The Siege Perilous

Finally.....

2010-11-18T10:52:00.000-08:00

who's stoked? Me that's who.

In Tongues demo

2010-10-23T06:13:00.000-07:00

In Tongues are from Glasgow, Scotland. A tough city that produces rough sounds. My prevailing memory of this city is of playing there with Age Of Kali, Raise The White Flag and Out Of Hand some years ago. We parked our van on the pavement outside the venue and whilst we were loading out a bunch of local toerags climbed into our van through the side door and began helping themselves to our posessions. When asked “what the fuck you playing at mate?” our caledonian friends informed us they were “jus gittin’ ma baaaag pal”. No you aint mate. Props to Sketch for manning up on that occasion.

Anyhow, In Tongues sound kinda like if Mike Cheese was fronting Green Rage or some similar clunky mid-nineties metallic hardcore act. The recording is practice room standard which adds some grit to the whole affair but I want to hear the guitars crunch and the drums thunder ya kna'? Obviously this is a band in it’s infancy, so there’s a real mix of elements, influences and ideas herte, sometimes the songs sound a little confused because of it. There’s shades of early 90’s clevo, some nice crusty fast parts and an early Abnegation feel here and there that kinda works but the Strife’esque back ups don’t do much for me and sound a tad corny. Lyrically i'm bang into it, rallying against materialism and the modern world, right on. I would say that once they figure out what direction they want to focus their energies upon, these guys are gonna produce something a bit fucking nasty. I look forward to seeing what they churn out next.

Download The Demo HERE

New shit.

2010-10-23T05:48:00.000-07:00

So i thought i'd have a crack at micro-blogging. I don't really know what that means but I've set up a tumblr account as a visual accompaniment to this blog. It's mostly just old pictures and stuff that I found in my nans loft, but some of it may be of interest to you?

The Siege Perilous Tumblr

Return Of The Black Dog

2010-10-09T01:28:00.000-07:00

I roadied for these guys many times back in the day. Lots of laughs and many, many fond memories. The shocking discovery of a dildo caked in menstrual blood, however, is not one of them. Grim buisness.

I've learnt from observing how you play the game, that you and I are not the same...

2010-10-03T03:44:00.000-07:00

Total War demo

This nasty piece of work arrived courtesy of Drainlands Jamie Grimes. If you are a fan of filthy, sludgey belligerent noise and you’ve not checked out the mighty Drainland, go HERE post haste and do the right thing. You’ll not be disappointed i assure you.

Anyway, Total War is the sound of a Dublin curmudgeon, foaming at the mouth, gnawing on his own tongue and thrashing around inside his cage as the clean cut youth of modern hardcore peer in with morbid fascination from the safe side of the bars. Four songs of foul, blown out and distorted to all fuck, hardcore.

Want a comparison?...Siege would be a good starting point, Deep Wound too maybe? Dublin 2012 has a wicked Greg Ginn style riff throughout, whilst the homeless drunk vocals gibber and rant over the whole racket. It’s not a comfortable listen by any stretch but i fucking love it, and if you’re a miserable old twat who hates the youth and thinks hardcore should sound like it was recorded in an abandoned, piss drenched bomb shelter, you will too. Lyrically, it's all righteous spite, malice and frustration. All these songs were written,recorded and played by just the man himself but Total War has since become a full band with members of Drainland and the ugly beast that is Crowd Control filling out the vacant spots. This is what we need. Thank fuck.

Total War demo

Death Threats

Control demo

2010-10-02T08:44:00.000-07:00

After what feels like weeks of being pestered by Controls vocalist for a review, here it is.

Control are a new band from the Durham/Middlesborough area, made up of both veterans and new blood alike. This is their second stab at recording a demo, the first quite frankly was a piece of shit, (though that was down to the recording not the songs.)

Much like Wardogs, Control are peddling straight forward and gimmick free traditional hardcore. Yeah they wear their influences on their sleeve, The Knockdown 7”, Floorpunch 7” and Youth Of Todays back catalogue have all been ruthlessly plundered and“Addicted” is pretty much a direct rip off of Floorpunch’s Not For Me, but still. If being unoriginal was a crime, I think we’d all be doing a long stretch in the pokey right? And at least this recording doesn’t sound fucking modern, it’s rough and ready and thats what i want to hear. I hate it when bands lay claim to the same influences as Control but make it sound all polished and squeaky clean and palatable, fucking soft scoop shite. It’s still punk rock for fucks sake not Poison or whatever people listen to now. When i hear a band like Control i want to see straight edge skinheads running across heads and sneaking digs on people they hate whilst caught in the mosh. Not, as my man in Dublin describes it “Get Along Gang bullshit”. Thankfully Control don’t fall into that category. Iains voice is gruff but not so gnarly that you can’t hear what the twat is chuntering on about and his lungs are far better suited to this type of stuff then when he was fannying about with Sarin. The musics full on and agressive, short and punchy with no pretensions or dodgy metal efforts. It is what it is. If you like old Youngblood Records stuff, or Stop & Think is your jam, give this lot a try. Just don’t be too enthusiastic or else they will pester you for shows and stuff all the time.

Control

Next couple of shows....

2010-09-30T08:42:00.000-07:00

Fuck your popularity contest, i wanna see a murder contest

2010-09-30T08:33:00.000-07:00

I hope this comes out one day...

Amsvartnir

2010-09-30T08:23:00.000-07:00

Ok Various bits of Rot In Hell news. First up, after over a year.. the split with Wayfarer is now at the plant. Limited pre-order stuff sold out in a couple of days. You can still pick up the other versions here: Mosh

Breaking Point/Wiretap split 7"

2010-09-30T05:04:00.000-07:00

Another SRH/CCHC collaboration here bringing together two of the UK's most active scenes. First up we have some new songs from Breaking Point. Now this is a band that makes up for the occasional mediocre song by having one of the most bizarre individuals in UKHC singing for them. Truly, if we sit down and analyse the music, yeah it’s solid and good for a mosh but that’s pretty much it...however seldom do we get the chance for a thorough analysis as the senses are more often than not, drawn to the human oddity stomping around at the front of the stage. For those who’ve not encountered BxP’s frontman Louis Gautier, i can only describe him as a Brillo pad given human form. Or for those of you familiar with Marvels premier Canadian super hero team, Alpha Flight he resembles the character called Puck (above). Here is a man, so haunted by his past and trapped in his own bizarre reality that he seemingly can no longer distinguish the simple difference between confectionary and crisps.

His lyrics plumb the very depths of gritty human experience, no doubt drawing much inspiration from his time “working the door” at a local Salsa evening in Ashford. Life is indeed cold. On to the music, mostly its kinda swaggering metallic thugged out HC, with shades of lumbering 90’s NYHC. Maybe a little Stout or NJ Bloodline influence? I dunno, i don’t really listen to that stuff too much. Drummings better on these songs than before, it seems that Ben Sakers life long quest for rhythm has finally yielded fruit. Bound In Shadow reminds me of Downpresser for some reason. I think its the vocal phrasing at the beginning that is similar. Louis has always had a strong, gutteral voice, I guess that comes from speaking up for persecuted apes back in his native Egypt as a youngster. Solid shit. I envisage much fist swinging taking place during the middle eight. The David Mayes of The Hardway fame supplies additional vocals here but i was not really paying attention to what he said or sounded like, as i was lost in my own thoughts, wondering what it would be like to watch Breaking Point playing to a crowd solely comprised of salsa dancing primates. Cheap shots aside, BXP do this style well and they do it with enough enthusiasm and vigour to make it enjoyable to watch. Fair play lads.

Cardiffs Wiretap weigh in on the the other side with three new tracks. These tunes seem to have more of a bombastic Buried Alive/Despair/Earthmover feel than the stuff on their old EP. Opening intro has an early Terror feel that I’m sure gets the floor moving. Good, fast, crunchy late 90’s style hardcore, It’s a progression I back hard.Musically Its all very well played and structured. Drummers got some pace and flare and kudos to the guitarist for wrenching the sound of a whinnying horse out of his guitar on the third track. Darke does vocals in this band as well as AOTC but I can’t help but feel his vocals and phrasing are better suited to his other band. Whilst I understand that his more balls out metal screaming style wouldn’t really work for Wiretap, it does sound like he’s not firing on all cylinders here and thats a shame because the songs themselves are really well written.

