I'm not one to say hardcore rules, but I'll must say Plagues fucking is like a [thousand punches to the fucking face]. Their recent split with The Cold Front is only a taste of what is come in the future, I mean every instrument on the album was recorded at four different studios.
The album begins with a sludgy intro that proceeds with a traditional hardcore rampage with what is possibly one out of two songs on track 1. Going into Social Insomnia the track deepens with something seen more from stoner/doom metal bands such as Electric Wizard but still shreds.
A few months ago the band Plagues debuted their latest music video for the song Nineteen, impressing many the band has caught many new fans since. This song makes an appearance in the middle of side 1 of the split and still keeps at it. One can remember very well when the man caught on fire and jumped off the roof and Jason Schwartz ripped off his shirt and moshed.
Ending now with Unbalancing the Negative Space, Plagues again begins with a influx of fluxuating hardcore riffage combined now with a melodic Fu Manchu style breakdown ending with a youth crew sing along for a short few seconds. Plagues definitely is in the top five hardcore bands release wise this year.
Listen to the split here! http://plagues.bandcamp.com/
Buy the split here! http://irishvoodoorecords.myminto.com/product/tcfplagues-split-vinyl.aspx
Written by John Williams
A blog dedicated to the finest in punk/hardcore/metal/indie with bands around the United States and other farther regions.
Showing posts with label Review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Review. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Sea Lions - Everything You Wanted to Know About Sea Lions But Were Too Afraid to Ask
Finally a band that knows how god awful Oxnard is, I present to you local natives Sea Lions. Where being sad is not a trend, but Oxnard is the place to make wonderful friends!
I have assembled a lovely poem to personally describe how every song off the new Sea Lions record can tell a beautiful story about living in Oxnard! Now ladies be prepared to dance, you just might shit your pants!
"There's no need for introductions, but I should be sleeping, BUT I'm just all grown up now I'll tell you, but hey look there's a cloud! It's raining now and I don't wanna go out, but I loved her so much yet what's the point? I'm just running in circles and can only play untitled songs off my guitar because she's my girl. And as times change, you'll have a song.. For your smile."
If you think Black Lips are hip and Harlem just isn't giving you your indie pop fixation anymore, may I recommend to you these lovely young lads! When Adrian Pilado is not writing songs by himself in his bedroom or breaking young women's hearts he is of coarse doing what all young men do. Masterbating exclusively while he tries to take the clothes off his fellow bandmates.
Now Sea Lions is good and all, but clearly WAVVES is 100x better. Songs about smoking weed and living on the beach surpass songs about being bored and lonely. People don't give a fuck about how sad someone is [I'm not a loser]. However many males especially in the new uprising powerviolence scene find the tambourine Katie Chavez very attractive.
So if you don't like already then well don't. They wouldn't like it if you liked them anyways. Go listen to better bands like WAVVES and BEST COAST. [Never gonna stop me, KING OF THE BEACH!]
Download Everything You Wanted to Know About Sea Lions But Were Too Afraid to Ask here!
http://www.mediafire.com/?r5fqjx71qmt6nbu
Written by John Williams and associates
1. | Intro | 9. | I Loved Her So Much |
2. | I Should Be Sleeping | 10. | What's The Point? |
3. | Grown Up | 11. | Running In Circles |
4. | Tell You | 12. | Untitled (Guitar) |
5. | A Cloud | 13. | My Girl |
6. | Look | 14. | As Times Change |
7. | Rainfall | 15. | A Song For Your Smile |
8. | I Don't Wanna Go Out |
I have assembled a lovely poem to personally describe how every song off the new Sea Lions record can tell a beautiful story about living in Oxnard! Now ladies be prepared to dance, you just might shit your pants!
"There's no need for introductions, but I should be sleeping, BUT I'm just all grown up now I'll tell you, but hey look there's a cloud! It's raining now and I don't wanna go out, but I loved her so much yet what's the point? I'm just running in circles and can only play untitled songs off my guitar because she's my girl. And as times change, you'll have a song.. For your smile."
