The key word for this month's crop of reviews is 'heavy'. I came across a lot of very heavy records this last month. Like most of these selections will make your ears bleed so be warned. I also reference Today Is the Day a shit ton here so whatever, that's what I was hearing. Maybe you'll agree? It's not like that sort of influence is a bad thing right? Anyways, read on and be on the lookout later this month for not only more new Hex Records-related news, but an overview of the upcoming No Coast Fest down in Denton, TX which I'll be attending. People and bands who want to argue about these reviews come find me at the Hex Records table. I'm looking at you KEN Mode! Just kidding.
BALCANES, “Gloria Eterna”
The Spanish have their noise rock and they’re not going to let you forget it. Balcanes has their own particular thing going on and I’d say it’s pretty good. They sound absolutely grimy, with twelve-ton bass that rumbles and lumbers throughout this LP. However, the band seems to take a similar approach to nearly all their songs- find a heavy riff and then hammer it into your skull over and over again for the entirety of the track. They also throw in a couple of straight up noise tracks, which I could do without. Closer “Bona Nit” appears to veer into noise again but turns into a piano piece with some wild, skronky saxophone to go with it and I can appreciate that. Overall though, it’s a mean-sounding record, very bleak indeed. Their singer is the only one here keeping this sounding somewhat upbeat as his voice reminds me a bit of like Dennis from Refused or the guy from Lack, where he’s shouting, not really screaming, and coming off like he could easily join up with a positive hardcore band if this group doesn’t work out. It’s honestly a nice dichotomy from the seemingly non-stop aggression present here. (self-released)
CITY OF CATERPILLAR, “Mystic Sisters”
Of all the possible reunions that could take place this is one of the more odd ones. Maybe it feels that way because I didn’t give this band all that much attention when they were around, and I don’t know if they really had a big impact of any kind during their tenure. I always felt they were a bit more of a project while the members other bands were far more influential. But those crazy Northern VA kids and all their various bands are like one big ‘ol musical collective, so I guess it should come as no surprise that they just shuffle their lives around a bit to make room for jamming in basements with one another until things click. So while older fans may be wondering if the group’s initial melodic-screamo style in the vein of Gravity Records stuff like Antioch Arrow and Mohinder remains, the answer to that question is ‘not really’. But what do you expect? It’s been like 20 fuckin’ years. And there’s a bit of a change in personnel here too. They still write some fairly long songs if that was your thing. So what really has changed? Well, for one thing, this has a great recording. It sounds big, full, and appropriate for people who have spent probably more than half their lives in vans touring through every mold-encrusted basement, shifty tavern, and probably playing the occasional parking lot with a generator. They’ve all honed their skills as musicians and creators and display a dose of the familiar (at times) with new ideas and sounds they want to explore. It’s cool. It’s not entirely my thing still, but it’s respectable. A friend who is a fan of both their old and new stuff has described this as being more ‘cinematic’ and I think I can appreciate that comparison. (Relapse)
CLOUD RAT, “Threshold”
Consistently one of the most interesting bands that could be lumped into ‘grindcore’, but so much more than that, Michigan’s Cloud Rat once again show on their newest record that they excel at making extreme music that is both frantic and otherworldly. I’ve always felt they are a group that carries the torch of Discordance Axis in their ridiculous intensity and forward-thinking parallel universe approach to grind (not to mention some of the best drumming you’re apt to find anywhere), but also the style-hopping that Converge can pull off between hardcore, metal, and occasional melody. Nowhere is this melding of styles to great effect found more clearly than tucked into the middle of the B-side on “Porcelain Boat”. But it’s really the front half of the record that’s showing what the band is capable of through dizzying speed, fractured storytelling lyrics, impossible to nail transitions, and unyielding intent. Cloud Rat never disappoints. Just seeing what this group- a trio consisting of just guitar, drums, and vocals- continue to pull off, and have pulled off over several full lengths already, is an amazing feat in and of itself. This is another victory for the band and worth your attention. (Artoffact)
COORDINATED SUICIDES, “This Could Be Heaven”
These Wisconsin miscreants have been at it for quite awhile now and it seems they have been sitting on this stuff or a long time but are finally releasing it proper after some teasers over the last couple of years. Damn. It sucks to sit on material for that long without getting it out to listeners. Well, welcome to creating music in 2022 where you’d think progression was a thing that was actually happening. But I digress. With a name like Coordinated Suicides you can be sure this isn’t happy-go-lucky, having a fun picnic sort of music. Stylistically they veer into a few different directions, but I’m most closely reminded of Today Is the Day, somewhere between the more down-tuned sludgy evil they started on with “Temple Of the Morning Star” and the uncomfortably melodic bliss rock that would show up here and there on records like “Willpower”. Also, putting all that distortion on the vocals really drives the reference point home. Still, what the band is doing is worthy of attention as it is heavy, weird, unsettling, and downright ugly a lot of times. While a lot of the heavier songs err on the side of down-tuned sludgy noise rock there’s a couple rippers like the 90 second “You Could Smile” and the equally abrasive “Like Shining Flies”. But then you get an absolute spine-crusher with the repetitive downer “Sarcoma” and I’m wondering if these dudes need some time away from Madison’s cold and oppressive weather and spend a few weeks on a tropical island… ya know, just to beat out the seasonal affect disorder that is clearly at play here. While the first 2/3 of this record are wonderfully varied and engaging the last few tracks drag a little bit as they’re all longer and switch between spooky acoustic meditations and slowcore sludge. Overall though, a winner of oppressive weird heaviness. (TemporalRecords)
