MAQUNIA MUERTA

Raw, lo-fi, fukkd hardcore from Mexico. This is what you want, isn't it....punk?

MAQUINA MUERTE

BALLAST

A total "time and place" band for me, I feel like I crossed paths with BALLAST a few times a year in the early '00s. We knew Dave from the Bay Area, but this Montreal project was a huge leap over the music he was making here and this demo only scratches the surface of what they would do with their two (excellent) full length platters. Perhaps it's not hard to lump them in with the dark melodic and political hardcore prevalent at the time, but BALLAST always had a feisty energy that set them apart. Drinking in John's living room until dawn, the show at Arts in Action in '04, trading stories and laughs...it's good stuff. Dave currently plays in DEKODER and just self released a book about an Asian trip that included a very heavy stint in North Korea, the others are...? Losing touch is part of the whole thing.

BALLAST

CURIOUS MID-CRUDS

Churning through a quarter hour of metallic post thrash, Japan's CURIOUS MID-CRUDS are a harsh toke for people looking for brainless hardcore. Solos out of a Satriani songbook, vocals ripped from the throat of Devil Chicken (AGONY COLUMN punk, get amongst it), and songs that draw from virtually every hardcore/metal subgenre. It's like EXODUS slammed headfirst into technical metal without fear of funk, and then they just get weird. The 8+ minute "Actuality Of Fear" is like a tutorial for people who've never heard metal or punk or thrash... maybe the title of their demo describes that band better than I can.

HYBRID CROSSOVER

BOMB BUILDER

One of the more underrated bands from the crop of Ohio '00 maniacs that brought us 9 SHOCKS, GORDON SOLIE, INMATES, MIDNIGHT and heaps of others. This five song banger takes Thrash2K energy and shoves it into the face of rampaging Japanese hardcore, and it's every bit as blistering as it should be considering the personnel involved. Shawn gave me this tape (I think on the Start Something tour in '01, but I might be wrong) and it fukkn leveled me...the EP is good (and too often looked over), but this thing makes my head spin.

DEEMO '01

SEX SCHEME

Sometimes you want your music to be as fukkd up as everything else in the world. When I have those moments, I listen to SEX SCHEME...or at least I do now. 

THRUSTER
Stale Heat
Stale Heat

DEAD WRONG

It's almost hard to believe that this isn't a '90s Midwestern basement hardcore act (my first reference was DAMITOL and my lady friend agreed without hesitation, but I fear that will be lost on most of you...and that is a shame). There was a time when emotional punk was powerful as shit, and elements of what would become trite nü-metal were not only tolerated but welcomed. Of course that time was a long time ago, but it existed. And DEAD WRONG weren't from Indianapolis or Ohio or South Dakota, they were from England. But they were most definitely from the '90s, and while the whole tape is good,  "Broken Hope" is an absolute must listen for anyone who considers themselves a product of that decade's DIY hardcore scene.

DEAD WRONG

IVES

The 1:15 mark of "Lost In The Pleasures Of Moonlight" is a gloriously brilliant example of how punks can sometimes make better metal than hessians, a terrifying assault that only last a few seconds but knocks you on your heels...but doesn't prepare you for the xylophone solo that follows. And the xylophone solo totally makes sense, which is even weirder. IVES reminds me of those (almost punk sounding) early Norwegian black metal bands I heard in Aesop's room in 1995, which I think is their point. Not that IVES know who I am or that I lived in Aesop's room, but that they would like to sound like those seminal bands...except for the first few seconds of the title track where they would like to sound like MITB (super weird, but compared to a xylophone solo, not really that shocking).

ABANDON

RASH

Sometimes I like hardcore to be ugly. OK, I guess I almost always like hardcore to be ugly unless I'm listening to OUTLAST or LIFES HALT. Midwestern ragers RASH fit the bill perfectly, I feel like this is what BLACK FLAG would sound like if they hadn't gotten pretentious and shitty (and they did, punk...admit it). Rough, nasty, frighteningly on point knuckle dragging punk rock. Yeah, it's good, and the two slow jams might even be better than the rippers. Stop whining, it's less than 15 minutes. Treat yourself to some serious fist through the wall jams.

RASH

Oh my, look at the time....oops. But I still got it in before midnight. 

100 ALBUMS

This thing is weird, but it sucked me in completely. Über sparse and distant folksy tunes with an cloud of subtle psychedelic noise floating over the top and seeping into their pores - while "98.Cleo" is the soundtrack to a front porch scene in a horror film, "97.Loops" is pure and glorious minimalism that bleeds into the subdued and hyper-controlled mania that is "96.RED RAYS AIM". For the approximately three (or less) Escape visitors who will get the reference, these sounds remind me vaguely of BENEATH THE LAKE...which is high praise. 20 minutes probably better suited for your evening than your morning.

