THE INSTIGATION

Fast, jerky hardcore pushed to the absolute limits. Guitars are cranked higher than any reasonable engineer should let them (so I can only assume they recorded this gem themselves) but they are so damn busy with brilliant leads that I find myself wanting them even louder. There are shades of the '80s USHC by way of '00s Europe and healthy doses of nasty proto punk, but none of the influences come close to overshadowing the raw power of this demo....THE INSTIGATION deliver twenty minutes of magic.

THE INSTIGATION

UNBROKEN BONES

Decidedly more advanced than the first demo, Russia's UNBROKEN BONES have become a legitimate force devoid of even the most persnickety qualifier. The dual guitars just shred, and while the approach is pure ripping thrash, the vocals are punk as shit...ok - maybe I don't quite dig the slow part of "Survive" (even though it's more than slightly reminiscent of the cover of BROKEN BONES' "Never Say Die" on the last demo) but goddammit this demo rules hard, and rarely do I like guitar solos as much as I like these. There's not much I want from a demo that I don't get from UNBROKEN BONES.

BATTALION OF BONES

Cheers as always to Drunk With Power....

1in12 PEOPLE COMPIE (with extra 15% value included!)

A mix tape that Dick made for the punks at the 1in12 in Bradford circa 1989, and I'm quite happy that it made it into my hands. Definitely a time warp, with several bands that time has forgotten. A few undeniable creamers on here, a coupla definite classics and some tracks from bands I never really dug but enjoyed hearing in this context. Included bands can be found in the comments, so you can either download blind (like a real punk) or take a sneak peak to see if it's cool enough for you.

EXTRA 15% VALUE INCLUDED

Just when I thought that my truth erased confusion // that's when I asked myself what's real and what's illusion

ILLEGALS

I often get tapes in the mail at TEHQ; I gotta admit that it's one of the perks of this whole gig. But to be blunt: even the good ones are almost never this good. Pittsburgh's ILLEGALS are near flawless midtempo USHC. Full of attitude, full of swagger, intense as shit and screaming for an elbows high creepy crawl circle pit...heads banging, fists in the air pogo madness fills my cloudy brains (yes, both of them), this is absolutely THE shit that keeps me stoked. There are band comparisons that are justified, but I feel like they would dampen my enthusiasm and make it seem like I am so stoked simply because ILLEGALS kinda sound like some other band that I already like. No. I am so stoked because I came home from seeing a shitload of bands and this tape was waiting for me and I just wanted to see more bands. I wanted to see this band. Ugly and fierce hardcore punk...you need it

ILLEGALS

HANS HARMS

Pulsating madness, rhythmic destruction. HANS HARMS is a brutal sonic assault spitting unbridled disdain, noise carefully masked as music, this is pure harsh bliss in the tradition of the true masters but manipulated for maximum effect. Even more bleak lyrically than the music might suggest, HANS HARMS challenge comfort in the purest manner....sit down with "Pigskin" and try to have a good day, especially when followed by the pulsating brutality of "Neanderthal." There are only four tracks on this cassette, but I dare you to successfully ingest more. Intellectually advanced music steeped in history and respect released in a criminally limited edition...I am sold.

VULNERABLE SOURCES PROJECT

"for the few who have yet to discover the wonders of upright walking from crawling"

CALENDAR BOYS

Chicago is pretty cool. It's a great town, filled with great bands and great people. This is one of the great bands, and one of the great people is the singer. Congratulations, Chicago, you win.

CALENDAR BOYS

"I'm thinking again about you and me // I'm thinking again about what you did"

MOO MOO

The cover indicates that this is a memorial cassette for a punk who died far too young, but more information is little more than conjecture and/or hypothesis on my part - except for the sounds. This is raw as shit, but the songs captured on this tape are manic with brilliant guitars buried in the swarm of accidental lo-fi hiss. Think ACME (Japan, one of the earliest Escape posts) for a reference, but these sounds are exponentially less produced even though they are every bit as advanced. If you want non stop studded mania then this is not your lucky day...if you want noisy interesting punk then you are in luck. Curiously, the final track is a proper studio recording that indicates the direction this band would take if given the opportunity and/or budget.  More introspective than the rest of the tracks, but I dare day more interesting...I know I have a lot of words, but this tape is both a mystery and a challenge, so prepare yourself.

SATOKEI'S DYING WORDS