CRUCIFIX // CHEETAH CHROME MOTHERFUCKERS

Two interviews. One with CRUCIFIX, the legendary Bay Area band. One with CCM, the legendary Italian band. Both of these interviews are conducted by the same person in 198something. I like that CRUCIFIX says they understand why people compare them to DISCHARGE because "they play fast heavy metal like we do." And I like CCM telling the interviewer that their name had nothing to do with the guitarist for the DEAD BOYS (the moniker came from a comic strip, and they added the "Motherfuckers" to shock people). Start steeping your tea, and sit back and listen.

CRUCIFIX // CHEETAH CHROME MOTHERFUCKERS

"We just care about fucking hardcore. New wave sucks, that's been proved, it's just used for dancing - that's all, it's just a matter of fashion. Hardcore is the only way."

- Cheetah Chrome Motherfuckers, 198?

VACCUUM

A self promoting Noise Punk Monday, this is the second demo from one of my bands. Four songs appear on this tape, two that were on the Lengua Armada EP and two from our upcoming EP, but these songs are from a completely different session and sound entirely different from the versions that made it to wax. Like, really different.

SPACE-Fi

The new EP is gonna be available from Irukandji in a few weeks, and last month Rescued From Life released a new version of the Lengua Armada EP. The entire record was remixed and and given the treatment by PIG HEART TRANSPLANT, and we are extremely happy with the results. There were only 400 pressed, so don't snooze.

HSR GRV//TRTRKMMR

HUSERE GRAV create some of the most ominous and cavernous music I've come across, ranging from  dark ambient soundscapes to harsh jolting noise. On these 9 tracks, they cover the full spectrum of sound and emotion, ending with "Burning Pictures," which comes off like a rail car lumbering angrily through a burning world. While their sounds are intense, nothing can prepare you for the onslaught of Milwaukee's TRTRKMMR - so cacophonous that the listener is lulled into submission. The percussion tracks on this recording are manually mutilated, and they provide the background a pure hatred, music that is as confusing as it is awe inspiring. The guitars push the boundaries of kvlt black metal into new territory, and the vocals soar with the subtlety of an air raid. The last two tracks are the most conventional, "Torpid Yet Sentient" is a plodding and simple song that even hints at melody within the confines of these harsh sounds, and "The Loved Dead" descends into a whirlwind that is almost soothing after the disjointed and unnerving 25 minutes. This is one of the most intense listens you will find on Terminal Escape.

HUSERE GRAV // TRTRKMMR

There are still copies left of this very short run release, TRTRKMMR can be reached at: thethirdofthestorms(at)gmail(com)

THE BOOS//FURY OF A THOUSAND ZEUSES

Gloriously fukkd melodic punk from THE BOOS, the same charm that makes WHITE TRASH SUPERMAN one of the best at this game seeps through a wash of basement dust and beer. FURY OF A THOUSAND ZEUSES released one EP in ridiculously low quantities right after I moved to Milwaukee in 2002, and this demo was a sweet find after wearing the grooves of that slab down until they were paper thin. Chaotic and brilliantly crafted Midwest hardcore punk steeped in the tradition of the region and reared on alcohol and speed, catchy as shit with brilliant guitars buried once again under an appropriately shitty recording. This tape is bizarrely still available, probably because Eric gets wasted and makes copies on a boom box in his bedroom: ericapnea(at)hotmail(dot)com.

THE BOOS // FURY OF A THOUSAND ZEUSES

Today is the start of the Riverwest 24, one of the single greatest events of which I've ever been a part (and I am, to be fair, but a very small part). A total test of endurance for riders and volunteers alike, this year shapes up to be even more insane that last, and I can't wait for the 7:00CST start. Expect more Milwaukee sounds tomorrow to continue my appreciation for my old home.

CAGES

I am going to Milwaukee today for my annual exercise in consumption and self abuse under the guise of volunteering at a bicycle race, and I hope to spend some time with some of the people involved in this project while I am there. CAGES combine transfixing noise/soundscapes with haunting female vocals that urge comparisons to an older, more resigned and sadder DIAMANDA GALAS. The music on this tape is garnered from various live performances in Buffalo, New York during 2006-08, and they often take on an ambient quality - while "Psalm To Mother" is an inwardly violent and cacophonous piece, the tracks that follow spend more time in the background than they do in your conscious aural field. "Burial" can sometimes slip completely by me when I listen to Anti-Realist (I think this is my favorite song on the tape, it just requires...demands...undivided and intense attention), and I'm jarred back to a harsh reality by "Cavern" to close the release. The harshness of CAGES is shrouded by their calm but erratic exterior - far from a crew of artsy noisemakers, emotion and turmoil permeate these songs. To listen to CAGES and not feel something is to simply not feel, and if that is the case then I feel for you...or maybe you just need to listen harder. And louder, these songs are better at maximum volume.

ANTI REALIST

Released in early 2011 by Död Universe, purveyor of many fine slabs of thought provoking noise.

SAME-SEX DICTATOR

SAME-SEX DICTATOR are making some of the ugliest music around, combining the low end hollow attack of GODHEADSILO with the incessant fury of modern distorted noisy crust/hardcore bands. The vocals are a sinister blend of black metal anguish and early HR snarl, and the whole production is indescribably pissed. This came as a gift to Terminal Escape, and to gift your own copy, I suggest contacting: jebodiah_b(at)yahoo(dot)com. Their recent 12" is more of the same rage, but this four song banger should serve as a perfect primer.

SAME-SEX DICTATOR

SELF ABUSE

SELF ABUSE has remained on the second tier of '80s UK bands, you only seem to hear about them after delving a little deeper into the world of less appreciated acts, but I think this 1984 demo is one of their highlights. Never mind the whining off key vocals in "On & On" that sound as if there were a producer behind the board trying to convince the boys to go for a chart topper and throw in some new wave crooning, just get into the driving jerky beat of "Another Nightmare" and "Strange Life," two certifiable burners. Moments of SLAUGHTER & THE DOGS and EDDIE & THE HOT RODS creep into the tunes - just enough rock 'n roll to keep the train rolling, and the guitar is straight '77 punk in the best way. The ten song live recording on the flip is predictably rough, but the sound is good enough to let their hooks shine through, and it's clear that SELF ABUSE were a seasoned live act. It always pleases me to hear these live sets...the band is positively killing it, and are greeted to a lackluster smattering of forced applause before going into the next song. Just goes to show that even "back in the day," some of the best bands played gigs in front of paltry apathetic crowds who had no idea what they were witnessing.  The SELF ABUSE discography is lengthy, and many of their other releases are available on many blogs (including this one), so get to clicking.

SELF ABUSE Demo & Live 1984