Dec 27, 2012

Warsong - The caravan


Hey cats, what's up? Life here in athens are pretty "cool" with all the shiity things goin on and around of Villa Amalias squat and the constant trying of the police eviction, but we will take it back for sure (some columns in english here). A lot of the fellow athenian punks feel Villa Amalias like their second home and so i am too, so this post is dedicated to the squatters, the squat and the punks.

Warsong comes from the Zaragosa desert, where the sand is gold and there is no water, nomads of the modern-day-life Warsong sing their loving interludes as an elixir to our poisonous and ruined lives. You may be familiar with bands like Insomnio and No Escape, bands who recorded some of the most intense yet melodic, soft yet PUNK rock tunes the last 5-6 years (or maybe more). Tracks like "Too hard", "she says no", "still remember" or "any moment" holds a great place in my heart, mainly because when i'm tired of all the speedy hardcore tunes or the dark crust/core bombardment i tent to listen to some smooth and chilling tunes, tunes i can go sing along or shed a tear. Mihael (the good friend behind Teenage Lobotomy and Doomtown records) was kind enough to sent me this ep (12'' lp) but i never listened to it (stubborn i fucking am) cause their previous album "Ancient Times" it was THE letdown. While a friend spined the record on his turntable i was "what's that shit?", and i immediately went to buy a copy. "The Caravan" is the lost Atlantis of the modern melofic punk, bass rtyhms anchored to the drumming simplicity, while the lyrics have been forged with ice and fire, strenght and gentle. Add a great cover to the "window shop for love" of Wipers and you got what it takes.

"You shine, but on my skin i'm feeling nothing
You shine, but deep within i'm feeling frozen"

download (link provided by the band)

Dec 23, 2012

Statement by the Villa Amalias squatters held in the police HQ in Athens


The Villa Amalias squat has been an open political, cultural and social space, as well as a housing collective, for the past 23 years. In all these years there have been plenty of active groups in the squat including groups on theatre, concerts, musical studio, stained glass, kids’ space, dancing, foreign languages, computing, printing press, screenings, lending library, vinyl exchange – while the squat has also hosted plenty of political and cultural events by other groups. Apart from these activities inside its building, Villa Amalias has also contributed to the resolution of neighbourhood issues by participating in the residents’ assembly of Victoria square and by organising open, outward looking activities in the area – including open mic interventions, free markets, collective kitchens and kids’ events at the square.

In all these 23 years, the Villa Amalias squat has formed multiform qualities that reflected the equally multiform composition of the subjects and groups comprising it – and which in turn derive from the wider squat movement, from the Anarchist and Anti-authoritarian space and from the movement for class and labour antagonism. These qualities have materialised through the co-organising and participation in demonstrations, interventions and mobilisations concerning labour, antifascist and antiracist struggles; solidarity to persecuted squats, to migrants and persecuted comrades, to university and high school student struggles as well as the to struggles for the reclaiming of open, public spaces.

The squat’s building was abandoned since 1973 and it had been in a horrendous state. Since 1990, which is when it was occupied, it has stayed alive and maintained thanks to the financial contribution and personal work of the squatters themselves as well as all the comrades in solidarity.

The apparent owners of the building ( the municipality of athens, which has has some enormous property wealth and the school buildings’ organisation) are both renown for cases of expropriation of private property and illegal declassification [of listed buildings]. The most extravagant case of such was the enormous Haragioni building at the junction of 3d September and Ioulianou street, which turned overnight from a plot designated for the construction of a school building into a shopping mall.

In contrast to them, who see buildings and spaces as yet another arena for profit, the Villa Amalias squat and its activity is a concrete example of its premise for the creation of free social spaces that oppose financial exploitation of any kind; that are set upon anti-hierarchical, self-organised, solidarity and horizontal structures; that respect humans and support those at the bottom end of the calss pyramid, to which we also belong.

This is why the maintenance of the building, as mentioned above, is undertaken by the squatters and those in solidarity with them – in the last 4 years in particular, after the two murderous arson attacks that the squat received from para-statists, whether waged or not. These particular attacks caused gross material damage which nevertheless did not form an obstacle in Villa continuing its action. To the contrary, they boosted the morale of the people that comprise it. With the aid of all comrades, the facade of the building on the side of Cheiden Str was renovated while the restoration and further improvement of the building have commenced with the aid of architects and civil engineers.

The continued attacks are not the only ones that the project has been subject to in all these years. Due to its location but also due to its ideological values and political characteristics, Villa has oftentimes found itself targeted by the state and parastate alike. In all these attacks we always responded with our words, publicizing the events and propagandizing our positions and our beliefs through open social interventions.

