BPM: ​Slash Lost His Hat: Download

This band from Texas who choose to remain anonymous, have released seven short, fast blasts of energetic hardcore with a heavy dose of punk. They are going to be releasing a bunch of E.P.s online then they will compile them onto a CD.

The songs are short and to the point, no screwing around here at all. With only one song hitting over one minute and a half and the shortest being twenty-three seconds, the songs rage with anger and energy. They play a little sloppy, but its punk rock kids, get over it and enjoy the live sound that they captured. The songs have that old school, early ’80s sound that I love and it made me play the hell out of this.

A very cool recording that they shouldn’t be hiding their identities because of lack of quality, because this is a lot of fun. I’m looking forward to what they will come out with next.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/BPM/126968120838049

http://blastphlegme.bandcamp.com/album/bpm-1-slash-lost-his-hat

https://www.facebook.com/WiseassRecords

IMPLANT: The Productive Citizen: CD

IMPLANT is back after a four-year hiatus and it’s the Belgian band’s ninth full length in seventeen years. The offerings on this album are varied stylistically: EBM Electro-Clash and Industrial, featuring vocal contributions from LEATHER STRIP, KRYSTAL SYSTEM, and XMH.

From the first song “Lord Knows I Tried (Album Version)”, I’m sold! I love the vocals (Claus from LEATHER STRIP with Len Lemeire) really mesh together well and the upbeat song starts things off perfectly. The excellent electronic beats are carried into the next track which would sound great played in a club, “C.C.C.P.C.C.T.V.”. Great upbeat and danceable song. The highs just keep going, track after track of songs that offer up the best this band has to offer. The energy that is on this album just makes you want to get up and dance, turn up the volume and just enjoy a fantastic electronic album that grabs you time and time again. There is another version of this album that has a bonus CD of remixes and another bonus if you see them live or from the label website with six more remixes.

Only having the single CD is a drag and now I have to go out and get the bonus discs for the complete picture. Go see them live or order this album and have the time of your life enjoying what could be one of my top albums this year.

https://www.facebook.com/Implantmusic  http://www.implant-music.be/

https://www.facebook.com/Alfa.Matrix  http://alfamatrix.bandcamp.com/

http://www.alfa-matrix.com/

BATTERY HUMANS: Never Lay Down E.P.: CD

This two man band from Blyth, Northumberland England play some fierce, old school hardcore that keeps the punk and doesn’t get bogged down in metal. They have people help them when they go out live, but these two guys have brought the vibe of the early ’80s glory days back.

At twelve songs, this is really more than a simple E.P. and they really give you your moneys worth. Every song is filled with rage, great lyrics, blistering playing and the pure love that they have for the music that they have created. As you listen to the album you get drawn back in time to a day when punk rock was still a huge part of hardcore and not metal, when a message was important and unity was the cry of the different punk groups. These guys take the old school sound and bring it back to the present and it sounds just as fresh as it did when I was in high school.

Grab a copy at one of their shows or download it from the interwebs, just get it soon. This is the no-frills, no bullshit punk rock that mom and dad loved and you will too.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Battery-Humans/422863817830103

http://batteryhumans.bandcamp.com/album/never-lay-down-e-p

ZOMBIE INC: Homo Gusticus: CD

Since getting together back in 2009, this Austrian death metal band has mined the theme of zombies and mined it well. You get ten brand new morbid, but humorous songs on this sophomore collection.

The added sound bites from horror movies add to the atmosphere of being in a zombie movie, add in the talking / guttural vocals and you have a creepy and evil bunch of songs. The humor in the lyrics keeps things grounded in the more fun aspect of their schitk and keeps this from being another cookie-cutter death metal album. The vocals are actually mostly intelligible which is rare for this genre and I applaud them for it, the deep bass and the pummeling drums work in tandem to give a nice groove to the tracks and the riffs and solos add a lot to the power of these songs. The songs are well done with the band giving their all and playing tightly and with passion. I really liked “The Rocking Dead”, “Cum Undone”, “Bust The Food Chain”, “E=MCarnage2”, and “All Corpses Are Bastards”.

