Noisecore Ballads About Australia Review
Artwork by Andres
Here's my first attempt at a review. I should have another one up soon and both, I fear, are going to be a disaster. Feel free to critique my review. It's the only way I'll learn.
Every review is listened to at a very loud volume in a darkened room. Distractions are very few.
Coming From My Penis released ‘Noisecore Ballads About Australia’ (NBAA) mostly to make fun of all the Australians that started to joining the grindcore.com forum. I don't really care for patriotism or nationalism, I've still not heard any decent argument against globalism in terms of national identity or culture. Therefore, the humour in the song titles are rather boring and uninspired to me, although I like the idea of Steve Irwin being compared to George W Bush (presumably Jnr), except one of them has died crusading for animal welfare and the other seems to have earned some post terrorist praise.
Anyway, NBAA, is a series of shortish songs deliberately poor in recording, mixing and song structure quality. Compared to the previous 'Noisecular Holocaust', the guitar actually sounds like a guitar more often than not. Each song tends to pan out in a series of stabs and jabs of quick higher register guitar work, varied ineloquent vocals and tiny percussive clicks. The vocals do that slightly annoying and predictable build up to a falsetto scream when the quick part happens. Sounds good distorted. The exception to the release's general rule is "You Got A Woman Prime Minister/You're So Wealthy No Wonder Why Everyone's On Welfare" which is slower in tempo and longer in duration. It's not the catchy song of the release though. The medley that ends the release is, probably because of the rhythmic vocals.
If NBAA is meant to be funny, it's not really, ok, in a really juvenile way... perhaps - the band's name has the word 'Penis' in it. It's not really insulting, unless there's something wrong with you to not see the attempt at humour. The noise isn't really unpleasant, it's not easy listening though and so it's forgotten quickly.
For fans of Napalm Death, Pig Destroyer, Rotten Sound
Coming From My Penis is:
Douchebag - drums & vocals
Necrobastard - guitar
Noisecore Ballads About Australia
1.) Quit Saying Arse, It's Ass You Assholes
2.) Fuck Blood Duster, Warsore Are The Australian Grind Champions
3.) If I Hear Mate One More Time I'm Gonna Stick A Boomerange Up Your Ass And Let a Kangaroo Rape You
4.) Steve Irwin Was Your George W Bush And The Outback Steak House Your Mcdonalds, They Made You Look Like Assholes To The Rest Of The World
5.) I Love The Aboriginoles The Digiridoo Is My Favorite Instrument (I don't Give A Fuck If Spelled That Shit Wrong)
6.) A Dingo Ate me Baby While The Shrimp Was On The Barbie
7.) You Got A Woman Prime Minister/You're So Wealthy No Wonder Why Everyone's On Welfare
8.) Fuck the Great Barrier Reef/ *
9.) Why Is Everything Poisonous There or Can Kill You?/ *
10.) Bush Tucker Mother Fucker/ *
11.) Why Do You Call Football Gridiron, Thats Gay/ *
12.) C?an You Tell I Read The Wikipedia About Australia to Record This Album? *
*All together as a medley
Artwork by Andres
Download it here
REVIEW: Gaza – No Absolutes in Human Suffering
Oh man. What an intense album.
Gaza's 'No Absolutes In Human Suffering' is an excursion of dissonance, fury and blastbeats; a sludge-and-grind hybrid is delivered with seething nihilism and apocalyptic despair.
The group combine the grooving polyrhythms of Botch, the jarring fury of Converge and Coalesce, the sludgy hate of Eyehategod and the sheer blasting intensity of Pig Destroyer. The result is visceral and intense; breathing new life into some of the more tired aspects of hardcore.
What makes this album so powerful are occasional departures into reflective passages - like the ending half of When They Beg, which drifts off into a warm, droning meditation, boasting a melody that reminds me more of Genghis Tron's prettier moments.
