, there are some cool twists in the mix.

'Slow Down'
一家心中 (Ikka Shinjyuu)
1985

This one is some ridiculously ripping, off kilter hardcore punk. The guitar work really cuts through on this one, it's got noise solos and dive bombs and riffs on riffs.

'The Last Days'
The Sexual
1985

The Sexual played absolutely raging hardcore punk. This will make you want to punch something.

'From Born Til Die'
Rose Rose
1985

This flexi is some totally rocking, fucked up punk.  It's got some fast parts, but a lot of it is fairly mid-paced and riff based.

'Tranquilizer'
Tranquilizer
1985

Tranquilzer played ripping hardcore and their singer sounded like a bumble bee.  You'll see what I mean.

'Crime Of Existence'
Junk Schizo
1985

This is some totally weirdo, off kilter hardcore punk.  It's got fast parts, it's got odd parts, so what's not to love?

Hopefully you now have some idea of what you're getting into. Everything has been put into one .rar file so you can grab it all at once. Go wild.

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