On 20/12/12, at 7.00 am, men of the state security raided our Squat under the pretext of an investigation concerning “drugs” and “explosives”, following a supposed anonymous complaint. They arrested 8 people who were inside the Squat at the time, of which three were guests. They confiscated objects from the squat which the state security then used as evidence for the fabrication of charges including felonies and misdemeanors - charges that we reject. Especially when our felony acts are based on some empty beer bottles and on a tiny amount of petrol that was discovered next to the heater.

For us, this move is an explicit political choice by the state. At a time of financial and systemic crisis, the state launches an attack in all directions, degrading the life of those from below and trying to wipe out any cell of resistance and of creation of negation: this may translate in the botching of labour rights, in the promotion of racist ideals that contribute to a fascist turn of society, in the creation of conditions of insecurity aimed at us accepting the constant surveillance of our lives, or in the persecution and slandering of political spaces and subjects that rise against all the above.



WE DENY ALL CHARGES

OUR WORDS ARE OUR WEAPONS

WE SAID IT BEFORE AND WE’LL SAY IT AGAIN:

“WE’VE BEEN GAME ALL THESE YEARS AND THE END IS STILL NO-WHERE IN SIGHT”

SOLIDARITY TO ALL SQUATS (AND TO OURS)

22/12/12
The arrested of Villa Amalias

Dec 17, 2012

Bastards


-Snow white and the mighty d-bill :

Wear your parka, your hiking boots and a pair of warm socks, grab a cognacand get ready to pogo your way straight to santas' cold village in Finland.

Maybe Terveet Kadet is what makes Borja trim his mustache with candles up his buttocks, maybe Mike was impressed with Cavalleras' Kaaos t-shirt, but when i think of Finland the first thing to come in mind is FUCKIN BASTARDS and their patented "Siberian Hardcore".

This 1983 LP starts off like a well oiled Kamaz war-truck running over everything in the ice tundra, and never lets go!! Simple, catchy as hell and to the point hardcore riffs, and some Finns doing their best english accents (sounding like russians giving you instructions in your home town), while screaming their lungs out. This record has a slight Discharge feel to it, but think more cold, drunk and demented (Finland!)... Bastards is essential

...on a not so punk, but Finland related ending note, the Finn Sami Hyypia was amongst the most loved players according to Liverpool fans... This has little to do with Bastards, but defensive Hyypia almost scored a header goal at his last game against Tottenham Hotspur. Continuing the non-punk related notes to seal off this really really good Bastards post, Sami Hyypia has also run a marathon in 3h 56 min and 09 secs.

download

Dec 15, 2012

KAAOS


I first got into finnish punk through thrash metal. As a young kid and living in a small town with no punks it's natural to start listening whatever your classmates listen, and so i get in love with Sepultura. For my own good, Sepultura had a lot of hardcore and punk influences plus political and social aware lyrics so it was so good to listen to a band that was not stupid metalhead-type. When i saw for the first time the Arise video-clip i noticed that max was wearing a shirt with the logo KAAOS, and thought "nice pun". But after some time a friend of mine pass me the "Ristinnaulittu Kaaos" tape and fuck, i was blown away. Fueled by hate, those "crucified" (ristinnaulittu) bastards delivered a feast of unchallenged music power, with a crazy guy yelling at the microphone with the reverb to be on max, the guitars spitting riffs of chaos like venom with clear and deep drums, Ristinnaulittu Kaaos must be the best finnish punk album of all time. You can just hear "Syytön Sivustakatsoja" or "Vaihtoehto" and you can think about how many bands copied that crazy riffs, the pumpeling drums and the reverbed vocals (i'm just thinking of Destino Final...heheheh).

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Dec 14, 2012

Terveet Kadet


First band of our mini special for the Finland series, and could not be else than the first punk band outta there, Terveet Kadet and their 1982 ep (their third ep) Aareton Joulou. Although i had some concerns if we must post their self titled Lp, borja made himself clear : "the 7'' is way better".

