DISHUMAN

 

Five blasts of by-the-books DBeat repetition, delivered with every ounce of raw fury the (sub)genre demands. Bands can use more than two riffs if they want...but DISHUMAN makes it clear that the extra riffs aren't really necessary. "Hate For This System" on repeat all damn day. 

DEMO 2021

D.I.Y. CONSPIRACY VOL. 1

The DIY Conspiracy folks spent the year of Covid cranking out some serious mix tape heat, and I was happy to get the first six installments in one hefty batch. Hardcore, crust, DBeat, punk, doom from Bulgaria, Brasil, Italy, Austria, Chile, Greece, Russia, Australia, Singapore, Portugal...this is the kind of conspiracy I can get behind. 

 

DIY CONSPIRACY VOL.1

Defend DIY Punk indeed - especially from thieves and charlatans. 

But that's for a different post. 

VAIAPRAIA E AS RAINHAS DO BAILE

Rarely am I rendered as speechless as I was when I first listened to Amor Duro. The songs are simply crafted, reminiscent of the more interesting early '90s college/alt greats, particularly on "Sem Armas" (I'm talking Rid Of Me-era PJ HARVEY, maybe TEENAGE FANCLUB). But here's the thing that really grabbed me: Amor Duro listens like a complete and completely formed release, but "Sem Armas" is kinda the only song. There's the title track that opens the tape, but it comes off more like an introduction...an ominous sounding three note repetition with wailing vocals that border on BIRTHDAY PARTY caliber magnetism, and then after "Sem Armas" comes "Fantasmas Sem Armas," an mystical re-imagination of the previous number that turns what was, as its roots, essentially a laid back indie/grunge number into a fully engrossing ambient journey. Portugal's VAIAPRAIA take the elements that feel and sound familiar and twist them into something completely different...but still completely familiar. The internet offers a deep hole that only makes VAIAPRAIA E AS RAINHAS DO BAILE more intriguing....so happy digging. 

AMOR DURO

THE FIENDS

An off the rails fastcore attack from Portugal, ten minutes of unhinged absolute mania. Singer's voice is constantly on the verge of cracking to pieces, drummer's blast is struggling honorably to keep their relentless pace while the guitars are just a blur...until the breakdown in "Jesus Was A Good Boy" drops and you're moshing. Moshing hard. I miss this shit.

SKATE OR DIE

here I'm happy // here I'm sad

here I found the good // here I found the bad

I don't care what it means

I STILL LOVE THIS FUCKING SHIT!

Z.E.D.

Spastic, jerky fastcore from Portugal circa early '00s (or course). Erratic, high end shrieked vocals (like almost DEVOLA high), marginally in tune and killer adolescent breakdowns. I was sold from the first blast, though it might take the average listener two or three.

Z.E.D.

WE MAY FIGHT A BATTLE THAT CAN'T BE WON

A most excellent comp from 1996, released on cassette by Experimental from Portugal and on CD by Boisléve, We May Fight A Battle... concentrates on heavy edge/vegan hardcore, but since it was the '90s there is more than enough crossover into other subgenres. The easy highlight is Lithuania's SC - disjointed punk that seems like perhaps it wants to be metal but doesn't quite pull it off, these songs are well worth the entire cassette and I find myself scouring the internet searching their few cassette only releases (it is so far a fruitless search, but it is not finished). STONEWALL, Portugal's X-ACTO and Brazil's PERSONAL CHOICE fall nicely into the straight edge hardcore box though all write songs more interesting than a generic genre descriptor might suggest. BY ALL MEANS from Modena, Italy were the first band I ever drove on tour back in 1997, and the sonic assault they delivered at those shows has not been lessened by a decade and a half - I still think they are a seriously under appreciated band, pure and personal brutality. MEANSTREAM are gruff heavy hardcore with an affinity for mosh and Mexico's AUTOCONTROL round out the line up. AUTOCONTROL seem to have a criminally limited discography (this cassette and one track on a 1999 compilation LP) but their multi vocal doom tinged metallic crust are also worth the entire cassette, so now you have even more reason to get amongst this...

WE MAY FIGHT A BATTLE...THAT CAN'T BE WON

33AT45

Early '00s Portuguese thrashcore. I can't lie - I'm a little disappointed when the weird ass Euro techno intro is cut off by those searing guitars, but 33AT45 manage to win me over pretty quickly. I hope you stretched this morning, because these breakdowns command you to thrash, and this fastcore demands a circle pit. "Why Do We Kill?" is the jam here, but the whole 5 minutes will likely suit you just fine. Also - these dudes are pretty rad to hang out at the beach with.

33AT45