Episode 236: July 2024
Killer episode this week on the pod. Check it out here, here, or here and check the playlist here or here.
We started off with a brief discussion of our favorite Punk/HC records from the first half of 2024. Here are our picks in no particular order:
Hell yea.
Invertebrates Sick To Survive LP, Beach Impediment Records
10 songs in 14 minutes of raging ‘80s-inspired hardcore. You’d be tempted to just compare it to Direct Control or Government Warning, but to my ear it has just as much of that final Totalitär LP in there - not in tone, but in the left-hand savagery. I think this LP really serves as a stellar example of the power of tone and production in modern hardcore. I know a few of these dudes play in Public Acid, and this LP isn’t dissimilar in a lot of ways. Check out the riffs on “Lost Illusion,” “Sterilized Decay,” or “Bastardized” - these are totally Public Acid-ass riffs, just sans HM-2 pedal and played straight through a JCM900. This is all good, by the way. It shows that what makes a good band are the actual songs, not the layers of sound or studio bullshit that so many subpar bands hide behind. Invertebrates simply rip.
A lot of it has to do with the drummer who is an absolute beast. I love when he switches from open to closed hi-hat like he does halfway through the song “Laughing System” or on the verse of “Climb The Ranks.” It makes the song sound fast in such an awesome, early 80s way. He also does those little RKL-style skips on the title track which really work here.
Now some of you are going to roll your eyes right now, but hear me out - I think the singer sounds like 1981 Ian Mackaye. You won’t hear it at first cuz this band doesn’t really sound like Minor Threat and he isn’t as dynamic as Ian, but it’s there in the vocal strain. No snarl. No over-the-top voice. Just au naturel, stretched vocal cords delivering 100% righteousness.
The one thing this band dabbles in which I’d like to see them do more of is those little post-punk/deathrocky guitar hooks at the end of “Bated Breath” and “Humid Crypt.” If they could just tuck in more of that shit throughout their next record but maintain this level of intensity, we could be looking at an all-timer. Regardless, this is one of my favorite records of the year so far and this group of dudes from Richmond, VA straight up can’t miss.
Now can one of them put in a good word with Vinyl Conflict to get your boy STILLMATIC619 unbanned from buying on their Discogs or what?
Bootlicker 1000 Yard Stare LP, Neon Taste Records
10 songs in 16 minutes and none of them are trash - that’s an epic win. This band kicks ass. You’re bobbing your head. You’re pumping your fist. One thing that this band cannot be accused of is not kicking ass. And so, henceforth, I do decree that anyone who states this band does not kick ass is therefore deemed a prevaricator and a scoundrel.
So there’s that.
Also, Dan loved this record…so there’s that too.
On their last LP, the tones and production were two of the main things that I loved about it. The relatively non-distorted guitar with the big distorted bass behind it, and a snare drum that sounded like it was the size of a swimming pool made the record sound so epic. This time around the tones haven’t changed much, but the recording is so compressed that the bass and guitar are mushed together and just kind of sound like a fuzzy guitar, and the snare sounds like it has a towel over it. I’m missing that twangy-type guitar tone layered over the D-Beat, which truly was unique.
Since Bootlicker’s style is so tight and doesn’t have a ton of dynamics, the mid-tempo bangers are essential for cutting up the record. Last time around we got three: “State of Fever,” “Herd The Sheep,” and “Jackboot” in the 3, 8, and 14 slots. On this record, there are only two: the opening track “State Property” and the 5th track “On All Fours,” so the back half of the record maybe gets a little samey to my ears. Or maybe it just straight-up shreds and I’m a giant puss. I do think this band would be one of my favorites on the planet if they tucked in a couple Partisans or Abrasive Wheels-style choruses or Criminal Damage-style guitar hooks into their songs somewhere. The monotone thing works well for the great, albeit generic, tried and true D-Beat bands like Meanwhile or Discard and I do love listening to those, so maybe in a few years some band will come along and completely rip off Side B of this album and I’ll love it.
Shitlickers GBG 1982 7”, Self Released (1982)
I’m going to get crucified for writing about Swedish Punk and getting something wrong but whatevz…blame Staffan. Here’s the elevator version so my USHC-centric readers and listeners can get a little idea of where this record fits into the pantheon of Swedish Punk, and really greater Hardcore in general.
