Featured Releases: January 27, 2025

Cathexis: Demo 2024 cassette (Roachleg Records) 4-song demo of occult metal-punk from this one-person project based in New York, sort of like if first-album-era Bathory had been infected with the G.I.S.M. virus. The music is a little more toward the Bathory side with straightforward metal riffing and primitive pounding on the drums, but there’s definitely one foot in G.I.S.M.’s M.A.N. LP aesthetically, with a similarly cold and hollow sound and a penchant for echo effects on demonic vocals. There’s also an introverted quality to this that reminds me of Norwegian black metal… there are no fun parts, no rocking out, just cold grimness in a studiously primitive package.

Total Con / The Troops: split cassette (Scorched Noise Records) Split cassette from these two USHC-obsessed projects working at the highest registers of energy and the lowest registers of fidelity. The UK’s Total Con is a one-person project from Bobby of the Annihilated, and he’s had a prolific run lately with a few blasts of raw and immediate early 80s USHC worship on small cassette labels. These four new tracks are as nasty as one would hope, with some of YDI’s desperate but heavy energy, and the cover of Hüsker Dü’s “M.I.C.” is a classy hat-tip. The Troops from Florida have an even more blown-out recording, but they parallel Total Con by starting with a sample and giving us three originals and a classic cover. The Troops remind me of early 80s US bands that took a lot from Discharge—think Crucifix, Final Conflict, Against—and their Ultra Violent cover shows their bona fides while also reminding us that band had more than just one good song. Both sides here are raw, nasty, and punk as fuck.

Malignant Order: This Is Mankind? Demo cassette (La Vida Es Un Mus) La Vida Es Un Mus brings us a demo from this new (presumably) UK band. I’m not sure which bands Malignant Order shares members with other than Stingray, but their apocalyptic, metal-informed punk sound has a lot in common with London bands like Subdued, Second Death, and Permission. I hear a lot of 80s UK anarcho-punk in their sound, but I also hear something of Black Flag’s existential angst in Malignant Order’s vibe, particularly the desperate-sounding vocals. As with some of the aforementioned bands, there’s something unapproachable about how Malignant Order presents themselves that can make them a bit tough to listen to—there are no concessions to putting the listener in a more pleasant headspace—but these are supremely effective as gritty downer jams.

Frenzy: Beyond the Edge of Madness 12” (Distort Reality) Portland’s Frenzy has been at it for more than a decade, plowing their own very distinctive lane of noisy hardcore punk. Based on their records’ artwork—which tends to feature cartoon punks with spikes and studs and eye-searing combinations of fluorescent colors—you might peg Frenzy as Swankys worshippers, but they’ve actually developed a unique take on the noisy punk sound, particularly on this, their second full-length. The guitar sounds are appropriately fried to hell, but the singer’s hoarse shout sounds a lot like Pat Dubar of Uniform Choice to me, and the fast scissor/paddle beats give me Heresy / Ripcord vibes. Speaking of beats, Frenzy is rhythmically sophisticated, with a lot of different fast hardcore punk rhythms that are intense and immediate and keep this long-ish LP from getting repetitive. One thing Frenzy share with Swankys worshippers, though, is a willingness to work the odd sunny-sounding melody into the mix. I wouldn’t call Beyond the Edge of Madness an odd record, but its idiosyncrasies along with Frenzy’s finely honed chops make this record a unique and powerful statement.

Vaxine / The Last Survivors: split 7” (General Speech Records) General Speech Records brings together New York’s Vaxine and Tokyo’s the Last Survivors on a well-matched split 7”. Both bands rep a charged hair, combat boots, and bondage pants image, and their songs are energetic and hooky enough that whether you’re coming at that sound via the classic 80s UK bands or the less-cool-to-rep wave of 90s bands, you’re gonna leave satisfied. It’s funny, though, for all the similarities with their image, the two bands sound pretty different. Vaxine’s iteration of the style is razor-sharp and lock-tight a la Ultra Violent, while the Last Survivors are looser and fuzzier, with a UK Subs-ish rock’n roll flair in places. Some people might prefer one or the other, but both bands do the tradition proud. I don’t think you’ll see many people calling this a one-sided split.

A.O.A.: Satisfactory Arrangement 12” (No Plan Records) No Plan Records brings us a reissue of the 3rd and final LP by 80s Scottish anarcho-punks A.O.A., 1988’s Satisfactory Arrangement. I think A.O.A.’s first 12”, Who Are They Trying to Con?, is a supremely underrated record, an energetic and intense slab of ultra-fast UK hardcore. No Plan mentions they were sometimes called “the Scottish Discharge,” and I while I haven’t heard anyone say that myself, I imagine that comparison rests largely on that first 12”, which is a leaner and more to-the-point record than Satisfactory Arrangement. I think Satisfactory Arrangement is excellent, mind you, but the band has evolved and (dare I say) matured since their first record. The music is still undeniably hardcore punk, but A.O.A. sounds more flexible and confident here. One thing I appreciate is that they’re able to play locked-in when the situation calls for it—the early Amebix / Killing Joke-esque parts on here are suitably crushing—but they can change gears and sound really loose and wild as well. More metallic songs like “Acceptance of What” have some of the off-the-rails vibes of Venom or early Bathory, and other parts find them going full gluebag chaos mode a la Disorder. A new wrinkle on Satisfactory Arrangement is two tracks that feature spoken vocals over gentler instrumentation, and while (particularly by 1988) it wasn’t anything no one had heard before on an anarcho record, it adds even more depth and variety here than A.O.A. had on their earlier stuff. Plus, all this is transmitted through a much clearer, more professional recording that highlights just how good the band was. I know everyone has a soft spot for a band’s earliest, rawest material, but I think Satisfactory Arrangement is a logical outgrowth of that earlier material that’s a little more subtle and refined, but still powerful.