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MRR #472 - September 2022

Norway’s DRÄUMAR put forth a slab of pure punk fury in the form of D’Krig. Jam-packed with vicious riffs and ferocious vocals, this record is an incredibly hard-hitting punch of super pissed-off, mid-tempo(ish), noisy(ish) hardcore. There’s also some fantastic, more ominous guitar lines here sprinkled on to great effect. Awesome work from these Oslo Obliterators. Recommended! Stoked to hear more from DRÄUMAR. (Bobby Cole)

Sorry State Newsletter January 2021

This band from Copenhagen, Denmark has released a series of tapes over the last several years (no less than ten according to their bandcamp!), and Død Tid is the latest. I’m not sure if Junta features any ex members of bands we Americans might know about, but they have the K-Town punk sound I associate with Kick N Punch and Hjernespind Records down pat. A track like “Timeglassets Tyranni” leans toward later Poison Idea or Toxic Reasons with its fist-pumping pace and catchy vocal line, while others like “O Fim Do Mundo” have a straightforward USHC style. Like those Danish classics I mentioned above, there’s a strong sense of melody whatever the approach, yet the gritty recording and looser, organic playing mean it never sounds too slick or polished. It’s punk, and like punk it rules.

MRR #453 - February 2021

JUNTA has been under the radar for quite some time as they have been putting out demos and EPs consistently through the years, with Død Tid being their eleventh release to date and all of them DIY. And they sure sound DIY and you can take this as a compliment coming from me: it has the pure K-town punk sound to it with a recording to match that makes you feel that you are right there in the middle of the chaos with the band. Nothing is overproduced or feels faked, like a grittier version of the more straightforward POISON IDEA songs. Sung both in Danish and Brazilian Portuguese, you can sense their urgency through each and every of the six songs...."Out of fashion, out of step, out of tune..."
(João Seixas)

Land of Treason

Copehagen old-school hardcore with a sound that is timeless, pure and unpretentious – like an updated version of that scorching track found on an 1980’s international mix tape from some obscure and exotic thrashers from East Europe or South America who have since gone on to become huge cult sensations within a pool of about seven hundred music fanatics/collectors forty years later. Add to that a whole range of different hardcore influences from across the decade

Maximum RockNRoll #453 - February 2021

Reissue of a demo tape from Denmark’s ILLEGAL 80, originally released in 1983. Emphasis on demonstration, since it is a half-an-hour-long tape with sixteen songs. Throughout, ILLEGAL 80 plays determined, raw and noisy hardcore clean from any tag-able association that has connected to these adjectives ever since. It is the pure form of top-class international hardcore: fast, fresh, youthful, angry, collapsing. It’s on the right speed—a bit faster than they could keep up with, thus the songs crumble under themselves—the singer has a great indifferently aggressive voice, the guitars leak all over the music and cover it with their dense, swirling distortion. They vary in a few slower jams, not to reclaim any attention because this tape never gets boring. I would believe that for these kids, it meant everything to record these songs, and they treat every second as such. Now this tape is available again—get it, study it, draw your conclusions how to be young, smart, ugly, and dangerous.
Viktor Vargyai

Thoughts Words Action

Everything is uncertain except for the future of the Swedish hardcore punk scene. Amazing new bands are popping out of nowhere and create havoc, leaving nothing behind. Zyfilis is one of these groups that I recently stumble on during my search for some fresh music. The group has been active for a while, but they’ve already released a couple of promising recordings. Besides the initial demo recording released sometime during 2017, Zyfilis also issued a split release with Muro in 2018, and debut 7” record in 2019. The band has appeared on Insane Compilation in the same year. Alle Ska Ha is their debut full-length recording published about a month ago.
Zyfilis deliver abrasive käng sound, or to be more precise, Swedish hardcore punk enhanced by some d-beat dynamics. The group nurtures unpolished production and subtly chaotic aesthetics, but the complete recording sounds compact by all means. Guitars are firing classic four-chord harmonizations characteristic for the genre, so perhaps this material will appear a bit repetitious to some consumers who’re not profoundly into d-beat aesthetics. Otherwise, the entire record will be pure gold for the older practitioners of this specific genre. The riffages may sound similar to those previously performed by Discharge, Anti-Cimex, Totalitär, Bastard Sons Of Apocalypse, Herätys, and Infernöh, but Zyfilis leaves enough room for some unique shreds. Subtly distorted basslines support these shreddings with notable low-end tones, while the excellent drumming performance fulfills the ambiance with some crispy sounding cymbal splashing. Nothing would sound so powerful without impressive female shouting vocals. The vocals are highlighting the riffages with high-pitched screams, so each composition retains even more rage. Zyfilis has created a pure classic within this specific genre that unquestionably may appear repetitious to some listeners, but on the other hand, sound impressive to die-hard fans of råpunk. Alle Ska Ha comes with the minimal cover artwork comprised of red splatter letters imprinted on a black background. Nothing too fancy, but it looks incredible. The album is available thanks to Adult Crash Records, so grab your copy directly from their webshop.

Maximum RockNRoll #450 - November 2020

Following their split release with MURO and debut 7″ record, Alla Ska Ha… sounds really fresh, ranging from catchy D-beat and bouncy pogo parts. The guitar work is somewhat atypical, like TOXIC REASONS played through a TOTALITÄR filter, and the punk high-energy really comes through in the vocals as Johanna really makes you feel like you are being yelled at directly. ZYFILIS delivers a fun record that will leave no fists unpumped.
Joao Seixas

Land of Treason

Öresund käng punk, packed with bouncey energy and pile-driving D-beat fury. Following-up the split release with Muro (2018), and debut 7” record (2019), these 12 new songs were recorded, mixed & mastered at No Master’s Voice in Copenhagen by Zyfilis in January 2020. All copies come with an offset printed insert and a 2 colour silk screened poster. For fans of Torso and Kohti Tuhoa.

Sorry State

Last year we carried the debut EP from Sweden’s Zyfilis, and now they’re back with a new 12” that’s even more ripping. Zyfilis reminds me of Torso in that they’re influenced by the best of recent Swedish hardcore (projects like Herätys, Profoss, Infernöh), but less retro and they don’t skimp on the catchiness. Not that there’s anything like a conventional melody here, but Zyfilis sounds adroit here… it’s hardcore that makes you want to pogo, not crouch down in a power stance and pump your fist. Alla Ska Ha is also an elegantly sequenced record. Take side A, which starts strong with the killer title track, throws out a few rippers, slows things down a little for “Control” and “Dom Överför,” then erupts into one last fit of energy of “Bränn Mig.” Each track is strong on its own, but the sum feels greater than the parts. Top shelf stuff here.

BEACH IMPEDIMENT

It's been a few years, countless miles of international touring that has exhibited their energetic live show to those lucky enough to witness it, and an incalculable amount of hours spent in rehearsal perfecting a breed of auditory frenzy that is all their own... and at long last we, the hardcore punk faithful, are rewarded with the great MURO delivering to us their latest LP titled "Pacificar." Many would have fathomed a follow up to 2017's "Ataque Hardcore Punk" to be quite the unthinkable feat, but these 11 tracks prove that MURO are far from a flash in the pan like so many others in this day and age and that they don't take the creation of their contributions to the greater punk canon lightly. As a testament to their unwavering work ethic and approach to presenting their art how they see fit, all print material was made by the band and friends at their Casa Rat Trap Collective in Bogota, Colombia and features a series of alternate versions of cover art a la The Execute's 1983 self titled EP compliments of the band's own Carlos Velásquez and Wilson Melo. It's a privilege to kick off yet another decade of hardcore punk with a release of this caliber.

SORRY STATE

It’s kind of hard to believe that 3 years have already passed since Colombia’s Muro released their previous LP, Ataque Hardcore Punk. With this new full-length entitled Pacificar, Muro seems to be just as unstoppable as their previous record. Because the band has requested the record not be released in its entirety online (props for that), I feel like a lot of people haven’t even heard the whole record yet! Well let me tell ya, it smokes all the way through. Even though I personally don’t think Muro is totally unique musically, and that a lot of other bands may adopt a similar style of hardcore, Muro just feels more extreme and potent than other current bands. I think part of the reason I feel this way is the band’s presentation -- not only in that they come across very earnest and serious when listening to them, but also their dedication to a no-nonsense DIY aesthetic....
...Muro manage to come across as both grass-roots/relatable AND powerfully meaningful.
Muro was supposed to play here in NC, but ended up having to cancel a big chunk of their US tour. I’ve heard they’re an explosive and powerful live band, so I hate that a lot of us missed out on seeing them. Similarly, due to the crazy situation we’re all currently dealing with, I think Muro’s recent tour got cut short while they were in London. Bummer when a killer band gets the short end of the stick. Grab this LP to show your support!
Jeff

SORRY STATE - record of the week

Pacificar is the much-anticipated second album from this punk phenomenon from Colombia. Muro hasn’t taken the punk scene by storm because their sound is radically new; instead, their strength is that they’re a talented band with command of a broad range of punk and hardcore styles who puts everything they have into their music. While Muro has plenty in common with the history of raw and passionate hardcore that South America has produced over the past four decades, their music is eclectic, with hints of oi! / street punk, dramatic Japanese hardcore, and ripping US hardcore that vary from track to track. Tracks like “Fatasia Del Progreso,” “No Hay Lugar,” and “Pacificar” have subtly melodic chord progressions that remind me of later Indigesti or early Funeral Oration, while the ripping main riff to “La Ciudad Es Hostil” makes perfect sense on the same label as Blood Pressure and Loose Nukes (Beach Impediment). Many tracks also have dramatic, crashing chord changes that send Muro’s already-high emotional register through the roof. It’s easy to understand why this music made the crowd explode at this year’s Static Shock Fest!. With Pacificar building on the strengths of their debut, this record firmly establishes Muro as one this era’s deoutufining bands.

earstofeed.com

One benefit of quarantine has been catching up on things we might have missed—cleaning our homes; meditation practice; an eighth re-watch of The Sopranos; and maybe a bit of [warranted] unbridled rage, in the form of Pacificar, the new LP from Colombian hardcore punks MURO, just released... The release went under my radar, until the band experienced pandemic-related difficulties returning home from Static Shock Weekend in London, inciting a call for financial support among the punk community across the globe (yo buy this record).
MURO has refrained from posting the entire album online, save for one track, “Fantasia Del Progreso,’ and from the initial gut-wrenching plunge of bass, you got a pretty good idea of the fury that lies in waiting on the rest of Pacificar.
Drums chug in like a freight train set aflame and sent barreling towards oblivion, as guitars tease overhead like biblical tongues of fire. Only this blaze is not representative of anything good or safe—the antichrist is come. Nothing is safe here as the band enters in with a wrath of breakneck velocity. The “fantasy of progress” is shattered in D-beat fashion, everything stomping the foundations on which we’ve grown all too comfortable. The earth is upheaved, the sky scorched. Civilization falls back on itself as the song’s title is shrieked atop the crumbling composition. Welcome to hell.

