DEFACE

I remember a dude from this band hanging around shows we played and put on in Upper Haight in the mid/late '90s, which was weird to us because he had purportedly been in ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT who were obviously a real band, and this was the area where the mutants that no one really gave a shit about spent their time. Rarely did anyone who was actually cool play at Nightbreak (don't get me wrong, heaps of cool bands played there, just not bands that were "cool," if you get the difference...and ASSFORT and GAIA were obvious exceptions), so it was random and curious that this guy would come to our mutant shows occasionally and hand out a few tapes every now and then. The dude was chill...and if memory serves, very tall. I eventually saw DEFACE and it was exactly what I expected: old(er) bros (at the time that probably meant 30 or so) trying to adapt their meat and 'taters US hardcore into raging DBeat. I'm not saying it didn't work, I'm just saying that the end result was probably not what they intended. The honest simplicity is refreshing today - not trying to be more over the top, more chaotic or more insane, just bashing the shit out of some riffs and being pissed as hell, all things I can absolutely get behind. I'm pretty sure DEFACE only managed two EPs, each containing a couple of these tracks, DRI crashing headlong into DISCHARGE.

DEFACE

I will show you no emotion...

EXIT ORDER

Paul gave me this banger last summer, and a quick peep at the personnel involved left no doubt that EXIT ORDER would be every bit as screaming as they are. The first thing you notice is that fukkn guitar - so totally tortured and adversely affected, but a tone expertly crafted by people who still understand the power of a riff (or even [gasp] a song), all of the hooks are there, and they are all in your face...they just sound like they are coming from Jupiter. Positively maniacal drums bash out a flurry of UK82 by way of DBeat and erratic methamphetamine abuse and the pace is pure power. Vocals are perfectly out of place, half shouted/half whined and coming off more like GR'UPS than anything riddled with studs and obscure '80s Euro hardcore patches, but oh man does it ever work. Reinventing the reinvented wheel? 

EXIT ORDER

You're a pretty one...aren't you?

DEBONING METHOD

I spent most of my day working next to some dudes listening classic heavy metal all day, and I knew when I came home I wanted to post this tape for you to start your week with. South Carolina demonic thrash metal from 1988, an obvious SLAYER influence (I mean, what late '80s thrash metal band didn't try to emulate SLAYER at least a little bit?) but the slower bits are pure and primitive, unhindered by success or expectation. The vocalist sounds like he was reared on punk, and barks with the intensity of pre-thrash hardcore, but the guitar leads are always there to remind you that this shit is metal. "Contaminated Nutrients" is the banger here, and the drummer later joined the ranks of MALEVOLENT CREATION and HATE ETERNAL, in case you were curious.

THE DEBONING DEBONING

BOMBENALARM

It was absolutely fantastic popping this baby in and letting the memories roll. Countless times my drunk ass (mentally) thrashed around the room blasting BOMBENALARM's Mötorcharged DBeat hardcore punk - every element is so perfectly presented that it's tempting to assume that they were making calculated (and successful) strikes. Imagine a combination of crushing European crust, Swedish DBeat and Japanese hardcore that still sounds urgent and important...that's exactly what BOMBENALARM were in the early '00s. Their demo graced these e-pages in The Escape's infancy, and this cassette from Fuck Yoga delivers their EP and LP (from '04 and '05, respectively). "Destination Fucked Up" was one of the jams of the year in 2004...yeah, it's so good that it still kicks everyone's ass a decade later.

BURIED ALIVE

D.C. TODAY

I could talk about this tape in the context of the Washington, D.C. metro area and the current crop of ridiculous bands from there. Or I could talk about this tape in the context of the importance of mix tapes as a tool for networking and underground community. I could also discuss this tape as a representation of the progression of the punk scene/sound from the early Dischord days onward. Or perhaps I could just say that D.C. Today is a brilliantly crafted document of punk and hardcore from the area circa 1989. Bands that you may have heard of include MFD, AGENT 86, and SHUDDER TO THINK, but almost all of this shit is new to me - the east coast hardcore is crucial, the goth punk is completely legit, the ska is....well, it's ska but there are only two or three songs, and the sporadic between track phone interviews are fukkn brilliant little time capsules. I know Mike probably made this for a few friends, but I could not be happier that a cope made its way into my hands. Favorite jams: DESECRATION, GUT INSTINCT, STOMP, RANCID (not the one you are thinking of), THE WAIT and STRANGE BOUTIQUE. This is why mix tapes are fukkn great, especially 20+ years in the future.

D.C. TODAY: A Compilation Tape Of Bands From Maryland/DC/Virginia

As an extremely pleasant side note, I realized well into the digitization of these jams that the compiler was one Mike Straight, who was one of the first punks I met who really let me know (inadvertently, perhaps) that I was on the right path. The idea of putting snippets from telephone interviews in between choice tracks fits perfectly with my memories of Mike, and hearing his voice is a blast from my past (even though I probably didn't meet him until 5 years after he compiled this tape). Last I knew, Mike bought a house that was a glorified squat in Philadelphia and had convinced someone to give him money to go to school. Maybe my memory is incorrect (as is often the case), but someone should put me in touch with that dude because he was always super good to hang out with.

CULTS

Four tracks over the course of twenty minutes that will uncomfortably alter the course of your Thursday. CULTS manipulate power electronics in a manner that will make most beg for relief, but relief could not be further from their mind(s).  Light years beyond simple assaults of harsh noise, these tracks are controlled and calculated exercises in aural torture, challenging as much as it is entertaining or terrifying. The very definition of a "harsh toke" awaits you...

FEASTING

PROCESS

You can say that raw DBeat hardcore with howled vocals is played out if you want, but be forewarned that doing so will deprive you of the finest nine minutes of your day. Gainesville's PROCESS are blistering mayhem at its finest - the only thing that touches the fury of the drums is the sporadic but brilliant bursts of lead guitar. I'm guessing everything here is beyond calculated, but when the math adds up like this, I can't imagine anyone complaining (listen to the opening riff in "Give Thanks" and tell me I'm wrong). The magic is lurking behind the highlighted text below...and the decision is yours. I think you're worth it.

PROCESS