Last Night a D-Beat Saved My Life (part 21): REGIMEN DE TERROR "S/t" Ep, 2023

This is going to be the last part of this wonderful series and I won't probably be writing about d-beat for a good few years because I have officially run out of epithets and attributes to qualify this peculiar emphatically and crucially redundant punk subgenre. And to wrap this all up, I would like to introduce you to what was undoubtedly my favourite d-beat record of 2023: Regimen de Terror's second Ep. 

A couple of years ago I did a compilation entitled The Beat to End All Beats (that was incidentally removed from youtube for "inappropriate content" which is pretty hilarious considering all the turds floating around on this platform) illustrating the explosion of the d-beat trend from the early 90's to the mid 00's. Well, if you will pardon a self-reference, this Ep could be considered as "the d-beat to end all d-beats". From all the records that I tackled in this series, Regimen de Terror's is not just the one that sounds the most just like Discharge, as it can be argued that it is not humanly possible (I shudder at the thought of what AI could do to our D) to sound closer to Discharge (in the present case to Why). The quest has never been deprived of contenders, some very talented ones getting undeniably close to the Holy Grail, but this two-piece might take the cake and have almost achieved something that is both the ultimate goal to reach and yet an unthinkable taboo: actually sounding just like Discharge. Do we really want a band that actually sounds just like Discharge? Or just love the idea of it? Do we just want bands who strive and crave to achieve the unachievable, something both romantic and rather unreasonable that cannot and must not be achieved? Isn't the journey and the struggle, the process, the cult, the quest the whole point? What happens if the coyote finally catches the roadrunner? A feeling of pointlessness or the sentiment of victory and satisfaction? 

In any case, Regimen de Terror is a two man operation run by Mikel from Spain and none other than Janne Jutila, a d-beat legend (he's on the drums obviously) who played in Time Square Preachers or Dismachine and owns D-takt studio. He was in charge of the mixing and mastering and you can tell he knows how to express his abundant love for Discharge. I mean, the man lives and breaths d-beat, he probably had "Decontrol" as his wedding song for all I know. To be fair, strong, energetic and dynamic is the actual Discharge beat on this Ep and he does not stray from the canonical path (the one and only "undischargy" moment is the Japanese style opening roll on "Visiones del futuro" but I am being picky). The riffs are straight out of Why and are played with conviction and aggression. The vocals are in Spanish, which, because of the sonorities and scansion of the language, brings some classic local dis-bands to the table, but to be honest, they sound a lot more like Cal holidaying in Barcelona than MG15. The accentuation is superb and confers to the songs a genuine and almost disturbing Discharge vibe. Inside the paroxysmal restrictive obsession of d-beat, Regimen de Terror manage to create an even narrower path, almost touching the last pint glass that Cal drank out of during the last gig of the Why lineup (the d-beat equivalent of the Holy Grail for Christians). The quest might be a shibboleth but if it were to be achieved, would the gates of Hell actually open?

This very fun, very angry, very energetic raw d-beat Ep was released on La Vida Es Un Mus (because Paco deep down loves his "just-like-Discharge" d-beat) and I am sure you can find it easily. 

Regimen de d-beat terror 

Last Night a D-Beat Saved My Life (part ): SMELL CORPSES "5 track" tape Ep, 2022

If there is one thing that punk taught me - beside the fact that poor hygiene can be considered a proof of one's dedication to the movement by platinum punks (to my mother's eternal despair, I must say) - it is that it's an international movement. One that we should value for it. While the random wanker on the street will probably only listen to popular mainstream American pop music and its local equivalent (because who doesn't want to be American?), the proud punk, the one who cares, who connects, who is blissfully oblivious to basic tuning and fiercely unbothered with dodgy musicianship, will fearlessly strive to discover noisy music that most people won't listen to anyway, done by fellow punks all around the planet. The knowledge that we are part of a worldwide DIY underground movement always felt quite glorious and vertiginous at the same time. Sycophantic me, I know.

But how is that possible in a world that looks so fragmented, polarized, dislocated, dangerous, rooted in prejudice, fear and high shipping costs? There is no easy answer to this but I am sure clever people who have been provided with grants from official institutions to explore this issue as part of their PHD program and publish a thesis that no actual punks are going to read will come up with something major. In the meantime here is my pissant take on the subject: punks basically share a common language. In spite of all our differences, we understand the language of punk. Because of the tremendous diversity of backgrounds, we all have specific stories to tell and there is no denying the very real impact that historical processes, to be understood materialistically, have had on all of us. Living conditions, gender, race, poverty, national origins, all define and sometimes divide us and even I am not enough of a naive zealot to believe that owning a Doom patch suddenly makes everything alright. And yet, we share a tacit common language, a common set of cultural references, shared DIY practices, a penchant for spiky hair and the habit of being chased down the streets by hard blokes on mopeds. And we all love Discharge, right?