2020 Year End Top Tens, Part One - By Maximum Rocknroll

MURO is one of those bands who are able to take influences from different decades of punk and create their own sound by mixing all these influences together in a way that no single influence was above the others. Pacificar is primitive and raw, and at the same time it’s also far from being unimaginative. The song structures and riffs keep you on your toes. MURO is definitely one of the most sincere and important hardcore punk bands right now. Punk from the heart. (Arto Hietikko)

I tried to avoid it, but it was inevitable: MURO once again. Always fuckin’ incredible, the music repeated: “la ciudad es hostil”—in English, the city is hostile. I look forward to the South American tour someday. (Natha Viccari)

2020 Year End Top Tens, Part Two - By Maximum Rocknroll

Another great album by MURO, and another Colombian band that made it to this list! Very powerful release indeed. I want to go to Colombia so bad. South America is probably the only place that matters anymore in terms of punk, or what’s left of it. (Violeta Hinjosa)

For me, MURO is one of the best bands of the last years. There is no one playing like they. They have created a unique and very personal style that collects influence from a lot of different scenes. Pacificar came out just at the beginning of the pandemic, and hit my turntable pretty hard. They are an example of DIY attitude, and know for good how to deliver unbelievable raw hardcore punk like nobody does. In the hardcore world, where everything seemed to be already invented, there are tons of genres and subgenres and new bands trying to sound like everybody else, MURO play a passionate and true to the bone style of hardcore punk. For authentic lovers of the genre. (Alex SN)

I heard “Tirania” on someone’s radio show, and it made me turn my head and look at the radio: what is this? Luckily, the DJ announced the songs right after, and then played another song from the record. It’s been a long few years, but I’ll never forget you again. This record is all my favorite things about modern hardcore, and none of the bullshit. I love the vocals: they change around, they spit fire and inclusion. The music is fast and furious, straightforward but not predictable, and those drums! A treasure. (Erin Yanke)

DIY CONSPIRACY

Upon its fiery appearance in 2017, Muro’s Ataque Hardcore Punk became a landmark of the international hardcore punk scene. Brimmed to the rim with exhilarating moments, Muro is one of those bands to create the perfect blend between the aggressive and the anthemic.
Getting a repress from Beach Impediment in 2019, Ataque Hardcore Punk indeed became a modern day chain punk classic. Raising the expectations high, it was also only natural that Muro will come back with new material in 2020. Namely, their much-anticipated second LP Pacificar, and a hell of a split release with Southern Spanish punk phenomenon Orden Mundial released through the mighty La Vida Es Un Mus label.
For a band known for their raucous energy, anything else than more of the same will be a huge disappointment. That’s why Pacificar is not really much different compared to its predecessor. On these 11 new tracks, Muro slaps hard with a burst of primal rage and the unbridled passion they’ve been acknowledged before. The songs are still in Spanish and draw influence from the long history of ferocious hardcore punk in their country (Anti-Todo, Ataque de Sonido, Imagen, etc.)
Even if you’re not familiar with all these punk essentials coming from such an overlooked place, it’s not that hard to imagine how drug trade, unemployment and violence have shaped the punk scene in a country like Colombia. Other bands that come to mind when listening to Muro are the short-lived American classics Koro—for their enraged, rough sound; Blitz for the underlying UK82 / Oi! influences, and especially Japanese legends Gauze for this fast feeling without actually playing really fast.
It’s fair to say that a lot was riding on Muro’s first full-length, but they have exceeded the expectations with another timeless record that needs your attention right now. Pacificar features all the blood-curdling riffs and tempo changes we wanna hear from the band, and there’s no question this album is one of 2020’s best raw hardcore punk releases.
Kudos to Adult Crash and Beach Impediment for releasing this, and of course to Rat Trap collective, this Colombian DIY artist group that does amazing design work keeping the punk aesthetics alive. We still need spiky haired skulls, chains and barbed wire whenever possible on records, merch and zines.

SORRY STATE RECORDS

Even more Swedish hardcore punk from Adult Crash! To me Spraut sounds less like the classic bands from their country and more like the contemporary Texas bands exploring that sound, particularly Vaaska and Impalers. The first track could almost be a Vaaska song, right down to the vocalists’ cadence. Like those bands, Spraut also love a ripping guitar solo and know their way around a crushing mid-paced part. There isn’t much here that’s out of the box for the sound, but it has a great recording, it’s well-composed and the playing is tight and powerful.

Maximum RockNRoll #443 - April 2020

Wish I could judge a record by its first 30 seconds. Then I would be head over heels with SPRAUT since the chaotic, psychedelic start is so good, it would be great to have a record as its extension. I had to collect myself from the shocking moment when they turned it into D-beat and never really came back to experimental-core. Few minutes later I was no longer disappointed—despite the classic gestures of the genre are all here, SPRAUT dug backwards to DISCHARGE’s rare moments when their beat turned into rock and roll and you rather care about moving your limbs than ventilating over the Falklands war. Which does not make SPARUT a rock and roll band but the width of their sound is not as expanded as most bands at their playground and this introduces a great contrast between the frightening/threatening atmosphere and the bouncy rhythm of the music. The focused vocals are unique, as it rises over the music and rages on the edge of hysteria. As a matured version of the singer of HUL. Another great thing is the vibration, the way the whole music moves along the record. Overall a solid EP that draws a lot from early European hardcore but self-concious enough to cherry pick the finest parts of it as a modern interpretation.
Viktor Vargyai

SORRY STATE RECORDS

More Swedish hardcore courtesy of the great Adult Crash label. Listening to Axe Rash I can’t help but think of Sorry State favorites Torso, as both bands have a dense, intricate, and pissed-off sound. Like all of Torso’s records, Axe Rash’s debut has a clear and powerful recording that seems to smash into your ears with the force of a ball peen hammer, and their vocalist sounds like they’ve swallowed all the world’s evil just to regurgitate the bile-soaked mess back at you. The riffing is intricate and catchy (there’s no way Totalitär isn’t a direct influence), and the playing is razor sharp. It’s a relentless assault until “Just Like Me” slows things down a hair, allowing the guitarist to pull a few extra tricks out of their bag and close the record on a high note. Ripping!

DIYCONSPIRACY.NET

I’m going to repeat words like raging, blistering and slaying over and over again within this article, but these are totally accurate when it comes to AxeRash from Sweden.
Fast, abrasive and relentless in its ferocity, it’s sure to scratch you where you itch! Favorite hardcore punk release from Sweden after Larma’s self-titled LP for this year... oh yeah, both these records were released on the same Adult Crash label!
By Mittens XVX

RAZORBLADES AND ASPIRIN no. 8 - winter 2020

Rapid-fire hardcore from Sweden - it's a vicious and blister-inducing journey through eleven tracks which just cook. Twisitng, turning riffs that give off a feeling like watching Steve McQueen tear through San Fransisco in Bullet, pausing occasionally to catch its breath then it's back to the races. Less classically Swedish and more American sounding, I'm still kicking myself for getting sick and missing out on their recent US tour. Top shelf stuff.

SORRY STATE RECORDS

Latest EP from these Japanese punks. Looking at their Discogs page it surprised me to see they’ve been putting out releases since 2006. It’s not surprising that Unarm are veterans because The Voice from Forced Silence exhibits a well-honed band that has figured out their sound and how to execute it. I like how Unarm combine elements of chaotic Japanese hardcore like D-Clone or Zyanose with the more dramatic sound of Burning Spirits-style hardcore. That ability to go way out there (there’s even a wild bass solo at the start of the B side!) and then pull it back to something straightforward and powerful is special. When you wrap it up in a burly recording, you have a record that is well worth your time.

Welcome to the Fuckin’ Future! (MRR)

This is a super late-pass, but since we’re on the subject of brutal bands I gotta at least touch on UNARM’s The Voice From the Forced Silence EP. UNARM have previously struggled to capture their live ferocity on vinyl (the 2010 EP and most of the LP simply do not do the source material justice) but goddamn this thing hits on all cylinders! The meaty recording does every aspect of the band justice while highlighting Nanae’s hoarse, throat-ripping vocals and Nenji’s relentless drum attack (a generation ago this guy would have fit in flawlessly on FRIGORA’s drum stool). The songwriting has a veteran confidence and swagger than recalls Bay Area vets like SHIT COFFINS or NEEDLES, existing within a tradition without explicitly aping any one band or style. There are elements of crust, elements of noize but mostly this is just good old fucking hardcore punk, delivered by a band that has finally perfected every element of their secret formula. Kudos to Adult Crash records for having the good taste and good timing to release this one!
Andrew Underwood

Maximum RockNRoll #443 - April 2020

UNARM is not a newcomer to the crasher game, this release is the 7” version of a promo tape made for their Scandinavian tour in 2018. Took several listens to cut through the usual gimmicks of the style—the wall-of-noise sound, a pace so fast its density makes the rhythm billow, how overwhelming the whole production is. Which are great features when you would like to listen to modern crasher crust/D-beat/high energy hardcore played in boots, but without much else these easily do blur many bands into one featureless bunch. Then what is special in UNARM? They do not drench their whole sound in the noise-not-music aesthetics; instead they occasionally introduce a good amount of melody and their pedals are not only here to blur the guitar sound but to elevate it. I love how the bass sounds in the third song when it switches from being this huge physical thing that, along with the drums, rolls over everything to a groovy psych element. The chaos of the last song is great, almost makes the whole record a warm up for that. If you pay enough attention, there are pieces of a puzzle scattered all over the record that make it a bit more than a great exercise of an already solid artifact. I would like it to be more radical but fuck me, UNARM does whatever they want, and if you are up for exploring entertaining tricks within a sonic warfare, this record can be your field of experiment.
Viktor Vargyai

SORRY STATE RECORDS

Debut 7” from this Swedish band that features members of a bunch of other bands... I’m not really good at keeping track of that sort of thing, but I’m pretty sure Jeff said that there were members of Herätys and Fy Fan here? I could very well be wrong about that, so don’t quote me! At any rate, this record sounds to me like the guitar player from Totalitär gave a bunch of riffs to Anti-Cimex, who recorded them all with the lineup and production from Victims of a Bombraid. Whether you want to call that a catchier version of Cimex or a meaner, noisier version of Totalitär is up to you, but regardless it’s an extremely potent combination. It seems like Sweden has been spitting out records of this flavor (with relatively minor variations in sound and style) at an absolutely furious pace lately, and if you’ve been having fun picking up records by the likes of Katastrof, Exploatör, and the bands mentioned above then you’ll be stoked to pump your fist along to this one as well.