-Borja, with candles in his butt :

It is always a difficult thing to talk about finnish hardcore punk because of this fucking diversity they had. bands like kaaos, lama, 013, riistetyt, rattus, appendix, eppu normaali (the first seven inch, Poliisi Pamputtaa Taas, is one of the best punk records in fucking history) bastards... or fucking destrucktions... you see and even much more bands i don't write down... exactly when i talk about terveet kadeet, then i just talk about hardcore. last time i tried to explain the differences about finland and sweden i said that finland was freaky and crazy and that swedish bands were just more brutal... and i am fucking wrong. finnish hardcore is freaky, unique and totally ultra-brutal. brutal as the wild youth in athens getting crazy in front of the fucking cops. this unique singer, screaming the last shit out of his mind, out of his ass, out of his skin and in fact out of YOUR fucking life. fast as shit, when hardcore was being invented and it was definitely the best time. this band made two really great 7 first seven inches, but when you listen to to aartun joulu (fucking 1982) 7 inch... then you don't really now why nobody was able to play close to this totally demented frenetic hardcore. yes, this is the word. tervett kadeet are just a demented hardcore and frenetic band. and maybe one of the few ones.

download Aareton Joulou 7''

Dec 13, 2012

Suomi hardcore : a mini tribute


To be honest, i'm totally bored with all the new trends and revivals towards the hardcore punk music. I can't go on with shitty dark wave / post-punk, everyone seems to enjoy nowadays, i can't even listen bands everyone talks about them (bloggers, friends etc) on how fucking "awesome" and brilliant are, playing just fast u.s hardcore (guys, it's just hardcore.). My friend dbill and I have that idea (long long time ago) to do some specials on different scenes from around the globe mainly to educate our fellow greek punx and secondly for our own amusement. You can check the tribute we did on danish (k-town) hardcore and punk scene, and i think is the right time to have a look on the finnish scene of the early 80's and how the "russians" made so deadly great punk (guys, it's just great). I've chosen the country and the era mainly due to the band Kaaos while i was listening "Vaihtoehto" and "Syytön Sivustakatsoja". The raging power of the band remind me that if you don't know your roots you can't figure out who you are and where you're going - as a person and as a scene - and fuck, We are pissed off punks. Some friends will help me out with this one and i hope that we'll post 5-6 albums of that exact era. Take care, we'll begin posting tomorrow...

Dec 10, 2012

Kobayashi - Neuanstrich LP


Kobayashi is an amazing melodic hardcore / punk rock band from bremen, germany. While i thought they are gone for good, they are active and they did a german mini-tour back in september. I have to say that three years ago i knew shit about them. By luck i got on my hands this lp (i have made a big order from a distro and the guy was kind enough to sent it as a gift). From the first guitar riff i knew i'll go mad with them. I have to admit that i really like bands with melodic riffs and clean bass-lines and Kobayashi delivers those amazing deutsche anarcho-punk tunes from the 80's with a great refreshing air. Here you can check the translations to their lyrics.

download

Nov 28, 2012

Total Fury - 13 songs


It's funny how some very good albums go unnoticed. Total Fury – for me – besides a great name was a band who were totally under my radar, and the connection to them was once again Out Cold and I explain. Too Circle records from japan will release a tribute to Out Cold and one of the participated bands is EYESORE. So, after a quick search through Robert's blog (you know, I respect myself and go there every day, I recommend you : do the same) and the guy had already Eyesore's demo up, where I read : “If you are like me, then you've been waiting for some band to equal the TOTAL FURY's majestic 13 Songs full length”. Total Fury come (or came because they are already disbanded) from japan (Sendai city if i'm not mistaken) and they have nothing to do with their fellow japcore freaks cause they deliver old-school blended hardcore punk straight outta Washington and the year is 1981. Total Fury could be the japanese clone of Minor Threat. They shout, they run, they demolish. If you like speed-up melodic hardcore punk in the veins of early 7 seconds, the Teen Idles and other Dischord bands you probably like Total Fury. This album is already 12 years old, guys. If you like slow shit don't even try it.

download

Nov 16, 2012

Born/Dead - Our darkest fears...


Back in 2007, a band from Canada called Ballast played in my city - a really crap band guys - but they had with them a huge distro where i picked up this tape without knowing shit about a band that really had a big impact on me. Born/Dead came from Bay Area, California and they were active from 2000 to 2008 if i'm not mistaken. This tape contains the "The darkest fears now haunt us" Lp and the "self titled" ep (also known as "24 hostages" ep) and was co-released from Prank records and Insane society records on cassette back in 2003 (almost 10 years ago). Their musical style could be described as a mix of of up-tempo hardcore punk with lots of elements from uk anarchopunk and early us crustcore. I remember when we wanted to describe fast political bands we were saying "they play like Aus-Rotten and Born/Dead". In this release the band has a more straight forward punk production (and playing) and not so crusty hardcore as their last lp "the final collapse". The first track "A look at the world" kicks in as a great intro for what is there to come, mid-paced and heavy just creates the atmosphere for two small dynamites "waiting" and "accuser", short sharp and blowing. "The last to starve" have all that you call great riffs and bridges while "indigent" is more likely my favorite Born/Dead song and the list can go on while the ep contains more ragers like "deadtime", "homeless" or "no one gets out alive". This shit is critical, dude

