“No I won't wait for no one when you're coming round for me/And I can't take the bruising when you say you're over me/Oh stupid, stupid little things/Oh stupid, stupid little things.” - Inheaven
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| Horns up |
New Horizons
Pissed Jeans – Half Divorced
Having lost interest in them after 2013’s disappointing ‘Honeys’, I have seen the light again and can declare ‘Half Divorced’ a fierce, driving record that is as formidable as anything Pissed Jeans have recorded in the past. ‘Anti-Sapio’ is a particular highlight with its hardcore speed and solo that is 100% effects driven, while ‘Sixty Two Thousand…’ has serious Black Flag vibes.
The album can be streamed and purchased here.
Sons of Alpha Centauri – Pull
More known as a versatile instrumental act that plays anything from stoner rock to post metal, this (their second release with Far/onelinedrawing frontman Jonah Matranga) is a continuation of 2021’s ‘Push’. Epic, sweeping guitar lines invoking pain and nostalgia sit nicely alongside moments of chugging intensity and Matranga’s yearning and impassioned vocals.
The album can be streamed and purchased here.
Crawl Space – My God What Have I Done
Described as “…short sharp blasts of ultra-frenetic, intense and to-the-point American hardcore punk in the vein of Negative FX, Agnostic Front, The Abused and Deathwish”, this mini-LP is brutal, primitive and utterly uncompromising. Sounding like it was recorded in a basement with four cavemen let loose on instruments. Astonishing stuff.
The album can be streamed and purchased here.
Nnja Riot – Violet Fields
The press release sells the record as “…raw energy of noise…melodic layers and pulsating beats to create shamanic experimental songscapes” but this undersells the music. There is a genuine dissonance going on at times (such as in ‘Horror Heart’) and a kind of pastoral ambience, soundtracking the contradictions of living privately in a metropolis like London.
The album can be streamed and purchased here.
Poundland – Mugged
Predominance regulars Poundland are back with another record that documents the general collapse of living standards through some dirty and abrasive noise rock. ‘Spawn of Thatcher’ has serious Flipper vibes due to the rolling bass and off-kilter saxophone, while ‘Broken in Two’ is filthy doom as played by noise punks. They need to play Ireland as soon as possible.
The album can be streamed and purchased here.
Having lost interest in them after 2013’s disappointing ‘Honeys’, I have seen the light again and can declare ‘Half Divorced’ a fierce, driving record that is as formidable as anything Pissed Jeans have recorded in the past. ‘Anti-Sapio’ is a particular highlight with its hardcore speed and solo that is 100% effects driven, while ‘Sixty Two Thousand…’ has serious Black Flag vibes.
The album can be streamed and purchased here.
Sons of Alpha Centauri – Pull
More known as a versatile instrumental act that plays anything from stoner rock to post metal, this (their second release with Far/onelinedrawing frontman Jonah Matranga) is a continuation of 2021’s ‘Push’. Epic, sweeping guitar lines invoking pain and nostalgia sit nicely alongside moments of chugging intensity and Matranga’s yearning and impassioned vocals.
The album can be streamed and purchased here.
Crawl Space – My God What Have I Done
Described as “…short sharp blasts of ultra-frenetic, intense and to-the-point American hardcore punk in the vein of Negative FX, Agnostic Front, The Abused and Deathwish”, this mini-LP is brutal, primitive and utterly uncompromising. Sounding like it was recorded in a basement with four cavemen let loose on instruments. Astonishing stuff.
The album can be streamed and purchased here.
Nnja Riot – Violet Fields
The press release sells the record as “…raw energy of noise…melodic layers and pulsating beats to create shamanic experimental songscapes” but this undersells the music. There is a genuine dissonance going on at times (such as in ‘Horror Heart’) and a kind of pastoral ambience, soundtracking the contradictions of living privately in a metropolis like London.
The album can be streamed and purchased here.
Poundland – Mugged
Predominance regulars Poundland are back with another record that documents the general collapse of living standards through some dirty and abrasive noise rock. ‘Spawn of Thatcher’ has serious Flipper vibes due to the rolling bass and off-kilter saxophone, while ‘Broken in Two’ is filthy doom as played by noise punks. They need to play Ireland as soon as possible.
The album can be streamed and purchased here.
Golden Oldies
Brain Tentacles – S/T
Members of Discordance Axis, Keelhaul and Corrections House get together to record an album in the vein of the great Naked City records as well as Melt Banana. Opener ‘Kingda Ka’ really epitomises the spirit of the band’s influences, with blast beats, scuzzy bass and carnival like saxophone. ‘Fata Morgana’ goes for a more atmospheric, post punk sound. I love how the understated sax compliments the brooding bass lines, creating a mood of despondency.
Okus – Scourge
Drogheda based crust/sludge with members from legendary Irish bands like Pink Turds in Space, Fuckhammer and Raum Kingdom. As to be expected, the power coming off the music is devastating. From the moment ‘Famine Feeder’ opens, the listener is plunged into a black, overwhelming nightmare that (musically) sits between Sacrilege and later Napalm Death. ‘Burning Crosses’ is a particular highlight due to the drums and black metal guitar riffing.
Arms Race – New Wave of British Hardcore
Clocking in just under twenty minutes long, this is a savage UKHC album. By combining the shambolic crust of Chaos UK, the speed of USHC and the vocals of Nic Bullen, it sounds like it could be the missing link between Siege and Napalm Death. ‘Terror State’ speeds along in proper fashion, before slowing down towards the end for a more tribal feel. This prepares the listener nicely for ‘Slander and Abuse’, which has a rather haphazard feel to the drumming (‘the hardcore beat’ as Mick Harris describes it), before speeding up again.
Protestor – Hide From Reality.
Featuring members of the excellent Red Death, Protester play straight up DC hardcore. Opening with a lone bass riff before building into a tribal, foreboding riff, ‘Dead Inside’ attacks those who “wasted…fucking time and…don’t know why.” ‘Won’t Back Down’ taps into the power that bands like Negative Approach and SS Decontrol harnessed when they sped up. I love the simple chugging during the verses, which complements the main riff perfectly.
⏩ Christopher Owens was a reviewer for Metal Ireland and finds time to study the history and inherent contradictions of Ireland. He is currently the TPQ Friday columnist.
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