MAXIMUM ROCKNROLL #421, June 2018

Features members of TERRIBLE FEELINGS and FY FAN among many others, has the most bitchin' cover art, and fucking shreds. ANTI CIMEX always gets thrown out as an influence, but it is no cop out to say this is pure GBG dirty thrash, as if CIMEX and the SHITLICKERS didn't party nearly as hard and had modern day recording technology and nicer equipment or a bigger government check. Fuck me if Adult Crash hasn't been releasing some good shit lately. Will blow the spikes off yer leather! (RO)

Fin de Siècle Angst (MRR)

This features Jona from Infernoh and Fy Fan and it’s simply rampaging ra Kang in the Totalitär mould. If not for Exploator this would be the top pick for the year for me from Sweden. Hard-hitting, raw hardcore punk that manages to capture that desperate urgency lacking in so much of today’s music.
Felix Havoc

KINK RECORDS

Und noch mal eine neue Band aus Schweden, Malmö um genau zu sein, mit ihrer Debüt 7" auf Adult Crash. Auf dieser gibts 6x schön rauen, brutalen Hardcore-Punk mit D-Beat Kante. Musikalisch irgendwo zwischen Anti Cimex, Skitkids, Infernöh und Contrast Attitude.

Note Calles zine

The nightmare continues!
From Sweden! the members from Skitkids continue to give hard fist to the state and capital with a new project of crude d-beat crust punk called ARSLE!
This first release in 7¨EP by the label from Denmark called Adult Crash release this masterpiece with 6 tracks from chaotic d-beat crust punk in the vein from Svart Parad,Discharge,Anti-Cimex,Terveet Kadet!
Angry and destructive voice,fast and furious riffs,bass from war and drums from hell with noisy and raw d-beat crust punk touches!
This release comes in two colors,black vinyl and brown vinyl Includes two-sided lyrics insert.
Recorded during 2016 at BLAKKLODGE STUDIO.
If you are a follower from the true and underground d-beat crust punk you cant miss this release in your collection!

AMERICAN OI!

It’s been a while since I checked out a band I never heard of and it knocked my socks off. Goddamned, every song on this 7” is hard as fuck. Where “Waste of Fless” is more catchy and swinging, "Violence” and “Count Me Out” on the b-side are harder with a damn good Slapshot vibe in them. But there are all so good, I can’t come up with a favorite song on this one.
If you’re into some mid tempo hardcore with some Oi! flavour added to it and some burly vocals, this is one to check.
by Noot

TURIST I TILLVARON, no. 4 summer 2017

Ny bekantskab från Köpenhamn jag gärna hänger mer med i framtiden. Bäst är sista "Count me out" en rå oi-dänga med klockren sing-a-long-refräng, de två första spåren gillar jag också - men där lutar det mer Motörhead-hardcore.

KINK RECORDS

Neue Band aus Kopenhagen mit ihrer Debüt 7". Darauf gibts schön melodischen, eingängigen Mid-Tempo Hardcore-Punk mit Oi-Einschlag. 7" kommt auf dem dänischen Qualitätslabel Adult Crash!

TURIST I TILLVARON, no. 4 summer 2017

Live var Köpenhamns Junta en fet upplevelse. Det är de även när de snurras på skivspelaren. Rå hardcore-punk som får mig att tänka på såväl italienska kaoslegender som EU's Arse och Wretched men också på spanska H.H.H. och brittiska Chaos U.K.

TURIST I TILLVARON, no. 4 summer 2017

Köpenhamns punkscen har bjudit på många utsökta band unnar 2000-talet och Planet Y är inget undantag. Jag är väldigt förtjust i den här självbetitlade sjutummaren. Jag tycker det emellanåt påminner en del om Gorilla Angreb, samtidigt som det är aningen surfigare och mer -77skramligt. Dessutom ett extra plus för den giftiga countrygitarren som spökar i bakgrunden. Mycket bra.

SORRY STATE

Debut 12" from this band out of Malmö. Playing straight-on d-beat, Glorious? actually have a pretty interesting sound that combines a few different elements of the Discharge template, kind of melding different elements from throughout Discharge's discography. The double-tracked vocals sound almost exactly like Realities of War, but the music is both heavier a la Hear Nothing See Nothing Say Nothing and riff-ier and more metallic a la Why? or even early Broken Bones. It's almost kind of a shame that Glorious? sound so much like Discharge in places, because they strike me as much more than a simple d-beat band... these songs are dense, complex, and dynamic, far more than just Discharge riffs copied and slightly rearranged. Though the overall vibe is a bit different, they have a Totalitär-esque way of making fairly straightforward riffs seem weighty and important. A year or so ago I would have told you that d-beat was the deadest of horses, but between bands like Glorious? and Paranoid the genre feels totally revivified. Definitely recommended!

MRR #405 - Feb 2017. "2016 year-end top ten list"

This EP is titles "Total silence" but SNOR's raw punk is everything but silent. Fast, primitive drum beats and noisy guitar and bass lines are accompanied by heavily delayed / reverbed vocals in singer Darias' native Polish. The riffs are minimalistic and the main focus of this band seems to be on the creative drum beats and various vocal styles. This is the kind of band where I don't know wether I want to dance or shake my fist. Mostly I try to do both at the same time when this EP spins in my living room. (Mette Helms)

The European punk scene seems less interesting every year. Is everyone getting older over there or what? Somehow, out of nowhere comes SNOR, a hardcore response to the scary rise of cocaine consumption in the world. Not because of health issues... do whatever you want with your body, the problem for SNOR is the business behind it. If you go to Venezuela or Mexico you will see how the drug culture has destroyed everything outside of the big cities. At least that is what I hope Daria's lyrics talk about, because living in a place where this shit gets manufactured, I need to hear some response by the consumers on the other side. Did I mention they sound like SIEKIERA, they are from Sweden and their vocalist is the smartest / coolest punk? (Rafael Cabeza Manrique)

SOME BLOG

Punk band from Malmö, Sweden. Snor is a noisy/catchy tupa tupa kind of band that will get you dancing and pogoing straight away. Sung in polish :)

SORRY STATE

Debut EP from this new Swedish hardcore band. Poffen from Totalitär is on vocals (how many bands does he sing for anyway?) and as you might expect the sound is very Totalitär-esque. That might be enough description for some people, but if you're super into the sound you might find yourself asking, "BUT WHICH ERA OF TOTALITÄR DOES HE MEAN?" Well, Stress SS are in the vein of Totalitär's more straightforward earlier material... the production sounds quite similar to Sin Egen Motstandare and the riffs are simpler and more driving, along the lines of the early EP tracks collected on the Wallbreaker CD. This is pretty much a patented sound nowadays, and while there are a lot of imitators no one does it like the originals, and the six songs on this EP constitute a stone-cold Swedish hardcore banger. Highly recommended.

MAXIMUM ROCKNROLL #390, NOV 2015

Oh my god, this record is a musical painkiller. All you really need to know is that Poffen from Totalitär handles vocals, and that the power and riff-writing is not too far off from his best known band at their most pounding and straight forward, albeit played even faster and tighter here. This does sound like a product of 2015, in that this would not be mistaken for lost tracks on production grounds, but this is in no way a negative, and not a second of this 7" is anything less than a certified banger. In a world of (ex) straightedge fancy lads, art school pretenders, Dreading While White metrocrusties and fest-hopping socialites failing at feeble stabs at this style, accept no substitudes. This record had killed Spikey Jacket along with Dangly Earring. Please play California, if not the entire world. (DG)

SOME BLOG

Excellent debut 7" from this Swedish hardcore punk band. I was previously ill-informed, both by zines and other sources, that this was another project with Poffen from Totalitär on vocals. It's actually Jonas who plays drums in Herätys and Infernöh playing EVERYTHING. All of this dude's other bands are great, but I love that Stress SS is more raw and oldschool, sounding more like Sin Egen Motståndare era material. Seriously a perfect EP.

MAXIMUM ROCKNROLL - BEST OF 2015

- I'm a sucker for TOTALITÄR, who perfected a formula the same way the RAMONES did. When I first heard this record, I immdiately felt in love with it simply because it sounds like an unreleased mid-'90s TOTALITÄR recording. It's hard to believe that this one crazy man who loves ABBA above all things recorded everything himself got it so right for once. This is the best Scandinavian release since the last TOTALITÄR records for sure.

- To call STRESS SS "TOTALITÄR Junior" is both a necessity and a disservice. This is EP can stand on it's own next to TOTALITÄR's hottest releases, and that is the highest of recommendations.

HOUSE OF FRANCO #181

Jeg har set Lesion en håndfuld gange, og for hver gang er bandet vokset på mig. Jeg kalder dem tit for "Københavns sureste band". Det mener jeg selvfølgelig på den bedste måde. Det skal jo til, hvis man har haft en lortedag, og der er ikke meget solskin i Lesions musik.
Båndet består af fire aggressive vrede skæringer med en ufattelig rå og beskidt lyd. Gutterne er virkeligt pissed off, helt oppe i det røde felt. Det meste er midt tempo hærg, der blander hardcore, crustpunk og black metal på en ret unik måde. Lesion har tit spillet sammen med mine favoritter i Dogmatist (desværre opløst), men er knap så hurtige og mindre catchy riff orientereret. De minder heller ikke om Halshug.
Lesion er ren ondskab, men ikke på læder, nitter og corpsepaint metal måden. De er lyden af utilpassede unge i storbyen, der skriger deres frustrationer ud med en hadefuld og brutal attitude, som undertegnede sjældent har hørt det udført før. Jeg er fan!...

LIVING IN THE CITY #4

Extraordinarily harsh for K-Town. That's what strikes my mind as I crank up the volume, and sink into this sonic slaughter. Lesion is as dark as Copenhagen raw punk gets, even more than their Halshug and Dogmatist counterparts. Why? The midtempo, gnarly vocals and sludged riffs blend into a wall of noise and distortion, and it's just great stuff. This is their second release, and although the production is beyond rough cut, I dig. And so should any fan of midtempo raw punk.
Clever and straight up scary vocals (what's in the singer Mortens head?!) match the riffs just perfect. "Sectarian rite" is perhaps the best example mixing an almost blackmetal riffpiece with the lyrics: "Severance from sin - a ceremony in ecstasy". Evil!...