"Are you really satisfied to live with all these boundaries? Born, work, pay tax, at 65 get social security. Procreate at 30, create a modern family to complete the cycle of middle-class society"

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Nov 2, 2012

Cloud Rat - self titled LP

As you may know the fifth issue of the mighty Mountza fanzine released some days ago, and i was eager to start reading it. I have to say that i tend to be a fanatic of mr. George Skafidas majestic writing (ακόμα και αν είναι άλλος ένας αλήτης-ρουφιάνος-δημοσιογράφος) and the newest mountza is the perfect representation of Skafman's abilities. Beside his big text our Gogo hero did some interviews. Even if i love his writing i can't say that we share the same taste when it comes to da music. Considering his tight pants, or the algerian face with the big glasses, his love for political charged british hip-hop, screamo and emo tunes of the 90's etc i was keen on overtake his interviews.


So, as i was overtaking the pages i saw a shitty artwork of a band called Cloud Rat. I saw the name of interviewer G.S and thought "another some shitty pop-punk or garage or screamo band they'll propably be". But i started to read their interview and guess what, this one of the best interviews i've read recently, and way better than the stupid answers Midnight gave to Panos Asthma. Cloud Rat seems to be a band with a strong political background and that's always a big plus on my book. This record has great hardcore riffs and tones of blast beats and you can call it grindcore. This is maybe one of the best records i listened to recently and i challenge you to buy the mountza zine and read their answers while you listening their blasting tunes. And yep, the singer is female and she's nail it. Huge thanx to mr. G.Skaf....

download

Oct 30, 2012

Padlock - Reason to fight


Once again, i'm so bored to upload shit, so once again some friend have to make this dirty job. This time V. drummer of GUTTER (and 1 million more bands) try to explain how we should eat sushi :

-V. oiled machine:

Reason To Fight is the second release of Padlock released somewhere in 2004. 5 explosive Songs with catchy choruses, the japanese way of cool melodic chord progressions and furious solos.
The production is better than in their debut, with the drums and guitars on the forefront. But the vocalist is so vicious! It sounds like he is struggling to be heard between the loud instruments. One could think that after the sessions he should not be able to speak for a week or so...haha! Yes! The vocal delivery is so intense!
There is no doubt that "Wait For The Sunrise" is their most recognisable track, and one of my personal favorites. It just brings a feeling of "whatever the bleak future brings to oneself he will find the willpower to face the difficulties in life" kind of way...But as a whole this record is so addictive and short. A great shot of adrenaline! Served cool with a shot of a Jameson irish whiskey.

download

Oct 24, 2012

Civic Progress // Formaldehyde Junkies // Quick Fix

Holy fuck, earlier yesterday i stunned when i saw Civic Progress demo's artwork on robert's blog and read those fucking words : hardcore punk. Yep, civic progress are hardcore, simple and genius. I downloaded the demo and i was "fuck, this shit is good" (είναι οτι καλυτερο μετα τους Limp Wrist και μάρτυς μου ο θεός αμέσως άρχισα την προπαγάνδα γι'αυτούς, πες Dbill) and the fucking basque cunt sent me the mail about em. Fuck, he's got taste, that's for sure. So, we're gonna do it like we're on fugitive equilibrium. Three bands, five seveninches, one post....Hit it borja :

-Borja, the angry transsexual :

in Athens everyone knows mike, specially as the godfather of the hardcore punk assholes. this is my last fucking review for his blog and i hope he has the generosity of loading it on the blog. if not, i will force him to live in tositsa street for one week. soon i will be back, soo mike don't fuck with my reviews... :)

CIVIC PROGRESS - two eps


there is a city in the US called St. Louis. i don/t know where the fuck this city is and i don/t care. but from this city there is a band called civic progress and the play hardcore. great raw, aggressive, tight and brutal hardcore. the demo and the first ep (petroleum man) is a call to the arms. when a ep starts with a song called KILL THE PRESIDENT, and the singer saying I WANNA KILL THE PRESIDENT, the you know that hardcore is still alive. that hardcore is not just 4 dudes playing music, but as well a riot. this record is one of the fucking best shit i listened in my life. middle 2000/s hardcore from the states kicking a lot of asses. if this band could be called like a horse, i would call it Total Fury...

