[engl] It’s going off and The Chisel are back to cause a bit of bovver. Following a trio of explosive singles, the band finally bring us their debut full-length album, Retaliation, on the London-based punk institution La Vida Es Un Mus. Having formed in early 2020 and featuring a crew of members with long-term associations to the London punk scene, The Chisel quickly secured a reputation as one of the most exciting bands from a pool of contemporaries that includes Chubby & The Gang, Stingray and Big Cheese. Their sound is rooted firmly in Punk but with influences that run across the board to create a distinctive blend of Oi!, anarcho, UK-82 and hardcore. Retaliation is an unmistakably British record that draws a line from 1982 up to the present day, pushing its way into your collection and torching your stereo. Opening with the agitated force of ‘Unlawful Execution’, the tone is firmly set by a song that addresses the brutality of the Met Police (“Tell me what’s the difference between right or wrong / When a copper gets to blast a lad who did nothing wrong”). ‘Come See Me’ is a ferocious ode to camaraderie in the face of mouthy boneheads and bellends. ‘Shit Life Syndrome’ is a poisoned reference to the same cynical phrase used by physicians to describe the effects of people living under poverty and in the grips of substance abuse (“How can you expect people to act nicely, they’ve all been left on the edge of society”). It’s one of many songs influenced by singer Cal’s experiences of growing up in the working-class town of Blackpool. Cal states: “Blackpool as a town is often overlooked or even looked down upon, I wanted to write lyrics which gave the people of my town a voice”. With tunes like these The Chisel show that they’ll never pull any punches. However, beyond the fury and the swagger there’s another side that plays to an additional strength; the ability to write a memorable hook. Songs like ‘Retaliation’, ‘Tooth & Nail’ and ‘Not The Only One’ could be described as modern day anthems (the latter has become a fan favourite since the arrival of their first live shows) and cement their identity as a band not to be defined by their influences.

[engl] Barcelona's CIUDAD LINEAL finally deliver the follow up to their fantastic demo from 2013. A full length album of dark minimal wave heavily influenced by EL AVIADOR DRO Y SUS OBREROS ESPECIALIZADOS, THE NORMAL or CABARET VOLTAIRE. Armed with a bass guitar, drum pad, a keyboard and two synths CIUDAD LINEAL manage to create a conceptual piece around the idea of progress and industry as opposing forces. El Nuevo Hombre is divided into two parts each one comprising one side of the album. The A side being "The Splendor" and the B side "The Fall" joined by a speech symbolizing Mankind's awakening. The album throws shades of JOY DIVISION, DECIMA VICTIMA or even THE RESIDENTS leaving behind absolute hits like the freezing cold opening track "Horizonte" or "Industria" which to these ears is the closest anyone has ever came to being part of the LOS INICIADOS/FRACCION DEL EJERCITO ROJO/ AVIADOR family. While CIUDAD LINEAL'S sound is certainly rooted in the early 80's synth explosion the band remains fresh due to their lyrical approach as well as their DIY ethos.

[engl] Official reissue of seminal Japanese Hardcore band THE COMES debut. Originally released in 1983 on Dogma Records, a newly created City Rocker’s side label to release Hardcore/ Hard punk) No Side remains a milestone of first wave Japanese Hardcore. A vital document to understand the days when the Tokyo Hardcore scene was small and unknown with G.I.S.M., EXECUTE, GAUZE and THE COMES as main runners. Bands who shared stages, record labels and who grew to be one of the most varied, influential and enigmatic punk scenes of the planet. THE COMES music is frantic and sharp punk, bass driven and manic sounding with vocalist Chitose aggressive vocals punctuating every syllable and dominating the tunes. Like most first wave Hardcore acts they own their own sound and albeit many times imitated it has never been matched.