Once again I’ve been sent no lyrics or artwork for this release so I can’t really tell you anything about how it looks or what either band are shouting about.

Wiretap

Breaking Point

Purgatory Records

I can't think of a lyrical reference to put here.

2010-09-30T02:44:00.000-07:00

Apologies to anyone who’s sent me music to review over the past month or so. I appreciate that you care enough about my shitty opinions to send it in, I can’t decide if that’s cool or a little tragic. I would've thought that, even to the casual reader of this blog, it's abundantly clear I'm talking out of my arse most of the time. Anyway please understand that this blog is not my fucking job, i do it when i’ve got nothing else to do, like if I’m waiting for the dinner to cook or summat. Right now my time is occupied with some very serious and in depth study. I’m trieing to learn some card tricks so that I can duel West Yorkshires answer to the Great Suprendo, James Atkinson (pictured right), at his own game. It’s not easy, even for someone as majickally gifted as myself. I’m not as dextrous as i used to be, my sleight of hand is a little rusty ya know? Atko’s been doing this type of leisurely witchcraft waaay longer than me, so i don’t wanna be caught slipping right? Like the prophet B. Real once said...”when the shit goes down, you better be ready”. Wise words.

Also I’ve been thinking about Atlantis quite a bit and that’s more interesting than trieing to come up with inventive ways to say “your band should practice more/listen to better records”. So unless you've got songs about drowned kingdoms or druids just get off my back for a bit, fucks sake.

Wardogs Demo

2010-09-30T00:08:00.000-07:00

Back in the OH-3, my old band On Thin Ice would occasionally cover Breakdowns March Of The White Trash and rip right into Sick People. It was fun, the crew would get a little nuts and shenanigans would often occur. Ryan from Tear It Up was studying over here at the time and would get wasted and join us on stage whereupon he would take the mic and proceed to “rap” over the intro and talk some shit. This piece of nonsense was dubbed Chill Factor, it only happened a couple of times but it was funny and stupid and we had some laughs. Franklin eventually hijacked the idea and Chill Factor became a NYHC influenced “party band” in it’s own right, though the joke wore thin kinda quick. Mostly because , as is often the case with bands of this sort, their abilities didn’t match their enthusiasm.

After hearing a fair bit of messageboard chatter, I kinda expected Cardiffs Wardogs to be the Welsh version of Chill Factor, all the chirp and lip service but no ability or chops and just Jockin’ Out. Wrong again idiot. This tape is so on the money it’s retarded. Everything about these 5 songs sounds legit. Vocalist Joe Latham sounds like a total fucking guido, (albeit with a welsh twang), like if Tommy Carroll came from the Valleys or something. The kid clearly loves the alleyway classics and there’s a lotta nice vocal nods to the likes of Straight Ahead, Side By Side and early Warzone. If you don’t know your history and are looking for a more modern comparison, think Iron Boots, Get Real or maybe some of the Lockin’ Out bands like Crunch Time. I’m a sucker for detail and Wardogs have nailed it with a scholars ear.

The Songs are short, simple and straight to the point..although the the guitarist slips in some tasty little leads here and there. None of this sounds forced or laboured, just some dudes playing the music they love. I can get down with that. Props to whoever recorded this... the guitar tone and production are perfect, lending the whole recording an air of legitimacy. If someone told me this was a lost demo by a band from the LES circa 1986, I would not doubt them. I understand these songs are coming out on a self released demo tape and on split with a band called Bang Bros (who I’m not familiar with), so if the classic NYHC sound is your bag you’d do well to pick up this tape. Couldn't find any Wardogs pictures or flyers or owt, don't even think the demo has a cover yet though I imagine Alex B will be invoking the spirit of Sean Taggart soon enough, so instead here's a picture of two of my own wardogs, Mister Feet and Little Lou. Recognise.

Along with The Hardway, Wardogs are the most authentic sounding NYHC inspired band I’ve heard in a good long while. A real breath of fresh air. Now, if they would just cover Panty Raid live.....

Woof!

End Reign/Alaska split 7"

2010-09-28T15:42:00.000-07:00

Both End Reign and Alaska have had their demo’s reviewed on this blog before. I was kinda tough on End Reign and a little blunt about Alaska in parts too, may seem cuntish, firm but fair i like to think. That said, i was interested to see that both bands had teamed up to produce this split for Fist In the Air Records and stoked that Jamie who runs the label wanted me to have a listen, all things considered!

Alaska open their side up with Mark Of Life...leading in with an ominous feedback drenched sample, nothing quite sets the mood like creepy children talking about witchery does it? They then treat us to a dirty, big piledriving riff, taken straight out of the Cursed playbook before picking up the pace a little. They’ve gone more for an epic, desolate feel with this song, some nice subtle melancholic guitar work sitting comfortably underneath the singers hoarse bellow. Vocally this dude sounds (and i know i’ve said this before) a lot like Rise & falls vocalist, both in phrasing and throat..definitely works with what they are doing here though if they do a full length i’d like a little variation in delivery to see what else he’s got under the bonnet. Second track Gold Blood follows a similar course but with a great use of stop/start dynamics and dischordant riffing that only adds to the weight. I’m sure both tracks sound beastly live. Though i didn’t care for Alaska last time i saw’em, now they’ve got a year or so’s experience under their belt and a couple of releases in the can, I’m sure they are far more fearsome prospect to behold these days. Well crafted songs, solid mix. Good work.

The other side of this record is owned by End Reign from Durham. I’ve always had a soft spot for that part of the country and the bands it’s produced. Despite giving ER’s demo a so-so review a few months back, i saw a lot of potential in’em and I’ve been waiting to hear what they come up with next. Fucking hell. This is well good. First song Release The Wolves lives up to it’s name and comes tearing out the gates like a pack of rabid dogs. Geoff’s vocals are absolutely LIVID, sounds like he’s ripping the lining off his throat with every breath. It pleases me to hear this type of conviction in a frontman. If he’s not flailing around bloody eyed and snarling like a lunatic when they play this live, i’ll be disappointed!

Riffs wise, we’re talking Systems Overload era Integrity, hard as fuck with plenty of drive, and a nice Clevo crunch to the guitar tone too. Both songs sound massive and filthy. So much better than the demo, this is the kinda gnarly metallic hardcore that i wanted to hear and knew they were capable of. Outstanding. Second song Paradise is not too disimilar to Release.... but has a wicked buildup/breakdown in the middle. Again, sounds like Rise & Fall circa Hellmouth has been a big influence on these lads and they pull it off well. Two absolute bangers from End Reign, I hope someone has the good sense to give these fellas their own release now they’ve finally grown some hair on their balls.

Can't tell you anything about lyrics or artwork for this record because I wasn't sent any, sorry!

Props to FITA records though for taking a gamble on releasing work by two relatively new and un-hyped bands.

EDIT: This split is being released by both Fist In The Air AND Worthless Nights Records (who i'm not familiar with!)

Worthless Nights

End Reign

Alaska

Fist In The Air Records

With Heart in mouth, and knife in hand we will learn the meaning of regret

2010-09-06T12:22:00.000-07:00

Couple more old Canaan pics from the archives.

1. Me and Burrows having a cuddle on the roof of our van in Belgium, eight years ago.

2. Burrows and Dargs bringing the fucking thunder, not sure where that was taken.

3. Some ammo for Sean and Boardy here. Those specs. Thought I was in Unbroken, looked more like Ronnie Barker. Nice one tit. Wish i still had that Right Brigade shirt though.

I don't need to be told where I come from....

2010-09-06T10:39:00.000-07:00

All these years later, still an absolute banger.

We come from different schools, and that's as clear as my accent...

