Maniac - War & Insanity

Maniac - War & Insanity (2018)

Maniac instantly takes charge, blasting raw energy at the frontline that is your poor ears. Every track comes in hot and every track ends like a smoking gun. When the smoke settles, War & Insanity leaves you with that pelted with 200 pounds of hardcore shrapnel feeling. It's a feeling that leaves no weight on your chest but, rather, leaves you content.

Maniac understands the war we all fight; the fight with sanity. Listen below and feel a little better:



Similar acts/sounds: Pummel, Antagonize, Magnitude, Restraining Order, Mindforce, hardcore.

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Kidnapped - Hungry

Kidnapped - Hungry (2018)

Kidnapped from CT play quick and violent grindcore. Charged with tight drums and start-stop blasts of chaos, Hungry is meant to be listened to 6 times in a row as loud as possible in your parents' basement.

At 2 a.m.



Similar acts/sounds: Iron Lung, Spazz, Exposed as Rot, Dropdead, SIEGE, Jarhead Fertilizer, Mind Eraser

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Vaulted - Disaste

Vaulted - Distaste (2018)

Vaulted have been sharpening their teeth since I went on hiatus and are only getting heavier and more pissed off. I first caught wind of Vaulted back in 2016 with their Better Days EP and was really impressed - so impressed that they were on my must-see list when I moved to Boston two Summers ago. A few months back, I finally caught Vaulted open for Fórn and I knew that this new 10-track ripper, Distaste would be on constant rotation.

Disaste is about giving the big fuck-you middle finger to Fox News, Big Pharma, and the punch clock. Disaste is also about staying afloat despite all the bullshit in life. Simply put, Disaste is aggression; aggression through stomping hardcore and riffing metal that actually helps you get through the day.



Similar acts/sounds: Lunglust, I Have Become Death, Converge, Integrity, Phantom Glue, All Pigs Must Die

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The Guiding Wave

The Guiding Wave - To Dance Around Love (2018)

Featuring members of Fiddlehead and Glory, The Guiding Wave share the same driving force while taking a sharp right down Suicide or Television memory lane. The Guiding Wave wear their influences on their sleeve, but they also have a dark, almost cold, sensibility to the post-punk being played today. Think more straightforward Protomartyr or a non-tongue-and-cheek Ought. Either way, take a trip and let To Dance Around Love guide you through these hot summer nights.



Similar acts/sounds: Fiddlehead, Glory, Big Bite, Alexander, Glitterer, Praise, Spiritual Cramp, Protomartyr.

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ULTIMATE

Ultimate - Ultimate Demo 2018 (2018)

Ultimate is a new DC drug free hardcore project from members of Rashomon, Never Relaxed, and Corrective Measure. Frontman Zechariah Ghostribe previously of Never Relaxed keeps the raw energy going while upping the ante on in-your-face aggression. Plus, the boxing gloves are no joke, this is Jiu Jitsu fueled, takedown and drag 'em out hardcore.

Not for posers. Not for punishers.


Similar sounds/acts - Never Relaxed, Rashomon, Kombat, Corrective Measure, Strung Along, Line of Sight.

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Duck. Little Brother, Duck! & Malegoat Split

Duck, Little Brother, Duck! / Malegoat - Split (2015)

So it goes, this is Portland, Oregon's math punks - Duck. Little Brother, Duck!'s swan song. Together with Tokyo's emotional young men group, Malegoat, DLBD! give us one last taste of their incredibly busy and intricate punk music. Calling back to their first album, Survival Is Not a Workout, DLBD! add on to their quick-hit "Tony West" here with "Tony West Pt. 2". It's a very solid finale to one of the most interesting bands I've ever had the pleasure of seeing perform live and support here online.

But, it's only the beginning on the split; after DLBD!'s bombastic last hurrah there is still Malegoat's side to be explored. Malegoat's emo flair is both reminiscent of the Kinsella-wave emo revival here in the states and of Japan's own emo scene including bands like Climb the Mind and Folio. Malegoat have also released a split with the Empire! Empire! (I Was a Lonely Estate), a similar band making good modern day emo music.



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Soda Bomb - Wanna Jam?

Soda Bomb - Wanna Jam? (2015)

From signing a lease on a house to signing up for classes for my senior year of college, this week was a crazy venture in the art of growing up. Luckily, Soda Bomb's Wanna Jam? was also released this week and right when I needed a bit of a throwback. While I've only been listening to this young (but still probably older than me) four-piece from New York for a year or two, their sound is very much a sound I was looking for when I was still in high school. That's not a knock on them or anything... Wanna Jam? just really brings me back.

Soda Bomb's bumping angsty punk sound done right will definitely be on heavy rotation as I continue to grow the fuck up.



