V/A STEP INTO THE LIGHT 12" & VENDETTA 7"

VENDETTA 7"
(VENDETTA MUSIC//Japan)

FANTASTIC 4 song 7" from VENDETTA from Japan. This year I vowed to slow down on my consumption of new Japanese HC releases, but I couldn't resist this one based on the reviews that I was reading. They have a raw sound mixed with a great melodic, UK82 vibe that I am just a sucker for. I gushed enough about the 2nd SKIZOPHRENIA 7" when it came out, but I think this record is even better!

4.5 / 5 bells

 

V/A STEP INTO THE LIGHT 12"
(NINGEN-DO//Japan)

This is one compilation that I didn't want to buy. It was expensive and each band only has one song. I prefer a good solid JPHC comp to have 3-4 songs from each band. Then you also have the problem that most comps just aren't that good anymore...but Japanese comps tend to be able to pull this off better than most places. I went ahead and said "fuck it" and bought this with the VENDETTA 7". There are lots of bands that I like on it, so why not, when convenience is on my side? Most of these bands are more on the melodic UK side of things, which is a nice little twist from what Japanese HC is most known for. This is kind of a part 2 of The ACTION 7" comp that came out a few years ago. I absolutely love the ROUGH STUFF song (saw them play a great set last year on the GASMASK TERROR Japanese tour), and of course, the SKIZOPHRENIA, FOLKEIIS (although I wish they would go for less of a muddy guitar sound) and VENDETTA songs are great too. The multiple inserts are really cool, each band gets a side of a separated 7" size insert. Although I would have been in favor of less bands and more songs on this comp, I still say this is a keeper (although not essential).

band listing:

Side A
ROUGH STUFF
VENDETTA
END OF SEEDS
THE DRUNK BO!S
REJECT

Side B
THE LAST MOMENT
SKIZOPHRENIA
FOLKEIIS
STRANGENESS

3.5 / 5 bells

ZYANOSE - Insane Noise Raid CD

ZYANOSE - Insane Noise Raid CD
(L.A.R.V.A.E.//Japan)

Ok, so obviously, we haven't done shit with this blog lately, been way too busy to keep writing detailed reviews. So I decided that I will just start reviewing everything that I take in for my personal collection. The reviews are going to be quick and dirty, but they will be much more plentiful and maybe timely enough to give people an idea on if they want to take a chance on something or not. Ironically, first up is the new ZYANOSE CD.

After Amanda and I got rid of over 400 CDs this is the first new CD that I bought in a while. First off, the packaging is great, I love how it looks like a pop CD, I don't know if you can see it in the photo, but the scrawled CRASS shirt girl was a nice touch. To top it all off, this cute looking CD is called INSANE NOISE RAID!

This 9 song ditty has actually given me a bit of a sigh of relief in knowing that I am not just some old hardcore dude that hates all the new noisy HC bands. The sound is perfect for what they are trying to do, and the bass guitar is fuckin' burly. The songs are well crafted, the CD goes through some nice time changes, too. I found that I was gritting my teeth through the whole CD. Love it.

Catch them if you can at Chaos In Tejas this year. Also, word is that this will be issued on vinyl by Black Water soon. I hope they keep the same vibe on the packaging!

4 / 5 bells

5/17 TRAGEDY show in Columbus

Columbus, OH
Thurs. 5/17
@Carabar 9pm
115 Parsons Avenue


TRAGEDY
STRUCK BY LIGHTNING
NUKKEHAMMER
SILO

Thurs 2/23 @LOD Columbus: MERCILESS GAME, PENIS GEYSER, FUMES, STREP TORSO

Review: ACROSTIX - Dear Daily Life 12" (Freedom Fighter/FF006)

The CD version of this new ACROSTIX material has been out for a while and those who had boldly ventured into $30+ territory to mailorder a CD from Japan have been talking this up ever since. I have always thought ACROSTIX were a good band. They were good at the metallic AMEBIX Japanese hardcore style, but at the same time, I also thought some element of power was always missing. I assumed it was something about the recordings.

When I saw ACROSTIX in their hometown last summer, I knew it was true. Waves of positive power and energy poured forth from when they hit the first note. I finally could see this band for how good they really were.

So finally, this comes out on vinyl, brought to us by the Freedom Fighter label. Tip-on style gatefold jacket, insert, thick vinyl, obi, and silk screened dust sleeve (as they have done on other FF releases), this was given the royal treatment. Not sure what's up with the cover art...caught in the rat race, I guess? Anyway, the last few years have been bereft of great, traditional, Japanese hardcore for the most part, and I am happy to say the rumors are true about this album. ACROSTIX have changed their style to a traditional JPHC monster. They still have a metallic feel and there are a few dirgy areas, but for the most part, this 8 song 12" is a great fucking hardcore record. The power is in your face and the production is everything it should be. Loud and bright guitars, pounding drums, ruthless. This reminds me of a better sounding and better written ASSAULT s/t CD. Instead of coloring the whole vibe of the record, the dirgy parts now add to the beauty of the overall landscape. This record will not be cheap, but worth every penny. Right now, I can't think of a Japanese 12" that came out in 2011 that I like more.

Some places where you can pick this up:
Feral Ward
Velted Regnub
Soap And Spikes
La Vida Es Un Mus (Europe)

Acrostix live photo taken by yours truly, Summer 2011 on an iPod (lol)