Whenever I hear the average vapid Joe (or Olaf or Carlos or Piotr or Jean or however dull people are idiosyncratically known as in your area) claims that he listens to "a bit of everything" when what he really means is that he listens to any old crap that he is subjected to when shopping at Asda, I feel like getting my Smell Corpses tape out of my pocket and make him listen to it while patronizingly explaining that this is my version of listening to a bit of everything: the usual d-beat raw punk formula tastefully done by a punk band from Thailand. I'm sure this was what Marx meant when he claimed that workers of the world should unite.   

So Smell Corpses are from Thailand, from Phisanulok to be accurate, in the North of the country (not that I would initially have known since I have never been) and this delightful recording of d-beat raw punk seems to be their first gift to the Gods of D. Or is it? The band also appeared on a DVD compilation released in 2018 entitled Kawakami Forever 2017 and including Singapore-based bands like Lifelock or Braincëll who have already been dealt with on Terminal Sound Nuisance. Of course, I am going in circles but who isn't? As for the present recording, it was originally self-released as a cdr in 2018 and reissued on tape first in 2021 on the Japanese label Harimau Asia (who also released material from The Rebel Riot from Burma) and then in 2022 on Full Force Hardcore Destruction, a reliable label responsible for tapes from Lifelock or Declaration, both bands that already paid a visit to this series. As I said, going in circles.

With such honourable connections, the careful reader will have understood that Smell Corpses deal in noisy d-beat with a taste for distortion and for the Japanese style. The production is, indeed, quite raw and unpolished but it conveys a sense of urgency and direction that fits the genre. I am reminded of the early days of D-Clone and Contrast Attitude in its most primitive form (the vocals do not lie) but the band still keeps that nightmarish hypnotic vibe that characterizes the Disclose sound or indeed that of Disease. Of course I like it a lot. The last two songs are sung in the Thai language and I have to say it is the first time I hear a punk band in this language and it sounds great and completely d-beat compatible. 

This tape is for the d-beat raw punk diehards, for people who like it noisy and genuine and who support the international d-beat mafia. If you are brave enough the band the Thai label Inhuman Assault released Smell Corpses' second tape Slaughter Still Continues in 2023. Trigger warning: it might harm posers.

SMELL CORPSES

Last Night a D-Beat Saved My Life (part 19): BURNING//WORLD "Peace is no reality" 12'' Ep, 2022

Great men, when faced with uncertainty and chaos, are know to take hard but just decisions while staring mysteriously into the horizon burdened with a truth only they know. This kind of shit. I cannot be called great by any stretch of the imagination, unless you are weird enough to associate greatness with owning a massive albeit rather childish amount of Antisect shirts (unsurprisingly my mum does not belong to that category), but when I dived into the substantial d-beat section of my record collection - it does take at least half of it - in order to select works for this series, tough choices had to be made and I stood tall and made them, cold-hearted, with unshakable resolve. So in a sense, I was kinda great I suppose. However some picks were easy indeed and Burning//World might have been the very first name I wrote down on my list for several reasons upon which I shall presently elaborate.

Peace is no reality, for all its d-beat brilliance (it didn't win the D-Beat of the Year award in 2022 for nothing), did not enjoy the same publicity as other bands dicking around in the same school yard and therefore it felt like a logical choice to rave a bit about the band on Terminal Sound Nuisance what with it being the blog of the underdogs and all. This said, and this is very interesting and revealing, Burning//World still attracted enough attention to garner a number of dithyrambic reviews, actual reviews with arguments, with points being made, analysis, genuine narrative description and unbridled passion (one of them by none other than Jackie Crust War and he knows his shit). In a world where people can't usually be arsed to communicate with much more than memes or emojis or, on the contrary at the other end of the spectrum, offer ridiculously pseudo-intellectual descriptions of punk records "reinventing the punk narrative" in order to sell them at high prices, it was nice and, yes, fun to read decent punk reviews that felt honest in their enthusiasm and read as both very earnest and yet not deprived of ironic self-awareness. I mean, we're dealing with a "just-like-Disclose" band not a Debussy-inspired free jazz orchestra. The label Blown Out Media compiled them on the bandcamp page of the recording so you can take a look for yourself. This very relative abundance of thought-out praises for a simple and very niche d-beat record only confirmed what I instantly knew: Peace is no reality is bound to become a minor d-beat classic in the years to come and not just because the world will actually burn.

I am for once not going to delve on the specifics of the music because others already did it with accuracy and I basically agree with all the terms of endearment. Burning//World go for the Disclose-covering-Disaster-with-Framtid's-intensity-and-Disease's-boundless-fanaticism and they hit very hard, so hard that this might be what set them a little above the friendly and non-hierarchical competition. Heavy riffs, superb distortion, pummeling drums, Kawakamish vocals, this is an artfully made relentless barrage of noizy d-beat raw punk that mirrors the horrors of a world that never stopped burning, it has the ideal length and the songs tell a great story together. 

