MECHABONGZILLA VS JET JAGUAR KR-3 KILL SPREE – ‘DESTROY ALL MUSICIANS MELEE’

One of my favourite spilts on Grindcore Karaoke. I first heard both of the bands on the ‘Drum Machinegun’ compilation that Randall put together for Relapse a few years back, and like Black Mayonnaise I was stoked to see them resurface. Mechabongzilla is a one man drum machine Doom unit, JJKR-3KS is a one man Electronic Cyber Grindcore project. Mechabongzilla offer two Bongzilla covers, as you might imagine. Crushing, rumbling Doom with occasional blastbeats and bong-raw, raspy vocal, made yet more awesome by the production and drum machine sound. This stuff sounds weirdly ethereal and spacey, but totally rocking and groovy at the same time. I could have definitely used more of their stuff. JJKR-3KS play an absolutely manic brand of Electronic Noisecore, with unbearably fast blastbeats, millions of sounds and samples colliding, dense Harsh Noise and completely deranged vocal. Electronica, Grindcore and Harsh Noise all melt into a pile of disgusting audio slime. The varied styles on this split make it absolutely worth a listen, particularly if you enjoyed the previously mentioned ‘Drum Machinegun’ comp. Dig!

GK#358

MARION BARRY – ‘BLACK POWER VIOLENCE’

Download also includes the ‘Smoke You Out!’ E.P. I remember this band from trolling ANb’s Myspace page a few years back, I absolutely love these guys. Marion Barry are a two piece Grindcore/Power Violence band from California, who play spastic, burly fast Hardcore with lots of hysterical samples, bursts of Harsh Noise, blastbeats, slow doomed out moments and barking, shrieking vocal. I love this record, listened to it many, many times since it’s GK release. Again if for some reason you haven’t heard this yet download it, amazing band who get a lot less hype than they deserve.

GK#4

MUTWAWA – ‘NECRO ZULU’

Mutwawa, a Noise two piece consisting of Jason Hodges (Suppression, Bermuda Triangles, Brown Piss) and Gary Stevens (Head Molt, A.S.D.), play an eclectic blend of electronic/techno and Noise. Seedy, Grimy, Science Fiction club music with Afro Beats, World Music samples and manual rhythms. Waves of pulsing sounds and layers of distortion welded to pounding ritualistic Dance beats. This stuff is intense, psychedelic and very unique. I imagine Mutwawa to be blasting out of some ropey strip club in Blade Runner. Get into it!

Bandcamp / Facebook

LIFES – DEMO

What has four legs, lives in Milwaukee & has the power to make you get up and wanna’ punch something? No, it’s not a golden retriever made out of cheese with a stereo blasting Crossed Out strapped to it’s back. It’s LIFES! An amazing two-piece band (bass & drums) featuring members of Get Rad, Conquest Of Death, Party By The Slice, and Kungfu Rick. They sound mean, fast as fuck & super catchy (Like if Artimus Pyle was an insane bass-driven PV band) . But my favorite thing about this group is that they bring something new to the table all while having a sound that reminds you of the classic west coast powerviolence bands you’ve come to know & love. Who knew this kind of brutal musical depravity could exist in Wisconsin? This demo contains 8 songs that are sure to melt your brain. From the opening track “New Flag” to “Nothing New” (just try to resist the urge to jump up and start moshing around in you living room while listening to this, I fucking dare you!). Hell, there’s even a DEATHTHREAT cover at the end. I see many awesome releases for this band in the future, so jump on this free download now. While you’re at it, get in contact with them and request they come to your town and blow it up. You won’t regret it.

lifes.bandcamp.com
facebook.com/lifes414
lifes.storenvy.com
www.lifesband.com

MOOSE CHILDREN – ‘SHATTERPROOF’

This is one of my favourite Hip Hop releases on Grindcore Karaoke, a collaboration between the Boxguts and Sebrox stables. Esoteric, echo laden samples, new school production and beats with lots of effects and hooks abound. A really nice, mixed production in that it combines melody and dissonance confidently. The rapping is very left of center, strange and antagonistic, full of paranoia and aggression, which again makes for a nice interplay in front of the somewhat ambient, occasionally relaxing beats. FANTASTIC artwork too! Even if you don’t dig Rap or Hip Hop I highly recommend downloading this.