2010-09-06T10:17:00.000-07:00

Along with Above All, Understand were my favorite English Hardcore band when I was growing up. Although from neighboring Essex, they were the nearest thing we Kentish boys had to local heroes and were more often than not, the perennial support band at any larger London Hardcore show. I often feel like these two great bands have been wiped from hardcore history and that’s a true pity. Expect a couple of posts (complete with downloads) regarding these bands in the near future. In the meantime have a watch of Understands Bored Games video. They recorded this EP with Don Fury in NY and it came out on Equal Vision Records in the states. The UK’s answer to Quicksand? Maybe. But regardless of that bold claim, you can be sure they definitely had some fucking style. Dom rocking a Supertouch shirt, Rob Coleman looking suave in an og Shelter shirt and Jazz John Hannon (with hair/sans hat), young as fuck and swinging his guitar like a mad bastard. Yes mate.

Deaths blue eyed boys

2010-09-05T14:45:00.000-07:00

xcanaanx immaculate amongst betrayers ct 2001 from dazxhilsdon on Vimeo.

Hilsden turned up this archaic nugget. SFE. Fuck what ya heard.

A generation on their knees, and you think of yourself as free?

2010-08-21T04:37:00.000-07:00

Abolition "In the Grasp Of Tyrants" 7" (CTW)

I’ve been following Abolitions progress for a while now. This band has always professed their love for the 90‘s HC sound (that was the soundtrack to my youth), but that influence wasn’t really noticable on their demo which had a more melodic hardcore feel. Things improved a little on last years split with Hang The Bastard, but i was still left wanting.I was hoping for anthems that would rekindle the feelings i had in 1995 and remind me of those halcyon days of moshing to Strife whilst wearing enormous Gap cargos, XL athletic grey Champion reverse weave hoodies and vegan airwalks. Sadly it didn’t happen, the songs just didn’t quite cut it for me. Oh well.

Abolitions new 7” on CTW entitled In the Grasp Of Tyrants dropped through my letterbox a couple of weeks ago and whilst the title was cool and the packaging looked legit (think Ebulition or Bloodlink rather Victory or New Age) I was prepared for the music to kinda pass me by as it has in the past. Well, looks like i was wrong again. This is what I’ve been waiting for...MASSIVE Outspoken vibe happening here on A Refusal, bass intro build up then the rest of the band comes smashing in with the e-chord chug and pounding drums.I approve gents, very Chokehold. The vocalist has the perfect voice for this type of band, rasping, gruff and wracked with feeling. No over the top death metal grunting or squeaky youth crew yapping. Where Is the Justice? opens with a haunting and melancholy acoustic intro with a sample playing underneath before heading into early Strife territory, frantic leads and divebombs abounds, throw in some cheesy spoken word sections for added sincerity and we’ve got ourselves a genuine mid 90‘s sounding record albeit without the weaknesses that plagued a lot of the bands back then (dodgy recording etc) A lot of bands are claiming to be on a similar tip these days, claiming influence from bands of that era and most of’em are just weak metalcore to these ears. Abolition have nailed not only the sound and aesthetic of that time but also the lyrical content. Where many bands these days seem satisfied to sing about white-boy urban angst, crusty rhetoric or vague notions of family and pride, Abolition actually bring some challenging ideas to the table. Not to say i agree with everything they are putting out but it’s encouraging to read lyrics and be given food for thought instead of feeling dumber than you did before you read them. Along with Never Again, Abolition are defiantly proving that in the UK at least, the edge is very far from dull.

XABOLITIONX

PAT HASSANS WALLET

Iconoclast

2010-08-14T05:14:00.000-07:00

Boyd Rice,the man Charles Manson once described as a "black pimp" is the subject of a new documentuary movie entitled Iconoclast directed by Larry Wessel. For readers unfamiliar with the work of The Supreme Cunt..." Boyd Rice has delighted not only in bursting eardrums, but also bursting bubbles of smug complacency. Chameleon par excellence, his various paradoxical incarnations include multi-media prankster and legit actor, gnostic philosopher and camp culture aficionado, uncompromising Social Darwinist and louche martini-sipping raconteur, Satanist spokesman and the self-proclaimed descendant of the bloodline of Jesus Christ".

The documentuary naturally centres on Herr Rice but also features interview segments with the likes of Feral House Publisher Adam Parfrey, Kim Fowley, Rodney Bingenheimer, Coop, Dwid Hellion, Gidget Gein and Bob Larson.

Do you ever think about what a lovely place the world would be, without all the people?

By firelight.....you are my sacrifice

2010-08-08T12:27:00.000-07:00

Haven't felt like updating this bitz lately. Had other shit going on.Reviews coming soon for Breaking Point/Wiretap split, Cease To Exist tape, Holy Terror comp 7" and the other half of the Bienkowski interrogation.

Until then drink deep of the heady and intoxicating draught that is Ancient VVisdom. This is Nate Jochum's new jam and it's everything i'm looking for musically right now. Sounds like Glenn Danzig channeling Charlie Manson. Spirit of '69, dig? He's got a split LP coming out with Uncle Chuck in September on Withdrawal Records, better hide the kitchen knives.

Withdrawal Records

Destroyer Of Worlds

2010-08-05T13:10:00.000-07:00

Mark Chadbourne walks tall among the pantheon of my heroes like a mustachioed literary collosus.

If you are remotely interested in contemporary fantasy combining Celtic paganism, ley lines, folklore, world mythology, road trips, King Arthur, shagging, environmentalism, stone circles, destiny, shagging, sacred Albion, nature and just good old honest to goodness magic, then heed what i say. Go forth and purchase or steal his Dark Age cycle immediately and be swept away into the best Fantasy epic since Tolkien. Yeah, I said it.

www.markchadbourn.net

Mjolnir

2010-07-31T12:00:00.000-07:00

Tears That Soak A Callous Heart

2010-07-31T05:48:00.000-07:00

Moloch/Thou split 12" (Feast Of Tentacles)

I’ve been waiting on this absolute monster of a split to surface from the murky depths ever since we played with Moloch and Thou last year. Moloch are often compared to the likes of Dystopia or Iron Monkey and based upon these three ragers I'd have to agree. They open up their side with the ponderous Wroll, a minimalist death march drenched in feedback and seething vocals. This bleeds into Invertebrate, which is more of the same ponderous and grueling sludge with occasional frantic blasts of hardcore peppered throughout, the lyrics to this song are awesome by the way. Final song Dry Cough is heralded by a haunting Sabbath style riff before being dragged, snarling and writhing back into the mire.

Thou have become one of my favourite bands over the past year. They totally fucked my shit up at that gig in Notts. One of the loudest and most intense sets I’ve ever witnessed. Thou’s songs here are called Fleur De Mal and Loneliness Dances In the Gorgons Stare. Both songs have the beautifully evocative and inspiring lyrics i’ve come to expect from frontman Bryan Funck. Musically this feels like driving doomed out sludge seasoned with a hint of Neurosis or maybe the Melvins and some blacked vocals on the side. Like every Thou record I own this is beautifully packaged and comes with a screen printed poster too. If I had to describe this record visually it would be like being bound to a stake in the middle of a swamp, whilst a beautiful woman reads Rimbaud aloud to me and pours clay down my throat as the horizon burns. I don’t know why.

Thou

Moloch

Feast Of Tentacles

Awaiting The Golden Shroud

2010-07-31T04:50:00.000-07:00

Rose Kemp has a new album coming out real soon entitled The Golden Shroud.

For those unfamiliar with the work of this Witch Queen, I encourage you all to quickly go check out her last album Unholy Majesty. Existing in a dark place where folk, jingly girl rock and Sabbath all collide. I listen to this record and I can imagine Rose as some kind of druid priestess... standing in the middle of a megalithic circle at twilight, arms raised to the darkening sky with stone knife in hand, eyes flashing wildly as she wails like a banshee summoning sensations of both ecstasy and absolute dread. My man Glyn Scrawled did the artwork for Unholy Majesty, another win. Plus she looks a bit like my teenage indie crush Juliana Hatfield, but.... evil. I love you.

