Slug Guts - Playin' In Time With The Deadbeat

'Playin' In Time With The Dead Beat'
Slug Guts
2012

Genre/s: Post-punk, Noise rock
For Fans Of: King Snake Roost, The Birthday Party, Iceage, Bird Blobs

Slug Guts are a post punk outfit from Brisbane, Australia, who have been cranking out some dark, gritty tunes since 2009.  While they have a sound that definitely recalls some of the more dissonant, post punk of the 1980s, the deranged vocals (somewhere between Nick cave, Captain Beefheart and David Yow), the saxophone and innovative guitar keep things fresh and interesting. It's a messy brew of oddball sounds, held together by solid bass lines and some pretty catchy riffs - and it all comes together to from an album that has a distinctly 'Australian' sound.

TRACKLISTING:
1. Scum
2. Old Black Sweats
3. Suckin' Down
4. Moving Heat
5. Order Of Death
6. Adult Living
7. Black Sports
8. Playin' In Time With The Deadbeat
9.  Glory Holes
10. Strangling You Too
11. Blonde Hairs
12. Do You Wanna Hang Right There?

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California Love - Reaping The Whirlwind

'Reaping The Whirlwind'
California Love
2007

Genre/s: Powerviolence, Grindcore
For Fans Of: Hellnation, In Disgust, Low Places, Final Draft

You'll be hard pressed to find a more menacing, evil powerviolence record than this one. On this debut LP, California Love play a nasty-ass crusty grindcore/powerviolence hybrid that just lays waste to everything around it. The songs have the classic start/stop, fast/slow dynamic but boy do they do the slow parts well - they're oppressively heavy, miserable and just plain filthy. It's safe to say that California Love would also make a very accomplished sludge band. You don't see as much of these guys on the net as some of their fellow PV peers, but that's not to say it isn't a fan-fucking-tastic listen. Get it below.

TRACKLISTING
1. Inherit The Earth
2. Human Unkind
3. Under The Crosses
5. Aversion Therapy
6. Inflictor
7. Stumble To Failure
8. Approaching Oblivion
9. Of Flesh
10. Legacy
11. Wolf Feast

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Swing Kids - Discography

DISCOGRAPHY
Swing Kids
1994 - 1995

Genre/s: Hardcore, Post Hardcore
For Fans Of: Retox, Refused, Some Girls Head Wound City

Swing Kids were an excellent mid 90s hardcore band that left quite an impact - though they also left behind a criminally short discography. One of Justin Pearson's many, many, many bands, Swing Kids played angular, dissonant hardcore with intelligent and irregular song structures. This is a collection of amazing tunes that capture the melting pot of genres that was San Diego's punk scene in the 90s. This discography is 9 songs (including a Joy Division cover), and while it's a very short listen, it's quality stuff. I should also point out that the band put out a self titled EP in 2009 with an updated version of 'Situations On Mars' and a brand new track.

TRACKLISTING:
1. El Camino Car Crash
2. Line #1
3. Blue Note
4. Clean Shade Of Dirty
5. Warsaw (Joy Division cover)
6. Disease
7. Situations On Mars
8. Forty Three Seconds
9. Intro To Photography

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Whirr - Distressor

'Distressor'
Whirr
2011

Genre/s: Shoegaze, Dreampop
For Fans Of: Nothing, My Bloody Valentine, Deafheaven, True Widow

Admittedly, I'm fashionably late to this whole 'shoegaze' thing. Its been around for decades, and its  had something of a renaissance with bands like Deafheaven incorporating into their post-black metal and MBV releasing a new album, so it was probably about time I checked it out. I was introduced to Whirr by a friend - and while I was not expecting much, my cold, dark heart was moved by the dreamy, warm sonic vibes this EP here put out. I like my music as abrasive and un-listenable as possible, yet I like this. Whirr are a noisy band, don't get me wrong, but rather than channeling their energy into complete audio terrorism, they mould it into this ethereal monolith of sound, with an ebb and flow that just washes over you like thousands of fluffy bunnies. The vocals (both male and female) fade in and out of the fade, and are almost like another musical instrument, contributing to the many textures that make up this release. I get it if you're willing to pass this up - there are no blastbeats or growls or screaming - BUT, if you want to get into the genre, and you want to embrace your softer, more friendlier musical brethren, this is a good place to start.

