EPs:
Iron Buddha Raze/Repose Self Released
Out Now
Florida sludge mongers Iron Buddha dropped a banger of an EP here with Raze/Repose. This debut from the fetid sonic conjurers appeared a few months ago. The record, only available as digital, bursts through speakers to deliver gnarly, abrasive sludge doom. Feedback and noise are utilized with thick riffs and rhythms. Caustic vocals scream plagued in agony. The desperation married with the chaotic, nebulous atmosphere. They cite Conan, Neurosis, Yob as apropos influences.
I appreciate the band’s lofty heights. Iron Buddha bring the down-tuned misery the suffocating riffs of Conan. Meanwhile, the band embrace time change and dynamic song structure without the drifting into arrogant prog metal. Raze/Repose is a feral beast with gritty snarls. The nine minute closer is especially belligerent. Misanthropic howls over a low-end wall of sound.
This week they dropped a brutal video, adding disturbing visuals to their gruesome track, “Asura//Raze.”
Support and follow the band on bandcamp.
Rancoeur Lame En Peine Self-Released
September 15, 2023
From Nancy, France, Rancoeur brings that ever popular blend of Oi! and Post-Punk. A stunning bassline and a popping drum beat encapsulated by a dissonant, ethereal guitar sound all punch with a dancing bounce while the vocalist approaches with a tempered Oi! approach.
“Voir Paris Et Mourir” follows by doubling the pace. Drums and bass lay a rough and rumbling fast foundation. Backing vocals help the chorus stomp hard. GUitar has the same tone buckis more of a riff for the verses. “Delivrance” speed wise lands in between but is a grittier, tougher sound. My head bobs but with a snarl on the face. To close this EP, “L’Imposteur” enters with a dissonant guitar repeating a dizzying riff. the instruments are slowly introduced until we realize this is the fastest song on the EP. The drummer rides that kick drum even doubling up. Vocalist has more urgency and strain in his voice (ina good way). The song just blasts away.
Rancoeur are one of the best I have heard in a minute, even among all the top notch bands doing this style. French Oi! is always a safe bet.
Purchase black vinyl directly from Rancoeur on bandcamp
Bullshit Detector Rat Tail Self Released
Out Now
Two quick bold tracks from Bullshit Detector. Houston’s ragers slow it down a tad infusing that Manchester/Post-Punk sound so ubiquitous currently (Syndrome 81, Ceremony, Mess, Home Front, etc). And they master it. Their eight-track 2022 debut LP was harsh and fast. Not like they softened. The vocals are raspy and angered. The music just moved beyond a repeated riff. The opening bassline paired with that familiar sullen, ominous tone invigorates a band who could still be riding their lauded 2022 LP.
“Rat Tail” is mixed so well for this sound. The hypnotizing guitars and bassline and charging drums all are distinguishable. The lyrics, pushed through ugly, strained vocals, tell a tale of a fallen friend to drugs and personal demons. The chants mixed back behind the chorus and a solemn depth. The tones and pedals and filters; whatever combination was employed works exceptionally.
“Number” is a working class ode as we would expect from this Houston Oi! Band, but with this sound (more power pop/pub rock/rock n roll) but lilting the prose with phrases like, “feeling like a blade of grass in a field.” As generations have experienced, the cog in the machine is a grinding, lonely place. They chant for a rallying chorus, “I’m not a number!” We are fortunate that Bullshit Detector have chosen a fantastic release for the monotony by creating authentic and rebellious music, no matter the sound they choose to deliver.
Follow Bullshit Detector on instagram.
Private Hell Day of Wrath Self-Released
October 6 2023
RVA’s Private Hell are back with a banger of an EP. This cassette boasts six tracks of heavy metallic/punk ‘n’ roll rhythmic desolation. Treacherous riffs and menacing vocals are the highlight here. Private Hell’s moniker is emblematic of the lyrics focused on “the eternal recurring cycles of loss, death, hope, renewal, and loss once more.” I’m in! There is a nod to bands such as Bracewar, Palehorse, Shipwreck, Killing The Dream, Hope Con. But some songs have a main section with some punk swagger.
Still, heavy riffs are the focus. The snare sound fits, helping it not sound too produced or polished. The guitar and bass also have som aura to them, not getting too crisp. Vocals are unfettered and venomous. Yes, we get some bad ass breakdowns, don’t worry. Lyrics are on bandcamp, too. So read them. Also great to see actual graphics that were thought out and look very cool. The red accent on black and white truly pop. Plus, the entirety of the image was designed for a j-card, and that illustrates an actual vision. Support this band.
Cassette: full color j-card and red shell cassettes, limited to 200.
Preorder on Private Hell bandcamp.
