lunedì 19 gennaio 2009

MOVING EVERYTHING FROM MYSPACE TO BLOGSPOT...FINALLY.


Yes, finally i've decided to move everything from myspace to this new blog, since myspace suxxx (or maybe it's me that i'm an idiot and i couldn't really let that tool workin'). So in the next weeks i'll start to post all the older stuff here, as well as the new interviews/reviews and live reports.
Keep on thrashin' and support d.i.y. bands worldwide!
In the meanwhile...check this out!

625 THRASH INTERVIEW with HIRAX MAX (old stuff n° 7 - 26/03/2008)


A brief introduction:

MAX WARD (a.k.a. Hiraxxx Maxxx a.k.a. the grandwizard of power violence) is one of the main columns behind the entire world hardcore/fastcore scene from early 90’s to today. Together with people like Chris Dodge from Slap A Ham records (r.i.p.), Jeff & Athena & all the rest of the staff from SixWeeks Records,
he contributed to develop the so called hc genre "powerviolence".
Playing in 10000 different acts (just to name a few: he played drums with SPAZZ, WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?, CAPITALIST CASUALTIES, he used to sing for EVOLVED TO OBLITERATION and SCHOLASTIC DETH, and don’t forget he started playing drums with death grind maniacs PLUTOCRACY),
writing for different mags
(from Maximum Rock’n’Roll to Short, Fast & Loud!, including his personal demo ’zine called MOSH OF ASS, that after few issues started to be regularly printed inside S,F&L! mag)
and last, but absolutely not least, with his label
625 THRASHCORE.
The label has produced more than 200 records circa from 1993, initially focusing on bands from his area (the bay area in california) then expanding his vision thru all the world. Musically, it goes from straight fastcore punk, to death metal to grindcore.

I’ve always been in love with his label, and every time i was a bit chilled about what was going on in my town or more generically,in the whole italian scene it was enough listening to those bands from all the world and my outlook turned into positivity in a matter of minutes.

This is what i call the power of music!!!

I had the honour to met him in 2003, when he toured Europe with his old band WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? and at the time, since i was playing drums with Nervi, we played some shows together.

NOTE: at the end of this interview you will find my complete list of 625 records collected during the years, with notes about each record written by Max himself.

Also, i’ve written a list of the stuff i’m looking for!!!
If you want to get rid of some 625 older stuff, just send me a line and we’ll talk about that!

ENJOY!


1)OK, LET’S START FROM THE END:
WHEN FINALLY YOU’LL BE BACK IN CALIFORNIA?
OR ARE YOU GONNA STAY IN N.Y. FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE?
That is a good question. Although I’d like to get back
to California, and preferably northern California, the
nature of employment in academia is that you never
really know where you are going to end up. But before
I start worrying about the job market, I have at least
another 4-5 years before I finish my PhD......so yeah,
I will be between New York and Japan until then.


2)WHAT ABOUT 625 THRASHCORE:
- INTRODUCE US TO THE LABEL,
Started it in 92-93 to release some friends bands like
NO LESS, ETO, AGENTS OF SATAN, GODSTOMPER etc. Back
then there was this thriving scene and no one was
really releasing the stuff so I thought what the hell,
why not start a label. Before that I co-released a few
PLUTOCRACY records circa 1990 but it was under the
"625" name.

AND WHAT IS YOUR MAIN GOAL WITH IT?
I started with releasing small, unknown bands in my
area, and then I moved on to working with foreign
bands that were just starting out, or who were not
well known in the US or Europe. Since 2000 or so, Ive
tried to focus on scenes that the typical
Euro-American scene overlooks, places like Brazil, SE
ASIA, Eastern Europe, etc. There are a lot of great
bands in those areas (probably the best scenes in the
world) but due to socio-historical reasons often get
left out of what is "cool" or "fashionable" by the
zines and trend-setters of the Euro-American HC scene.
Recently however I’ve returned to my roots and have
decided to release mainly power-violence or grindcore
bands since that seems to be falling out fashion these
days - so the bands who are doing it are really true
to that style and, in my opinion, deserving of the
support.


3) TALK ABOUT MOSH OF ASS NOW. ARE YOU GOING BACK WRITING REVIEWS FOR IT?
Well in the mid-90s I was touring with bands and
getting so many demo tapes in the mail that I thought
I should start a demo review zine. So what I did was
started these small 1-page zines that I would send out
in the mail or hand out at shows. It was just to get
the bands demos more known so people could order them
or get in contact with these bands (remember - this is
before myspace and all that). Later, we decided to
print it in SHORT FAST AND LOUD so more people would
get to know it....but I recently quit doing it since I
dont get many demos these days. I gave over the
responsibilities to Tony and Mike who live out in
california. So they will continue with the column
which is rad.

4) YOUR FAVORITE BANDS ON 625?
That’s a hard question.......I’ll choose the bands you
all probably have never heard of: KURBITS IR
(ultra-fast MOB 47 Swedish HC from the early 90s),
CORNERED (NYHC style with blast beats), the first LIE
EP (great high energy Japanese HC), etc.
Lately I have
been spinning the newest INSECT WARFARE LP - its
totally nuts.


5)SOME PEOPLE THINKS THAT SINCE WE’RE ALREADY IN THE 2ND OR 3RD WAVE OF POWERVIOLENCE, THE NEW SCHOOL IS WEAKER THAN THE OLD ONE.
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT IT?
Listen to HATRED SURGE, IRON LUNG or INSECT WARFARE
and tell me DIY grind or fastcore is dead. The shit is
so crazy live man.....its a lot better than a lot of
the 3rd rate power violence bands that existed in the
early 90s.

6)WHAT DO YOU DO IN YOUR LIFE BESIDES THE LABEL?
DOES IT INFLUENCE YOUR WORK WITH IT?
I spend about 10-12 hours a day studying, teaching or
just being in the library. Im in a PhD program now so
apart from my own research I have to teach classes,
prepare papers for conferences, etc.


6a) DO YOU LISTEN TO OTHER SHIT THAN POWERVIOLENCE/HARDCORE?
ARE YOU A NARROW MINDED HC KID OR...
I listen to a lot of death metal and jazz. I like
early 90s death metal and be-bop era jazz like Art
Blakey - although early 60’s Herbie Hancock rips as
well.

7) I KNOW YOU’RE STUDYING ORIENTAL CULTURE (CORRECT ME IF I’M WRONG): HAS IT ANYTHING TO DO WITH YOUR PASSION FOR JAPCORE?
No. Im trying to think through problems of fascism,
politics and temporality and there has been a lot of
thought on these issues in Japan in the 1920s and
1930s, so I decided to follow that question through
japanese social and intellectual history.


8) 625 HAD PRESSED MATERIAL FROM ITALIAN BANDS LIKE OHUZARU OR L’AMICO DI MARTUCCI, DO YOU KNOW SOMETHING ABOUT TODAY’S FASTCORE/THRASH BANDS FROM OUR COUNTRY? BANDS LIKE CRUSHED UP, TURN BACK TIME,
BURST UP, ...
dude, what about LxExAxRxN and DEATH BEFORE WORK?
Yeah, Im down with it. Seriously, ever since I ordered
the old BCT tapes with bands like INDEGESTI I have
been a huge fan of Italian HC. The early NEGAZIONE has
got to be the best HC ever!


9)TALK US ABOUT YOUR PAST BANDS, ANY REUNION SOON?
AND WHAT ABOUT NEW PROJECTS?
ARE ACTUALLY PLAYIN’ IN ANY BAND?
No, nothing really. I did a project with some friends
called MINDLESS MUTANT, but that was just a project.
Since I dont have any time I dont think to play with
any bands these days.

10) WHAT ABOUT THE HC/THRASH SCENE IN N.Y.?
There is actually quite a bit of grind and good DIY
death metal stuff, and as for HC there are bands from
NJ like SPLITTING HEADACHE...but I’m so out of the loop
I have no idea whats going in nyc. I pretty much live
at the library.


11) YOUR LIFE CREDO?
If you’re going to do something, commit to it and
follow it through.

12) PLEASE TALK US ABOUT YOUR DRUM EQUIPMENT:
HOW THE FUCK CAN YOU GET THAT SPECIAL SNARE/BASS DRUM SOUND? IT’S THE SAME ON EVERY FUCKIN’ RECORDING!!!
That was a super deep brass marching snare with a
super thick head on it. As for the kick drum, I played
a Yamaha turbo tour set that had an extended kick drum
so it was extra punchy. The key to a good snare sound
is less snare band and tighten up that top head. The
best snare sound for me is Matt’s snare on the
CAPITALIST CASUALTIES side of the MITB/CC split LP.


