Top Ten 2011

Decided to do a Year's Best list. I know I'm gonna forget some too.

So, in no particular order;

VIODRE-Interpol Alchemi

Cult of Youth-S/T

Cult of Youth-The Devil's Coals

Contrepoison/Vatican Shadow-split cassette

Prurient-Many Jewels Surround The Crown

Soft Kill-An Open Door

DRIVE OST

Blue Cross-Mass Hysteria

Staring Problem-Demo

The Soft Moon-S/T

Dekoder-Demo

ROME-Die Aesthetik Der Herrschaftsfreiheit 3xLP

Rosenkopf-Dispiritualized

V/A White Eye Of Winter Watching (Hospital Recs.)

V/A Old Ways Once More (Legion Blotan)

Grafvolluth-Long Live Death!

Ride For Revenge-Under The Eye

White Medal-Alone As Owt

Vanyar/Raggradarh-Split

Departure Chandelier-The Black Crest Of Death, The Gold Wreath Of War

Axnaar-Anart

V/A Odour Of Dust And Rot (Rhinocervs)

Amebix-Knights Of The Black Sun 12" e.p. (Not too fond of Sonic Mass though)

Law Of The Rope-Thee Age Of Tallow

Kenaz-Resurgence Nordique

WOLD-Freermasonry

Tukaaria/Odz Manouk-Split

Warhead-Acceleration e.p.

Concrete Asylum-Demo

Ferocious X & Guilty Connector-e.p.

False Insight-Demo

CREEM_Good Riddance/I Hate You e.p.

Hondartzako Hondakinak-Demo

Exit Hippies/Filth Militia-Split e.p.

R.O.T.T.E.R.-Demo

Nerveskade/Perdition-Split

ORdER-NazoNazo e.p.

Skizophrenia!-This Fucking Skizophrenia! e.p.

Kromosom/Isterismo-split

Deathcharge-Love Was Born To An Early Death

Vile Intent-Regression to The Mean

Lost Tribe-S/T

D-Clone/System Fucker-Split

SUDOR-Ganas De Vomitar

A Roar Agitating Violent Zouo

ZOUO 'A Roar Agitating Violent Age'

Crust War is re-releasing ZOUO's small catalog of music, their The Final Agony e.p., the 2 songs from Hardcore Unlawful Assembly compilation on an e.p. entitled Frustration and this live show from 1984, evidently a few weeks before recording The Final Agony e.p..

So, this was recorded at Candy Hall in Osaka on January 4th, 1984 and was a keepsake of Sin's (of Mobs, City Indian, Mohawks) that was recently unearthed in Taiki's (ex-singer of Freedom's ) occult shop. What's great about this live show, is that it has a dozen songs that weren't ever recorded!! The sound quality is good, not great, but it's the mighty ZOUO!

Dead?

Ildjarn 'Ildjarn Is Dead'

Part 1

Part 2

This is the very last thing Ildjarn put out before he called it a day. It's basically demos, unreleased and alternate versions. 90% of this is genius, but their are some fillers. This also came with a 16,000 word 'Final Statement', basically Ildjarn's manifesto. It is some serious reading. Anti-Human to say the least. It also makes a lot of sense. You can read it here. Also, an interview here. Half the reason for this post is the music, the other half is for his 'Final Statement', so if yer gonna download this, you MUST read the statement! Trust me! (and I would love to hear your thoughts & comments regarding his final statement.)

The music is what you'd expect, Ildjarn never, NEVER, falters. Raw, raw, bone raw, stripped down Black Metal. All the Hipster Raw Black Metal bands only wished these songs were their on their albums, and this is Ildjarns throwaways, his alternate versions,unreleased versions. The music, the lyrics, the mainfesto, absolutely anti-human outsider art genius!

The CD is seperated into different parts;

Disc 1-

Part 1 (tracks 1-7)Awaiting The Inevitable; As The Dark Soul Of Death Summons You

Part 2 (tracks 8-12)Continuity; And The Unknown Truths Herein

Part 3 (tracks 13-20)Continuity II;Materialize The End of the Darkened Path

Last Part (tracks 21-25)Into The Chambers of Submission;You Give Yourself To Nothingness

Disc 2-

Ildjarn 93 (tracks 1-8)

Minnesjord-The Dark Soil (tracks 9-22)

Unreleased & Unfinished (tracks 23-28)

Ildjarn's Forest Poetry.

Ildjarn w/ Nidhogg.

