December 27, 2010 distro update

Hello for the Holidays people,
Hope everyone here is doing well. It's been a fucking blizzard here for the past 24 hours, so there's not much to do. Lots of new shit has come in, and i think this might be the best update ever. Some stuff is expensive here, so be sure to "see bank officer for loan." I apologize for the prices, but realistically there's not a whole lot of control i have over them without taking a loss. Postage is expensive, and it's never going to come down. The United States Postal Service is currently operating at a debt over 10b (that's 10 BILLION dollars), which is insane. Just be thankful that the US doesn't have customs taxes on packages imported into the US like Europe and Japan do. If i had to pay an additional $30.00 or whatever for a package of 10 LPs shipped from abroad, i think i'd probably just shut the whole operation down.

Enough about economics and monetary woes, let's talk about punk rock. The stuff i got from Dischord Records is great. That's actually quite an understatement. I love Artificial Peace and the GI's, and both of these releases contain unreleased material. There's some truly fucking awesome uncovered stuff on each LP. And the fact that Dischord has started to unearth all this stuff again and press it up on vinyl is great. Maybe we'll see Dischord vinyl releases of lost studio material by Red C, Deadline, and Double O???? They've repressed the majority of their back catalog of good hardcore releases, which i've tried to stock all of. So if you're interested in other releases of theirs like the Faith/Void split LP, "Flex Your Head" comp, "Year In 7"s" comp, Minor Threat back catalog on vinyl, and some other stuff, just get at me. I can only wonder what else Dischord might still have left to uncover in their vault.

Also in from Dischord is the Touch And Go book. This compiles every issue of Touch And Go zine (which predated the label) from 1979-1983. Satirical, sarcastic, smart, and scathing in places, this is about as good as it gets. The layouts are great, and the writing is great. It's hilarious to see some records that are now considered classics get slammed by these guys in reviews. And to read these all in order is like a little time capsule. Tons of early UK worship, and their opinions on Crass are hilarious. Really, i think i might recommend this book more so than i've ever recommended any release i've ever carried in my distro before. It's that good.

The word "classic" gets thrown around a lot in the punk scene and in music in general, but Havoc Records has just reissued some shit that is not only classic, but pinnacles of the genre. They include the Discharge records "Why" 12" and "Hear Nothing See Nothing Say Nothing" LP. These are genre defining records. Discharge were the real deal. The first to do it, and they were one of the first to release a hardcore record all the way back in 1980. Along with Black Flag, Bad Brains, and Crass, this is easily the most influential band in the history of hardcore. They are the reason for the Dis phenomenon and one of the first bands to combine radical anti-war politics with some of the most violent and hardcore music ever pressed to vinyl. Their music really is like the "sound of an enormous door slamming in the depths of hell." Also on Havoc Records, we have the reissue of the Varukers "One Struggle One Fight" LP from 1985. This was one of the very first records that attempted a total Discharge worship sound. It blazes and is well worth your time. A lot of people have never heard this record, so here it is back in print for the foreseeable future.

Other stuff, the H-100s LP is fantastic. I think some people may have heard two of these songs on the PEFE CD that came out in the '90s. I know my buddy Nelson and i had been obsessively into those two songs for years, so to finally get to hear the entire set was very exciting. There's a tension here in this live set and an excitement that is only rarely captured by live recordings. The band is vicious to say the least. H-100s later morphed into 9 Shocks Terror with the switching of vocalists. You either like Cleveland hardcore or you don't, so there's no need to talk too much more about it. Again, these were very expensive. I think i've got them for the same price as all other distros that i've seen though.

There's a bunch of MCR Company releases in here. Again, this shit was also expensive. I got this in a trade with the label, but it cost me a fucking arm and a leg to mail my stuff to them, hence how i ended up with the super high prices. I recommend all of their releases, but the "All Crusties Spending Loud Night 2002" DVD (also featuring the first installment from 1997) and the Scatha CD are especially highly recommended. I've had that Scatha release for sale as a double LP for a couple of years now in my distro and don't think i've ever sold a copy of it. I really love that band though. Take the best of thick 1990s European crust bands like Hiatus, Doom, and Sedition and mix it with the tribal feeling of newer Oi Polloi, and you'll have a clue what i'm talking about. Scatha was absolutely huge in Europe and Japan, but they never really seemed to get their due here in the US. I'm not sure why that is, while crust bands much lower in quality from the '90s were quite popular.

Finally, after some time, i've gotten back to including writing in these email updates. At the bottom of this email you'll find my ramblings and musings on what i feel is The Best American Crust Record Ever. I've also added a very small reviews section for this installment at the very end.

Lastly, for anyone who gives a fuck, my webstore is finally back up and 100% functional and operational. There's no need to worry about anyone seeing your Paypal info or any of that, so don't sweat it. It's totally secure. As always, i still accept regular mail orders or internet orders that are direct without using the cart system. Holler at me.

That should do it, i've gone on for fucking ages in this one. Thanks to anyone who fucking reads this bullshit. Seth from CT, did you make it this far? You've got wayyyy too much time on your hands if you did, haha.
-Erik

Full distro list and website can be viewed at http://www.socialnapalm.com/ . Past email updates can be viewed at http://penetration82.blogspot.com/ .