TRACKLIST:
1. Preface
2. Leave
3. Blue
4. Ghost
5. Meaningless
6. Child
7. Sandy
8. Leave (Demo Version)
9. Meaningless (Demo Version)

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Siberian Hell Sounds - Siberian Hell Sounds

'Siberian Hell Sounds'
Siberian Hell Sounds
2013

(Band Submission)

Genre/s: Dark Hardcore, Metalcore, Sludge, Doom
For Fans Of: Trap Them, Left For Dead, Black Breath, Cursed, Young And In The Way

Taking their name from the infamous 'Well To Hell' hoax, Siberian Hell Sounds are a three piece metallic hardcore band from my hometown, Brisbane, Australia. Embodying the darker elements of hardcore, and borrowing elements of their sounds from the more grim spectrum of genres (black metal, sludge/doom, grindcore etc etc), Siberian Hell Sounds' music should appeal to anyone with an appreciation of heavy music. There's plenty of awesome vocal work courtesy of the band itself and numerous contributors from the local hardcore/metal scene here, top notch riff work that goes from 'kvlt' to 'throwdown worthy' in the bat of an eyelid and a just this cool, dark, menacing aesthetic that I really dig. These guys have plenty of merch up for sale on their bandcamp, as well as a pay-what-you-want digital download of their debut release, go support some awesome talent and snag yourself some brilliant music while you're at it.

TRACKLISTING:
1. Bastard Machine
2. A Cold Presence
3. Infernal Hurricane
4. The Tallest Horn
5. Tension
6. Reign Of The Bastard
7. Streets Of Piss
8. Burning Breath/Exhale Death

Bandcamp

Scholastic Deth - Final Examiner

'Final Examiner' (Discography)
Scholastic Deth
2001 - 2002

Genre/s: Thrashcore, Fastcore
For Fans Of: Laarm, R.A.M.B.O, Infest, Charles Bronson

Scholastic Deth were a short-lived, but nonetheless influential thrashcore outfit on the famous 625 Thrashcore label. The band put out some awesome tunes in their one year lifespan, a delicatessen of short bursts of feedback, blastbeats and whirlwind fast hardcore riffs. Backed up by some pretty humorous lyrics ranging from political to morose, bratty and aggressive vocals - this is one discography your collection needs,

TRACKLISTING:
1. The Revolution Will Not Be Posted On Ebay 
2. Killed By School 
3. WWHD? 
4. UC = Unhindered Capitalism 
5. Spring Fever 
6. Said Said 
7. Literaly Illiterate 
8. Kill The Message Board 
9. Bookstore Bore 
10. Cheetos 
11. Mentally Fumigated 
12. Coffee Cures Everything 
13. Time To Rock 
14. We Think Metal Music Is Awesome But... 
15. Pugnatious Bibliorific Erudism 
16. Drop The Bomb 
17. Book Attack 
18. One Day At A Time 
19. Kill 'Em With Politics 
20. Sham(e) 
21. Old People Are Dumb 
22. Revenge Of The Nerds 
23. Nows The Time 
24. On The Road Of Life... 
25. Bring It Back... 
26. Fuck It, I Quit 
27. Scene Of The Spectacle 
28. PMA 
29. Rock Together 
30. Bookstore Core 
31. Options 
32. Xtreme Equals Mainstream 
33. Shackle Me Not! 
34. Warcore I: Politics Of Total War 
35. Warcore II: War By Timetable
36. Tomorrow 
37. Simplified But Amplified Recommended Reading (Unreleased)
38. Shit Peddlers Aka Wiltpolitik 
39. Trust Fund Aka No Bike Messengers In Russia
40. School's Out 
41. PMA 
42. Literaly Illiterate 
43. Drop The Bomb 
44. Revenge Of The Nerds 
45. Options 
46. Bookstore Core 
47. Killed By School 
48. Nows The Time 
49. WWHD? 
50. Xtreme Equals Mainstream

