Rentamerica/Polestar Split Ep

More North Carolina Hardcore here... a split 7" from two short-lived bands, Renamerica and Polestar.  Rentamerica hailed from a small town in NC and played fast and thrashy hardcore with intense vocals.  As mentioned in the last post, some of these guys went on to play in Uwharria and some actually went on to form FaceDownInShit.  On the flip side is a band I know pretty much nothing about... Polestar was also from North Carolina - I think but I'm not certain as there is no info included in this record.  Polestar plays a more 90's emo or screamo take on hardcore but is nearly as intense.  These appear to be the only two tracks Polestar released while Rentamerica had another split 7" that I never got around to tracking down.  Another cool, little-known 90s hardcore release that deserves a listen...

Rentameria/Polestar split 7" Ep

Uwharria

OK, it's been a little bit since I posted and honestly, life here has been fairly crazy as of late with some new developments requiring more time and attention than I am accustomed to, cutting in to my time that I can devote to the blog.  I'll try to keep coming up with posts when I am able but I can't promise there will be any regularity to them...  Anyways, with that out of the way, this post compiles most of the discography of North Carolina's eco-thrashers Uwharria.  From my home state and featuring members of Blownapart Bastards (as well as Rentamerica, Divide and Conquer, and even Oi Polloi) Uwharria played a chaotic brand of metallic hardcore that brings to mind late 80's crossover thrash - like later D.R.I. or Animosity-era C.O.C.  Rick from Blownapart's vocals remind me a bit of Blaine from the Accused on these tracks which only adds to the crossover feel...  All the lyrics concern wildlife and environmental issues (hence the "eco-thrash" tag) but with somewhat of a tongue-in-cheek attitude.  Song titles range from bird species like "Ivory-billed Woodpecker" and "Appalachian Skullcap," to the less than majestic like "Dung Beetles" and "Tick Attack."  Short-lived, Uwharria released a full length CD and a split CD with fellow N.C. punks Crimson Spectre.  I remember there also being a live CD that the band self-released but I never got my hands on that.  The link below has the full length as well as their half of the split CD, 24 tracks total.

Uwharria - "Fury in the Foothills" and Split with Crimson Spectre     

Various - Hope For Us Ep

Here is the Wisconsin HC compilation I referenced last time out... Hope For Us came out on the same label that did the Animal Farm and One Day Away 7"ers and features tracks by both of those bands.  Additionally, two other short-lived bands appear on this disk - Buried and Damitol.  Damitol did a couple of Eps which I thought I had in my collection but apparently I am mistaken or they were lost somewhere along the way.  Buried seems to not have released any other material beyond the track on this comp.  Those familiar with the Eps I already posted know what to expect from Animal Farm and ODA.  Buried's track is in a similar vein with perhaps a bit more straight edge feel, like Verbal Assault perhaps.  Damitol is a bit more melodic with a bit of a Bay Area influence which reminds me heavily of Fuel and Crimpshrine.  Overall a cool document of a scene that seems to have sprung out of nowhere and for a little while in the mid-1990s plugged into the circuit of the DIY HC network that seemed to be growing exponentially at the time.

V/A - Hope For Us Ep  

One Day Away - s/t Ep

More 1990's obscurity... It probably would have made more sense to post this record a few months back when I did the spate of mid-western U.S. hardcore that included Animal Farm and Hinge but I moved on to other groups fairly quickly.  One Day Away hailed from Wisconsin and this 7" was their sole release and was on the same label that put the Animal Farm Ep.  ODA had a similar sound to those previously mentioned bands - mid-tempo but metallic and featuring a singer that sounded like Sam Mcpheeters gargling glass.  Political lyrics and a cover/packaging that made this 7" look like an Ebullition release rounded out the aesthetic.  Aside from this Ep, One Day Away had one track on a Wisconsin HC compilation that I'll be posting soon - a record that also featured Animal Farm. 

One Day Away - s/t Ep

Slag & Thaw

Alright, sorry for the slight delay in posts... switching musical gears, this time out I've got some heavy 1990's U.S. hardcore for you from two very short-lived bands.  Slag hailed from Arizona and played the kind of groovy, metallic hardcore that was becoming popular in the early to mid 90's - building on the sound of bands like Amenity or later Verbal Assault and moving into the territory marked out by groups like Citizens Arrest, Rorschach or Downcast.  One of these guys went on to play in Groundwork, a band that Slag's sound definitely fits with.  Thaw was around even more briefly and played a bit more straight-forward style with strained vocals that recalls bands like Half Man or perhaps even Jihad.  Slag only released one 7" Ep and a split Ep with Thaw - Thaw's side of that split seems to be their only recording... both records are included in this post and it hopefully serves to keep more memories of little known U.S. DIY hardcore alive.

Slag/Thaw split Ep and Slag - s/t Ep

Cause & Effect - s/t Ep (Repost)

After last week's Légitime Défonce post I remembered that I never re-uploaded one of my favorite French melodic hardcore Eps - Cause & Effect's self-titled 7" on Panx records.  This group popped up in the mid-1990s and released only this one 7" and a few compilation tracks.  This Ep does remind me a bit of the first Légitime Défonce LP as well as some British and American groups of the same time-period; H.D.Q., Cowboy Killers, Pegboy, etc.  Newer bands like La Fraction or Inner Conflict, minus the female vocals, are good reference points also.

Cause & Effect - s/t Ep

Légitime Défonce

Alright, while I'm posting a spate of more melodic bands, here is a great French group from the 1990s, Légitime Défonce.  These guys played fast and catchy as hell punk with a strong U.S. hardcore influence.  To my ears, these guys remind me a bit of the U.K. wave of bands in the late 1980s that took their cue from 7 Seconds, SNFU and the like - groups like H.D.Q., Exit Condition, Snuff, early Leatherface, etc.  Légitime Défonce are not quite as classic as those bands but I think they are within the same realm.  This post collects their first two LPs, both on the great French label Panx.  The first LP, self-titled, was an instant favorite when it came out - fast and melodic with enough aggression to satisfy my more HC tastes.  The second LP, Ya Basta!, is a bit more 90s pop-punk sounding and with muddier production so it doesn't quite stand up to the first... still, its not a bad record per se, just not as good as the first.  Légitime Défonce had a few EPs and another LP that came out in the late 90s that I've not gotten around to tracking down yet, though I should have obtained those early 7"ers a long time ago... too many records, not enough time or money tho!

Légitime Défonce - self-titled LP and "Ya Basta!" LP