Live Fast Jeff Young: Vol. 2 - June 17, 2017

by Jeff Young June 17, 2017

What's up Sorry Staters?

Welcome back for my second edition of #LiveFastJeffYoung. I hope y'all enjoyed my last entry. A little update: some of you may have noticed in my last blog I said that I would be regularly be posting my blog every other Friday, but then actually posted it publicly on Saturday. Since we typically post a "Friday New Release" blog post on Fridays, we decided to move my day for posting a personal blog to Saturday. Anyway, let's talk about some records:

Subhumans: From the Cradle to the Grave 12" - I started with my last post talking about Voivod reissues, so I thought I'd stick with the theme. Recently, we got in a whole batch of the UK Subhumans records in stock. I think these were originally reissued a few years back, but all of them sound great and come with some swanky packaging. Hearing these records after not revisiting them for a while has really re-invigorated my interest in this band. When I was a young teenager I loved all of the Subhumans' EPs and the first record The Day The Country Died. I decided to talk about From the Cradle to the Grave because it's a record I wasn't as familiar with when I was younger. A 16+ minute punk epic? When I think about this band's contemporaries, it seems like a totally ambitious and insane idea. That said, the way the arrangement is put together is like several small sections that flow seamlessly. I think the "song," if you can call it that, is put together really tastefully and doesn't come across as corny. The end product seems really honest and natural. And while my younger self might have thought, "16 minute punk song? FUCK that," I'm finding myself totally captivated the entire time.

Paranoid: Praise No Deity 7" - Latest 3-song slab from these Swedish punk-metal crushers. When looking at the sonic umbrella that Paranoid seems to fall under when described as a "noisy" d-beat band, I definitely think compared to many other current bands that they are basically the elite example. I also think that if their Cover of the Month record was any indication, they incorporate just as much Sepultura or Darkthrone as they do Disclose. In referencing that covers record, it is interesting digesting the first batch of new material from this trio in a while. The first thing that comes to mind when hearing the opening track is a total "motörcharged" influence, and really has more of a rocked out swagger than previous releases. Also, the production on this new EP still has the noisy, trebly texture we've come to expect, but to me sounds way thicker and punchier.

Hyena: Demo 2017 CS - First release from this Atlanta band that features ex-members of Bukkake Boys and more recently Mercenary. As one might expect when mentioning the people involved's previous bands, this is some vicious and relentless hardcore punk. A lot of these songs are at a barreling pace, where the feel of the drums along with the heavy guitar sound totally brings to mind the heavier end of Japanese hardcore. Think Bastard, or to my ears, Hyena sounds a lot like Nightmare! But still, with Ruby's recognizable vocals, it still has the hardness and aggression of US hardcore. This is a total rager, looking forward to hearing more from this band.

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://scavengerofdeathrecords.bandcamp.com/album/demo-3"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Demo by Hyena&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

Also, just because I brought them up and I haven't gone on as many tangents as my last blog post, here's some Nightmare:

Piss: II 7" - The first word that comes to mind when I think about Piss is disgusting (and not just because of the band name). This German raw punk band does fittingly sound super raw, but still thick and punishing. Hard to believe it's just 3 people. Much like some of the other records I'm discussing in this blog post, this new EP also has visually pleasing, interesting packaging. The logo for the band screenprinted in white on the plastic sleeve looks slick and really ties together the two-tone, red/white imagery. I've said it once and I'll say it again: black and white with one spot color is the hottest look. I unfortunately missed them when they played in NC, but much like the 4th track on this EP, I'm sure this band elicits behavior that is "Ignorant and Destructive."

Tarantüla: S/T 7" - First proper vinyl release from this Chicago-based band that I believe is made up of 3/4's of Cülo. With the addition of a bass player (crazy, right?) and chorus-y guitars, Tarantüla manages to carve out their own identity separate from their previous band. The main thing that stands out to me is the strong songwriting, chock full o' hooks! The presentation on the record also is attention-grabbing. I love the bright pink cover with sick artwork, and the addition of the hype sticker is also a classy touch. Whereas I thought maybe Cülo should've had their own Saturday morning cartoon, Tarantüla has really come of age with content for much more mature audiences, like pinup photos that provide each character with his own cool nickname. Looking at the insert, the band has a twisted sense of humor lyrically -- Tarantüla wins the "funniest song titles in punk" award hands down. There’s just a sense of fun and levity that is refreshing with this band. Still, you'll be pumping your fist the whole time.

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As promised in my last blog post, I have a more comprehensive list of shows coming up in NC. Some of these are featured on our BUNKER PUNKS page, but I've got some shows other friends are taking care of that are worth mentioning on here too.

Firstly, I started my list with some shows in early July, but my new band Vittna is playing with Worse from NYC at this gig:

- June 25th: WORSE @ THE NIGHTLIGHT

This gig is a matinee, and there's a benefit show the same night. Hoping people will go to both! Here's that benefit show along with a longer list of shows in NC:

- June 19th: BAD EXAMPLE IN GSO

- June 23rd: VANILLA POPPERS IN GSO

- June 25th: J20 BENEFIT - THOU @ THE PINHOOK

- July 6th: SKELETON (TX) + SKEMATA LP RELEASE! @ THE BUNKER

- July 8th: WILD ROSE (VA) @ THE BUNKER

- July 14th: KOMBAT/GAZM @ THE BUNKER

- July 20th: ELIX-R / PERVERTS AGAIN IN GSO

- July 21st: MUTUAL JERK (ATL) @ THE BUNKER - MORE TBA

- July 25th: INSTITUTE (TX) @ NIGHTLIGHT

- August 18th: NURSE (ATL) / BLANK SPELL (PA) / HALDOL (PA) - TBA

- August 24th: SHEER MAG / HARAM @ KINGS

- August 27th: RIXE (FRANCE) @ NIGHTLIGHT - MORE TBA