Day 35: Power Trip - Demo 2008

Power Trip are a great hardcore thrash band from Dallas, Texas.  They play intense and incredibly aggressive music with influences from across the board, from Bad Brains to Sepultura.  If you liked Pulling Teeth who I covered early on in this blog then check out Power Trip below.  This demo is available for free on Bandcamp.

(2008)

Day 34: Jaguarz - Jungle Jamz

Jaguarz were a straight edge hardcore band from Boston.  One of the few bands on Lockin' Out Records that I haven't listened to as I just couldn't get hold of it.  Now recently made available for free via Bandcamp, I had no excuse but to give it a listen.  This version comes with the song "Survival" on the end as well, that previously only appeared on a compilation put out by the record label.  

(lockin' Out Records, 2003)

Day 33: Zaga Zaga - Year One

Zaga Zaga are a chaotic hardcore band that I stumbled upon by chance whilst trawling Bandcamp for something to listen to, and I was so happy I did.  Although chaotic, they have a bit of a post-hardcore vibe going on aswell.

(HowToBeCoolRecords, 2015)

Day 32: Xerxes - Homeward Carries No Direction

Xerxes are a combination of aggressive and melodic hardcore.  If you liked Pianos Become The Teeth, then you will have a good basis of what this band are about.  They are very dark and at times can play with ferocious speed.  This is a 2 track EP released in 2010 that acts as a good taster to the band, but if you went a full length as a starting point I recommend listening to Our Home Is A Deathbed.

Day 31: Da Mafia 6ix - 6ix Commandments

This is a great mixtape from a group reformed from the ashes of Three 6 Mafia.  This is an hour long bass filled mix reminiscent of the work they did in the '90's in their former guise.  Considering this is a mixtape, the production is great and could easily be mistaken for a full release if I wasn't aware that it was a mixtape.  If you're easily offended by satanic themes, then this is not an album for you, as the content is woven throughout.  

(Scale-A-Ton Entertainment, 2013)

Day 30: Vallenfyre - Splinters

Vallenfyre are a death metal band from the UK.  If you're an Entombed fan this should be easy to get into and right up your street.  This album is a good collection of incredibly heavy death metal and doom metal tracks, mixing them up enough that the 50 minute run time isn't a chore.

(Century Media, 2014)

Day 29: Zammuto - Zammuto

After his previous band The Book's came to an end, Nick Zammuto got to work on a new project, while still retaining the electronic elements The Books had been known for.  This is an energetic percussion album, with jamming guitars and energetic vocals.  This is just the basis though, as he crams in so many different genres in to this record, from techno to prog rock and back in time to disco.  The spoken word samples The Books had been known for make a nice impression too.  If you want a weird musical journey, take a ride with Zammuto on this self-titled record.

(Temporary Residence Limited, 2012)

Day 28: Capital STEEZ - Amerikkkan Korruption Reloaded

Capital STEEZ was an american rapper, best known for being part of the hip-hop collective known as the PRO ERA.  Unfortunately he took his own life in 2012.  This is a remixed version of his mixtape of the same name.  This is a very well produced rap record using original beats and sampling the greats like MF DOOM.  STEEZ is one of my favourite rappers of the group, only slightly behind Joey Bada$$.  Not that this should be held against STEEZ, as he didn't really leave himself much time to shine and evolve as a rapper.  Maybe under different circumstance he would have come to outshine the rest of the group, he definitely had the potential.  He doesn't have the ego that a lot of rappers suffer from, he's just an entertaining guy saying interesting things in entertaining ways.

(2012)

Day 27: Hallows - Piece Of Mind, Vol. 2

Hallows are a melodic hardcore band from Sydney, Australia.  They are lively and heavy and the perfect soundtrack to end the weekend.  I'm doing this all back to front as I listened to volume 1 without listening to volume 2, but I'll get round to that eventually.  

(2016)

Day 26: Billy Bragg & Wilco - Mermaid Avenue

This record is a collaboration between British singer songwriter Billy Bragg and American rock band Wilco.  This is a collection of songs written and never released by American folk singer Woody Guthrie.  Due to the success of this record they would go on to record another collaborative album of even more unreleased Woody Guthrie songs.  If you're into folk music be sure to check this record out, a great departure from the usual styles of Billy Bragg and Wilco, and a more solid recording than the follow up.

(Elektra, 1998)

Day 25: Reagan Youth - Youth Anthems For The New Order

Reagan Youth are a political hardcore punk band from New York, formed in the 80's.  Don't be put off by the cover of this record and write them off as racists before checking them out as they are quite the opposite.  They are an anti-racist band who would use racial imagery as satire, often using KKK  and Nazi themes.  Their music draws parallels between the young republicans rallying in favour of Ronald Reagan and the Nazi youth of the Third Reich.  The original vocalist's parents being holocaust survivors shows the sincerity of their message.  This is a record I have listened to in the past, but recently dug out again when growing to more appreciate the roots of hardcore in America.  Posted below is their first record Youth Anthems For The New Order.

(R Radical Records, Reagan Youth Records, 1984)

Day 24: Rat Trap - Slander

Rat Trap are a hardcore punk band from Boston.  This is a really heavy record and they manage to work some southern influence into there too which adds a decent bit of variety.  4 tracks knocked out in just over 10 minutes.  I could write more about this band to convince you to listen to them, but it'd be quicker to find 10 minutes this evening to give this EP a listen and let your eardrums be assaulted.

