CD Reviews

Rabid Dogs - Italian Violence CD
myspace.com/rabiddogsgrind
This appears to be their debut album that they shipped me in a bubble mailer from Italy. It got cracked so I'm just going to listen to their Myspace songs because although the packing job was pretty losy, they took the time and money to send it all the way my way, which is awesome in my book. The first song online appears to be the s/t album that opens the CD up. Sounds rad, blasty, screamy, not super tight and a little too metal for me... halfway in there is a rad punk'n'roll KYLESA-esque part that I dig. I'm actually pretty into this first song because of all the changeups. Next song is the third song on the album, too many different vocal parts and changeups in this one, and has that southern metal feel that 16 can hammer out but sometimes other bands it rubs me the wrong way. Some blasty parrot high pitch part near the end resembled the end of the last song. The other songs were very in the vein of the others. I don't love this band but I dig what they are doing. They have that sound that if you like Relapse bands, this may be a breath of fresh air. -willfastcore

The Love Below - Demo 2009 CD-R
myspace.com/thelovebelowhc
What can't you love about a TDK disc with a screenprinted penis on it? Funny thing is that CDDB things its a Life Crisis CD when I put it in. This starts out with rad slow intro/sample combination then rages into some hardcore. The singer's voice on this seemed a little funny at voice, somehow the way he waivers his voice I just imagined some deluded clown singing. By the second song it sounds more normal, and I'm into it. These guys are too fast to fall into a jock hardcore type category, this is more for fans of thrashy hardcore jams. This band is is you could do a mashup of COMMON ENEMY and COKE BUST. -willfastcore

Wormrot - Dead CD-R
myspace.com/wormrotgrind
This is nuts and awesome! Straight up grind. Fourteen half minute to minute and a half long blasts. These dudes are from Singapore and muscle out INSECT WARFARE-esque dirges. Seriously, if you like grindcore at all, this is awesome, I'm not going to even write more about this, just do yourself a favor. -willfastcore

Wet Reckless - Demo CD-R
myspace.com/wetreckless
Comes with a cut piece of burlap or something and a black metal samurai dude for packaging. This has two guys from the defunct RHINO CHARGE in it, but I guess they went more punk on this one. If you can't say anything nice, don't say it I guess (sorry Ryan and Matt)... ARCTIC CHOKE is more my thing. This would be for people who might stuff more along the lines of LIBYANS or GOVERNMENT WARNING. -willfastcore

Revolta - Thought Police CD-R
myspace.com/revolta
The only metal band I ever listened to as a kid was FEAR FACTORY. With that said, bands that play real metal really confuse me. These guys play metally stuff from Maryland. The demo starts out really strong but has some nu-metal break in the first song that makes the song lose steam, although there is a sweet sweeping whammy bar solo session that pans between channels that I kind of secretly am into later on. The other three songs are pretty solid, but they clock up to an average of about three minutes each and again I don't get real metal. If you are into the stuff it looks like they have the whole demo for download online: http://revoltaband.blogspot.com/. -willfastcore

Whalelimb - Demo CD-R
myspace.com/whalelimb
This band appears to be defunct as of July of 09. Because that is the case I won't put too much in here. They play rad, spazzy hardcore.. almost reminds me of some old Gravity Records or No Idea Records bands.. ala BORN AGAINST or . Thing I love about these songs is a few of them hardly start and song and its over.... the forth song is literally three seconds of feed back, three seconds of breakdown, and three seconds of song. No bullshit. -willfastcore

Transitions - Demo CD-R
myspace.com/transitions518
Write these guys and tell them to play faster, please. For fans of DOWN TO NOTHING, COLD WORLD, TERROR, BANE, KIDS LIKE US-esque hardcore. Nothing too stand-out on this one... actually I think they forgot to put the vocals on the last two songs, that stands out to me.

Fucked By The State - Demo 2007 CD-R
myspace.com/fbtsassault
Holy crap, I thought CONGA FURY moved to New York on this one. Poor quality, distorted female screaming, wall of noise... you want to hate it but you have to love it. This is really really good. I dig the upside down cross and punked out back. For fans of the poorly recordedness of AGATHOCLES and UNHOLY GRAVE and the I really could be convinced this was CONGA FURY if Hanao sang less shrilly. -willfastcore

I Hate This - Demo 2007 CD-R
myspace.com/wehatethis
Pissed angry female vocals, angular guitars, fast hardcore. Its fast and on point. Think a thrashy BREAD AND WATER or maybe a female fronted LIFES HALT. These are good people and good songs, really solid first release, make sure to check out the vinyl these folks have put out since two/three years ago. -willfastcore