[engl] Formed in 2009 Constant Mongrel begun as a two piece (Tom Ridgewell and Hugh Young) creating immediate and at times improvised songs in an old dishevelled laundry in inner city Melbourne. Inspired by the more flamboyant side of protopunk such as Electric Eels and Chrome, over the next few years the band added members Amy Hill (bass) and Andrew Murray (guitar) building upon their intense sound and developing a unique humour. Consisting of members from Terry, Woollen Kits, Nun and Taco Leg, Constant Mongrel has several previous releases on RIP Society Records and Siltbreeze Records. After three years since their last release Constant Mongrel have developed a diverse collection of songs gradually over time. Recorded in the summer of 2017 in a studio, produced by Tom Hardisty and Mastered by Mikey Young, ‘Living In Excellence’ brings a more formed sound and aesthetic with striking riffs and catchy rolling bass over an often unhinged, vibrant rhythm section. Added for this on particular tracks is a fried, effected saxophone with warm synths and analogue sounds added to enhance the LP’s thoughtful textures. The new record has a sharper British Post Punk expression reminiscent of the usual suspects in Wire, Blitz, The Mob, Siekiera and The Fall, while also exploring elements found outside of the genre from Les Rallizes Dénudés to Youth Crew Hardcore to Country music and beyond, there's greater depth and sensibility found amongst the angst. James Vinciguerra (of Total Control fame) designed the cover which is a perfect depiction of this modern day punk record with its sharpness, colour and feeling of slight discomfort. The bands lyrics and themes vary in subject matter. Songs of certain romance, the monotonousness of self-loathing, the joy of a riot, atrocity of western religion, an abundance of a fresh modern fascism, white-middle-class-self-entitled guilt and the beauty in misinterpretation. But behind every idea the tongue remains continually in cheek as the bands humor seeps through and prevails in its sound. The truth is that none of us are truly Living In Excellence and this false mantra is prominent throughout a record that is over flowing with character, bleak satire and grunt.

[engl] More Echoes Of A Question Never Answered... Why? 12” is the posthumous release of Rosie Davis's solo project. On it the Nova Scotia artist poured all her soul into four very special songs, which were not fully completed by the time of her passing. The DIY recording is crude and rudimentary, and obviously influenced by the golden era of British anarcho punk but with nods to so many colourful elements. Mixing CRASS, FLUX OF PINK INDIANS, HONEY BANE and SAD LOVERS AND GIANTS to create a very personal drum machine fuelled punk record. With very personal lyrics giving the recording a layer of intimacy and creating a record clearly of its time. The sleeve artwork was designed by Rosie herself with a back cover pieced together with some artwork the family had. The record comes with an 8-page lyric booklet in a 300 press and the proceeds for its sale will be donated to Rosie’s family.

[engl] The debut 5 track vinyl release from Istanbul’s Die in Vain, that follows their excellent demo ‘Desperate to Piss’ on General Speech. Die in Vain live and breath the UK82 era where classic singles were released every week. The world was fucked and you played music to kick against the system. 40+ years later nothing has changed. Nothing at all. The band are locked in and tight with the drummer dealing in simplistic thuggery and the vocals spat out with venom and hatred. If Beat the System Records or Riot City Records still existed, Die in Vain would without doubt be snapped up by either label. It’s basic, hard hitting and relentless UK82 punk rock.

[engl] Originally released in 1991 War Cry was one of the first purely DISCHARGE influenced bands to span what later become popularly known as D-Beat. Hailing from Halifax, they were part of a new wave of raging UK bands with worshiped “Why” as the finest piece on non-music ever recorded. DISASTER faded into obscurity shortly after releasing their MLP and War Cry became a cult record among raw hardcore fans worldwide counting visionaries as Kawakami from DISCLOSE as one of their biggest fans. Finally reissued on CD in Japan in 2006 with extra live sets and unreleased songs LVEUM decide to bring this record back to life on its original format. This reissue comes with an extra Flexi Disc including two Discharge cover songs ( “Mania from Conquest” off the V/A Discharged CD and the unreleased “Fight Back” from the War Cry MLP session) as well as “Death Race” from the “A nightmare on Albion Street” compilation LP. It also comes with a 12 pages 11?x11? booklet containing flyers, pictures, interview and other memorabilia.

[engl] 20 years ago DISCLOSE released their response to the greatest hardcore 12” ever released: DISCHARGE’s Why. At the time the band was at the peak of their DISCHARGE era and had perfectly crafted a trademark sound, which shows through on the recording. The chainsaw-sounding double-toned guitar, Kawakami’s unmistakable vocals, and a rhythm section firmly based on the Stoke-On-Trent’s beat melded together to create a repetitive mantra-like noise chant. Recorded at Grove Cargo and mastered at Studio D-Takt by Jan Jutila, the production is a perfect example of noise not music pressed into vinyl, with both high and low frequencies cutting through the mix without losing any power. Lyrically Nightmare Or Reality focuses on the tragic sights of bullshit fucking war while aurally the record is a full-blown attack on all senses. D-Beat Raw Punk at its best. 20 years on and many times imitated but never duplicated.