Similar acts/sounds: Mumblr, Chalk Talk, FIDLAR, Free Throw, By Surprise, Sirs, and Soda Bomb.

PS "Nobody Likes My Band" and "Damn, Dude" are less-fuzzy reworks from Soda Bomb's 2012 EP, Hooligan.

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grafted, I am.

grafted, i am. - grafted, i am. (2015)

The first thought I had after clicking on grafted, i am's sample-heavy opening track "sun-dry" was damn, this sounds awfully familiar in the vocal department. Once I got to the second track "the outstanding debt"though, I knew right away that this was Sam Judd's (formerly of Cattle Drums and Monster Machismo) new project. A new project that mixes Sam's vocals in with all sorts of different sounds not explored with his previous band Cattle Drums.

grafted, i am's self title is a short one with only five songs, but with the math-y guitars, banjos, duel vox, and art punk (if that's a think) vibes - grafted, i am keeps you both intrigued and asking for more. That being said, I hope there will be more!



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Mouth Washington - Don't Mean

Mouth Washington - Don't Mean (2015)

It's been some time since we last heard from the Hansen brothers and company, but Mouth Washington of Portland, Maine are not only still slamming on guitars and hacking on dusty drum kits, they are probably at their best right now with the release or their new album, Don't Mean.

Mouth Washington's blistering garage rock meets punk storytelling has matured since breaking out on the scene, but in no way has this maturing caused them to lose any of that baby-fat which made them who they are. Nope, Mouth Washington are still messy, still rough around the edges, and, most importantly, still shouting for your attention! So listen:



Damn, it seems just like yesterday I was seeing these guys play at the Apohadion Theater on my birthday in 2010.

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Monday 106

Monday is back babe-y.

Babe - Bangs (2015)

Babe were an exciting mix of styles and ideas that liked to play shows. Now they don't play shows. Get your girlcore on and listen to what they were all about with this three song sampler about the pains of falling in love, dark and stormies, and being a big ol' nymphomaniac.


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Yo Sbraito - Abbiamo Tutti Perso (2014)

Yo Sbraito are not from around here.. they are, from the name and title of this 6 song release may suggest, from Italy. Ancona, Italy to be exact. They play some pretty tight old(er) school sounding screamo reminiscent of NFT's favorite screamo bands - Daitro, raein, Sed Non Satiata, etc.


Props to these guys and Italy for keeping this whole real screamo thing alive, seriously.

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ONSLO - ONSLO (2014)

If Weezer decided to be Tera Melos they might end up sounding like ONSLO from Bolton, Mass. Power pop meets math rock? Maybe if they came to Portland I would be able to figure it out (hint, hint).

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Safari Al - Restless (2014)

Call it art rap... call it conscious rap... whatever it may be don't call it boring. Also referred to as S.Al, Safari Al rapped his way out of Wisconsin and now is trying to make it big in Los Angeles. Keep an eye and, of course, some ears out for S. Al if you are  a fan of Milo, Busdriver, Open Mike Eagle, Atmosphere, and this whole self-awareness rap game.



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Honorly Mentions

As I begin to make my year-end lists (a favorite pass-time of mine), I always end up finding a lot of cool stuff that I either forgot about throughout the year or just completely missed my chance to post them. So, instead of just forgetting about them again, I call them honorly mentions (a play on yearly and honorable I guess) and share 'em like this:

Pink Richard - Volume 1 (2014)

Pink Richard is the side project of Jesse Gertz of the Portland electronic (now three-piece) band, Leveret. It's not too much of a stray away from the indie pop gems on Infinity released in 2012, but these stripped down acoustic visions are definitely a separate entity. A little folky, a little poppy, a little singer songwriter-y - a little Pink Richard.

There's a neat drum solo somewhere in there, too:



P.S. If you buy this (very snazzy looking) tape you get 7 separate mp3's rather than the streamable one track deal above.

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Rosetta - Flies to Flame (2014)

After hearing Rosetta's 2013 release, The Anaesthete, I thought we would be getting a lot more hardcore and even less atmosphere on their next effort. Then Rosetta released Flies to Flame  last month and my predictions were all off. No, they didn't go full post rock or anything, but they brought back the atmospheric undertones that was the hooked that fished me in several years ago. Plus, this release still has the intensity that The Anaesthete was bursting at the seams with, but it's spread out again and takes its time getting there. It's vintage Rosetta.

 I'm not saying I didn't like The Anaesthete, it was one of my top albums of last year for sure, but it's almost non-canon Rosetta once you start to listen to this EP.





It's all apples and oranges in the end, and it's all good.