SORRY STATE

Debut EP from this new band who I assume is from Denmark based on the fact that it's released on the great Adult Crash label. The label's description mentions Hoax and Bone Awl as points of comparison and it's easy to see why... this is tough, blown-out hardcore that has both that mosh-able groove that makes Hoax so distinctive as well as a slightly cvlt / black metal vibe to the whole proceedings. While it's not as powerful as Hoax's huge, clear-sounding recordings, what Lesion lack in fidelity they make up for in atmosphere, of which the dingy recording (which reminds me of early Hellhammer demos) has quite a bit. It seems like this was the sound of the moment a few years ago when Youth Attack was still going strong and everyone had a solo black metal project, and not hearing a ton of bands that sound like this every month definitely helps me appreciate Lesion more than I would have a few years ago.

MAXIMUM ROCKNROLL #390, NOV 2015

Dark and brooding, this 7" is like reading The Futurist Manifesto: gritty, raw and confusing (but also oddly triumphant). Do these guys read poetry? Write back if Mina Loy or William Carlos Williams rings a bell. Listening to this, I couldn't get Braimbombs out of my mind. Maybe it's the production? The vocals are buried, layered in reverb and the entire thing sounds like it was recorded in the windowless concrete room Richard Ramirez used to hide out in here in SF. It's definitely faster than Brainbombs (it's not hard to be) without breaking away at lightning speed. The tracks are plodding and primitive. The vocals hint at the macabre without going into too much detail ("Raw palms on the hand that feeds / remove the weak / primitive times...") and the whole package has the reminiscent of Hoax. For fans of hurting your hands while poking studs through leather, moving up a gauge size, while rereading Edgar Allen Poe. (MW)

HOUSE OF FRANCO #158

Der er vist ingen tvivl om, at Night Fever pt. er kongerne af dansk hardcore, specielt nu da Death Token er på stand-by. Efter deres turné i Brasilien i september kom gutterne tilbage til en fyldt Store Sal i Ungdomshuset og holdt releasefest for deres andet album, 'Vendetta', med et brag af en koncert. Københavnerdrengene fik også et nyt publikum af begejstrede rookies til 1-Day Hardcore Showdown IV Warm Up i Beta for et par måneder siden. Herredømmet er deres.
Ventetiden har været lang for os gamle fans. Det er fire år siden, deres debut-mini-lp, 'New Blood', satte tingene på plads. Lever 'Vendetta' op til forventningerne? Absolut. Ligesom forgængeren indeholder pladen også ote skæringer af hurtig, velspillet youth crew hardcore tilsat speed metal-ejakulationer af den lækre slags. 'Take It To The Max' kickstarter skiven perfekt, og ja, Night Fever tager den til det maksimale gennem hele udgivelsen. Produktionen er i top, bandet spiller som en drøm, og Salomons overbevisende vokal er en fryd for ørerne. Catchy, og aggressivt som et dronefly i haglstorm.
Det er måske ikke noget nyt at komme efter i deres 80er-inspirerede yankee-hardcore punk - en mere melodisk udgave af Poison Idea - men Night Fever gør det så godt, at det næsten er overjordisk. Ikke skyggen af klam metalcore eller lamme breakdowns. This is the shit! Denne gang er der måske lidt mere pikrockspade, som i albummets sidste track 'Blow It Away', men det fungerer max. fremragende! 'Vendetta' er en kongeudgivelse, som burde få international opmærksomhed i hardcorekredse og blandt alle, der hylder sprød tråd. Det kunne være yderst interessant at se dem spille til næste års Copenhell, efter at udbrædte Bad Religion viste, hvordan det IKKE skal gøres.

AMERICAN-OI.COM

I already called out my favorite 12” release of this year (Battle Ruins, hands down) but every first place needs a runner up and in all honesty, there has been a dozen of great ‘mini-albums’ or ‘maxi-EP’s’ released this year, and now there’s Night Fever taking my personal chart by storm with the release of their brand new 12” album “Vendetta”!
If you thought their 2009 12” “New Blood” was insane, guess again, because the K-town boys literally “Take It To The Max” (opening track) on “Vendetta”. Night Fever totally rips on this new piece of wax, high intensity hardcore, fast, shredding and out of this world riffs, crazy guitar solos, and singer Salomon’s amazing vocals (yes, the clean, Danzig alike vocals are on here as well!) are all combined on this eight track album making it one of my favorite releases of this year!
Despite the overall negativity of lyrics such as “Hate”, “Another Year Of Misery”, “Fuck Your P.M.A.” and “Denied” I can’t be nothing but positive about this release! Yes, they have done this ‘trick’ before, but on “Vendetta” it’s bigger, louder, faster and better than ever before making it a must-hear for anyone who likes his music fused with adrenaline! This kick ass!

DROIDRAGE

Hailing from Copenhagen, Denmark (definitly a great place to live if you’re into hardcore IMO, DEATH TOKEN come from there too and their 2011 LP “All dreams are nightmares” was one of my favorite releases at that time), NIGHT FEVER released in october one of the greatest reasons to still listen to hardcore punk in the begining of the third millenium. “Vendetta” is absolutely an amazing record, between clean thrashcore and something else, certainly due to an incredible singing (it sometimes reminds Glenn Danzig! (“Denied”)) and guitars solos which stoked me a lot – like PROPAGANDHI’s latest releases. Favorite song? “Fuck your P.M.A.” I can’t help thinking of CRO-MAGS’s singer John Joseph “quotes” on his Facebook profile, whom sentences are always punctuated with a “PMA”! (xjtx)

RELUCTANT MOSHER #4

These guys from Denmark haven't released anything in a while but here they are with two new records at the same time! Looking at the "Vendetta" LP first, you hear all you need to know about this band in the first 15 seconds. The first track "Take it to the max" comes raging out of the speakers with a blast of Iron Maiden sounding guitar fury, followed by a storming, dirty UK82 riff. Then the two sounds blend to great effect with a great yelp by the singer, Salomon. Take it to the fuckin' max! They certainly do. The word "raging" is often used when writing about hardcore music but if it describes any band then surely it is Night Fever. If you've heard their first LP, "New blood" expect more of the same but maybe even more urgency. And yes plenty of hate too. With tracks like "Another year of misery" and "Fuck your P.M.A." you get the idea where things are going. The rage in the lyrics is clear to all and more than matched by the music.

LIVING IN THE CITY #4

It's hard to say something that hasn't already been said about Night Fever. Praised to the end of the world by locals, NF is a living classic. This second LP just adds to that. Clearcut hardcore with hefty cross-over references even more on "Vendetta" than their first LP, this monster leaves you wanting more, more, more! The punchlines, the breakdowns, the solos. It's all just as it should be. The first LP holds a very special place, but this one can easily sneak up on it's side. Well, ok, not all the way, but almost. Instant classic, and an instant one-man moshpit in my living room, as I spin this just one...more...time For the 100th time in a row. Ohhhyeah!

DROIDRAGE

Uppsala’s finest tribute to USHC this year! The best worldwide tribute to american hardcore punk IMHO! Did you think of another singer than Henry Rollins listening to songs like “Step Aside”? Or another guitar player than Al Barile (faster, faster, FASTER!) No, seriously I’m asking you if you don’t want to sacrify both nowadays BLACK FLAG, FLAG, OFF! (even if their video clips are hilarious) on the altar of self-respect after listening to AGENT ATTITUDE “Deranged Attitudes”? This record is awesome, it reflects youth frustration the same way (I guess) youngsters were living during the 80s. (xjtx)

BLINDEAD

Catchy, raw, aggressive and obnoxious hard-fucking-core! This Uppsala, Sweden, crew delivers 12 tracks on this, their second, LP and it’s got all the ingredients for a great hardcore album – like I wrote in the first sentence. They’re not re-inventing the wheel but they’re also not regurgitating the same old stuff either. Even though both Black Flag and early Poison Idea comes to mind. Energetic and angry!

LIVING IN THE CITY #2, SPRING 2014 Punk fucking rock from Helsingør/Copenhagen, and oh boy, this tape is one of the good ones. Songs about not wanting to be famous and people that lie. This is very down to earth, and definately not a boring concept-band trying to act cool. You can really hear the members like doing this band, it's a lot of fun listening to and catchy as hell. Lyrics are in danish, and I'm 100% sure non-danish speakers will have absolutely no clue on what they're singing, haha! I'm guessing the members like Gorilla Angreb and X-ray Spex a lot, and as I'm writing this I start wondering if the lead singer heard a lot of Lost Kids? I am most definately looking forward to their upcoming E.P.!

NIGHTSTICK JUSTICE BLOG

For me, Damaged Head was love at first listen. The unmistakable riffs from Linkan´s riff infested mind paired with Modde´s great pissed off vocals is such a great pairing thay you would be stupid not to be down on your knees worshipping the fuck out of this band. Having released their debut EP earlier this year they´re already back to unleash their first LP called Tunnel Vision. Luckily for impatient me Linkan is such a nice guy that he arranged for the record to be sent to me in digital format. If you´ve heard the EP, there´s no surprises on here. Just fast, pissed off traditional hardcore with the exception of the extremely catchy riffs and the overall feeling of the band. These guys get it. And that´s exactly what I need in this overflooded world of hardcore punk. Recently returned from a european tour, some of you might have this already since the band brought fifty test presses of the record with them on tour. I don´t own it yet so regard this text as a heads up from a guy that already heard the record and not a review since I like to see the full package before reviewing anything. Keep those eyes nailed on the Adult Crash website to see exactl when the record drops and check out Damaged Head´s bandcamp to listen to five songs from this amazing LP.

MAN IN DECLINE

Sweden’s Damaged Head delivers a full-length of 15 brand new songs that brilliantly follows up their self-titled EP; released in spring 2014 on Adult Crash (EU) and Man In Decline (US). "Tunnel Vision" finds the band continuing their successful formula of combining old USHC with classic Swedish hardcore (e.g., Totalitär), only this time with even more energy and urgency. This is likely due to the fact that the music for Tunnel Vision was recorded, live, in less than an hour. For those keeping track, “Tunnel Vision” was recorded by Kenko (MEANWHILE, BURNING KITCHEN) at the Communichaos Media Clay Station and Damaged Head is comprised of ex-and current members of AGENT ATTITUDE, HERATYS, INSTITUTION, and NITAD. If you find yourself wanting more hardcore with an emphasis on songwriting and hooks, this is the record you’ve been waiting for.

