The year was 1983, & one of my favorite bands was SUBHUMANS – this band could do no wrong in my eyes. They had the right politics, lyrically they were on point & their album covers spoke to me just as much as their rad songs did. Plus, this band wrote really catchy tunes that never lacked in meaning. SUBHUMANS were the working humans peace punk band, they had none of the pretense that some of the bands at the time had. What was really special about them is they toured the States when the other British bands did not. I’m happy to say I got see them on both of their first tours. The punk show promoters of the day, Goldenvoice, brought them over for two epic shows at the Olympic Auditorium in Downtown Los Angeles. These shows were historical, even though at the time we did not realize it. The SUBHUMANS shows were huge punk rock gatherings of all the different punk tribes from all over Los Angeles. Today for your punk rock viewing pleasure, CVLT Nation brings you the 1984 SUBHUMANS concert from start to slam-dancing finish. So after the stage-dive, get your skanking on & watch how the L.A. youth welcomed the SUBHUMANS!

SUBHUMANS : Big City

SUBHUMANS : Parasites

READ MORE…

They are scum, they are filth, they are caustic, they are mayhem to a beat, they are Vile Gash. This Ohio band creates no holds barred murdercore the way I dig it: mean & with the stench of death smelling up the place with every listen. The band’s 2010 ten song EP via Youth Attack is packed full of hateful jams that punish your brains cells into a state of FTW. Vile Gash do remind me of the hardcore I grew up with in the 80′s with its’ sincere declarations against the powers that be. Actually, it seems like this band has no hope for humankind. Musically, you would think this music is noise, but do not get it wrong – these are well crafted bursts of sonic terror. The drums on this EP run over your humanity repeatedly until you are ground out of existance. I really like the band’s vocalist, with every scream he lets out it seems like there is war going on in his mouth. The thing about about Vile Gash is it seems like they tune their guitars on d-beat shit, which is totally cool by me – they manifest this ocean of distortion with their guitar sound. On the song “Incapable,” the band slows things down on some resin-dipped Black Flag styles that puts you in dirge hell (what happy place to be!). Fuck Pepsi, all I want from Vile Gash is a full album & they better give it to me! After the jump, check out gnarly live footage of Vile Gash plus west coast tour dates!

Vile Gash : Bullshit Life

Vile Gash : All The Same

READ MORE…

We were young teenage hardcore youth, & our backs were against the wall – society did not give a fuck about us! Authority was Public Enemy Number One, the L.A.P.D were out get us, jocks wanted to kick our ass, and our families wanted to have us committed or sent to punk rock boot camp. You know we took a stand against all of this bullshit, because we knew we were the future & we refused to brainwashed. There was one film maker who understood where we were coming from – her name was Penelope Spheeris. In 1980, she put out her on point documentary The Decline of Western Civilization, and suddenly the misfits that society loved to hate had a face & voice. This film documented the Los Angeles punk movement & the start of the LA hardcore scene. Penelope & her crew were given access to the scene like no one before; she treated everyone she filmed with respect, and while watching The Decline of Western Civilization, you never get a sense of exploitation. I’m not sure if they knew it or not, but this documentary made and captured history. She was able to get epic performances on film by The Germs, Black Flag, Fear X, & many more. Some of the best parts of the film are when she interviews the kids from the scene – they gave very interesting views on the society in which they lived. The Decline of Western Civilization was the beginning of a trilogy, there are two more rad Spheeris movies after this…more about them in another post. If you have not seen this documentary of punk history, we are here to help you. After the jump, question authority & watch The Decline of Western Civilization NOW!

It ain’t hard to tell that Cali’s STRESSCASE is not stressed out about composing rabid & epic hardcore tunes that will keep your fire blazing! This band’s gnarly new EP is 5 songs that clock in at 6.6 minutes of madness. STRESSCASE’s vocalist has chops – she belts out her lyrics from the bottom of her gut with sincere abandon. Musically speaking, this band charges through their songs like a manic bull high on gunpowder, if you can catch my drift, while still keeping a sick ass groove. The words this band is laying down are food for thought, which is how I want my hardcore cooked. In a nutshell, this band has been able to harness all of their rage & fury about our human condition, in the process exorcizing their own demons. Actually, after listening to this EP, you will not be stressed out any more…download HERE!