13) I’M VERY CURIOUS ABOUT THE BOMBS OF DEATH PROJECT:
WHY JUST 2 SONGS?
NEVER MET AGAIN THE DUDE FROM ASSUCK TO JAM WITH?
We actually did 4 songs, but the other two are more
D-beat style. Yeah, that was fun....just a one off jam
session long time ago when ASSUCK came through the bay
area.

14)IN MY OPINION, YOU SHOULD REFORM SPAZZ JUST TO MAKE A SECOND VERSION OF THE SPAZZ/HIRAX SPLIT 7" (NOW THAT EVEN THEM ARE REUNITED AND WELL...)
WHAT ABOUT THE OTHER SPAZZ MEMBERS?
Dan is playing in FUNERAL SHOCK who are awesome! and
Chris has multiple project, such as BURN YOUR BRIDGES
and (recently) DESPISE YOU. Awesome!
As usual, thanks Pulce for your friendship over these
years! I will always have fond memories of playing in
Italy and getting to hang out with you.
Stay thrash!

Max
www.625thrash.com


OK, SO THE NEXT LIST IS ABOUT 625THRASH STUFF I’M REALLY LOOKING FOR, and as written before liner notes are by Max himself.
If you want to check the COMPLETE DISCOGRAPHY by this label, go and check it on
www.625thrash.com


6251. No Less/ ETO-Split EP
The very first 625 release. Although I put out releases before this (976/Plutocracy split EP, etc), this was the first release as a label. The whole idea behind this was to document the explosion of brutal hardcore from the local West Bay scene. This split took tracks from both the ETO and NO LESS demos. I only made about 700 (because I was low on cash) but I think the original purpose worked. People heard these bands, and some people liked em enough to ask em to do future projects.

6252. Morbid Life Society – Demo EP
This is an early example of a tradition I’m still trying to maintain…which is to release out of print, or over-looked hardcore. This specific case was to do a posthumous release from San Francisco’s MLS. I saw these guys open for VIO-LENCE and a ton of other thrash bands, and the funny thing was, they were too HC to fit in to the metal scene, and too metal to fit in the then-existing punk scene. This was their 2nd demo. I only did 300 of these, but I love it. Their first demo rules too, its more influenced by Bay Area thrash.

6256. Exhumed/ Pale Existence- Split EP
EXHUMED have been around for EVER. I used to see them at old death metal shows and was surprised when I heard those guys started a band. They’ve gone through a million line up changes, but their style hasn’t changed one bit: totally aggressive CARCASS style death metal. PALE EXISTENCE started playing in the mid-90s and put out a great demo that was a mix between Swedish death metal and black metal. I was extremely stoked to get these guys to do a record. 1000 Pressed, can’t remember if there’s color vinyl or not.

6258. Utter Bastard EP
Went into the studio and the engineer told us that he just recorded a band that sounded a lot like SPAZZ. Well, about 1 month later I get this self-released EP of some great fastcore from the Bay Area, from a band no one ever heard about. They mentioned they had no idea what they were doing, so I offered to buy there stock of vinyl, get some covers printed and put it out. Thus it happened. 1000 total, I believe there’s some red vinyl.

62511. Gorymelanoma/ Emetic- Split EP
My second attempt at putting out local death metal. EMETIC hail from the San Luis Obispo area but have been friends with the West Bay Coalition since day one. Their demo is so fucking great, but it was the only thing they ever recorded. They only had drums, guitar and vocals, and the recording they did was live in the studio. I thought it was brutal so we went ahead and used songs form that. GORYMELANOMA were this obscure South Bay band that had some demos but hardly ever played. They finally played and I asked em there if we could use some demo songs for a split. Thus it came to be. 1000.

62515. No Less/ Potato Justice- Split EP
POTATO JUSTICE destroyed on their split EP with SHORT HATE TEMPER…..Bobby of PJ was talking about doing the split EP and I said I would help. It was actually rescued from Brian Paxton who was supposed to release it like 3 years before (Brian, the guy who ripped everyone off on the El Guapo comp). So we went ahead and did 1000, 500 on black, 500 on green.

62517. 324 EP
Man, am I proud to say I put their record out first. Although I think the printer did a shitty job on the cover, this record is probably the most brutal fucking grind to come out of Japan. 100% TERRORIZER inspired….I met the drummer in Chicago when his other band (the VOLUME DEALERS) played…he kicked me a rehearsal tape and I told em right then and there that I would do a record with em. A year later they kicked it down. I did 1000 total, 200 on gold. HG FACT later repressed it as a CD with 2 bonus tracks.

62523. KungFu Rick LP
The split Eps these guys kept on doing showed promise. Then they did a demo that just floored me, so we decided it was time to do an LP. I’m really proud of this LP…and when they came through and played, they dropped everybodies jaw. One of the best bands in the US today. Total of 1500, some color vinyl but I can’t remember how many.

62541. Crucial Section LP
These guys are the kings of the 80s inspired hardcore. They absolutely love Euro-80s thrash…and it shows. The record art, the production of the recording, and the song styles sound straight out of the 80s. The closest comparison would be RIPCORD or later UNSEEN TERROR. They already have material for new releases, so watch out. This is a band to keep your eyes on! One thing that will always win me over is when people are nice and energetic. These guys are both….they are more friends than a band on my label, as well as an inspiration to me.

62546. Breakfast – EP (THE FIRST ONE!!!)
Featureing ex-members of O.A.C (two Eps, one on Bacteria Sour), BREAKFAST take the same influences (80s skate thrash) but speed it up more. More hectic and aggressive than OAC, BREAKFAST will most definitely be one of the new bands to watch out for. Plus, I can’t help but love em for really skating. I saw them live in Tokyo and they ruled. Plus I got to skate with Yo the drummer here in SF. Things like that make a release satnd out because its a release thats based more on friendship than scenester or business shit. I hope to work with them again.

62569
Murderous Grind Comp CD
(I HAD THIS CD BUT SOME STUPID FUCKIN’ BASTARD STOLE MY BACKPACK AT A SHOW...WITH THIS AMAZING CD INSIDE)
The idea for this comp began when I was writing BATHTUB SHITTER...they sent me an awesome sample of some of their newer songs, and I got to thinking about how I haven’t really done a grindcore release in a long time. So I wanted to do an international grindcore comp that featured specific areas...kinda like teaming up two areas and their representative grind bands. I tried to have a balance between mainly new bands, with a mix of a few better known bands....and before I knew it, I have over 60 minutes worth of material! All the bands kicked down some top notch songs...so Im super stoked on this. Only thing I would change was if it could fit on vinyl....but I will do that for the second version.

62572
Iron Lung - EP
Jon and Jenson have been friends for a long time....they have been so involved in bands, setting up shows, labels, just generally working their butts off that its hard not to see them all the time since they are doing so much. So when they joined forces to do KRILIZEC, which turned into IRON LUNG.....I could only expect the best. They play super fast hc that pulls no punches.....plus they do covers of APT. 213 and CROSSED OUT, so you know where they are coming from musically. Their live shows rule...and they have a ton of releases/tours planned, so check em out.

625112
SE Asia Thrash Detonation - Comp EP
Since I have been inundated with great hardcore from all over SE ASIA, it only is natural to do some sort of comp. We have DOMESTIK DOKTRIN (Indonesia), EDORA (Singapore), FEUD (Philippines), FASTGAME (Malaysia), SECRET 7 (Singapore) and MASS SEPERATION (Malaysia). Wait till you hear some of these bands....they kick serious international ass.

625127
Threatener - The Hammering EP

625142
domestik doktrin 3"MCD

THIS IS MY PERSONAL 625THRASH LIST, stuff that i bought over the years, but i have to admit it's not updated. I'll do it, someday...

6254. Spazz/ Charles Bronson-Split EP
The main thing I like about doing records is working with people I love. Everyone in CHARLES BRONSON ruled (rules!), so this was more of a friendship project than anything else. I still think it’s the best CB stuff (the guitar tones rule on it), but I also think the Spazz stuff sucks so much ass that I wish we weren’t on it. I think it should have been a one sided EP personally. 450 with Yellow Cover (goat), 50 limited yellow covers with pit picture. 2nd press 1000, blue cover of Neil Blender.