100 ALBUMS

And yeah, I know those are klansmen on the cover. And that hole in the one dude's chest? That's where 100 ALBUMS threaded a noose. I'm going to assume that was meant as art. Art that is really fukkn hard to file with the rest of my tapes.

ASHLEY ALLEN: THE SHAKIN' PAGANS

This Shakin' Pagans demo on the A side is a pure rockin' burner, just vocals and guitar but shit is super edgy and even on slower numbers like "Drive Me To The Bottle" you get the impression that this cat has something cooking far beyond some proto-hipster retro country shits. This might start out as one man rockabilly meets Buddy Holly, but tracks like "Wasted Life" are undeniably punk as shit...and even more so in the context of 1986 Kentucky. Ashley gets a "full band" (or at least a full compliment of instruments recorded on a 4-track) on the flipside, and the shit gets darker...it also gets better (the "Hands Of Time" number is indescribably brilliant). I do not expect many of you to dive into this one, but those who do will be justly rewarded.

DEMON-STRATION

YOUTH QUAKE

Screaming late '80s hardcore from Pennsylvania. That's about all I know, but I know you need to listen to this. Seriously. Like now. What are you waiting for? Oh...you don't like punk stuff? That's cool, there's some other music that's not punk that I'm sure you can find somewhere. Check amazon or itunes or myspace. The internet is full of things that aren't punk, so you don't need to waste your time here.

STRESS TEST

Real Talk from Terminal Escape: This is shockingly killer and not even remotely derivative US hardcore of the highest caliber. Under the radar and top notch. Get amongst it immediately.

FRANS HÖYER

The first installation from this Finnish duo, last year's Kuuhun Ja Takaisin is rather subdued when compared to their subsequent releases. But as much as I dig the total assault of the three releases that have followed (thank you, internet), this debut slab of primitive synth manipulations is a total fukkn stunner. Total lights down low, ease the seat back and strap in for the journey sounds...I honestly have no clue what these maniacs were shooting for, but they took me somewhere weird and I look forward to more.

KUUHUN JA TAKAISIN

DEVOCHIKA (デボチカ)

I should be able to simply tell you that this is noisy under the radar Japanese fastcore trash and have you all leaping for the download button...right? Then again, perhaps I have misjudged you, and I need to talk about the manic insanity of tracks like "Progressive Rockstar." But I won't, and I also won't mention the all out mindfuck of "Metal Blues" that brings to mind bands like UG MAN and EXCLAIM crashing headfirst into FLIPPER (whose influence and importance I appreciate, but whose music I find overwhelmingly shit, by the way). I had to write Max and ask what the fuck the band was called, he told me the term is a common one, but he doesn't know why. Well, bands like this are decidedly uncommon....and I don't know why. This is pure '00s magic - I don't know if this happens in The New Decade, though there's still time for someone fix that...

デボチカ

DIVE // OPPOSITION

New England brings up really fond memories in the context of my early touring days. There's the FAT DAY dudes, the show with ASSFORT in Cambridge, the PISSED OFFICERS, the New Bedford Mosh Crew, the shower interview that Dale Shadbegian did with the bass player from FAILURE FACE the day after he had a really weird day, seeing BUZZOV*EN in front of 50 people in Rhode Island, being ignored at a show with UNDERTOW, UNBROKEN and JASTA 14 in New Haven, a matinee with MANKIND? in Ithaca (technically not New England, but still...) involving chicken wings and a penis. Good times...really good times. I don't remember playing with DIVE or OPPOSITION, but I remember listening to this tape enough times in the van that I was honestly surprised when I popped it in last week and found that it still played. I may not know if we played with either of these bands, but I know that their version of '90s east coast hardcore makes me clench a  fist on the west coast in 2014. You can't fake honesty, and both of these bands attack hardcore in a naked and unpretentious manner that makes me more perhaps nostalgic than I feel comfortable admitting. 

DIVE // OPPOSITION

ECTOPLASM

Blown out punk as fukk madness from the Gainesville MAUSER tree. You know what you're getting here, and you are about to get a motherfukkn facefull - searing guitars, a beyond bombastic rhythm section and vocals shouting out a constant struggle to be heard through the white hissssssss. Your ears can only take so much when digested at proper volume, and ECTOPLASM has cut their initial offering mercifully short at four songs. You're welcome.

