Radiation Mutation

First post of the new year! I'm not really much for resolutions and all that malarky, but I do intend to increase my productivity on this blog, and already a steady stream of interesting tapes and records are coming my way. Maybe some interviews will start actually happening too, who knows. Let's just get right into the real meat of this post though, and talk about this Cystoblastosis/Deterioration split tape I picked up last year. Not sure how many copies were made, but there are a few different variants over the three labels that put it out; Thoracopagus Records, Grindfather Productions, and Shattered Dreams Productions.

I finally got to witness Deterioration for the first time last year and it was probably the best grindcore set I've ever seen. It was a pure, angry grind barrage and they stopped maybe twice their whole set. I was floored from beginning to end. This is one of the new recordings to have a bassist on it and as usual the band delivers. Brutal riffs and screams, constant blast beats, in your face genuine grindcore. With the bands usual presence of charm of course. The opening of "Beat That Nerd To Death" is pure genius, you have to hear it for yourself. Theirs also an excruciatingly long field recording of all of them eating into a microphone, which almost makes me gag. Killer stuff as always, y'all already know!

Some of you may or may not know Cystoblastosis; a brutal mince/goregrind band from Russia that has been really kicking ass the past couple of years. Their releases perfectly blend the line of having quite good recordings, but still managing to have a pretty vicious and raw sound. Playing to their strengths and delivering quality gore! You'll find all the mince riffs you could want, with the frantic and spontaneous energy to match. It's simple and familiar, but very strong. This stuff is genuine as hell, and definitely checks all the marks I look for in this kind of grind. Everyone should definitely check out Cystoblastosis, snare drum ring on!!

I'm not sure if this is the Shattered Dreams version or the Grindfather one. It's definitely not the Thoracopagus edition, that one has slightly different cover art. The packaging is crispy as hell, with a nice multiple panel J-card printed on very sturdy card stock. The dub is pretty good, not great. The snare drum is really buried on my copy, which is a pity because both bands have quite favorable snare sounds. I can live with it though, it's still good.

There will probably be quite a lot more Deterioration posts this year, and hopefully some more Cystoblastosis ones. If we all aren't blown up that is. Welcome to planet Earth everyone!

~VII

Radical Urban Isolation

I got a distinctive, excitable rumbling in my guts; the kind that pops up when I find a band I get really excited about. One that I need to acquire as much material from as I can. In a recent trek up to Canada I was able to get a couple releases from the Toronto, ON sometimes noisecore/sometimes powerviolence hot mess Beggin' For Oyxs. This is a tape that they put out this year, "Radical Urban Isolation". Not sure how many were made.

I'll keep it short and sweet just to keep my point focused; this tape is pretty much perfect. It's exactly what I look for in my noisecore. Just pure, balls to the wall, no bullshit volume and speed. The kind of focused and articulate brutality in the same league as other greats like Sedem Minut Strachu, World, and Sissy Spacek. Side A is just non-stop fire, nothing but insane tempos across 20 sharp and short tracks. The snare is perfectly up front and annoyingly loud in the mix, the guitars create a beautifully gross wash, fuck-riffs-style, with some seriously pissed off vocals on top. This shit makes me wanna throw chairs at a wall. Side B has a lot more groove and some slower bits, more variation if you will, but no intensity is lost. This tape is 8 minutes of pure, blood pumping noise, I'm in love.

The consistent aesthetic on every Beggin' For Oxys release is another quality I appreciate a lot about the band. The graffiti lettering on the cover, the total lack of any color or information. It's wonderfully non-caring, but still manages to be just the right touch.

Listen to Beggin' For Oxys, that is all.

~VII

Found In The Mud

Real quick post about another devestating goregrind/noise tape released by some very quality labels. The Arizonian, 1-man, goretank project that is Gastroptosis, and Japan's Oniku. Another excellent 1-man band. This sweet little split tape was released in a total run of 75 copies by Ill Faith Records, Fermented Bile Vomit Records, and Craniophagius Parasiticus Records. I got my copy from Ben of CPR when I was in Toronto last month, it is a single sided tape.

Gastroptosis is yet another stupidly good goregrind/noise project created by Chris Tapo (most notably of Oozing Pus fame), and I love pretty much every new band he starts. Gastroptosis has been one of the more active projects in his roster and one of my personal favorites as well. We get 5 new tracks on here, featuring the usual traits of what makes great goregrind; hard hitting, to the point riffs, thundering drums, horror movie samples and absolutely monstrous, wet vocals. Chris is a master at programming good drums, and while the drums here are a bit buried under the gunky guitars and vocals, their power is undeniable. Great, raw, angry and savage goregrind, so good.