The emotional impact of segments like this really set the band apart from many of the one-dimensional / one-mood bands I've turned away from in the past. It's a little concept called dynamics. You want to create the heaviest riff ever written? Well, write it, and then set it in the middle of a beautiful and delicate 10 minute major key dream piece. Its impact will be multiplied tenfold.
While I've been stuck in the mindset that most modern hardcore and grind is stagnant and uninteresting, bands like IDYLLS, In Trenches and Gaza are out to prove me wrong - and they're doing it quite well.
With 'No Absolutes In Human Suffering', Gaza have landed themselves one of the better releases in the genre for 2012.
Definitely an album worth checking out. Go stream the whole thing.
REVIEW: Negative Reinforcement – Dog
Western Australia produces some very isolated, unique music, a sound coexisting simultaneously with what occurs over here on the east coast, but definitely producing its own brand and sound of violent hardcore. Negative Reinforcements one sided twelve inch bridges between ultra loud/fast powerviolence and the more sludgier stuff coming to light. This bleak 15 minute 7 song all rounder stays true to the violent formula we all know and love although a lot more Australian and very true to its roots. A lot of these songs remind me of a lot of newer and relevant bands floating around at the moment like Suffer, Extortion, Trash Talk and Ceremony, I would not be surprised if these guys looked up to, were members of or smoked bongs with the aforementioned bands.
There is some good solid riffage with an undercurrent of solid feedback tieing all the songs together well, I could have quite easily listened to another 15minute side of doom and gloom PV. Get stoked to live in Australia, where shit like this is injected into our scene year on year.
Out now on Coffin Cut Records
REVIEW: Useless Children – Post Ending // Pre Completion
Useless Children are definitely not your average punk band.
To listen to Post Ending // Pre Completion is like witnessing your own mind collapse - that is, if you were able to escape and become an impartial observer to your own mental decay.
It's an aural experience of psychosis.
Useless Children's sound is defined by swirling, menacing psychedelic textures, where cacophonous feedback is offset by warm space echo and reverb. The guitars oscillate so wildly that they screech like a buzzsaw; their constant movement recreating the effect of motion sickness.
The pounding drums and bass suggest an ominous march toward an impending apocalypse. The vocals are distorted and dripping with menace, often echoing around your field of hearing. It's not unlike being tormented wailing wraith.
To me -- and without any literal interpretation of the lyrics -- Useless Children's sound signifies mental and spiritual death and decay. The angst being expression goes beyond simple political doom and gloom. They deal with psychology and psychic matter; matters of the soul. It's like an acid trip gone horribly, horrible wrong - as you depart into into hostile territory within your own mind, you can feel the searing scars and trauma being burnt into your psyche. It is not overly pleasant, and it is incredibly intense.
Being raised on the idea that most hardcore punk was reserved for weight-lifting, tattoo'd jocks to preach about self-empowerment and brotherhood -- or political commentary that often seems shallow and farcical -- Useless Children are forging a far more interesting sonic space.
This is the most psychedelic punk record I think I have ever heard. It really pleases me to hear something like this coming out from Melbourne's underground; it's powerful, unique and doesn't overstay it's welcome. A sure-bet for one of Australia's best releases in 2012.
Cosmic Vortex inflict some serious Chip Damage
Cosmic Vortex are a 4-piece grindcore band from Jakarta, Indonesia, and have knocked out a tidy debut CD titled "Konspirasi Busuk".
Bearing blastbeats and rapid tremolo picked guitar, Cosmic Vortex, armed with their vocalist who finds a comfortable mid level shout to fill the space, with lyrics about capitalism, environmental issues and classic Street Fighter, are ready to hit you with a cross-up kick to your hapless face with their brand of Indonesian deathgrind.
Shoryuken!
Claiming to be influenced by Napalm Death and Terrorizer, Cosmic Vortex have found a sound here that will be comfortably familiar for anyone who is a fan of the previously mentioned influences. The grind is broken up with some more head-bang friendly moments, that really emphasise the big crunchy guitar and bass rumble, and the polished overall sound of the recording.