(2012)

Day 23: 108 - Songs Of Separation

108 are a Krishna hardcore band formed in the early 90's playing a style of hardcore very reminiscent of that era of New York hardcore, but arguably heavier.  The Hare Krishna faith is definitely at the forefront of the band, which can be a barrier to listeners who aren't followers.

(Equal Vision Records, 1994)

Day 22: Power-Pill - Pac-Man

Power-Pill is an alias of Richard D. James of Aphex Twin fame.  This 4 track EP is very obviously inspired by Namco's hit arcade game Pac-Man and does well to sample all tunes and sound effects on offer.  If you want a retro nostalgia trip this record is sure to put a smile on your face, electronic music fan or not.  Chances are you've heard the first track on this record without even realising it was produced by one of electronic music's greats.

(FFRR, 1992)

Day 21: Plague Mask - Plague Mask 2012 Demo

Hardcore sludge band from Syracuse, NY.  They mix both styles so well together that they offer something to fans of both genres.  If you're a fan of chugging slow riffs with a melody check out these few tracks from their 2012 Demo recording.

(2012)

Day 20: Big K.R.I.T. - R4 The Prequel

Big K.R.I.T. delivers his own rendition of southern rap with style.  5 Tracks of ear candy that sound like they've traveled through time to the present day.  All of the featured artists on these tracks are great too, although i'm not a fan of them as individual artists, they all contribute something good to each track.  This is effectively a very trimmed down version of his mixtape ReturnOf4Eva, compiling the more mainstream radio hits of the tape on to one easily digestible EP.  If you like what you hear, check out the full mixtape and the album that followed 4eva Na Day.

(Def Jam, 2011)

Day 19: Faith No More - Live At The Brixton Academy

Faith No More recorded this during the tour to support their 3rd album The Real Thing.  Although this record is heavily reliant on tracks from that album, the actual set list that night was more diverse.  So looking back over their discography and noting that this is their only live album, it's a shame they haven't yet released it in full.  However, the  energy on this live recording really holds true to what the band offer as a live act, and the cover of Black Sabbath's "War Pigs" is brilliant.  If you want a more accurate feel for a Faith No More live show, seek out some of the live video recordings from this show as Mike Patton climbs the lighting up to the rafters and the whole band putting every bit of energy they have into their performance.  The quality of the album is great too.  

(Slash, London Records, 1990)

Day 18: Behemoth - Xiądz/Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel

Behemoth started out as a black metal band that slowly changed their sound to be more blackened death metal.  This record collects their two latest EP's Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel and Nieboga Czarny Xiadz.  Both of these EP's would end up re-recorded for their full length album The Satanist.  Incredibly heavy and incredibly punishing while at tims slow and plodding.  The final track is a cover by a Polish punk band called Siekiera, who I have never heard of, but will do my best to dig up at some point.  

(New Aeon Musick, 2014)

Update

The blog will be taking a short break while I go away for a few days.  It will return on Friday with music from Behemoth. Stay tuned.

Day 17: Cakes Da Killa - The Eulogy

I feel like it shouldn't be a detail that I need to mention, that he is an openly gay rapper.  But as this record in itself is a question as to why a male rapper can't rap about wanting to be in a relationship with other men, it's clearly a point that he'd want to be mentioned.  More than half this record is easily dedicated to this one point.  This isn't for the feint of heart either as he doesn't shy away from the bad language, there's no need for innuendo in his vocabulary when he can just say what he means bluntly.  The idea behind the title for this album, was to end his career with it, but has since changed his mind and gone on to release #IMF in 2015.  This is great news as he is one hell of a talented rapper.

(Mishka Records, 2013)

Day 16: Take No More - The Real Deal

Take No More are a Romanian hardcore band.  This wasn't the most interesting demo I've listened to, for a few reasons.  They don't quite know what style of hardcore to play, jumping from youth crew to  thrash to metal, without ever really blending the styles for a level of consistency.  It's only 3 tracks long so go ahead and give it a listen without feeling like you've wasted too much time, and make up your own mind.

(2015)

Day 15: Rat Path - Mean Streets

Rat Path are a hardcore band from Seattle, Washington, and this is their debut release.  They combine old school thrash with modern hardcore, to make a great crossover sound.  If you're a fan of bands like Cruel Hand and Hellmouth then give this a listen.  As far as I can tell this is their only release to date, not including the two split EP's they released with Malice and Drag Me Under.

(Self-released, 2013)

Day 14: Bastard - Wind Of Pain

Bastard are a Japanese hardcore band formed in the late 80's and are one of, if not the, best hardcore bands in the burning spirits scene from Japan.  They play as fast and as hard as they can.  I have only just started to truly appreciate Japanese hardcore after breaking out of the bubble that I've been in of US and UK hardcore.  Anywhere you see Japanese hardcore mentioned, it's more than likely accompanied with a mention of Bastard.  If you dig this record, go on to check out other heavyweights of the scene like Judgement, GISM, Systematic Death, and Smash Detox.

(Bastard Records & Blood Sucker Records, 1992)