GK#259

DISK-3 – ‘4’

Incredibly dense, cryptic Noise from Japan. Disk-3 is a two man noise group who create spiraling sonic concrete with a great deal of texture and ‘design’. Pulse, White Noise and human whispers. Unknown screeching, tense quieter moments filled with creepy drones, a real mix of different Noise styles create a very potent and interesting stew of electronics. The release includes live tracks, which I always like in a Noise record because you can hear the construction of the sound in the moment. I really like the cover for this release also. Check it out!

GK#181

SPORE SPAWN – ‘LAST DAYS OF INVADERS’

More Harsh Noise care of Spore Spawn from Japan. A one man Noise unit, this release in centered on Space Invaders and from what I can tell the soundtrack and sound effects from the game are manipulated to create waves of blistering dissonance. This sounds analogue to me, and there’s some vocal in there somewhere. Blown out, somewhat psychedelic and caustic. Voice, Noise, Game, Beer!

GK#224

CAPTAIN THREE LEG / HYPEREMESIS SPLIT

Two of my favourite bands on one release. Captain Three Leg are from the States, Hyperemesis from Canada. Captain Three Leg are constantly changing it up sound-wise, on this release they have a very Hardcore Punk type sound; lots of mid-paced parts, some thrashy guitars here and there, bellowed, yelling vocal and lots of samples throughout. Lots of humor but the music is very fast and harsh. Their side of this split actually reminds me quite a lot of Rupture and old Negazione. Captain Three Leg are always dependably awesome regardless of what they’re playing, and this stuff is no exception. Hyperemesis is currently one of my favourite Grindcore bands in any sub-genre; usually a one man project with Andy on Guitar, Drums or Drum Machine and Vocal, he makes disgusting, crusty, sludgy Mince Gore that is unbelievably heavy and utterly crushing. This stuff is some of his/their best, with lots of D beats, blastbeats, slower Polka beat Mince, insanely thick guitar and vile gurgle/low/high vocal. If you like the noisier, punkier side of Gore like old Regurgitate, Autophagia or Dysmenorrheic Hemorrhage you’ll really dig this. A great split, two equally brutal Grindcore bands with equally different styles.

Mortville Noise

VIOLENT GORGE – ‘GRINDING MALOCCLUSION’

Violent Gorge are a raw Grindcore band from Canada with plenty of releases, this being a collection of demo tracks. Pulverising, sloppy as hell Grindcore with elements of Gore and Mince, crushing low vocal, boom box production and punk attitude. Super lo-fi, thick and destructive! There’s lots of Violent Gorge stuff on numerous Bandcamp pages, but this is the only one I can find that can be downloaded for free. Enjoy!

Bandcamp / Facebook

SHADOW PEOPLE – ‘LURKIN’ IN THE SHADOWZ’

Some grimy, criminal Hip Hop from the 90’s. Shadow People were one of the many rap groups/projects of MC Stinkweed (Plutocracy, No Le$$ etc) and DJ Eons One (Spazz, Grand Invincible). Old school, Lo-Fi beats with raw, sizzled samples, all cut with precision by Eons One. Lots of scratch, lots of groove, with a super sinister vibe. This all underscores the violent, mentally ill flows of Stinkweed and Co., sermonising about murder, theft, arson and drug abuse. There’s a real authenticity here that lacks in most modern producers and rappers; from everything I’ve read these gentlemen lived this experience truthfully (See Luke Sick’s liner notes). In my opinion this is as good as any of the Grindcore bands Stinkweed played in, I highly recommend you check this out. If you enjoy you can check more stuff out at the MC Stinkweed bandcamp page! RIP Stinkweed.