Please remember that PRICES ARE *NOT* POSTAGE PAID. For U.S. (domestic) customers, here are the postage rates for ordering:
$0-$15.00 = $2 shipping
$15.01-$30.00 = $3 shipping
$30.01-$75.00 = $4 shipping
$75.01-$125.00 = $5 shipping
$125.01-$200.00 = $6 shipping
Over $200, email me please.

International customers please get in touch for rates. All international orders are sent via airmail.

We can accept well concealed cash or *postal* (that you get from the post office) money orders made out to "Erik" (NOT Social Napalm). Thanks.

Paypal is accepted, but i do have to charge to include for their fees.

Address is at the end of this email.

Here's what's in stock now:

7"s:

Autoritär/Uncurbed split 7" on Rescued From Life Records $4.00
According to Discogs.com, this is Autoritär's most recent release and is from 2004, so i'm not sure if they are active any more. Regardless, Autoritär comes from Germany and contained members of the Worhäts. They have a kind of heavy crust sound that is pretty standard for the late 1990s crust scene that they were part of. So if you're a fan of this genre, i'd say pick it up. These guys have a Myspace too (what band doesn't now it seems...), so check that out if you want to hear some sample songs. Uncurbed come from Sweden and surprisingly enough are not that influenced by Discharge. Haha! These guys are more along the lines of Krigshot and other faster hardcore bands, although there's no blast beats as far as i can tell. Uncurbed has a slew of releases out, so i guess you're either into them or you're not.

Burnt Cross/Cress - "Paths to Persecution"/"Peace Through Superior Firepower" split 7" (Loud Punk in conjunction with several other labels) $4.00
"A first rate pairing of UK Anarcho bands on this single; from the Burnt Cross 8 track (recorded in Rob's bedroom) we get "Spectacle of The Obscene", an observation on the heroic welcome the bodies of dead British soldiers are given when they are returned home, and paraded thru the streets. But are they heroes? And what exactly are they fighting and dying for in Iraq and Afghanistan? And do the people who line the streets to watch the coffins pass by really know either? I don't think a lot of them do, in which case why are they there? Out of loyalty they would probably say, but to what, and whom? The truth is the invasions of both these countries were illegal and have seen thousands and thousands of innocent people killed… in the name of peace. What a depressing concept. Track # 2 "Paths to Persecution" sticks it to "fascist misfits still denying the holocaust"… man, I went to Auschwitz last year, it was brutal, an incredibly sobering experience. That there are people out there who are so blinkered and brainwashed to not accept what went on there really does make my stomach churn. The guitar riff of this song reminds me a lot of the old Cult Maniax song "Blitz". Cress are back together, and still as angry-as-fuck, with 4 snappy songs that are strictly Anti-War, and question mans ability to exist together on this planet without wanting to keep on killing each other. Cress close out with "Amongst The Slaughter", a short spoken word piece, it’s classic Peace Punk." -Darren/Tadpole Records

Chronic Sick - s/t 7" (AKA "Reagan Bands" 7") on No Way Records $4.00 (These are not here yet, but should be here any day now, so i'm listing them.)
"Finally reissued legitimately/band authorized after 27 years. Great NJHC from 1983. The original of the hc/kbd classic on Mutha Records goes for up to 500.00 on eBay so jump on this now to get it at a reasonable price. 3 songs of catchy, snotty Reagan era hardcore the way it was meant to be. Short, fast, and loud. The front cover art to this record is a dead give away- you need this! Restored and Remastered by Dave Eck at Lucky Lacquers, and what a great job he did on this. We tried hard to keep the look and sound as close to the original as we could." -Brandon/No Way Records

Crossing Chaos - ""Behind The Glamorous Face Of Our Hypocritical Eden Ruled By Powermad Bastards" 7" on Yellow Dog Records $4.00
Formed all the way back in 1996, Crossing Chaos comes from Sweden playing Swedish style crust/hardcore. I think a lot of people are familiar with this band already from numerous other releases. They also have a Myspace with some of their songs on it for you to check out. This 7" was recorded in 1999 but not released until 2002. I think fans of bands like Victims and Human Waste will probably be most into this band. I'd say it's more along those lines than say modern Disfear or later Genocide SS or something. This is pretty well executed. I'm listening to their Myspace songs as i type this description, and i've got to be honest, it's a lot better than i remember them being. But i don't think i'd listened to them since like 2004 before this. Yeah, this is solid stuff. I only have one copy of this record, so check it out if you're interested.