6255. Agents of Satan - EP
One of the most brutal bands to come out of the West Bay. Rumors were bouncing around that there was this black-thrash band that was only bass/vocal/drums. I got the demo and was floored. I was so stoked to do their debut Ep, I think it was the best thing they did. They went on to do a bunch of stuff, all of its rules. 800 black vinyl, 200 red.

6257. El Guapo- Comp LP
This thing sucked. All these West Bay bands got asked to be on this comp, so SPAZZ decided to do it too. Then I offered to help out with the manufacturing since so many of my friends were involved. Needless to say, after about 1 year, Brian Paxton (the mastermind behind it) ripped all the bands off and failed miserbaly at getting the record out. Luckily for everyone, I knew the guy who had the master DAT, so I went and did a better copy of it. First press, 1200. Poorly mastered, black and white cover. Second Press, 2200, black and red cover, sounds awesome.

6259. Possessed to Skate- Comp LP/ Later Cd issue
This comp was my pride and joy. I love skating, I loved old THRASHERS with Puszone and MRR talking about skating. But those days were long gone, but I knew so many kids who fucking liked fastcore and skated. So what the fuck, I contacted bands that I knew were down, and put together this comp. I still think it’s the best comp I did. I compiled everything, and then PESSIMISER helped manufacture it. We did an initial 2000. Then a second press of 500, or maybe 1000. Then we did a CD version of 1000 with a final 500 vinyl repress. Here’s the catch though. PALATKA never wanted to be on a CD ever, and we did that repress with the permission of everyone but them (they were out of town at the time). SO here we did this comp and fucked up the ability of PALATKA to stay true to their ethics. I’m still bummed on that.

62510. Godstomper - EP
First two splits they did were awesome (with CATHY AMES, then MISANTHROPIST)…but the EP they did for me is still the best thing I think they did. The 4-track recording came out pretty heavy, so I was stoked. Another West Bay bass/drum/vocal unit. We did 1000 and there are 200 on red.

62512. Excruciating Terror- "Live at Gilman" EP
Anybody who doesn’t think ET is the best grind band nowadays can go fuck off. They are the only band that even comes close to the "From Enslavement" LP. Well, so I went to their show, asked if I could tape them, and low and behold, the tape came out sick as fuck. I talked to them about doing it and they were stoked! One of my favorite bands of all time. 1500 total, 200 on red.

62513. Entropy - EP
I was in touch with them for a long time, and they had been self-releasing these pro-cassettes, so me and Figure Four thought it was about time they did some vinyl. Apart from the worst cover art you ever saw, the music is brutal and raw grindcore/hardcore. 1500 total.

62514. Utter Bastard/ Deadbodieseverywhere- Split EP
Heard that it was planned and I had to jump in. DBE was fucking destroying live, and UTTER were refining their sound, so I was really stoked to be apart of it. 1000 total.

62516. No Comply/ Christmess- Split EP
The CHARLES BRONSON guys always had different projects going on, and CHRISTMESS was one of the best. It was Aaron (2nd guitarist of CB) on guitar and vocals, and Mike (CB guitarist) on drums and vocals They had a couple tapes which ruled. NO COMPLY were a crazy ass drum and bass combo of thrash. All Skate inspired….they fucking were great. They did a split later with EXHUMED that you should get. First press, 1000, some limited numbered covers. Repress of 500, new cover.

62518. Kurbits I.R. EP
Their first Ep floored me. There had always been a questioned I asked: why the hell did Scando-bands not play their style faster. There was PROTES BENGT, but no one really played Dis core at 1000mph. Well, that was until the first KURBITS IR EP. Everyone is now stoked on KRIGSHOT, but KIR did it years before em, yet their EP never really got around. I asked if they wanted to do an EP and it came through. The cover art is a little over-bearing, but man, 17 songs of 1000mph Swedish thrash. They are awesome. 1000 total, all on black I believe.

62519. Avulsion – "The Crimson Foliage Hit" CD
These guys always impressed me. They were technical, but brutal as well. When SPAZZ played with them in Buffalo I asked them if they wanted to do a CD. It took awhile to get everything together, but it finally happened. The CD contains an LP length of new material, plus the two old splits. Everything they ever did up to that point. Fans of ASSUCK and DISCORDANCE AXIS will love these guys. 1200 made.

62520. Short Hate Temper/ Society of Friends – Split Ep
I was so happy to be asked to help with this split project. SOCIETY OF FRIENDS are amazing. One of the only US bands that keeps me inspired about hardcore. SHT is known for their ferocious fastcore, so the combo was deadly. I can’t remember how many we ended up doing, I think maybe 1200….but it took forever. There were communication problems etc, so it was delayed. If you can find it, get it. It’s a perfectly matched split.

62522. They Live-Ep
I had a tpae of these guys forever. Total INFEST / CROSSED OUT madness. I thought they were alittle formula, but was surprised that more labels didn’t want to put something out by them. I started to talk to them, and I finally decided to do somethin with them. This Ep is friggin awesome, they retained enough of the fast INFEST style, but they developed their own approach. Total press, 1000.

62524. Deadbodieseverywhere-LP
A split release with Satan’s Pimp, this highlights DBE’s insane grind style. Crazy time changes, loose grooves, and Jason’s brutal vocals…..one of the craziest bands from the Bay Area. We did 1000 I believe, and like a dumb-ass I only kept 1 for my self. This sold out instantaneously, and has been repressed on CD by Death Vomit records (Jason’s label, sub of Necrpolis).

62525. Cornered ep
I got this demo from a young band from Florida…they mentioned that they really liked SPAZZ etc, and once I played it I was totally surprised. It was complete NYHC / Youth Crew HC, but with blast beats! The drumming is so fucking good in the band…This is the only band I’ve heard from that genre that have the energy and speed that comes with punk/hc. This was their debut ep……1000 total. Can’t remember if there were 200 on gold or not.

62526. WxHxN? Ep
After we got turned down by some labels, I said fuck it and why not do it myself. Little did I know that we would sell 2700 of these fuckers. The first press was 1000, black and red labels, white covers, 200 on red. Second press (1000) was yellow cover, 100 colored vinyl. 3rd press was all black vinyl, white covers, white and red labels.

62527. Bandana Thrash Flexi compilation
This turned out to be one of my favorite records that I have ever put out. I absolutely love the 3 Japanese bands…and since it came out, I’ve really tried to help em all out in other ways. I got new records from LIE and CRUCIAL SECTION, and have been talking to FLASH GORDON about possibly re-issuing material or something. WxHxN is on it as well. I did 2000 and they sold out in seconds.

62528. Majestic Four ep
This actually took a lot longer to do than it appears in the sequence of my release list. This band kicked my ass with their demo, and then their split with SMOL (on MCR) and their comp tracks killed as well. I asked them to do a record, but they broke up before they got a chance to write new stuff. So I said fuck it, what do you think of putting out the demo? This demo is recorded so brutal, I think all demos should be like it. Its really rough….I fucking love it. 1000 pressed, no colored vinyl.

62529. Charles bronson double CD discography
Well, I have a love hate relationship with these guys. I loved the band from the get-go, love all the members (past and present) but man, this thing was a nightmare. Not only did I have an outstanding check for the entire 625 cash-pot sit at the plant for 4 months, but they did not agree that we needed to do more. When you have 5 different people involved in one project, it can be a nightmare. First press, 2500. Second press 3000. The final will and testament of one of the best US bands of the 90s. I was proud to be able to help em with it, and this was the best way for them to go out……

62535. Barbaric Thrash Detonation comp Cd and Ep
This was a project in constant progress for 2 years. Julio from Open Wound Records started this, and always asked if I wanted in. I finally agreed to help out, and after a medical emergency, Julio dropped out. I finished the comp (compiling the rest of the material, about 60%) and decided to do a weird format: a CD and EP combined in a 7" booklet. A total of 41 bands, all thrash, from all over the world. 2200 pressed.

62536. Fall Silent EP
I’ve been trying to work with these guys since day one. I saw them way back when in San Francisco and got their demo.I immediately fell in love. I followed them through their progression, and was fucking stoked that after 4-5 years, they asked me to do something. This EP is rawer and faster than all their previous material, while still retaining their technical metal riffage. The cover art is unusual, the music destroys. As of writing this, we got 1000 black vinyl, 500 green vinyl.


62538. Kungfu Rick / Curtainrail - Split EP
Finally out (after 1.5 years in the making!)CURTAINRAIL asked to do a split with some bands in the US. I brought the idea up to the KFR guys and they were stoked. I think both bands will compliment each other well….both are super fast, raw and include crazy time changes. 1300 total pressed, 300 on gold.