EAST COAST TOUR 2013

VERACIDAD

The primary vibe on VERACIDAD's 1999 demo is a branch from the MINUTEMEN tree, though there's something more aggressive at work - like maybe these are dudes into hardcore and jazz and '90s basement hardcore and are just trying to cram it all into one band. The 5 minute "Repostas" was a bit much on initial listens, but now it's probably my favorite - exercises in patience and focus translated to cassette. Whatever their intent, the result was a smashing success.

VERACIDAD

THE LIGHT

It seemed like every time THE LIGHT got off the ground, something clipped their wings, but after two years, two guitarists and at least as many drummers, their current incarnation is a fukkn steamroller. Full speed ahead DBeat rooted in earnest US hardcore, these seven tunes sneak up on you and grab you by the throat. The natural distortion when Ruby yells "the improbable dream" is the turning point when I feel like this demo goes from compelling to devastating - a practice space recording with a mix that fluctuates enough from song to song to keep perking your ears up without ever sacrificing power or impact. Listen to "All Of The Horrible Potential Of The Universe" and you actually start to grit your teeth a bit, which I'm sure is the desired effect (or at least an acceptable side effect). Now that the lineup is solid, I fully expect THE LIGHT to become a force...and it's pretty cool to watch people I play in bands with play in a band together.

THE RESTLESS TIDE

CREAM OF THE CROP

Snagged this crucial comp in Portland a short while ago - it looked like it would be pretty cool and a brief glance at the included bands reinforced that initial impression, so I plunked down my $5 and got ready to party. As usual, I made an excellent decision. Apparently this is the product of a Portland by-way-of Boston resident, and the comp features mostly PDX and Boston bands as a result (a coupla jammers from France as well, though that fact confuses things in a geographical sense), but city/country of origin be damned because this tape is a total rager. MONGOLOID, BLOODKROW BOUTCHER, LA MISMA, SAVAGEHEADS, HAUTE COUTURE, SUNSHINE WARD, NO SIR I WON'T, LONG KNIFE, LUMPY AND THE DUMPERS...this thing is essentially a who's who of what's hot. Fave tracks, are THE HIT SENSATIONS' and the BLOODKROW electro cover by DIGITAL OCTOPUS (which is one of the best things I've heard all year). I can keep rambling if you like, or you can just listen for yourself.

CREAM OF THE CROP

Best Before '84 put this poster in my tape. It's too big to scan, so I took a picture of it. For you. Because I want you to have everything that you want. You're welcome.

VIOLATION

This band was but a blip on the radar in the mid-'00s, but it was a pretty killer fukkn blip. Philadelphia based ripping low end hardcore leaning towards the crust end of the subgenre spectrum with simple (but effective) DBeat song structure, but it's really fast - and who doesn't like fast? There were people in this band that were in other really good bands.

HANDCUFFED

COFFIN LUST

Last year I happened upon a heavy metal concert featuring bands I was completely unfamiliar with. I enjoyed myself immensely, so I celebrated by drunkenly purchasing cassettes from heavy (and death) metal bands I was completely unfamiliar with. This venture did not turn out nearly as well as I had hoped, but this four song death metal banger from Australia was more than worth my financial transgression. Will someone who actually listens to death metal tell me if this is good? Because lately I have been jamming nothing but super minimal ambient sounds and a few killer jazz records I recently acquired...but to my ears at 12:30am, this shit sounds fukkn superb. I'm not wrong here, am i?

BEYOND THE DARK

ANAL EYACULATION // MORTE LENTA

Lest anyone think that yesterday's celebratory post indicated anything approaching a softening, I present to you this 16 minute, 98 track split cassette. 100% zero fidelity noise/grind blasts. Total and complete nonsense, mandatory listening for all maniacs with that crossed out music symbol logo thing tattooed on their bodies. And especially for those with said logo tattooed on their neck. I traded a CONQUEST FOR DEATH record for this tape while I was in Brazil....I feel like I won.

ANAL EYACULATION // MORTE LENTA

Physical copies from: cerebralputrefaction(at)yahoo(com)com

TERMINAL ESCAPE

Terminal Escape turns five years old today. Thanks to the people who stop by from time to time, thanks to the people who comment, and thanks to the people who mention in person that they found something cool here. The 1,700 mark is just around the corner....that's a lot of fukkn tapes. 

=================================================

STEVE B. GRENADE

I've been sitting on this one for years, waiting for whatever struck me as the right time. Well, Happy Birthday to me and here's the tape that gave this blog its name. Terminal Escape is lo-fi bedroom 4-track anarcho nonsense, but it strikes a chord somewhere deep inside. It was 1982, and obviously this dude had already figured out that he didn't need anything other than a tape recorder to make his magic, and I thank him for it thirty years later.