Raw Noise - "Scum Will Rise To The Top" 4 songs EP on MCR Company $6.00
"Revenge of UK KING OF CRUSTIES! Raw Noise is a side project band by Dean, the singer/front man of mighty Extreme Noise Terror coming back to tour Japan in summer of 2009! This is a long awaited brand new single after the album released few years ago. In opposite to ENT evolving to much brutal way with death metalish elements, Raw Noise continues to blast under the vein of traditional Late 80's UK crustcore vein. 4 tracks of intense, brutal, bulldozing punk as fuck attack!!!" -Yumikes/MCR Company
http://www.myspace.com/rawnoiseofficial

Sugar Pie Koko - s/t 7" on Stategrinder Records/Sounds Of Betrayal $4.00
Ok, I'm nearly certain that this 2001 release of Sugar Pie Koko is their one and only. I'm also nearly positive these guys formed out of the band Greed, so i'm going to mostly talk about Greed in this description since i think they were essentially the same band. I'm guessing its at least the same vocalist and bassist as Greed because the vocals sound the same and it's the same fairly distinct bass sound that Greed employed. Anyway, Greed was a really solid band that existed in the late '90s into the 2000s. They were sort of the halfway point between bands like Diskonto and crustier bands like Tolshock or Totalitär for example. Like the meeting point between Swedish rå (crust) and Swedish kang (thrash). I always really enjoyed the Greed stuff, both their "Silence Is No Reaction" 7" on Crust As Fuck Records and their split 7" with React (also a Stategrinder Records split release), which was in a slightly different style and had two vocalists, were especially strong. I remember when they did their debut on Distortion Records, it was after Distortion was known to be a rip off label, and a lot of DIY people got all "What the fuck?" about the release (arguably rightfully so). There's probably some letters in old issues of Profane Existence about it. Then Greed released their next release on that label Crust As Fuck Records which was like a web resource, label, e-zine, etc. thing that got immensely popular really quickly and then one day i remember it was just like gone, i think. Anyone else remember that? I wonder what ever happened to those people, as their site and label got so popular so quickly. Maybe i'm just remembering it wrong, that could be it too. I'm rambling here. So yeah, back to the Sugar Pie Koko record, which i haven't discussed at all, it's not bad. I like the Greed material better, but this is a decent release from Sweden. I always wondered if these guys were named after a misheard lyric from the song "Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch" by the Temptations. "I can't help myself!"

Urban Blight - "Total War" 7" on Static Shock Records $6.00
"Following on from last years "More Reality" 12" ep on Slasher Records, Toronto's Urban Blight are back with five new tracks of blown out hardcore punk. These new tracks, while still mining the Abused / SSD sound, also bring forth the Discharge and The Insane infulence even more. This is hardcore as it's meant to be. The 7" comes housed in a 6 panel poster sleeve, to go up next to all of the Crass and UK82 ones on you wall." -Static Shock Records
"Absolute Control" MP3: http://www.staticshockrecords.com/sounds/05%20Absolute%20Control.mp3

V/A - "Same Day... Different Shit" 7"
"6 Band / 11 track comp featuring Pilger, Whole In The Head, Constant State Of Terror, No Substance, Crash The Pose and Haywire. Green vinyl." -Static Shock Records


Tapes:

Boston Strangler - "Outcast" demo cassette on No Way Records $4.00 (These are not here yet, but should be here any day now, so i'm listing them.)
"If you like hardcore, you need this. Hands Down, one of the best "demos" ever made! It was originally self released in a small batch of 100 tapes, but was too good for it to be unavailable except for shitty mp3 downloads. Boston Style HC from you guessed it, BOSTON. For us, it brings to mind equal parts DYS, Deathwish, Negative FX, and maybe a little early Out Cold. Either way you're going to have to buy this tape and find out. Let's see what it brings to your mind. 5 songs. Limited to 300 Copies, Professionally made." -Brandon/No Way Records
Since the internet came to be the main modem for the dissemination of punk rock and underground hardcore information, things have gotten so blown out of proportion and ridiculous that it's become pretty nauseating. You've got people on message boards going around saying this and that and staking some absolutely absurd claims. It's easy to get caught up in hype, buy into it, etc. Remember when What Happens Next? was the most popular band in hardcore? They proved that popularity in hardcore has little to do with the quality of songs you write and that even the worst bands can become quite popular. It's all about hype and image. Hell, you don't even have to sound like the bands you claim to be influenced by (again, see What Happens Next? for a band that sounded nothing at all like Heibel, Ripcord, or Heresy). The hype and fervor around certain bands today is at all time record highs, and i think anyone that's buying records these days without turning on their personal "bullshit detector" is being extremely naive. That said, there's a lot of hype surrounding the Boston Strangler. I'm going to try to keep this description based in reality and with some perspective. This demo is a great demo, but they're not the best thing of all time quite yet even though some people seem poised to anoint them as such. The song "The Truth" definitely wins my favorite song of the year, and honestly sounds like an outtake from SS Decontrol's "Get It Away" 12". I believe this demo is just as good as the DYS LP, but i know to a lot of people that's not saying much. Other tracks like "Outcast," about lead man Ban's rejection of the outside world (instead of it rejecting him), is also a favorite and shows that these guys have a lot more to offer than your standard wanna be 1982 hardcore band playing today. This five piece band made up of all edge men is the complete package. They have the look, the style, the image, the aesthetic, the live presence, the anticipation and tension at their shows, the swagger, and most importantly the fucking tunes to back it up. I'm honestly in awe of their potential. But, it's just a demo, and we'll see what happens. They have a 12" planned for release on Fun With Smack Records run by Danimal of Waste Management. I can only hope that it will meet the exceedingly high expectations that it will be met with upon it's release. We'll see...