62539. Point of Few EP
A good Dutch band that has overtones of fellow-Dutch thrashers SEEIN RED. I actually met some of them when they visited for a Fiesta Grande, and I enjoyed talking with the members.Really catchy and powerful, with enough speed to carry it through. They have multiple vinyl releases out, yet this release will be their first US release. I think they already have a ton of releases planned for the future.

62540. Gordon Solie Motherfuckers - "Power Bomb Anthems Vol. 1" 10"Lp
When CAPITALIST CASUALTIES toured the States, we played with them in a small Vets Hall in Ohio, and I was blown away. They were just starting out, but I offered them a LP right then and there. The Lp is a lot more tight than their EP, but it continues their style of mixing raging

62545. Cornered – "This Time" CD
They sent me their new recording, and the new songs completely destroy the old stuff. Faster, more hardcore, heavier…..They had some plans to tour in Fall of 2000, so we thought we should get this going quick. As I said in the description for their debut EP, CORNERED mix really heavy NYHC style with super fast grindcore beats. I love both styles, but always hated the mediocrity of typical, generic NYHC. CORNERED are the only band that have spiced up that style with the speed and energy of fastcore.

62547 Youth Enrage – LP
The US release of their debut EP and CD on vinyl format. I thought the whole modern-fastcore thing was dead until I heard this. Power-violence that is so extreme, it is one of the only bands that can drop my jaw still. Crazy time changes, 2 vocalists going out of control, hyper-drumming…..I could not let this release go without the US kids hearing it as well. Seeing them in Sapporo was amazing.

62548 Protes Bengt – Discography LP
After I heard LARM, I was on the look out for all the fast bands….and if you were from around then, you can remember how damn difficult it was. Most bands only got to demo stages, but a few obscure bands got some vinyl output. PROTES BENGT was one of them. They were a side band of MOB 47 and FILTHY CHRISTIANS and they crammed a whopping 32 songs on one EP. When I got it I thought I was in heaven. They did a 14 songs demo after that which was even faster, yet it never got around. When I tracked Per down, he said he was fully into re-releasing all that stuff……thus I get to release one of my favorite bands growing up.

62550 What Happens Next – Stand Fast Tour 2000 EP
A 4 song EP pressed to sell on our Japan Tour (9-10 / 2000). It features 3 new ones as well as a DEATHSIDE cover (my favorite band in the whole world). We did 500 limited for Japan (covers) and 1500 were available to distros. We wanted it somewhat limited, but not too limited for collector scum to horde. Will be available on a 2nd collection CD down the road.

62551 Spazz - Sweatin’ II - Deported Live Dwarf CD
This contains the 1st (and long out of print) Dwarf Jester Rising LP from 1994, the tracks from the split CD with SUBVERSION (only 500 pressed) and an entire live radio show from 1999. 34 studio tracks and a full live set..a full 70 minutes! Way too much SPAZZ, even for the diehard. The reason why we decided to collect this stuff was not only were their rumors about people booting the Dwarf Lp, but we finally called it quits in December 2000. So what better time to start offering the final will and testament of Spazz. Chris will do a 3rd "Sweatin" series which will collect all the splits and comp tracks from the Toast Split onwards (96 forwards-I think)so watch for that.

62552 Society Of Friends - LP
When Spazz played with these guys in Austin I was floored. Their brand of hardcore is relentless while still being original, and their front man August is psycho live. While they have put out countless EPs and Splits, it was about time these maniacs had a full length. I can’t really compare them to anybody, but man, do they pack a punch. Imagine speed picking mixed with some MITB style riffings, add straight forward fast HC, and you got SOF.

62553 Plutocracy - Dankstahz CD
This CD collects the long out of print "Dankstahz" Lp, the split Ep with Discordance Axis, a radio show from 1992, the 1990 "Progress" demo and some extra tracks as well. This was originally released on Convoy back in 1994, but since we reformed in 1998, we wanted to have this stuff available again. The main reason why we reformed was because of Big Boy aka Dan Hogan passing away. We met him in high school, when he was playing in 976 (who became our brother band along with Immortal Fate). Since we were having bassist problems, Dan was more than willing to join and he took part in our last couple of projects. Thus this CD and our reformation is in memory of his passing.


62554
v.a. barbaric thrash vol II ep
So I was putting together Volume II of the Bandana Thrash comp, and it was right in the midst of when all that shit was hyped. The term was being thrown around like it was a "real" form of music (which its not), and some bands quit doing powerviolence and started doing ’bandana thrash’ (whatever that means). So, basically, I wanted the bands on this to speak for themselves. The Bandana Thrash FLexi is awesome, and those bands were really harking back to the mid-80s thrash scenes, but it wasn’t a fasion statement, it was out of admiration....and it was also when it was fun, not fashionable. So, anyways, this comp was compiled over a 2 year period. There were some bands that couldnt do it that I asked, and these were the bands that said yes. The bands on this are: DISCARGA (Brazil), ESPERANZA (SoCal), JELLYROLL ROCKHEADS (Japan), LIMPWRIST (US) and LIFES HALT (SoCal). ESPERANZA were the last band to be asked, and they jumped right in the studio and kicked down (what I think to be is...) their best song. Every song on this comp rules..and thats a first for me. Most of the time a band does not come through and gives you some throw away songs....but not this comp. Not only was I surprised that these bands said yes to do the comp, but that it works so well. Plus I stand behind all the bands 100% as people as well. 2500 pressed, 300 on gold, rest black.

62555. Face of Change - 2xEP
had been writing Mitch the bassist for awhile, and we grew to know each other pretty well. But it wasn't until WxHxN went to Sapporo that it really dawned on me how awesome Mitch and FOC was. Sapporo is like the Mid-West of Japan. Isolated, but pumping out awesome bands. Mitch and FOC had been playing in US-style HC bands since 1985...His first band was called FREAKS who play a killer blend of SoCal HC and skate-rock. Then FOC started in 1988, and their first thing was this 1990 demo. The recording is rough, there's tape wrinkles on the vinyl, and the music is formula, but taken in the context of what the Japanese HC scene was like in 1988-1990....FOC was going against the tide and playing what they liked. And they havent stopped since. That's what really inspired me, they just do the style of HC they like...and have been for 13 years. Originally, I had envisioned doing the cover like the UC Demo 2xEPs, but we decided against that since its been done many times before. We also decided against doing a CD of this since we both think vinyl is a lot cooler. 1200 pressed, 200 on red, 1000 black.

MY BANDS (old stuff n° 6 - 28/11/2007)

well, actually i sing for
DEATH BEFORE WORK!
http://www.myspace.com/deathbeforework

(this is our guitar hero Marra, trying to play drums...he failed miserably).

we play a mixxx of fast hardcore, thrash metal and grindcore.
we have released a cd on SxOxAx records from Rome and it's out now our new split 7" with hc godz COMRADES from rome

i also used to play drums for 2 hc/thrash/powerviolence combos, namely

THRASH BRIGADE
http://www.myspace.com/thrashbrigade

(this is our split LP with thrashers BURST UP! from Palermo, Sicily)
and
SSWIISSH!
http://www.myspace.com/sswiissh

actually, they both have split.
Now i'm playing in a couple of new bands (BRADYPUS and SARCOFAGUS) but nothing is ready, yet.
that's all for now, when ready i'll feed you with some news!!!
check this shit out!!!

PULCE

DFC INTERVIEW! (old stuff n° 5 - 29/10/2007)


DFC is a very fuckin' good THRASHCORE band from Brazil.
Since they are hitting europe and, luckily also Italy
(not many brazilian thrash bands come to our country)
i decided to interview them for spreading their message around here!!!



ok here we are. since i just know few songs from you (i mean the ones present on your myspace profile) i ask you to:

1 INTRODUCE THE BAND: WHAT KIND OF STUFF YOU PLAY, WHO IS DOING WHAT, WHY YOU PLAY THIS SHIT AND NOT SOME NIUMETAL TRENDY STUFF?