Social Crime

SOCIALCRIME 'Demo'

96/97 demo by this killer Japanese crusty Hardcore band. They did an e.p. after this and a full length in 2000-2001, here. The thing is I know next to nothing about these ragers. I know they appear on Crust War comps, I know their contemporaries are bands such as Battle of Disarm, Framtid, Gouka, Crocodile Skink, etc etc.

And I know this demo kills! Production wise it's top-notch! Their are a few live songs, but again, top notch production. Just killer Japanese Hardcore with a slight D-Beat look and crustpunk smell.

METAL MONDAY (pt. 84)

EMPEROR 'IN THE NIGHTSIDE ECLIPSE'

One of the Top Ten best Norwegian Black Metal LP's ever. This album raised the bar. Majestic. Haunting. Hateful. An album that brings the cold winter night to your ears.

After this, Emperor fell....

Left Field Sundays (pt 92)-XMAS 2011

A John Waters Christmas

The ever-merry John Waters has made a few compilations for his favorite holidays. This is the Christmas one. All the songs hand-picked by him, all a little off, like him.

Ya got The Cocktails, Tiny Tim, Rita Faye Wilson (of Patsy Cline's band), Big Dee Irwin, Rockabilly legend Jimmy Donley, Alvin & The Chipmonks and more. All around a fun album! John Waters is a genius!!

His Valentine's Day compilation, here.

Christmas Wrapping

One of my favorite Xmas songs ever. There was no official video and this was the LEAST annoying. Anyway, Merry Christmas Eve!!

PHOBIA

Phobia 'What Went Wrong' '90 Demo

LA's Phobia and their debut offering, the What Went Wrong demo. I think this is the best thing Phobia ever released, though they do have a pretty extensive discography and I don't know it all. Anyway, What Went Wrong is 10 songs of Political Grind with a D.I.Y. ethic. Absolutely killer demo! Devastating & brutal!

The vocalist Shane has just started a new band in Austin, Tx with one of my best buddies on vocals. (WarWind....!!)

Sunday School

Pyhakoulu 's/t' mini-lp

Here's a band that didn't get the accolades it deserved. Finland's Pyhakoulu (Sunday School). This is their 1987 mini-LP after they did a split e.p. with Abortti 13. After these they did another e.p., the guitarist died and they released an abum after posthumously. Led by then Queen of the scene, Saku, Pyhakoulu initially was meant to be an all girl band, but they had troubles finding a female guitarist. The music is at the cusp of D-Beat and UK82, and D-Beat whens the fight. With Saku's vocal delivery, Pyhakoulu is a perfect template of 1987 Finnish Hardcore. This isn't to be missed!!

LONG LIVE DEATH!!!!!

GRAFVOLLUTH 'Long Live Death!'

Kith and Kin of mine, dear friends, new and old (and half the band I don't even know!). Grafvolluth is a NYC Black Metal band that has graciously said yes after I basically begged & pleaded to put this LP up here on NBSF. This is some intense Black Metal here and I can't think of any other band to compare it to (Hate Forest is a stretch I suppose). Black Metal usually is despondent (which this is), hateful (which this is) and never offers the future any hope. This LP does though, to me at least. It offers hope and assurance (again, to me). It's just my hopes aren't the same as most peoples.

I can't say enough good things about this album. Really. I'm biased and I'm not. Honesty trumps friendship in these matters.

My pal's Erik & Matt also have a noise band (Kama Rupa) and you can see how Kama Rupa might've rubbed off in the making of this fantastic LP. In fact, I bet I could name all the songs they actually wrote on here, but that's moot.

So, again I find myself at a lack for words, so....I am gonna go drink some Drain-O now & let the music do the talking for me. Brilliant!

This ass skizophrniac skizophrenia raped

Skizophrenia 'This fucking SKIZOPHRENIA! Still A RAPED ASS.'

The Action's Skizophrenia & their much anticipated second e.p. , This fucking Skizophrenia! Still a raped ass. This second e.p. is just as good as their killer first ep, Raw Punk E.A.T.E.R.. Skizophrenia is part of a punk collective known as The Action (with Folkeiis, Intruders, REJECT {and a few newer ones as well})that is trying to keep the flame alive with unity, shows and comps (here and here). The bands in this little 'collective' are all some of the best Japanese bands around right now.

METAL MONDAY (pt. 83)

Drop Dead '1989 Demo'

First off, this is not the Drop Dead from Providence that plays brilliant Fastcore. This is the late 80's Drop Dead from Indianapolis that played Thrash. When I was a teenager in 87, 88, 89 I used to see these guys play alot. Not that I went to see them specifically, it's just they played with Hardcore bands and back then we weren't too picky on shows. If there was a show, we went, end of.