STRESSCASE : Biting Sheep

The original noize nutters, the original noize merchants, the original basket cases – DISORDER were all of these things. This Bristol, UK hardcore band were on some next shit for sure. I remember when I first heard the Distortion to Deafness EP as a young punk, I was like, what is this madness?? Then after a couple of go’s at the record, I started to hear the method to the band’s madness. DISORDER was a band that used chaos, feedback & white noize to make songs that were full of sonic mutation. They made the statement that hardcore should be extremely loud & rip your face off. When I put on early DISORDER, I wonder if they didn’t influence Discharge, because you can hear the DIS in DISORDER. One thing I have always given this bunch credit for was their disregard for the rules of creating music. I found some really killer rare footage of DISORDER, so after the jump, check out some DIS-80′s videos of the band – but watch out, don’t go deaf!

DISORDER : You’ve got to be someone

READ MORE…

Good old SOCAL youth crew! ALWAYS TRY recently dropped their 2011 demo.There really isn’t too much info on these dudes but from what ALWAYS TRY drummer Wade Perkins tells me ALWAYS TRY is just a group of  young dudes playing good old youth crew inspired hardcore and having a rad time along the way. You can tell by their demo album cover that these dudes are probably the best people to chill with. Demo, review, links, and more after the jump!

READ MORE…

Smash & Destroy everything in sight…FTW! Wait a minute, keep your hands off of my BREAK EP or I will break your hands. This Ohio hardcore band makes me smile for some reason, maybe it’s the vocalist & how mad at the world he is. On the lyrical tip, they are in your motherfucking grill. It really seems that the lyrics are heartfelt & when it comes to hardcore that’s at the top of my checklist. BREAK plays that death is marching to your front door type of hardcore – if you don’t headbang when you hear them, maybe you are dead already! This band kills me with a good dose of melodic rage that puts me in the sleeper hold. They do these epic breakdowns that seem to lead you into dirgy dark caves. I know why BREAK makes me smile, because they have the perfect balance between ’82 & ’11 – they make want to break shit. So if you are down for a little chaos, go HERE to download their EP.

BREAK : King of Nothing

Stoned is the way of the walk, & doom is the way of the bong. Bongripper is as heavy as 666 tons of herbal delight. These Chicago doom wizards have a new gnarly 7 inch out called Sex Tape/Snuff Flim & it’s fucking off the chainmail. The first song, “Sex Tape,” is super rad – it starts off with dense bass & pounding drums, then the track steamrolls into this crusty raging punk. What’s extra killer about this song is the way distorted vocals are buried deep down in this apocalyptic blues creation. Just hearing this made me want to run for my Air Force One highness so I could fly away. “Snuff Film” starts off with this dirgy energy that feels a little creepy at first then an almost 80′s hardcore bassline kicks in. Bongripper starts fucking with your head on this track as they slow things down with stop & go resin stops. Just as I’m about to pack another bowl, the 7 inch is over…oh well, I will put it on repeat because nothing can stop the effects of this high!

Ring the alarm, the war is still on & the blood runs red…one band was sicker than most – Discharge. In the early to mid 80′s, no British band held it down as hard as this band, they truly changed the game. Cal, Rainy, Tezz & Bones were the line up that made music that could decapitate the listener. At this point, every thing was perfect about Discharge – they had it all, the lyrics, crazy metallic guitar riffs, death marching drums & vocals that could not be matched. The interesting thing is most of the content they sung then is still very relevant now. Just look at all of the leaders of the world, they are all drunk with power. Honestly, I don’t think that Discharge realized they were creating a sub-genre of punk with the music they were playing. To me, it’s their Grave New World album that actually kicked off the whole Dis-Beat movement. The reason why I say this is that Dis-Beat was a backlash by people who were upset with Discharge’s change in direction. They basically said, fuck it, if they won’t play what we want to hear we will play it ourselves & Dis-Beat was born. I got to see Discharge on the Grave New World tour – it was not a pretty sight. The fans were not happy, but I must say, as the years have passed I have grown to really like that album. CVLT Nation has found some rare footage from the band’s golden era that we would like to share with you. So after the jump, protest & survive, plus watch some off the hook Discharge performances!

READ MORE…

You don’t want to be institutionalized, but you want to punished? OK, then I have your fix: HUMAN JUNK, a brutal band from the UK. This band plays chaotic hardcore, murder thrash with unhealthy dose of power violence – that rad ugly-sounding ear candy for your listening pleasure. HUMAN JUNK’s songs are short bursts of epic radness. With all of the madness in their songs, they still come up with some insane grooves. This band almost has a killer 80′s vibe to the hardcore they conjure up; whatever the case may be, I really dig this demo. Everything about this band just pounds on your cranium in a way that makes you feel all warm inside. 10 songs, 6 minutes & then your punishment ends! If you know what’s good for you, you will download this demo HERE…

HUMAN JUNK : Ego Trip

HUMAN JUNK : Cracks Are Forming