False Face - Where It Ends Ep

So last night I was able to catch current U.K. hardcore heavyweights Violent Reaction and The Flex on their trek through the U.S.A.  After watching VR dispense some sick straight edge jams, I was tempted to revisit some old school (relatively, I guess) U.K. sXe HC.  False Face was a short lived band from the Northeast of England whose sole release appears to be this 7" Ep.  Recorded by the legendary Dickie Hammond (H.D.Q., Leatherface, etc.), this Ep delivers fast, melodic HC in the vein of Uniform Choice and classic Revelation bands like Gorilla Biscuits or early Ignite... I'm not certain but I think one member of False Face went on to found, along with former members of Steadfast, the almighty Voorhees.  Regardless, a great 7" for those who dig fast sXe style hardcore, even if they're drinking a cider while listening to it....

False Face - Where It Ends Ep

Terrorain - Demo Ep

Taking their name from a Septic Death track, the U.K.'s Terrorain were a short-lived hardcore band that circulated in the same scene as Heresy, Concrete Sox and the like at the end of the 1980s.  Along with these stalwarts of the late 80s U.K. HC community, they took influences from U.S. hardcore, continental speedcore and added a touch of the emerging grindcore sound.  As mentioned in the bio included with this record, Siege, Lärm and Inferno were additional musical inspiration, beyond Septic Death and their U.K. compatriots.  This 7" is their 1988 demo cassette released on vinyl in 2000 by the great, but sadly defunct, Burrito records.  Only playing a handful of shows and without any proper releases, this demo stands as Terrorain's only output.  That said, its a platter of awesome thrashy HC that fits right in with the classic bands of that era... its too bad that the group couldn't hold it together longer to make more of an impact in such a great time and place for bands with this distinct sound. 

Terrorain - 1988 Demo Ep   

Plasmid - s/t Ep

Staying with the Heresy theme for a moment longer, here is the band that Reevsy and Steve started out with, Plasmid.  A short-lived group that eventually morphed into Heresy when Kalv joined on, Plasmid recorded only a demo tape which finally saw a wide release in 2005 on Shortfuse records, similar to the Uniform Approach record I posted last week.  Plasmid played blazing hardcore with a distinct Scandinavian feel, a bit at odds with U.K. punk at the time.  Being a demo tape, the sound is beyond raw, but the inspiration and intent manage to bleed through - definite Mob 47 and Protes Bengt influences intermingle with U.K. anarcho inspired lyrics.  An interesting listen considering the direction Heresy would take.

Plasmid - s/t Ep 

Uniform Approach - A Pledge to the Edge Ep

Here's a gem that a friend of mine asked me to send him files of recently, so I decided to publish the link for general consumption on the blog... Uniform Approach was a one-off side project of U.K. hardcore legends Heresy and Ripcord and was a less than serious homage to U.S. straight-edge HC that so influenced both bands.  These songs were recorded as a demo in 1989 but didn't see a proper release until 2004.  The music isn't too far removed from their full-time bands, particularly Ripcord, but the lyrics are jocular riffs on stereotypical sXe themes... songs about X'ing up, protecting your bros and other posi topics.  I'm also a sucker for this style and along with Heresy and Ripcord being top faves, this EP is right up my alley and a must for those into hyper speed hardcore punk.

Uniform Approach - A Pledge to the Edge Ep