Anyway, Drop Dead. This is their 2nd demo, their first was from 1988. I like this better. The cover screams 1989! The music is par for the time and (more importantly) the place. Brilliant at times (cause like any good thrash band, ya steal from Metallica), pedestrian at others. Kinda like a really poor-man's Destruction.

And one last thing about Drop Dead. They were a christian band. Though you wouldn't know it by the music, lyrics yes, but music no. So, here's my question- Do people get upset if blogs put up Christian bands the same way they (understandably) get upset if blogs put up NSBM? I feel they should. Christianity has killed more people than any regime ever has. More jews than any regime as well. Nazism and Christianity are equally fucked up if ya ask me, so, does this mean your upset with me?? Hmmmm? Food for thought.

GREY SISTERS

GREY 'Sisters of The Wyrd'

Seattle three piece GREY. All female Doom. Formerly known as Baba Yaga who did a two song demo of crusty Doom. On this LP, GREY redid one of the two Baba Yaga songs, made it more gloomy, more slow, and more ominous. Their is also cover a 13 (another female heavy Doom band) song. I'm not a huge Doom fan, I like some, and this is one of em. Slow & Crushing, and done by three gothic-esque women. I couldn't ask for more,really.

HubbleBubble

Hubble Bubble 'S/T'

Hubble Bubble, from Brussels, Belgium, was a band started by Plastic Bertrand in between his solo stuff. If ya don't know Plastic Bertrand, he was a French Belgian (opposed to Flemish) who had the hit song in 1977 titled 'Ca Plane Pour Moi', you might think you don't know his song, but you do. It was the second ever French song to hit the Billboard Top 100 (at 39). The story of that song is this- many people suspected that it wasn't him actually singing on that track, and in 2010 (33 years later) he admitted it was the producer who sang on it as he was late to lay down the vocals. The song, or the music of the song rather, was then 'stolen' by Elton Motello and used for the classic and oft covered, Jet Boy Jet Girl.

Ok, now back to Hubble Bubble and the music of this post- It's apt for it's time, 1978. And coming from Brussels, one would figure that they would be behind London and NYC by at least a year, and one can hear that in the music. Similar I suppose to country mates The Kids or maybe Johnny Thunders (that's a bit of a stretch though) or The Vapors or Johnny Moped, stuff like that. Snotty mid 70's punk. But with more bounce. It is a band by the colorful Plastic Bertrand afterall.

Grind 101

Brutal Truth 'Extreme Conditions Demand Extreme Responses'

Grind 101. NYC's Brutal Truth and their debut full-length, Extreme Conditions Demand Extreme Responses... Formed by Danny Lilker who had been in S.O.D., Anthrax (their 1rst & only good LP), Nuclear Assault, Extra Hot Sauce, Exit-13 7 many more. This band, along with Terrorizer, Napalm's SCUM, Carcass's REEK, are the pinnacle originators of Grind (not to mention they perfected what they started). This is essential.

Wrong Decisions

BAD CHOICE 'Demo '09'

This Toronto band delivers 5 songs of Mosh-Tastic Breakdown Hardcore with their only release, the 2009 Demo. This thing is burly. Gnarly. Brings to mind a circle pit showdown of Breakdown (NYC), and Boston HC like Negative FX, SSD & Jerrys Kids. Shit, the whole song 'Dezerter' is one big breakdown. It-Just-Dont-Let-The-Fuck-Up! Shame they disbanded!

ASMODEUS

Asmodeus 'Life?' CD-r

This is my favorite crust band right now. 'Tokyo's Evil Metal Crust From Hell'. This is total fuckin AntiSect worship and they fuckin nail it (the New Dark Ages-era AntiSect). Listen to the 3rd song, holy fuckin shit! Chugga-Chugga-Wail, Chugga-Chugga-smell ya later!! Really, this shit is fuckin sinister! The specter of AntiSect (opposed to SDS being the Ghost of AntiSect). Really, ya'all, these 5 songs gets a 10 out a 10!! I can't recommend it enough!!! This even beats out AxeWield for crustiest act in Japan right now!!! I can smell the stench some 7000 miles away!

Post Script-When speaking of this band one has to mention AntiSect, and theirs some news in that camp! They have reformed and have recorded a new 2 song 10"!!!!!!