If you think Black Lips are hip and Harlem just isn't giving you your indie pop fixation anymore, may I recommend to you these lovely young lads! When Adrian Pilado is not writing songs by himself in his bedroom or breaking young women's hearts he is of coarse doing what all young men do. Masterbating exclusively while he tries to take the clothes off his fellow bandmates.
Now Sea Lions is good and all, but clearly WAVVES is 100x better. Songs about smoking weed and living on the beach surpass songs about being bored and lonely. People don't give a fuck about how sad someone is [I'm not a loser]. However many males especially in the new uprising powerviolence scene find the tambourine Katie Chavez very attractive.
So if you don't like already then well don't. They wouldn't like it if you liked them anyways. Go listen to better bands like WAVVES and BEST COAST. [Never gonna stop me, KING OF THE BEACH!]
Download Everything You Wanted to Know About Sea Lions But Were Too Afraid to Ask here!
http://www.mediafire.com/?r5fqjx71qmt6nbu
Written by John Williams and associates
Swellbow - Split
There are some terrible bands out there in Ventura County, but this band clearly blows more than any other. As we all know skate punk died when most of the stars in the skateboarding punk rock community over-dosed on heroin and or cocaine from partying too much and Swellbow is clearly one of those god awful 80's revivalist skate punk bands.
Famous Child Star, Joseph Mercado (Singer of Swellblow) is the poster boy for modern suburbia punk rock which most of us have come to call via Black America "Yuppie Youth" [Yuppie kid I hate and your gang of inbreds]. I personally have witnessed Joey Mercado's supreme faggotry on a higher level. I have yet to see this young 12 year old boy's penis and neither has he seen mine. I mean we went on tour together and he wouldn't let the guitarist of Violent Americans spoon with him after getting out of jail. Talk about helping your fellow punk rocker.
The split opens with titled track (Rip it Up) more realistically a blatant rip off of Kiss's beloved 80's single (Lick it Up). That's the only reason kids sing that song, not because it's catchy, or by the fact that Swellbow stole (Rip it Up), the band Adolescents from the 80's played it as well. However the Adolescents are nowhere nearly as gay as Swellbow is, so they can play it without people having to question their sexuality.
The tape fast forwards to (Bad Habits), but to me the only bad habit is Luis Amezcua (Bassist of Swellblow) and his massive tendency to take his clothes off after midnight. No joke that every place we went to, Luis had to expose his penis with a big bright smile. What kind of homosexuality is that! The song is supposed to be about girls, but who the fuck sings about girls anymore? This is not 1985. Milo has gone to college, music is no longer on MTV, we finally got through to you, i wasted my time on conformity, and i know how old I am.
(Perfect Life) just reminds the audience how good Joseph Mercado has it by talking about how perfect his own life is! You might think he's singing about how shitty rich people are and how [Perfect] they think they are, but NO! Joey is only singing about himself! And he knows that Luis Amezcua lives with 20 of his cousins and Frankie (Drummer of Swellbow) lives in the forest of Moorpark but only can rub in their face about how good he has it!
Skate punk bands obviously were disliked in highschool, so it only makes sense that (Big Shot Jock) makes an appearance on this tape by talking about how horrible jocks are. They clearly do not like the fans of Weekend Nachos or Madball and most likely Hatebreed because they want them to go away. No were not talking about [Go away, never gonna need you, never gonna need you] of the chorus of the latest Violent Americans single elitist off their upcoming 7 inch, but a place of solitude and loneliness. Possibly a place where Andy (Guitarist of Swellbow) crys himself to sleep at night knowing that his jock peers are truly "Big Shots"
Of coarse clearly another band trying to be just like WAVVES or Katy Perry and having a illuminati reference or maybe Swellblow is just trying to become a beloved powerviolence band like the other 10,000,000. This split clearly is god awful and should be only taken sarcastically. Violent Americans side to be reviewed soon!
Listen to the split here: http://swellbowsftb.bandcamp.com/
Written by John Williams
![]() |
Photograph taken by John Williams |
The split opens with titled track (Rip it Up) more realistically a blatant rip off of Kiss's beloved 80's single (Lick it Up). That's the only reason kids sing that song, not because it's catchy, or by the fact that Swellbow stole (Rip it Up), the band Adolescents from the 80's played it as well. However the Adolescents are nowhere nearly as gay as Swellbow is, so they can play it without people having to question their sexuality.