In the late 70s, Sweden had punk bands of course, just like a lot of places did. Ebba Grön played a style that sat somewhere between ‘77 UK and the New York Dolls. I don’t even know how to describe the first KSMB LP - part ‘77, part straight Rock ‘n’ Roll, and some straight-up piano lounge. Then there’s Massmedia who sounded like a classic Lo-fi band off one of the first four Killed By Death comps.
In 1980, Massmedia broke and in what may be the most glaring example of the shift from the original punk sound to hardcore’s early 80s dominance, a couple members of Massmedia started a new band called Headcleaners. In 1981, they put out a great 7 song/7 minute, straight-up hardcore 7” that was most definitely influenced by bands like Discharge and GBH in the UK and the first wave of USHC. I think if you’re a fan of a band like S.O.A, you could instantly get down with Headcleaners.
The next year in 1982, we get the first Anti-Cimex 7” and this Shitlickers 7” that I swear I’m going to write about at some point here. The first Anti-Cimex 7” probably has more in common with the Headcleaners 7” than the sound Anti-Cimex would soon be known for. The Shitlickers 7” on the other hand was 100% raw hardcore punk in the vein of Discharge, making them the first Swedish band to rock that style - one that the country would be known for to this day.
So let’s get into it, eh? Not quite yet. First, let me make a poser sidebar. I’ve always kind of thought of this 7” as the ultimate gatekeeping record for snobby troo punx.
“Dude, that guy’s a poser - he doesn’t even listen to the SHITLICKERS!”
Maybe the band’s name itself held me back from embracing this record in all its deserved glory as well. I hope the ass-flap brigade can forgive me for my past transgressions - my dismissiveness of this record may have been a sin worse than claiming Bootlicker doesn’t kick ass. Anyway, I can now acknowledge that this is a top 100 Punk record of the 1980s - maybe top 50.
So let’s get into it, eh? For real this time.
This is a 4 song/3 minute 7”. All ripper/no skipper. 100% troo raw hardcore punk at its best. The guitars sound fucking gnarly but the drums still cut through clearly. The singer shouts and you can hear and understand him - he’s not hiding behind lame-ass effects or asking to be buried in the mix. Every single song has a hook - even the song sung in Swedish is catchy as fuck to my Anglocentric ears.
Warsystem
War system, war system, war system now! Repeat. Little lead. Repeat verse. Out.
Fuck yea.
Spräckta Snutskallar
Alright, here’s the song in Swedish so I have no idea what the dudes saying outside of the chorus which translates to “cracked skulls.”
Spracta spracta spracta snut-skallah! You’re slamming.
The Leader (Of the Fuckin' Assholes)
I’ve also come around to acknowledging this as a top 50 hardcore song of all time. The only lyrics are:
Who tells the cunts to do what they do?
The leader of the fucking assholes.
Blast this at every head of state’s funeral.
Armed Revolution
This song contains one of the greatest choruses of all time: fuck ‘em all, fuckin shit - their war cry response to all systems (none work).
This lone 7” is all they ever put out in their day, although four more songs would be released much later in the 90s from an old recording session. They broke up and the bass player, Tomas Jonnson, joined Anti-Cimex and sang on their seminal 2nd 7” Raped Ass in 1983 (which features one of the top 3 Punk guitar solos). The band fully adopted the raw punk sound on that record. Anti-Cimex were joined in raw Punk-land by fellow Swede’s Mob 47 who put out their demo in ‘83, and both bands put out amazing 7”s in 1984. Then as they (perhaps) say on the mean streets of Gothenburg: resten är historia!
I was joined by Renée from Carrot Cake Zine who gave us a Boston scene report. We got into the bands, the venues, where to eat, where to buy records, and all that so handle business and give them a follow.
Check out Renée’s playlist here to go along with the scene report.
I was joined on the pod by Rob "Beto" Rosario, a dude who hit the ‘90s NYHC trifecta by playing in Madball, Merauder, and 25 Ta Life. We talk about his time in Dmize, early 90s shows in NYC, the NYHC documentary, and get into a bunch of his catalog. Beto rules, and his squeals on the 25 Ta Life album Keepin It Real are critical to what’s definitely one of the best monotone, mosh-laden, metallic hardcore records ever. For a longer interview with him, you should definitely check episode 121 of the This Is Hardcore Podcast. And while you’re at it, peep episode 54 too.
I forgot to ask Beto his opinion about my 25 Ta Life cheat sheet on the pod, but there’s always a chance we bust a part two sometime!
Have a killer week.
- ZN
Thanks to Pops for help with words and grammar like always. Before his fixes, I totally sounded like a Torture fan.