LPs/12"s/10"s:

Artificial Peace - "Complete Session Nov '81" LP+MP3 on Dischord Records $12.00
"A.P. lasted barely a year, but in that short time managed to become a leading band in the early DC hardcore punk scene. They were tight, fast, and aggressive, prerequisites for most DC bands of the time, but also had a unique sound and surprisingly catchy songs. The band went to Inner Ear Studios in Nov. of ‘81with Ian MacKaye and recorded 17 songs. Three songs ended up on the Flex Your Head comp. but the rest were shelved after the band broke up. Three A.P. members went onto form Marginal Man. The LP comes with a free MP3 download coupon." -Dischord Records

Chronic Sick - "Cutest Band In Hardcore" 12" on No Way Records $10.00 (These are not here yet, but should be here any day now, so i'm listing them.)
"Finally legitimately reissued on vinyl for the first time in 28 years! This NJHC cult classic has been under the radar for decades and the original (Limited to 300 copies of Mutha Records fetches up to 1500.00 on eBay, so here's your chance to grab a copy at a decent price. We've worked hard to make this look, sound and feel close the same if not better than the original. 6 songs of snotty NJ HC Punk that crosses the lines between hardcore and almost pop punk at times, you'll see what we mean when you hear it. Not some silly Fat Wreck type stuff just kinda in the same way that early Screeching Weasel did (pretty sure they must have listened to Chronic Sick.) Absolutely perfect production all around, this recording has always amazed us by being so crisp, clear, and powerful. Restored and Remastered by Dave Eck at Lucky Lacquers, and what a great job he did! This is a must have record, and we've worked our asses off to have it see the light of day again. Also comes with a poster the band designed with a nice collage of stuff involving Chronic Sick." -Brandon/No Way Records

Discharge - "Why" 12" on Havoc Records $11.00
"An unrelenting blast of raw punk anger. This genre defining record turned up the intensity of hardcore punk several notches. A searing protest against the insanity of war and madness of politicians set to the most powerful and bombastic hardcore assault laid down to that date." -Felix/Havoc Records
Having progressed past being merely "the musical equivalent of sniffing glue," this Discharge record really saw the band start to hone their sound and craft. The first three 7"s from 1980 were raw and primitive blasts, but this release shows Discharge becoming the cohesive powerhouse that they were destined to be. Brutal and suffocating, oppressive and unrelenting, this record doesn't smother the listener with speed like later bands would, it doesn't rely on heavy metal production values like so many of the bands that came to imitate them, and it doesn't rely on just beating the listener into submission. No, this 12" rocks because of incredible song writing capabilities that set them apart and showcased why Discharge are the true champions of the style. "Noise not music" may have been a mantra of the band's, but at the root of their music was extremely catchy songs, pogo-inducing basslines, and those great sing-a-long choruses.

Discharge - "Hear Nothing See Nothing Say Nothing" LP on Havoc Records $11.00
"Considered by many to be one of the best, if not THE BEST hardcore record of the 1980s. This record caught Discharge at the peak of their powers, combining the anger, intensity and power of their early material with a high caliber of production and musicianship. Pure anger and power, shocking and provocative graphics (before these were passe on punk record covers) combined with rampaging riffs and coarse vocals. Faithfully reproduced as a gatefold LP." -Felix/Havoc Records
"Doom with a very fast beat. Don't say that these guys didn't warn us if someone drops the big one, because this is the second LP (they also have four 7"ers) that hammers away without mercy at the potential hell of nuclear holocaust. The songs here tend to be a bit similar (repetitive riffs and some heavy metal guitar), but the delivery is so powerful, the words so convincingly committed, that it's a winner. Much like watching a huge fire--horrifying, but riveting at the same time." -Tim Yohannan (from Maximum Rocknroll #1, July/August 1982)

Gasmask Terrör - "Black Sun/Fake Gold" 12" on Solar Funeral $11.00
Best record by this French outfit. Their first release was somewhat generic D-beat, but they've really come into their own since then. This stuff is scathing with some real energy to it. Fist pumping, toe tapping, and head bobbing, this record will make you do the whole gamut of moves in the privacy of your own home. This reminds me more of Totalitär or No Security. A really good release.
"No Mistake" MP3: http://www.solar-funeral.org/noise/gasmaskterror/no_mistake.mp3

Government Issue - "Boycott Stabb Complete Session" LP+MP3 on Dischord Records $12.00
"In November of 1982 GI recorded what was to be their first full-length album, "Boycott Stabb". They tracked 20 songs in one day and it was only after much debate that they decided to leave off the 11 tracks that had been recorded with earlier line-ups. "Boycott Stabb" was initially released as a split with Fountain of Youth records and has since been reissued on a number of different labels. However, after coming across the master tapes and hearing the songs that had been left off, we thought it would be cool to release the complete session and to finally release the record on Dischord proper. The LP comes with a free MP3 download coupon." -Dischord Records

H-100's - "Live April 2nd, 1995 At Peabody's Down Under In Cleveland, Ohio" on Non-Commercial Records/SYG Records $14.00
"No! No! No! Believe it or not this isn't another shitty live punk record to cash in on all of you gay hardcore collector nerds! I've been holding this baby in my greasy mitts for almost 15 years. It is one of my all time favorite live punk recordings. This is a record that captures a band in it's truest, rawest form. Call it part luck, call it what you will. In my opinion, this live H-100's recording not only sounds better than all of their studio recordings previously released, it also captures the tension, humor, hatred and brilliance of these mongoloids perfectly. There's been thousands of paint by the numbers hardcore bands in the last 25 years, but a band this original comes along once a decade, if ever. They broke the mold! Ironically, the lineup for this gig was Integrity, 25 Ta Life, Apt. 213, One Life Crew (2nd show) and H-100's. Talk about not fitting in. But that's how it was back them. Enjoy this Fucker! Let me contradict myself for a second. Hey collector nerds! There are only 500 made (200 on shit brown vinyl, 300 on black) so get it now!!! Hand silk screened covers. It will never happen again. This was a costly record to make so we apologize for the higher than usual price, but this is a one-time pressing." -Paul/Non-Commercial Records

Urban Blight – More Reality 12" on Slasher Records $14.00
These are left over tour copies on blue vinyl. Blown out and burly sounding HC. Definitely recorded with the needle well into the red. The production at times reminds me of some of the Disclose material. Musically, this has mostly a tougher early '80s feel to it. There's definitely some heavy doses of Boston and New York influences and perhaps some DC influence is there as well, but if you're looking for that early '80s Cali "beach punk" hardcore sound, you won't find it here. Urban Blight mixes it up quite a bit with the tempos. Mostly they stick to memorable speeds and throw in the occasional mid paced mosher part. Some songs do get a bit Infest sounding at times and start hitting that 1-1 fast beat, and that's really my only complaint. When it's just Boston sounding hardcore, like on the SS Decontrol sounding "Get A Clue" followed by "Enough," which sounds like a hybrid between SSD and Antidote, they are at their strongest. And their strongest is honestly very good when compared to what else is coming out today. These guys come from Toronto which also produced recent bands Fucked Up, Career Suicide, Mad Men, etc. Lyrically, it covers all the familiar themes for the most part without really adding anything new in the way of discussing them. The notable exception to that is the song "Cut Back" which is about the city under funding public transportation and the impact it has on people. All in all a pretty good record that i think a lot of people will be into. These are on the Slasher label but these copies are imported from England.

Varukers - "One Struggle One Fight" LP on Havoc Records $11.00
Havoc Records has done an excellent job in bringing this one back in print on vinyl. When most people think of the Varukers, they think of songs from their earlier Riot City Records era that came from releases like "Die For Your Government" 7", "Blood Suckers" LP, "Led To The Slaughter" 7", and the "Another Religion Another War" 12" EP. However, the Varukers started in the late '70s and, like punk and hardcore itself at the time, became much harder, faster, and aggressive as the years went on. This is from 1985 and is the Varukers final release from just before their first break up in 1987. Along with the "Massacred Millions" 12" from 1984, this is the Varukers material most closely sounding like Discharge. The music here is great, very powerful hardcore without a hint of crust or anything other than straight Discharge worship. The production values on the LP are very mid '80s sounding, for lack of a better term, in that they have some reverb on the instruments and a slightly metallic production feel to it. The LP is split into two sides with the A side tackling human rights issues and the B side serving as commentary for the struggle for animal rights. This is the only LP that the Varukers own 100% of the rights to instead of a parent label like so much of the UK82 era stuff, so i think that's why you see it being reissued by a DIY label instead of a bigger label that doesn't give a shit or have a clue what they are doing. It was originally supposed to come out on Conflict's Mortarhate Records but didn't for whatever reason. The Varukers were arguably the first real Dis band. Yes, they didn't have a "Dis-" prefix in their name, but they were one of the very first bands to specifically attempt to emulate and imitate what Discharge was doing. So fans of Discharge and hardcore should love this. This is the first time this LP has been in print on vinyl since it originally went out of print way back in the '80s, and it's well worth the money.

V/A - "Kakumei 2" 11 bands, 16 songs LP on MCR Company $15.00
"Another international compilation album featuring 11 bands from 4 countries. Each band has shown its clear-cut personality, so you can enjoy versatile styles and you'll never get bored till the end once you put this slap of vinyl on your turn table. The lyric sheet comes out as a deluxe booklet. You have a good reason to call this a "must"." -Yumikes/MCR Company
Japan: Idora / F.V.K./ Fuck Geez / Don Don / Assfort
U.S.A.: Misery
Germany: Cox-Orange / Spermbirds
U.K.: Nessun Dorma


Compact Discs:

Yeah, i know i stopped carrying CDs a while back and don't really plan on starting to stock them again, but a lot of Japanese stuff that's high quality does not appear on vinyl at any point. So, here is some stuff that is in now from the MCR Company label out of Japan that i recommend and is on CD.

Adixion - "An Absurd Channel" 8 songs CD on MCR Company $13.00
"Now changed their name to Adixion from "Addiction", their creative sound changes always gives a big surprise and positive disturbance to the scene. This is their brand new album 5 years after their 3rd 7"ep. Unlike their muddy 3rd 7"EP, on this new album they sound much solid, twisted, thoughtful, very addictive psychic punk sung in Japanese! Includes the re‐recording of the song "Shinryakusha" from the last EP, total 8 tracks, psychedelic hell perversion!!!" -Yumikes/MCR Company

The Bristles - "No Future In The Past (The Best And The Rest Of The Bristles" 2xCD + DVD set on MCR Company $22.00
"80's early SWEDISH RAW HARDCORE ATTACK‐PUNK legend! This is absolutely the FIRST official best of the best of The Bristles, including almost LL of their material: their ultra rare classic 1st 7"ep "Don't Give Up", "Boys Will Be Boys" 7" ep, the total 1983 masterpiece cassette "Ban The Punk Shops", tracks from the infamous "Welcome to 1984", "Really fast", "We Don't Want Nuclear Force" compilations, first rehearsal from 1982, final recording session from 1985, other unreleased tracks, TOTAL 49 TRACKS!!! Also comes with the DVD including 2 different whole gigs from 1983 by the camera of also legendary Existenz member with 23 tracks, TOTAL 72 TRACKS!!! A TRUE MUST FOR ALL PUNKS IN THE WHOLE WORLD FOREVER!!!" -Yumikes/MCR Company

Clown - "Live Stock World" 10 songs CD on MCR Company $13.00
"NAGOYA CITY HARDCORE "CLOWN"!!! The total outstanding first album is out now! Urge for destruction, instinct for conflict, heavy, strong, dead serious blasts of driving metalish HARDCORE PUNK with brutal barking vocal!!! This is the way how HARDCORE PUNK should be! Out of control anger, total fight back spirit, frustration! For the all fighting kids from the Nagoya city true HARDCORE FIGHTERS! VIOLENCE!!!!! http://nchc-clown.com/" -Yumikes/MCR Company

Normals - "Normal" 5 songs CD on MCR Company $10.00
"Can't fight until getting drunk. This is a long awaited or disappointed first mini album by the 100 alcoholic PUNK from Nagoya city featuring the vocalist Hip Maeda ex‐Exterminate. Enhanced CD. Absolutely not for the schoolkids. by Katsuhisa (Reality Crisis)" -Yumikes/MCR Company

Scatha - "After The Dust Settles" 26 songs CD on MCR Company $13.00
"Scatha from Scotland is the band formed in 1993 by the ashes of Scottish Celtic tribal HC band Sedition and Disaffect. Their releases has been deleted & hard to find for a while but finally their discography CD is out here!! Although their activity term was short (1995 to 2005), their music was so influential, almost globally just like former Sedition. This CD is their total discography plus 2 unreleased tracks. It must be said Scatha is less Celtic /tribal compared to SEDITION but much simple, metalish with attitude and screaming "Fuck The System", total raging metalish crust HC attack!! Just like Discharge and Chaos U.K.. Scatha has created another standard of hardcore, still now active as a new band called "T.R.I.B.E." which we must not miss!!" -Yumikes/MCR Company

V/A - "Life's A Bitch" 4 bands, 4 songs CD on MCR Company $10.00
"This is an awesome compilation with 4 Tokyo underground punk heroes : Discocks, Pogo Machine, Hat Trickers, and 2nd Degree. Outside of trendy shit, their sounds are reality original. RAW as fuck, against today's Tokyo city full of coward life. Already the most important compilation out of 2006!" -Yumikes/MCR Company


Zines/Books:

Radiation Sickness #5 $4.00
"Newest issue of this zine featuring - with Vorkriegsphase, Leprosy, and Vivid Sekt. Also features a Slayer retrospective, demo reviews, zine contacts, photos, some stuff about horror movies, and not much else. 24 pages, pro printed on recycled paper using soy based inks." -Jimmy/Radiation Sickness
Seriously though, Jimmy is one my all time favorite SOB's in the world. The kid is a true cunt, and he does a solid zine. I love his discerning taste and disregard for tact when it comes to tearing down posers, bad records, and idiots. I wish he'd show his personality off a bit more in his zine instead of pretending to be one of the nice guys of the world in his writing style, but hey, i'll take it. Can't wait to see this. These should be out the week of Christmas, and i hope to have them shortly thereafter.

"Touch and Go The Complete Hardcore Punk Zine '79-'83" book published by Bazillion Points Books $30.00
"Dubbed "influential" by the Village Voice, "essential" by the Washington Post, and "slapdash, ornery, and entertaining" by PopMatters, the 576-page anthology offers introductions by Henry Rollins, Ian MacKaye, and other key figures. Time Out Chicago wrote: "As a hardcore punk primer you couldn't do better." Touch and Go fanzine was the brainchild of Tesco Vee and Dave Stimson and was launched in Lansing, Michigan, in 1979. Major fanatics of the new punk happenings in the late '70s, TV and DS set out to chronicle, lambaste, ridicule, and heap praise on all they arbitrarily loved or hated in the music communities in the US and abroad. In laughably minuscule press runs by todays standards, T & G was made by guys within the Midwest scene strictly for the edification of scenesters and pals. Magazines like Forced Exposure and Your Flesh, among others, soon fired up Xerox machines themselves, and the rest is history. So is the legendary independent record label launched from this zine, and so are the bands covered inside: Black Flag, Minor Threat, the Misfits, Negative Approach, the Fix, the Avengers, the Necros, Discharge, Iron Cross, Youth Brigade, Faith, Die Kreuzen, Crucifix, Poison Idea—and all the other punks worth their weight in glorious black and white." -Dischord Records