If you want death metal that you can understand and has a sense of humor, then this is your album. If you just want the cookie monster vocals and songs about how gross the lyrics can be, please move on and find the generic crap, I’ll stick with these guys.

https://www.facebook.com/zombieinc666  https://www.facebook.com/massacrerecordseurope

http://www.massacre-records.com/

THE HEX BOMBS: Collected Works: 2006 – 2013: Download

This collection is a download only and available outside of North America and showcases this fantastic street punk band’s tight and intense earlier releases. Twelve songs with great lyrics and power from this band from Kalamazoo, MI.

As soon as you hit play you get drawn into the intensity that this band gives to their songs. Every song is catchy, has a chorus that gets stuck in your head and has incredible gang vocals that will get you singing along to the album. This is the kind of stuff that puts a smile on my face and restores my faith in punk rock. There’s not a duff track on here and this is one of the few bands that constantly has one great release after another without any lowering of quality. From the production to the playing and the vocals, this is the real deal and every replay of this album just gets better. It makes me want to grab a pint, stand up and shout along with them and slam dance like a maniac.

I really can’t give this band enough praise, I love them and will be a fan forever. If you can grab a copy of this, or the original singles they put out, do it!!!

https://www.facebook.com/thehexbombs  https://www.facebook.com/PiratesPressRecords

http://www.piratespressrecords.com/  https://www.facebook.com/eastgrandrc

https://www.facebook.com/eastgrandrc  http://eastgrandrc.com/home.cfm

SLENDER LORIS: World Tour: Cassette

This three-piece band from Hamilton, Ontario have been working on this release for half a year and have given us seventeen new songs to enjoy. You get three songs over the two-minute mark so you won’t get bored listening to them, but you may have to play it all over again because it’s too damn short.

This is sloppy punk rock that is perfect the way it is, completely without pretension, just bashed away with energy and exuberance that is totally contagious. Every song is noisy, has a wall of noise, lots of screamed vocals mixed with some cleaner vocals that remind me a bit of THE VIOLENT FEMMES, but with an edge that they never showed except in their lyrics. Track after track comes at you and you find the cacophony just intoxicating and you want more, luckily there are a ton of tracks on here to quench that thirst. The simplicity of the music is a bit misleading since there are textures that pull you in just like the first JESUS AND MARY CHAIN album did with the feedback, buried vocals and wall of noise. There isn’t a track on here that doesn’t make its mark on here or that could be dropped, it’s a fun, and smart album if you listen to the lyrics.

A great new album from a band out of my hometown that just keeps on getting better. The bad part is living so far away from home that I probably will never get a chance to see this performed live and take in the glorious racket that they create.

https://www.facebook.com/slenderlorismusic  http://slenderloris.bandcamp.com/album/world-tour

THE HEX BOMBS: None Shall Be Forgotten: 7″

THE HEX BOMBS formed in 2006 in Kalamazoo, MI and have been putting out great music since then. This new two song single has the added bonus of Mike McColgan (STREET DOGS) lending his distinct vocal talents to the song “None Shall be Forgotten”.

Tight street punk with energy, gang vocals and harder than the steel toe Dr Martens that kick you in the head when you fall down drunk on the dance floor, the first song just blows you away. “None Shall be Forgotten” is one of the best songs that I’ve heard in a long time and the added vocals of McColgan just give it the extra edge that makes this an instant classic. The powerful playing, full of energy and the emotive singing all wrapped in a one of the catchiest songs ever…wow! Now with such a great start, you’d think that they couldn’t match it, but they do on the next track that just blazes. “Destination U.S.A.” is a great, biting song that rages from start to finish.