Most of the ten tracks clock in between 1 and 2 minutes and roll along with great energy and focus, and while "Konspirasi Busuk" is an impressive debut, it does leaves room for growth and development that I look forward to listening to on future releases from this young band.
This 15 minute grindcore romp, released on Aunorysm Records, really illustrates some of the great interesting music springing up out of one of South East Asia and is well worth checking out.
You can find Cosmic Vortex on the internet here
MATHIAS.
7 Australian bands you should know about
Back in 2008 I wrote a piece called 'New bands you should know about in the Australian scene'. Since then, that piece has consistently been one of our highest traffic drivers. So, I've resolved to update my list to tell you a little bit about the Australian bands that are rocking my world now in 2012.
Hydromedusa
These Adelaide-based stoner/doom merchants and quite simply one of the fastest rising stars in Australia's underground. They Combine incredibly classy, high-energy blues-based rock with thc-drenched, psychedelic sensabilities, and an apprenticeship from our nation's greatest doom band, Space Bong, these guys are one hell of a dynamic and versatile
unit. They can make you tap your does, wallow in drugged-out bliss, or drop you into a pit of droning despair - like a magicial amalgammation of Church of Misery, Bongzilla, and Space Bong.
Go download their debut album for free. Word is they've been working on a new one; and I'm hoping they're a staple for this years Doomsday Festival.
The Reverend Jesse Custer
These Canberra grindpals are awesome, awesome, AWESOME. Seriously, I struggle to think of a more exciting Australian live band at this point in time. Every single time I've seen these guys play, I've been blown away -- and they just keep getting better.
The Reverend Jesse Custer mix up seething metallic hardcore, with gritty sludge, frenetic grind, feedback, fury and groove. As a band they're never sitting still. Their compositions are as intelligent as they are enjoyable. A single-tempo genre band these guys definitely are not.
Just fucking awesome. I don't feel like their recording fully does them justice, but you should check it out regardless. A new one has apparently already been put to tape.
IDYLLS
Man, has these been a buzz about these guys! I'm writing this a few days before IDYLLS hit Sydney as part of their 2-week tour of Australia. Their new album "Farewell All Joy" has been kicking peoples asses for the last few months, and I simply cannot wait to see them unleash their bizarre form of aural carnage live.
These guys play unique, furious metallic hardcore here in the vein of Dillinger Escape Plan, Agents of Abhorrence and early Converge. Awesome. Go get it.
In Trenches
In Trenches play seething metallic hardcore from Melbourne. These veterans have been instrumental in leading Australia's new brand of hardcore - focused on infusing complex rhythms, post-metal, sludge and even psychedelic and blackened elements.
Their recent album Sol Obscura is a cracker. Check it out.
Killsong
And now for something completely different. These guys remind me of the multi-headed beastfuck spawn of a smokey, seedy jazz band, a rock opera, a group of sketchy gypsy circus toughs, a brilliant improvised spoken-word poet descending into madness, and a degenerate that is forced to clown for meth. Essentially they're indescribably brilliant. Their music / performance is theatric, musically impressive, comedic, and generally just mind-blowing. Absolute insanity.
Features members of Squat Club, Darth Vegas, Gauche, The Bznzz, Slimey Things, Rica Tetas and other awesome things. They've got some live bootlegs up on their Soundcloud, but their debut album should be out through Art As Catharsis a little later in the year.
Jesus Christ Posse
Sydney old school hardcore punk rock executed brilliantly, and with a hilarious militant Christian schtick. Apparently at their last show they begun by reenacting the crucifixtion of Jesus on a giant cross, then raised their front man from the dead to start the first song.
Another one thats more of a live band, but check out the album.
Space Bong
Still the best droning doom band on the planet. Definitely up there with Yob, Iron Monkey, Eyehategod, Sunn O))), Earth and the like. They've got a new album coming out a bit
later in the year, but for now you can enjoy 2010's The Death of Utopia (though I'm not sure if 'enjoy' is the right word if we're talking one of the darkest and most depressive bands on earth).
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