- Well, we're DFC. A thrash-core band from Brasilia the capital of Brazil, dedicated to ear banging for 15 years. Pleasure to meet you hehehe. Band consists of me (Tulio) on the vocals, Miguel-guitars, Leonardo-bass and Jão on the drums. We have 6 full-lenght albums and we have been featured on tons of splits and compilations around the World. Man, our music is filled with aggressiveness and hate, too rough for MTV, too tough for nu-metal. Besides we dont dispose of a personal stylist or enough hair on our heads to become the nu-metal heroes hehehe;

2- WHAT ABOUT YOUR LYRICS? I MEAN, ARE YOU DEALING WITH SERIOUS TOPICS OR SILLY STUFF, OR MAYBE ARE YOU TRYIN' TO GIVE A MESSAGE IN A FUNNY/IRONIC WAY? PERSONALLY I THINK THAT TOO OFTEN POLITICAL BANDS TEND TO PRESENT THEMSELVES IN A TOO SERIOUS WAY; WHILE MUSIC IS PRIMARILY A FORM OF ENTERTAINMENT, YOU CAN GIVE A MESSAGE HAVIN' A FUCKIN' GOOD TIME TOO! TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT IT!

We try to sing about our reality then you can find some lyrics about our life problems, work, protest against politicians, police violence, religion, drugs and many other things. Some of them are made as an ironic or sarcastic way but there's always a message of protest. I think we manage to mix protest and enterteinment in a fine way. We protest, but we survive hehehe;

3- i'm very ignorant about the situation socio/political in Brazil and, consequently, i'll ask to talk about the place/city where you come from: which are the main qualities, both good things and problems of your country?

Brazil is an enourmous country with big cities like any other country in the world. It is very beautiful and has a lot of natural resources, we've been enjoying a relatively stable economic situation for the past few years. The shitty part is that, due to a corrupt government and lack of investment on the basic social needs a large part of society still lives in poverty.But the most shameful aspect is the variety of political scandals. Since we live in the capital of the country, which is the same city where the majority of politicians reside, being near these fucking bastards surely inspires many of our songs!





4 - Why should people come to your show? and mostly, what should people expect?

Basically the sacrifice of a virgin in a black mass on stage with candles, pentacles, goats, fire and torture machines, finally, at the end of the act, our coletive suicide. Nothing is true but, when curious people come to see us we play our ultra-fast thrashcore and a lot of them really commit suicide.

5 - complete discography and future plans

Our full-lenght albums:
CD/LP - Tchan Nan Nan Nan Nan - 22 songs (1994)
CD - Igreja Quadrangular do Triangulo Redondo - 20 songs (1996)
CD - Farofa Kind (Live) - 30 songs (1998)
CD - Sob O Signo De Satã - 18 songs (1999)
CD - O Massacre de Guitarra Eletrica - 16 songs (2002)
CD - O Mal Que Vem Para Pior - 20 songs (2005)
As I said we also have a lot of splits and compilations. We just receive our last split CD with Presto? (Brazil), released by Peculio Discos (owned by Boka, the RDP's drummer) with 15 brand new songs!
Next year we're planning to record a new album.


6 - how are the punk and the metal scenes in your area? connected? divided? interesting or pretty boring?

Yeah, metal and punk scene are connected and we have a lot of cool bands here like Low Life, Lesto!, Violator, Terror Revolucionario, Innocent Kids, Macakongs 2099, ARD, Detrito Federal, xLinha de Frentex, Besthoven, More Tools, Slaver, Deceivers, Death Slam, Possuido Pelo Cao, Galinha Preta, Utgard Trolls and many others. If you have a chance, listen to them!!



7 - one thing i didn't asked that you would have liked to be asked:

Not sure, I think we got it all covered.
But please do call our hot-line where operators are standing by 24 hours a day to answer any questions or visit our website www.myspace.com/dfc for pretty pictures and groovy tunes. We look forward to touring Europe and smashing skulls at our gigs!!

http://www.myspace.com/dfc
http://www.dfchaos.tk/

THANX A LOT TO DFC FOR THEIR TIME.

REMEMBER TO GO AND CHECK THEM OUT,

ITALIAN THRASHERS!!!

THRASHMANIAC ’ZINE: WHY? (old stuff n° 4 - 30/10/2007)


THRASHMANIAC ’ZINE: WHY?

ANYTHING RELATED TO UNDERGROUND DO IT YOURSELF (but not EXCLUSIVELY d.i.y.) METAL & PUNK
(thrash metal speed metal death metal black metal doom sludge grindcore noisecore fastcore thrashcore power violence scandicore d-beat)
THIS PAGE IS A HOMAGE TO THE SOUND THAT MAKES MY BLOOD SHAKING AND BOILING SINCE I WAS 12
HAVE FUN IN READING IT AND IF YOU WANT TO CONTACT ME FOR ANYTHING JUST DO IT

PLAYLIST:

DISRUPT "smash divisions" 7" live
TOXIC HOLOCAUST "deathmaster"

MUNICIPAL WASTE "hazardous mutation"
BLACK SABBATH "vol 4"
ED "nailed to the board" LP

GAUZE "equalizing distort"

BRUTOPIA "the reek of greed" demo

LARM "nothing is hard in this world..." 7"

N.W.O.B.H.M. tapes VOL 1-9 (downloaded from http://www.eggcityradio.com/)

RKL "think positive" LP

SLAYER "christ illusion" (with bonus traxxx)

NAPALM DEATH "harmony corruption" LP

MINDLESS MUTANT "s/t" 7"

TERRORIZER "darker days ahead" LP

NO KIDS 7"

CAPITALIST CASUALTIES "planned community" 6"

INSECT WARFARE "endless execution thru violent restitution" CD
SHORT, FAST & LOUD teen beat compilation CD

IS ANYONE STILL INTO TAPE TRADING? (old stuff n° 3 - 23/08/2008)




i'm into tape trading. i got tons of tapes and i like making compilations for people who are still into this kind of, let's say...kind of nerdism.
got also tons of records and cd's... most of them are punk hardcore metal related, but i also got some 80's pop /funk/weird sounding stuff. so just write a note and i'll mail you back my list...i am finishing it, but for a 3/4 it's already done!

IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR A SHOW IN MILANO... (old stuff n° 2 - 22/08/2008)




...i have to explain you some things of this town.

There are many venues in Milano but remember THERE IS NO SCENE. This means that all the different places are not connected among them, and often are even in an ideologic struggle. Communists among with commies, narrow minded anarchists the same, str8 edge guys only at str8 edge shows and on and on like that. I know this is an already old story, but to put things clear is better sayin' that than keeping our heads under the sand.

Also, milano's musical taste is mostly focused on metalcore and emo bands. so you know what to expect when playing here. Not much people dancing at shows, with the exception of (rare) shows @ LA VILLA OCCUPATA or FOA BOCCACCIO in Monza, close to milano. I know this sounds awful, but even if we have had a good scene with fuckin' good places and dedicated people thru all the 90's, the scene has been eaten away in the last few years since many problems have raised (namely: evictions, people moving to adult age thus considering punk something for idiots, no new young active people entering the spot, no good record shops/info points with cheap affordable prices and so on).

Also, most of the places have developed this behaviour going to focus only on certain kinds of punk(some places doing only emo shows, others doing only metalcore/str8 edge shows). Last but not least, some places tend to not understand that the main fundament of d.i.y. is about mutual help, so if a band is touring some gas money are always appreciated. I completely understand that helping political prisoners it's something people from the outside has to do; it's not THE ONLY mandatory thing to do. Even because if you want to continue with doing shows, you have to raise some money to fix the gear. Lots of political punx never understood this, thus lot of places started to make shows from often to rarely, or letting playing bands with incredible broken equipment.

The best place you could have played until 3 years ago was LA VILLA OCCUPATA squat; i have even lived there for a while. Now they have soften a lot, also because most of the older time people is not living there anymore. the newest ones are not much into punk/hardcore/d.i.y. themes, thus shows are not that often. People from the house try only to set up anarchist prisoner's benefit shows, all honour to them but d.i.y. is not only about that. So, tons of band played there in 10 years of it's existence (what happens next?, Submission Hold, Code 13, Headache, Ken Park, Brother Inferior, and a shitloads more) but actually i dunno what to say...it's a shame because that place RIPS (or used to rip). you can contact me for this place BUT I CANNOT ASSURE YOU A SHOW. it depends on the mood of the people from the house... pulcethrash@hotmail.it

LEONKAVALLO is a 30something years old place; it's so fucking big there are many areas with different collectives and the "punk" one of these (called DAUNTAUN)being managed by the FREEGO! guys. They set up many different bands but mostly shitty emo ones, thus this is not my favourite one. usually they can pay bands because they have some money left from other activities, but it's not that easy to get a show. http://www.myspace.com/freego


APPRODO CARONTE is another mad place, it's in the center of the town and it's an old small garage used as a shelter for old boats...it fits the small stage, the bar and when it's packed 50 people can stay inside. A fuckin' good guy is organizing stuff there, his name is MARCO and also plays for death metal outfit SUPPURATED. Usually there's no door, thus he has to go around with a cardbox asking for some money for the band. you can rise 70/80 euros like 10. but the place is great...there played SKARP, I OBJECT!, THE ITALIAN STALLION, and lots more.http://www.myspace.com/suppurated

Outside milano there's a small town called MONZA, there's a very fuckin good squat called FABBRICA OCCUPATA BOCCACCIO (foa boccaccio) and they make shitloads of shows, dj sets, art exhibitions and it's run by very dedicated and open minded people. If you get a show there it's almost useless playing in milano too, considering it's 20 minutes from there. http://www.myspace.com/foaboccaccio


Last place coming to my mind is SGA ARESE placed in ARESE, a smalltown in the northern area outside milano. Not bad, mostly str8 edge and metalcore/niumetal shows. Usually they pay bands. door is ALWAYS 5 euros (forget to tell ya that most of the places have this policy where the door is 3 or 4 but hardly 5 euros, which to me is a shame.) and people running the place is nice. the feeling is that your band is playing and there's not the proper metalcore act playin' with you, no one will show up. contact people for STOP TALKING! a good oldschool band from the area. http://www.myspace.com/stoptalkinghc

that's it. if i got something more coming to my mind i'll add it.