FORMALDEHYDE JUNKIES - two eps


when i listen this band the first time i freaked out. after some years i still freak out when i listen to them. the seven inch from Formaldehyde Junkies (are a total wreck) is one of my favorite hardcore records ever made. this is one of these bands, where i don/t give a fuck if the guys are nice, wankers, straight, junkies, proles or retarded. they might arson my home, but after a gig of them and i wouldn't mind. this is kind of band playing such a spastic, frenetic and powerful hardcore that i really don/t mind if they puke all over my record collection. from all the bands in the US which started to play again old school hardcore punk the last years, this is definitely my favorite. not government warning, direct control, wasted time, social circkle... (all fantastic bandssss...) this is gg allin but on a hardcore punk way. and fuck it, that's great

QUICK FIX - 6 track ep (sweden)


uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa... six songs in 4 minutes and 30 seconds... THIS IS FUCKING HARDCORE!!!!!!!!! why to play long songs if you could smash your mind in 30 seconds hardcore punx assault. mix furious hardcore like modverat likvidation, crude ss and mob 47 with american hardcore from the 80/s like koro, deep wound, neon christ, wasted youth or ultra-fast shit live the neos (ok, they are from canada) and then kick it.... kick it fast and hard till it fucking breaks!!! sweden was in the 80/s a country where hardcore was made in a brutal way. in finnland they played crazy fantastic hardcore, but sweden was just brutal. the best shit from sweden since i don/t know if quick fix are from there, but this is one of the best hardcore hurricane storms if listened in my live. fast, tight, dirty and frenetic! one of the best bands i have listen to in fucking years...

totally in the spirit of bands like absurd, rappresaglia, no thanks, anti cimex, arroganta agitatorer, asocial, dtal, discard, protes bengt, no security...

download

Oct 11, 2012

Snaggletooth - demo 2012


Snaggletooth is the fanged face that serves as the symbol of Motörhead, but also Snaggletooth are some freaked out guys from Singapore. With their first three track demo they deliver cathchy as hell up tempo dity metallic punk with lots of rock'n'roll in it. They listen to MIDNIGHT with breakfast, they drink coffee with BURNING LEATHER and they spitting steel all night long with MOTORHEAD. If you like your balls catching fire Snaggletooth are gonna punish you for being so cunt for not knowing them already. members of Distrust and Vaarallinen (finnish punk at it's finest - check them). Lay down your souls to the gods rock 'n roll

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Oct 8, 2012

Arnakia


Arnakia (Lambs) started as a band back in 1984 jamming under the sounds of the Clash, Stranglers etc in various basements around exarchia and kipseli in the center of Athens, Greece. They participated two tracks on the infamous various artists LP “Syllogh Antithanatou”. The band changes constantly members till '88 when bassist Dimitris Papatheofilou meets during his army's service Haris Papasideris who joins the band as a guitarist, soon after that an advertisement on the “Pop & Rock” magazine brings Antonis Protonotarios in the band as their new drummer and that's their final line-up. They recorded the LP “Sto stoma tou lykou” (In wolve's mouth) somewhere in 1992 and in 1996 they started to record for their new Full-Length, but suddenly Antonis after the drums recording session dies due to heart problems. The rest members record later that year the tracks on antonis pre-recorded drums and finally release their second LP “To Ergostasio” (the factory) in 1999. Arnakia is a band that take equal parts from the 90's rock alternative scene of Athens as of course elements from the 80's punk scene. They may have a clear and bass-driven sound but you can definitely listen some huge tracks, nice melodic vocals and lyrics that goes from personal frustration to social rage all written in a personal way. The last track of the second LP (that everyone knows as their self titled LP and not as “To ergostsio”) “Imouna nekros” (I was dead) it's written for the death of the greek anarchist Christoforos Marinos. Here you get the second LP on a 256kbps rip from my hard-copy and this LP is my favorite tune for my running sessions lately because it fills me with a great feeling of inner peace. Take care.