LIVING IN THE CITY #3

Crazy good live band from Sweden delivers yet another good record, this time a LP. Classic rock-n-rool-ish hardcore punk with a distinct US 80's sound to it. The intros are perfect for the mosh and the sound is very clear and crisp. Lots of good anthemic pieces in here too, and it's quite clear people from Nitad and in this band. Soundwise - I'm sold.

RELUCTANT MOSHER #4

This is their first full length and if you've heard their previous 7" you'll know what to expect. Fast, furious Swedish HC punk. The start of "Out of control" and the title track slow things down only slightly and sound like they could be off a Dry Heaves record. But otherwise it's fast, fast, fast. Brilliant stuff!

BLINDEAD

I know bands hate it, but I’m gonna open this by telling you Damaged Head consist of ex- and current members of Herätys, Institution, Nitad, and Agent Attitude. Why? Because with that info you get an idea on what to expect. I’d say they have a Nitad vibe but with more Herätys-styled riffing. Like a harder and more pissed off, and therefor better, Amdi Petersens Armé maybe? Whatever comparisons I might throw around here and no matter if you agree or not, it’s one hell of a record! Also keep an eye out for the upcoming 7" on D-takt & Råpunk.

FLOPHOUSE

Fans of all the best early 80's USHC will eat this up. It's far from sounding retro, however, as these five young Swedish boys were clearly raised on a liquid diet of Anti Cimex, Mob 47, etc. The snotty vocals and super-tight delivery give this a unique twist.

MONUMENT

Here we are talking fast hardcore of the old school with clear USHC tendencies from all the wonderful 80's. Dirty, bloody and raw quickly, just as it was intended from the very beginning. Frustration, anxiety and cheeky middle finger recorded on a seven-inch piece of plastic. It does not get much more punk than this.

RELUCTANT MOSHER #1

Stoked to see more stuff from these guys, following a great LP last year. It's worth mentioning their first two 7"s were great too and are well worth checking out. The self-titled first one was raw with a lot of promise and the second, "Never ending mess" was the sound of a band, really finding their feet and full of killer tunes. I supposse not too dissimilar in sound to Protester and Public Suicide. It's raw, early 80's raw US style fast HC and all 6 tracks are great.
The final track, "By choice" is quite a departure from their usual sound. A slower tempo, more feedback laden but the same biting lyrics spewed out. A great simple tune about not following trends and being an outcast by choice - brilliant.

SLOB ZINE

To be frank I was getting bored of this punk-rock gig. Sure, some catchy releases are put out now and then. Pay day came around and I got my hands on this slob of vinyl.
UNHOLY FUCK!
6 tracks of hard hitting, merciless, screeching hardcore fucking punk rock tearing you a new one, stomping your brains into a bloody pulp with the brutality of Cro-Mags, the energy of Black Flag, the aggression of Negative Approach, and the tempo of a jet-plane.
Their Affliction Days LP seems slobby in comparison! With tracks like 'Repulsive Actions' beating you up, 'Bad Posture' kicking off like a blazing car crash, the menacing 'By Choice' performing a sex-change on you with dull knifes and everything in between just draining your body of adrenalin this EP is best summed up: BUY OR DIE!
(And do it fast – I'm pretty sure the vinyl these bad boys are pressed on is going to melt down under the sheer pressure from the tracks!)

KNIFED #1, OCT 2014

From a shitty neighbourhood in Sweden hails this new hardcore-outfir, known as DAMAGED HEAD. Consistig of mbers from Agent Attitude, Nitad, Herätys and Institution these four swedes deliver six tracks of insane fast straight-in-your-face-catchy hardcore. The band draws a lot on the 80's inspirations, but yet manage to sound new and refreshing, The production is also notable, very massive and clear which seem to fit the record perfectly.

MAN IN DECLINE

DAMAGED HEAD is a new band from Sweden with ex-and current members of HERATYS, INSTITUTION, NITAD, and AGENT ATTITUDE. Damaged Head plays traditional hardcore with punk sensibilities and hooks (think POISON IDEA, TOTALITÄR, and newer bands like AMDI PETERSENS ARMÉ and CAREER SUICIDE). After only a short time as a band, they recorded this self-titled EP with Kenko (MEANWHILE, BURNING KITCHEN, etc) at Communichaos Clay Station and the result is one of the most energetic and exciting hardcore EP's we've heard in a very long time. The Damaged Head EP contains 6 songs ranging from fast hardcore blasts to midtempo anthems, with the longest song clocking in at barely over 2 minutes.

INVISIBLE GUY

They are few and far in between, but once you find your death-rock - you can't help but listen to it. It feels like Metro Cult bring something new to the table, at least in form of nuances in their death-rock shaped post-punk, with an entangled web of both dark punk influences and a picky new-wave sound, together with a perfectly laden mat of synthesizer spookiness.
These dastardly fellows from Copenhagen match their stark and darkened image with the sound they're conveying. The band itself consists of Christoffer Bagge (Vocals/Guitar), Johannah Jørgensen (Synth), Klaus Nielsen (Bass) and Johan Schultz (Drums). Their music makes me want to make my way to a batcave, even though they rarely even exist anymore.
A couple of days ago they released two tracks, namely "New Space" and "Ghost" - which was recorded at Subversive Studios in Copenhagen, with the help of Lasse Ballade and Peter Peter. It was also released by Adult Crash as a 7¨ vinyl, on the 21st of September. They are limited to 200 copies, so I suggest you go and get one. Either you buy it from Adult Crash, or you contact the band. The cover art was created by Sally Dige Jørgensen. Listen to their two tracks down below, and remember to put in some money for it if you like it. You can also download them for free.

LIVING IN THE CITY

A two-sided, two tracked 7" of great old school, up tempo, delay-vox driven post-punk, drawing and dragging you into its' great mythical depths of melancholy while giving you an adrenaline rush through it's intense tempo. Man! I fucking love it! - Slambert

PASSIVE AGGRESSIVE

Metro Cults debut-7" har nogle måneder på bagen, men da den ikke har været omtalt på P/A før, fortjener nogle ord med på vejen. “New Space/Ghost” singlen er – ligesom Dead Instrument – indspillet i Balladens studie, men her hører lighederne også op. Metro Cult spiller 80'er-inspireret koldkrigs-postpunk, hvad der jo er meget passende i disse apokalyptiske tider.
Singlens to numre tager Warsaw/Joy Division-oplægget og tilfører det en del mere tempo og aggressivitet. De fire unge københavnere er beslægtet med deres kollegaer i Moth, Chainsaw Eaters og Melting Walkmen, men har en noget mere punket tilgang. En overbevisende debut, der er 100% godkendt af undertegnede, som har set dem live utallige gange. Metro Cult har om nogen i dette land et perfekt goth-look, men lad dig ikke narre af eyeliners og det store Robert Smith-hår. Det her er postpunk, man kan pogo og stagedive til.
En gut, der hedder Peter Peter, har i øvrigt mastereret udgivelsen.
Jens Franco

KNIFED #1, OCT 2014

The lack of interesting hardcore bands has unfortunately been very common in the last few years, especially in K-Town. We had some, of course, but nothing really outstanding.
Then came DOGMATIST, first the demo and now finally the full-length. After some months of the obligatory delay WORN OUT WELCOME is finally out.
Orifice - (noun: an opening, particularly one in the body such as a nostril or the anus) - open the 11 track holocaust by really just extending what we've heard on the demo - and it works. The production is very massive and gives the band a great boost.
Their use of mid-tempo is also really nice and makes a great contrast to the more faster, raw and intense songs. The guitars are also something to point out, very catchy, both the solos and the riffs. I also sense a melodic element beneath all the rawness which also works in opposition to the pure mayhem that Dogmatist delivers on this first full-length.

HOUSE OF FRANCO #150

Københavnske Dogmatist er et hovedstadens mest solide hardcore-bands og skuffer aldrig, hverken live eller på vinyl. Nu er deres debutalbum endeligt kommet og bygger på eminent vis videre på tidligere udgivelser og leverer det monster af en plade, som jeg vidste de havde i sig.
11 grusomme cirkelspark, der blander hardcore, tung sludge, crust metal og grindcore på en helt unik måde uden konkurrence her i landet. Trioen er nogle fandens gode musikere, som er mere end leveringsdygtige i onde og hadefulde, men catchy riffs, brutal desperat vokal, pumpende bas og kompliceret, voldeligt trommespil. Sidstnævnte varetages af Steffen (Death Token, J.P. Bonneman) på 'Worn Out Welcome', men han er nu afløst af Hasse fra Moonless og Hjertestop.
Hvis du tit hiver Poison Idea og GISM ned fra samlingen, er Dogmatists debutalbum klart en obligatorisk investering, du aldrig vil fortryde. Som en blodig Jim Van Bebber-film, der er blevet vakt til live! Det lokale Raw Birth-selskab besidder en ufattelig høj standard, der tæller overjordiske udgivelser fra Dead Instrument, Meth Drinker, Bottom Feeder etc. Alle bands, jeg før har skrevet om i House Of Franco, inkl. Dogmatist. KØB ELLER DØ!