One does not just stumble upon Burning//World's sonic attack of perfectly executed homage to Dis culture while casually looking for the latest fancy hardcore band online. There is no hype just pure love and anger. You already knew what you were looking for, no need for surprise, there was a hole in your heart that needed to be filled with D love and this is your therapeutic dose. This record is something one seeks for militant confirmation and cultural affirmation, there is no coincidence here. Peace is no reality is a dog whistle for Disclose fans, it is both perfect and cryptic in its reiteration and if it is to become indeed a classic for the initiates, it will be one that unites an already close circle. It is always perfectly in control of what it aims at achieving and for whom (I assume it is a studio project precisely for that reason) and I cannot find any flaws to this record. I mean, it even has a bloody obi.

This crucial confidential record was released on Blown Out Media, a label from Albuquerque I have been following very closely for a couple of years (I mean, they do use the Disaster font and I am an easy man to please) that displays taste for passionate niche raw hardcore punk like Svaveldioxid, Krash or Forclose (yes). If you ever bump into this jewel, grab the fucker immediately.

Burning//D-Beat World

Last Night a D-Beat Saved My Life (part 18): LANGUID "A paranoid wretch in society's game" Lp, 2021

Although I am mostly a man of logic and Cartesian rationalism - even if it means rationalising stuff that I probably shouldn't such as my overconsumption of 6 minute long d-beat records - I know how to recognize a sign when it comes crashing into my mailbox. Indeed, I received the brand new Languid Lp today and since I had already planned to blabber on about these craftsmen of the D, I instantly thought that the Gods of punk were urging me to get off my lazy arse and finally get to it.

A simpler mind would be tempted to state the obvious when talking about A Paranoid Wretch in Society's Game, namely that it is quite possibly the best d-beat album of the past 10 years (and if it does not make it at least to your top 5 you're clearly in the wrong room amigo) and be done with it and just get on with a boring life made worth living through the acquisition of objects that give meaning to the big great void and alleviate the existential pain. Just ask any nerds that collect Star Wars toys. Languid's feat with this album cannot be taken lightly, after 30 years of devout Discharge imitators' monomania (also known as "playing d-beat") they still managed to produce a significant record of some length (24 minutes) that captivates the listener by offering a genuine, tasteful collection of Discharge-loving of songs that sound both extremely familiar, in the best possible way, but also meaningfully better than most bands who try to do exactly the same thing. To be fair, this Lp is close to perfection. It feels seamless but I would guess the boys gave some serious philosophical thought to the raison d'être of the ultimate d-beat song. What constitutes a memorable d-beat song? One that must fundamentally sound exactly like a predetermined pattern? Vertiginous shit. You know when Miyamoto Musashi fucked off to the countryside in order to watch potatoes grow and think about life, well my bet is that Languid did a d-beat version of that that includes cider and a hair-charging workshop. 

It has to be pointed out, cheekily perrhaps, that Discharge cannot be considered as Languid's main influence. They are all about Meanwhile really (it wasn't mastered by Kenko for nothing), a band that turned Discharge love into Discharge lore and tried really hard to sound like Stoke-on-Trent's renegades. Languid do the same thing with the Swedes musically but that doesn't really make them sound "just like" Discharge but more like a band that strives to sound like Discharge, so it is basically the worship of the worshiper rather than the worshipee. Know what I mean? They sound like the brilliant soundalikes if you wish and when you are a modern d-beat band I suppose that is the best you can wish for. To "sound just like" with gusto, finesse and a tendency to crack your brain up. Languid have everything going for them here, the great Swedish-style dis riffs like Meanwhile or early Disfear that are classic but not generic, galloping drums that would prompt a legless man to steal a bike and ride in the sunset, a singer that does not growl or shout like a hyena on speed but rather uses a hoarse anger-driven but comprehensible Cal dialect, but perhaps more importantly, and that's probably the main feat here, one that I cannot quite put my finger on, it can have to do with the overall dynamics and balance for all I know, but Languid manage to rock without playing rock-n-roll. There is no flashy solos or thrashy bits or Motörhead nods or garage sound or anything, it is just pure fucking impact and moshing power. It would even make my dad's foot tapping. Granted, the members of Languid do have great hair so that might enhance the rock power too.

2017's Resist the Mental Slaughter was really promising and upon hearing it, a strong "just like Discharge" force I spotted; 2018's Submission is the Only Freedom was a confirmation and the settling of a strong Meanwhile d-takt style; 2021's A Paranoid Wretch in Society's Game was the crowing glory and a band at the top of the league (I skipped the Ep because it is one I have actually never grabbed for some reason, probably because it has a white cover). I predict that this Lp will still be talked about and revered in 20 years time and it stands as a genuine modern d-beat classic and an instant addition to an already glorious and fascinating canon. I know some are a little torn over the band's visual aesthetics and I agree that, at first, I was of the opinion that it was more fitting for an orc-themed crust band that love Bolt Thrower or Cimex fanatics like Guided Cradle. But because the band has stuck for it and used a similar theme and template, I have grown fond of it. 

This jewel was released on none other than D-Takt & Råpunk in Europe and Desolate Records in the U$ of A. 