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Oct 3, 2012

ALT T.C

live in Villa Amalias squat somewhere in 1998
I'm trying some time now to find the right words to start explain my feelings about one of my favorite bands of my childhood. Alt T.C were a band that I got so fucking much of, mainly to my friendship with one of the band's members, Doros who was the bassist of the band and the first person who copied tapes for me. He opened the magic world of punk in front of me with cassettes of Blitz, One way system, GBH, Dead Kennedys, Antidrasi, Genia tou Xaous, Negative Stance, Naytia and so many more great bands so this post is also a big THANX dude. Alt t.c born in July of 1994 in the island of Corfu, greece. Four young men that wanted to express their concerns and beliefs and anger through their music, they released one demo and a 7'' till 1998 that they changed vocalist and they added a second guitar with the sound going-on more on the anarcho-punk scene of that era, sharp and tight punk with dual angry vocals. They self-released their second demo Akoma Zontanos (Still Alive) with ten great hardcore punk songs. The sound is not the best but, for a one-day recording on a four-track I think it's dynamic and powerful. I remember like it was yesterday -back in the high-school years – when mom was going to take a nap after her work I was snicking in her car and played fucking loud this cassette. Three years later they released a split LP with 20 minutes de chaos from france on the anarchist collective / record label Maloka. Better production and sound enforce the synthesis with melodic riffs, tight rhythm section and political lyrics. I can say that this band did it for me back in the day and from time to time when I feel frustrated I put the demo on the player and start screaming the lyrics right through my heart. Maybe the greek answer to Sin Dios? Enjoy...
 
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Sep 28, 2012

an interview with Daniel / Sorry State Records

You may be familiar with Sorry State records label already, and if you're not you should be ashamed of. Sorry State is one of the best diy labels out there with great releases the last few (or not so few) years, so i got the chance to interrogate Daniel, the man behind Sorry State, and i'm glad he did me a favor and answered my questions. I think the result is awesome beyond doubt. You can go to sorry state's bandcamp and listen all the releases online and if you got the strong financial position to donate some money or you can order some stuff from Sorry State's page.
Questions : Mike
Answers : Daniel



FC: Hi Daniel, thanx for doing this interview. What's behind Sorry State meaning? Why you started the label in the first place? What goals you have already achieved and what's there for the future?

D:
I got the name Sorry State from a Leatherface song off the album Mush. At the time it was probably my favorite album, and I thought the name had a nice sound. Plus, my first release was a Direct Control 7" and me and the members of the band are all from the same sorry state of North Carolina. Well, actually I don't think North Carolina is sorry anymore, but I still like the name.
I don't think I ever had any goals when I started the label, I just thought it would be cool to release a record by one of my favorite bands. Today I have lots of goals. Me and my friend Bobby just bought a 4-color screen printing press and I would like to get our printing business off  the ground. I hope to maybe open a record store soon in Raleigh, North Carolina. I also want to continue releasing great records, but I would like them to have more of a considered aesthetic impact. I want my releases to  feel like works of art. And a big goal is eventually to be able to quit my day job, but I don't know if that one is realistic or not.

FC: What should a band do if they want to release a record through Sorry State records? They must been close friends of you and if you're more keen on releasing bands from Chapel Hill in particular?

D:
Actually, I have never released a band from Chapel Hill. I have released lots of bands from North Carolina, but other cities: Raleigh, Charlotte, Wilmington, etc. Chapel Hill sucks. The only reason I live here is because I work here. There are no good punk bands in Chapel Hill, unfortunately, so I drive to Raleigh (about 40 miles away) at least once or twice per week.
It's tough to say how I find the bands on the label. These days many more bands ask me to be on the label than I can possibly put out, including lots of great bands that I am sad to turn away. I do end up releasing mostly friends' bands for a couple of reasons. First, I have lots of talented friends who are in great bands. Second, I know that my friends are good people. If I were to release records by someone I don't know, there's a chance they could be shady characters, but I know that my friends are  honest, hard-working, and share (at least to some extent) my politics and aesthetics. Lots of bands do send me demos, and even if I don't release most of them I try to listen to all of them, and on most occasions I will  buy a few copies for the distro. I hate to say it, but these days it is easier to listen to an mp3 file sent via email than a physical release sent through the mail, so if you want me to hear something I encourage you to contact me that way.

Smart Cops
FC: You released also some of the best bands outside United States. Holland's Citizen Patrol, Sweden's U.X.Vileheads and Instangd and Italy's Smart cops. Did the bands contacted you to release those records or it was you that push the things to that direction?