Oniku is a band that I really have not given many listens to (outside of this tape), but every time I do I realize I need to get more of their releases. Five tracks of very solid goregrind, also featuring programmed drums. These songs actually sound very well developed, like some real time was spent writing these riffs and compositions. Strong obvious influences are bands like Active Stenosis, Blue Holocaust and Regurgitate, very chunky groovy riffs with a lot more variety than Gastroptosis's side previously. The recording is a heck of a lot cleaner than the average 1-man goregrind band, it has a real 90's sound to it. There isn't any noise influence at all. While this recording may lack the savage, blown out fidelity I usually like, the quality of this material is undeniable.

Very loud and crisp sounding dub, both bands are one one side as previously mentioned. I'm not sure if the other label's releases are also single sided. 

~VII

Like A Worm In My Liver

Highly highly highly recommended brutal noisecore split right here. A nauseatingly rotten goop pile of a cassette released very recently by Strangle and Amuse Tapes and Hjitrous Tyror. It will definitely go down as one of my favorite splits of the year. Here is the split release by the insanely brutal Chopped of Dick and the up and coming Genital Cancer, not sure how limited it is.

Chopped Off Dick are a fucking great, brutal noisecore band from Ohio that have stuck out to me among the crop of underground bands right now. No bullshit, demented, savage beat downs with a very clear focus on their unique delivery, and also a heavy influence of true crime. Each song uses crude, constantly blasting programmed drums, no frills or fills, just blasting. With a good amount of wretched guitar riffs that have a twisted death metal style, and layers of fucked up gutterals and screams. Like a healthy mixture of early ANb, Mortician, and Mellow Harsher, but fucked up on hardcore hallucinogens. I really dig how the recording quality and even the tone of the drum machine will change from track to track (another maybe unintentional nod to early ANb), and the sheer chaotic blend of sounds that come up on every track make each one unpredictable and engaging, and also sort of numbing. It will sound like a whole other track is invading the one you're listening to, a weird bubbly gurgle or guitar solo will come out of no where, or a wave of other vocal tracks. It's chaotic, fucked up noisecore to the extreme. I love it.

On my copy, even though both sides have their own artist's labels, right after the COD side ends Genital Cancer's side starts right up. The Genital Cancer side is mysteriously blank, which really confused me the first time I played this. But yeah, thankfully GC's side is here and in tact, starting very smoothly by a slow building ambient intro. With a creepy as hell movie sample for a good minute or more until the disgusting gore starts flying. Genital Cancer is raw gore/noise project featuring members of Hypnic Jerk, and their side is brutal as hell. Lo-fi, out of tune, frantic shit gore; the kind of filthy sounds that real, dark bedroom dwelling, horror movie enthusiasts like myself swarm too. It's a good mixture of raw mince, goregrind and noisecore, bonus points for the little hip-hop sample too. I'll be bugging Travis for more material until they release it for sure.

The packaging is just brilliant, and is so wonderful to look at in person. The cover is a silk-screened sticked pasted on the cassette shell, and also comes with a brutal double-sided insert. Everything about this release pops out!

The aesthetic is really on point with this one. 

Please go and buy this great split, it comes with a high recommendation from me. Noisecore lives. 

~VII

Neither Powerful Nor Violent

Here's another great split that was recently released by Chaotic Noise Productions, and another spotlight on an excellent up and coming grindcore band from the Midwest; the mighty Landfill. A band with a promising reign of noise ahead of them, I'm very happy that they were able to do a split with the classic Suppression. It's well deserved and it's a savage pairing. Not sure how limited this is.

Landfill started as a solo project by Will Olter (ex-Faction Disaster, Methlab Explosion), and has since then evolved into a sort of band with a revolving cast. This particular session has Will on all instruments, and Andy from Captain Three Leg on vocals. Nine tracks of totally legit, brutal grindcore. Ruthless blasting, cued in with those wonderful count-in snare hits. I really like the drum sound on this recording. The guitars and bass are a pleasantly disgusting wash of frantic riffs, don't expect any slow parts, you karate moshing neanderthals. The inclusion of Andy worked perfectly, and gave this recording a little more of a personality than the typical gutteral grind vocals would do. The rapid pace of the lyrics and gruffness of them give the songs a little Shitstorm/Despise You flavor, which I definitely appreciate. This is serious grindcore, be on the look out for this bands stuff in the future. 

Suppression have really been blowing me away over the past few years, and have had an interesting progression over their existence. Starting with a raw, sort of unhinged powerviolence sound, turning into an experimental/noise rock band. Now they have come to form as one of the most exciting and impressive noisecore bands currently active! They really go all over the place over the ten tracks they've put here. There's a few more lengthy (as in 30 seconds to a minute), riff centric tracks, with splashes of noisecore microsongs interluding between them. Heavy amounts of bloopy noises and lots of vocal effects. The amount of diversity keeps the whole side sounding exciting, there's always a knew sonic idea popping up. Masters of their craft and amazingly loyal to the underground, an amazing band. 

