FUCKING INVINCIBLE - fast hardcore from Rhode Island, US

 
Today's post shall be brief and straight to the point, much like the music of FUCKING INCREDIBLE. This band delivers a super tight energy which combines a classic hardcore sound with some insane fastcore blastbeats. I don't know (and actually don't care) if this should be called powerviolence and whatnot, but I do  know it's GOOD! Featuring members of Sould Control and Drop Dead!

Mental Waste - "Meltdown" (self-released)

Genre: Raw hardcore/Fastcore

Country: Salinas, USA

Band website: bandcamp

Label: -

Mental Waste is the type of band that brings a wonderful combination of the extreme and the catchy; and I don't only mean that as far as the music goes, but also in relation to the artwork and the overall feel they give off as a band. Even though they play some pretty mean fastcore with grindcore passages, they manage to come off as listenable, straightforward and rather punky overall.

Usually when we use the terms grind and/or fastcore in this zine we are talking of crusty bands who usually flirt - even a little - with metal. This is not the case with Mental Waste, who deliver their short hardcore blasts without even giving a nod to the metal format. What we have here are simple but effective riffs backed by machine gun drumming and an pissed of vocalist. All of the 10 songs in this recording (except the last number) are below the one-minute mark, but they are so potent and so much stuff happens, that you think they have lasted for more.

As I mentioned above, the vocals sound pretty fucking angry but while the vocalist screams and shouts, he doesn't exactly growl. This is another fact about Mental Waste being closer to punky thrash and of course another clue as to whether this is your type of stuff. Fans of he Maximum RNR-school, who call fasctore "thrash" will definitely dig this record and will play it loud on their mp3s, while biking down the road going to the DIY show. But rest assured, there are many interesting ideas, especially in those slow, mini mosh parts which last only for a few seconds before the insanity starts again!

Essentially, this is pissed off hardcore for pissed of HC kids who have escaped the chugga-chugga (which I love, personally) sound and are looking for something rawer and unprocessed. The good thing about Mental Waste is that they don't copy any of the famous bands of the genre, but actually do their own thing while paying respect to the roots (Heresy, Siege, Ripcord, Dropdead etc), and of course with a newer, fatter sound! Eat this up, vegan thraskids with bikes!

- Fotis.TYS

Bitter American - 7" EP (Cricket Cemetery Records)

Fuck I'm pissed off. And when I feel like this, the only legal way to vent is through some fast, angry, super pissed music. Bitter American is just like that; they have that ultra rough proto hardcore sound (think Black Flag, Bl'ast etc) but played with definitely more speed and dirt. The outcome is totally scorching and although it can make your ears bleed, it has a cleansing effect on your troubled head.

Bitter American's new 7" is another insane hardcore product of the profoundly noisy Cricket Cemetery records. The label specializes at releasing the dirtiest, trashiest (not thrashiest), meanest hardcore out there, and they do it with unique style. Bitter American is the perfect example of what the labels' all about. This band takes no punches and lands 4 short hardcore blasts of frantic drumming, short riffs, loud bass, and madman vocals. The outcome is a swift punch right in the middle of your face, leaving you on the floor wandering what just happened.

The 7" begins with a 28 second build up of feedback noise and incomprehensive drumming, leading up to the general chaos that takes place throughout the short 5 minutes that this ep lasts. Every song hits hard and straight to the point, with the last song packing a bit of, dare I say, melody to it. There is some type of tuneful guitar noodling oin the background, while the singer repeatedly spits the phrase my mind is a wrecking ball. Couldn't be more right on this one.

This is utterly and most definitely music for this bored generation; we have short attention spans, we are bored to death with all the shit people call entertainment, we desperately need to get out kicks and escape this mundane existence. We need bands like Bitter American to accompany our soundtrack and accomplish the above.

Bitter American will go down well with all fans of noisy hardcore, loud punk, maybe even those hipster fastcore / powerviolence freaks. It could also serve as the punk listen for grindcore and crust / dbeat fans. In fact, fuck it, this band should do justice all fans of extreme and pissed off culture. Get into it!

BITTER AMERICAN - "Infinate Tick" by Cricket Cemetery

And make sure to check the label Crick Cemetery here: http://cricketcemetery.com/home.html

Record Review: RETOX "Ugly Animals" (Ipecac recordings/Three One G)

Retox, seems to be another project band of Justin Pearson (mainly known for his presence at the noise-chaotic-grindcore band The Locust) and their new album…kick ass! I‘ll try to explain myself by telling you a story.

You press the play button and after 13 minutes you wonder what the fuck blew your head away. It takes less than a quarter of an hour so you wonder. Is this possible? You press the play button again. Same result. Then you realize…it’s true….it‘s really happening. Retox, with their first full-length album Ugly Animals succeeded to produce something brilliant. They had warned us one year ago with the release of their self-titled EP and now they come back with an excellent performance again.

An amount of some noise punk/hardcore filled with drops of crust/fastcore and with lots of energy, sickness and creativity, Tragedy meets Some Girls and Cursed meets Melt Banana. Everything coordinated, everything in its right place. 

I don’t think I have to say anything else to describe something so straight forward and direct like “Ugly Animals”. I believe that it’s better to listen to the album instead of spending time reading this review.

