Q: punk? A: punk!

The best punk ep ever. No arguments accepted, shove'em up your ass.

flawless

Shut up already!

In every music 'zine or punk/hc documentary I've read/watched over the years there's always the same question haunting the reasons someone decided to start a 'zine or film a documentary in the first place. The question is no other than "is hardcore/punk dead?" and "if it really died in 1988". Stuff like that are amusing and for sure can start endless debates on forums or in the letter section of MRR but also create divisions that lead our beloved music genre to a slow death. So, here's what I think when someone asks me if hardcore punk is dead.....fuck no! 2012 and still kickin'!

Taking You Down With Me! #12

Summer's here, motivation's gone and my nerves are tense. Below are some 'zine reviews that I finally found the time to post, some are already out of date but really, name a 'zine that's not out of date in the internet era. Oh, and today Greece is playing against Germany in the dog-killing football fest of euro 2012, I always hated national teams and that's because of the pseudo-unity that comes along...you know, the "we may fight all year long about our local teams but when the national plays, we stand together" shit. This year though I'm taking the hate to a whole new level and openly support any other team except Greece! We're in a country where 50% of the young people are unemployed and most of them have no chances for a brighter future (not for a decade at least!), people getting fired from jobs they've been in for over 20 years due to budget cuts, the numbers of homeless people expand every single day but guess what? The national team and the corporations behind it get a shitload of money for participating in the capitalist fiesta of  modern football....it only makes me wonder, there are money to spend on football but not on welfare, health care, education and creating new job oppurtunities?!
For those reasons, I'll shout 'till my lungs explode: Go Germany, kick their ass! 

Nowhere #2 (May 2012) Greece

My good friend L. is back with another issue of Nowhere 'zine, packed with tons of interesting and amusing stuff. It's all cut & paste, black & white, 95pgs long 'zine done out of pure love for punk and radical politics. In this issue there are interviews with the greek post-psychedelic rockers, Bad Trip, the all new to me, Terra Tenebrosa and the lovely Swedes from Terrible Feelings. A short essay about Muslim punk that comes out really great, even though it's a short one, L. manages to give you an idea of what the hell "Muslim punk" is including the social backround it was born in. Many of us spoiled punx of the western front will be suspicious about it, even all-out critical, but guess what motherfuckers, our version of punk is not the only one nor the righteous, tolerance and understanding is what separates us from the religious nutbags out there and brings us closer to our punk brothers and sisters from all around. Back to the 'zine, there some fine art included, courtesy of 3 dedicated punks that give their time,energy and love to make show flyers/posters, band logos, artwork & more. I'm probably fogetting something but it's better to get a copy yourself and read it front to back. Score one here: N O W H E R E Z I NE

Rebuild #1 (January 2011) Serbia

Ok, I had this 'zine in the review/reading bin for almost a year but I just decided to read it....or to put it in my own words, cope with it. As you might have guessed by the cover alone, this is a straightedge hardcore 'zine. I've come across some similar 'zines in the past and you know what? They seem all the same to me, it's like reading a high school archive (the ones they hand out by the end of the year with every jerk's picture and short goodbye notes) only this one is about music....and stories of how people found or lost the edge. Really people, there are waaaay more intersting and infuential stuff to tell about regarding life and commitments than braggin' the whole fuckin' time about how Youth Of Today (and if I hear/read someone mention them as "Y.O.T" ever again, I'll cut his/her head off!), 7 Seconds, Casey Jones or whatever other band made you stop drinking, smoking, eating, fucking through their lyrics. Fortunately there are a couple of interesting interviews here, mostly because of the answers and not the questions. Devotion is one, described as heavy rock/doom and the dude behind the band sounds as a cool, open minded, laid back kinda guy, who's just expressing himself through music. Kingdom is a band that is trying to get people unstuck their heads from their asses and have something actually vital to say, best asnwer ever in the classic "how does it feel to be a woman in a hardcore band" question! Worth getting a copy for this one alone! Of course, the "back in the day" guy is also featured, he says that it was different back then when.....(wait for it!).....we had our crew and marked X's on our hands! Fuck this, I'll go grab a beer and smoke a joint listening to Disclose.