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Noisear - Subvert The Dominant Paradigm

'Subvert The Dominant Paradigm'
Noisear
2011

Genre/s: Grindcore
For Fans Of: Discordance Axis, Cellgraft, Brutal Truth, Gridlink

There are grind records that floor you - and then there are grind records that take a sledgehammer to your cranium and don't let up until all that reminds of your puny little head is a puddle of blood and brain matter on the floor - 'Subvert The Dominant Paradigm' being one of the latter. Taking cues from the technical brilliance of Discordance Axis, injecting some experimentation a la modern Brutal Truth and ramping up the speed and ferocity by about 120%, Noisear steam roll through this album's 46 minute long run time. The shrieks, growls, blasts and pinch harmonics that make up this monstrosity are made even more impressive by the fact that the band had literally 48 hours to write and record it. Granted that technically only twenty-five minutes of this album are actual songs, but that's probably the best part - they finish the album with a lengthy harsh noise track. As if twenty nine songs weren't enough brutal enough! It's a perfect way to end a suitably punishing release.

TRACKLISTING:
1. Breaking Bad at the Mulberry
2. Waiting to Be Born
3. Gestapolis
4. Inevitable Extinction
5. Global Warning
6. Fraudulent
7. Information Highway to Hell
8. Stress Pandemic
9. Inoperative
10. Deformed by Society
11. The Rail
12. The Alternative Is...
13. Blackout
14. Slave
15. Ace Is the King
16. The Last Spark of Resistance
17. Life Consumed You
18. Ignorance Is Bliss
19. Minefield
20. Fighting Addiction
21. Borealis Storm
22. Poisonous Cure
23. Four Walls
24. The Perpetual Downfall Of Man
25. Translucent
26. Almas Por El Infierno
27. Silent Guilt of the Reaper
28. Contaminants of the Earth
29. The Blackened Sea
30. Noisearuption

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Gay Witch Abortion - Maverick

'Maverick'
Gay Witch Abortion
2009

Genre/s: Stoner Rock, Psychadelic, Noise Rock, Garage Rock
For Fans Of: Hex Machine, Blue Cheer, Boris, Black Sabbath

Aside from having one of the best names in modern music, Gay Witch Abortion churn out some dangerously fuzzed out, rhythmic, pulsating noise. For a two man group (guitar and drums) the band's output is massive - writhing textures that pound your skull with repetition, psychedelic textures and moments of surprising aggression. 'Maverick' is primarily instrumental - with more structured, riff oriented songs and some full-blown, noise freak-outs.  Bolstered by Jesse Bottemly's weird, floating and powerful vocals and Shawn Walker's tribal drumming, this album comes together superbly. Plug this in, listen to it loudly and zone out.

TRACKLISTING:

1. Down with Giants
2. Stain on the Floor
3. Action Cop
4. Unblinking Sun
5. Third World Limo
6. Your Own Militia
7. Church Buffet
8. Group Think
9. Girl Pop Soda
10. Wavey Graves
11. Curses
12. Scythian Sculls
13. Asleep In The Dirt

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So Stressed - Attracted To Open Mouths

'Attracted To Open Mouths'
So Stressed
2012

(Band Submission)

Genre/s: Noise Rock, Punk, Alternative, Experimental
For Fans Of: Broken Prayer, DZ Deathrays, Tera Melos, Pink City

So Stressed are an experimental punk/noise rock band, though that moniker hardly does them justice. On 'Attracted To Open Mouths', the band lay out a veritable feast of genres so varied it boggles the mind. On one hand, So Stessed are an atonal, noisy cacophony reveling in distortion, weirdness and a complete disregard for common musical convention. On the other hand, they're an upbeat alternative rock band, swimming in a sea of fuzz and feelgood vibes. So with these ridiculously diametrically opposed sounds, how does the band keep things coherent? Well they're just so damn good, that's how. Things go from dance-punk to no-wave, to Pixies-esque melancholy to full blown musical nihilism a la Happy Flowers. It's a constantly varying soundscape that'll lure you into a false sense of security and then sucker punch you. I like an album that'll make you scratch your head, and doesn't feel the need to stick to one specific sound, and 'Attracted To Open Mouths' ticks both those boxes.