19/01/2009
PLEASE NOTE: SINCE SOME MONTHS HAVE PASSED FROM THE WRITING OF THIS POST, YOU CAN UNDERSTAND SOME THINGS HAVE CHANGED. TWO OF THESE PLACES HAVE BEEN EVICTED - namely FOA BOCCACCIO and APPRODO CARONTE - WHILE OTHERS - like LA VILLA OCCUPATA, where new and fucking memorable shows are happening right in these weeks - HAVE CHANGED SOME ASPECTS OF THEIR ACTIVITIES. ANYWAY, IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR SHOWS IN THE AREA, PLEASE CONTACT THE PEOPLE AT THE ADDRESSES POSTED.
ndPULCE



(pic: DISRUPT live. it has nothing to do with this, but it is simply great. that's it.)

REVIEWS (old stuff n° 1 - 17/06/2008)

PAVILIONUL 32 supunere? niciodata! (trad. obedience? never!) CD (self produced)
Tavi is god; and no one can deny this statement.
This band is from Timisoara, Romania, and plays fast hc punk with powerviolence hints here and there. Tavi is on vocals, Keetee is on guitar and Mircea is on drums. At the time we played the TIMISOARA THRASH FEST (that, anyway, took place in Deta due to some problems) they had no bass player, so i can't tell you now their position with that. If you complain because there's no scene in your country, or because there are no places for shows, or because your mommy won't allow you to dress like and idiot for the party, try and go to live in Romania. Death Before Work! played an incredible show there, with bands coming from all the world (brazil, poland, germany, austria, italy and only one band from romania - i'm obviously talking about Pavilionul 32) and Tavi did everything alone, with only the help of his bandmates. And for granted, the show was AWESOME.

Anyway, this band delivers 21 songs including an intro and an outro, with lyrics dealing with everyday problems in an anarchist and antiauthoritarian outlook; the general feel is that the cd is a bit too long, but obviously the more music you can fit on it allows you to not waste space and plastic (i hate bands recording cd's that lasts only 8 minutes like a 7 inch; why don't you make a fucking tape?). Their music is fast, powerful and straight-to-the point; sometimes they remind me of older FxPxOx from Macedonia. if you want to play in Romania contact them, they are great people and very hospitable.

(NOTE: after the romanian trip i wrote a song, this is what i pooped from my pen/mind)

TAVI IS GOD
he called us for the show
the Timisoara thrash fest
well, at the end it was Deta
but that's another story
fried! bread! with! cheese!
thanx again you grandma!
drinkin'!vodka! at 9 am!
my hangover lasted longer...
TAVI IS GOD (x4)
streets are broken
and serbia is not fun
(but with) the cheapest beer
i'm gonna get drunk!
a ton of bands
from all the world
and we've even seen death
walking among us
TAAAAVVIIIIIIII!
IS MY GOD!

(http://www.myspace.com/pavilionul32)


INSECT WARFARE world extermination LP (RSR/625THRASH)
This bands seems to be getting famous and famous each week more. Even here in Italy a lot of people knows them, and it sounds a bit strange to me, because it has always been hard to me to be understood on musical taste (oh, poor guy!). Anyway, i already reviewed their compilation cd some months ago, and this new work is only adding more brutality and perfection to the previous material: very aggressive old school grindcore with hints of punk and crustcore here and there, sometimes they even move to noisecore territories. Political /social lyrics perfectly fits with the music. This is no frills grindcore; it has nothing to do with today's Relapse or Earache releases, hyperproduced and plastic sounding. If you like your dose of old school grindcore, blastbeast all over the place and perfectly filling artwork, Insect Warfare is your plate for dinner. You are served!
(www.myspace.com/insectwarfare)


AARDVARK born CD (finalmuzik - www.finalmuzik.com)
Steve was my partner while recording some metal radio shows in 2007 (or it was 2006? fuck, i can't tell now!) called Abominio, and this is his own project Aardwark.
An earcrushing assault of ambient/drone/noise, assembled with a particular industrial touch and a surrounding black metal feeling i cannot say i don't like, well i actually dig it a lot! While i cannot make comparisons, since i'm not so familiar with this kind of sound, i can easily say i like this stuff. Sometimes this is more ambient sounding, and it seems that you're sleeping in a cell inside a huge old abandoned factory with wind running thru the broken windows, some other times it's more complicated and you feel like if you're abandoned on a broken highway after a 50 cars crush. That's it, take it or leave it. I suggest you to take, obviously! Go on Steve!!!
(www.myspace.com/aardvarkisdead)


CRUCIAL SECTION/HIT ME BACK split 7" (625thrash)
God oh God oh shitfuckin' christ i was so pleased to get this small piece of plastic in the mail!
Crucial Section is one of my favourite japanese bands, and i love their dedication on the hardcore scene after all this time that has passed thru the years. Hiro is my god!!!
HIT ME BACK delivers 3 blasting hc/powerviolence tracks i was amazingly surprised to hear, because last time i got their LP i was a bit disappointed: it was not cohesive, it was lacking some energy and all in all it was a bit too uninpressive, and i hate to say that because their earlier material was AWESOME! Anyway, these 3 tracks will completely floor your apartment, so keep yourself ready!
CRUCIAL SECTION continues their nippon assault with 3 more tracks of fast hc in japanese tradition, continuing on the line of their "catch the future" LP...fast, full of choruses, tempo changes and the likes. Even if it's a bit old now, find this gem becasue it's fuckin' worthwhile. Uh, and don't forget that soon i'll publish a CRUCIAL SECTION interview for all of you thrashin' maniacs!!!
(crucialsection@hotmail.com ------- www.hitmeback.org)


LORDS OF LIGHT energy LP (LIFE IS ABUSE/625THRASH)
Well, i was already pleased with their first 7", as it was a courageous step toward something new, starting the search from a (not-so-typical) powerviolence perspective.
This new lp simply works more and more towards that direction: could you ever imagine mixxing powerviolence with prog and rock influences? It sounds weird, i know, but the final result is AMAZING.
LOL is 3 guys, vocal/drums/baritone guitar (if you wonder what a baritone guitar is, think of a variation on the standard guitar, with a longer scale length that allows it to be tuned to a lower range. This helps in the elimination of a bass player a.k.a. less problems when on tour :) ) which has no problem in mixxing styles and tempo changes, and they do it with a particular sophisticated taste which is almost perfect. The drummer is a MONSTER, he's accurate and powerful like few in the scene today, and i have to admit the baritone guitar adds a consistant special flavor to the end result. It's like a trip in a new dimension, a struggle for the creation of a new empire. I will put Lords of Light together with Iron Lung, Agents of Abhorrence and maybe Lana Dagales on the top of this new world. Who will have the force of waiting and see what's gonna happen in the future, will see a new era of crazy bands...Vinyl is white, lyrics deal with strange social/scene related/musical topics (some titles: "Jethro Zeppelin" "Prog for Camellia" "My bloody/DC") and, as usual, i suugest you to buy this one. Fuckin' good.
(http://www.myspace.com/lordsoflight)


