RAW WAR

This was the third cassette comp release from Xcentric Noise Records. I could try to spend some time describing it, but I figure that Pushead did a pretty good job in the review section of MRR in 1983 when this gem was unleashed: "The best international sampler cassette available, with bands from Brazil, Canada, Finland, Holland, Italy, Norway and U.K. Features TERVEET KÄDET, NEOS, OHLO SECO, INDIGESTI, RATTUS and more! A lot of jarring explosive doses of chaos from the world of punk" (Maximum Rocknroll #5, March/April 1983). Lots of live tracks, some tunes from records you might have if you are a collector scum, SIB, 5º BRACCIO and NY RAVERS are probably my favorites on this tape, although the RATTUS and TERVEET KADET tracks are pretty unfukkwithable. And remember ADMASS, those inept UK punk miscreants who made a pair of of yawn inducing appearances on The Escape? Yeah, they made it onto this tape filled with '80s international heavyweights, and Gary Bushell is still a cunt.

RAW WAR

My copy came to me sans cover, and thus sans track listing. Thankfully, Kill From The Heart came to the rescue in both departments.

NAILS

Not to be confused with the current hardcore act from the US, Germany's now defunct NAILS fall in line with some of the best introspective melodic hardcore bands from the '90s. Angry and serious, but with hooks galore, NAILS dished out top notch mature hardcore until their demise in 2010. This tape contains all of their recordings. 

NAILS

CANCER // DIPERS

Four posts in a row that barely (or don't) crack the ten minute mark, and the second from New York fukkn City. CANCER blaze through their four nameless USHC tracks in one four minute blur (and they are presented as one four minute track) - nothing fancy, no bullshit, but these songs will sneak up on you. They are pretty great at first listen (pay special notice to the sparse but necessary solos), and they become indispensable after subsequent jams. DIPERS are F.O.T.E. (Friends Of Terminal Escape), so an objective description is difficult, but suffice to say that their smart and raucous hardcore is just as awesome here as on the last tape I tried to shove down your throat. Eat The Life  does good work, and I endorse their behavior.

CANCER // DIPERS

NUCLEAR CULT

It doesn't get any faster, any meaner, or any more intense than NUCLEAR CULT. These German maniac blaze through 8 songs in just over 4 minutes on their 2009 demo, played with precision and ferocity unmatched. 

HEIMSPIEL 

Because nothing says matrimonial happiness like German fastcore, I would like to thank Karoline for being my partner in this nonsense. We were married fourteen years ago today, and I am pretty happy about that. Here is a picture, it's pretty much the only one that we got without shadows on our faces. My hair is awesome, but not nearly as awesome as my wife.

LAST CHAOS

They named themselves after a CROW song, so the Japanese influences shouldn't need to be mentioned,  right? Australia's LAST CHAOS come from the same family tree that bore the fruit called TEARGAS, so it should also be assumed without mention that they are really fukkn good at cranking out high quality over the top hardcore punk. Well, I guess I just mentioned it, but I just want to be sure that you know everything that you need to know. And you need to know that LAST CHAOS are about to level you with 520 some odd seconds of galloping raw punk with a few nonsensical solos and vocals echoing back from the doors of ridiculousness. Yeah, it's awesome, but so are garden fresh cantaloupes. I'm not one to tell you what to do, but unless you have a fresh cantaloupe in you backyard right now, waiting to be picked, then I suggest that you listen to LAST CHAOS. Really loud, so the juice runs down your arms.

WILD MEN

CREEM

Seriously, this shit is awesome. Four gnarly and pissed hardcore punk songs in under six minutes. Midwest hardcore meets '80s NYHC - I can say it until I'm blue in the face (or type it until I'm numb in the fingers), but it doesn't really matter if you're doing something original, just as long as you are doing it right. And CREEM are doing it right. Their new(ish) EP is really good too.

HATES

RAYOS X

Los Angeles has not made an appearance on The Escape in a while. Around the same time I realized this, I saw the second RAYOS X demo sitting on my shelf. Lonely. Waiting to be shared.  My next move was an obvious one, and here is your tape: Sufrimiento. Stellar Spanish language sing along ass shaking punk rock from a band that plays punk better than anyone has in years. There is nothing new in what they do, and they do it with casual perfection. Awesome.

SUFRIMIENTO

Get their first demo here, check out a blog from one of the dudes here, and if you live in San Francisco then go see these motherfukkrs tonight at El Rio with LA VOZ and GENERACION SUICIDA. In my daily list of reasons to stay alive, these three bands in one room is very near the top.