SCOWL – Are we all angels
This Santa Cruz four piece have smashed their way onto the hardcore punk scene with their excellent releases on Flatspot Records since 2021’s How Flowers Grow. Since then they have honed their craft to almost perfection. They’re not afraid to experiment and this collection of eleven songs runs through a veritable gamete of punk musings that encompass everything from the Ramones to Rancid. From The Dead Kennedys to, er, Miley Cyrus.
Vocalist Kat Moss plays psycho hardcore queen spitting venom one minute and transcends into some of the most haunting vocal deliveries more akin to Belly and a number of other 90’s noodling indie bands. The effect is dramatic on ‘Special’ and ‘B.A.B.E.’ which kick off this album in fine fettle. ‘Fantasy’ follows with a deliciously 90’s fuzzbox driven vibe. Moss questions ‘is there anybody out there’ over a distinctly Hole sounding riff. From here on in it just gets better and better. The frenzied ‘No heaven, not hell’ tears along at breakneck speed with more pop sensibilities that search and soar into the wide blue yonder. Mesmeric stuff.
‘Fleshed out’ plunders more classic punk rock riffage and is layered with a delicious vocal borrowed from L7. ‘Let you down’ certainly does not before the band return to familiar territory with ‘Cellophane’. ‘Suffer the fool’ is American bubblegum punk rock the likes of which Beavis and Butthead would snigger and headband to in front of their TV set all those years ago. ‘Haunted’ chugs along breathlessly before exploding into another masterpiece of modern punk rock. The self titled track closes with a Muse-esque baseline before exploding into a cacophony of sound, noise and distorted guitars in the most glorious way.
They’re on tour for what looks like the whole year. They’re gonna be massive. Get on the ride now. This will leave your wonderfully breathless.
4/5
RUFUS SIMS x ILL CITY – Rucker
Rufus Sims returns with another Hip Hop banger straight from the Dre stable of hard knocks. This is accomplished, polished stuff the likes of which float on the air in the ‘hood on a summer’s day while the boys get high and the girls flick their heads in that ‘what the fuck you doing boy?’ kinda way. ‘So simple’ drops in next with a sultry backing vocal floating on a gossamer cloud as our boy (ably assisted by Chris Crack) hits with a beat so urgent that it drags you along by the balls and doesn’t let you go for five blocks until dropping you off in a heap on Maple and Vine. Rufus has raised his game. You need to pay attention! ‘Fill in the blank’ featuring Dialect MC and IAMGAWD concludes this fantastic three tracker and is destined to shoot our boi to the sky. This is music from the streets for the kids on the street. No frills, no fancy jacket, just honest, well produced hip hop of the highest quality. Go buy it now!
5/5
THE VAGABOND CHRONICLES – Frying’ Chicken Ina’ Rain
Echoes of Ry Cooder and Howling Wolf float through this sparse and finely honed slice of Texicana blues. A haunting, soulful voice recounts a story of youth being wasted on the young with it’s ‘you don’t know nothing’ like ‘Frying chicken in a rain’ refrain. This is haunting, retrospective stuff that lives in the memory long after the wind has died and the earth lies quiet on a cold and dark spring evening. Nichola Heltzel, thank you for your heartfelt song man. Beautiful!
4/5
LILITHS ARMY – Doll
Dropping on West London Independent Label, Criminal Records, Lilith’s Army mix a bunch of ‘fresh’ recordings with some ‘re-visited’ singles here and DOLL hits the floor running with the grunge-esque ‘Eat My TV’. This could have been recorded anytime between 1991 and the present day. With nods towards Mudhoney and Nirvana this album is full of surprises and far from what could been a one-dimensional sombre fest. The Northampton based trio have obviously been force-fed a raw diet of The Germs and Bad Religion; whilst still in the womb; and all rinsed down with the requisite Jack Daniels and vomit. The resulting cacophony of sound is intriguing, bouncing and full of unapologetic attitude.
With their unique blend of grunge, punk, and the sneering, rebellious spirit of 90s alt-rock, they’ve delivered a thrilling sonic assault that fuses distorted guitars and petulant lyrics that steam-roller along flattening everything and anything in its path. It’s raw, edgy and urgent – think Nirvana meets The Stooges, with a dose of Sleater-Kinney’s unrefined, jagged edges thrown in for good measure.
The female vocals throw up some obvious L7 comparisons with their under-stated sneering as demonstrated on the excellent ‘Get Away’ but this is where the album takes off. ‘Sick of it’ drops next with heavy riffing and a punk pop chorus which is deceptively catchy amidst the storm of distortion.