A paranoid beat in society's game

         

Last Night a D-Beat Saved My Life (part 17): DISABLE "...Slamming in the Depths of Hell" Ep, 2020

Surprisingly, only two punks bands, to my all-encompassing knowledge, went for the name "Disable" despite the very punk-compatible implications of the meaning and the presence of the crucial dis prefix: one from Łódź and one from Atlanta (which we will cover today). It is unlikely the latter ever heard of the former since the Polish Disable were mainly known locally and only released a cdr demo in 2003, although they were also active for a little while in the mid-90's (it had members of Homomilitia and Lost so it's quality stuff and was recently reissued if you are not a poser). Therefore our Americans must have felt pretty good about themselves with this apparently still available moniker. And if you will allow a cheesy dad joke I take full responsibility for, Disable are definitely able to Dis.

I don't know whether the Atlantans are still going strong - they hopefully are - but their first demo was released as early as 2010 so that they can be said to have been relatively experimented in the D-game when this Ep came out. Arguably, Disable is a perfect example of a typical 2010's d-beat band. They could never be said to be main-eventers - like a Physique for instance - but they certainly belonged to the upper-mid-card if I may use a wrestling metaphor. This might have to do with their town of origin, Atlanta, which, from an outsider's perspective at least, cannot really be said to have a "punk town" status and nowhere as authoritatively cool as New York or Portland or Richmond these days. In any case, they enjoyed some nice records and notably a split with the ever prolific Warvictims from Sweden but I see ...Slamming in the Depths of Hell as their crowning glory, and not just because of the unsubtle Discharge reference in the title.

The past decade saw a formidable shift in the d-beat subgenre and the roots of this evolution that took this hardcore punk philosophical praxis by storm can be found in the 00's, with bands like No Fucker or Contrast Attitude for instance. This transitional decade was not particularly rich in strict "just like" d-beat bands, possibly because everybody had gotten bored with the 90's d-beat wave that had heavily lost steam by the 00's and I suppose people just did not see much point in mimicking Discharge beside a couple of nerd-focused exceptions like Warcry. The glorious comeback in the 2010's was different because, whereas bands mostly concentrated on Discharge imitation before, the new breed went heavily for Disclose's and distortion and a cult for the band and Kawakami rapidly developed. They became a legend. A band whose d-beat style was once rather unique suddenly turned into a significant source of inspiration and I believe Disable illustrates this move (they don't use not one but two different Disclose fonts for nothing) along with bands like Disease or Aspects of War which we have already tackled in this series.

Disable started out as a much rawer and primitive affair and guitar player Jeremy (who left the band at some point) originally handled much of the vocals while on ...Slamming in the Depths of Hell bass player Ben is in charge of the shouting and screaming during and possibly after the gig. To be honest, I prefer Ben's voice to Jeremy's as it is lower-pitched and sounds closer to the original Discharge impersonators and bands like Cracked Cop Skulls and even Hellkrusher or Final Warning or maybe Varukers (a British vocal vibe, but I could be going deaf too). And you know I am a sucker for doubled vocals in my d-beat and in this case it confers an old-school feel to an otherwise pretty modern take on the distorted d-beat style. There is a lot of Disclose in the mix ("duh" as Gen Z's would probably agree) but Disable do add some dis-crasher influence as well, especially in the drumming and the use of pedals and Japanese bands like D-Clone or Contrast Attitude are lurking in a quite visible background. I like it a lot and the mid-paced "False flag" is a wonderful idea although it might have been wiser to put it on the other side. A very solid Ep released on Brain Slash and Audacious Madness, a then very young label I am very fond of.  

Finally this writeup would be incomplete if I did not mention the split with Warvictims. It did sound odd when I listened to it for the first time and for good reason (so I am not completely deaf after all). As the band explained on bandcamp "the songs were all sped up in order to compensate for the excess length of the tracks" which is one of the punkest I have ever read about a record. Noise not music indeed.

Slamming in the depths of dis

Last Night a D-Beat Saved My Life (part 16): DECLARATION "What is the reason for tomorrow?" tape, 2020

This lot definitely declare it, but whether it is a declaration of love or a declaration of war is up to the level of belligerence that the listener can muster in 2025. Absolute, uncompromising and uncompromised Love for the Dis or indomitable war on the world? Possibly both? Revolutionaries used to claim that there was a new world in their hearts which sounds romantic indeed and remains a great title for any emocrust album (points are to be gained through the addition of a screenprinted booklets providing translations of the lyrics into at least three languages). What no one really predicted was the (grave) new world growing in the dark heart of the old one, a brutal universe where power no longer even bothers to hide its inherent brutality under empty phrases. 

Declaration recorded this very fine tape only a few days before the Covid lockdown in Singapore in April 2020, this supremely odd time which we are all trying hard to forget and generally succeed in doing so (in the First World at least). On bandcamp, Declaration add: "Currently witnessing and experiencing the collapse of capitalism, the state and its people. The world will never be the same again". In the end, capitalism and states are doing quite fine indeed although you could argue that the people have a much shittier time remaining on their own two feet. What is the reason for tomorrow then? Does tomorrow really need any reason? It cannot be said to belong to us, as Cal's words once claimed, but I have faith that men, women and children will one day fight back in defense of our future and that punk bands will still be cosplaying as '82 Discharge and charge the best part of a twenty for an album you already the songs of and still gladly buy. That would make a great epitaph, right?