Website

Max Bienkowski Part 1

2010-07-24T01:19:00.000-07:00

Here's the first part of a short interview with my man Max Bienkowski, the vocalist for Wayfarer and also the rhythmically challenged bassist for Breaking Point. I've only known this dude for about a year or so, but over the course of our communications Max has constantly impressed me with his encyclopedic knowledge of myth and folklore and a nonchalant/half arsed attitude to playing music to fuckwits that mirrors my own lack of enthusiasm. I sent him a couple of questions yesterday and he had the answers back to me in double-quick time, I guess there was no one around that wanted to play Risk, eh mate?

Also, i couldn't find any pictures of Wayfarer or BxP on the internet (actually i didn't even try) so i just googled Polish Ogre instead and the guy in the picture showed up. The file is called Ogre Commander, cool dude alert.

The Days Have Gone Down In The West is very heavy in both sound and content.

Was this conceptual approach to writing a record part of the bands original remit or something that developed along with the music?

The content changed very little between me scrawling down the lyrics to what would become 'Ragnarok'' in my university halls in winter 2006, and the finished versions that appear on the record. The Norse influence has always been the dominant theme, the only minor changes that have come about were edging out early references to eschatology in Abrahamic religion, as there enough bands around already running that theme into the ground. Also, as the concept for Wayfarer developed, so did the Anglo-Saxon influence, and in fact the name (originally 'Dawn of Fenris') was changed as a vague reference to the Anglo-Saxon rune poem 'The Wanderer". Musically, the conceptual approach never existed when Pat came round mine in summer 2008 to write the first tracks, but as we gained members, a shared adoration of Fall of Efrafa became apparent, so we tried to mix that in with the Clevo style, and The Days Have Gone Down In The West was the consequence.

Over the course of our conversations I’ve discovered that we share an enthusiasm for mythology, in particular the myths of the north. How were you first exposed to them and what is it about the Norse myths that initially captured your imagination? Will Wayfarer remain solely focused on this branch of legend or do you have plans to plunder other cultures for future releases?

Through Tolkien, basically. Reading Tolkien led to me towards Norse mythology, the Edda's, the Volsungsaga, and then also onto Old English poetry (Beowulf, the Wanderer, Battle of Maldon etc.). There's lots of things in the aforementioned works that stuck with me, particularly the resilience, fatalism and unrelenting nature of the protagonists. In the face of insurmountable opposition, exile, and death, none of the heroes (and anti-heroes) ever compromises, and I thought this was an important lesson to take into the modern world. In an age where we are meant to respect everyone's point of view, tolerate and forgive immorality; and as a result choke in the embers of a dying world, people should be unafraid to draw a line over what they believe, and vehemently espouse what you know to be right, rather than what society tells you is right. The middle ground will always be the first piece of scorched earth. I could ramble on all day about other things that I love about the sagas, the majestic landscapes, melancholy overtones etc, but I notice this is dragging on somewhat.

Wayfarer will always have a Norse/A-S heart, but I don't want it to be a one-trick pony. The next record we are writing at the moment already has influences from Irish myth cycles (the Tuatha De Dannan), and I'm writing something about the Albigensian crusade for something that I'd like to use on a split, or maybe a tape. The Hellboy canon also remains a constant inspiration.

The hardcore scene in Kent seemed to drop off somewhat after the boom years of the early to mid part of the decade, with a lot of people moving on/dropping out and only a few die hards holding on. It seems once again though that south is rising and both Breaking Point and Wayfarer are a part of that resurgence. How did you first come to be involved in HC and why now after such a lull is the dirty south coming back with a vengeance?

I first got involved in hardcore completely by accident. I suppose I had listened to bits and pieces from late 2003, or whenever it was That Within Blood Ill Tempered by Shai Hulud came out, which put me on to other things through exploring bands mentioned in the thanks list and previous/associated acts (most notably Morning Again, which blew my mind, despite not really knowing where the fuck that sound had evolved from); but for about 18 months after that, I only sporadically listened to a few hardcore records, amongst a whole load of other dross. I didn't really realise there was any decent bands in the UK, until I met my good friend Phil (who put on shows in Kent at the time) at a Rise Against show in London, through a friend. He then proceeded to put me onto a lot of UKHC, Knuckledust, Canaan, OTI (yeah, I'm a dicksucker), as well as key US bands, and let me find my way from there. We have quite different tastes in HC in some cases now, but I still owe him in a huge way for getting him involved, the dude is golden to me. Went to the occasional Kent show back then, but didn't start regularly attending shows there until spring 2007 when I dropped out of uni and bought a car (and did a shit band with Pat that I don't care to discuss). For me that was the start of the resurgence, that summer when the Cold Snap demo dropped, and a whole bunch of people started catching them at shows religiously, the core of people who made up the first 15 or so members of SRH (although I could be looking back at this with rosy tint). As much as I'd love to knock his ego, Rome (Cold Snap) has to be given credit for co-ordinating any kind of "movement", and from the start of Southern Rise, you also have the start of Breaking Point and Never Again, and then later on, The Hard Way, Wayfarer, and now Ripped To Shreds. I think that it all came from dudes who had been in either decent bands before, or had put their sketchy first bands behind them all working together to write solid hardcore, and I certainly think the dudes slightly older than myself who'd been around in the mid-decade heyday that I'd unfortunately missed most of wanted to put the south coast back on the map. So yeah, props to all the Southern Rise dudes, and especially Mayes, Syndrome, Simpson, Shredder Leng and Roman for doing a band that we could rally behind. I wish they'd still play The Great Depression live, though.

Part 2 coming when I can be arsed.

"In brightest day, in blackest....WTF?"

2010-07-18T07:02:00.000-07:00

Anyone who knows me, knows that beneath my cool exterior and rugged good looks, beats the heart of a true dork. I was suckled on comic books, sci-fi and fantasy novels and movies, and ran a comic book store for many, many years. Thusly, I consider myself pretty well qualified to call the image to the right a crock of shit.

I have waited years for the advances in special effects to finally reach the point where they can do justice do the Emerald Avenger that is Green Lantern. As a child i thrilled to the space fareing adventures of Hal Jordan and later (and still my favourite GL) Guy Gardner and the other GL corps. There's something immensely entertaining about watching a dude fly around smashing aliens with giant green hammers or sweeping robbers up with an enormous green dust pan and brush. Back in the days of Touchdown i would often take to the stage X'd up to the nines but rocking a Green lantern logo shirt. I never wore my silver Green Lantern power ring out though (the only item of jewllery I've ever owned other than my wedding ring), far too risky.

Anyhow, it's now 2010 and super-heroes are a dominating force in the box office. Some adaptations have admittedly been better than others. The Chris Nolan Batman movies have been right on the money and despite the Brian Singer Superman movie being a total snoozer it seemed DC was getting back in the mix. The announcement of a GL movie was thrilling to me, finally one of my schoolboy favourites was getting the big screen treatment. Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan? Hmm why not, he's got the physicality for the role and even though i think he's way better cast for his Marvel role as Deadpool, I kinda like the guy. I've been eagerly scanning the less salubrious spots on the internet where i hang out for my geek fix, looking for some set pics or a costume shot. Today i found it.

I dunno man, i'm still excited for the movie but that costume looks kinda whack. I know that green and white spandex would look super gay in a movie and needs to be updated to work on screen, but it's gotta be better than this weird techno- organic light-show that he's rocking in the pic? It looks like he's wrapped up in a bunch of radioactive weeds. Understand that this is purely an aesthetic criticism because as long as they focus on the important stuff and nail Hals character and strong moral stance (along with the all important ring-slinging) i'll still enjoy it. I don't doubt i'll be hopping up and down with excitement like a total idiot and insist on being first in the cue, again. I guess I was just hoping for something that honoured the original design more.

I hear the voice of rage and ruin....

2010-07-17T08:12:00.000-07:00

Coldsnap “Bad Moon Rising” CTW/D&G

This 7” is a split label release between Carry the Weight and Dead & Gone, making this release a kinda passing of the torch. Coldsnap are the perfect band to carry that banner, having clawed their way out of the wreckage of the old kent HC scene and breathed life into the new. They have had a few line-up shuffles since their last record came out, but those changes don’t seem to have stalled the engine at all, as the four songs here see them firing on all cylinders. The opening track starts off with a moody riff before Romans brackish vocals bowl in and the whole band proceed to slap you all over the shop. The outro-riff at the end is a real bruiser straight out of the Jamie Frye playbook, i imagine people will get hurt a lot when it’s played live. The second track opens with a choice sample taken from one of my favourite poems, W B Yeats “The Second Coming” whilst the riff they ripped off of Age Of Kali swaggers in underneath.The David Mayes once again showing some creativity behind the kit, with some snazzy fills. Musically the prevailing flavour on this record is of Lowest Of the Low mixed with the first Blacklisted record, perhaps with an aftertaste of illegal steroids? Romes vocals have plenty of bite and the lyrics appear to have an element of teutonic misanthropy to them that appeals to me immensely. The artwork (courtesy of Will Blood) looks great, and only adds to the apocalyptic feel. Love this band, the record absolutely rages, no whack singing parts no delusions of progression, just riffs harder than a cock up the bum on your first night in the big house. SRH destroys again. See’em on tour in July with The Hardway.

www.myspace.com/coldsnaphc

You're holding me back....I WANT TO LIVE!!!!

2010-07-17T02:32:00.000-07:00

Times Together “The Changing Of the Leaves” 7”

Just Another Day Records

This bands name has always annoyed the fuck out of me, it reminds of some crap third tier euro-youthcrew band from 97. I will say that in the irritation stakes it’s definitely in my top 5 behind Have Heart, Fumbles In Life and For Friendships Sake. However, sappy names aside Times Together are easily one of my favourite current HC bands. This 7” is so fucking good. When it comes to bands of this style (traditional late 80’s/97 revival stuff) i seriously think TT are top of the heap. I dunno if they get a lot of props, they seem overlooked to me and that’s a shame because everything here is right on the money. Imagine, if you will the rugged driving energy of No For An Answer’s “You laugh” ep, tempered with the melodic, rocking sensibilities of Bolds last record and you’ll have something close to the TT sound. The vocalist has a perfect voice for a band of this style and sounds just like a cross between Dan O Mahoney and Pat Dubar of Uniform Choice.

Not too preachy lyrically, with more of an introspective/reflective slant that even a jaded shithead like myself can draw something from. The packaging looks great, simple and straight forward with crisp photography (although on the front there’s a shot with a guy singing along whilst wearing a back pack. C’mon man this is not 1996 and you are not 16, get a grip).Overall this is a record by a band that has clear understanding and appreciation for the classic hardcore sound and aesthetic, and this release feels suitably authentic and enthusiastic. Good work chaps.

www.myspace.com/timestogether97

Ripped To Fuckin' Shreds

2010-07-15T16:43:00.000-07:00

Amongst the mountain of junk mail that has started to clutter up my inbox, i found this spiteful little gem waiting for me. The digital equivalent of pushing a dog turd through ones letterbox. Five songs of crusty ,violent and hateful hardcore. This demo oozes nothing but malice and spite from start to finish. I imagine the lyrics are about hatred, darts, hatred and the inappropriate wearing of hiking boots at social events. Recorded and written by two veteran mincers of the southern scene I would describe this as a combination of Lost Tribe era Haymaker meets the first Think I Care 7” with shades of Infest here and there. Just hard as fuck no frills hardcore. Absolutely nails. I understand they are now a full band and will be recording again shortly, can’t wait to hear what they vomit up next.

www.myspace.com/rippedtoshredshc

Original Sins...

2010-07-15T15:33:00.000-07:00

I frequently get asked (mostly by Yanks) about the Rot In Hell discography, what we have out, quantities etc. I don’t recall amounts pressed or anything like that, same with any band i’ve been in. Once it’s recorded I like to be onto the next project and i don’t really give it much thought once it’s completed. Anyhow, for the sake of a quiet life i threw this little list together of what we’ve released to date. Good luck finding some of these!

Discography to date:

Sins Of Malice demo tape (H13 Records)

Sins Of Malice demo cdr (H13 Records)

Rot In Hell/Braindead split 7” (Feast Of Tentacles Records)

Rot In Hell/Hordes split 7” (Rat Patrol Records)

Sins Of Malice demo 7” (Self Released)

Black Omega Demo tape/cdr (self released)

Rot In Hell/The Process split 7” (Feast Of Tentacles)

Beyond The Gates Of Janus tape (Live on Saddleworth Moor Bootleg)

Hallways Of The Always LP (A389)

Hallways Of The Always CD (Grot Records)

Kvlt Ov Kali Boxed Set (Self released)

Recorded But Not Released Yet:

Pearls Before Swine LP (Deathwish stINC)

Split with Wayfarer (CTW records)

Split with Integrity (TDON Records)

Split with Burning Love (TBA)

forward back to eden...

2010-07-15T15:07:00.000-07:00

So I shut this piece of shit down for a while to concentrate on some other projects. I was wasting time dicking around with this when i really should've been getting records out. Thankfully that issue is now resolved for the most part and i can recommence with the dicking. Thanks to everyone who got in touch asking me to put the page back up. Much as i don't really give a fuck if anyone reads this or not, it's always encouraging to receive a few complimentary emails, the support and interest is appreciated.

I finally took a long promised trip down to the South West this past week with my wife and one of the dogs, the purpose of which was to do a little research on some of the henges, barrows, tors and stone circles that litter the area. Something of a spiritual pilgrimage, if you will.

Extensive and exhaustive notes were made and some great photos were taken, and be assured those will all be appearing here sequentially as i write them up into something a little more readable.

Sometimes you eat the bar...

2010-06-12T09:57:00.000-07:00

Sometimes the bar eats you....

What a lovely collection of mistakes we have here. Top shot is Touchdown at the Goldsmiths Tavern. Anyone who ever attended a show there will agree that sketchy dive would probably need an entire blospot of it's own to truly do it justice. That's the show where i blew my knee out goodstyle and had to finish the set in a chair as my kneecap had swollen to the size of my head. Lecky and Onion lifted the chair with me in it onto their shoulders as we closed with a cover of Burning Fight by Inside Out, people were acting nuts and i think someone dived off a speaker onto the chair and sent me flying. Haphazard motherfuckers. John Alcock up front with his electrical tape X's, he din't wanna ruin his chinos as i recall. After the gig the whole crew wound up in some abandoned flat in London and Squash Head got locked in a cupboard for the night. We had to ditch early in the morning cos someone called the cops on us for throwing eggs from the balcony at people going about their buisness.

Second picture is amusing for the fact that Duggan is wearing black nail polish and some awful shirt. Only sxe dude left from that band though so fair fucks holmes. Is that Darke Of The Covenant sporting an ITC shirt?

Third is an outtake from the pics we took for the age of kali demo 7". We were all fed up of having our picture taken and started dicking around, i guess we had just watched Anchorman or something.

"Wolfpack...better believe it's real..."

2010-06-12T09:50:00.001-07:00

My dog Winter gave birth to eight pups last year. Suffice to say, we lived in an absolute madhouse for a few months until they all got new homes. Kinda miss those little guys though.

2010-06-12T09:40:00.000-07:00

There hasn't been a decent update for a while, works been hectic and the forthcoming Rot In Hell releases are taking a little longer to complete than anticipated, apologies.

However, there's a load of reviews and interviews incoming over the next month or so including: Hallam Foster of Above All, Arms from Ironside/Voorhees/The Horror, Pat Never Again/CTW Records, Max from Wayfarer, Heath from Neckbrace/Stampin' Ground and Onion from Withdrawn if he returns my fucking email. I anticipate muchos shit talk and many a good story. In the meantime i'm psoting some more pictures that i've found on an old email acount, i don't know who originally took the pictures so if you see one of yours, drop me a line and claim your credit!

Busy Bee watch the world go by....

2010-06-05T07:09:00.000-07:00

Photo of the lads eating some brekkie at the Busy Bee in Boston. Think this was in 2002?

Points of note:

A) Boardy, casually checking for that elusive first growth of facial hair. Denied

B) Bollie looking EXACTLY the same as he does now. Is he immortal? Possibly.

C) Me going through a Fastbreak phase & looking quite gay. Good hair though.

D) Goddard

All across the country, there's people just like me...

2010-06-05T05:20:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Rot In Hell headed south again for a show in the toilet of Albion, London town. Andy Capper, Vice magazines very own Warlock Of Firetop Mountain asked us down and since the only other time we’ve played London was two years ago at the same venue with Integrity) we figured, why not?The show had to be kept kinda secret for semi legal reasons which i won’t divulge here. Anyway, turned out that Dead & Gone Records were also hosting their farewell show the same night in London.Bad clash. The Integrity show got shifted to a midnight slot so that people could attend both. Good for them but a fucking incovenience for me. Who wants to play a set at midnight? Not me, but thats what happened. Drive down was pretty uneventful aside from driving to Hull by mistake. Conversation mostly revolved around Ley Lines, Sacred Geometry, Posi Mike resembling Lou Ferrigno crossed with the man from Del Monte and whether or not it was time for me to try hallucinogenics.

Never Again (pictured above) opened up proceedings and stole the show right there and then. Fast and furious straight edge hardcore, no bullshit, no posture, just the straight dope. Front man Luke Overin has an engaging and energetic presence and the reaction they got from the crowd was off the chain. I think they were covering SSD when i walked in and people were going nuts. They had a load of girls moshing though and thats something that looks awful to me, anyway they finished with Iron Youth and I mic hogged like an asshole. You are welcome.

We played next (pic below), I had fun playing but as is increasingly becoming the case, I felt no connection with the crowd at all. Maybe that’s no bad thing, we’re not the same after all.

Integrity took the stage after us and they were rad. The crowd seemed pretty spent but there were still plenty of old guys huffing and puffing round the dance-floor whilst Integ belted out the classics. The set list was culled from the earlier records and that was absolutely fine with me. Low point would be getting stuck up front with some dude shoving his crotch against my arse, but hey...thats the price of the pit right?

Coach Clifford drove us back to Leeds that night, dude was nodding off every five minutes so i had to keep shouting at him and poking his face. That’s all i got.

Good times for a change....

2010-06-05T05:08:00.000-07:00

Found a load more old pictures.

Top picture taken down Clifftonville, from a set of pictures that were intended for use on the iunreleased Age Of Kali 7".

Bottom picture taken from a set of photos originally intended for the OTI "Northdown Road" 7".

Introducing....The Sheriff

2010-05-28T12:49:00.001-07:00

"No one throws eggs in MY Town!!!"

2010-05-28T12:25:00.000-07:00

Alaska MMX (Fist In the Air Records)

My man Duggan’s been banging on about this band for a while and urging me to check them out. I’ve ignored him up until now because I caught the arse end of this bands set in Margate a year or so back and they seemed like gobby noobs and i couldn’t be doing with’em. Anyhow, FITA Records have seen fit to send me their new record so i figured i’d give it a fair crack of the whip. Alaska gets some props if only by virtue of the fact that they are doing something positive in Margate, and being intimately aquainted with the gnawing misery of that place, I can appreciate how hard it is to try and do your own thing there be it music/art/ skateboarding/ whatever whilst being surrounded by closed minded, bigoted pieces of human garbage.

Musically Alaska remind me of modern heavy hardcore bands like The Hope Conspiracy, Rise & Fall or Kentish local boys Santa Karla. The song Black Lake comes in hard and fast with the stripped down hardcore feel of early Terror, tense and dissonant build ups then weigh in with monstrous doomed out riffs. The vocalist has a strained and throaty voice which compliments the tone of the music perfectly, and he doesn’t sound like he’s trieing to be a hard man or anything which is good. The lyrics are dark and erudite if a little unimaginative, but these guys are starting out so I can overlook that.

Santa Karla’s throat Duggan lends his molten vocals to the brooding Initiation which starts out with a morbid chug intro that sounds like a cut from The Break In’s good record, the back up chant at the beginning could have come out cheesy as hell but its low in the mix and it works really well. The songs are all well written and there’s no clunky parts, the transitions flow really well. Nice production from Jason Frye that emphasises the weight of the songs without relying on a metal polish. Alaska are a band that, to me, sound like Canterbury Hardcore circa 2004. A solid first release for both band and label.

http://www.myspace.com/thealaskankings

http://fistintheairrecords.bigcartel.com/

Summer is a'coming in....

2010-05-17T11:02:00.000-07:00

For a short time back in late 2001/early 2002, i was at a bit of a loose end and found myself with a lot of spare time on my hands. xCanaanx was going through some line up difficulties, Darren and Simmons had decided to split and form another band. So Dargs, Rich and I were involved in the laborious process of training up a new bassist and drummer. Anyone in a band will tell you that the loss of momentum, just when things are starting to pick up is one of the most infuriating things about being in a band. So I sulked off to lick my wounds and ended up hanging out with a few guys from Margate who were into black metal. We had a shared interest in maudlin, miserable music like Low, godspeed etc and a mutual fascination with The Whicker Man. They had a band called Like Herod, some great tunes but but no vocalist, and it wasn’t long before i stepped in to have a crack at it. The band had a few line-up changes but it was me singing and this dude Tom from local post rock band North By North West on guitar, a guy called Jimmy The Raven on the other guitar, Wilf on bass and Anton on the drums. We practiced out at this desolate garage facility in Margate. Anton was working for his Uncle on a small fishing vessel at the time and would come to band practice straight from work. The stench he bought with him was indescribable but it was akin to what i imagine Bigfoots dick to smell like. Jimmy had no real personality and it wasn’t long before he left and was replaced by Luke Hornus. Funny bloke, had some riffs, and he fitted in way better. Those guys wanted to sound like a blackened At The Gates or something and that was fine with me, i just wanted to scream my head off about something else other than straight edge for a while.

We practiced often and we soon wound up playing some local shows at the shitty Lido Bar. We opened for Darkest Hour a couple of times, though i think in total we played barely ten shows. Like Herod never really had it together live, and were sloppy no matter how good we got it sounding in practice. But it was fun and liberating to be playing new music with different people for to a more open minded crowd. Wilf had some crazy shit go down in his life and he and the whole tribe literally left town the night before we were due to record our EP. After that Burrows filled in but we were treading water. The band finished one night after a Bane show in Canterbury when drunken antics involving someones girlfriend went too far and a fist fight ensued. Someone got sparked out on his doorstep and that was that. It was a shit way to end things and i’m still bummed we never got to record our songs, because despite how this video portrays us, the songs were pretty good. Tom moved to London, Luke went to study somewhere, Anton formed The Break In and I went back to Canaan like a cheating husband returning to his long suffering wife after a grubby affair. I found this clip on youtube, go easy eh?

Wolves Teeth....

2010-05-16T08:20:00.000-07:00

Found a disc full of old On Thin Ice pictures in the attic. Think Aggro took all of'em. here;s a couple from when we opened for Ringworm and Outbreak in London. We'd just played in Switzerland the night before and drove all night so we could make the show. It was wild, our boys from Kent and the northern crew all rocked up and showed the capital how it's done. Lotta people ended up in the hospital as i recall. These pics are just a taster of whats to come on the Wolves Teeth 12".