There’s a touch of the Clash guitars on the gnarly ‘Got a girl’ like Sonic Youth on bad acid. ‘One’ and ‘Breathe’ are full on 90’s nostalgia with the latter skating mightily close to Smells Like Teen Spirit. interestingly enough followed by ‘Drain Me’.
Production wise it’s a bit messy, but in the best possible way and certainly in keeping with the new crop of American hardcore punks running riot all over the world at the moment. Think Scowl on a slightly lazier Sunday afternoon in Santa Cruz.
‘Possessed’ is the stand out track in this not-so-unlucky thirteen and drifts into the unexpected string led ‘Helpless’ coming on all Smashing Pumpkins on a day of melancholy. Reflective and introspective.
Title track ‘Doll’ closes things off nicely and thrives in the unpredictable territory between grunge and punk, creating something new out of the old chaos. It’s a raucous reminder of a time when music was about rebellion, noise, and spirit rather than polish and perfection – loud, messy, and unapologetically dirty.
Bring on the noise!
4/5
THOSE DAMN CROWS – God Shaped Hole
Since 2023’s Inhale/Exhale took the rock world by storm, the Crows have been working hard, honing their craft and listening (clearly) to the whole back catalogue of classic rock (old and new).They return mightier, louder and beefed up like nightclub bouncers and all dressed in black (obviously). ‘Dancing with the enemy’ opens things up and could be a track from the Killers until Shane Greenhall’s familiar vocals kick in and take the track to a different world far away from the Nevada skyline. ‘I’ve always been unstable’ Greenhall declares on ‘Glass heart’ and we kinda believe him.
‘Fake’ hits in next with echoes of 70’s pomp rock at the start before subsiding into a middle of the road ballad. Not their best work! ‘Dreaming’ is better and nothing to do with Blondie. There’s some nice 70’s riffing on display here and a pumping pre-chorus that soars nicely into the night sky and leaves us, er, dreaming. As you read the title ‘Let’s go psycho’, your hears skips a beat and you find yourself hoping and praying for a death metal monster. This doesn’t quite appear, but its’s a bit of a stomper anyway even though the ensilaged angst is replaced with a ‘get out of my way’ imperative.
‘No Surender’ is where the album comes alive though with Shiner’s guitar fretwork wrestling for control and giving the album a more powerful and urgent vibe. Like Alter Bridge without the God fearing lyrics. Thank God ‘The Night Train’ isn’t a homage to Guns N Roses, but a mid album reassuring hand stroke across your brow that’s asks ‘how are you doing’ and informs us that ‘we’ll be alright’ if we keep listening.
‘Turn it around’ does just that. Its bombastic, it’s loud and ‘hey’ it fucking rocks man! Soaring guitars and vocals combine to glorious effect here even if the ‘now and forever’ lyrics are more worn out than a prostitutes’ minge during the hundred years war!
‘Spit and choke’ isn’t about Michael Hutchence’s untimely sex death as he desperately searched for his forgotten ‘safe word’. Pity they could have had fun with that, but instead gives us a high octane belter none-the-less.
‘Still’s acoustic guitar leads us gently to the albums (sorry, I have to say it) anti-climax. This has moments of brilliance, but they take their foot off the gas way too often. When they rock, they ‘rock’ but when they drop, they drop too far. We don’t need another Bon Jovi, we like it when you stomp boys!
4/5
AC13 – Blood Moon
Blood Moon starts off like a Delta Heavy/Wilkinson/Sub Focus affair – all so familiar, so safe, but quickly (and thankfully) transcends into something a little more urgent and original by dropping in a jungle vocal and some pumping reese bass riffage. We’re quickly carried away to the back streets of London on a smoke filled summer’s night where anything can, and will, happen in the seedy backstreets of Soho. Slasher McFee is hanging out on the corner pumping his chest out and combing his slicked back hair. He watches you malignantly, waiting for you to pass and then pounces as he sees your teary, frightened eyes and you are no more. Boombastic!
4/5
BLACK SUN EMPIRE x MAKSIM MC x DISPHONIA – Walk The Line/Mysterion
The Eatbrain masters are back with a distinctly latter day Chase and Status kinda vibe with a menacing vocal, snapping snares and dirty, dirty bass. Of course, they take it to their own world full of demonic spirits and satanic sprites that will eat your soul rather than look at you, but what were you expecting? There’s no selling out for these guys, they mean it man! They will NEVER let you down, and over the course of these four minutes they absolutely do not. Mysterion is a delicious slab of their trademark bouncing neuro dnb that features the requisite pounding bass, multiple rises and falls replete with risers and downlifters aplenty. Like a good cold lager on a hot sunny day. Reassuringly expensive!