Upon first hearing Declaration, a radiant feeling of joy and warmth immediately took over my brain. The first minute of What is the reason for tomorrow? confirms what your inner self hoped it would to be: pure d-beat, unadulterated, untouched by influences foreign to the Discharge scriptures, an unsoiled oeuvre of mimicry and worship, a soundalike, like a band that had been frozen alongside a mammoth since the 80's and somehow emerged from their slumber in the 2020's. This humble tape was the quietly prodigious child of a bunch of Singaporean punks also involved in established bands like Pazahora, Siäl, Vaaralinen or even Life Lock (which would come as a surprise only to posers). As the saying goes, they know their shit and how to achieve it. There is no ounce of originality in the tape and its perfection originates from this absence. It is the most immediate d-beat language you are likely to find, it speaks directly to the D inside all of us (it is a little known but easily verifiable scientific fact that the D lives in each and everyone of us and can only be unlocked through repeated listens of Discharge, pretty much the punk equivalent of Illumination). If you think d-beat should only be the imitation of Discharge - a form of fundamentalism called dischargism - then Declaration is for you and I am glad to introduce you to them. 

As usual had they emerged from New York or Tokyo or wherever "cool" happens to be these days people would have been more curious and probably touched by their raw sound deeply rooted in early Discharge (somewhere between 1980's Ep's and 1981's Why if you know what I mean) using all the expected tricks to perfection (a special mention goes to the delightful mid-paced numbers). Cracked Cop Skulls (especially with the doubled vocals, which I personally am a sucker for) and Dischange also deserve to be summoned by the court as fellow comrades and students of the Discharge arts. I love that the drums are really upfront and provide that galloping vibe that allows d-beat to sound dynamic. Eleven minutes of plenitude.

This tape was released on Full Force Hardcore Destruction and might still be available somewhere. I suppose Declaration was only to be a studio project from the start and if it did not, Covid forced it to be. In any case, and even if the bands shall remain a mere footnote in punk history, they will alway have a special place at Terminal Sound Nuisance tower and that's a good enough reason for my tomorrow as far as I am concerned. 

What is the reason for d-beat?        

Last Night a D-Beat Saved My Life (part 15): BOMBARDEMENT "S/t" Lp, 2019

France has long been known for a number of things but d-beat and, by and large, hardcore punk have never been one of them. Abstruse philosophical systems, cryptic sociology, pompous arrogant twats shit at foreign languages are however commonly and traditionally associated with a country that has, pertaining to our microcosm in recent years, also been largely responsible with the progressive normalization, if not the invasion, of oi music in the DIY punk scene. Only ten years ago one could have perfectly healthy and rectitudinous conversations with a foreign comrade about how tedious the 2010's postpunk revival was becoming or what the numerous reissues of UK82 bands said about the current scene while oi-related subjects mostly revolved around Hard Skin's banter. Nowadays, you're lucky if the name Rixe does not pop up in otherwise totally righteous chitchats. Being a fourth-generation Parisian, it was not something I expected and fell outside the scope of the imagination. I have exhausted many a shrink because of this unwelcome phenomenon.

But enough typical Paris moaning and whining. Thankfully we have Bordeaux. And sure, there have been, and are, solid punk bands everywhere but when it comes to d-beat or loving Discharge, the town has been delivering steadily for the past twenty years. The precise trajectory of this part of the scene is not the topic at hand (although it would make for an interesting read) and I will thus focus on a band that, to me, stands as the best this scene has had to offer so far: Bombardement. At the time of writing, Bombardement, despite not being Swedish (some of the members probably wish) or from Portland, have become something of a well-read reference in the global d-beat world and its immediate vicinity rich with its own language, quirks, idiosyncrasies and furious protocols. I assume people reading these lines (or liking the post on social media for the lazy bums) are already well familiar with the band and I will not question inconsiderately their knowledgeability or besmirch their good names by assuming the opposite. I mean, how many French hardcore bands are invited to play on other continents? 

But enough praises already, let's examine what makes Bombardement such a widely enjoyed d-beat experience. Taken as its substantial own subgenre centered around the imitation of life, d-beat has often been a boy club. Since the inception of its regulations in the early 90's, women seldom partook in this nerd-oriented stylistic endeavours so that the presence of a female singer in a Discharge tribute band is still of note and singer Emilie (who sang in the vastly different Monarch) does an amazing job here through an impeccable and conscientious rendering of the canonical d-beat scansion, flow and accentuation. Although not an element I particularly put an emphasis on, the vocals in such a narrowly construed genre have to display as much accuracy as possible. You cannot just shout at any given points in a proper d-beat songs, it'd just be unruly and a grave breach of the Law of Cal. But as respectful to the code as the vocals are, they still sound quite unique, raspy but high-pitched and passionate standing as a definite asset on this first album.

