N.O.T.A. - 1985 LP

N.O.T.A or None Of The Above were an American hardcore band that existed from the early 80s to the late 90s. Not a lot of information on this band -- and I'm not particularly familiar with their discography -- but their 1985 LP is some wicked hardcore. Is it anything groundbreaking? Nope. But it doesn't need to be. Just a bunch of pissed off kids writing some angry songs about cops and breaking shit and breaking cops' shit.

Having said this, I certainly wouldn't classify it as generic (or at least not the boring type of generic). If you like the American hardcore sound, you'll like this. And if you don't, perhaps try getting into some Black Flag or Agnostic Front before giving this a spin.

ARTIST: N.O.T.A (NONE OF THE ABOVE)

ALBUM: S/T LP

GENRE: HARDCORE PUNK

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GAUZE - KAO O ARATTE DENAOSHITE KOI

Seems that I'm on an 80s hardcore binge today, so enjoy it while it lasts. GAUZE were a hardcore punk band from Tokyo, Japan. They're considered to be one of most important bands to come out of that area for that time period, and with good reason. KFTH did a better review of their 1997 12"/CD than I ever could:

"1997 saw the release of their newest 12" Kao O Aratte Denaoshite Koi (literally translated means "Go wash your face and come back" - a Japanese expression used after someone is physically beaten by someone else) which has to be the best record by a hardcore band that had been around for 16 years ever. It is simply their best work, the songs explode from the grooves and kick your face in, then snap off your teeth with a pair of rusty pliers. It's that intense."

In summation: not for the faint of heart!

ARTIST: GAUZE

ALBUM: KAO O ARRATE DENAOSHITE KOI

GENRE: HARDCORE PUNK

ANARCHY//VIOLENCE

Raw Power - Screams From The Gutter + After Your Brain

Raw Power were an hardcore punk band from Italy that thrived during the 1980s. Apparently they had quite the scene back in the day -- if you enjoy Raw Power, be sure to check out Wretched and Indigesti. This awesome punk archival project can tell you more about the band than I ever could, but to sum up: fast, loud, and catchy as hell. Some pretty funny songs/lyrics as well. Screams from the Gutter and After Your Brain are actually two different LPs released respectively in 1984 and 1986, but I'm including them both because I can't decide which one I like better!

As a sidenote, not sure who their album artist was, but s/he came up with some of the coolest imagery I've ever seen for a punk band, ever. 

ARTIST: RAW POWER

ALBUM: SCREAMS FROM THE GUTTER with AFTER YOUR BRAIN

GENRE: HARDCORE PUNK

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Torture Chain - Across Great Landscapes to a Legacy of Blood

Torture Chain is a one-man black metal project from the United States. Cold, atmospheric and hateful, this 2010 demo is a prime example of some solid USBM. There's not much in terms of lyrics/vocals, but the musicianship/composition of the release is really well done. I'm one of those people who actually likes 'basement black metal', and if you like low-fi stuff like Les Legions Noires, you'll probably like this as well. There's a 2012 demo as well, but I haven't heard it yet.

ARTIST: TORTURE CHAIN

ALBUM: ACROSS GREAT LANDSCAPES TO A LEGACY OF BLOOD (demo)

GENRE: BLACK METAL

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Blacklace - Unlaced

I was introduced to this band through an old friend of mine, who described them as 'awesome female fronted heavy metal.' And while he's not wrong on that front, he failed to mention that they're also in the top 5 for Cheesiest Heavy Metal Band to Ever Exist. Don't get me wrong, it's awesome. I'm just still blown away by how unflinchingly 80s heavy metal this band is. In terms of musicianship, it's a decent album. Mostly what puts it on my radar is the female vocals (which are quite good, and remind me a bit of ACID) and the overall no-fucks-were-given-at-any-point cheesiness of this album. Bon appetit.

ARTIST: BLACKLACE

ALBUM: UNLACED

GENRE: HEAVY METAL

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Martire - Legions of the Brutal Apocalypse

Back when I was in high school, I was SUPER into Australian black/thrash/death metal. Destroyer 666, Trench Hell, Atomizer, Vomitor, Nocturnal Graves...you name it, and I probably loved it. And Martire were no exception. I listened to their 1991 EP on vinyl again and again when I was in high school. I couldn't wait for their full-length to come out (and considering that these guys have been around since 1988, it's been a LONG fucking time). Finally, it's here! And while it's not the /best/ thing to come out of Australia, it's certainly not a dissapointment. Similar to Vomitor, these guys play a perfect combination of black, death and thrash metal in the raw-as-fuck aussie tradition. If you haven't heard them yet, give this a listen!

ARTIST: MARTIRE

ALBUM: LEGIONS OF THE BRUTAL APOCALYPSE

GENRE: BLACK/DEATH/THRASH METAL

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Dystopia - S/T (2008)

Apologies for the lag in posts, being out of the province with no access to a computer certainly didn't help much. Anyways, here's the final release from the legendary crust/sludge band, Dystopia. Dystopia have put out a TON of killer music during their time as a band, but their self-titled album from 2008 is one of their finest releases. A great mix of samples, insanity, and heaviness. I find that Dystopia are a very 'mood-specific' band for me (i.e. I have to be in a pretty shitty mood to listen to them because their stuff is /that/ depressing or else I get depressed from listening to it), but when it's good, it's good.

ARTIST: DYSTOPIA

ALBUM: S/T (2008)

GENRE: CRUST/SLUDGE

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