ROBERT DELIRIO california republic CD (self produced)
i've been contacted by Robert some months ago, and i finally have to say sorry because i spent too much time complaining about non-music related things instead of reviewing his cd. This cd is stranger to the sound that i usually deal with on Thrashmaniac 'Zine, anyway i obviously think it deserves some words. Robert used to live in Italy, and at the time he was playing in the seminal hc band Atrox (today still active), in which he was a former member. Now that he has moved to Usa, he's got his own project, a one mand band dealing with hc topics and playing with electronics. We can say this cd is a mixxx between hardcore punk guitars, angry filled lyrics and a drum machine: sometimes the end result works, like on "Made in China" or "Acqua Business"...i am not familiar with this kind of sound, because i don't dig much drummachines and samples in hardcore punk, but at least i suggest him to try to find a real drummer and keeping the bips, blups and strange sounds he has added here and there. Maybe it would sound more powerful and a bit more cohese.
Anyway, maximum support to diy projects like this one, the scene would be a worst place if noone would try with new sounds!
check this shit out at http://www.myspace.com/rdelirio


CRUSHED UP demo 2007 CD-R
I decided to call this one "demo 2007" because it has no title, but i think it's a bit too simplicistic callin' it only a demo because it's a good recording and everything sounds perfect.Finally an hardcore band with something to say, xmaryfux on vocals is harsh but still understandable. Hardcore very punky and superfast, lots of breakdowns and stop'n'go, where my only complaint is that it's too short. It's just 9 songs for 6 minutes and few seconds of music.
Fuck off macho core, i wanna see more ladies in the pit kicking and circle pitting as she does. Too bad, i've missed the opportunity to catch them live a couple of weeks ago in Firenze, they played a Thrash Fest with other bands from the peninsula. Oh by the way, they come from Sardegna (it's an isle here in italy, not Sicily dudes, that's far south and it's homeland for Burst Up! and LxExAxRxNx and Sonny Corleone and...ok anyway since they live far from me it's not so easy to get a show from them - FUCK WORK!) and i think that Mr Pietro from STRESSTODEATH records has already putted his hands on the combo.
That said, watch out for a vynil from these people very soon!
Another small stone in the shoe of an emo dork.
(nb_maryf@hotmail.com)
(www.myspace.com/crushedup)


LA PIOVRA LAST SHOW


An incredible show, 5 bands, A LOT of people, stagediving, moshing, skankin', pogoing...everything/everyone was there. I met so much people never seen before and that i always argue with on many messageboards (mainly i went crazy for meeting Iceman and Fremen), liters of beers and finally even my lovely half Lucy attended a very spectacular and good and groundbreaking show!
THE GUILT SHOW (ah-ah) started the dances with a very good mix of 80's str8 edge hardcore with some 90's chugga chugga stuff, very well done and MOST IMPORTANT finally someone taking back the mic to say something worth a listen. I'll never be thankful enough to Giangiacomo for a song talking about the no-meaning of fashion into hardcore (go back to your dancey-rap roots, stupid clowns!). I hope this shit would go away soon and the fashion would take those posers to another place. Too bad not many people danced at their show, but in the future they can became huge. I missed the 2 central bands (namely BOOTER from france and GIUDA from bologna/firenze...this one being Mila/Agipunk recs' own band) because i was lost outside talkin' with the zillion people from all of italy that came for the show, and finally BANxTHIS! started their set: choruses, singalongs, they sent people on the moon with their perfect mix of hardcore and skaterock tunes. Edo the guitar player almost standstill in it's own place, acting like if nothing was happening in front of him...the place was so packed they were having problems in findin' space for playing! LA PIOVRA closed the set, all the people were there to say hello, their last show after hunderd of shows in europe and usa, we have lost one of the best italian bands for sure. A fuckin' good surprise, they played a song from L'AMICO DI MARTUCCI ("xmestrex") with original singer Beppe on vocals, back for this special night from Spain...people went NUTS, i got crazy, tons of stagediving and...ok that's all. fuck off. just watcxh the video and don't break the balls.
to see more pixxx:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/behindthiswall/


DEADLY SINS compilation CD (MCR company)
Since i live in a shitty town called Milano (i think at this point who read this blog should have understood this) i decided to move with my lovely half in another part of italy, and often i'm gonna have trips in the region of Emilia Romagna (where good towns like Bologna and Ferrara are located). I'd like to move there because today Milano is a completely business town and any kind of leisure is always placed secondary; since i'm still in my 16 and i want to have fun, since i like my job because it leaves me a lot of free time, and since i will never give my freedom for some more money, the decision was obvious. So, often i visit Bologna with the purpose of finding a cheap house to buy, a cheap one but big enough to have some space for a practice room and for setting up some small shows. Mila from Agipunk is also a long time friend and 9 times to 10 we go to sleep at his apartment, which to me is like heaven because the house it's also the headquarter of his "business", and i often spent hours looking for records, cd's, books and tapes. In one of those trips/visits i got a compilation cd called DEADLY SINS, featuring all japanese bands from thrash metal to death metal to speed crust. I have to admit that i would have never bought this record if it wasn't for the bands' logos, since i never heard of any of them before (with the exception of Beyond Description, but i also don't like them much neither). TERROR FECTOR plays speedy thrash metal with some death influences here and there, they are from nagasaki and they remind me a bit of my friends from Milano Irreverence, mostly on the vocals. MAGGOTY CORSPE is pure grind/death metal, long hair, flanned shirts, carcass t-shirts so you got the picture.veeeery old school. ERODED is still death metal but a lil' more in a swedish way (i mean OLD swedish way) think of a mix between Entombed and Pungent Stench and the deal is done. BEYOND DESCRIPTION offer a couple of speedy crustcore songs with thrash guitars, i saw them 2/3 years ago here in italy and they were very good...if you like metallic thrashy crust. VOIDD goes on with very heavy and crunchy death/thrash (it seems now they are playing hardcore punk...uh!, tortured vocals as well and a speedy part in the middle.INCRIMINATION starts off with a double pedal assault,then the song goes for a mosh assault. GABISH close the cd with another gem of speed thrash in the old style way. All in all a brutal listen for all of you that wanna know something more about the metal/hc scene in japan.

MCR COMPANY has offices in usa and uk also! so it's fucking huge!!! i wanna be on that label!!!
this is MCR official address: mcr@dance.ne.jp

if you want to buy some of their stuff with no much trouble, join the AGIPUNK army:
http://www.agipunk.com/


NOMINON recremation LP 2005
Got this one from paolo SOA records. Luckily enough somethimes i can get my hands on gems like this one for not so much money. NOMINON exists since 1993, they come from Sweden and guess what they play...swedish death metal, obvious. Thi is no crap ala In Flames or The haunted new era, this is solid death metal with perefct rhythm section, solid and straight to the point, crunchy guitar riffs and a voice coming straight from the tomb. I love old school death metal, and this is no doubt a perfect step in to the past. From the cover, to the sound to the inlay greetings section, everything smokes. Plus, the vynil version added a powerful coversong from an old Whiplash tune, "spit on your grave", so you already know we are not talking about a sissy band.
I'm fucking looking for their new effort on vynil too ("TERRA NECROSIS", published this year - go and listen to this gem also).
I couldn't ask more from a death metal band.
Top A!!!
www.myspace.com/nominon


DEATH BEFORE WORK! live @ skatepark lambrooklyn summer 2007
ok, here's a new tapelabel born here in milano: SHITCHRIST LOST TAPES.
the first release is DBW! live @ lambrooklyn skatepark here in Milano.
DBW! has a strange connection with people from the skatepark, because even if noone of us is actually an active skater (maybe only Doner is, and Marra reminds to have a deck under his bed a couple of times per year) they have always been positively reactive to our music and our noises.