As for the music itself, it sounds absolutely massive, like a rhino charging rhino unstoppably, determined to get a job as a grey horse of the apocalypse. Experience speaks here with people previously dicking around in bands like Gasmask Terrör, Warning//Warning, Shock or the aforementioned Monarch. While a young spotty band would still be looking for its sound, with crucial conversations about "how many studs do we need to sound like Disclose?" running wild, Bombardement are naturals. They may no longer have perfect hairlines but they know exactly what they are going for and more important they know how to achieve their goal. On their 2016 demo tape, they covered Meanwhile's "The road to Hell" which is a big key of entry into the band's music (basically keeping with the spirit of first-generation d-beat bands). Of course, Discharge is always lurking but the prevalent influence is indeed Meanwhile's second Lp, a work that saw the band adopt a more rocking, guitar-led approach while still doing their daily prayers facing Stoke-on-Trent. Meaningfully, Bombardement have two guitar players so that the riffing never stops and the use of rocking leads does not impair the overall power of the music. To achieve this you have to recruit people who can actually play even if they don't wear the traditional d-beat robe. 

The Lp works on all levels because, beside the purposeful songwriting, they found the right balance between a heavy production able to highlight the details and pure hardcore punk aggression, and I am also reminded of early Warcry. I love the fact that they included two groovy mid-paced Dischargey numbers here that can even have you dance (yes, you) even though the last time you tried was in 2008 with the notoriously ass-grabbing Emma from Accounts at a colleague's leaving due. But let's not get into that. This is a pretty recent release and one of the strongest d-beat albums of the 2010's. Bombardement went on to release an Ep and an even better second album Le Futur Est Là with new singer Oriane whose lower pitch is as potent albeit more raucous and with lyrics in French, therefore illustrating once and for all that you can do the Discharge thing in Sartre's language (Emilie went on to - actually - sing in Faucheuse). 

Good news for you the record released on Symphony of Destruction and Destructure is still available and it looks brilliant and, dare I say it, pretty original for a d-beat record with a die-cut sleeve like 90's techno records you needed drugs to listen to. The road to Dis starts here.

Bombardement > Oi   

Last Night a D-Beat Saved My Life (part 14): HELLISH VIEW "Reaper's hand" Ep, 2019

I like Hellish View. I think what they do is good and they are good at what they are striving to do. With them picking a Disclose song as a moniker, the only punters they are likely to attract and entice to spend a tenner on a record are the ones already converted to the D, the risks of one being fundamentally disappointed with the band's work are therefore slim. They can't be said to promise the moon but at least they are not lying about the menu.

Unless you conceive the warmest passion for d-beat raw punk, not just for the music but also for the foundational web of references, the lexical articulations and the visual semiotics, Hellish View will probably sound like a bear family trying to play musical instruments for the first time (not an unpleasant program in itself, for me at least). Reaper's Hand provides the casual d-beat listener, the passerby of the D, with a decent slice of "noise not music" gruff primitive d-beat while still accommodating the aficionados with the validation of the genre's prerequisites. The style's specifications are respected, the crucial boxes proverbially ticked. To switch to a language even the dimwitted among us are capable to understand (there can't be many here, Terminal Sound Nuisance is definitely a high-brow, if ineffably highfalutin, reading experience), this Ep is a scorcher or, like old-school American punks would say, "rad".

Hellish View are from Minneapolis and like a lot of the most fanatical d-beat bands (the Disease and Dispose of this world) are quite prolific with two demo tapes, three Ep's and three split Ep's since 2017. I like the idea of obstinate inflexible bands who keep recording and producing against all odds, especially in such a confidential genre. They are doing it for the love and lovers of it. Or maybe they just lost a bet in high-school and the local bully ordered them to play d-beat until the end of time or else. Minneapolis stands as a legendary punk town with absolute classic bands like Misery, Destroy!, the fanzine Profane Existence and some solid contemporary bands like Hope? so emerging from such a place could be an advantage for a band since you are bound to find like-minded people who know what you are on about when raving over Disclose for way too long. They probably do not tend to run away over the fallacious pretext that walking Ben Sherman commercials are getting on stage like in Paris. However, even amidst the plethoric offer of Minneapolis punk-rock, there have never been a proper d-beat band, one relying solely on the the strict cannon so that Hellish View can be seen as something of a novelty in this context.

This young and studded three-piece do love playing, cheekily and affectionately, with the traditions. While it would be too long to analyze thoroughly the evolution of their sound - but let's just say that they went from a cave d-beat raw punk to a more Disclose-infused d-beat raw punk but I suppose it's just because they learnt to play better - I still have to give credit for some song titles from the disbones-ish 2021 demo tape that illustrate my point like "Protest and revive" or "Assholes (of the fucking leaders)". But what about Reaper's Hand in particular? 

