GENESIS CLIMBER

The Bay Area's GENESIS CLIMBER are not your ordinary band, and these two 10+ minute jams will scare off anyone looking for a pogo friendly soundtrack. But listen to the attack on the four steel rounds at the start of "Kosmos Of The Mind" and it will bring images of destruction to your mind and a smile to your face. It doesn't? OK, then nevermind and I'll see you tomorrow. Those of you smiling, please enjoy the bizarre amalgamation of late 80s Dischord vocals with prog/hardcore hybrid bands like ASBESTOS DEATH manifested circa new millennium. Their 2009 EP took me completely by surprise, and this demo heads even further out onto freakout pier, threatening to leap. Recorded live (my only complaint is that the obvious low end assault that drives this band is rather lost on this recording) on 21/12 (nerds), this should give you a good idea what their upcoming 2xLP will consist of. I for one, am excited.

Live At Minmel's

DEFAULT

I swear I used to have a 7 incher from DEFAULT, but apparently it wasn't very good and didn't make the cut during the last purge, and now I'm kicking myself in the ass, cos this demo is rippin'. I seem to remember they were from Germany, but now I fukkn forget, so I'm left to present you with these 5 songs of mid 80s hardcore punk with no background (let the flogging commence).  Equal parts early HC and scorching UK punk, DEFAULT have a gloriously gritty guitar sound , and songs like "More Than Fun"  are total classic material. What would happen if you combined COURT MARTIAL and 7 SECONDS? I'm not sure either, but it seems like DEFAULT might have tried to pull that experiment off back in 1987, and I thank them for it.

Faith Or Fraud demo 1987

VIPER

Do UK82 drum beats with chaotic vocals and out of control guitars sound like something you might enjoy? Yes? Then this is your jam. 

Committing The Seven Deadly Sins

DIATRIBE

So last week I pulled this tape out, hadn't listened to it in years, and holy shit!! I forgot how much this thing rips. I started converting these six scorchers to a handy digital format so I could share them with you and cruised the 'nerd looking for a little more background. San Diego's DIATRIBE were around for just a few years and left us with a cassette only demo that blows doors on most mid 80s HC from anywhere on earth, they took the best moments of DISCHARGE and added a CRUCIFIX ferocity  - that much I knew. But what I didn't know is that they were back in action...well, kinda. I found the band's myspace page and in the comments section is a brief argument between the singer (side note: the singer is Vinnie Fono, later frontman for 90s bands CHRONIC THRILL and SHITGIVITS, who set up the first couple of shows I played in San Diego. Back then we thought he was ancient and crazy, but he treated us well) and the guitarist...it seems Vinnie has assembled a new band that features exactly one member from the 90s DIATRIBE: Vinnie Fono. A few days later I was trolling a message board (no disparaging comments, I'm not proud of it...and besides - you are trolling a blog right now, aren't you?) and DIATRIBE came up as one of the finest under known 80s USHC bands, and then came this link to a story about the "reunited" DIATRIBE and an argument in the comments section that will make your head spin. Sad to see this six song legacy being tainted by decades old divisions, but none of this changes the fact that these tunes will melt your face. Classic American hardcore.

AFTERMATH demo

RAKOSI

I heard about this Hungarian band last year from my friend Spencer, who has spent a few stints in Budapest. Their ten song demo made the rounds for a few months and was recently put to wax (Lengua Armada Records - already sold out, check your local distro) and issued on cassette for the North American audience (Combat Action Tapes, also responsible for the recent SUCIO PODER reissue - they've still got copies of both, hit 'em up). The attack here is stripped down hardcore punk, with only a third of the tracks even reaching the 50 second mark. Simple riffs that are delivered with total ferocity and mosh inducing tempos that are over before you know it. It's like an accidental hybrid of USHC and 80s Spanish punk with a classic Iron Curtain delivery. The jerky nature of "Tinana" is worth the whole demo, and the 23 second three chord DISCHARGE-esque ripper "Egri Joska" has managed to get stuck in my head countless times since Spencer slipped this tape my way. Check out the band here, and hopefully there will be more releases in the future.

RAKOSI

AMPUTAPE PORTLAND

Portland kills it once again, this time courtesy of the Amputape label. A 40+ minute compilation featuring bizarre insanity (TRANSIENT, SEI HEXE), killer crust/HC (ABANDON, RAW NERVES, SQUALORA), the apocalypse female fronted metalcrust of MURDERESS, just plain apocalypse from MACHINE GUN CONGRESS and just plain metal from HONDURAN. No lengthy write up describing how each of these bands are awesome, just me letting you know that each of these bands are awesome, so download if you don't believe me, and then send Amputape your four measly dollars and get one for yourself.

Amputape Portland Side A

Amputape Portland Side B

PHANTOMS OF THE UNDERGROUND

If you feel like skipping out on your job and heading straight to the pub, then I've posted this tape just for you. Newcastle's PHANTOMS OF THE UNDERGROUND were a streamlined beer drenched machine that should have been headed for the big leagues with a sound that falls right in line with THE DAMNED, PETER & THE TEST TUBE BABIES, EDDIE & THE HOT RODS and other slick, Johnny Thunders worshipping punks. Not sure where their train got derailed, but they only left us with two demos, this one from 1984. "Ready For The Night" and "Miss Another Day" are fukkn classics (perhaps they knew this, and that would explain why they gave us both songs twice), "Blood Money" is a total rock and roll burner. Sure their version of "Search & Destroy" was probably a stupid idea even in '84, but when you are this wasted, your time should be spent crafting perfect punk tunes and chatting up cute girls, not mastering the art of the cover song.

PHANTOMS OF THE UNDERGROUND