I get sent a lot of shit* to review; more than I can fit in any one place at one time. But because folks out there take the time to send me their wares, I usually feel obligated to give some sort of mention, nod, kudo or deliver a full-on scathing, hatchet job to those releases that find their way to me. It’s kinda like Adrien Begrand’s column, except without the comprehensiveness, quality critiquing or good taste. I had a bunch of 7″s sitting around waiting to be listened to. I listened to them. I then asked myself, “now what?” So, here I am writing about them. Let’s get a move-on, shall we?
*Please note my use of “shit” as an indirect noun, not an all-encompassing adjective.
DEATH OF KINGS
KNIFEHAMMER
(BORIS)
The cover art to this falls somewhere along a point between mild-mannered Troma flick poster and comic book and definitely redlines on the awesome side of that scale. Hell, the fact that a purple Viking knight is actually wielding a knifehammer tips the scale in that direction. Without a doubt. The band doesn’t do as bang-up a job defining themselves musically as they do artistically, but I still enjoyed their up-tempo, serviceable thrash. Who wouldn’t enjoy some old-school Megadeth bounce touching knob heads with borderline Swe-death/thrashers like A Canorous Quintet, Carnal Forge and even At the Gates.
www.facebook.com/deathofkingsmetal
GREBER/HIROSHIMA VACATION
SPLIT
(SUBURBAN WHITETRASH)
Two-man walls of noise is the theme here. Cambridge, Ontario’s Greber exists on the low end of things with their guitar-less line-up giving them a sludgier feel during those moments they slow down to a proverbial, but not complete, crawl. Rhythmic, pulsing and noisy, their three songs are like the most convulsive soundtrack to the dirtiest sex you’ll ever have during your 20s. On the higher register comes New York state’s Hiroshima Vacation who crack along all lo-fi and Spazz-like with throat lozenge vocals. They’d make good bedfellows for a 5 track expulsion on the next This Comp Kills Fascists release, whenever that’s going to be *wink, wink, nudge, nudge*
greber.bandcamp.com
hiroshimavacation.bandcamp.com
HOLIDAY SUCKERS/AGATHOCLES
SPLIT
(S.B.S./COFFIN FEEDER/ROTTON TO THE CORE/ GRINDHEAD/EPROD23/ SINISTER UPHEAVAL)
Holiday Suckers are from Indonesia and play powerviolence. At first glance, that description sounds like they might be a band that could be fun for a whirl, if not a crutch in helping you score scene points in the perpetual dick-swinging game of “who’s heard the most obscure band” because they hail from somewhere exotic. Good luck listening to them without contracting a big ol’ headache. From the St. Anger drum sound – which I’m guessing they didn’t spend a shit ton of months, money and psychoanalysis to achieve – to the clangy guitars clunking out unrecognisable riffs (despite two of their four tracks being covers), the band come across as more novelty than anything else. Agathocles on the other hand… well, you know by now whether you love or hate mince core and it’s not like these three songs are going to change opinions either way. I wonder this though: is the Belgian’s constant stream of releases got to the point of inside joke yet? Are they secretly laughing at collectors who get themselves in a tizzy every time they put something out, knowing that something “new” is going to follow 15 minutes later?
holidayxsuckers.blogspot.ca
www.agathocles.com
SPEWTILATOR
GOATHROWER
(BORIS)
If I told you this Atlanta-based band had a bunch of songs about poetically killing posers, lyrics like “Drown in weed and alcohol as man’s empire falls” and “Sorcerer of hellish riffs. Faces melted. Don’t need no fingertips to fucking shred” and played a death/black/thrash/grind combo, would you be surprised? Probably not, unless this was your first day here. If meat and potatoes metal had a house band, it’d be Spewtilator; they’re not ground breaking, are certainly listenable, enjoyable enough and offer no surprises while not pretending to try and be anything they aren’t.
spewtilator.bandcamp.com
TERLARANG/TERSANJUNG 13
GILA BABI TERSPLIT
(S.B.S./BURNT POTATO/BE NICE/GRINDFATHER PRODUCTIONS/GRINDING REBELLION/DEATHMUTT/GRINDHEAD/DELUSION OF TERROR/COFFIN FEEDER)
First off, why the hell does it take the involvement of so many labels to get two bands – granted, they hail from Malaysia and Indonesia, respectively – to do a seven song 7”? As you can see, the cover shows a punk/crust burn out dude blissed out on a cocktail of booze and smokes as well as Unholy Grave and Napalm Death vinyl. So, with those conspicuous clues handed to you on a silver platter, you don’t have to do much wondering as to what this sounds like. Or do you? Terlarang is stripped down grind combined with smatterings of old-school metal melody underneath all the bang and clatter. They’re like Spoonful of Vicodin/Population Reduction/et al mixed with old Mercyful Fate and I bet you weren’t expecting to read that sentence. Tersangjung 13 is all about mid-period, death metal-ish, pre-Diatribes Napalm, though played fast, loose and lo-fi like they’re playing intense tribute to the Scum-era.
Terlarang on Facebook
Tersanjung 13 on Facebook