Nick Tolis

Record Review: LTW "Total Carbage" 7"

Cricket Cemetery is a US label that specializes in discordant, scorching hardcore punk that is definitely a step ahead of today's standards. The label is releasing one crucial 7" after the other, attacking the world with beautifully incomprehensible hardcore noise that goes unmatched in the current HC/punk (and even metal) scenes. This is our first Cricket Cemetery review, for the band LTW.

The phantom HC outfit which goes under the name of LTW is a perfect example of the label's dilapidated take on hardcore, as their Total Garbage 7" brings the noise like it aint no thing. LTW deliver three relentless hardcore blasts of rabid drumming, loud as fuck basslines, demented barked vocals and a production sound that is dirtier than CBGB's toilet.

What is really going on here is a demolition and reorganization of hardcore's bare essentials: short punk riifs, explosive layers of distortion and crazy breakneck rhythms. This ultra-sped Black Flag bastard of a son is combined with tons of feedback, well placed psychedelic breaks and some silent parts that indeed leave you wandering "what the fuck?" For sure, this would go down better with fans of powerviolence, fastcore, grind etc compared to the typical hardcore fan.

I guess Cricket Cemetary reinvents the hardcore of a new generation and, quite possibly, this is what the hipsters will soon be listening to (hopefully not). In either case, my ears hurt!

http://cricketcemetery.com/

Ups: a new style, 100% craziness and a rawness you can't debate

Downs: too dirty for some

Lowdown: maniac hardcore that you can either take or not

Reproach - raw skate fastcore from Belgium

Hello again, dear TYS readers! The 2nd post for today is a guest piece by Rigas, who is a good friend of mine and a frequent TYS contributor. He's helped in the print TYS issues by contributing articles and reviews, and he's always discovering cool new shit to get into. The dude gets psyched with a lot of different stuff and makes sure his friends know about it! So here... enjoy this guest article!

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Fast Fixes & The most exciting punk vids: REPROACH

'Rat Race' (from s/t 2003)

Rat Race Lyrics:

Rat Race

Born into this shit

You got to be successful

But for what?

Life is a rat race

Sleep - eat - work, trapped in our routines

I'm sick of it, this is not for me

The only thing that matters to you is your money

Fuck you all, i want more in life!

RIGAS's RANT: There is a dose of truth in the following: we are competing each other, chasing the carrot on a stick with the force-fed illusion  that one day we can be the ones to climb the ladder and eat a bigger piece of the deciduous pie which is served by depriving the poor and ruining the planet. Well, let me tell you that inequality, injustice and ecological collapse are systemic and you and me are going to be kept always ‘under’ the elites and their institutions, which legitimize this error! I want more in life! Break the work-stress-consume treadmill! My life is fucking gold!

Reproach [definition]: Address (someone) in such a way as to express disapproval or disappointment.

An interview with Stijn from Reproach

When did you  start getting involved with hardcore punk?!? I got into it when I first heard stuff like Agnostic Front and Madball from my cousin when I was around 16, that’s about 16-17 years ago already. It sounded so raw, to the point and fast, never heard anything like it before and fell in love with it the moment I heard it.

How is the Flemish hardcore punk scene?

I really don’t consider “Flemish” a separate scene, Belgium is small as it is. There lots of bands in different genres, from ‘80s hardcore to crust and everything in between. The Filth ,Trouble Kidz, Vogue, Bite Down, Visions of War, Idiot Convention, Conviction, Sunpower, Havoc, Rise and Fall, Get Wise, Blind to Faith, Amen Ra, Cut here,  Drunk, and many more. Lots of shows too, the past few months been really busy. We’re also lucky to have nearly every touring band stop by in Belgium for a show. Heartbreak tunes and The Pits are always booking great bands. It’s a pretty small but very active scene.

What is the message of Reproach?

Play fast, play hard. Have fun, don’t take shit from anyone, follow your heart, do your own thing and stand strong.

Are you involved with politix-direct action etc. ?!?

No.

Great Catastrophe or Great Transition for humanity?!?

To say it with the words of Victims: “we’re fucked!”

You have 2 of the most exciting videos I have seen!!! -  I watched them already countless times. Who had the idea? Who animated the videos?

We’re very very proud of those videos. They’re made by Marco and Pierre, who run an animation studio called Imov Studios (www.imovstudios.com). It was a present from them for our 10^th anniversary as a band. We had no idea they would make the clips and it was an awesome surprise. They’re also gonna make a new clip for one of our new songs.

What are your favourite active bands at the moment?

Herätys, Despise You, Lack of Interest, Extortion and Direct Control.

What are the plans for the band? Are you writing new material?

Actually we just finished recording our new record called “the bitter end”. We’re working on the layout right now. Recordings and artwork are done, hopefully the record will be out around summer. Deep Six will put out the LP in the US and Crew for Life records is gonna do the CD in Japan. We can’t wait to have the new record out and start playing those new songs live.

'Onward to Destruction' from ‘You Deserve it’ split with ANS

Check their discography and keep an eye on the new album of Reproach!There  is also a new video coming!

Thrash!

Discography

2000: Loud and fucking fast! tape (Stand Apart Records)

2001: Trash mayhem 7" (Kid For Life Records)

2003: Reproach LP (Wölfpack Records)

2005: Is what it is EP (Wölfpack Records)

2008:you deserve it Split with ANS (Still Holding On Records, Gnarly Slaughter Records)

2009: live split LP with Sunpower (Crucial Attack Records)