2010-05-15T06:11:00.000-07:00

Grazes demo

The gentlemen from Grazes kindly emailed me their demo last week for review after they happened upon this blog. Once again I know absolutely nothing about this band, never even heard their name around...but that’s probably more to do with me being a hermit than these guys not making a name. Short sharp punk rock blasts here, which to these ears sounds like The Final Plan or Panic without the mosh parts, a dash of Sabbath in the riffs department mixed with a soussant of that San Diego/Gravity records loose and frantic sound. I don’t have any lyrics for these songs but they have a track called kestrel For A Knave, Kes reference will earn you points. Someone has clearly pissed on the singers chips....he’s got a wicked voice that reminds me of Dave Claibourne from Unbroken, but more ragged and throaty. His phrasing is a little off in places which can sound a tad clumsy but thats a minor detail. The drummers got skills but his kit sounds overproduced,notably the kickdrum which appears to be triggered to fuck and sounds like Fear Factory or summat. I think a more organic drum sound would suit this lot better. Wouldn’t mind catching Grazes live,just as long as they smash the shit out of the crowd, their instruments and themselves in blind, breathless, cathartic rage. Edit: Just had a quick peep at their myspace, and it would appear the guitar player has got a lasses jumper on. Make of that what you will but they should be glad i didn’t see that until after i’d written the review!

www.myspace.com/grazes

2010-05-09T12:51:00.000-07:00

Crossbreaker demo

Part of the reason i started the reviews section of this blog was to get switched on to new music. I’ve been around the block as far as hardcore and punk is concerned and as one gets older, it becomes increasingly difficult to relate to new bands. It’s very easy to slip into the jaded mindset that often accompanies turning 30 and become disinterested in hardcore, art, hobbies, whatever, as other things start to take priority in your life. These days i view hardcore once again from an outsiders perspective and i’m enjoying hearing new bands again. I don’t know shit about Crossbreaker other than they are from Wales and obviously enjoy the support of the burgeoning scene there. I picked this tape up based purely on the fact that i had some loose change in paypal and the tape had Rasputin on the front cover, I’m a sucker for esoteric references. Opening track Disengaged bleeds up with an acoustic melancholic riff which builds the tension before smashing in with the drums and churning guitars. I expected the vocals to come in hard but the singer hasn’t really got the throat for that kinda work and opts for a more honest clean approach which totally works, reminds me of Dan Mills from the Cold World demo. Musically this is weird mix, some parts remind me of Burn with those kinda jangly sounding but still hard riffs. There’s obviously an appreciation for those massive early Rise and Fall style breakdowns here too, a lot of bands of this generation have clearly been influenced by that band, I’m not a fan but i’ll take that over ripping off Guns Up or rap music or some other bent shit. I feel that this is still a band in their early developmental stages and with a little more hair on their balls and some ground up glass in their diet,their next release will be right on the money.

www.myspace.com/crossbreaker

2010-05-08T12:35:00.000-07:00

Ark Of The Covenant demo/7"

I already posted an uncharacteristically gushing review of this Welsh bands demo on a couple of message board. For readers who don’t frequent the same online hives of scum and villainy as I, here’s an amended version of that post. I believe these recordings are now actually being released as a 7” rather than a demo, normally i frown on that kinda jumped up bullshit move, but in AOTC’s case i make an exception as this is too good to languish on a tatty CDR.

I’m not one to deal in hyperbole nor do i subscribe to the "yeah but they are good dudes/sympathy mosh" school of thought, so when i say that the demo by the aforementioned metallic hardcore outfit Ark Of the Covenant is "the shit" you should know that i'm not yanking your plank. Drawing very obvious influence from the sounds of early Arkangel and Day Of Sufferings “Eternal Jihad” album, this is total metallic hardcore fanboys wet dream. From the crisp production through to the cheese-dick spoken word section, every detail/cliche is correct and executed with a precision and vengeance that only comes from players with a genuine scholars enthusiasm for their chosen style. I hope that when i see this band play live, the guitar player is wielding a black jackson guitar and there are two stripy t shirts, some "curtains" hairstyles, at least one pair of canvas Airwalks and a demo with a played out Gustave Dore illustration on the front.

Likewise, in two years time i hope that the band will have turned their back on the principles that once defined them, started peddling drugs/knocking their girlfriends about and begin wearing Lacoste tracky tops and tight fitting caps in an effort to look like they've "moved beyond the narrow minded constraints hardcore". I don’t have any artwork for this record so instead here’s a picture of my favourite Welshman and one of the forgotten fathers of occult fiction and decadent horror, Arthur Machen.

I see no heaven, I see no hell

2010-05-06T11:52:00.000-07:00

I just see us, just us
cling to the hope that it exists
falling further with every prayer
you whisper it won't save it won't save you.

All Creation Undone

2010-05-05T13:07:00.000-07:00

Wayfarer 12” “The Days Have Gone Down” CTW

Wayfarer are my favorite band in the UK, without a shadow of a doubt. I was fortunate to have been sent these recordings a good five months before they saw the light of day and i can honestly say they got jammed every day for a couple of weeks straight. I honestly cannot remember the last time i got so stoked on a UK band, (though it was probably the above all 7” on sure hand). For the uninitiated, Wayfarer contains dudes from Never Again and Breaking Point playing late 90’s style epic metallic hardcore. Drawing obvious musical influence from the likes of In Cold Blood (Suicide King era) and a little Integrity with shades of Morning Again here and there. Massive moody intros, haunting acoustic passages bleeding into some savage breakdowns...when Max bellows “All Creation Undone!!!! It makes me wanna steal someones fucking soul. Lyrically, most bands these days fail to grab my attention, not because they are crap (though many are) but because at 33 years of age its hard for me to relate to endless mundane songs about silly girls and two minute shame boys breaking edge and wigger teen angst. Wayfarer however have some fresh and intelligent lyrics, well researched (drawing inspiration from the poetic eddas) and articulate, each song works towards revelation of the theme, equal parts melancholy and belligerence. Whenever i listen to this record I’m put in mind of a battered Viking longboat, masts creaking as it drifts slowly in the mists, abandoned save for one restless, tortured soul at the prow, beard encrusted with frost, staring out through ice grey eyes, searching for the headland. Big Tom provides the artwork and once again it’s thoughtful, well researched and in keeping with the norse flavour of the release. The samples are tasteful and add emphasis to the songs rather than more audio clutter and as a monstrous Tolkien nerd i appreciated the LOTR references. A split with Rot In Hell is due out on CTW and I wait anxiously for the inevitable full length LP.

www.myspace.com/hailwayfarer

2010-05-01T03:20:00.000-07:00

Our first show this year.

"Scars are a reminder...."

2010-05-01T02:21:00.001-07:00

I used to be in a band called Touchdown (I know) when i was a young'un. We existed for about two years in the late nineties, we broke up every other week and we had more line up changes (I was the second vocalist) than the Sugababes. That said, it was a hell of an experience and in retrospect I learned a lot of valuable lessons from the guitar player Diamond Dave. Plus we got to play with some awesome bands (Morning Again, Cold As Life, Vitamin X etc) so it wasn't a total wash out. One summer we ended up playing some shows in Europe, needless to say nothing went to plan. The van had holes in the bottom of the floor just like Fred Flintstones car, so i could actually see the road passing underneath as i tried to sleep. Dave fought a waiter in a restaurant in Switzerland, then when we all tried to leg it he ran face first into a glass door so hard that he left an impression of his sweaty face on the glass, resembling the Shroud Of Turin. There was a bunch of other retarded shit happening that i'll save for another day. We ended up playing at a youth centre in Switzerland with Earthmover, one of my favourite bands of the time. We played basketball with them and it got rowdy...Dave hated to lose! The show was dope, we played so many fucking cover songs and we were kinda sucky but for once people seemed to actually like us. Lenny from Earthmover joined us on stage for a Judge cover, pretty cool moment. After that Earthmover hit the stage like an atom bomb and just destroyed everything in their path, it was fucking beautiful. I moshed even though i had a busted up leg because It was a mosh or be moshed situation, you know how it is. Anyway, here's a picture i found that we took outside the venue with those dudes.

Curved brims and guitar swings...

2010-05-01T00:45:00.000-07:00

Amputee Records will be releasing a xCanaanx discography later in the year. Entitled "Curse Of Fates", the plan is to remix/remaster all the songs we recorded back then and mash'em all together on one limited 12" (with download code). Would have been rad to record the other two tracks i found recently on a rehearsal tape, but that's unlikely.

We're compiling a load of old pictures and stuff for the inlay zine that will accompany the release. If anyone reading this has any pics or flyers, get in touch, I would be stoked to hear from you. More info when we have it, until then here's some old photos i found from various shows 2000-2003.