TRACKLISTING:
1. Adults
2. A Fisherman's Feasts
3. Little TV
4. Secret Breasts
5. Animals Seeking Political Asylum
6. Hairstyles
7. Molly
8. Astronomical Horse

Bandcamp

Full Blown A.I.D.S - Full Blown A.I.D.S

'Full Blown A.I.D.S' 
Full Blown A.I.D.S
2008

Genre/s: Grindcore, Sludgecore
For Fans Of: Anal Cunt, Soilent Green, Eyehategod, Arson Anthem

Seth Putnam (R.I.P you crazy asshole) may have been a despicable human being, but his musical output is some unrelenting, repulsive music. Full Blown A.I.D.S is no exception - a beastly concoction of sludgy hardcore and  ferocious grindcore that's delivers a hefty punch to the testicular region. The down tuned guitars and Putnam's unique, polyp inducing scream are a menacing duo to behold, and this one big-ass chunk of sonic filth just waiting to burrow its way into your brain. This here is a essentially a discography (a total of  two EPs, plus an AC/DC cover), snag it below and inflict some damage upon your hearing.

TRACKLISTING:
1. No-one Cares
2. Track Team
3. It's All Fake
4. Stupid Bitch
5. Trash Picker
6. Alcoholic
7. Leech
8. For Those About To Rock - We Salute You
9. Fact Finder
10. Everything
11. Throwing Cars At People On Coke With Thor

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Limits - September Demo

'September Demo'
Limits
2013

(Band Submission)

Genre/s: Hardcore, Dark Hardcore, Powerviolence
For Fans Of: Coke Bust, Left For Dead, California Love, Gehenna

It always makes  my day when I see a band submit their stuff to me, and while I may take my sweet time  (sorry, by the way) getting it up onto this blog, I'm always happy to get some cool new music out there to the masses. ANYWAY, what we have here is some awesome up and coming sonic devastation in the form of Limits, a Straight-Edge hardcore/powerviolence band from Philly. While it's a lo-fi demo, the quality of the material is excellent - 9 punishing tracks of brutality that borrow heavily from powerviolence, sludge (and doom) and classic, meaty hardcore (a la Boston). The raspy vocals are great, the tempo changes from glacial to VERY FUCKING FAST are even greaterer and don't even get me started on the beatdowns they thrown in there.  Here's hoping they release more excellent stuff further down the track.

TRACKLISTING:
1. Bereft
2. Get Out
3. Empty Shell
4. Both Ends
5. Drown
6. Enough Pressure
7. Clearing
8. Void
9. Tourist

Bandcamp

!UPDATE!

HELLO

So, it's been pretty quiet on the F.B.N front (mostly because I'm fucking lazy) but I've got some kick-ass band submissions to throw your way very soon, as well as some more awesome downloads - as soon as I get around to writing up the reviews. In the meantime, go check out my new solo project!

http://autoclavedeath.bandcamp.com/

Tusk - Get Ready

'Get Ready'
Tusk
2002/2005

Genre/s: Grindcore, Mathcore
For Fans Of: Hewhocorrupts, Graf Orlock, Ed Gein, Gaza


Tusk are a sadly defunct band with members who now play in Pelican, though the two bands couldn't be further apart. Tusk trade Pelican's glacial pacing and dense soundscapes for a barrage of blastbeats, savage riffs and shrieked vocals. Keeping the ferocity and brutality of grindcore, injecting it with the complexity and precision of mathcore and giving it a healthy dose of hardcore and metal energy; this release ducks and dives through chugs, tremelos and sudden tempo shifts. This is an utterly pummeling album, though one that does not sacrifice intelligence and variance for the sake of meatier riffs and pointless breakdowns. This band has described their sound as 'Discordance Axis by way of Yes's 'Close To The Edge', and if that doesn't intrigue you, than you cannot be helped.

