Saturday 28 December 2019

Best of the year 2019

These are the albums that made me jump up and down and want to smash things.
They are not numbered - all deserve to be at the top. Remember kids, I am right
and you are wrong. There will be no descriptions - you will have to participate
and press play and actually listen to them.

























































I have been a lazy cunt recently - I hope to post more often. Or not.

Sunday 15 December 2019

El Drugstore - The Golden Age of Bad Ideas



El Drugstore describe themselves as "Instrumental Freak
Attack" and with those words, launch into a whirling,
insane barrage of riffs, timings, dizzy note abuse and
powerhouse drumming.

Early Mastodon meet the Cardiacs doing Botch cover numbers
is probably the nearest I can get to a quick description and even
then I am falling short of the mark.

This is head-fuck music of the highest order and I gladly embrace
its almost psychedelic and psychotic aggression gladly.

Technical chops they have in abundance but unlike so many
instrumental metal/hardcore bands, El Drugstore have the vision
and tunes to pull it off. 

Like "On The Corner" by Miles Davis, at first it seems almost too
complex and random to make sense but under the distorted instruments
there is a fucked up groove happening. 

This is the perfect soundtrack for a world full of tension, mistrust,
loners, paranoia and nerves shot to pieces with coffee and hate.

Saturday 14 December 2019

Cloud Rat - Pollinator


Like a rabid dog raping your childhood innocence, Cloud Rat
have unleashed a fucking tempest of punk, hardcore and grind
which will melt your face off.


Manic drums unite with furious buzzsaw guitars that
lay the template from which the frontwoman, Madison, can
unleash a barrage of fearsome shrieks that somehow contain
real emotion and feeling, rather than just some routine throat-
shredding.


What makes this stand out though, are the inserts of clean
vocals, spoken word, keyboards, ghostly chanting
and other superior touches that bring a huge depth of
atmospherics into this bleak masterpiece.

Tuesday 10 December 2019

Lightning Bolt - Sonic Citadel
























Crazed chaos from this drum / bass duo.


Brutal, fast noise rock - the drummer sounds like he
is playing 2 kits at the same time and fuck knows what
the bass is going through - thick fuzz guitar tones envelop
the tunes, with grunted vocals buried in the mix.


This is like World War 3 going off in your head but much
more fun - it made me jump up and down.

Saturday 5 October 2019

Daughters Of St Crispin - S/T

Madison WI post-punk vets churning out simple,
heavy songs of lament.
Russell Emerson Hall - guitar/voice (ex-Tyranny 
Is Tyranny, ex-United Sons of Toil, ex-Twelves)
Peter Leonard - bass/voice (ex-Droids Attack, 
ex-Rustbelt Sermon, ex-Poorman’s Therapy)


Daughters Of St Crispin bring a dirty amalgamation of
order and chaos - mixing elements of punk, noise and
sludge rock to form compositions that build on their
collective influences, creating a markedly unique sound.
Punk rock goes angular and angry, juddering through 
4 tracks of discordant, rhythmic and punishing slabs 
of excellence. The vocals are yelped but tuneful and 
counter-balance the complex guitar lines but before it 
all begins to sound like random, chaotic bursts of nonsense, 
you realise that they are also rocking like bastards! 
Taking the feel of the Jesus Lizard and the glorious 
feeling of what-the-fuck! song arrangements of These 
Arms Are Snakes, the album also has the added bonus 
of sounding like it was produced by Steve Albini. 
The tracks have real solidity to them - no wasted 
time or filler to the song structures - tension builds 
nicely as the urgent riffs hammer down.
This is the good shit.
Thanks to the band for sending this to me.

Wednesday 2 October 2019

A Horse Called War - Good For Glue (and nothing else)

APF Records, out of Manchester UK, are fast becoming vanguards
of the UK Sludge scene, boasting a venerable Roster including 
BATTALIONS, BONGCAULDRON, MASTIFF and PIST to 
name a few, have now unleashed another mind-crippler in the 
form of A HORSE CALLED WAR's new release "Good For Glue 
(And Nothing Else)"


An instant knuckle-duster in the face comes at you with the opener,
"Dog Is Dead" - raw, visceral Grind that'll put you on your ass on 
it's way past towards "Old One Eye", a sickening lurch from Doomed 
low-blows to Crusted apoplexy...'Pardon The Pun's bouncing, booming 
rhythms throw you around like a Rottweiler's rag-toy and bury you in 
the litter tray...The creeping death that is 'Don Frye' is a Titan-gripped 
chokehold on the senses...cavernous and infernal. The closer, 'Woodpusher' 
fires off parting blast-rivets of brutal, unflinching Misery and scoffs at 
your burning corpse.....AHCW have nailed a sound that is truly crippling 
and envigorating simultaneously...a credit to their Style, Talent and Intent! 
Unquestionable 5 Stars.