Sodom 1982 Steamhammer / SPV
November 10 2023
If you even dabble in metal, you should know Sodom. Legendary names forever chiseled into the canon of thrash, full-fledged pioneers in The Big Four of Teutonic Thrash. They definitely have a history of mixing black metal influences through the years, and it is robust here in their re-recording of their nascent classics. T
his is filthy, aggressive thrash. Learning from Bathory and Hellhammer and screaming about Satan helped them fuse a bodacious and bold early career. spring 1982, Essen, Stauderstraße in the Altenessen district of Germany, they played to ravage and flex attitude. Admittedly, now, their classic “Witching Metal” was written “in the wrong key” touts Tom Angelripper, founder and captain of this vicious vessel.
WIth the current lineup, they wrote a new song called 1982 to transport us back to the origins. This EP also has the current line up rerecord four classics of the oldays with new vigor and honed performance from forty one years of slaying. “1982” was written last year but only released digitally. Drummer Tom Merkel engineered, mixed, and mastered all tracks.
Buy the various combos here at Steamhammer / SPV:
Cristallo black vinyl in slip sleeve
Exclusive black and white splatter vinyl in slip sleeve – limited to 300 copies
Napalm Records Exclusive Vinyl: Ltd Ed Red Black Marble Vinyl
Follow the thrash legends on instagram.
Kenovikon S/T Cassette Sorry State
Damn. This is new great hardcore. Kenovikon’s crisp but not polished guitars help their sound remain loose and raw. Fast and angry, the band slings seven enraged bangers, all but one under two minutes. Technically the music was released eleven months ago, but it lingered in their homeland of Finland. Now, Sorry State is providing this cassette version hoping to reward rabid harcore fans with another gem. Lyrics are in Finnish. I do not understand them, but the conviction and fury embedded in the vocals, that there is universal.
Grab the Green Cassette, 150 pressed, at Sorry State.
Also on the label’s bandcamp.
Exhumed Beyond the Dead Relapse
Out Now
Exhumed are the tenacious veteran legends of goregrind/death metal. These dudes have formed in 1990. They have some certified classics and essential records and to this day release full albums of quality material every few years. Exhumed are known for consistent quality of disgusting and wretched death metal. Beyond the Dead is a gift from the band with four new tracks and four live tracks culled from the prior three albums; Horror, Dead Revenge, and Necrocracy. The cult, b-movie aesthetic thrives among the more graphic and direct eviscerated cadaver tributes.
Beyond the Dead presents Exhumed proud with a point to prove. Age nor longevity has withered these savage miscreants, only strengthened them. All horror and gore fans can continue to revel in the arterial plunder executed by Exhumed.
Unfortunately , there is no vinyl for this; digital only. But you can catch them tear down a stage near you.
EXHUMED US Tour w/ Cavalera + Select Headlining Dates
8/29 Albuquerque, NM @ Revel
8/31 Oklahoma City, OK @ Diamond Ballroom
9/1 Dallas, TX @ Granada Theater
9/2 New Orleans, LA @ House of Blues
9/3 Birmingham, AL @ Saturn
9/5 Covington, KY @ Madison Theatre
9/6 Knoxville, TN @ The Concourse
9/7 Indianapolis, IN @ Black Circle Brewing (Exhumed Headline)
9/8 Columbus, OH @ The KING of CLUBS
9/9 Cave-In-Rock, IL @ Full Terror Open Air
9/10 St. Louis, MO @ Delmar Hall
9/11 Lawrence, KS @ Bottleneck (Exhumed Headline)
9/12 Grand Junction, CO @ Mesa Theater
9/14 Tucson, AZ @ Rialto Theatre
9/15 Tempe, AZ @ The Marquee
9/16 Santa Ana, CA @ The Observatory
9/18 El Paso, TX @ RockHouse Bar & Grill
9/19 San Antonio, TX @ Aztec Theatre
9/20 Houston, TX @ House of Blues
9/21 Pensacola, FL @ Vinyl Music Hall
9/22 Orlando, FL @ Beacham Theater
9/23 Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West
9/24 Chapel Hill, NC @ Local 506 (Exhumed Headline)
9/25 Baltimore, MD @ Baltimore Soundstage
9/26 Sayreville, NJ @ Starland Ballroom
9/27 New York, NY @ Irving Plaza
9/28 Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club
9/30 Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr. Smalls Theatre
10/1 Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall Ballroom
10/2 Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line
10/4 Davenport, IA @ Raccoon Motel (Exhumed Headline)
10/5 Des Moines, IA @ Wooly’s
10/6 Omaha, NE @ Waiting Room
10/7 Denver, CO @ Oriental Theater
10/8 Salt Lake City, UT @ The Complex
10/10 Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile
10/11 Boise, ID @ Treefort Music HalL
10/12 Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom
10/14 Sacramento, CA @ Ace of Spades
10/15 San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall
10/17 Las Vegas, NV @ House of Blues
10/18 Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern
