A few kind souls have surprised me with freebies in "recent" months—special shout-outs to Handstand Records and Trip Machine Laboratories for having been two of the only labels that have consistently done so for years—but sometimes life gets in the way and I wind up too overwhelmed and far behind to do much about it. However, I try my best to be obligated to do so (eventually). Thus, better (very) late than never...? (And I sincerely hope I haven't forgotten anyone!)
P.S. The focus here is on physical copies, so no streaming links included! Figure it out (if you must)!
Pizza Death
Heavy & Fast Records/Distro generously gifted me their extra copy of an old Solitude demo some time back and threw in a cassette copy of Reign of the Anticrust from Melbourne, Australia's Pizza Death as an additional bonus. As you might guess, this band is supremely and unquestionably dedicated to pizza-themed thrash. This sophomore album kicks out a whopping 20 songs in about 28 minutes, and really walks that crossover line between hardcore/punk and thrash metal—in a manner suitable for fans of the genre, but without sounding overly similar to any of their influences or contemporaries. Judging from the surprising number of pizza-related samples scattered amidst the tracks, these folks must be truly high-level aficionados when it comes to any and all pop culture associated with one of the world's finest foods. I tend to not be the biggest fan of lighthearted or comedic music, but I must admit: this is fun. They're totally married to the concept, and everything down to the artwork is pretty great.
Limited to just 100 copies, the cassettes are all-over print with a full-color, double-sided, three-panel J-card. CDs and most vinyl variants are sold out, but a few copies on blue are still available. Dipping sauces not included.
War Honey
Handstand Records sent me the debut album (which reformulates prior EPs and singles into a cohesive, album-length running order) from unusual Brooklyn group War Honey last year, and I still can't make up my mind when it comes to their unique and tough-to-classify sound. My ears perceive it as if bluesy lounge music morphed into lush 'n' dreamy alternative rock or something, occasionally with a certain twang that lands somewhere between spaghetti Westerns and surf music. The vocals have been described as "operatic," though, and therein lies the obstacle for me. Little that falls near the "operatic" descriptor tends to find favor in my world, so portions of the singing do strike me as a little "too much." Thus, I find myself wanting to like this album more than I actually do. I suppose that does prove that I respect what they're doing, at least. I've heard a lot of music, but I've never heard anything that sounds quite like this. I don't dislike it. Portions have grown on me. There are some cool moments, and the lyrics are great.
Sweeter Than the Average Fudge is limited to 150 copies as a pro CD-R in a digipak with a full-color, eight-page booklet that includes lyrics and such. Grab a copy through Bandcamp or the Handstand webstore.
Atomçk
SuperFi Records hooked me up with the most recent LP from insane U.K. grind outfit Atomçk. I was totally unfamiliar with the band's rather sizable discography, but Towering Failures annihilates its way through 19 tracks in about as many minutes. It's mostly fast-paced and semi-chaotic grind with all-over-the-place vocals that range from classic low-to-midrange snarls/growls to occasional bursts of more of a cackled high-pitched shriek (at times bordering on the ridiculous). There are some shifts in tempo, though, and a few tracks dive into more of a caustic, mangled sheen of dissonance, so this is certainly not a one-sided affair. Despite the cover art being serious (and excellent), most of the song titles imply some degree of lightheartedness or humor. But, while scattered dashes of sarcasm are present, in large part the content is fairly meaningful. Not bad. Quite well-executed and listenable for being as maniacal and abrasive as it is.
Towering Failures is available on black vinyl with a full-color sleeve and a two-sided black-and-white insert on nice, heavy stock with all of the lyrics, credits, and so on. Pick up a copy through Bandcamp or the SuperFi webstore.
Dome Runner
SuperFi also handled the vinyl for the latest EP from Tampere, Finland's Dome Runner, a.k.a. one of—if not the—finest industrial metal units out there right now. As I've gushed prior, expect the classic, early-'90s style of crushing guitars and droning atmosphere initially perfected by acts such as Pitchshifter, Godflesh, Fear Factory, and so on. It's simply impossible for any fan of this style from that era to be let down here. Dome Runner recaptures this aesthetic so perfectly, focusing more on the hard-hitting and propulsive "band" type of feel than the electronic side of the industrial spectrum, with just the right amount of samples or textural nods to hit the mark. Absolutely outstanding, all around.