![]() |
Photograph taken by William Moncayo |
The tape fast forwards to (Bad Habits), but to me the only bad habit is Luis Amezcua (Bassist of Swellblow) and his massive tendency to take his clothes off after midnight. No joke that every place we went to, Luis had to expose his penis with a big bright smile. What kind of homosexuality is that! The song is supposed to be about girls, but who the fuck sings about girls anymore? This is not 1985. Milo has gone to college, music is no longer on MTV, we finally got through to you, i wasted my time on conformity, and i know how old I am.
(Perfect Life) just reminds the audience how good Joseph Mercado has it by talking about how perfect his own life is! You might think he's singing about how shitty rich people are and how [Perfect] they think they are, but NO! Joey is only singing about himself! And he knows that Luis Amezcua lives with 20 of his cousins and Frankie (Drummer of Swellbow) lives in the forest of Moorpark but only can rub in their face about how good he has it!
![]() |
Photograph taken by Williams Moncayo |
Skate punk bands obviously were disliked in highschool, so it only makes sense that (Big Shot Jock) makes an appearance on this tape by talking about how horrible jocks are. They clearly do not like the fans of Weekend Nachos or Madball and most likely Hatebreed because they want them to go away. No were not talking about [Go away, never gonna need you, never gonna need you] of the chorus of the latest Violent Americans single elitist off their upcoming 7 inch, but a place of solitude and loneliness. Possibly a place where Andy (Guitarist of Swellbow) crys himself to sleep at night knowing that his jock peers are truly "Big Shots"
![]() |
Photograph taken by Emily Charnock |
Of coarse clearly another band trying to be just like WAVVES or Katy Perry and having a illuminati reference or maybe Swellblow is just trying to become a beloved powerviolence band like the other 10,000,000. This split clearly is god awful and should be only taken sarcastically. Violent Americans side to be reviewed soon!
Listen to the split here: http://swellbowsftb.bandcamp.com/
Written by John Williams
Boston Strangler - Primitive LP
Every-time this band repress's their record, copies are sold out almost instantly and finding one on ebay itself still can cost one a pretty penny nearing $79.99. Boston Strangler is pure original Boston Hardcore that is not like many bands that have debuted from Boston in passing years. This is not Have Heart or DYS for this is much more Hardcore.
Starting off with (Primitive - Heard off their early promo tape) Boston Strangler chants a barrage of one simple statement being the term "Primitive". Following in traditional hardcore formula the song definitely warms up a crowd live with it's youth crew sing a longs and mosh-head riffage. That is how the rest of the LP is and is pure perfection.
Go bedroom mosh to Boston Strangler and pick-up their latest LP to add to your record collection. But be for-warned if you do not order within 24 hours of a label restocking on it then you'll be left to the treaded bay of the ebay.
Download here: http://www.mediafire.com/?vjtn5tcmc076ub8
Written by John Williams
Monday, July 16, 2012
Mud Mouth - Everything's Great But Not Really
The bay area has a reputation for putting out some of the raddest bands from California ranging anywhere from the dreaded hardcore-post punk galore of Ceremony to the berkeley hardcore Tankcrimes alumni Strung Up. [One thing I could say to you if I could say no more]
For fans now of the real pop punk bands such as Kid Dynamite, The Ergs, Beatnik Termites, and Descendents then get ready for one of the better new coming bands from the Bay Area in this review. Rising from the ashes of ex Black America this band Mud Mouth gives the modern pop punk bands a run for their money.
Make no mistake these songs are not about how [fresh] their ex girlfriends were or how [lonely] they are. These songs are about swimming in one's own seamen, having sex with hot pockets, and subjects most that most people tread away from. That is one stands Mud Mouth out from when pop punk was destroyed by the extreme flamboyancy and warped tour crap post 2006.
Listen to Mud Mouth here!
Written by John Williams
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Media Blitz - A Voice of Our Own
"We'll Bite Back."