Another wonderful layout and presentation from CNP, with all the info you would want to know about the release. Another perfectly dubbed tape as well.

Listen to the split here, a link to buy it is above. 

~VII

Floating Rot

A great tape from some wonderful, trustworthy noise makers, released on a legendary cult label. I was sold from the very start. This is the excellent Oozing Meat/Hypnic Jerk split cassette, released this year on Chaotic Noise Productions. Most likely limited to 50-100 copies.

Hypnic Jerk is an excellent noisecore band from Michigan, and have been highlighted on this blog before. They've coined one of the best slogans for their group; Sincere Noisecore. Two words that perfectly describe the Hypnic Jerk experience. They are true purveyors of uncompromising, lo-fi harshness. Everything is 110% distorted, blown out, gritty, gore obsessed and fucked up. Characteristics that are still completely true on this 7 minute, 16 track recording. One of the rawest sessions I've heard from the Jerks, recorded as a duo, possibly in a live show setting. Yet again bordering on pure harsh noise, every sound is mangled and suffocating. Sharp spiked of feedback shriek out from the basement fidelity, low end rumbles and spastic blasting. Tortured and wretched vocals come through sometimes to let you know the members are still alive. Crushing stuff.

Oozing Meat is a more recent noisecore band featuring Jason Hodges from Suppression/Mutwawa/Bermuda Triangles, etc. and they are a glorious, twisted mess of noise. In good ol' noisecore fashion, they've cram 123 tracks under one name, "Floating Rot", and it's dank as fuck. The recording is very good, very loud and piercingly intense. Hot screeches of contact mic feedback open it up, with a repetitive sample of someone saying "oozing meat". The drums and vocals come in slowly at first in short bursts, giving lots of time for the pure noise to breath. As the side continues, the tracks and blasting become more and more close together and intense, with lots of varied vocals and different pieces of instrumentation and editing. The way that this side is edited and chopped together is incredibly sharp and jagged too, which we all know is a sound I'm a huge fan of. Tracks and vocals will start and stop very suddenly in a glitchy sort of way, it's very tinkered with. Another super solid side that makes me want more!

The J-card is very professionally made, with a brutal and tidy layout that perfectly suits the ugly sounds on this tape.  The dub is perfectly crispy too.

You can listen to this tape here, a link to purchase it is above. Please support these bands and Chaotic Noise Productions.

~VII

Caught In The Wash

I have gained a new obsession lately, a band who I'm literally mad at myself for not getting into sooner (when a lot of their records were cheap and easily available). I'm talking about the brilliant stupidity that is Minch. A rare band who I will go far as to say has a near perfect discography. Everything I've heard has been A++ quality, shit noise outrageousness. Unfortunately, almost all of their early splits from the 90's go for a pretty penny. So who knows when I'll be able to score classics like "Seven Minch" and the Gore Beyond Necropsy split. A cheap split that I was lucky to snag recently is the 7" they shared with Breathilizor from back in 2004. All pressed on green vinyl, 33 1/3 RPM.

Minch is three weirdo's from Ohio that make some weird ass noise. Equipped with a washing machine for drums, some sort of guitar figuration,  their strained vocal chords and wild imaginations. Each track is a fucked up mush of deep thuds from hitting the washing machine, and 2-3 people yelling frantically about various dumb shit. It's goofy, brutal noise that winks at you quite a lot, with it's tongue bursting out of it's cheek. Is it brilliant though; abso-fucking-lutely. I can't get enough of this record; when I bought it the first day I played it three times in a row. The chaotic, rapid fire vocals are so infectious, I'm always trying to decipher what exactly they're yelling about. Lots of dicks, pussy, ass, fucks, bells and whistles. It also sounds like they speed up the vocal tracks to make them even more spastic, which I dig a lot. I got to play this record twice at the record store I work at, and every time multiple poeple had to ask me what they were being forced to listen to. Which I happened to think was a perfect reaction. The almighty Steveggs also makes an always appreciated vocal appearance on this recording (note the illustration style on the cover). Incredible recordings, I say 100% necessary.

Breathilizor is another band who's records I've seen literally everywhere, but they always looked like something I would never be interested it. That sort of goofy, low quality, rock/thrash stuff. Upon listening to them, I'm a bit half right in my premonitions. The music is pretty much what I expected, but I actually enjoyed it quite a bit! It's tremendously goofy, but can you honestly expect anything else from people who were in the band Sockeye? 4-track quality recordings of hard rock/punk songs about space, adventures, and Pacman. It's enjoyably stupid, I can audibly hear the fun being had by the people making it. I'm not sure if I'll buy a lot of their records, since I honestly don't care for the styles of music they work with, but I'll be coming back to this for sure.

All copies of this were pressed on green vinyl, packaged in a very nice and sturdy, double sided sleeve.

So yeah, I officially need every Minch record ever. Wish me luck.

~VII