[engl] Hey knuckle draggers and chain swingers! Looking to add some dynamite to your pogo stick? Look no further!! Enzyme’s Golden Dystopian Age LP is here! 4 years since Howling Minds LP, Enzyme’s 2nd offering bends all odds and pushes the band’s brand of noise punk to a new limit. Lots to process about this record, from the hyperactive drumming, catchy rhythm backbone by the bass, 1000 pedal stomp buzz saw noise/psychedelic soundscapes guitars, discordant terminator vocals that sound like they been recorded through a cheap boom box, cameo vocals from Hardcore Victim CEO / Phantasm vox Bernie, to the more noise / beats provided by hard techno unit Nerve AKA Joshua Wells makes for one perfect storm that these noise bent fuckers have managed to harness. 3 years to make, this record sounds and reads like a reflection of life living through the tightly sanctioned lockdowns, a state of uncertainty, helplessness, anxiety and fear, geographical and imposed isolation, natural disasters and civil unrest in Naarm (Melbourne) Australia. 8 relentless noise punk tracks for the new hell we live in. Golden Dystopian Age showcases Enzyme’s never ending one sided romance with punk legends Confuse, Chaos U.K and Disorder but also exploring other influences like Anarcho punk, space rock, psychedelia, metal and gabber. Blasphemy! Is this punk future? It’s as ugly as the world Enzyme sees. It’s the Golden Dystopian Age.

[engl] After two 7?s on Crust War and Hardcore Victim and a Tour flexi in Japan on Vox Populi Records, Australian noise-punx Enzyme release their debut 10 track debut album. The band made up of ex members of PISSCHRIST, KROMOSOM and UNKNOWN TO GOD worship at the altar of Perdition era DISORDER, CHAOS UK and CONFUSE. The bass drives the sound, the drums hectic with a lot of rolling tom tom work whilst the guitar has an immense tone of buzzing distortion and flanged psychedelics which sits somewhere between GLOOM and LES RAZILLES DENUDES. Pummeling, assertive one-two hardcore with a visceral-physical without stupidity, clever but unpretentious venomous vocals.

[engl] Second release on the ESCROTO DE RATA series. More snoty punk which will fit right in between LARSEN and KGB had it been released back in 1983. ESCROTO DE RATA paint depraved pictures of rural mayhem and existentialist doubt while playing catchy demented punk tunes which will hook you up. Gatefold sleeve.

[engl] Sometimes the stones that remain unturned are the ones that are the least assuming. There is a kind of humour to the idea that music which sounds like rocks being thrown around in an oil drum being next to the name EXOTICA, but what else can we say for the gesture of learning how to turn real noise into real music? It’s exotic, it’s outside the expectation of what things are supposed to do. Getting to bark out your problems could soon be not much more than the memory of a luxury, so swim in it. This music sounds live, like EXOTICA could have trickled off of the back half of an abandoned CÓLERA riff on a lost practice tape, or if your favourite ARROGANTA AGITATORER ep dub melted in the sun on the roof of your apartment and fused with whoever was practicing piano on the floor underneath you. Gone are the attempts to reclaim the clean lines and false distress of industry for domesticity. Here is a tiny pair of legs walking through a disgusting dirty world, gathering dust. The sun may set, but the moon also rises.

[engl] Exotica returns with Musique Exotíque #03, their third and best release to date. It's business as usual but the intensity has been ramped up and their chaotic nature more out of control. It's still pogo friendly, destructive to the ears and totally explosive, with special care on song writing. This is a band who have worn out their copy of the Xcentric Noise tape Raw War (The World Of Punk) from 1983 as it takes bits from UK82 - especially Perdition era Disorder, classic 80's Brazilian Punk and Finnish hardcore, creating a kaleidoscope of the greatest punk era, keeping the attitude of what made international Hardcore Punk once so exciting but looking ahead instead of been another carbon copy punk band.

[engl] Fatamorgana is the Universe, and Ahora Aquí, Todavía No the journey that will take you through it. Patrycja and Louis will be your guides, and with their Bass Station, RX11, JP-8000 and ethereal voices acting as a synth-pop spaceship, all the marvels and mysteries they have seen will be revealed, because they “want to fly and swim at once, forever, in another density”. The Barcelona-based duo continue to hone their brand of electronic post-punk, dishing out beats, hooks and atmospherics in generous servings, and whilst it retains much of the stark minimalism of their first LP (2019’s Terra Alta), Ahora Aquí, Todavía No somehow feels deeper, more lush and considered. Clearly influenced by music from the 1980s – synth-pop, new wave, post-punk – Fatamorgana manage to create a sound that avoids standard retro manouevering, landing instead on something distinctly their own – an album made from cold sounds, that in their union become warm. A record that could just as easily soundtrack an afternoon’s solitary contemplation as a night on the dancefloor.

