No Time To Lose

Man, fucking Gat-Rot. Totally unknown and playing massively better shit than anyone else was at the time except Hatebreed (who were fucking forefronting the scene so cut 'em some slack)... their dry desert brand of Arizonian crossover metalcore should have been totally on everyone's metal mix CDs in the early 90's. Sounding like someone blended Internal Suffering with a Korn demo, it's a tad under-produced, the exact sound the aforementioned Hatebreed was trying to escape from after their Under The Knife demo, but it takes what Biohazard was kinda polishing up (pre their industrial-ish days) and makes it just that excessively bit heavier. For a bunch of West Coasters they really tapped into that Brooklyn back-and-forth lyricist vibe... token NYC accent and fucking all. There's a little token scritch-scratch DJ-ing/white-boy hip hop here and there trying to tap in to what Korn and Limp Bizkit were doing at the time and it's only confusing because it's mixed so weirdly... and kinda unnecessary... like it's an overdub to appeal to idiots. But enough old-man proselytizing, Strength Through Struggle fucking kills. "Equilibrium" is easily akin to the fucking pissed off shit in today's hardcore scene (personally I'd love to re-record this song bare-bones), "Down" has the most ridiculously chant-y bridge breakdown (bass break included), "I Resist" oozes an addictive crossover vibe; there's a weird-ass rolling groove to their songs that just makes you want to jump into your own personal mosh pit. Sure there is a little Bio-worship here and there ("Backfire" especially) but you wouldn't be listening to this band if you weren't quasi-familiar with the old school so whaddya expect? Check their other pre-Us Vs. Them record here and I think they actually get together and play locally - their window to the interweb is here. Enjoy.

I Will Resist

Holy fuck!!! A new post!!!

Yay for me - got a new fucking post up. About time - no? Well, I won't bore you with any long slavish idol-worship of American Violence - aside from a great name they play the tightest beatdown deathcore I've heard since Gat-Rot sadly vanished from the planet (or have they? I just updated their post... bwah hah hahhhhhh). No but seriously, the three minutes of anger in AV's 2012 Demonstration is fucking awesome. Christ it's taken twenty years but someone finally honed the downtuned 7-string B sound like Korn circa '92. Brutal. Angry. No fucking guitar solos. Facebook. Bandcamp.

Ignore False Idols

Currently watching: Through The Looking Glass

Currently listening to: Jimi Hendrix Live At The Fillmore East

Your Mind Is A Weapon

 

Who knows why Gat-Rot never hit it big. Maybe they missed the Hatebreed/metalcore wave just a tad before it morphed into deathcore. Regardless, the third album by these sadly ignored Tuscon, AZ grinders is well worth a listen. Huge breakdowns, chugga-chugga riffage throughout, well-produced anger. Lyrics are in the straight-edge "stand up for yourself" vein so if you're a tad over-the-hardcore-hill like me a few eyerolls will surely accompany but no biggie. One of the best beatdown albums I've ever heard. Evidently they're still together so hopefully they'll release something else someday!

UPDATE 4.10.13: The boys got a facebook page going and are making their old-school shit available on Bandcamp! Check it out and drop the boys some fucking duckets!!!

THEM!

Currently watching: Run! Bitch Run!

Currently listening to: The Black Keys Attack & Release

Essential

Yeah, I know you can find this album everywhere and that everyone thinks Jamey Jasta is a sellout clown. What the fuck ever. If it wasn't for him and this album, nü metal, Taproot and Limp Bizkit would still be what everyone calls "heavy". Label it whatever you want: hardcore, metalcore, metallic hardcore, melodic metalcore, technical thrashcore.... this album fucking rules.

Revisit