Review by reek of STOOM.
Released on Nov 22nd 2019

Tuesday 1 October 2019

The Lost Tribes - Doomed and Stoned

Another fantastic compilation to get your head nodding.



They have always been there.

Half-myths caught in whispered words, fleeting 
flickers in the corner of the eye, walkers of the Ancient 
Paths...Others. The beacon fires shone not on their lands 
and the call cast far to heed.Yet, slow as the bark grew, 
the bounties came...strange marvels from the strange folk.

The Lost Tribes.

This compilation is meant to be an accompaniment 
to 'Doomed and Stoned in England' (2019). It represents 
the artists who, due to circumstances, were unable to 
appear on it, along with others who were invited. This 
has a distinct "compilation" feel to it...like the ones 
you pulled from the bargain bins at the store, only 
knowing one name on the back, but delighting in the 
joy of that first spin. The Lost Tribes has that vibe.

And because they are good guys it is NYP.

Complied by reek of STOOM

Toadeater - Codex




Here is some blackened crust to make your toes curl.
Raw guitar tones combined with interesting song
compositions push the tunes forward while at the
same time pummel you into submission.

This is the good shit.

https://toadeater.bandcamp.com/album/codex
https://www.facebook.com/ToadeaterHC/

Tuesday 24 September 2019

Vicious Bastard - Lost EP

"Formed 10 years ago.

"Post Abortion Lust" Album released 8 years ago.

Last gig 4 years ago.

Here is an E.P recorded in 2012 but never released.

Vicious Bastard never dies, merely sleeps."




Vicious Bastard live up to their name giving
us some savage, short, bile-ridden grindcore.
It's kinda like being pushed down some stairs
naked - and the stairs are covered in sandpaper -
landing in a pile of salt and then some drunken
fuck comes and molests you. Horrible but strangely
thrilling at the same time.
This is the good shit.

Thanks to Luke for sending this to me.
Cheers to Stevie for turning me onto them.

Saturday 31 August 2019

Doomed & Stoned in England.

This is a monster of a compilation.
In the words of it's creator:

England is the Home of Doom. It's tempestuous history 
writhes with it: Plague and Fire, Invasion and Bloodshed, 
Treachery and Treason.

The distilled essence of this horror seeped into the 
very heart of the land: the opening, torrid peals of
 'Black Sabbath' heralding a new Era in Rock and 
finding resonance in an audience all-too-tired of the 
Hippie Lifestyle they couldn't share. England gave 
the Music World a different perspective...a darker, 
macabre one that spread like a canker across the Pop 
spectrum. Over time it has mutated, twisted into myriad 
forms and pseudo-genres, but that essence, that 'Englishness', 
that eerie symbiosis with the Dark remains. This is not 
the return of English Doom, oh no - It never left.

I believe it is an important audio artifact, a chronicle 
capturing the very best of the Underground scene here 
and an essential reference for future Stoners and Doomers alike. 
The very Best is indeed what's on offer here.

My heartfelt Kudos and Respects to all the Artists 
who gave their contributions freely and with overwhelming 
enthusiasm.
This was made by you. I salute you.

Reek of STOOM
England, UK

Sunday 11 August 2019

Crust/Anarcho Punk albums you should listen to.


Conflict - The Ungovernable Force



Doom - Total Doom



Crass - The Feeding Of the 5,000



Crisis - Kollectiv



Fall Of Efrafa - Owsla



Amebix - Arise



Antisect - In Darkness, There Is No Choice

I obviously do not own the copyright on any of
these - they are just for listening pleasure!

Sunday 2 June 2019

May Punk/Hardcore releases
























Hey kids, I do this so you don't have to.
This is the shit that makes me want to jump up and down!



Gutter Knife play punk with hardcore leanings. Great riffs
and vocals that don't make me want to rip my own ears out.
Frantic guitar licks as well.



Lockjaw have their roots in trash punk and it sounds fucking great.
No hanging around, 1-2-3-4 let's go. Want to hear a whole new album
instead of just an EP!