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Bearmace - Aim Low (2014)

Bearmace are a noisy almost violent punk rock band from Montreal. The lo-fi recordings of Aim Low, released at the very beginning of 2014, really echoes the recordings of early hardcore and powerviolence. Don't let Bearmace's retro approach fool you though, this is apparently meant to be played on vinyl.






Maybe I'm just out of touch, but this sure sounds like something I would find on cassette in my friend's cooler-older-brother's room when I was 13. Too bad that scenario never existed...

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Thou - Heathen (2014)

Thou play thick doomed-out metal that demands attention. Heathen is no different. Not only is this 10 track banger a major pain on my neck, it also demands me to sit down and listen to it over and over again or else I have not listened correctly. With that being said, I think Thou's Heathen has incredible listening mileage and will be an album I try to listen to a lot in 2015. It's certainly not a one listen and it's in the bag kind of album, especially not with an incredibly brutal 14 minute opener begging to be familiarized. This kicks my ass the more and more I listen to it.

  \m/ A punch in the face never felt so good \m/

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Nine of Swords

Nine of Swords - I Can't Stand My Own Face (2014)

New York's Nine of Swords are the opposite of quiet. Noise rock? Screamo? Who knows. Either way Nine of Swords don't hold back on their sophomore release, I Can't Stand My Own Face featuring six distorted and loud under-four-minute punk rock surges.

Check it out:




Be sure to also check out their new single, "Violence" if you are digging what you are hearing... and everything else by them, of course.

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100 Onces - S/T

100 Onces - 100 Onces (2014)

100 Onces new self-titled debut will shred your face right off. This is math rock riding a skateboard into a bowl full of cancer-free cigarettes. A bit more punk than their last release, 100 Ounces, but that's fine by me.

Highlights: "Shredders of the Universe", "Never Change", "Etch-a-Sketch Orchestra", "Boreder Patrol", "Sr. Kate", and the rest of the album.



For fans of math rock, Tera Melos, Bygones, Los Angeles, shredding, and high energy extreme sports.

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Monday 105

All aboard.

SLOTHS - Twenty Years (2014)

Along with recording probably my favorite cover song of this year (Slint's Breadcrumb Trail), SLOTHS have a super emotional and intense release out right now called Twenty Years. It may only be three songs, but in that 12 minutes you will definitely feel the passion that these guys possess. Yeah, the name of this Portland, Oregon band is SLOTHS, but this is not a meme; this is genuine music.



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Nnamdi Ogbonnaya - Bootie Noir (2013)

Nnamdi's sooper dooper secret side project. Bootie Noir includes a number of incredibly well crafted and sometimes bizarre pop songs feature all sorts of great musicians including Alicia Waters  (Oshwa) on track 4, Nate Kinsella (the Kinsella cousin from Birthmark and Make Believe) on track 11, Dave Davison (Maps & Atlases) on track 17, Bobby Burg (Make Believe/Joan of Arc), Peter Helmis (Algernon Cadwallader) on track 18, just to name a few. Check out all the guest stars here and sample Bootie Noir down here:

 

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Lovechild - Migraine Music (2014)

Picking right up where In Heaven left off, Lovechild's Migraine Music sounds like the final boss of all circle pit battles. From modern hardcore to old school in-your-face punk rock n roll, this is some refreshing punk music you do not want to be sleeping on if you wanna stage dive at a Joyce Manor concert.



Have a lovechild with lovechild.

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Bushido Dragons

Bushido Dragons - Bushido Dragons (1999)

Before Paul Baribeau was touring the underground punk rock scene with his simple yet additive acoustic music, the Grand Ledge, Michigan native played in a little band called Bushido Dragons. Bushido Dragons played a popular type of music for the locals at Grand Ledge High at the time... that type of music being surf rock.

The Bushido Dragons may have grown tired of playing surf rock, but the outcome of high schoolers recording their own DIY surf music turned into a super cool lo-fi sound that could have easily caught on today in this "everything is a throwback" society. Bushido Dragons' first self-titled record was by far the best example of this lo-fi surf rock style, while their follow-up release, Grand Haven, is much more of full-band version of Paul Baribeau's solo career. Grand Haven is no doubt a prequel to Baribeau's Grand Ledge released in '07. Hell, Grand Haven even includes the original version of "Blue Eyes" later on Baribeau's first self-titled release.

Check out all of the music Bushido Dragons ever recorded including their surf opera self-title at CometKaze.com. If you are a Paul Baribeau fan or just wanna hear some rare lo-fi music, you can dig deeper down into the Baribeau rabbit-hole with his even earlier band, Birthday Cakes also available on the site. If that's too rough for you, the recordings I mean, maybe stick with the live recordings of Bushido Dragons which include very early versions of Paul Baribeau singing Bruce Springsteen tracks.