The Ep does a perfect job at blending Aspects of War-era and Disbones-era Disclose (which it does say on the cover) with Decontrol's primal fury (the gruff vocals tonally sound like the perfect mix of both) and something of Shitlickers and Anti-Cimex as well. It has that galloping unpolished distorted d-beat quality that I have grown to love when it's done well. The songwriting is classic indeed but the opening APOD displays some adventurousness as it is a slow-paced but groovy number that made me think of Discharge's vintage mid-paced moments but played at the wrong speed, which is, bizarrely, a compliment here. If the lyrics deal with the usual "wars, death and destruction" trope, it has to be said that the two songs on Reaper's Hand are about Gaza and the plight of the Palestinians which has never been as tragically relevant. 

This slice of delightful fan service done with heart and dedication was released on the very fine local Desolate Records in 2019 and can still be found floating in some tasteful distros I suppose. Did I mention that Hellish View use a cracking logo with a reworking of the Discharge logo but with a crow instead of a face? Now that's creativity.

HELLISH VIEW              

Last Night a D-Beat Saved My Life (part 13): DESPAIR "Visions of the Inferno" Lp, 2018

I sometimes find myself caught up in my own moral principles and therefore do not practice what I vehemently preach, namely to not judge a book by its cover (to be applied metaphorically as from my experience most novels, especially North-American, can be judged by their cover which makes the phrase rather odd) or its reputation. As vaguely bothered as it makes me feel in terms of the petty values I insist upon holding, I do happen to love bands before I actually play them just by reading the "ex and current members of" list. It goes without saying that I am sometimes violently proven wrong but let's not engage in an excruciatingly exhaustive excursus about the culprits as not only do I not want to find horse heads in my bed again, but more importantly I have been told on several occasions that it bores readers. In fact my brother once suggested I indicate the time it'd take to read the full review for busy readers, which sounds like encouraging laziness to me. It's like asking how long will the Sore Throat song be. Are you really that busy mate? What are you, a banker? Does this keep me from being waylaid by swarms of admirers on my way to buy baguettes? Does it fuck.

But yeah. Reading, accidentally, about a d-beat project involving ex and current members of pretty classy bands got me interested: Despair had Cordie on guitar who by then had already played with drummer Bryce in Raw War and Kaiten, Chris also on guitar from the mighty Decontrol, Foat from Limb From Limb, Fear of Tomorrow and Total War and John formerly of the underrated Dödsfälla on vocals. The thought that "it's gonna be a good one that" did accost my mind, never to really leave. This more or less justified belief is a bit like morning drinking: it sounds good on paper but can end up to be a disaster (pun intended). Despair can be said to be a band that I loved before listening to in spite of a generic moniker - in addition to the Osaka crusties you will unsurprisingly find three black-metal bands with the same name on Discogs but also a ridiculously cheesy Russian power-metal band that comes highly recommended if you're having a bad day) that still makes sense considering the genre. At least they did not go for Dispair (not a bad band by the way but you know...).

As mentioned, I was a little late to the party and only heard about the band when they had presumably already passed (their final gig took place in June, 2015), which I felt a little upset about but then it happens to me often with obscure family members so I didn't make too much of it. Upon playing the album on youtube (unglamorous I know), Despair instantly revealed themselves as a cracking "just-like Discharge" orchestra, a restrictive but ultimately fulfilling and engrossing sub-category of d-beat, not unlike what the saltwater crocodile is to its Nile cousin: the subtle difference is in the details.  

Before Visions of the Inferno Despair thought wise to record a self-released demo tape in 2015 that illustrated emphatically what the band had in mind and several songs from the demo would be rerecorded and vastly improved for the Lp (released a good few years after it was recorded). The demo of Despair must be seen as an antechamber to their album as the Lp magnified the real qualities and traits exhibited on the first recording. Despair's demo was, well, essentially a punk demo, that is to say an allusion to what would come (admittedly it is easier to say in retrospect). This maniacal Vancouver unit is particularly enjoyable because they partake in the difficult task to replicate the philosophy of the first 90's d-beat generation of Dischange, Disaster or Disfear, not just in terms of sound but also in terms of their original praxis, one that is as close as possible to Discharge itself. This is Discharge-loving d-beat instead of d-beat loving d-beat, if you know what I mean. It even looks like a 90's d-beat record. The direct Discharge references may overwhelm some (who will gently and mercifully be called "posers") but I am not one to flinch at open Discharge love, especially when it has song titles like "...and they still ignore", "Life's massdestruction" or "Visions of the inferno". 

The interplay between the guitars impresses, the guitar players do not step on one another's studded boots and while I am conservatively not in favour of two guitars in an orthodox d-beat band, Despair stands as one of the very few modern examples where you can actually hear that it makes sense (I am reminded of Anti-System on that level at times). The bass has that old-school dirty reverb sound instead of the usual grinding tone and I love the fact that the vocalist does not rely on pedal effects or forcefulness (two common flaws in contemporary d-beat bands) for the Discharge rendering, he just goes hoarse and angry but still understandable, not unlike on the Discard Lp (possibly a relevant reference in terms of conception when it comes to Despair's Lp) which confers a genuine hardcore punk edge to the whole. The Lp does have imperfections here and there but they are meaningless because Visions of the Inferno succeeds in doing exactly what it set out to: absolute Discharge worship with a taste refined through solid knowledge of the D word, an ear for the good aggressive riff with a cracking guitar sound and a sort of contagious "charged punk" collective drive. Beside let's not overlook that it is a full album, not a mere Ep, so that it is harder to make it sound coherent and whole, the story is longer to tell. The fact that it was mastered by Kenko kinda goes without saying and is the icing on the nuclear war.

