Misanthropic Minds / Häpeä: Split 7” (Sewercide Records) The latest release on Canada’s Sewercide records is this international hardcore punk split EP matching one band each from the chilly northern latitudes of the North American and European continents. Misanthropic Minds is up first, and they’ve only grown more feral since 2021’s Welcome to the Homeland EP, delivering three more blasts of hardcore venom soaked in fuzz and static. The squealing guitar sound might make you think of Urban Waste (particularly on “Falling / Failing”), while the unhinged energy recalls the H100’s at their most primal. There’s literally no letup in tempo on MM’s side of this split… it’s just fast, fast, fast, with the only variation provided by the occasional rhythmic accent. This is hardcore for the hardcore, with no easy on-ramp and no concessions to the uninitiated. Oulu, Finland’s Häpeä is a perfect match for MM, with a similarly fried and aggressive sound. Thanks to the Finnish-language lyrics, occasional gang vocals, and strange intervals in the riffing, Häpeä’s sound is distinctively Finnish, with something about them that reminds me of Kaaos, but put through the ultra-hardcore meat grinder. As with Misanthropic Minds, there’s a minimalist streak in the composition (I love how the “chorus” part of the first song, “Myrkky,” doesn’t even have any lyrics) that puts the focus squarely on the wild energy of the performance. And unlike MM, Häpeä tosses a mid-paced bone to the moshers with “Kello Käy,” whose hooky riffing and gang vocals make the Kaaos comparison feel even more apt. If you like your hardcore punk wicked fast, ultra-primitive, and flying off the rails, both sides of this split are mandatory listening.