More Noize #7 (October 2011) U.K

I've seen tons of reviews about this one so I'll keep it short. More Noize is mainly focused on the noisier side of punk, or should I say on the ear-damaging, brain-melting, raw fuckin' hardcore/punk that's definitely up my alley. Interviews with the young punks from New York, Deformity, Injections, Fogna from Italy, Kylma Sota from Finland and a tribute punk band from Japan that only plays in wedding ceremonies (how awesome is that!?). Lots of record, tape and cd/cd-r reviews written with the perfect dose of irony and sillyness to keep you reading even if you're not interested. Where are the next issues Tony? We want more! Get in touch for copies.

...more soon.

pure punk

recently released awesome records

Tragedy - "Darker Days Ahead" LP

(Tragedy Records)

I love how they changed their style but kept the best elements of their previous releases (see: s/t). Sure the Amebix influences are all the place on this one but in my opinion this is the kind of stuff that all of us were waiting from the latest Amebix record and Tragedy only made it even better. Killer tracks are Close At Hand, a mid-to-fast-paced, claustrophobic rhythm that brings to mind Monolith era Amebix accompanied by classic, dark Tragedy guitars. Wail Of Sirens, is like they pulled it off the first album, dark, heavy and burly. Power Fades, damn, I can imagine crowds at shows singing along to this. Fuckin' powerfull hardcore! My advice, listen to the Darker Days Ahead on repeat and let it guide you to the bleak future. Sorry for not commenting on the lyrics but I don't own the lp yet.

Deathcharge - "Love Was Born To An Early Death 12"

(Unseen Forces)

Deathcharge are one of these bands that even though they exist for over a decade, no one knows them and suddenly they come out with one hell of a record. This is their first 12", released in 2011. Previous outputs in chronological order: A Look at Their Sorrow ep (1997), Plastic Smiles ep (2001), s/t demo tape (2004), The Hangman / New Dark Age ep (2006), split tape with Lebenden Toten (2007?). Everything I've heard from these guys is perfect, from straight up d-beat to psychedelic post punk to occult rock they nail it fuckin' hard! If any of you are willing enough to dig into Deathcharge's obscurity, I would recommend starting with the The Hangman / New Dark Age ep. If then again you just want to check out the band just go get Love Was Born To Early Death. By the way, the artwork is excellent, just look at the cover!

Creem - s/t LP

(Katorga Works/Deranged Records)

Straight from New York, Creem deliver seven rockin' hardcore tracks in true old-school fashion. Unlike what most people will think, this band has nothing to do with chugga-chugga, wannabe-tough-guy and awful aesthetic with college-like fonts. This is real hardcore. If you need comparisons, SSD, Negative FX and Reagan Youth are enough to give you a little taste. The opening track, Think Twice is as if someone grabs you by the neck and throw you right in to the center of a moshpit and just before you even realize what the fuck happened, you find yourself stagediving to that more-than-awesome guitar riff in the middle of the song. Never End  leaves no room to breathe with its steady & dark-as-fuck pounding rhythm, think Void's War Hero, yeah that good! Ok, enough with this review. I wanna write so much about Creem but that would kill the excitement of finding out yourself, so go get this lp, give it a couple of spins and then you'll be ready to smash that frat boy's face that stole the girl of your dreams (just made that up by looking at the cover, makes sense though, right?).

More great records: 

Crusades - The Sun Is Down And The Night Is Riding In LP

Drainland / Enabler - split 7"

The War Goes On - This Shitty Life 7"

Mundo Muerto - Entre El Kaos LP

Protestant / Suffering Mind - split 7"

Social Circkle - Expiration Date 7"

By the way, those of you that think paper 'zines are dead, go fuck yourselves with an axe 'cause the new issue of No Exit is out!  

..more stuff soon.

 

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