Post-hardcore from Canada. Mayfield have a dense sound which
does not distract from the frantic pace of songs or urgency that the
band deliver. Some lovely melodic hardcore tunes are delivered here.



This band keep evolving into something unique and powerful.
If you have not got this yet, why not!



Indie/punk that delivers its message but with a style that makes
you smile, hum the chorus and put a brick through a window.



German crust with doomy hardcore added. This is very intense, heavy
and the perfect soundtrack to play on the way to a job you cannot stand!



Horrible old skool three chord three piece skate punk thrash band 
straight off the mean streets of South Wales UK. Been waiting a while
for some new material and this does not let you down,


Rooted in traditional Metal sound, TT is chanllenging, weird and 
not easy at all to categorise. The way the music has been composed, 
with unusual patterns, with bizarre song structures and sometimes 
cacophonic yet still purely metal riffing. It's weird and you have been 
warned - listen at your own risk.


Montréal trio Lungbutter serves up an exhilarating and relentless
 barrage of astringent noise-punk driven by the ferociously wide-screen
 tri-amped guitar squall of Kaity Zozula, the brawny pummel of Joni 
Sadler's drums, and the wry subliminal/phenomenological sing-speak 
of vocalist Ky Brooks. Noise rock set to poetry - what's not to like!


The new Defeater album is immense - as we all knew it would be.
No more words needed.


Hailing from Boston and featuring members of Slapshot, 
Agnostic Front, Blood For Blood, and Intent To Injure, hardcore 
powerhouse American War Machine deliver their debut album Unholy War.
Hardcore punk perfection!

Saturday 11 May 2019

3 Chord Propaganda

My band has released an album.
A wiser man than me has said it sounds like
Killing Joke meets Motorhead and the Cancer Bats.
It is free to download.

Your choice.

Thursday 2 May 2019

April Punk/Hardcore releases


This is the stuff that caught my attention this month.
I found most of 'em all by trawling through Bandcamp
or blogs so you don't have to.


Pop punk/punk drive this album along nicely. Infectious
riffs and vocals hooks spew ear worms into your brain
while making you want to jump up and down.


Blistering hardcore/math-rock from Ithaca. Heavy,
blistering guitar work elevate this band heads and
shoulders above the cut'n'paste bands who seem to be
just going through the motions. This is the good shit.


Triple Deke dish up another slice of melodic skatepunk
with such ease and poise you have to wonder why they
have not become bigger than they already are.


Tongues of Fire are post-punk indie warriors who
wanna make your day start off with a bang. Great riffs
and songs with hooks that just slay.



Grindcore/hardcore/powerviolence - all tags that let
know that the ride ahead is going to be a wild one.
Heavy as fuck, this takes no prisoners.



These Japanese bruisers play hardcore with a rightous
power and sound. Add some screaming guitar solos
and all is right with the world.



Hardcore from Uruguay. That's all you really need to
know. Good Stuff.



Ear splitting, soul draining crust/hardcore from Fluoride.
Extreme music for extreme times.



Foxgrave play stupidly uplifting punk. Clean vocals
sit on top of punk'roll songs to fantastic effect.

Some of these bands are Name Your Own Price on
Bandcamp. Some are not. Get downloading.



Monday 1 April 2019

March Punk and Hardcore releases

This is the stuff that caught my attention this month.
I found most of 'em all by trawling through Bandcamp
so you don't have to.



Noise rock blurring into hardcore make this a lovely
chaotic racket to listen to.



A screaming voice bursts from the speakers, telling
you that some fine post-hardcore is gonna get you
jumping up and down.



Some Polish hardcore coming your way. Dual vocals
give an interesting slant to things. Fuck knows what
they are saying but they sound pissed off.



Garage punk makes a rare appearance in my
collection but hey, I'm a sucker for shouty vocals with
surf guitar.



Punk and stoner mixed together to give you some
dirges to delight your soul.



Described as feminist punk, this evokes a feeling of
hope and fury all at once.



Punk'n'roll - speedy riffs of malice and chants.



Berlin street punks play short and sweet bursts of anger.



Punk hardcore with melody and power.



Melodic punk with kicking gang vocals.



Hardcore with hints of melody but always buried in
the ultra heavy riffs.

Support all these bands - all available from Bandcamp
 - many as Name Your Own price.

Thursday 7 March 2019

BIL comp from 2013

I did this years ago but realised there is some banging tunes on it,
all available as a a free download. Help your self.

