SLANT - Vain Attempt EP

Location: 서울, 대한민국

Release: Iron Lung Records, 2019

Wow this caught me off guard, the last time I heard a South Korean band (this good!) was I few years back with the dudes in Things We Say but as of 2018 SLANT has appeared in western radars!

While checking Iron Lung's newest releases, the almost "unsual" SLANT artwork for the label's standards got my attention. An agressive assault like I couldn't image, the band blast-through the freshly out 4-song EP in merely 6 minutes! This brings me back to early 00's 625 Thrashcore and it's Barbaric Thrash Demolition comps, tight and energy-boostin' fast punk music ideal for rioting.

The band's killer Demo Tape got pressings both on Headcount (USA) and Pissed Off Records (Malaysia), few copies left.

ORDER 7" / DEMO (USA) or (MYS)

DOWNLOAD [new link!!]

photo by Blair Kitchener

HEATSEEKER - EP + Demo

Location: Florida, US

Release: DIY, 2019
Artwork: Kane Gordon

Hot release of February, fyaa! Members of Malice At The Palace going thrash.

As HEATSEEKER they said they're aiming for a Metallica/Slayer worship sound but for my ears is total Biohazard, the good era. The fact is that this new EP rocks! Lotsa improvements from the 2018 Demo, super fun to listen and moshable AF.

On a side note, there is a Polish hardcore group under the same name since 2012, give them a go as they rock hard too. Probably I will post something about them here soon.

DOWNLOAD

PAGAN BABIES - Last

Location: Philadelphia, US

Release: DRP Records, 2010
Artwork: Bruce "Juice" Boyd

With releases on Positive Force and Hawker Records back in the 80's, PAGAN BABIES rocked the Philly scene until their first break up in 1989.

They were and still are a strong reference for graffiti and hip hop culture within the hardcore punk community, (in most part) thanks to the vision and dexterity of their drummer Bruce, Tippy The B-Boy Beat Master Blaster. But don't be mistaken, musically they play straight up hardcore with a good measure of melodies thrown in here and there (and occasionally fusing rap), not unlike their peers in Token Entry, In Your Face and Mucky Pup.

Last (An Anthology) is their full discography with a lot of extras -- unreleased, rehearsal and live material -- all re-mixed and re-mastered on a 29-track CD and bonus DVD featuring a documentary and live concert footage, including the reunion of 2007. Speaking of which, this post came out due to their 3rd or 4th reunion, happening this weekend with notorious Alone In A Crowd! [support Howie here]



Maybe due to this special occasion, PAGAN BABIES just put out 2 brand new songs which I already included on this download, super rad!!

DOWNLOAD [FLAC version] or DOWNLOAD [256 VBR]

from Philly yo!

UPPERCUT - Four Walls

Location: New York City

Release: Blackout! Records, 1989

I had a hard time tracking this one down, so I imagine many others may be after as well. Bronx' own UPPERCUT 7-song 12" out by one of the most classic labels for NYHC out there.

While hunting this crucial release on a proper audio quality I ended up finding that the extra songs on the CD version of Four Walls are actually from a band called MIND'S EYE, a side project with Carl Porcaro and 2/5 of UPPERCUT, as it is better explained here.

UPPERCUT also put a Demo in 1988 and were featured in two must have comps, NEW BREED Tape Compilation and NYHC: Where The Wild Things Are, which can be found on the best blog out there, Blogged and Quartered.

At the same year this mini-LP came out, guitarist Lars Weis and drummer Rob where doing ALONE IN A CROWD with Jules and Porcaro, coincidentally they are playing their second show EVER this saturday (Feb 16th) in benefit for their guitarist Howie.

Also Blackout! is preparing some reissues for this year, the insane OUTBURST EP on 12" format with unreleased material and KILLING TIME'S third LP "The Method". One could hope for a reissue of Four Walls with the demo tracks (instead of Mindseye) in the near future. 