TERMINAL ESCAPE

===================================================

THE DECEASED

Keeping on the nostalgia trip, here's the first tape I posted here on 09 June 2009. I re-ripped it and scanned the full cover, so even if you already have this bad boy lurking around somewhere, it's worth updating (I'm a little better at this shit than I was then). Of all of the random and un(der)known UK stuff I've shared here, this one is still one of my favorites. Only thing I'll change about the original write up is that "Anarchy On Sat. Night" doesn't really sound all that bad...I guess my standards were higher then?

One of many bands that I can find virtually zero information about. The KFTH site (here) has no bio, and I can't say with any certainty even which of the four listed demos i am listening to. What I can say, is that these three tracks are fucking ruling, lo-fi UK punk. Sneering vocals, and drums pegged way into the red...it's endlessly amazing to me that bands made demos sound so fucking good with no money and no experience, punks have been trying to recreate the sound of the early 80s tapes for 25+ years, always always unsuccessfully. Apparently, the band changed the songs on the demo after they made the covers...but whatever the reason, there is only one song that is printed on the cover that made it onto my copy, and that track, "Anarchy On Sat. Night" is recorded so poorly that on this 25 year old cassette, it is not listenable. More demos to follow....

THE DECEASED

WILD MOHICANS

These dudes did the West Coast a few weeks back with EU'S ARSE, and their criminally underattended show in SF was just pure devastation. It wasn't "tearing-down-the-walls" "smashing-everything-in-site" devastation (honestly, that does get old after a while), it was an arsenal of hyper speed UK pogo punk delivered with POISON IDEA caliber riffs. The devastation was in my head, and it stayed there for a week. This shit slays the fukk out of mindless Motörpunk ten times over, the true nuts and bolts of hardcore punk...gruff, angry, and catchy as all hell. 

TOUR TAPE 2014

Most of these tracks are culled from vinyl releases...releases that you now need.

TOOL & DIE

Based on graphics alone I would guess late '80s, and pressing play does nothing to sway my initial hunch. Dancefloor proto-industrial/dance jams with appropriately distorted (but sparse) vocals and tinny metal(lic) guitars dropped in only when necessary. Only three songs here, and while they are all well perform their task effectively, the closer "A Limit" is far and away the best jammer. I know nothing about this outfit, but I cannot fathom why they are being featured here while some third rate acid house band from 1987 is probably embarking on a reunion tour as I type this...

TOOL & DIE

MUTANT VIDEO // MEMORY SMOKER

MUTANT VIDEO should be no stranger to Friends Of The Escape, and their latest effort is arguably even more...trying. The sound is uncomfortable, sparse and dark - and that is the point. This tape is shared with MEMORY SMOKER, fellow Escape veterans and (hopefully) familiar to fans of the weird, whose latest contribution is decidedly more subdued than their last - which somehow just makes it that much more difficult. I'm not sure if these are sounds or experiences, but I want to keep deciding over and over...preferably in the dark.

CONFUSION IS HEAVEN, REALITY IS HELL

=====================================

For all in the Bay Area, might I suggest that you attend the art and sound program presented tonight  by FEEDING. Of course today's post is in honor of this showing (one third of MUTANT VIDEO is also one half of FEEDING), and I have also breathed new life into two of the older PIG HEART TRANSPLANT posts in honor of the presentation (the Brain of PHT is the other half of FEEDING). EconoJam Records in Oakland. Attendance is highly recommended.

STATEMENT

I posted a couple of STATEMENT demos in the early days of The Escape (links I desperately need to repair, along with the several dozen requests currently languishing in my comments section....I will. I promise), but I might like this fifth demo even better. STATEMENT were a solo anarcho/activist project who spanned the musical spectrum over the course of their existence, and this collection of post punk and proto-indie oddities manages to capture slight bits of all of the weirdness that one Patrick Rat Poole conjured up over the years (presumably in his bedroom). "Strike Back" is the standout track, though this tape is so all over the place that there will probably be a different focus on every listen. Animal and human rights, well thought out politics in general, and generally catchy ditties make this 22 track cassette mandatory, and while the title reads Not For Punks, I would suggest that it should be for punks...but perhaps modern punks place the value of sound and status over that of content? Maybe STATEMENT was right after all.

NOT FOR PUNKS

The internet tells me that the man responsible for these quirky and out there bedroom anarcho sounds also did stints in CRACKED COP SKULLS and RIOT/CLONE which, oddly, makes sense. And yeah, I know that I linked this post to two older posts with dead links - I'll fix them really really soon. I swear.