Album Review: InEffect Winter Round Up

Writing for punk zines that are on the smaller side is extremely rewarding and one of the things that help to keep my music writing in perspective. There is stuff that gets written about in these smaller outlets that will not even get a nod or a second glance elsewhere, which is just a god damned shame. Everyone wants to claim they support DIY and up-and-coming bands, but no one wants to do the digging required to find the diamonds of the underground. 

Chris Wynne is one of those expert prospectors who is skilled in finding those glistening specks of genuine genius in hardcore and punk and I'm always happy to whip up a review for him when I can. Below is a collection of links from my coverage this past fall and winter for his magazine, InEffect. Check out all of his coverage here. 

Kharma - Most Dangerous Game (Flatspot Records) 

Chicago's Kharma is one of the few metallic hardcore bands out there speaking to, and adequately capturing, the ongoing racial segregation in one of America's largest and most wealthy cities. And they're doing it through the lens of Richard Connell's chilling short story The Most Dangerous Game. Sooooo small confession, I'm an absolute nerd and such an easy lay for an adeptly applied literary reference. If hardcore bands end up incorporating more references to classic literature into their music in 2021 I may end up doing nothing but album reviews next year. We shall see... check out the review here. 

Power Trip - Live in Seattle 5-28-18 (self-released)

Power Trip was one of the greats of the modern era and I'm glad that I took every opportunity to see them that I could when they would come through Chicago. Their career was cut tragically short this year and I'm extremely thankful that I was able to cover their last album for InEffect. Rest in Power Riley. You were a king like no other.... read the review here. 

Concrete - Free Us From Existence (Black Voodoo Records)

Albany hardcore band Concrete are one of those bands who will blast out the interior of your skull and crack it open from the inside like a boiled egg in the microwave. And that cover is just so heinous, I love it! Reminds me of something that Type O Negative would have commissioned back in the day. This a band who are really onto something... read the review here. 

InEffect Winter / Spring Round Up 2020

This past winter and spring I ended up writing quite a few reviews of releases from underground hardcore punk acts for the east coast indie zine InEffect Hardcore run by Chris Wynne. Chris is a generous guy and sent me a ton of great stuff to give a look-see and do a write up for. Now that the first half of the year's reviews have been archived on InEffect's site I figured it was time to do a quick recap of everything I covered. If you missed any of these reviews, nows your chance to get caught up. 

Inner Turmoil - Trapped At Birth EP

Inner Turmoil is an incredibly pissed off sounding hardcore punk band out of PA who takes a very metallic approach to Sick of it All's and Agnostic Front's pioneering styles. Check out the review here, and grab a copy of their EP from 1054 Records here. 

Downpresser - The Long Goodbye

Downpresser's Don't Need A Reason was easily one of my favorite hardcore albums of the past decade and their follow up The Long Goodbye is more than worth the six-year wait. Metallic hardcore with an old school NYHC attitude. Fucking amazing stuff. Check out my review here, and grab a copy from Closed Casket Activities here. 

Dead Man's Chest - Dear God Single

UK bruisers Dead Man's Chest is a metallic hardcore band who wear their death and thrash influences proudly on their sleeve. Their Dear God Single released earlier this year is a very welcome addition to my evergrowing hardcore playlist. Check out my review here, and grab a copy from Upstate Records here. 

Treason - True Believer EP

Cincinnati's Treason is a straight edge steamroller of police stomping metallic hardcore. I think I listened to True Believer about two dozen times while writing this review and it got better every spin. Check out my review here, and grab a copy from Upstate records here. 

Drain - California Cursed

"Cursed" is an overused term as of late, but if there is one part of the world that it could accurately describe, it would probably be California. The site of some of the country's most intense wealth hoarding and desperate examples of poverty, it is in no way a bastion of hope for humanity. At least there are still some decent hardcore bands emerging from the surf of its coast. Drain is an awesome cross-over thrash band and I was very stoked on their debut LP when it dropped earlier this year. Check out my review here, and grab a copy of California Cursed from Revelation Records here. 

Bore - II EP

Bore is an NYC 90's metalcore revival band who do an admirable service to the legacy of pioneers like Botch, Dillenger Escape Plan, and Snapecase. Check out my review of their second EP here, and grab a copy from Small Settlement Records, here. 

Probation - Violate 

Probation is a Dutch sludge infused hardcore band that takes the malice of Crowbar and combines it with the whiplash of France's Kickback. Check out my review of Probation's latest album here, and grab a copy from WTF Records, here. 

That's it! Now beat it! 

Album Review: Fucking Violence - Ingratidão

When I started writing regular album review I never thought I'd have a chance to cover anything related to São Paulo's Worst, but here we are, 2019 and it's freaking happening! Thiago Seirra's new project, Fucking Violence is a thorough ass-kicking and you can check out my write up of Ingratidão over at InEffect Hardcore. Link below.

Review of Fucking Violence's Ingratidão

Fucking Violence is exactly what it says on the package. RIYL: beatdown hardcore, international hardcore, inner ear damage.

Album Review: disappear. - momentum.

Welcome to December bozos! How better to deal with this chilling turn in the season then some brutal and bleak metalcore from semi-locals disappear. and their incredible debut LP momentum. It's a kick in the head and a welcome one at that. You can read my review over at In Effect Hardcore now (link below). If coffee just isn't doing it for you today, this high octane beat just might do the trick.

disappear. by momentum. over at In Effect Hardcore

Album Review: Lowest Creature - Sacrilegious Pain

My review of the new crossover thrash and hardcore album from Scandinavians Lowest Creature is up over at InEffect Hardcore. f you like Power Trip, Red Death, and Iron Age, this brutal onslaught of an album was conjured with you in mind. A punishing party album for the end of the world, and I dug every fire-breathing second of it. Link below.

Review of Lowest Creature's Sacrilegious Pain over at legendary InEffect Hardcore

I'm really loving the cover art for this album. If you know who did it, let me know in the comments. 

Album Review: Fixed Fight - Empty Homes

My review of Danish metallic hardcore crew Fixed Fight's debut Empty Homes is up over on InEffect Hardcore. If you dig Snapecase and Converge but wish they leaned a little harder into death metal territory, then this LP is definitely worth checking out.

Review of Fixed Fight's Empty Homes

The first rule of Fixed Fight Club, is that you don't talk about Fixed Fight Club. The second rule of Fixed Fight Club, is that you don't talk about Fixed Fight Club.