D:
These releases all happened in different ways. Citizens Patrol and Smart Cops both contacted me. I was friends with Marco from Smart Cops after my old band, Cross Laws, played with his old band, La Piovra. When Smart Cops started Marco sent me the recordings. I liked them and his timing was good, so I decided to release the record. Smart Cops have changed a lot over the years, but I still love them. I finally got to see them live (and drive them on tour for two weeks) this past summer and it was a great experience. It was the first time I had met the other guys in the band and I consider them all friends now, which makes me like them even more. I knew Citizens Patrol after another of my bands, Logic Problem, played with them a few times in Europe. I think maybe No Way was supposed to release their LP but ran into financial problems, so I took it over and I'm proud to have released it. Instangd is one of the few bands I really pressed hard to release. Marcus gave out a few copies of the Instangd demo CDR on the last Regulations US tour, and one fell into my handsΙ I think maybe Direct Control played with them or something. I loved the demo and emailed Marcus about releasing it, and thankfully he agreed. The first EP is one of my favorite things that I have released, and their other records are great as well. When Logic Problem toured Europe we drove all the way to Umea and got to play with them. Ι they have only played a handful of shows, all of them in Sweden, so we feel very lucky to have had this experience. UX Vileheads also played the show, and I loved the band and agreed to release their stuff too. I love hearing hardcore and punk from all over the world, and hopefully I can continue to release great bands from outside the US.

FC: Can a Cop be Smart afterall?

D:
The decision to become a cop doesn't say much for them!

FC: what so red hot about whatever brains? they look like losers to me...

D:
Haha, the band would probably be the first to agree with you, but I won't bite. I think Whatever Brains are one of the most exciting bands in the world right now. Lots of people spend their time drinking shitty beer and arranging the studs on their jacket, but Whatever Brains are true punks and, more than that, true artists. They don't give a shit about subgenres, they never try to be anything they're not, and they put more heart into their band than just about anyone I've ever heard, and they do it all with punk ethics. I'm tired of bands that sound like Discharge; I want bands who try to sound like nothing that has ever been heard before, and I think Whatever Brains succeed. I am extremely lucky and privileged to be associated with them.

Whatever Brains
FC: I read on a Stripmines interview that they are extremely appreciative that you put out their record. For me, this is the album of the year, so i guess you are extremely appreciative towards them too?

D:
I am, indeed,  very appreciative of them. I can't believe how much work they put into that LP, and I agree it is one of the best records of the year. It's funny, because lately I don't want to listen to much straightforward hardcore; I prefer music that is a little weirder, that has a more unique sound while still remaining aggressive. I don't really care whether music is "brutal" or not, because no matter how heavy you make your guitar sound or how deep and guttural your vocals are, there's always someone who is harder, faster, and meaner. I thought the brutality arms race was completely played out, but Stripmines punked everyone by simply being harder, faster, tighter, and  more brutal than anyone else out there. Why listen to another hardcore record when you have the Stripmines LP?

FC: Do you like to share with us your Fight Castle experiences and smoking blunts at a record store in Chicago at 5 in the morning?

D:
Oh, those stories are probably too long and too boring for anyone who wasn't there. I  will, however, say that Chicago is my favorite city in the US and this is just one of many, many incredible nights that I have spent with the punks there.

Stripmines
FC: Ok, time for the serious question: I read that Chapel Hill has it's own “Occupy Wall street” type of thing but a smaller one. Do you think that type of actions have any real meaning in the life in the capitalist world? Does the “punk” scene had any relationship to occupy Chapel Hill? Do you have a strong political background as a scene over there?

D:
It's funny that you mention this, because just the other day I walked through the area that they had occupied and thought about the fact that they weren't there anymore. The protestors occupied a public square for nearly a year, through a very cold winter and terrible weather. As far as I could tell (I only know a couple of people who were closely involved), most of the protestors were not punks but graduate student / activist types. I don't know how to measure their impact, but I think it is important for people to raise their voices when they think something is wrong, whether or not is has an effect.
While there are some anarchists in Chapel Hill, the scene in Raleigh that I am more connected with is not really political at all. In many ways, this is disappointing; while I think most political discourse is pointless and stupid, I think it is important to be self-aware and to think about how the world around you (including government and other institutions) affects your life. I also think that music is better when the lyrics mean something (just look at Otan, for instance). However, there are positive aspects of the way we tend to handle politics here as well. Our punk scene is very inclusive, and accepts people no matter their beliefs or opinions (within reason, of course). Many more "political" scenes that I have interacted with are pretentious and exclusionary, and I am proud to say that the Raleigh punks, by and large, possess neither of these characteristics.
Another thing to remember is that most of the punks here were raised in the south, and being polite and deferential is part of our culture. Most of us are raised never to bring up religion or politics, and to politely ignore them when they do come up. Further, most of the punks here aren't students, rich kids, or other privileged types. Most people have to work very hard just to survive, and they want the punk scene to be somewhere they have fun. I understand even if sometimes I don't agree. At the end of the day, I want people to be honest and to do the things they are passionate about. If they are passionate about politics and they are rigorous and intelligent in how they come to their views, then I want to hear what they have to say. I don't want to hear another bullshit speech about nuclear war or whatever from a "political" band who is just saying it because they know that's what they are supposed to say. Fuck that, I have no interest in it at all. Don't try to impress me with what you think I want to hear, I want to know about what is meaningful to YOU, no matter what it is.