GF ROCK

Dogmatist er endnu en bidsk køter fra Raw Birth Records grind/sludge punkede hardcore kennel, der bider fra sig med fråden hængende ud af munden.
I sidste uge anmeldte jeg Dead Instrument der er udkommet på samme selskab, og man aner et stemnings- og genremæssigt slægtskab mellem de 2 bands. Men hvor Dead Instrument leverede 8 aggressive bid på kun 10 minutter, så tager Dogmatist sig mere tid til at bide sig fast over 11 numre.
Lad os bare slå fast at Dogmatist lyder glubske hele vejen igennem pladen, men der er også plads til andet end små hidsige eksplosioner. Efter en vanvittig udfarende indledning på pladen, begynder der at dukke numre op, hvor tempoet sænkes og det melodiske element, som bandet også rummer, får mere plads at udfolde sig på. Trioen kalder genren for “grungecore”, og det er egentlig ramt meget godt, hvis man dermed tænker på hardcore vokal og melodier der trækker veksler på den mere beskidte og punkede del af den tidlige “grunge”. Ikke helt ulig det man stedvis hører hos et andet dansk band, Vokadin, som vi tidligere har skrevet en del om.
Som sagt er det ikke fordi Dogmatist pludselig bliver tæmmet i løbet af Worn Out Welcome, næh nej, alligevel er det som om trioens udlæg er lidt mere bistert end det som følger (plus/minus), hvilket ikke mindst skyldes tempoet. “Orifice” åbner med blod om munden og kødstumper mellem tænderne, 1 ½ minuts flintrende overfald, hvor jeg allerede var begyndt at frygte for om jeg var klar til endnu en omgang nådesløse prygl igen. De skærende instrumenter og den manisk skrigende vokal brænder øregangene af, men ligesom hos Dead Instrument så aner man et melodisk element bag den umiddelbare massive mur af larm der møder en – noget der træder endnu tydeligere frem i løbet af albummet.
Vi forsætter direkte over i den endnu mere rabiate “Secret Fermentation”, der er blot 57 sekunder lang, men til gengæld uden tøven flæser strubehovedet af dig med savl og skum flyvende ud af kæften. Så er det som om bandet har fået afreageret, i hvert fald for deres værste fræsertrang, og det melodiske får lov til at kigge mere frem mellem sprækkerne i det musikalske raserianfald. Først eksempel er “All You Can Be”, der i sin klang ligger nærmere klassisk slut-70’er punk end 90’er hardcore. Simpelt, men effektivt. Numrene bliver også længere, og samtidig med at tempoet sænkes, VIRKER de også længere – ikke forstået som langtrukne! Det er bare helt rart at kunne følge med, og et mere slæbende nummer som “Stomping Ground”, viser at Dogmatist slet ikke behøver vride gashåndtaget helt om for at virke faretruende. Her viser de en tungere og kværnende side af deres musik, vokalen hardcore-skriger sig stadig igennem teksterne (som jeg har lidt svært ved at tyde), men tilpasset tempo, så “Stomping Ground” netop stamper fremad, frem for at sprinte.
Midt på albummet går det en lille smule i tomgang for mig, “Gnashing of Teeth” står lidt stampe rent melodisk, fint punk nummer, men ikke så overrumplende som det der fulgte før. “Work Ethic” er en af de de små vilde støj-bomber igen, men her er det som om jeg er blevet en lille smule immun overfor udskejelserne. Heldigvis er det kun mindre bump på vejen, og Dogmatics følger op med albummets stærkeste numre.
Et af højdepunkterne hedder “Hysteria”, en olm og kradsbørstig sludget satan, der med en stærk melodi tromler fremad og hen over en. Her finder bandet, efter min mening, den perfekte blanding af alle elementerne i deres musik. Kort og godt er det bare et super fedt nummer. Men også “Total Black”, der falder lidt tidligere på albummet, er lidt af et medrivende bæst, tempoet skrues lidt i vejret, så det hele slår gnister – men uden at bandet futter hele møget af som tidligere på Worn Out Welcome. Dogmatist lukker og slukker i fornem stil med først “Masquerade”, der summer truende om hovedet på en som en blodtørstig myg, der bliver endda plads til en kort atmosfærisk guitarsolo. Dernæst følger “Worn Out Welcome”, albumlukkeren, hvor der skrues lidt op for blusset igen, Dogmatist lyder igen mere faretruende og får på effektiv manér sat punktum for albummet.
Dogmatist er væk igen inden de får worn out their welcome, i god tid endda. Jeg er mest revet med og begejstret for bandets grungecore når de sætter farten lidt ned, og virker truende, frem for når de rent faktisk bider til. Ikke at de ikke bider hårdt og effektivt i de stunder, rent musikalsk behersker de begge dele lige godt, men min personlige smag trækker i retning af de mere afdæmpede stunder på albummet… hvis man da kan kalde dem det?! Det lyder som om Dogmatist i disse stunder kan eksploderer og sætter tænderne i en hvornår det skal være. Stemningen er her stirrende og dirrende, den glubske Dogmatist køter nedstirrer en, og jeg føler mig udsat og i overhængende fare. På en herlig måde der kaster 4 store stjerner af sig.
(Ken Damgaard Thomsen)

MONUMENT

The vision of the band was clear for the agents from the beginning: Agent Attitude should be all about playing fast, angry, non-compromising US 80's Hardcore. If you like bands like: Minor Threat, Black Flag, early Suicidal Tendencies and the likes you need to invite the Agents to your party! They've been trashing the scene with start in 2010 and active ever since planning 3 tours in the year of 2013! Agent Attitude have made a name for themselves, left footprints in the alternative music scene. After spending all their time in either the rehearsal room or on the road the first two years as a band, the agents decided to take it to a new level, and here it is: their first full-length album! If you're a fan of Battalion Of Saints, Black Flag, Jerry’s Kids, Bl’ast, Circle Jerks etc. this will get you going!

DEVILUTION, AUGUST '11

Efter nogle suveræne singler gennem 00'erne sætter den Københavnske trio for alvor triumf på med dette monster af et debutalbum. Death Token skulle for nyligt ha haft LP release party i Repoman pladebutikken, men vinylerne dukkede uheldigvis ikke op før ugen efter.
Så er det godt, at 'All Dreams Are Nightmares' er en (misantropisk) fest af en plade. Sjældent har jeg hørt en så perfekt hardcore-skive. 18 fræsende napalmbomber på lidt under en halv time, der trækker på tidlig og nyere japansk hardcore (Gauze, Crude etc.). Og mon ikke gamle Discharge fans vil blive lettere seksuelt opstemt af denne koldblodige magtdemonstration.
Albummet er måske lidt tungere end deres 7'ere, specielt titelnummeret og 'Will to Survive' ("fight back…FOR REAL!") burde få alle ægte headbangers til at hæve nævnen i vejret og hylde Death Token. Produktionen er rå men utrolig klar, og jeg elsker, at der er rigtigt meget af Tues vokal delay/ekko effekter, hvad der giver numrene et nærmest postapokalyptisk touch. Jeg elsker også brugen af koklokke i 'Year After Year', ellers et instrument der sjældent fungerer i genren.
Med en utrolig ondt stemt guitar, pumpende bas angreb og vanvittig hurtigt/tight trommespil (Steffen er klart Danmarks bedste trommeslager i genren) er Death Token totalt urørlige, som de danske hardcorekonger. De har altid blæst andre bands væk, de gange jeg har set Death Token på en scene. Så tjek drengene ud, hvis du er træt af alt det fuphardcore, der spiller på The Rock.
Death Token består af Tue på vokal og guitar, som tidligere spillede trommer i K-Town horrorpunkbandet The Snipers. Samt Kasper (Moonless, No Hope for the Kids, etc.) på bas og Steffen på tønderne, der også banker gryder i Love Potion.
Sammen har de muligvis leveret årets danske album, en måske lidt tidlig udtalelse, men jeg vover påstanden. Jeg er overbevist om, at 'All Dreams Are Nightmares' vil give psykopatmeget positiv respons i udlandet, så gutterne må hellere få finpudset udstyret til kommende tours.
Karakter - 5, Jens Franco

IFFY

Arrrrggghhh !!! Poserslaughtering Hardcorepunk from Kopenhagens finest !!! Thats the Shit !!! Oh my God....

NO WAY

One of Denmark's best HC bands deliver us one of the best HC Lps of the year! You can always trust ADULT CRASH label for the best shit europe/scandinavia has to offer! 18 songs here, and all killer/no filler- that's fucking tough to do with that many songs! If you dug any of their past records you'll love this!

FIFTEEN COUNTS OF ARSON BLOG

When I bought this lp, some weeks ago I expected a full-on ejaculator of dirty Japanese noisy power. But seems that as the years go by, these Danish gents learnt how to use their instruments. As a good friend said : "this is punk to the bone, true badass motherfuckers", and hell, they are! From the first riff of "war and order" you get an extremely vicious Discharge-d fuelled attack filtered with break-bone throats. "Start the fire – Burn them out" as the lyrics declare and you have to carry the gallons, sir. Music-wise n this diamond you won't get their Japanese influenced chaos but I have to say that I like it this way more than the previous releases. Songs like "venomous" with that mid-tempo rhythm and the double vocals makes my day fuckin worth a million, coz I can sing-along as I'm walking in this god-damned city of lunatic zombies and drug addict corpses. "Chaos rules – Chaos rules – Post atomic Religion – Melted face – Mutant messiah" and in the end "when dreams turn into beasts – all dreams are nightmares". Pay attention to the necros, this is an ace.

TOO CIRCLE

K pace long stay active without being distracted by the flow around Raging hardcore male lone-TOWN Denmark's first full-length release finally! , And GOTH like BLACK METAL, locking elements incorporated into the mainstream these days but perhaps a more dark elements eliminated as much as possible, tried to purify a masterpiece of self to the lasing in HARDCORE PUNK Iviru more! D-penetration exquisitely various elements in their songs are unified by our hard-boiled in the principal's violent BEAT, lets hear various perspectives on their unique sense of exquisite finishes without monotony. Note that "Rashikaranu" jacket Clark Ashton Smith (novelist), The Sisters of Mercy (Goss), Factrix (Industrial), Sepultura, to say that things that embody the inspiration from the 2nd iron dumbbell, etc. "just rehashing the past and the legacy of apart from, that represents something more spiritual "and valves from the band to suggest the height of sophistication. Intro, outro contains 18 tracks total concept!ally dropping the hardcore lone Scandinavian Danish!

SORRY STATE

Denmark's Death Token released a couple of solid 7"s in the early 2000s, but mostly the attention was drawn away from them by the more retro-minded Copenhagen bands like Hjertestop and No Hope For The Kids. Well, it sounds like Death Token went underground, got their shit together and decided to write a full-length that would show up all of those bands. Advance word on the street was that this thing was a fucking beast, and it does indeed deliver. The production here is absolutely crushing... huge as fuck a la Death Side or Bastard, and the music is a slightly rocked-out take on classic d-beat and Japanese hardcore. There are comparisons to be had to prime-era Inepsy, but this is just tougher, darker, and maybe even more energetic. An absolute monster of an LP... one of the best heavy HC records of the year without a doubt.

HEARTFIRST

Unfassbar gute LP der Band aus Kopenhagen. Sicherlich eine der besten Platten, die im Jahr 2011 rausgekommen ist. Gerade die schnellen Stücke der LP können locker mit den besten Japanbands der Burning Spirits-Liga mithalten. Absolute Hammerscheibe, auch optisch macht sie was her, auf ADULT CRASH.

KÄNGKNÄVE BLOGSPOT

What a beast of a record! Death Token blew my mind when I saw them in Copenhagen back in 2005. Unfortunately none of their records ever did them justice… until now! Burly and pissed, borrowing from many usual suspects but sounding like none. A modern day hardcore classic.

