CERVIX

These NYC noise mongers hit the west coast last month, and delivered a wall of metallic, effect drenched Japanese inspired chaos that dwarfed the sounds heard on their first demo. This tour tape is more along the lines of that live show - raw and ugly, with female vocals soaring and howling into total oblivion.

CERVIX

CASBAH

This shit just rules - and rules hard. The same music, if played by dudes from Jersey, would likely be accompanied by preposterous posturing and asinine hair windmills...but for some reason every cliché gets a pass when the band is from Japan. CASBAH play ripping thrashcore, with riffing and shredding that would have made ANTHRAX proud - they started in '85 and continued into the mid '90s without ever getting the recognition they deserved. Most will agree that this 1987 demo is their pinnacle.

INFINITE PAIN

PORN PERSONS

Still on the noisy kick today, I offer twelve garage punk shockers slathered in effects and distortion, all but completely masking the infectious hooks and dance inducing songs contained on this short tape. These songs have a raw determination that owes as much to Jay Reatard on crack as it does to '90s riot grrl stylings. PORN PERSONS are from Quebec, and they won me over in no time flat...also, these songs are all about walls, both physical and metaphorical.

WALLS OF THE WORLD

DE WOUT ONVRIENDELIJKE TEEP

Perhaps this comp tape might be better shared on a Noise Punk Monday, but these 42 songs presented by 17 early Dutch outfits are coming your way right now, so prepare your earholes. Raw assaults, many of them live, from bands that were almost all new to me (VACUÜM visited The Escape last year, and apparently shared a member with E.N.E., who offer the best jams on the tape). I can offer no background except that these bands range from primitive to painful in their delivery, but if you are up for the challenge, then  MASSACUBADSET, T.B.R., the chaos of ZOEM, ANTI STATISCH, industrial madness of FAUX and the no-fi UK82 punk from ABCES might start to win you over. It's worth noting that a lot of these songs are about hating, fighting, and/or destroying cops.

DE WOUT ONVRIENDELIJKE TEEP

"The Unfriendly Tape"

RHUITH

It amazes me that this is the music that hordes of fashionable youths tout, but even through the sea of all things desirable, sometimes something of genuine merit floats to the top. To call this black metal band "primitive" would be giving them too much credit, and these sounds are often truly awkward to listen to...but that guitar sound will help overcome just about all musical shortcomings, and even make me not care if this is music made by forest trolls or one short haired 23 year old art student. The PORTISHEAD cover leads me to believe that the latter might be closer to reality, but even that bizarre track is delivered in such a shroud of sound that I find it transfixing. Enjoy...

VOORMITHADRETH

POST MORTEM

A great six song pre-cursor to 1984's Against All Odds EP. These songs are faster and rawer than the vinyl release, and if you can get past the generous helping of tape hiss, then you'll be treated to some excellent UK82 with animated female vocals belting out shrill political anthems. 

POST MORTEM

RAYOS X

More Terminal Escape love for the Statico Ponx crew and label in LA. The Ponx just released a new RAYOX X cassette (you can snag it at Cola De Rata if you don't want to wait for me to post it here) and while I was listening to it, realized that I still hadn't posted their first release. Better late than never, here are eight essential driving punk tunes - few things I've heard lately have instantly struck me as this "authentic," for lack of a better word, and the songs get better the more I listen to them (and I've listened to them a lot). Punk as shit salvation for residents of a pobre nacion.

RAYOS X