((prmtv-ccmltn))

((prmtv-ccmltn))-drive for return to inorganic matter demo cassette

New band ((prmtv-ccmltn)) or Primitive Accumulation and their first recording, the 2011 demo, Drive for Return to Inorganic Matter. These Halifax, Nova Scotian's recently sent me this cassette-only demo and it's a bruiser, bringing to mind early Man Is The Bastard who then gets in a fistfight with Despise You, but for 2011. It's definitely of the Power Violence ilk. It has an uncomfortableness to it, that works, and I think makes one think a little more or a little harder on their message/what their about/what their trying to say & do. Band member James lists influences as 90's PowerViolence and Fastcore, Raw Black Metal, Japanese Noise Punk, fusion-era Miles Davis, Marxism, Zen, Weed and the Atari 2600 (and when listening to the demo, ya can hear said influences). The band members have played in or still play in bands such as Contagium, Criminal Intent, MeanMug, White's Fisheries, Blight (Truro, NS), L/P (Truro, NS).

To procure a copy of this punisher of a demo, email- primitive.accumulation.hfx@gmail.com

FREERMASONRY

WOLD 'Freermasonry'

WOLD's 2011 release. Low-brow bottom feeder blackened noise layered on top of a gaseous and noxious mucky swamp of black metal. It doesn't get more urchin than this. It's a back alley mugging laceration from a rusty switchblade. It's a red-raw carpetburned knee abrasion. It's as grating as it can get and I think their best release since their monumental LOTMP.

LIVE THE CHAOS

FILTH 'Live The Chaos'

Here is your lesson for today- Bar Area's Filth released this 4 song e.p. in 1992 and it didn't leave many-a-punkrockers turntables for quite some time. Definitely Lookout Records punkest output. It's kinda if Lookout bands went crust, and I geuss it did. I actually didn't love this e.p. when it came out, but have since grown to love it.

LIVE THE CHAOS!

Left Field Sundays (pt 91)

CONTREPOISON 'The Thunders Which Collide'

I have been waiting hand & foot for this. Easily one of the three best bands of 2011. Their songs on the Hospital Records 2xcassette comp 'Around The Dragons Broken Neck...' are so fuckin amazing and the song on the split cassette with Vatican Shadow is just as compelling. The Thunders Which Collide is a three song mini-cassette about a journey through the storms of love and they are as dark as said storms tend to get. The second song is my favorite here, solely cause the vocals (which are morosely captivating) stand out. Really, this band couldn't rate higher with me. It's one of the fella's from Akitsa doing DarkwaveGoth and he reinvents the genre. This is Contrepoison's year for sure, I just hope 2012 is equally as powerful & spellbinding for them as 2011 was. Genius.

False Insight

FALSE INSIGHT 'Demo'

5 song crusher by new Japanese band False Insight. It's loud & straddles the fence between noisey D-beat and doomish crustpunk. They compare themselves to Concrete Sox, but I don't really hear it. I suppose if ya stretched it. Whatever. Anyway, again, this fuckers loud! I hope to see more False Insight in the immediate framtid.

Vanradarh

Vanyar/Raggradarh 'Split'

Killer Black Metal split.

Vanyar play epic, Tolkein inspired, Yorkshire-based Black Metal with members of White Medal, Axnaar, SUMP, Mutant Ape, & Gammel Sed. I posted their first LP a while back. Vanyar was the sole reason I got this.

Raggradarh was a surprise though. It's a one-man entity from Bulgaria who has quite the extensive catalog who plays his brand of Pagan Black Metal. Their is only one Raggradarh song on here, though it colcks in at 21 minutes, though it's really just a 5 minute song, meaning most 20 minute songs break down into different parts (a fast BM part, an acoustic part, a medieval part, etc etc) but this 21 min song stays the same throughout. And it works. Really. The riffs are sooo good, and the muffled & pained vocals compliment it so well. It's not barbaric, nor is it gothy. It's kinda reminds me of Shadowthrone-era Satyricon (just the chords n riffs). Anyway, it's a killer song that I keep listening to.

Overall, a damn good Black Metal pairing here, one that shouldn't be skipped.

Endulance and Lie are your Reality?

Answer Crying 'Under The Authority-Endulance And Lie Are Your Reality'

Japanese ragers Answer Crying nail it on this CD. These guys take the Crust War/Tribal War Asia blueprint, steal the fucker, run with it & make it their own, really, they just fuckin nail it. Each song is as rampaging as the next, not a dud on here.