KEN MODE, “Null”
KEN Mode are absolutely punishing in every sort of way to a point where their music can feel almost overwhelming or, at times, suffocating. They have always, consistently, pushed that extreme envelope, though I’ve sometimes felt it was being ‘extreme’ just for the sake of it and it occasionally turned me off. Of course, I could just be an asshole too, which is perfectly reasonable to assume. But I’d like to say that on “Null” this is legitimately a painful, hurtful record and every ounce of it is pure. Composed during a time of heavy anxiety, depression, and solitude one can really feel it’s brutal honesty. Like most of their records, the sound is huge and heavy and their Today Is the Day-meets-Unsane-meets-Botch sort of sonic mincing is dense on the metallic end of things, as long time listeners will approve of the shorter, faster cuts here. However, it’s the addition of saxophonist/keyboardist/noise grinder/whatever Kathryn Kerr that really adds a new dimension to the band’s sound and it works to great effect, particularly on opener “A Love Letter”, with it’s skronky sax parts. They don’t lighten up a bit until halfway point “Not My Fault” with it’s almost post-hardcore perpetual buildup. It should be noted as well that this record is not just an exercise in tricky riffs and pounding bass. Both “The Tie” and “Unresponsive” are soundscape pieces that pull more from Swans than Deadguy, and make heavy use of those noise elements. They’re not throwaway tracks either, but I’m certainly more of a fan of the riffs. Anyway, KEN Mode pulled off an awesome record here that’s both forward-thinking/progressing on their end, and also totally satisfying to those who are already fans. (Artoffact)
PORCELAIN demo
OK, so these Austin folks have to be extremely aware of just how much they sound like Unwound. I mean, Steve also plays guitar for Exhalants and everyone knows they have a lot of Unwound love… just played incredibly heavy much of the time. Porcelain has a sound that certainly recalls Exhalants (I mean, same guitarist/vocalist), but just reeled in a bit more to give exclusive focus to that Unwound and Sonic Youth love and it’s done well. There is clearly a bigger emphasis on melody here with passages going in and out of trance-like bliss, particularly on third track “C.O.A.”. For the four tracks presented here it’s a very good start I have to say, even though I am admittedly a bit biased. But hey, go figure it out for yourself and tell me I’m wrong. I’m not. (self-released)
SUNTOUCH HOUSE demo
There’s a lot of activity happening around a handful of Jacksonville loud dudes and doing as many bands as they possibly can. Between Yashira, Colonial Wound, and now Suntouch House there’s some member differences and a bit of musical chairs, and probably five other bands I’m forgetting and a whole lot of super heavy music. This project does a good job of combining some of Yashira’s metallic hardcore tendencies as well as some of Colonial Wound’s sludgier noisy moments. What’s a bit distinct here, though, is this extra little factor that recalls early Today Is the Day. It’s most readily apparent on “Neverending”, which sounds like it could have been a B-side on “Willpower”, or a demo take of “Mountain People” from the s/t album. The vocals are all hardcore shouting but again, some of that more chaotic style rears it’s head on “Disgusting/Give Me the Gun” before it goes into a creepy melody and then closes out with some Kiss It Goodbye-styled stomp and smash. (Daze)
V/A, “Exhibit A”
This project was started a couple years ago and finally coming to fruition just now, and it’s certainly worth the wait. As I understand it, one of the guys from Bitter Branches (who appear here with a killer cover of PJ Harvey’s “50 Foot Queenie”) hatched the idea for this and it appears the several labels who assisted with releasing this have their bands well represented through the stellar roster of groups on here. There’s plenty of representation from the current crop of fast hardcore bands like Gel, Faim, School Drugs, and Truth Cult along with the older heads showing off their current bands- Be Well, Crossed Keys, Every Scar Has It’s Story, and the aforementioned Bitter Branches. And then you get a smattering of what’s going on in the ugly, noise rock side of the punk spectrum with the likes of Exhalants, Multicult, Fashion Week, and Easy Prey delivering new, B-side, or demo versions of hard-to-find tracks. A couple standouts for me are HIRS absolutely destroying everything in sight with a double dose of metallic craziness and Rid Of Me laying down a wild cover of “Sabotage”. Atomic Action Records, Hellminded, and Knife Hits are a few of the prime suspects here getting this thing together and the entire shindig is a benefit for Southern Poverty Law Center. Personally, when I think of hardcore and punk it encompasses a lot of different sounds and ideas and is never about just playing either fast or slow and screaming over it. A lot of people miss that. I think this comp is a perfect representation of not only a bunch of bands that are quite awesome, but of that umbrella term for this crazy stuff we subject our ears to daily. (lots of labels)
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