4/6
IRON MIND – Solitary Realm
Hardcore Punks, Iron Mind make a welcome return to the fold emphatically making their stamp on the current scene with a mighty, mighty release. They have many imitators, but few equals in the world of sweat, blood and studs. This is the first release from forthcoming album Test of the Iron Mind and, as a taster, is a welcome reminder to all that they mean business and ready to reclaim their crown as undisputed kings of the hardcore scene. Magnificent monster metal for the masses!
5/5
WAGZ – Back Burner EP
This 4 tracker from Wagz on the Metalheads label cements him into the mainstream of drum and bass with some outstanding sound design and production. Operating in the minimal/roller side of the genre, he stands alongside contemporaries such as Benny L and Serum in constructing some classic beats with one eye on the commercial market and the other firmly on the underground. This is the perfect soundtrack for those (hopefully) sweaty summer nights in the middle of a deep, dark subterranean rave. Excellent!
4/5
JIVEBOMB – Ethereal
With an average track length of one minute, twenty seconds, Jivebomb don’t hang around in delivering their aural onslaught on your senses. Rising out of Baltimore’s groundbreaking hardcore scene in 2021, JIVEBOMB’S ruthless blend of hardcore punk and intense live shows quickly separated them from the pack. They have quickly become one of Flatspot Records killer artists – always reliable, always en point and always in demand. They take their riffage seriously and they are a sonic force to be reckoned with. If you took Discharge, Napalm Death and the Dead Kennedys and tossed them into a blender with some rat spleen, a shit load of toxins and three litres of neat vodka, you’d get something like Jivebomb – incendiary, urgent and real.
The ten tracks here literally scream by with all the finesse of a buffalo anally raping a butterfly, they are that penetrative, that hard and that surreal. From opening track The Impact through to Disfigured Identify, this album oozes pure class, titanic levels of testosterone and is filled with brain pounding melodies of the highest order. Make ‘The Wise Choice’ and buy this motherfuckers!
5/5
CREATURES – Decriminalisation/Sweet and Gentle
Summer is approaching and the ne’er-do-wells are planning to take over the raves and tear up the dance floor with a regular flow of heaters that you’ll be rinsing through your speakers until he early, sultry hours. Creatures hit you with a couple of gentle rollers with pulsing bass lines, gentle snares and the requisite number of war horns to remind you that they mean it man. This is off your tits on acid, swaying in the breeze, smiling at anyone and everyone in a deep transcendental state that’ll carry you through the weekend and back to the office desk on Monday. Sweet and Gentle is a counter weight with a soothing male vocal that holds your hand and guides you to inner peace. This is lit man, like well lit!
4/5
CIRCLE RED – Kill’Em
Billed as the most controversial drum and bass track of all time, Circle Red are certainly not afraid to court controversy and we’re not sure if the artwork for this one will pass the censor, but respect for the sentiment. The track itself is nothing new with a rising neuro backbeat that explodes into at the requisite moment with a ‘drop’ that buds and builds into a frenzy before falling away into familiar Black Sun Empire territory. It’s hard, it’s fast, it’s 178 bpm drum and bass if you like that kind of thing, then I’m sure you’ll like this!
3/5
Dinosaur Pile-Up -My Way
Dinosaur Pile-Up are an English alternative rock band who formed in late 2007. Hailing from Leeds, West Yorkshire their current members are lead singer and guitarist Matt Bigland, drummer Mike Sheils and bassist Johnny Seymour. They wear their 90’s grunge influences tattooed on every arm and consistently churn out rock stompers of the highest order. My Way has (thankfully) nothin to do with Frank Sinatra, Limp Bizkit or any other droning wannabes. This is fresh, urgent and fuzz-filled mayhem with a catchy sing-a-long chorus and everything else required to catapult them to the upper echelons of the indie world. If you like your all male bands dressed in denim, plaid shirts and slightly unwashed, then this is for you. They hit the tour circuit in the UK again in the Autumn, but, until then, this’ll do nicely!
4/5
GREEN DAY – Smash It Like Belushi
Green Day have obviously been scratching their heads and thinking about the days when they ruled the punk pop world and everything in life was well ‘dandy’. So, then, this American Idiot lite piece of puerile rock surfaces in a desperate attempt to reclaim their former glories. One hopes its about the excesses of dead man John and not the over-stuffed third degree actor, James. There’s lines about ‘dead men’ and ‘running’ and ‘pockets’ that has been shown together in their usual Mary of the sixth form manner. Disappointing!
2/5