DOWNLOAD

PS: There was also a dutch hardcore group with the same name around mid 2000's, which can be found here.

IN STRIDE - Place Of Decay

Location: Vancouver, Canada

Release: Bottle Up Records, 2006

One of the dudes in KEEP IT CLEAR has ressurected his old straight edge project for your listening pleasure, available for the first time in high quality, Rain City's IN STRIDE.

Both bands were part of the collective known as Legitmate Bros, which now I believe only the guys in Cutting Through are still representing it to this day.

As you can see from the test press rip-off art above IN STRIDE played youthcrew with melodic elements, from their first Demo in 2004 to their last recording in Place Of Decay 7" their music progressed substantially, so much that this final EP is nothing but amazing, less melodic more straight forward! Best release on the long vanished Bottle Up Records.

Thankfully to Suds Denim, the first 2 demos -- not listed on the newly created bandcamp -- are included on this download. 

DOWNLOAD [+ scans, lyrics]

!! Please let me know if anyone is having a hard time to download from mediafire or is unable to decompress the files, cheers !!

can't close my eyes! :)

INSIGHT - Standing Strong

Location: Salt Lake City, US

Release: Soul Force Records, 1989

Throwback thursday! It occured to me the other day that I had many versions of the same songs from Utah's INSIGHT one and only 6-song EP.

It first came out in 1989 through Soul Force Records as Standing Strong then re-released in 1990 by Victory Records with a different title What Will It Take? (and artwork), but then I came across the 1995's edition in Victory Early Singles CD compilation. This latest version has the best audio quality by far, I'm guessing it got remastered and it sounds much clearer and louder!!

Back to INSIGHT, they started in 1988 as the first Salt Lake City straight edge vegetarian group, recorded this 6-song EP and a couple of comp tracks in 1990 (I managed to track down 2 songs), toured with the likes of Chain of Strength and Up Front, then broke up that same year. Half the members went to form Revelation Records' alumni ICEBURN. Later on in 2013 they reunited for a couple of shows.

The comp songs I mentioned are "SILENT SHORE" from Only The Strong 7" (Victory Records) and "GET IT" from Voice Of Thousands 12" (Conversion Records) and remained exclusive to those releases.

I decided to leave all mentioned compilations in full for download, specially the Victory Early Singles! It features some highs and lows of such a weird and transitional era that was the early 90's. For instance, it has the great first EP by BILLINGSGATE "Reach Out", which also has superior audio quality then the 7" version.

DOWNLOAD includes the following: [NEW LINK 2021!!]

1989 - Standing Strong 7" (Soul Force Records)
1990 - Only The Strong 7" Compilation (Victory Records)
1990 - Voice of Thousands 12" Compilation (Conversion Records)
1995 - Victory Early Singles CD (Inner Strenght, Billingsgate, Insight, Iceburn, Worlds Collide)
+ vinyl scans, flyers and photos



I wish every post here was as comprehensive as this one, especially on the old releases, although it's quite time consuming to do this sort of thing, bands like INSIGHT deserves more attention. UPDATE 2021: new link has even better audio quality rips and the Voice Of Thousands comp was added in full!

end the cruelty!

PROTEIN - Alive + Demo

Location: Kraków, Polska

Release: Refuse Records, 2018

Again on my quest to shed light on the bands featured on last year's edition of the YOUTH CREW comp by legendary Positive & Focused, this time our focus are into the Polish group PROTEIN.

Not to mention Refuse Records, that is and has always being a household for worldwide SXE and engaged punk music, with a special attention for the scene in Poland, one of the first places outside USA to start such a movement. And is in that environment that Protein was born in 2017, heartfelt youthcrew with slow paced moments not unlike Turning Point and Mainstrike.

It turns out that dudes in Protein are also in the band ViciousxReality and running the label YOUTH2YOUTH, another great source for european hardcore. 

PURCHASE 7" / DEMO TAPE

DOWNLOAD