Well, this recording comes from a show we did this summer together with RFT, NASHWUAH and a couple of other bands i'm sorry i cannot remember now, all of them coming from the Milano area. 16 traxxx for 16 minutes circa of music, an incredible scream on the first track ("we are like U2!!!" - this because we were playing in the middle of the pool, on a very small "isle" inside it, and i felt as we were playing on the top of a building like in the movie Rattle and Hum...ok, that's just bullshit).
We have played one of our fastest shows, a couple of errors here an there and lots of energy anywhere. this new shitchrist tapes will provide you some obscure and unreleased material form long gone thrash/doom/powerviolence bands, so check this shit out and don't fool yourself around too much.
www.myspace.com/shitchrist


COMRADES/DEATH BEFORE WORK! split 7"
And yes, another dream has come true.
Comrades have been a part of my adolescent years, and i bought everything they ever done. If you don't know them (STILL???) they were born in late 80's/early 90's as the first italian grindcore str8 edge communist band. They released tons of compilation traxxx, seven inches, split seven inches and a collection with all the older material. Their sound was a mixxx between early grindcore ala napalm death/agathocles mixxed with punk and hc elements, and over the years different lineups helped them in keeping their music varied and exciting. Actually, they are on hold, since their latest drummer Cabeza moved to Berlin (creating the huge deathcore combo ALTARE www.myspace.com/altare), but their latest release are still powerfucking violence hardcore with a psychotic touch.
On this side they develop two traxxx, harsh sounding and with screamed raging vocals (high pitched, since they are not anymore a "double fronted" band). Very fuckin' good the break in the middle, reminding me of some 80's thrash bands. On the flipside, there's again the band i sing in, DEATH BEFORE WORK!. finally, things start to move in a better direction than on the previous cd. Sure, i still can't sing but finally tracks are more in a thrash/spedd metal way, alwasy with a touch of hardcore punk on them. It's written THRASH all over the place. Sing-a-long, choruses, a song about (against?) Tadzio, a song dealing with my back problems

(if you see us on a live set and you think i got a wooden piece in my ass it could be funny but maybe not so much realistic, try to jump and sing for 20 minutes with a bastard hammering on your spine and then let's talk about old school death metal records again)

a song about going to rehersal by bike, a song about listening to some bad heavy metal insted of going to church, a song about eating falafel instead of listening to some crap underproduced boring goregrind, and a song about suicide (is the only good solution).
At leeast give me some credit because i got balls to admit it. We are too much on this world and we need some people go die. We'll see who'll be the first...
produced by the new hope for the italian scene, Mr Pietro from
STRESSTODEATH RECORDS (check his shit out, he's the new god in italy for anything about fast hc/thrash/grindcore/powerviolence/sludge/doom etcetera).

www.myspace.com/stresstodeath
www.myspace.com/deathbeforework
www.myspace.com/comradeshc


DEATH BEFORE WORK! "messageboard punx on a rope" CD
ok, you never thought about reviewing your own band? i'm gonna do it now, and i don't care if you like it or not.
Finally, after 1 year in the making, MY band did it!
16 traxx of manic and blistering hardcore with a crossover thrash feel. After almost one year that this shit is out, i can easily say that:
-it is with no doubt powerful and well recorded, but still this is no way the feel i'd like to give it;
-it's a bit too much clean, even if this kind of sound luckily is not killing the power;
- my vocals aren't the real ones i usually got, and they are a bit too much treated...

Anyway, i think this record ROCKS.

lyrics are very cool and funny (uhuh- i wrote them!) and deal with usual hc topics, politics and social issues, but as already written (CAN'T YOU READ???) it's done in a funny way; since they are very cryptic, there are also explanations... :)


that's it.

produced by SOA records from rome, you can find this gem here:
www.myspace.com/deathbeforework


NO KIDS "-ep" 7"
FINNLAAAAAAAAAAAAAANND!
is not only the homeland for old school Kaaos-like raw hardcore punk, it's also the house for this 80's punk lovers named NO KIDS!!!
This is the perfect blend of 80's hc mixed with today thrash sound, and their live set is intense and crazy!!! (i saw them playing Puntala Rock Fest 2007).
they got a song called "20 minutes":

"i go to a show, see a band play
too fucking long and waste my day
40 minutes of total boredom
only iron maiden is allowed to play
for more than hour
20 MINUTES IS ENOUGH
TOO FUCKING ENOUGH
gimme your best shit in less than 20 minutes"

The review is finished

(http://www.myspace.com/nokidsattack and/or http://www.nokidsattack.com/)


TWO BEATS OFF demo cd-r
DBW! played one show with this band in Oulu, Finland, in an incredibly (why?) almost-empty bar with no free drinks and with beer costing too much for a punk/thrash band on tour. At least the 2 bartender women were really nice and pretty (i love women middle age looking with aggressive heavy metal t-shirts) and they were one blonde and one dark haired. I love clichés.... After the show, at 2.30 almost, a lot of couples arrived for dancing to some trashy 80's music and getting drunk...and it was only thursday night. In Italy, something like that it's close to impossible (at least in a boring town as Milano is and will always be) but this town got lots more problem than this one, so i don't complain that much about. So, after we arrived at the show we have been introduced to Sami, guit/vox for this band. One of the first things i remember to have heard coming from his mouth was "i love La Quiete" and "i met Michele from la quiete" and i immediately thought: oh jesus fucking christ...So now i can finally talk about his band's demo.
The first 3 tracks are fucking good, fast hc/powerviolence with a screamed vocals and intricate guitar parts, a bit crusty (not crust!) and in some way it all reminds me of a strange (in a good way!) mix of Betercore!, His Hero Is Gone and another "i-wear-black-and-lots-of-patches-but-i-got-a-brain-too" band i cannot remember the name now. On the fourth track they start adding some "emo violence" guitar licks here and there and my stomach start to rebel; but it's no problem, as i said before i already got in mind the words coming from Sami's mouth about a strange italian band he loves. This cd contains six tracks and all in all i can say they are worth a listen. But most of all you have to see them live, they are fuckin energic and Sami is also an hyperactive guy (quite strange for a finnish dude!). It seems like this demo has the first 3 tracks coming from early practices and the remaining 3 are new material. Or maybe it's just my imagination.
So, it's good to hear something different, sometimes, but i think they should push the pedal in the powerviolence direction ("nooooooo! don't tell us??!!? nobody could ever imagine something like that coming from your mouth!"). Go on Two Beats Off, thrash the place and fuck god.
(myspace.com/tbofinland)


JIGSORE TERROR world end carnage LP
Do you like death metal? do you like grindcore?
If you answered "yes" to both questions you have to leave anything you're doing in THIS moment and go outside buying this record.
Coming from many other bands like General Surgery, Birdflesh and Sayyadina, this fucked up trio from Sweden play exactly what i love more from the early days of the crossover death/grind:crunchy guitars, blastbeats all over the place, tight musical precision and a lot of breakdowns. The fast tempo parts between a blastbeat and another are luckily NOT in a crustcore vein, so you never get that feel of having a bunch of drunken punks puking on your back while listening to this gem. THEY ARE INVENTING NOTHING NEW, but this record rocks anyway. This record sounds NOT like: goregrind, electrogrind, swedish death metal, melodic death grind(?), razorgrind (hullo Leng Tch'e!), new metal, grindcrust, technical death metal.
If you need reference points take 1 part first Terrorizer album, 1 part early Death records, 1 part Mentally Murdered Napalm Death's period and all the rest of good fuckin rockin death bands from 1988/1991. very fuckin good. thank you boris for this "present".
(www.power-it-up.de)


MASS OBLITERATION abrahamitic curse demo cd-r
Well, finally someone sent me some records for a review!!!
(self promotion and myspace sometimes works, don't you think so?)
This fuckin' trio from Rome offer us this 7 tracks demo, which includes 3 videos as a bonus, containing live songs and the "making of" of the demo itself.
First off, it has to be noted that this is sort of a conceptual record, since its lyrically centered on the plague of monotheistic religions, such Judaism, Christianity and Islam. And if you're asking yourself "Oh my god will be them another nazi-related anti judaic/christianity band" i can easily say : NO! YOU'RE WRONG!
The band analyzes in a death/gore way (ahahah!) (no seriously, read a title like "Balls Torture for Preachers"and tell me what you can imagine from that...) the sociopolitical sides of this virus that rules the world; we are slowly dying of a cancer called Religion, but not much people seems to care. So, red carpet to people like MxOx which have the balls to tell the truth about this shit!!!
Musically they are not bad, they quote as influences bands like Incantation, Death, Cancer, Morbid Angel and the likes, and here and there you can feel some melodic reference to some of those bands' riffing (in particular i remind a Death riff in the song "Demon of Goddess", too bad actually i can't remember it's name). The only problem is that since this is their first effort (they started playing one year ago) they still have to amalgamate their sound, making it more tight and powerful. In addition, some songs sound a bit too long for my tastes, and they should cut them for a more "straight to the point" feel and results. Anyway, i think that after some more time spent in the studio (the famous "hard working" glory) they will became a real warmachine.So go on dudes, see ya for the next effort!!!(i hope even after this review they will still send me more of their stuff).
DEATH METAL FROM THE GRAVE!
(massobliteration@libero.it / www.myspace.com/massobliterationdeathmetal)

(Uh, i forgot to tell ya, but here and there they also remind me of CEREBRAL FIX's "Tower of Spite"...don't ask me why! maybe it's because of the half speed they often use? uhm....)