DVDs:

V/A - "All Crusties Spending Loud Night 2002" DVD on MCR Company $19.00
"This is a video of the total crushing gig done at Osaka, Namba city in 14/Dec/2002 presented & edited by Crust War. A powerful sound quality with line-recordings, agressive camera-works which will reduce your room to total ashes!! 10 bands, 21 songs included!!
DVD is including for "ALL CRUSTIES...1997"!!!!! 10 bands / 21songs 58min. ZOE / DECONSTRUCTION / DISCLOSE / ABRAHAM CROSS / FRAMITED / EFFIGY / POIKKEUS / REALITY CRISIS / DEFECTOR / LIFE" -Yumikes/MCR Company


Here's what should be in for the next update (DO NOT ORDER YET):

Both of these zines are currently en route and should be here within a week. If you want to hold an order 'til they arrive, just email me ahead of time.

Accept The Darkness #4 $3.00
"This is apparently the 'R' issue, featuring interviews with Ratcharge zine (France), Rayos X (LA), and Ratas Del Vaticano (Mexico). There is lots of writing and reviews of tapes, records, and zines. This was written and laid out in Fall/Early Winter 2010 and was eventually copied in December. 250 copies made this time, its 28 pages and full sized (YEAH!). Thanks to Ian for the cover." -Shiva/Accept The Darkness


Other shit:

The Best American Crust Record Ever (......in my, meaningless, opinion)

Americans love to emphatically believe that there's nothing that they can't do that is superior to anyone from any other country. This arrogance and chauvinism can be found in how Americans view themselves in terms of technology, sports/athletics, militaristic prowess, culture, fashion, arts, music, and many other facets of society. The punk scene largely adheres, and even buys in, to this philosophy of superiority. However, despite having literally thousands of bands playing it, the U.S. has been forever inept and mired in mediocrity when it comes to playing crust. Crust in this context refers to bands influenced by Axegrinder, Hellbastard, Prophecy of Doom, and Deviated Instinct among others. I am not referring to bands from the U.S. playing a crusty hardcore sound such as Disrupt. "Traditional crust" (for lack of a better term) i think can be noted as having often slow or mid paced tempos, head-bob inducing rhythms, metallic guitar tones, growled, low vocals, and a sluggish, grinding feel to the music. That's not to say that these bands don't use speed ever though. Tribal drumming and the occasional acoustic heavy metal intro can often by found in the genre as well.

Before diving into the debate of the Best American Crust Record Ever, i really wondered why the United States had produced such a gluttony of complete shit when it comes to crust. After pointlessly and needlessly over analyzing it like a sociological case study, i came to the belief that at least one of two external conditions must exist to produce good crust music and that it is impossible to produce good heavy crust without at least one of them being present. The first one is the easy one: poverty. Crust is a seething and anguished form of music. Unlike hardcore, it was not borne out of boredom by middle class suburban youth. Crust is the result of deprived and impoverished social and economic conditions. This would explain why countries with political upheaval and disenchanted worker populations have produced great crust records such as Greece (Panikos, Hibernation/Chaotic End) and Poland (Filth Of Mankind and, to a lesser degree, Infekcja, S.O. War, and Disgusting Lies, as these bands were more influenced by Doom than Amebix). While America certainly has an abundance of poverty, the poorest tend to be immigrants who retain their homeland's customs and identity, instead of expressing outrage by refusing to wash their clothes and saving up for a Metal Zone. The second external factor i'd cite is climate. Great crust tends to come from climates that typically are either extremely cold and snowy or cold and rainy. The winters of where great crust bands come from often share a lot of similarities with the songs the bands write. Winter moves slowly, it's inhospitable, harsh and bleak, and it's cold and distant. Southern California produces bunches of crusty bands, so it's no wonder they all fucking suck when it's 70-90 degrees out and sunny year round. That is just not an oppressive climate to eek out an existence in. When it comes to explaining why Japan has produced some of the elite bands in the heavy crust genre (Zoe, Effigy, and Axewield recently), the only reason i could come up with is that the Japanese simply excel at most things they do and pay way more attention to detail than the average punk does.