Wednesday 27 February 2019

February Punk/Hardcore releases on Bandcamp

This is not a random list of releases but albums on
Bandcamp that I have actually brought or been sent.


Hands down my favourite find of the month, Stiff
Richards play primal punk'n'roll, digging deep from
the rich well of riffs which was first mined by the MC5,
Stooges, Sonics etc but much faster. Pedal to the metal
tunes that want to make me jump up and down.



Adrenalized are having fun with melodic hardcore.
Controlled solos are sprayed around the tuneful, breakneck
riffs with gang vocals and plenty of power.



Let's go skate crazy with Sober Daze. Great crossover
punk being played with a sense of fun and purpose. Makes
me wish I still had my board.


Better Than Mending play cathartic post-hardcore which
sometimes can come across as another cut'n'paste band
but these guys bring real passion and honesty to the party.



Gamblers fuse raucous punk and hardcore riffing with big 
hooks to create something entirely their own. Very infectious
stuff here.



Anarcho-punk and spoken word combine to make The
Mighty Ur something rarely heard in my collection.
And it fucking works. Socio-political lyrics over the top
of what sounds like Stooges outtakes from "Funhouse"
are of course gonna sound very cool indeed.



The World is a Vampire delivers a serving of unsettled 
noisy goth punk. Add doses of 90's grunge and goth influence 
but create something truly nightmarish with it as they layer 
on bouts of vicious hardcore and moments of complete dementia.

Michigan's Cloud Rat absolutely stuns here with some of their 
best material. A gorgeous haunting piano and vocals track devolves 
into the swirling maelstrom that could only be Cloud Rat - 
blistering and dynamic grinding hardcore with Madison's pure venom on vocals.

 

Straight ahead, no fucking about hardcore that delivers
it's message in short, sharp, shocks.


Punk rock with catchy as hell choruses and gruff but tuneful
vocals. Anthemic riffs compete with solid song writing and
sometimes that's all you need.


Influenced by 80’s and 90’s punk rock waves and the 
skateboard lifestyle, Blowfuse crafts a style all its own, 
mixing the agressiveness of hardcore punk, the catchy
 melodies of 90’s punk rock, the powerful classic rock riffs, 
with acid and paranoic lyrics.

Mathcore and post-hardcore. Brutal with variation between clean
and chaos. I felt kinda worn out at the end but in a good way.


Noise rock and punk recorded live. Great sound, all yelping vocals
and angular riffs. Say hello to Metal Jeff!


Dr Ghost play anarcho-punk and crossover as if their lives
depend on it. Double bass drum madness drives these scorching
tunes to a frenetic conclusion that makes you press play
when the album ends.

Until next month ......farewell.

Sunday 3 February 2019

January Punk/Hardcore on Bandcamp.




Amplify - Deadlines
Melodic Hardcore that  races along with Skate Punk solos
that are sprayed all over the tracks.


My Favourite Weapon - Welcome To Hell
Punk Rock with melody and passion.


Native World - Native World
Post-Punk with female vocals, ragged riffs that dip a toe into Math-Rock.


Egg - Sophia
Punk with tunes, buzzsaw guitar and world-weary lyrics.

Terra Mater - Holocene Extinction Parts I & II
Two epic tracks of Crust Punk and Hardcore. Never has a 
violin sounded so sinister.

A Restless Mind - Where The Gold Grows
Punk Metal - don't wanna call it metalcore because there is much
more light and shade than normal.

Muro - Ataque Hardcore Punk
Classic hardcore sound - heads down and just play really fast.

Please, Believe! - In Potential
Noise Rock that straddles the world of Punk and AmRep.

Ils - Pain Don't Hurt
Sludge and Noise make an ear bleeding mixture which is
pulled off very well.

When I say Jump - Separation Anxiety
Emo Hardcore that veers between anguish and violence.


Of course, this is just the tip of the iceberg what has been released.
These are the ones I found and jumped up and down to.
I am right and you are wrong.

Friday 4 January 2019

Black Flag - Live '84




With tracks culled mainly from My War and Slip It In, 
this is a fiery document of a band kicking down any
preconceptions of how hardcore was supposed to sound.
I know that many people hold Damaged as their finest
hour but without taking anything away from that awesome
album, the next two were my personal highlights. Rollins was
sinking even deeper with his personal problems and this was
reflected in the lyrics and Greg Ginn was forging ahead with
his intense metal/jazz riffs and writing slower, longer songs
which just seemed to intensify the power and aggression. This
is a searing set with a band finding their peak.