Mike Muir and his gang of suicidal maniacs are back!! This is the 13th Suicidal Tendencies release (although, the ninth studio album), with 13 new songs, 13 years since the last album (“Free Your Soul and Save My Mind” released in 2000), but the first without guitarist Mike Clark since 1987’s “Join the Army”. And it’s ferocious! Right between the classic Suicidal maniacal grindings and the killer Infectious Grooves flavour. As always. Although, last time was a lifetime ago and probably most of the nowadays headbanger kids don’t have a clue what the heck I’m talking about.
But once again, I have to notice that these “old guys” have a criminal sense of memorable melodies, have the guts to deliver killer and powerful riffs and murderous grooves, while most of the nowadays formed bands only delivering over-produced, but absolutely forgettable mass of noises. By the way, kind of sad, scary and alarming. Read more Suicidal Tendencies – 13 (2013)
punk
SuperCharger – Wrongside Of the Head (2013)
This is just bloody awesome! Think of The Wildhearts, Therapy?, Backyard Babies and Terrorvision, massive, powerful guitar riffs and huge, memorable, singable and melodious vocals. Somewhere between the punk rock fury and the glam rock flavour with heavy guitar riffs and catchy, pop fueled choruses, this Newcastle Upon Tyne, England based quartet fined a damn fine path to establish themselves. And best of all, this is a FREE RELEASE, so get your ass right now and grab it from HERE!
Formed in late 2007, the band released their debut EP “Smashing Up The Future” through indie label Nascar Records and played a huge amount of local and national incendiary live shows to support this EP. They have shared stages with the likes of Wednesday 13, Bullets and Octane, Sorry and the Sinatras and Eureka Machines, Ginger “Wildhearts” and friends.
“Wrongside Of the Head” it’s the perfect sonic molotov to bang your head off down at the club. On a payday night. Read more SuperCharger – Wrongside Of the Head (2013)
Best releases of 2012
You’ve seen the movie “Branded” (IMDb)? The basic idea was simple and pretty cool: the public is manipulated to follow the brands and trends, not the brands follows the public taste. The consumer it’s modeled to satisfy the need of the products and not the products are build and developed to satisfy the consumers needs. Sick idea in twisted and sick world! But true!!
We can say now, 2012 was the year of the definitive death of MySpace. DeadSpace would be a more proper name for that mammoth cemetery. On the other hand, Facefuckingbook reached a total world domination, most of the people not even leave those pages anymore, but eventually giving likes there – mainly by default and completely uninvolved. We’re getting stupider? Yes we do! Because… yes we can! 😆 And because the cancer of the crises which will eat up the whole world while we were sold out to the world finances, Obama – not really surprisingly – was re-elected. We’re f*cked! Hard! Who thought that a democrat president will be even worst then John Bush Jr.?!! Anyway, while he won in advance a Noble price for peace, I’m looking forward to see what stupid excuse he will deliver to start the war on Iran!! al-Qaeda my ass! Argo (IMDb), the film directed by Ben Affleck might be the clue: Iranians are evil! The greedy bankers are the real terrorists while the politicians are only the marionettes in their hand!! Zeros are the poster heroes nowadays. Praise the TV! Praise the radio! Praise the internet! Praise the almighty goddamn Dollar!!
Musically, 2012 was the year of Read more Best releases of 2012
Bad Religion – True North (2013)
Formed in Los Angeles in 1979, Bad Religion released its sixteenth studio album, kind of unbelievable actually, they some real survivors of a long gone and by many forgotten era. The age of true, honest, undiluted punk (rock). But some things are never change and it’s a good thing. Bad Religion sounds just like three decades ago, and “True North” it’s a very energetic, fresh, sing-a-long type of, genuine Bad Religion release. These melodies, rapid beats, simple and tasty riffs never can be mistaken for anyone, but Bad Religion.
“True North” is a celebration of everything we always love and appreciated about Bad Religion. This is probably their best album, but, fortunately, not their last! Read more Bad Religion – True North (2013)
Gallows – Gallows (2012)
Brutal, raw, merciless hardcore punk. Nothing fancy, nothing polite, nothing for the sake of the compromise, no sell-out. Singer Frank Carter left Gallows in July 2011 and former Alexisonfire guitarist/vocalist Wade MacNeil replaced Carter in August 2011. The result of this fresh blood infusion, the third Gallows’ album it’s a very nervous, very intense, aggressive and loud record. No fills, no breaks, no This “new” Gallows are picking up from where The Exploited left out, although this is less metal flavored and heavily hardcore fueled punk with a good sense of Brit indie rock infusion. “Outsider Art” it’s an excellent sing-a-long type of punk rock anthem with a brutal hardcore breakdown. Simple and brilliant. Memorable and brutal. And this spirit it’s running throughout the veins of all the 11 tracks of the new release and grinding you into the ground. Can run, but can’t hide, Gallows will get you! Read more Gallows – Gallows (2012)
Blue Willa – Blue Willa (2013)
Blue Willa is the debut album by the Italian art rock quartet bearing that same name. The band had been touring and recording for years under the name Baby Blue, but then they decide it that the time has come for change and came up with a brand new identity: Blue Willa.
They explains: “Continuing a story which lasted seven years and three records so far, we decided to carry on our pursuit for a sound that would fit neatly onto our ideas asking a person we unquestionably loved to help us fulfill it.
We called on Carla Bozulich, whom we had met in Florence some four years ago, and she immediately got involved and interested in our plans.
We spent ten days in the Italian countryside, working side by side with her and our sound engineer, Davide Cristiani. Carla took care of our songs and sounds, proposing shapes and a whole new imagery for them. She made our sounds feel aquatic, ringing and overturned: a sort of underwater punk rock music from the Thirties.
This music then went on to be mixed and fixed on the Himalayan mountainside and in Paris: it is a pleasant thought for us to imagine that something from these places – as well from our provinces – got entangled and caught inside these songs.”
And well, this is really a journey to folk flavored punk, psychedelic rock and vivid experimentalism, but also to yet undiscovered places, unrevealed sounds. Read more Blue Willa – Blue Willa (2013)
Inflatable Best Friend – DMT Bike Ride (2013)
Noisy and raw garage punk(rock) rides twisted into some weird psychedelic trips and flavored with lo-fi, drone contortions – this is the menu on the debut album by this Michigan based and DIY devoted band. Not for those who are in the search of the perfect crystal sound and are only comfortable with the polished and mainly over-produced, but tasteless, and inconsistent fancy products of the almighty digital era. No, these guys will take you back to their garage, will tear the walls down at the house party in some suburb or in the basement of some filthy and obscure club. This taste like life, sounds messy and full of trouble as reality, wear perfectly with cheap beer, sleepless nights and lost memories.
With roots back to The Velvet Underground and Lou Reed (“Circus Dog”), but with the fury and energy of Sonic Youth (“I Wanna Ride a Sabertooth”), Inflatable Best Friend will shake you up and grind you down, and rock you into weird, vivid dreams only to crash you down again. This is legal, but dangerous stuff. Read more Inflatable Best Friend – DMT Bike Ride (2013)
Bad Brains – Into The Future (2012)
When music becomes boring, going back to the roots it’s always an option. And the ninth studio album by Bad Brains it’s both a classic and a fresh breath of Rasta-Hardcore.
Originally formed as a jazz fusion ensemble called Mind Power in 1975 under the spellbound of bands such as Chick Corea’s Return to Forever and John McLaughlin’s Mahavishnu Orchestra. Two years later, a friend of the band, Sid McCray, introduced the band to Punk Rock, playing for them bands such as the Dickies, the Dead Boys, and the Sex Pistols. They became obsessed with the new genre and changed their name to “Bad Brains”, after the Ramones song “Bad Brain”, but using the word “bad” in the sense of “good”.
The band developed an early reputation in Washington D.C., due in part to the relative novelty of an entirely black band playing Punk Rock, but also due to their high-energy performances and undeniable talent. In 1979, Bad Brains found themselves the subject of an unofficial ban among many Washington D.C. area clubs and performance venues – later addressed in their song, “Banned in D.C.”. The band subsequently relocated to New York City.
Widely regarded as among the pioneers of Hardcore Punk, Bad Brains recordings also featured elements of other genres like Funk, Dub, Heavy Metal, Hip-Hop and Soul. The band broke up and reformed several times over the years, sometimes with different singers or drummers. Among others, Chuck Mosley, former Faith No More singer being part of the group between 1990 and 1991. The band’s classic and current lineup is singer H.R. (Human Rights), guitarist Dr. Know, bassist Darryl Jenifer, and drummer Earl Hudson, H.R.’s younger brother.
Released on November 20, 2012 on Megaforce Records, “Into The Future” it is a tribute dedication to Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys, a longtime friend of the band who died of cancer this year. Read more Bad Brains – Into The Future (2012)
Fear – The Fear Record (2012)
Originally recorded in 1981 in Sound City Studios, California, titled simple “The Record” and released by Slash Records on May 16, 1982, and it’s definitively one of the pillars of modern Hardcore, a milestone of Punk/Metal/Hardcore colored brilliantly with Blues/Jazz and all sort of unexpected, out of patterns inflections and infusions. So, why would Lee Ving decide to re-record it 3 decades away? One possible explanation might be a shity record deal with Slash and a better deal signed now with The End Records and the 30 years anniversary may be a great opportunity for some smooth and simple cashing-in. Anyway, this band and the original album deserves both respect and celebration. This re-recorded version surprisingly sounds pretty raw, the few small changes do not really makes any difference and as always, if you want the best, go back to the original.
Several songs have been rewritten to shock/offend less. The 62-year-old Ving and the world over the last three decades have been changed. Ving try to seem more mature, while the world play the card of being more enlighten, sensitive or something… Some people get offended nowadays if you sing lyrics like the one of “New York’s Alright If You Like Saxophones”. Read more Fear – The Fear Record (2012)
History of the Hawk – Future Ruins (2012)
Punk ain’t dead. Even more, the present it’s intense and murderous and definitively there are more then simple hopes for a future. And this is genuine Punk, I mean, not that soap-box/bubble-gum, Californian sun-burnt and Pop flavored “Punk” which the media and the multinationals selling for decades now. “Descending Light” explode like a grenade and the whole “Future Ruins” it’s a killer spiral of energy and aggression. With roots back to Black Flag, Minor Threat and Dead Kennedys, but related to contemporary challengers such as Gallows and Converge merging brutality and intensity, Hardcore energy and Post-Metal rawness, History of the Hawk delivered a truly unique and own flavored, pounding and crushing Punk album. It’s fresh, it’s furious, it’s colorful and re-inventing the heritage of the past to send it right into the future. Read more History of the Hawk – Future Ruins (2012)