So with those parameters set in place, that leaves relatively few bands to choose from within America. Most people would probably claim the "Extinction" LP by Nausea as the quintessential U.S. crust record. This has all the elements of a great heavy cruster: dual male/female vocals with political and dystopian lyrics, filthy fucking production values, and the tunes to back it up. Others would probably put down one of the Hellshock LPs as their favorite American crust record. This band has it's moments, and i particularly love their track "Passage" on the "Portland City Hard Punk 2005" comp LP, but i don't think they have a flawless or filler-less release. To me, the Best American Crust Record Ever is Misery's double A side "Next Time"/"Full" b/w "Midnight" EP. This record is a glacial force that embodies everything i love about the heavy crust genre. Misery was formed in the late '80s in Minnapolis, Minnesota, which just happens to have some of the most frigid winters south of Canada. The A sides were recorded in 1995 while the B side is a hold over from 1988 with then future Nausea vocalist Al on vocals, and it was released on Profane Existence Records in 1996. Slow, churning, and grinding songs tell tales of the hardships of life and coming to grips with death. These three tracks are the sound of endless winter, hopeless future, and inevitable death. Unlike anarcho punk, the songs are not protest anthems or a rallying cry for a fight against these grim prospects, rather, they are the acceptance and resignation of these harsh realities as inescapable. The chorus of "Full" shows their submission to these inevitabilities and eventualities: "Then you realize you have nothing to live for and nothing to die for. You realize you can't change the world, what are you wasting your time for?" "Next Time" and "Full" move at mid paced tempos gripping the listener tight, while "Midnight" on the flip side is a dark and slow dirge. The song structure is barren of any excessive frills, leads, or extras, yet is hypnotic in it's rhythm. Like time itself, this record feels slow but goes by faster than it seems it should. Misery is still going today and has many releases out. I would also highly recommend the split picture disc with Assrash on Clean Plate Records (1996) and, to a lesser extent, the "Who's The Fool..." LP on Profane Existence Records (1994).


Reviews

The records here were sent in for review in my zine. Unfortunately, i'm not doing reviews in my zine, so i figured i'd review them here instead. While i'm not soliciting records for review for here, i guess if you want to, feel free. I can't promise a good review, but i can promise you an honest one. But really, there's enough people already out there reviewing music and pushing their opinions on it.

Germ Attak - "Death To Cops" 7"
You'd either have to have a low level of quality control or be the most prolific group of hit makers since Black Flag to release the amount of records these guys have in such a relatively short period of time over the last few years. Personally, i think it's the former, as it all comes off a bit indulgent. Like the aforementioned Black Flag, Germ Attak's sound changes a little bit on each subsequent release. Unlike Black Flag, i don't think they are all that good. Germ Attak's current sound is more influenced by straight up UK82 than their earlier releases. Think Partisans, Skeptix, and GBH as the big influences here. This four song EP contains three mid paced songs and one speedy number. Still, while this isn't really my cup of tea, i must say that with the exception of the Casualties and Defiance, it's far better than the crap that came out on Punkcore or the endless amount of shit bands that permeate Myspace (although, it should be said, at least those Myspace bands aren't releasing vinyl...). I'm sure these guys are just enthusiastic rockers who love making music, but i really wish they would exercise some control over what they release and stop including every filler song they've ever written on their records. Not bad, just not that good.
(Shogun Recordings - http://shogunrecordings.pagesperso-orange.fr/)

Inservibles - s/t 7"
First off, the Inservibles come from Mexico, and that's fucking cool. Too often the Mexican punk scene gets completely ignored by "accepted" (for lack of a better term) or First World underground punk scene both here in the US and abroad. So it's nice to see Phil from Shogun Recordings over in France paying some attention to our Mexican neighbors. Onto the music: this is pretty noisy, but i really don't think this is noise for the sake of noise like all those other bands doing that style today. Honestly, i don't have a fucking clue what these guys are really going for or who their influenced by. This isn't unique or original in the grand scheme of music, but i don't think this fits in with anything that's really going on today, and that makes it unique in it's own way. Maybe there's a Japanese influence here. I'm not really sure, but it's pretty lo-fi. It was recorded in 2008 and has six songs. The band has a Myspace, so perhaps you'll want to check that out. This isn't something that i personally can see myself listening to very much, but i think there's a lot of people out there who would genuinely enjoy this record, and i respect the band for doing something that's all their own. Apparently the Inservibles have a new 7" coming out in 2011, so perhaps people will want to check that out as well.
(Shogun Recordings - http://shogunrecordings.pagesperso-orange.fr/)

NASA Space Universe - "Brainrailers" 7"
The second release by NASA Space Universe from California, and my favorite of the three releases sent for review from Shogun Recordings in France. Another fairly unique sounding release. These guys have a bit of a yin and yang thing going on. It's tuneful while screechy, noisy but melodic, abrasive yet not off putting. They claim influences like Die Kreuzen and Koro, and i can see that. Perhaps the Neos, Deep Wound, and others similar to that sound could also be considered. But there's an element of California melody here too, perhaps even the slightest surf feel buried somewhere in there. I'm finding this record difficult to describe. It's a bit of a bizarre release, but it doesn't come off contrived. Perhaps if recent bands like the Imposters or Skate Korpse mixed with some of the more lo-fi bands of No Way Records or similar labels of the past few years it would sound like this record. Maybe that's doesn't do NASA Space Universe justice. For a state that hasn't had a band release a good record since the Holier Than Thou? first 7" 11 years ago, this one is pretty decent.
(Shogun Recordings - http://shogunrecordings.pagesperso-orange.fr/)


Erik SN
P.O. Box 4073
S. Chelmsford, MA
01824-0773
U.S.A.
http://www.socialnapalm.com/