Paul Baribeau's tumblr
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NFT's Got You Covered - Casa de Diversion Covers Vol. 3

Various Artists - Casa de Diversion Covers Vol. 3 (2014)

Here's a cool cover compilation put together by the hardcore/punk/metal loving blog, Toxicbreed's Funhouse. It features 24 up-and-coming  loud-mouths playing their favorite songs by bands ranging from The Misfits to Slowdive to Le Tigre to GG Allin to Mazzy Star . My personal favorite has to be Sloths's rendition of Slint's Breadcrumb Trails - putting the hardcore back into Slint's post hardcore masterpiece.


Go check these crushers out right now:


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UltraMantis Black!

UltraMantis Black - UltraMantis Black (2014)

Part insect, Part superhero, all chaos - his is UltraMantis Black's long awaited gospel.

Indy pro wrestler and leader of the Spectral Envoy of the Final Judgment has teamed up with the noisy crew of Pissed Jeans to unleash an ultra slick yet ultimately brutal Extended Play of hardcore scriptures. The hasty, out of control soundscape over UMB's piercing vocals heavily echo late 90's-early 00's noisecore and hardcore acts such as Deadguy, The Locust, Daughters, and Gaza. Plus, you have the wrestling influence that not only comes from the Chikara Pro Wrestling alum himself but from Pissed Jeans who, before getting into noise rock, where playing wrestling-inspired powerviolence in a band known as The Ultimate Warriors. The Ultimate Warriors were smart fans or "smart marks" as the internet would call it as they not only watched good ol' WWE (or WWF at the time) but also Japanese wrestling (puroresu) companies like Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling and Big Japan Pro Wreslting as well as American Independent promotions such as Combat Zone Wrestling. That being said, it's really no surprise that the first song off this album is titled after a villainous creature from FMW, Biomonster DNA.

Being a fan of both wrestling and hardcore music, UltraMantis Black as a whole is a super gratifying experience. This release definitely blows that other wrestler with a band's new album out of the water *cough* Chris Jericho *cough*.

Highlights: "Biomonster DNA", "Prescription Culture", "Oil and Gas", Stockpiling Graves", and "West Serbian Plain".



Similar acts/sounds: The Ultimate Warriors, Pissed Jeans, Antiseen, Deadguy, Daughters, The Locust, Gaza, Yautja, Weekend Nachos, Cult Leader, Mutoid Man, and other noisy hardcore that probably don't have a masked frontman.

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Toasted Plastic - TP/ST

Toasted Plastic - TP/ST (2014)

New Jersey math punkers, Toasted Plastic are back and have four new tracks for you to listen to. TP/ST is very much an extension of where 2013's June Highs left off, which I have no complaints about as June Highs was one of the coolest releases I heard last year. Don't take my hype-induced blabber for it though, listen to this yourself and see what you think. TP first-timer or not. Do it.


Toast your brain.

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Monday 103

Local edition!

Sweet Teeth - Demo (2014)

Sweet Teeth are a riot grrrrrrrrl punk rock outfit out of Portland, Maine. They recently played with my buds in the psychedelic throwback, S.S. Cretins at The Oak & The Axe in Biddeford as well as starting the night off right at the Ramshackle Glory show a few weeks back.



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Buddusky - Two of Something (2014)

Buddusky are from a part of Maine I don't hear much about. That part being Mexico, Maine. Still, Buddusky are making the once home of bingo caller/carnival barker, Ed McMahon very proud by providing simple yet cool guitar and drum music to the state.



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Holyfilth - Feast On Fire (2014)

Thrash.

Fucking Bangor(e), Maine thrash.


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Monday 102

MXNDXY XXXXXXXXXXII

Free To Think - Demo (2014)

Free To Think are a hardcore band from my third home, Bangor, Maine. Much like my buds Never Relaxed, they are keeping this whole hardcore scene in Maine alive and well. They also happen to be wrestling fans like myself, so I can't not talk about them. This here is their '014 demo which includes a real American outro that can't be missed:


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Margy Pepper - Deep Water Dark Water (2013)

Dark and dreary pop punk rock from Olympia. A three piece possibly possessed by ghosts or some sort of modern-day witch (if that's PC). Margy Pepper are very reminiscent of another band from Olympia that I have talked about before and that band would be RAGANA. This is no coincidence either as they are best buds and do tour together.


Margy Pepper did happen to make it to Mayo Street in Portland a few months sans RAGANA.

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Windmill of Corpses - Thin Walls (2014)

Windmill of Corpses are a three-piece crust metal band out of Arizona. With punchy drums and demonic howls, these guys are a guaranteed slap right smack in your little baby face. Get on this if you want to live with your beautiful baby face no more.


Great live!

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