GK#111

K2 – ‘LAND OF VOLCANO’

Classic Japanese Harsh Noise from K2. Kimihide Kusafuka is a long standing contributor to the Japanese Noise scene, with a huge discography. This release has a very 90’s ‘Japanoise’ vibe; Long tracks of extreme audio barrage, with no computer or midi. Psychedelic, pulsating electronics that brings to mind the shifting of tectonic plates and the bursting of lava from the Earth’s crust. The record is themed around volcanic movements and the ancient Earth, as you can guess from the title. The artwork for this release is excellent also, and the pdf inlay makes a nice companion piece to the xenomorph sound within. If you like Pain Jerk, Incapacitants or Kazumoto Endo and for some reason are unaware of K2, then this is for you. If you like this release and aren’t familiar with Japanese Noise, the above artists would be a good place to start. For Earthnoid!

GK#362 / Pro Noise

MILKMAN – ‘WHOLE MILK – THE COMPLETE MILKMAN DEMOS’

Some more drum machine madness. Milkman is/was a one man Grindcore unit from the US, and this  is a collection of the two demos he released, re-pasteurized (re-mixed) by Scott Hull in 2011. Utterly manic, stupid and grimy Grindcore. Very unwieldy drum machine sound, some catchy riffs and totally spastic yelpy vocal. There’s quite a lot of structure here, plenty of (good) breakdowns and lots of nods to Thrash and Hardcore thrown into the stew for good measure. This reminds me of older Wadge, ANb, older Enemy Soil and in some parts Pantalones Abajo Marinero. Great release, again one which seemed to pass a lot of people by. Go check it out!

GK#109

BREACHED HULL – ‘INTO THE BLACK’

I was very pleased when this surfaced on Grindcore Karaoke, having been around on Human Beard in some form or another for quite some time. Breached Hull is a two piece Science Fiction Noise group from the States, using samples exclusively from ‘Event Horizon’, the Paul W.S Anderson movie from 1997. The vibe of that film is captured here perfectly; harsh dissonance, clashing metal sounds and rumbling electronics with deranged vocals smeared throughout. Intensely uncomfortable, claustrophobic and devastating. Very harsh but also very listenable, and not without a certain cinematic quality, and with great artwork. I love when two of my nerd interests collide (see my Brown Piss review), but when it works this well you don’t need to be a fan of the movie to enjoy. If you dig any of Matt Goodrich’s other projects (Water Torture, S.T.D.F.N, Pacing etc.) then get on this, you won’t regret it! More people need to hear this savagery.

GK#447 / Human Beard

BLACK MAYONNAISE – ‘CAUGHT BETWEEN THE MOON AND BOSTON HARBOR’

I’ve had this on heavy rotation over the weekend and I haven’t seen much written about it so I’m gonna shed some light on this great little collection release. Black Mayonnaise is a one man project from the States, and this collection is a taste of their whole discography from across 20 years active, so the production style shifts depending on the age of the track your listening to. Metronomic, clicking drum machine, throbbing guitar and gurgle vocal, with some of the tracks comprised of tape loops, cut-ups and other sonic manipulation. No blastbeats, mid temp drum patterns and a permeating ambiance to the whole release. This all congeals into a very strange sound, very alien and weird, and totally awesome. I guess I would call this Sludge or Doom, via a band like Suicide’s lo-fi aesthetic and minimalism. This also sounds a bit like Depressor, but less crushing and more eerie and toxic. Highly recommended! If you dig it buy one from Placenta Recordings.

GK#186

BROWN PISS – ‘S/T’

Brown Piss is a one man Harsh Noise unit by Jason Hodges of Suppression and Mutwawa fame, amongst other projects. I just saw the man himself posting about this release, stating that it is in tribute to Swamp Thing, which is beyond awesome. One of my favourite musicians making sounds about one of my favourite DC characters! Incidentally, to me this totally works as a tribute – the pulsing, quivering throbs and hums of Brown Piss perfectly emulating the birthing or re-birthing onomatopoeia of the Swamp Thing as he forms, or as he travels burning through the endless emerald. If you aren’t into Comics obviously you’ll still dig this. Entrancing, minimal analogue noise. Think Pain Jerk or a harsher Jessica Rylan. Be one with the Green.

