Sunday, January 29, 2012

With Intent - s/t Ep

OK, it's time to return to the more HC side of things... The post this week is a short lived band from San Diego who, to my knowledge, only released this one seven inch.  With Intent's self-titled Ep came out on Vinyl Communications in 1992 and features some fast HC with intensly screamed vocals.  Several bands come to mind when I think of their sound - Born Against, Heroin, Universal Order of Armageddon as well as some of the French screamy HC bands like Fingerprint or Ivich.  These four tracks definitely rage in that pre-"screamo" way and are worth a listen if you are into any or all of the above mentioned groups.

With Intent - s/t Ep

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Cavity - Human Abjection Lp

One more slow, heavy record before I get back to the fast stuff... Cavity hailed from Miami, Florida and existed from 1992 until the early 2000s.  This is their first Lp, released on City of Crime records.  Definitely influenced by Eyehategod, Damad and Grief, these dudes were doing the mid-tempo, crushing riff thing before it got huge.  "Human Abjection" was their first proper record and featured Steve Brooks of Floor and, later, Torche on 2nd guitar.  Floor is a good comparison, but with more vicious vocals.  This record was eventually re-released by Bacteria Sour records on the "Drowning" CD but subsequently went out of print all together.  Those familiar with Cavity's later records will want to see where it all began with this group... others unfamiliar with their records will still dig hearing their heavy take on HC, before they moved in an even more metal direction.

Cavity - Human Abjection Lp

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Virtual Reality - Dreamstate Lp

OK, here's a weird one, somewhat related to the last post.  Virtual Reality was a one-off band featuring members of Doom playing a vastly different brand of music.  Really only "punk" in the widest sense - based on who was in the band and the lyrical content, VR sounded like an amalgamation of Black Sabbath and the KLF. Definitely "rock" meets techno or hip hop.... It's strange and hard to describe and has to be heard.  A product of the times, for sure.  This one came out on Flat Earth and Belgium's Genet records in 1995 and is their only release.  Several of these tracks found their way onto compilations - "Mind Pollution 2" for instance, but these 10 tracks make up their entire discography as far as I know.  Varying from groovy beats and heavy riffs to techno based tracks and white-boy rap, these guys certainly pushed the envelope of the 90s punk and HC scene.  A distinct record and one that any Doom fan should hear for the novelty alone.

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Stalingrad - Patty We Kind Of Missed You On Your Birthday Lp

Well, a new year and finally some time for a new post.  This time out we've got some seriously twisted HC from the U.K.  Stalingrad played very sludgy, metallic hardcore.  Not really "metalcore" so to speak, they had a sound of their own - plodding but groovy and heavy as hell.  This band featured members of Disaffect, Hard to Swallow and other UK HC luminaries of the time and guest vocals on this record include members of Doom and Voorhees.  This is Stalingrad's one and only Lp; they had a few 7"ers, splits and a final 10" before calling it quits in the early 2000s.  Amongst the heaviness, insane vocals and general vitriol, this record features a killer take on Lynard Skynard's "Simple Man" which may give you an idea of where this one is coming from.  Definitely worth a listen...

Stalingrad - Patty We Kind Of Missed You On Your Birthday Lp