Coconut Fudge - Demo CD-R
myspace.com/coconutfudge
Love the name, hate the music... just kidding. Actually the CD has too much spraypaint on it and I can't play it in my computer right now and I'm pissed. I remember this band being such a conundrum to me. I'm checking songs online to confirm the fact.. I remembered them being like a jam band meets amazing powerviolence. One song was very ethereal with no words, the second was very BECK but in an indie rock way, the third one is very pretty indie rock with screamo vocals, the forth one is definitely screamo, the last song is really good but in a scope of music not covered by this zine... more like that messed up indie rock song you hear on your local college radio station that you have to listen to three random songs afterwards so you can hear what band you just heard and then you forget as soon as you get to the place you're going to. This band is weird, definitely not what I remembered but if you want to check out something weird and Italian and experimentally screamo... this is my pick for that. I know they have a new 7" out too, maybe they've solidified their style. -willfastcore

Artic Choke - Demo CD-R
myspace.com/arcticchoke
I am unqualified to review this because this is track for track the 7" I put out. -willfastcore

Cellgraft - Demo Cassette

Cellgraft are from Florida, and they play no-frills grindcore in the style of Assuck. This cassette has 13 tracks, never hitting the minute mark. The guitar sounds metallic and sharp, and if they have a bass player, I didn't notice on the recording. The drumming is good, along with the drum production, which is usually a dealbreaker for me when it's bad. The vocals consist solely of low grunts and barks. The artwork on the demo is printed on yellow cardstock. The artwork looks like a med-school chalkboard drawing to me. The tape also came with a xeroxed lyrics sheet, which is a little blurry to read. The lyrics are well written, and cover the standard topics for a grindcore band, and manage to avoid being too boring or rehashed. Overall I think this demo is fantastic. It's straight and to the point pure grind.

Reviews - Tapes for now, CDs for later

Magnum Force - Demo '09 tape
Blastcat Records
Mega blasty. Musically reminds me of MAGRUDERGRIND or IN DIGUST. Where has this band been hiding that I haven't heard of them before? Tape is demo quality but very listenable. Six songs including a song called 'Party Song' which has no lyrics. The last song totally rips, fast parts into a really cool slower blast kick part. They did sixty of these the first run and I guess needed to do thirty more, I see why this would have sold out, it rips! -willfastcore

V/A - SCVM tape
Destination Failure
Got this in the mail from Australia. Had a long week and didn't check it out till just now. Thought it was a band then realized it was a comp. Siiiiiiiddde A-- PATHETIC HUMAN is pretty solid, expected the vocals to be more screamy for the way the music sounds, then they slow it down and it sounds on point. SEPTIC SURGE noisewheel noise into something punk. SCUMMY GUMS was live. THE KILL song completely rips everything apart, this is my top pick. RADIATION NATION surprisingly is good enough to follow THE KILL's song, very live but heavy and breakdownish. HOLY BONER either is only recorded on the right channel or this tape blew up my tape deck, live.. two vocals I think, kind of hard to hear, oh my left speaker came back, some weird sounds and a guitar swell, a little too poorly recorded for my taste, nothing too redeeming but I guess with the name HOLY BONER it makes more sense. COLLAPSED TOILET VIETNAM starts out with noise, then sounds kind of happy hardcore...reverby vocals and constant metronomic beat, not my thing. Sidddddde B...PISSBOLT starts out very riff-heavy and distorted... like live distorted, can pretty much only hear the guitar with a faint vocalist and drum behind. SUFFER rips, very California-sounding powerviolence. NUCLEAR SEX ADDICTis reminds me of GAUZE or HERESY or something of that ilk, very Japanese cock-rock hardcore sounding. THE KILL sound just like a noisewheel and screaming. EXTORTION give a live version of Liar to this, rad as you would expect. SUPER FUN HAPPY SLIDE dish out some excellent gurgly grind, very solid, I like it, not unlike INSECT WARFARE. EBOLA DISCO is heavy angry and short.. song kind of drops off. Unless I'm confused on tracks.. there should be one for OCCULT BLOOD, maybe that was the one that dropped off or I thought one song was another one, but from what I can tell its not on here. Anyway, this is a good sampling of Australia's noisecore/grindcore scene. Most people would have only heard of EXTORION and possibly THE KILL so this is a great way to hear some new music. -willfastcore

Hooker Spit Windex - Barf to Death Grind tape
Self Released
I got the CD-R version of it too, but reviewing tapes is always cooler. Electric green tape body, love it! Spraypainted front, numbered sides, solid. Awesome grindcore with a ton of deathmetal feel. This is way worth it, riffy and catchy. -willfastcore