Firing Squad - s/t Ep

This week I've got another 7" from a short lived band that I have little information on.  Firing Squad's one and only release came out on Mass Media Records in California.  Aside from the lyrics and label address, there is no other band info on this record so I don't know where or even when these folks are from.  I believe, from my record collecting timeline, that this came out in the early 90s.  Anyways, these two songs have a very distinct reggae meets anarcho punk-punk sound.  This one really would fit in with the UK dub punk sound of the time - bands like Culture Shock, Rhythm-ites, AOS3 or RDF.  A more recent comparison would be The Autonomads.  The lyrics are definitely anarcho inspired and the punk parts remind me Conflict.  Both songs are great and have always left me wanting to hear more.

Firing Squad - s/t Ep

Word Made Flesh - s/t Ep

Here is an Ep which was requested recently, but that I'd already been planning on posting soon.  Word Made Flesh hailed from NYC and featured Jae, the powerful singer of A.P.P.L.E.  This 7" was their one and only release, out on Squat or Rot recs, and contained 5 tracks of rock influenced punk.  Similar to A.P.P.L.E., the tracks are mid-paced with much emphasis on Jae's amazing vocals.  I can also discern a bit of the NYC crust sound in the mix.  A definite anarcho-punk feel makes me think a bit of current bands like Arctic Flowers or Icon Gallery.  My favorite track, by far, is Rain Dance... a great, catchy upbeat track that recalls Dirt or Lost Cheeres.  This song alone makes the Ep for me.   

Word Made Flesh - s/t Ep

Urko

I have to say that the U.K. produced most of my favorite hardcore from the 1990s - Voorhees, Health Hazard, Suffer, Ebola, Kitchener, Stalingrad, Hard to Swallow... the list goes on and will have to include Urko.  Playing blazing, vitriol-filled HC, these guys fit right in with the Flat Earth scene of the time.  Their split 7" with Suffer still packs a tremendous wallop after all these years.  Included here are their two Eps; "Thrash It Up" and "Fast3ChordHardcore...", along with two split Eps (with Suffer and Active Minds) and their final release - a split Lp with Minute Manifesto.  I believe the split 7" with Chineapple Punx is all I am lacking from their discography.  Unfortunately the group dissipated in 2001 after the untimely death of their bass player in a car crash. 

Urko - 2 Eps, 2 Split Eps and Split Lp w/ Minute Manifesto

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

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

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.

Virtual Reality - Dreamstate Lp

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