GK#456 / Free Music Archive

ALIEN CRUCIFIXION – ‘RELICS OF A DARK STAR’

Alien Crucifixion were a Death/Grind band from Roswell, New Mexico who made a record in 2001, never officially released it, dissappeared for a few years before resurfacing on Myspace around 2005 or 2006 claiming to have been abducted by extra-terrestrials. I really love stupid conspiracy crap like that. This, as far as I’m aware, is the album they recorded in 2001. Drum machines, Death Metal riffs and low/high growl vocal. Quite a unique sound, mixing primitive, unwieldy drum machine with technical spastic riffs. The technicality of the guitar parts I think I would maybe find irritating on another record, but this is Alien Crucifixion and when I heard it when I was 17 I was blown away. I also love the crazy Alien conspiracy theme, and the stupid samples from conspiracy documentaries and Sci-Fi movies. I would say this record sounds like a collision between Mortician and old Morbid Angel, with LOTS of blastbeats, and lots of fun. A classic from a time when Myspace was a good source of weird music, I’m glad it’s appeared on Bandcamp.

Relics of a Dark Star

BEAST IN HEAT – ‘THE REAL FONZIE’

Andy Mortville has informed me that only about 10 people have downloaded this. For free. Which is crazy because this record is catchy as hell, raw and funny. With members of Rupture you can well expect this record to be excellent, and well it is! Beast In Heat have way more of a straight up sleazy punk sound than Rupture, I hear Ramones and even older Queers in this, although the music still maintains a gritty Hardcore vibe too. Not lightning fast, really awesome 3/4 chord progressions with crappy solos, and shouty sometimes gruff vocal. I’ve listened through to this 3 times this morning already. This is a must download. You can also buy a copy of the CD from the Mortville Bandcamp merch page for $3!

Mortville Noise

WADGE – ‘GRINDCORE LU’AU’

This is still one of my favourite of all the Grindcore Karaoke releases. Blasting Grindcore with drum machine, massive and blown out production and harsh bellowing vocals. The riffs are nicely varied, ranging from Thrash to Surf to Punk to full on Grind. The PDF inlay and cover art are hilarious, and totally reflect the brutal, weird vibe of this album. Seriously if for some reason you haven’t heard this yet just stream or download it, totally essential.

GK#1

5 WAY HALLOWEEN SPLIT

An older release from Prime Eggsample, and one I’ve been listening through today. One track per band, each previously unreleased.

Water Torture are first, usually known for their bass and drum abrasive hardcore, here offering up a piece of harsh, fairly minimalist noise with bellowed vocal. Short and sweet. 6ix6ix6ixties present a weird, Carpenter/Goblin style synthy piece that I really love, very otherworldly and dreamy. Sounds like something straight out of a straight-to-video Fulci movie, and my favourite track on this split. Next up are The Cryptic Yeast with a track of burly drum machine thrash, which kind of has a Godflesh vibe and some nice riffing, and a really cool intro piece. Great band, great song. The Waves Crashing Piano Chords track is an ugly, screeching analogue blast with tortured vocal. Sounds like a live recording which is cool. The final track is by Nature Abhors Normality. It’s nearly 13 minutes of spacey, eerie sound-scape with cymbals, pulsing noises and spoken word. Again very dreamy, with a very creepy vibe.

This split is one for fans of weirder, fringe noise stuff and if you like any one of the bands on here just download it, it’s really varied and it rules.

Prime Eggsample

RUPTURE – ‘LAST CALL’

Rupture were an amazingly sloppy, fast and brutal Hardcore band from Australia with a huge discography. This was originally a bootleg of one of their last, if not their last show, and it’s a fucked up piece of Hardcore history, and real testament to their give-a-fuck attitude and offensive material. If you like Rupture and you don’t have this you need it bad! If you’ve never heard Rupture this might not be the best place to start. The cover art for this release is amazing also.

Mortville Noise