Apocalypse.Pulse.Worship. is out now on black vinyl with a matte black dust jacket inside of a high-gloss color sleeve, plus a similar two-sided insert that includes lyrics and the like. Procure this flawless slab of industrial metal mastery through Bandcamp or SuperFi's website.
Hozomeen
Remaining in the land of SuperFi, this Hozomeen LP is the debut from a solo project of U.K. multi-instrumentalist Graham Thompson, who's been involved with one hell of a discography as a member of a number of assorted projects. After a brief intro, the initial impact here was a mathy, plodding churn—a bit of a cross between metal and noise rock, sort of like if Kong sounded more like Helmet, maybe? You'd have to throw in some classic Touch and Go Records quirkiness, though, for sure. And at times it's less straightforward, and starts to stretch toward more experimental textures with some feedback, dissonance, and droning ambience. There's a lot to unpack here, and I'm probably not doing the best job of describing it, but this is a nice surprise. Very cool. Interesting and deserving of wider attention.
The Void is limited to just 102 copies on ultra thick black vinyl in a matte black dust jacket inside of a simple sleeve with the tracklist and credits on the back. Pick one up through Bandcamp or direct from SuperFi Records.
Jøtnarr
One more from the SuperFi camp—technically through sub-label Tapes of Wrath—is another pleasant surprise in the form of the latest EP from U.K. blackened metal trio Jøtnarr. This group explores a curious fusion of crust punk-infused black metal and sludgy, metal-tinged noise rock that traverses an impressively wide array of riffing styles that weaves in and out of both the familiar and the unexpected. I don't know what I was anticipating from this tape, but it wasn't this, and I'm pretty blown away. Shit, sometimes these compositions even break into psych-leaning stoner rock grooves, and somehow it all feels like it fits and makes sense!? Cool lyrics, too, with a pessimistic take on the frivolous grind of day-to-day life, the demise of the planet, etc. Highly recommended.
Rotten Fucking Planet cassettes are sold out, but if you can find one, they're on transparent pink shells with a full-color, double-sided, two-panel J-card that includes the lyrics and some killer cover art. The whole color scheme of the release is fantastic! Otherwise, it's a name your price download on Bandcamp, and well worth checking out.
Highway Eyes
The members of Louisville, KY quartet Highway Eyes have done time in Black Widows, By the Grace of God, The Enkindels, Miracle Drug, and quite a good number more. This project issued a three-song demo in the autumn of 2023, which landed on cassette earlier this year—with a bonus cover of Soul Asylum's "Somebody to Shove"—thanks to Trip Machine Laboratories. The Soul Asylum nod is a fairly strong example of Highway Eyes' knack for good, solid "alternative rock" that leans a little harder on the rock, but not too hard, you know? There's enough melody and meaning to arguably possess pockets of emo/indie classification, but it's neither grungy nor garage-y. Ringing chords, pulsing bass lines, a few handclaps, good energy to the vocals and the tempos, etc. All three originals are total keepers. Sounds pretty strong for having been tracked in a practice space, too. I'll definitely look forward to hearing more!
Demo 2023 is limited to just 100 recycled sky blue cassettes with a two-sided black-and-white J-card plus a download code. Or, pick up the Winter 2024 Cassette Bundle to save a couple bucks grabbing this with the War Babies tape covered below.
War Babies
Also from Trip Machine Labs is 4: Engineering Our Own Demise, the latest from NYC duo War Babies (lineup ties to Brain Slug, CR, Kill Your Idols, and Negative Charge, to cite but a few), which tears through 11 songs of dark, charging hardcore with burly vocals in less than 20 minutes. It's generally a pounding, mid-paced beating with sporadic blasts toward more in-your-face tempos, but also slows into a slightly doomier crawl on occasion. One could argue that there's a hint of a powerviolence type of aesthetic in there at times, but really it generally just comes across as aggressive, high-quality hardcore/punk. The variety makes a huge difference, and I also quite appreciate the prominent/active bass lines. Immediate standouts for me are a few tracks like "Automatic Tragic" and "Cycle of Neglect" (the latter featuring guest vocals from Indecision's Tom Sheehan), which are even subtly melodic. Badass cover art, too!
This one's available on lemon yellow cassettes (103 copies) with a full-color, double-sided, two-panel J-card that includes lyrics and a download code—note that you can use the dropdown to bundle it with their Quarantine Core tape for just $3 more. Or, pick up the Winter 2024 Cassette Bundle to save a couple bucks grabbing this with the Highway Eyes demo covered above.