RAZORCAKE
Driving hardcore with more than a smidge of rock wedged into their sound. Lyrics are pretty much silly, but the tunes themselves have a nice groove to 'em in a mid-'80s speed metal kinda way. - Jimmy Alvarado

PUNK DISTRO
Another great release from copenhagens´ Adult Crash Records! OBNOXOIUS YOUTH from sweden fill the gap Annihilation Time left open! Old-School Hardcore with a big load of classic rock ala Motörhead, which sounds really old-school due to an excellent analog recording! Nice evil artwork and fucked up lyrics! Worship Satan!

SWEHC.COM
Space influenced satanic heavy metal hardcore. In your face. And whatever you do, don't laugh. It's serious.

FANATICS LODGE
A ferocious brew of hardcore punk and heavy metal with satanic connotations, delivered full throttle from this 12" record which is guaranteed to raise serious hell.

THATCHURCHBETTERBEONFIRE.BLOGSPOT
Trashy hardcorepunk with gnarly vocals, shredding guitar-riffs and rock n'roll solos is the best way to describe this monster from Uppsala, Sweden. Featuring members from Undergång and Pointless Youth. OBEY SATAN!
Song(s) you should listen to: Wytches of Torment. The solo in this song alone makes it worth blasting on full volume until your completely deaf. Along with the fast guitar-riffs and possessed vocals i guarantee that you will most likely summon the wrath of hell while at it.

DEVILUTION
Obnoxious Youths debutalbum, 'The Eternal Void', på dejlig hvid vinyl. Pladen afspejler perfekt, hvad jeg oplevede på Dortheavej 61 (d. 15/10-11) .
Side 1 er full speed ahead amerikansk inspireret hardcore i amok tempo, bortset fra 'Death Magistrate' hvor Motörhead lige får et venligt klap på skulderen.
På side 2 tager svenskerne en detour med specielt titelnummeret, der pludselig havner i en metallisk version af Jethro Tull!?! Med tværfjølte og hele svineriet. 'Commander of Time' trækker også på 70'er metallen. Og virker faktisk pissegodt set i lyset af at vokalisten Affe "Coffin" Piran har en så rådden vokal, der fik mig til at tænke på det gamle Seattle splatterpunk/crossover band, The Accüsed, og deres sanger Blain Cook.
'The Eternal Void' holder fra start til slut, trods det lettere skitzofrene mix af hardcore og 70'er metal. Håber snart at Obnoxious kigger forbi København igen med deres store sorte flag på scene, hvor der står 'Obnoxious Youth', 'Obey Satan' og 'Heavy Metal' krydret med to pentagrammer. - Jens Franco

MAXIMUM ROCK N ROLL, 1982
Powerful Finnish thrash punk. The closest comparison is G.B.H., except these guys are better. "Jos Sota Tulee" is the best of a bunch of great songs.
- Jeff Bale

OPIATE RECORDS
The simple fact of the matter is this, there is absolutely nothing better than Finnish hardcore punk done right. And that's what you get here – classic Finnish hardcore punk in all it's "it is 1982 and we are pissed off punks" greatness. This originally came out in an edition of 200 copies back in the 80s – and as such is rare as hell – and it's my understanding it's been now reissued again by Hjernespind in the same quantity….so do not snooze!! Frankly this record is so great, you need this as much, if not more, as you need oxygen frankly!!

SORRY STATE RECORDS
Reissue of this mega-obscure Finnish gem that originally came out in 1982 in a scarce edition of only 200 copies. As you might expect, this is balls-to-the-wall Finnish punk with a slight UK82 bent... very much akin to bands like Melakka or Appendix. Fucking killer, and I'm glad this one is back in print.

KÄNGNÄVE (IN THE "BEST OF 2009" LIST)
Judging from people's reaction, this is a love it or hate it affair with no middle ground. Night Fever is Copenhagen's latest hardcore sensation, and I got to say their debut LP grabbed me by the throat the hard way. They may have more in common with tough late '80s hardcore from East Coast USA than with what you'd expect from a '00s Danish punk band, complete with college lettering and dumb lyrics advocating localism and drug abuse. But the nice guitar work and especially those vocals make this stand apart from the pack. Love it or hate it, you just can't remain indifferent to this hard rocking voice, courtesy of the guy who used to sing in Arrigt Antræk if I'm not mistaken. He even ends the record by venturing into Glenn Danzig territory fairly successfully.

LOWCUT FALL '09
THIS IS COPENHAGEN, MAAAAAN!!! Yup, notorious k-townsters Night Fever have finally released their debut 12" after spreading havoc for some time. Muscular, pissed off, confident, defiant and macho-esque hardcore to the nines. Think early 80s Boston HC fornicating with Zero Boys, Poison Idea and Void. In fact first time I've heard this I was thinking of a more cockrock-ish and slickly produced Void.
The 8 tracks possess aggression, speed and melody, amazing guitar shredding from Matthias, and Salomon's impressive voice that Danzig would kill for. It's fun to hear the blatant local patriotism in the lyrics, instead of crybaby whining these youngsters seem proud of living in Copenhagen, no matter how fucked up it is. This test press was made in 70 (!) copies, and sold at their crazyass release party at Loppen August 27th, a regular release will soon be out on Adult Crash. It's actually pretty hilarious that the cover art resembles an 80s straight edge record (Judge, anyone?), since Salomon served us some über nasty pot-chai at the party. Thanks for the brainrot next day at work, guys! THIS IS COPENHAGEN. MAAAAAN!!! Get "New Blood" if you know what's good for ya - this excellent piece of wax goes for the jugular!
If you dig: Hjertestop, F.U.'s, Poison Idea, Zero Boys

LAW AND ORDER FANZINE
After having tried to get in touch with Night Fever for a while in order to book them in Gothenburg, I finally got an answer in January, saying that they wanted to play but that their guitar player was heading for some jail time and that it would be a couple of months before they'd have a ready line-up again. Let's hope this will actually happen, because this 12" is one of the coolest European releases of last year. Fast, in your face and fucking oozing of attitude ("This is Copenhagen" feels like something Henry Rollins could've written in the early 80s), these young Danes have started to make quite a name for themselves. I love all the eight tracks, and absolutely adore the title track: "Look at what we've got today, no more talk about the good old days, this is our time, this is our place, the old fucks have been replaced, we don't need a time machine, we are a part of the new scene, we are the new kids so go get fucked, this here now is the new blood, this ain't 1983, this ain't 1984, this ain't 1985, this is our time!". This is so fucking cool. It makes me wanna blow up bridges and build up a bad reputation over rivers of shit and piss, spray paint the walls just to break them down, smash foremen in the teeth and French kiss death and generally just kick the asses of wimps and posers. No other music than honest and straight forward hardcore can give me that feeling. Respect!

NO WAY
Killer new ep from sweden's FY FAN. Monstrous early swedish style crossed with a little early US HC as well. Well played, fast, tight hardcore punk, NO BULLSHIT. If you liked their last 7" on FERAL WARD, you'll love this.

ONLY-IN-IT-FOR-THE-MUSIC.BLOGSPOT.COM
Released on Danish label Adult Crash. People outside of Sweden praise Fy Fan to the heavens. I wasn't very bothered by the first 7" -modern perfected hard core, energy and passion, but very little forward thinking (that's my lingering memories of that record)- so I wasn't necessarily overly interested in the new 7". I always kind of prefered Skitkids, why I compare the two I don't really know, but the latter always seemed to be a band that aims at less popular-hardcore (or perhaps mainstream hardcore, lets call it "Vice Magazine Hardcore") as well as a band that seems more clued-in on DIY for some weird reason. This is probably tantamount to libellous, particularly as I have no idea about either band. Sorry, hope you get that I am just recording my own very subjective impressions here. (Did I just slag of a band -that I happen to not hate- for being only in it for the music, on a blog with the same name, and in the year 2009???!! how very surrealistic of me!). Ok so anyway lets cut the shit. I bought the 7" the other day, on back of raving friend recommendation. In short, this 7" actually kills it. It is a modern take on the sound of classic Swedish HC bands who were influenced by US HC. The cover of Missbrukarna -"untitled"- ("Jag ska overleva") illustrates what I mean. I think early Poison Idea could also be mentioned. 'Kleptokrat moderat' is a cool Germs rendition -which curiously fits with the name of the label! In sum, "fyfan vad bra allså". Oh, and buy it (but you probably already have done so)!

XSENTIENTX MAILORDER
FY FAN deliver on their 2nd EP a fast and furious mix of scandinavian, especially swedish style of hardcore-punk. Part TOTALITÄR, part SKITKIDS, part '80s swedish hardcore is the recipe for 'ah nej'. In other words - somewhere between early drunken swedish käng and classic catchy hardcore.

CRUCIAL ATTACK
Fy Fan are an awesome hardcore punk band from Sweden and this is their latest EP...seven tracks so good that upon first listen I ended up spinning this thing 7 times over. But don't take my word for it, check this out for sure. Enjoy.

SHORT FAST + LOUD #22
This is the 2nd 7" from these käng dudes. Seven tracks clocking in at slightly over 8 minutes = SHORT FAST and FUCKING LOUD! This is exactly up this reviwers alley. I love this style when it's played so passionately and hard hitting. This lies in the vein of early TOTALITÄR meets MODERAT LIKVIDATION with some SKITKIDS thrown in for good measure.

LUKIN ZINE
8/10
Malmö verkar trippa vidare upp för karriärstegen mot att bli Sveriges punkmetropol, för sedan några år tillbaka verkar det spruta punkband och punkmusik ur denna stad. Fy Fan har i och för sig varit i farten ett bra tag nu och på den nya skivan “Åh Nej” låter det egentligen precis som innan. Det vill säga snabb och thrashig hardcorepunk med mycket att säga på så kort tid som möjligt.
Den första låten som har fått titeln “Snick snack” kan egentligen rama in precis vad som helst från en polare som man vill be att dra åt helvete eller alla politiker som bara ordbajsar till sig röster. Refrängen är klockren och kort, precis som det ska vara så att alla kan hänga med när det blir allsång från scenen. De andra låtarna följer efter i samma anda och spyr galla över alla dessa vardagligheter som omger alla oss människor. Inga större tankegångar kommer till tals men ibland räcker det med att dra en linje i sanden för att få fram det man vill säga, och det lyckas Fy Fan med på sitt eget lilla sätt. Bäst blir det i den pessimistiska låten “Nitlott” och “Vem pallar bry sig?”, som jag tycker summerar Fy Fan på ett bra sätt. De spelar som de vill, och skiter fullständigt i vad jag skriver här. för att sedan dränka den i en alkoholosande jag-bryr-mig-inte-så-dra-åt-helvete-mentalitet, vilket passar det skitiga upplägget alldeles ypperligt. Bäst blir det i det frustrationsartade titelspåret Catch 22 och i den religionspessimistiska No salvation. Det enda som egentligen återstår nu är att ställa frågan: När kommer fullängdaren?