(Note: This is the 2005 release of the album, so it comes with a few extra live tracks. Neato!)

Tracklist:
1. Dragon Mountain Trick
2. Uptown Nights
3. Make A Mess
4. Get Ready
5. A Animal Has A Nice Day
6.  Green Love
7. Blood
8. Six-Act Descent To The Lower Reaches
9. So Long, Farewell
(Live Tracks)
10. A Animal Has A Nice Day
11. Make A Mess
12. Dragon Mountain Trick
13. Green Love
14. Six-Act Descent Into The Lower Reaches
15. Blood/Uptown Nights

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Bad People - Pearls Before Swine

'Pearls Before Swine'
Bad People
2013

Genre/s: Hardcore, Punk
For Fans Of: Broken Prayer, Brown Sugar, OFF!

Two things immediately caught my attention when I was turned onto this band - the brutal artwork [poor kitty :(] and the fact this band shares members with Brown Sugar and White Guilt (RIP), which are (and were) two killer bands who've done some pretty cool things with hardcore in recent years. Bad People deal in off-kilter hardcore via lots of reverb, bratty, snarled vocals and plenty of nods to heaps of other genres. While the band keeps things moving forward with the frantic energy of 80s punk and hardcore, they blend it with everything from rock and roll to surf music, and at times even psychadelia (check out the intro 'No-no'). All these seemingly mismatched elements come together in a cacophonic mix of frustration, aggression and straight up weirdness. Go download EP for free at Bad People's bandcamp, or go buy the record from Feeble Minds.

Tracklisting:
1. They Think I'm Rotten
2. Daddy's Little Boy
3. Piss + Shit
4. No-no
5. Weird One
6. Blue Lines
7. Talking Cat

Bandcamp
Buy

50/50 - Skate Gore EP

'Skate Gore'
50/50
2007

Genre: Grindcore, Deathgrind, Goregrind
For Fans Of: Insect Warfare, Circle Of Dead Children, In Disgust, P.L.F

50/50 are a self-labelled skate-grind band, so I was expecting some fast paced, thrashcore influenced stuff when I first listened to them. Much to my surprise I discovered that they have more in common with the death/gore-grind side of things. Brutal, guttural vocals and beefy riffs and slams dominate this corker of an EP, with filthy, gore soaked lyrics centering around skateboarding. While this may seem like a gimmicky sort of band, 50/50 really do deliver some crushing tunes on this release, and while they may be defunct now, you can still snag the goods here.

TRACKLISTING
1. Blood Soaked Security Guard
2. Skate Gore
3. Bong Water Vomitus
4. Wall Ride Waste
5. Curb Slaughter
6. Frontside Face Grind
7. Gator Mutilation
8. Skitchin'
9. Heat Exhaustion
10. Let's Joust
11. Sticky Blunt Stall
12. Testicular Trauma

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Kilslug - Answer The Call

'Answer The Call'
Kilslug
1986

Genre/s: Noise rock, sludge, punk
For Fans Of: Flipper, Melvins, Black Flag,

Kilslug are a criminally overlooked band that basically took the weird, annoying side of Flipper and combined it with the grunt and muscle of heavy metal and punk. Kilslug's brand of sleazy, grimy proto-sludge is kind of hard to listen to - it's grating, it's off kilter and just, really, really lazy - but like Flipper, it works really well.  Boredom, frustration, anger - it's all here, but with a wry sense of humour and a heavy dose of cynicism. Dissillusionment has never sounded so good folks.