I've had the joyous honor of playing with Media Blitz at a show I set-up here in Oxnard locally for them and must say that I've also seen them three times. One being Gross Negligence's last show with Raw Power and the other being Gnarmageddon Fest 2011.
Anyways straight to the punk. or should I say hardcore? For those that don't know Media Blitz was originally a pure punk band. When Rob Beverly (Guitarist of Constant Struggle) banged the skins for them?. Media Blitz shouldn't even need a introduction, but for those Ventura locals reading this. Shay Gutierrez (Singer of Dogends) said [Media Blitz is like the Orange County Dogends, just way sicker.]
Enough of the trivia let's get straight to the review
For fans of their first EP "No Regrets" you will not be disappointed. Blaring guitar shred skills fall into place during wicked sick solos matched with the frustrated ramblings of Jason Schwartz (Singer of Media Blitz). You have your traditional combination of fast-riffage intwined with break-down heavy outros with something unusual for most hardcore bands.. Guitar solo's? Yeah as stated before they are wickedly sick.
Fans of California Hardcore. Pick this shit up and listen to it. And the No Regrets EP as well.
P.S. they are playing Gnarmageddon 2012 in Berkley and Santa Ana this year in June also. Be on the look out!
Listen to Media Blitz on Bandcamp here: http://mediablitz.bandcamp.com/
Written by John Williams
I've had the joyous honor of playing with Media Blitz at a show I set-up here in Oxnard locally for them and must say that I've also seen them three times. One being Gross Negligence's last show with Raw Power and the other being Gnarmageddon Fest 2011.
Anyways straight to the punk. or should I say hardcore? For those that don't know Media Blitz was originally a pure punk band. When Rob Beverly (Guitarist of Constant Struggle) banged the skins for them?. Media Blitz shouldn't even need a introduction, but for those Ventura locals reading this. Shay Gutierrez (Singer of Dogends) said [Media Blitz is like the Orange County Dogends, just way sicker.]
Enough of the trivia let's get straight to the review
For fans of their first EP "No Regrets" you will not be disappointed. Blaring guitar shred skills fall into place during wicked sick solos matched with the frustrated ramblings of Jason Schwartz (Singer of Media Blitz). You have your traditional combination of fast-riffage intwined with break-down heavy outros with something unusual for most hardcore bands.. Guitar solo's? Yeah as stated before they are wickedly sick.
P.S. they are playing Gnarmageddon 2012 in Berkley and Santa Ana this year in June also. Be on the look out!
Listen to Media Blitz on Bandcamp here: http://mediablitz.bandcamp.com/
Written by John Williams
Gross Negligence - R.I.P. EP
[Stage Dives and High Fives] As Joey Mercado (Singer of Swellbow) would say undoubt to this raunchy 7 inch that blares a sound reminiscent of the California sound from 2006 - 2010. Being one of the last releases by Flat Black Records (Discography to be reviewed entirely in the near future), Gross Negligence does not disappoint!
Opening with Skate the Apocalypse; the banter of a hardcore prolific monologue reminiscing the end of teen angst is heard to follow through with a a general hardcore intro that follows with machine gun drumming and crude-hearted vocals fighting at a unequal peak. Similar to the Pure Hate EP (Dogends) the recording is noticeably of a raw-like quality that is reminiscent of early 80's hardcore with analogue 8 track technologies.
Free Emilio is an example of the general speed-punk minor pv tune that a majority of bands in punk/hardcore use. Simple, fast, and has something the audience can shout in repetition. Ever had a friend go to jail? Wanted to do more than put his name on a t-shirt? How about chant the phrase over and over again at a punk rock show?
Restly the next 4 tracks bring to discussion tough assholes at shows (Tough Guy), stressful situations (High On Stress - Originally off the GN Demo), destructive mentalities (Smash it Up), and like everything else (Decay).
Fans of bands of early nardcore bands (RKL, Ill Repute) or California hardcore punk bands in general I would personally advise you check-out these San-Diegan's last release.
Download: Gross Negligence - R.I.P. EP here!
Written by John Williams
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