     

This album is rather difficult to find these days but if you do happen to see it, don't dick around and jump on it (and do elbow your way to the distro if needed). As you can imagine all the lads kept playing in bands after on a more or less permanent basis with John joining the excellent and already discussed Genogeist, Bryce currently doing Reaktori, Foat Dead Hunt and Malakili while Cordie (also referred to as "the riff machine" in some quarters) just started his thirteenth band since 2015 last month, a formidable feat that got him to be nominated for the Vancouver Punk of the Year award this year.

Visions of the d-beat

    

Last Night a D-Beat Saved My Life (part 12): LIFE LOCK "2018 E.P." Ep, 2019

Little do people know (or care to) that, beside this Singapore lot, there are two other bands with a similar name: a melodic hardcore Lifelock from Turkey and some sort of depressive and dark Bathory-Cimex metal-punk act Lifelöck from Brazil (with a tape called A Non Nuclear Nightmare which is an odd title for an evil band since it is officially the best sort of nightmare). As far as I know, none of these three bands have been sued by Doom for the use of the name of one of their top songs which is a relief (I swear this will be the only crust-related dad joke of the review). What would we become without Discogs? You can't escape record porn.

I don't suppose the Istambulis were thinking about Doom (and after all the phrase "life lock" is meaningful without being tied to a preexisting reference), the Brazilians must certainly have and the Singaporeans just did without hesitation, naturally, like a stud flying instinctively toward a punk leather jacket. Still, even though the nod to Doom must be factored in, Life Lock cannot be defined as Doom-like. Of course, lovers of the Brummies will feel at home with Life Lock - after all both share a common love for things of the D - but their respective program diverge. This review is not meant to explore the roots of Doom, that'd be an ambitious endeavour as we often tend to overlook where the legendary band's music originates from since they are more often seen as influencer rather than influencee. But let's just throw here that they initially intended to work on the gruffest side of 80's Swedish hardcore (Svart Parad, Asocial and all). Life Lock do not although they, rather cheekily, used Doom's cloud logo as the cover of the first version of the present Ep, a self-released tape (to be fair Abraham Cross played the same trick in the 90's). Life Lock have always been pretty clear about their main sources of joy: Disaster and Disclose.

Such a masterplan is straight-forward enough but it does require a songwriting flair for the simple but perfect riffs, vocal pattern, distortion level and primitive drum beat, things that Life Lock clearly demonstrates. They remain faithful to the source material with a "wall of noise not music" vibe expressed through blatant but always loving Disaster and Disclose rip-offs. Even more accurate perhaps would be the theory that Life Lock is the answer to the question "What if Disclose had been a radical Disaster-worship act?". This is an existential interrogation, the kind of which often arises after a collective boozing session at 2am. Definitely after the gig. Even if your hearing and eyesight are not what they used to be, the Ep is replete with Disaster references. Life Lock cover "Devastation" (sample included), use the Disaster font to write their own name, the first song "Our glorious(?) dead" directly refers to Disaster's "Glorious?", "Hell's inferno" to the line "Hellish inferno" in Disaster's "Inferno". Being fair play, Life Lock do indicate "Thanks to Disaster" on the backcover and the song "Grows in fear" is more akin to a blissfully obvious Disclose tribute. Who said d-beat was a one-trick pony?

This marvelous Ep was recorded in 2018 and released on Brain Solvent Propaganda and Symphony of Destruction. I haven't been able to get an idea of how active the band was or maybe still is. They did release a handful of tape, among which the quite manifest and rhetorical Who'll Make Noise Not Music?!! in 2010 (with a recreation of Discharge's iconic first Ep but with "Disaster" painted at the bottom of a studded jacket, in case you needed to be reminded of where they were heading toward) and And For What (you know what they mean, yeah?) with an even nerdier cover using the very same picture of the two armed soldiers as Disaster used, except these soldiers, instead of the perfectly acceptable gasmask faces, now have the cabbage heads of Hear Nothing See Nothing Say Nothing. What a combo. 

The Singapore scene has proven to a new wider audience to be very dynamic and lively for the past 10 years with bands like Siäl and Lubricant being quite successful abroad and needless to say that punk 2.0 certainly contributed to that well-deserved interest. However, one must not forget that Singapore punks have been playing noisy crust and d-beat (and more generally hardcore) for a long time as solid bands like Minus, Blinded Humanity or Pazahora (members of which play in the aformentioned Siäl) can attest. For those ready to nerd out, I recommend giving a listen to the Singapore Punk Holocaust compilation cd released sometime in the 00's.

But in the meantime blast some Life Lock, arguably the Disclosest band to Disaster. 

LIFE LOCK