TRACKLISTING:
1. Into A Hole
2. Henderson's Rag
3. Death Squad
4. Of Course
5. Demon Blue
6. Tart Cart
7. Red Devil
8. Make It Rain
9. Eater Time
10. Bring Back The Dead
11. Bad Karma

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Dead Language - Self Titled LP

'Dead Language'
Dead Language
2011

Genre/s: Powerviolence, Fastcore
For Fans Of: No Comment, Iron Lung, Low Threat Profile, Walls

Holy shit man, you should've seen my jaw drop when I first heard about these guys. Members of Iron Lung and Walls - with the legendary Andy Beattie (No Comment, Low Threat Profile, Man Is The Bastard etc etc). You can see why I was so enthusiastic. Essentially capturing the raw fury of the 90s scene, courtesy of Beattie's relentless vocal assault and pitting it against the noisy, angular oddities of Iron Lung Record's alumni, this LP is a kick ass slice of powerviolence goodness. The slow/fast dynamics are played excellently, while the feedback and noise brays angrily in between the bursts of violence and anger. Album closer 'Misanthropy' is probably the highlight - a 9 minute juggernaut of sludgy noise rock with some brilliant atmospheric noise work, though anything off this release is gold in my eyes. Ch-ch-ch-check it out.

TRACKLISTING:
1. Paranoia
2. Kingdom Come
3. Taking Control
4. They're Still Out There
5. We Are Watching You Fail
6. Short Straw
7. Ignorance
8. A New Dark Age
9. Misanthropy

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Headless Death - Demo

'Demo'
Headless Death
2011

Genre/s: Grindcore, Death Metal, Hardcore
For Fans Of: Phobia, Napalm Death, Terrorizer, Agathocles

Headless death are a sweet little outfit from Melbourne who play some great, early grindcore influenced tunes. This demo's a filthy, murk mish-mash of crust, grind, death metal and punk with awesome raspy vocals and great grooves. The lo-fi quality of this demo really adds a great element to the listen, especially with the drums (cymbals especially) dominating the overall sound. These dudes whould have some new stuff out soon, so keep an ear out.

TRACKLISTING: 
1. Total Atrophy
2. Fuse
3. Solace In Death
4. Dietary Underclass
5. Flawless System
6. Rape Yourself
7. Hating Life (Grave cover)
8. Headless Death
9. Thrash And Blow Up

Download
Bandcamp

No Trend - Too Many Humans

'Too Many Humans'
No Trend
1984

Genre/s: Noise Rock, No Wave, Hardcore, Noise Punk
For Fans Of: Brainbombs, Mars, DNA, Flipper, Sonic Youth

No Trend are one of the few bands I consider to be a 'legitimate' punk band. They really didn't give a shit. Their music's the manifestation of their disillusionment with the then current punk/hardcore scene and it's contrived, pigeonholed sound, and I think that's great. Taking cues from the more dissonant no wave bands of the New York scene, throwing in the aggression of punk and hardcore and the dense and glueing it together with the weirdness and experimental edge that made Sonic Youth so popular - No Trend's unique style made them one of the more interesting acts to appear in the 1980s punk scene. The lyrics and vocal delivery are incredibly scathing and cynical,  the guitars scrape and grind and fuzz in a horrendous display of atonality all while strong, repetitive and unusually cohesive bass lines keep everything from collapsing in on itself. No Trend went on to evolve into a jazz/funk/punk fusion band, and while their sound had lost it's abrasive ege they still managed to be 1000x more 'punk' than half the bands around today, purely because of their uncompromising dedication to churning out weird, challenging music.

TRACKLISTING
1. Family Style
2. Blow Dry
3. Reality Breakdown
4. Kiss Ass To Your Peer Group
5. Fashion Tips For The 80s
6. Too Many Humans
7. For The Fun Of It All
8. Mindless Little Insects
9. Happiness Is...

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Direwolves - Me From Myself, To Banish

'Me From Myself To Banish'
Direwolves
2012

Genre: Hardcore, Metalcore
For Fans Of: Birds In Row, Jungbluth, United Nations, Alpinist

Direwolves are a hardcore from band France who play a refreshing style of modern hardcore. Think metallic hardcore, but with nods to screamo, crust and post rock. Crushing guitars and chaotic vocals are set against quieter, more progressive sections, intertwined with raw emotion and energy. These guys are yet another excellent band off Throatruiner Record's awesome roster (Yes, go check it out) and well worth your time.

TRACKLISTING:
1. Growling Defeat
2. Dialogue Of No Light
3. Reach This Hand
4. Diving And Struggling
5. Me From Myself - To Banish
6. Relief

Download
Bandcamp