[engl] FLASH’S debut album is an unassuming hi-energy primitive punk breath of fresh air. Hailing from all over the Gipuzkoan coast their debut LP is far from being the members first rodeo, with too many bands and activities to bore you with. FLASH comes at you as a fully formed band who know what they want and know how to get it. Sonically FLASH takes equally from their local legends LA PERRERA, fuckwave visionary MOPO MOGO, the pop-edge hardcore of ZERO BOYS, and the weird punk to come out of the Midwest in the last few years to create a truly magic record without a second of filler. With lyrics sung in both Spanish and their basque fishing hometown slang their attitude comes across loud and clear. Monotony, authority, armies of has-beens, and conformist punks get a pounding, while self-doubt, anxiety, and an ode to our dear punk also get a lyric share. All-in-all eleven tracks of radical, critical, wild and humble timeless punk rock which will leave you wanting more with each play.

[engl] Absolutely reckless and compressed hardcore punk rock, full of jumps in register and micro-shifts in timing. Based in Barcelona, and powering through 10 songs in their mother tongue of Catalan, this livid and catchy record is like MOTORHEAD at 78rpm with the vocal phrasing of the PEGGIO PUNX or INDIGESTI. Sounds like the bass is made of wiggly melted down Gitoni players, and the guitars have Big Muff pedals wedged in the amplifier cones. Punk at this level of disheveled velocity and excitement is a rare art.

[engl] Eleven years after their already classic and genre defining “Under the Ashes” Osaka’s FRAMTID are back with a new LP. “Defeat of Civilization” is everything you would expect from FRAMTID. 10 tracks of crushing Japanese hardcore heavily influenced both by the sound and ideas of early Swedish hardcore but pushing to sound to the edge. Mega distorted guitars, deep vocals and the most solid yet dynamic rhythm section you’ll ever witness are FRAMTID’s trademark as well as are their lyrics full of hope and their stark black and white graphics.

[engl] Fortysomething years after it crawled oozing and spitting out of the social turmoil of the mid-70s, punk has mutated in countless ways, sonically, aesthetically, politically, but on Fried E/M’s Modern World they drag it back into place as brute expression of ugly feelings crammed into short catchy punk bursts, sneering at conciliatory ideals on Peace and Love with the same energy as the Clash singing Hate and War, squealing with the nihilistic urge for oblivion on Lobotomy just as the Ramones did. Four decades later, we’re still struggling with ourselves, with society, and still ready to revel in the nihilistic teenage id that splays itself out on these eleven tracks of disaffected snot. Punk as its fundamental core, panicked snaps of self-loathing and anti-social rage blasted out raw and unfiltered, bricks and voids and violence, no second thoughts, no tricky questions, sounding like the point where the initial wave of punk was being ramped up into the inchoate hardcore of Circle Jerks’s Gorup Sex, The Middle Class, or like the Ramones did an entire album of songs like Warthog. (Joe Briggs)

[engl] Following their four-song demo from 2022, FUERA DE SEKTOR are back with their debut LP. Sharing members with BARRERA and ALGARA, the Barcelona-based band have carved their own sound, mixing the amphetamine edge of 80’s punk with the angular post punk sensibility. The extremely isolated guitar work takes centre stage, navigating a sea of mid-tempo riffs, and backed by an extremely solid rhythm section to perfectly seal the recording. Think the pop side of LOS ILEGALES or LOS TRAIDORES, the sexuality of DESECHABLES, and the uniqueness of LA’s X. FUERA DE SEKTOR lyrics look at the world from an existentialist angle with a dark and poetic approach to complement their music perfectly. Full of desire, lust, loss and confusion, each song unravels as a very modern anxious tale. It’s an album that stands on its own in the current DIY landscape.

[engl] Debut EP of one man hermit GIZON BERRIA. Five tracks of mystic primative punk, heavy on the riff side. Sang in Basque and Spanish and channeling the cosmic visions of RUIDO DE RABIA and the underwater orc side of GISM. Heavy influenced by the deep forest, Mother Nature empowerment and ancient poetry as well as deep hate for progress, the result is a humble statement of everything punk should aim to be.