Skip to content
Life of Waste: Doc. 2
Magrudergrind-S/T 12”: When I was 15 I was way into skramz and screamo, and I was just starting to get my feet wet with hardcore punk. Around this time I went with some friends to see Leftover Crack at St. Stephen’s church in Washington D.C.. As much as I was excited to see Leftover Crack (a band that I had really been digging at the time) I was also excited to see the Max Levine Ensemble, a local pop punk outfit that opened the show and that seemed to be loved by the locals (just trying to paint a picture of what I was into at the time). One of the other opening bands was Magrudergrind, who I had never heard before. The 3-piece group (vocalist, guitarist, and drummer) ripped through their set and I remember my friend Paul saying, “Dude, they were so good”, to which I believe I replied with, “Really? I thought that sucked!”. My 15 year old music taste hadn’t expanded enough to include that kind of raw and chaotic sound. Paul always had a way of being ahead of the curve…
Fast forward about a year a later and I’m at a New Year’s Eve party at a punk house in D.C. and my buddy put on the new Magrudergrind record. I remember being absolutely floored, and after discovering it was Magrudergrind I felt like a total idiot. I feel like this album is extremely accessible. The recording quality is top notch, the riffs are heavy, and it’s extremely catchy. It was just the right record I needed to hear at that age, and it opened my mind up to exploring metal, grind and powerviolence (which before this point, I hadn’t really listened to at all). Now, I would not say that I am by any means a metal head now, but this album is what opened me up to exploring things outside of my limited taste at the time. This record quickly became one of my most listened to throughout my high school years. Tracks like “Lyrical Ammunition For Scene Warfare” and “Bridge Burner” were the jams I blare out of car speakers as I was leaving my school parking lot. After this album dropped Magrudergrind played locally a lot, and I took every opportunity I could get to see them play.
I’d be lying if I said that I have been keeping up much of what this band is up to now, but looking back on it was just what I was craving at that time. Even as I give this album another listen while writing, I find myself punching the air and head-banging.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Things that rock:
Sow: Demo Cassette- In the wake of Kommunion, Sow busts out a sick demo (which I would expect seeing as these two groups share 3 members). This relatively new group based out of Charlottesville and Richmond, VA doesn’t disappoint. Marina has always been one of my favorite hardcore vocalists drawing back to her days playing in Last Words (an old Raleigh band from about 5 years ago). The vocal delivery is ferocious, and when accompanied by solid/tight hardcore riffs makes for one of my favorite releases so far this year.
Rashomon: Demo 7”- You may have heard this demo on cassette earlier this year, and if you heard what I heard I think it was only fair that these tracks got pressed on vinyl. Hailing from Washington, D.C. and featuring members from other notable bands such as Sick Fix, Pure Disgust, Kombat, and many more, this 5 piece blazes through 6 perfectly executed punk bangers. I can hear that this band seems to pay homage to other DC bands that predate them such as Void. Something that I really like about this band is the use of leads, which I think might be a product of guitarist Daniel’s writing style, seeing as it reminds me a lot of Kombat. Very excited to see what Rashomon does next!
Oxidant: Deconstruct 7”- Hailing from right here in Raleigh, Oxidant’s debut 7” features 12 tracks of ripping powerviolence. In the year 2017, it is rare that I hear too many new bands in this vein that really grab me. Oxidant is the exception. Clearly you can hear influence from the pioneers of the genre such as No Comment, Crossed out, and Infest. What really brings this band home for me is their live performance. I’m not sure if they have any plans to tour, but if you ever have an opportunity to see them I wouldn’t sleep on it.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cya soon,
E. Chubb