NO WAY
5 New tracks of bad-ass punk rock from spain, for fans of Angry Samoans and Early spanish punk rock/hc. Great stuff, if you loved their eps like we did, jump on this!!!!!

PUNK DISTRO
This is like the difference between "INSIDE MY BRAIN" era Samoans to "BACK FROM SAMOA" era Samoans. Except only played by spanish punks. If you're a big fan of early US Punk/HC like NECROS and other TOUCH and GO bands, or Spanish punx like ESKORBUTO, RIP or IV REICH you definetly should grab this up.

NO WAY
Brand New Swedish Band that combines the elements of NYHC and BOSTON HC (Antidote, SSD, DYS) along with elements of early SWEDISH HC like Missbrukarna, Mob 47, Nyx Negativ. Ultra tight with perfect execution. This is the best record we have in the distro right now, so do yourself a favor and pick this up.

XSENTIENTX MAILORDER APRIL '09
A new Swedish band spewing out raw hc/punk like a mix between early Boston HC classics and Lifes Blood. A 'certified rager,' as they say. Don't be fooled that it is a one sided EP, there is plenty on this record to pummel you again and again.

SHORT FAST + LOUD #22
Upon initial listening you would think that band was an obscure 80's New England hardcore band whose demo was just unearthed, They sound like classic Boston hardcore along the lines of SSD and DYS. Actually Quick Fix are from modern day Sweden and seem to retain a little of their homeland culture with some MOB 47 influence in the guitar, or maybe I'm wrong and it's a Siege influence.

DEADALIVE MAILORDER
Apocalyptic d-beat rock n' roll nightmare!! These dirty Swedes crank out raging Discharge influenced Swedish hardcore with a balls out Motorhead feel to it. A real steamroller!!

BRICKWALL DISTRO LIST APRIL 2004
Fucking finally, we've gotten in the newest masterpiece from these Malmö d-beat genius-like hardcore kids. This is TOTALITÄR punk at it's finest. Amazing stuff, and you know they won't last long…

WARPRAYER NEWSLETTER #132 MAY 2004
Speedy and raw, alcohol as well as d-beat driven, snotty hardcorepunk outta Sweden. These guys still sound like a mix between mid period ANTI-CIMEX and DISCHARGE, but this time these 4 drunkards managed to include a few serious rocking MOTÖRHEAD influences into their crushing sound too. If you liked their "Skitfucked by the state" debut 12" from '02, I bet you'll enjoy this record too.
BOTTLES UP cuz this gem rules!!!!

MERCILESS GAME FANZINE JULY 2004
Yes, skitungarna are back with a vengeance – this is eight tracks of chaotic fucking rock'n'roll-hcpunk-madness. Blazing fucking guitar leads, total energy-driven vocals and a general fucking mayhem,chaos,destruction. Just as good as their demo, but still different. Good fucking lyrics again kicking at SOC, Arbetsförmedlingen, and shit-talkers while saluting all the DIY-chefs out there. A record to listen to while cooking, drinking beer or running around your apartment punching holes in the air.

GOTA DISTRO LIST - JULY 2004
2nd release by this Scandinavian powerhouse. A sense of humor combined with brutal Swedish hc meets early '90s Japanese hc.
Totally great.

CONTAMINATION DISTRO LIST
2nd LP. Just brilliant. Nothing is better if you want it raw, brutal with gutitar wanking ruling over all of it.

DUSTED MAGAZINE
Technically this one was outside the limits I impose on this column, but in this case, I bought the record; I don't fucking care about the goddamn rules. What I do care about is that if you even give a smidgen of shit about rock and roll, punk or hardcore, you find a way to own this. It's the second 12" by this insane bunch of Swedes who recreate a natural disaster of crust, grime and dirt and leave sweaty tangled bodies caught in the mosh behind them. If you could imagine Turbonegro's Ass Cobra played on 45, with all the ridiculous fun and fist-pumping somehow doubled, you might have an idea of where Skitkids are coming from. There's some politics in their punk, but there's no English translations, and what little there is for us to read on the insert say cryptic things like "SMASH THIS FUCKING SYSTEM WITH A TOFUBLOCK IN YOUR HAND, LIFE AFTER REVOLUTION WILL BE A NEVERENDING FOOD ORGY." I like the way these guys think, and they instill such a sense of triumph and rage and positivity into such blazingly fast and heavy hardcore, you'll listen to this record and feel like you just flipped over a car with your bare hands after kicking Karl Rove in the back of his fat fucking head. From the Hives to Dungen, we Americans are getting inundated with Swedish music these days. It's great to know that even on the side of d-beat, things are just as exciting and refreshing for us to hear.
Onna for Pleasure is on its third pressing of 500 right now, and a handful of American and European distros still have copies for sale. It's worth the import price. Excellent cover art features prominently a photo of a female chimp masturbating. The best; highest recommendation available.
Six stars!

CRUCIAL ATTACK
Repress of their 2nd release. This Scandinavian powerhouse has a definite sense of humor combined with brutal Swedish hc meets early´90s Japanese hc. Cool stuff! Expect blazing hardcore punk from Malmö, Sweden. Think Totalitär meets Motorhead with a touch of the Burning Japanese Spirit.

GOTA DISTRO LIST - JANUARY 2006
Their demo was pretty good, but this 7" is great. Without veering too far from the APA / old-US via Denmark sound, they have a hc punk sound of their own. Cool packaging too.

SUBURBAN VOICE
I'm not even sure how you pronounce the name of this band; Her-te-stop? In any case, they're from Denmark and have that stripped down punk sound that is influenced by early 80s hardcore but not slavish to it. They also have a melodic propensity and I love their economical guitar sound. I know some of these bands don't like comparisons but if you're into Amdi Petersens Arme or Young Wasteners, you'll like this.

LOWCUT ZINE - FEB. 2006
Heard of these guys several times but never really bothered to check'em out, well, what a fool I am cuz Hjerte Stop ain't just another boring noisy stenchcore outfit, nope, this is fuckin' cool fast punkrock in the classic California/Orange County style. "Ind I Lejren" recalls D.I.'s "Youth In Asia" with it's fast vocal-on-vocal onslaught, positively awesome! The trio is great musicians and the vocalist/bassist, Lasse, can actually sing! 6 way above average punkcore ragers with great lyrics about drugs, terrorism, suicide, violence etc. One of the best K-town punkbands around today!!! (Jens)

MERCY!MERCY! NEWSLETTER
Fantastic Danish punk/HC with loads of hooks and vocals that will have you singing along despite the language differences. Really well written songs that bring to mind the more 'melodic' moments of early FREEZE and ADOLESCENTS. But there's more here that i can't put my finger on...kind of clean guitar sound, choppy power chords...just a really catchy record!

CONTAMINATION DISTRO
Ok, I love the Copenhagen bands of the last years anyway but this thing is outstanding hc/punk. Sure No Hope For The Kids and Gorilla Angreb are the shit but HjerteStop have the raw snotty elements where the other two bands have the amazing melodies. With this 7inch they made it to the top bands of K-Town with APA, Young Wasteners, NHFTK, GA... a must.

BITE THE HAND THAT FEEDS THE POISONED FOOD #5 JUNE '06
This is the best hardcore band in Copenhagen right now for me. This is a caustic mix of 80's U.S. & European hardcore with energy and attitude. 6 songs, doesn't remind me of anything in particular, a touch of Dead Kennedys or Reagan Youth but just with so many ideas, hooks and interplay between the instruments & vocals that it just sounds original and classic. Snotty obnoxious vacals and lyrics. I was afraid when the old singer finished with the band that it would suffer, but that's not the case at all. Fucking cool to hear a 3piece band unleash so much energy and chaos.

PUNK PLANET
Copenhagen's HJERTESTOP is another amazing ultra-fast European hardcore band making a name for itself through putting out kick-ass singles and playing as many shows as possible. They're reminiscent of label mates Amdi Petersen's Armé, and will make fans of Havoc Records style hardcore extraordinarily happy. This six-song EP is a magnum opus, and has enough US distribution that no self-respecting fan of fast hardcore can make excuses for not picking it up.

RAZORCAKE
What's up with Denmark? Do they have a punk lab that distills some of the best and most exciting hardcore of yore (Minor Threat, Black Flag), then cross-pollinates it with the fresh wounds of recent bands like Career Suicide, Regulations, and No Hope For The Kids, while dangling a new pine-scented air freshener on the rearview mirror? HjerteStop's part pioneering spirit, part lighting Molotov cocktails with extended middle fingers, part pissing in the mouths of cops, and part good, old-fashioned ripping along. They're right in the vortex of a strong stable of Dutch bands that aren't giving up nor slowing down.

COLLECTIVE ZINE
Another surefire winner here from Kick n' Punch, this time from Denmark's HjerteStop, whose hyper primitive punk rock blasts recall the kickass sloppiness of the Adolescents or early – and I mean early – Bad Religion as they rant, rave and do their damnedest to spit in your fucking face, rocketing along and forcing the kind of catchy tunes into your head that'd have you scrabbling madly for a Danish dictionary were the English translations not so thoughtfully provided. Outstanding and darn near mandatory! - Alex Deller

RAZORCAKE
Okay, this is the domestic pressing of their EP that originally came out in 2005 on Kick N Punch, then Adult Crash. There's a Young Wasteners and Incontrollados connection here, and this band is of the same style: old style punk from Denmark. If you like stuff like City-X, and the Razorblades, or even a semi recent band like No Hope For The Kids, then you need to get this. Hjertestop pull off the retro sound with ease. The songs are tuneful, catchy, and well structured and played. I think my favorite of this record is "Vi Er Overalt" with its hyper tempo and classic guitar sound. Then there's the song that kicks off the flip, "Ind I Lejren" that's pretty ripping as well. Hell, this whole record rips. They switch up the tempos, create some tension, and pace this thing properly throughout. More than a mere collection of songs, this is a solid EP. I heard these guys played the L.A. area not too long ago. Come back so I can see you guys. I'll take you to Punky Reggae Party when the show is done! Hjertestop translates to "heart failure." Whoa! – Matt Average