The first shot was taken at the Underworld in 2003. We opened up for The Hope Conspiracy. As usual we rocked up late,promoter was stressing but we just wandered through the venue and onto the stage,plugged in and started blasting. Place was packed,the mosh was brought, people went nuts. Sorted.

Second shot is from a show in Canterbury, in i think 2002. American Nightmare, Sworn In, Canaan, The Last Chance and Spitfire Down. Me and Conan booked this one, hell of a line up and an insane turn out. We always had to steal carpets from the Allied Carpets skip down the road to lay out on the dancefloor, because the floors in the halls we used got so slick and sweaty that people would often eat shit. Lotta dudes travelled down from up north for this show, The Durham crew was definitely in effect for the northern bands but when we played, the Canterbury mob and the Manchester lads owned the floor. We opened with Vocal Test and it got real crazy real quick as the above pic illustrates. AN played last and despite having played in Margate the year before, i don't think they were ready for the reaction they recieved. With no stage and nowhere to run, Wes got totally mauled by the crowd. I foolishly drank a lot of Yop at this show and barfed when i got home.

Third picture was taken at a show we dubbed Beachfest, which we booked at the decrepit old Pavillion theatre right down on Westgate Beach in Margate in 2001. My Gran hooked us up with the venue, she used to run the bingo and line dancing down there back in't day. I've got some more pictures from this kicking about and i think that benchmark show warrants a post of it's own.

Points of note: My xChorusx shirt/neckbeads combo (+ baseball cap with properly curved brim)and Sketch is about to do something ridiculous.

Finally we have a moody black and white shot of Dargs, clearly about to pull off his signature guitar swing/stomp double whammy. Bands don't swing their guitars anymore, someone needs to bring that back. Always looked so cool.

"If the kids we were could only see us now......

2010-05-01T00:24:00.000-07:00

......I don't doubt, they'd fucking kill us all."

2010-04-26T14:39:00.000-07:00

Breaking Point 7” (TDON Recs)

Breaking Point are a new straight edge band from my old South East stomping grounds. Comprised of four good dudes and Ben Saker, their demo was very well received and after a year of consistently playing shows and honing their skills, TDON unleashed these five new songs upon the world. Honestly, not what i was expecting. The demo was on a more early noughties tip (Murder Weapon/Frostbite etc) with hints of metal crunch, these five new tracks however sound more thugged out. I seldom listen to this kinda stuff so any comparisons i make are likely to be way off base...maybe a little similar to early Next Step Up or that old band xDeniedx that had those kinda big, mid pace , rugged, stomping breakdowns? Louis’s vocals sound as burly as you’d expect from a guy who could grow a full beard at 11 years of age and his lyrics are way more lifted than most of the meathead nonsense that tends to accompany this type of core. Live these guys definitely tear it up and I have enjoyed the sets i’ve caught. Its rad that there’s a straight edge band doing this style, rather than playing within the more accepted youth crew or metallic hardcore boundaries and i’m curious to see how their sound will develop on the forthcoming split with Wiretap. www.myspace.com/thenotoriousbxp

2010-04-25T12:39:00.000-07:00

Legions Demo

Duggan had a spare copy of this demo and sent it my way to see what i thought. First impressions, not good. The artwork is some “tattoo” style upside down crucifix with some skulls hanging around., not really my thing. Opening the case i then discover that the band have elected not to include any lyrics but instead use the space to advertise where they recorded (The Cro’s Nest) and something else that i cannot read due to poor reproduction. The lack of lyrics suggests to me that they are either A) Embarrassed of the lyrical content. B) Place no importance on them or C) Are trieing to be mysterious. Regardless, it’s annoying.

Onto the music. We have three songs here all of the chunky metallic hardcore variety that was made popular by Blackfish Records some years ago. Reminds me of bands like Unite or Decimate that used to clutter up all-dayers in the late nineties, with their trackie pants, tough vocals and clunky mosh parts. Having said that, it’s not a total turd. The singers got a solid set of lungs, the drummers no slouch and there’s some decent Ringworm style riffs sneaking in now and again (as well as the main riff of Rise by Integrity) but it all just reminds me of too many wasted days spent enduring crap bands so I could mosh to Public Disturbance covering “No One”.

www.myspace.com/legionsukhc

The company of wolves....

2010-04-24T12:51:00.001-07:00

Probably should have posted this blurb up first, oh well....The Siege Perilous. Concerned with the arcane, esoteric and mythic, you will also happen upon reviews of stuff i get given for nowt, my opinions on recent dining experiences, the occasional picture of my dogs, as well as interviews with the elderly and infirm of British Hardcore. There will also be updated information on the various musical/writing efforts i’m involved with. Note:If you want your shitty bands record reviewed, feel free to send it my way. I can’t guarantee a positive review but it’ll certainly be creative. Nice one.

2010-04-18T10:59:00.000-07:00

Lightbringer “Inhumation” 7” Haunter Records

Debut recordings here from the south coasts Lightbringer. A band comprised of veterans of the southern HC scene and counting former members of The Break In, Canaan, On Thin Ice, Age Of Kali, Thrown To the Wolves, Chaos Days and more amongst their ranks, there’s clearly a lot of experience at work here and it shows through in the quality of the songwriting and production. The three songs on offer here combine the intricacies and atmosphere of early Starkweather with the crunch of Above All or mid period Earth Crisis and some very Slayer inspired guitar chops. Dave’s got some flourish and creativity behind the kit and it’s great to hear him playing to his full capacity again. Vocally I expected this to kinda blow, but credit to Sam, he’s got some throat and the lyrics are a cut above, breaking some fresh ground in a genre that has became somewhat diluted of late. Personally i find it difficult reviewing a band when you’ve got so much shared history with the members, and though a spiteful, grudgebearing prick I may be, I’m also big enough to admit that this is really fucking good. Fair play gents.

www.myspace.com/thisislightbringer

2010-04-17T12:36:00.000-07:00

Santa Karla "Mouth Of Madness" 7” (Thirty Days Of Night)

OK, truth zone. Despite a couple of my good friends being in this band I never really gave them a shot in the past...why? I fucking HATED their old band Love That Kills. It annoyed me on so many levels that dudes with as much ability and HC know-how as Dan and Jason could play in such a shitty and contrived band. Anyway after LTK packed it in those dudes started SK and I kinda figured it’d be in much the same vein, so i politely swerved. I'm an idiot, the three songs on this 7” are absolutely fucking monstrous. Duggan's finally stopped bleating on about girls and succesfully channeled his inner bastard. Lyrically blood drenched, seething and frustrated, the words and delivery perfectly compliment what is on offer musically. The guitars crunch and churn and the guitarists throw in some doomy rocked out riffs, the drums sound like massive and the filthy bass drives the whole maelstrom headfirst into the abyss. There are some really nice lead guitar sections and if pushed for a musical comparison i’d say this sounds like old Darkest Hour mixed with the first Cursed album. It’s really encouraging to see a band raise their game like this, and if you are remotely interested in metallic hardcore, you’d be foolish overlook what these guys are doing. Oh, great packaging and design from Big Tom too, nice work.

www.myspace.com/santakarla

2010-04-17T12:23:00.000-07:00

End Reign Demo

This is the second demo from a fairly new metallic hardcore outfit from the north east of England. Powerful and raging stuff that is clearly influenced by the driving riffs of early Rise & fall and liberally seasoned with crunchy breakdowns that bring to mind Unbowed era The Break In. Vocally, the singer sounds a lot like Bjorn from Rise & fall too with those very dry, hoarse, clipped bellows. I had a quick peek at the lyrics and it’s all pseudo religious metaphor and imagery mixed in with personal/vengeful themes. A few things that piss me off about this demo... the recording is a little too crisp and clean for my preference, maybe that’s what the band wanted but I always think this kinda HC sounds more legit with a filthier production. Also the artwork is beyond played out too, just me of Gustav Dore’s Inferno illustrations with blurry text dumped on the top...that shit was old hat when Canaan ripped if off eleven years ago! In short a promising, solid start, well played/structured songs and i’ll be interested to see what they do next, just record it in a sewer and throw a little more imagination into the artwork/presentation. www.myspace.com/endreign