What a great single, two blistering songs that are some of the best music that I’ve heard all year, regardless of genre. You need this single, I need more from them, buy this so they can make more music…simple!

https://www.facebook.com/thehexbombs  https://www.facebook.com/PiratesPressRecords

http://www.piratespressrecords.com/  https://www.facebook.com/eastgrandrc

https://www.facebook.com/eastgrandrc  http://eastgrandrc.com/home.cfm

 

LOUISE DISTRAS: Dreams From The Factory Floor: CD

At twenty five years old, Louise Distras has already garnered a ton of attention both in her native U.K. and also around the world. She’s trying to get people to fight against the crap in this world and not with each other and empowering women to not be stereotyped or brought down, but to get out and fight for the ability to do whatever they want.

With a voice that goes between raspy and sweet at times, Distras really lets loose with a weapon that will grab you right away, her voice. Of course the lyrics are what matter, but her voice makes the lyrics jump out at you. Yes, you may think of JOAN JETT, BRODY DALLE and COURTNEY LOVE when you hear her singing, but that’s great as a reference point, but not the end of it all, she has more depth and range than those vocalists. The songs are great punk rock mixed with some rock songs thrown in and some acoustic songs in the mix as well. It turns into a varied album that will please a lot of different people who will hopefully spread her message to more people than just a small group. It kind of reminds me of a mix of BILLY BRAGG and a JOE STRUMMER album with the different styles mixed together. You even get Distras doing spoken word on the title track which was fantastic.

Not one song is filler, everything is killer and I can say that I don’t have a favorite song on the album…I have a favorite album. Get this and fill your house with some great sounds and your head with great lyrics.

https://www.facebook.com/louisedistras  http://www.louisedistras.co.uk/

https://www.facebook.com/streetrevolutionrecords

TOMBSTONERS: Dissolution of Astral Order: CD

This two-piece band, three when playing live, play heavy-duty death metal that will rattle your windows and get stuck in your ears after one listen. They’ve been around since 2006 and dropped their newest EP of blistering metal that makes you want to hear more from them.

This four song EP starts off with the intense first track “Sacrilegious Impiety”. With the booming bass, the heavy riffs, the pummeling drumming and the guttural vocals really grab you right from the start. They start on a high and just keep the intensity and energy going throughout the rest of the EP. As the EP plays on, you can hear the anger and aggression that these guys put out on this taste of their devastating songs. The production gives the songs more grit and a dirty sound, the only complaint is that I wish that the drumming was mixed a bit thicker and heavier, but it doesn’t take away from the intensity of these songs, it would only add to it.

With only four songs, you feel sad that it ends too quickly, but with continued support, these guys will get out and lay down some more tracks to head bang along to. I’m really looking forward to hearing more from them in the future, this was a definite pleasure to listen to.

https://www.facebook.com/Tombstoners  http://tombstoners666.bandcamp.com/album/dissolution-of-astral-order

VENGEANCE TODAY: Dude, You Just Ruined The Show: 12″

VENGEANCE TODAY is a four piece hc/punk outfit from Dresden-Chemnitz-Area, Germany that started playing shows in 2008. After releasing demos in the past, they finally got around to releasing their debut album.

Starting off with a lot of feedback, the album kicks off with the meaty and heavy “Purpose” giving us a taste of the insane energy and devastation ahead. The band plays hard, angry and with intelligent lyrics that will rattle your speakers and shatter windows. Song after song of screamed / shouted vocals with blistering leads, thundering bass and drumming give rise to an album that will get the pits swirling and the skaters thrashing like mad. These ten tracks hit hard and really get the blood pumping and make you want to grab a skateboard. Not one second is wasted on this album and the intensity never lags, it just comes at you like a fully loaded eighteen wheeler with no brakes coming down a hill at you.

This is one awesome collection of songs that will get blasted while I’m driving to work to get me pumped up for my crappy job and when I leave work to release the frustration of the night. Grab this one today and let their energy inspire you to get crazy.

https://www.facebook.com/vengeancetoday  http://vthc.bandcamp.com/

http://www.anchoredrecords.de/  https://www.facebook.com/anchoredrecords

http://www.5feetunder.com/

https://www.facebook.com/farblosrecords