Written by: The Administrator
Ah, nu-metal. Occasionally umlauted, frequently maligned. My own affair with nu-metal was lustful but exceedingly brief. The tail end of the genre's heyday represented the first time I got to introduce music to my dad rather than the other way around. While my fascination with the seemingly unmatchable aggression of Slipknot or outspoken edge and jubilant oddity of System of a Down didn't exactly translate, we did spend several months exploring and enjoying Korn's discography together. That phase passed pretty quickly in favor of my era of angsty grunge revivalism, and nu-metal ceased to have any impact in my life or listening patterns beyond the occasional nostalgia trip. For myself, and, I can only imagine, many others, it was high time for something new that could capture the same swagger and violence and unbridled magic. And thus, the prolific Garry Brents' announcement of a forthcoming nu-metal project felt like a harbinger: a nu wave of nu-metal was inevitable. Quickly, some background. If you're unfamiliar, please note that Garry has made quite the name for himself over the past few years by benefit of a collection of monikers including Gonemage, Sallow Moth, Homeskin, and Cara Neir. Besides a common creative driving force, these projects share a certain unwillingness to abide by genre convention. Instead, his work seemed to attack expectations, using familiar sounds and motifs but subjecting them to a distinct subversion. Also of note is frequency, as Garry releases new music at a pace that is frankly intimidating. Multiple projects, multiple releases, one remarkably consistent ethos. This is all to say that I fully trust Garry to deliver good shit. This debut album from Memorrhage blew away all my expectations. Sorry to spoil, but this is one of my favorite albums of the year, full stop. Let's jumpdafuck into it, shall we?
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In a continuing attempt to cover more music that would all-too-oft slip through the very large cracks, we slumbering scribes are making an effort to publish the little one-off reviews that were previously (and arbitrarily) deemed too short for publication. Here's a mini-review of a short albeit very violent EP.
Written by: The Administrator
Greetings, dear reader. Do you have a mere 7 minutes of free space in your inevitably well-stocked music queue? If so, I highly recommend taking Anti Ritual's latest for a spin. Don't bother buckling up–regardless of safety precautions, you'll leave this brief encounter as bruised and battered as a crash test dummy after a double shift at the getting fucked up factory. Make no mistake: engaging with Green Terrorism’s fiery display of self-described “caustic black/grind hardcore” is an inevitably pulverizing and visceral affair. The general trend is breakneck percussion with breathless riffs to match, a thrashing fray accompanied by some truly pissed off rabid snarls. If you like harsh music that drives home its point in gloriously bloody fashion while hastily leaves the scene of the crime, ANTI RITUAL have ye covered. Blistering violence is the name of the game, and indeed, it is pretty damn telling when a project's arguably most languorous and borderline sludgy track (the stellar "The Ghost of Mary Shelley") still manages to clock in at a brisk one minute and forty six seconds. Green Terrorism is urgent and relentless and pugilistic to a fine-tuned degree. You can forget kid gloves--as they explicitly target those responsible for the capitalistic eradication of the global climate, ANTI RITUAL gleefully wield knuckledusters wrapped in bloodied barbed wire. And despite the outward grit and bluster, this project most certainly rewards repeat listens. The intent is crystal clear, and the execution is on point. If you're in the mood for violence, Green Terrorism comes highly recommended. ANTI RITUAL - Green Terrorism was released May 5th, 2023 via Indisciplinarian. Find it here!
ANTI RITUAL can be found:
Bandcamp 
Written by: The Administrator
Without fail, I get excited when a project bearing the Demo I moniker hits the ol' inbox. There is something so intrinsically intoxicating about the prospect of band's first foray, something utterly salivatory about the promise of raw potential. Add a "blackened crust" descriptor and you know I'm slamming in the earbuds with great haste. While Compress' first outing starts on a somber tone, opener "A Setting Sun" moves towards some significantly more furious environs. There's a jarring sense of movement that Compress bring to the table across these three tracks--and I mean this, of course, in the most complimentary sense of the term. 
Written by: The Administrator
Do you enjoy jarring music? If so, yer in luck: Hymn, today's band/self-reported "aging idiots" in question, are the absolute living embodiment. This release is a clanging and boisterous romp, a chaotic and jolting free fall through a gallery of outwardly weird punk, acidic skramz, and a homegrown variety of post-hardcore that perches on the experimental edge. Over a seven track stretch, Hymn demonstrate an eclectic menace and intensity, presented in a lo-fi rough-n-ready form that feels designed for the frantic mess of a cramped live environment. I’m reminded fondly of drunken and impromptu 3AM noise rock shows that plagued my college years. Very few things have managed to capture that particular brand of sonic, social, and emotion disorientation. 
Written by: Blackie Skulless
Just before the world was taken by storm with a pandemic, Skumstrike blew my mind with their comprehensive brand of black/speed/punk. On 2020’s Execution Void EP of only fifteen minutes, they managed to sell me instantaneously. With a newer love for extreme music, I found the Canadian duo to touch close to the powerviolence side of things due to the unforgiving delivery. Now, they’ve solidified this into the form of full length with Deadly Intrusions. The debut album is every bit as intense as what we were given before, with just a slight hint of clarity amongst the extremely coarse finish. The noisy gradient over the guitars and borderline fuzzed vocal delivery is still ever so present, coating the metal oriented passages with the blackest tint. But the leads themselves stand out higher than they ever have before, be it the solos or the riffs. This is helpful, especially because some of the songs move right into the next, further bridging the already overwhelming songs. 
Written by: The Administrator
Hardcore. I don't listen to a whole lot of it these days, but when I do, it inevitably comes from Upstate Records. They routinely drop absolute bangers, and when I'm in the mood to go apeshit whilst having my skull sledgehammered, Upstate's excellent roster always does the deed. Gloves Off is a prime example of a band that swiftly quenches such moods swiftly and with great violence. Their forthcoming Life...And Everything After is a prime example of how intensely immersive a solid metallic hardcore release can be. Their sound is kinetic as hell, with attention divided fairly equally between pummeling instrumentation and emotive catharsis. They just dropped the second single, and good lord, it's a killer track. |
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