FC: in a previous question you told me this : "Our punk scene is very inclusive, and accepts people no matter their beliefs or opinions (within reason, of course)". Have you been in the position to struggle against right-wing beliefs or/and people and if are those beliefs and people acceptable in your scene?

D:
No, I don't think right wing beliefs or people would be tolerated in our scene, though what constitutes "right wing" might differ for some people. Since our scene is so accepting of gay people, women, Latinos, African-Americans, etc., it's just not a comfortable place for those who want everyone to look like them. I think that's a very good thing… hopefully our scene will continue to welcome everyone, though it would be even better if more of these people started bands, zines, etc. and made their voices heard.

U.X.Vileheads
FC: Sorry state released, in my humble opinion, some of the best hardcore records lately. U.X. Vileheads Lp, Bukkake Boys Lp, Stripmines Lp (as already mentioned) plus Double Negative. Have you made some good deals with the devil to release all these top-notch albums?

D:
I am very lucky. Like I said, I have a lot of talented friends! I think one reason that Sorry State has so many great releases is because the bands know that I work so hard on the label, and that I put every ounce of my energy and devotion into it. I think maybe, because most of the bands on the label are my friends, they feel a responsibility to do their best because they know I will do my best for them. At least I hope that's the kind of environment I help to create. That's what community should be: people helping one another to better than they would be otherwise.

FC: So, sorry state records is not against "music piracy". I'm laughing with that big business term, and in your bandcamp everyone can download the label's albums in great mp3 quality if he's not willing to donate for them. Do you feel that this "policy" have helped out the label and it's existence throughout the years?

D:
Well, the "policy" hasn't been in place for many years… maybe one year at most? It started out as an experiment, and I like the experiment so I will keep it in place for now. I think the most important goal of any label is to allow as many people as possible to hear the music, and having the releases online for free helps with that. It certainly helps for people outside the USA who would have to pay insane shipping rates to get the vinyl. I have been pleasantly surprised with how many people have been willing to donate for downloading the digital versions, but still only about 1 out of every 100 people who downloads an album chooses to pay for it. The rates differ for different genres, though, and of course hardcore trails far behind. People who download the more "punk" or "indie" releases like Whatever Brains and Brain F? are far more likely to donate than people who download Stripmines or Bukkake Boys. Still, I am thankful for anyone who makes the conscious decision to help out the label financially, and I hope that people will continue to do so. As long as there are enough of paying customers to offset the costs I incur from the free downloaders I will continue to offer all of the releases for free.

FC: Besides releasing records, you have been in Cross Laws, you are playing on Devour and you have also recorded Pure Scum's demo. No time for vacations right? All your daily life flying around music? Any other projects you're involved with?

D:
That's just the tip of the iceberg. Cross Laws and Devour are both broken up, but nowadays I play guitar in Infeccion, play bass in Logic Problem, run the label, book the occasional show, and as I said above I'm working on starting the screen printing business. I also have a day job teaching English at the University of North Carolina, but I would say 80 or 90% of my time is devoted to music in some way.
I do work very, very hard. I don't sleep much. I drink a lot of coffee. I spend very little of my time drunk, watching television, or doing other things I consider a waste of my time. I try to make the most out of every moment of every day. I had this realization a few years ago that the most important thing in the world to me is participating in the creation and dissemination of art--I mean this in the broadest sense of the term, i.e. including music, writing, etc. It's what I live to do, and I do it as hard as I can for as long as I can every day, and I feel extremely lucky and privileged to do it. Yesterday was my birthday, and I spent fourteen straight hours cutting, scoring, folding, and stuffing No Tomorrow 7"s. I was so tired by the end of the day that I didn't even want to go out to dinner with my girlfriend. But it's exactly what I want to be doing! And I don't take vacations, I go on tour!

Devour
FC: I see that beyond an earthly being you are also a “Cookie crisp & leads that make no sense whatsoever”. Is that any life after “whatsoever”? And who writes Devour's lyrics? Why so much bleakness?

D: I think I wrote that part of the insert. Jamie, Devour's other guitarist, was credited with "captain crunch" and I got "cookie crisp." It was supposed to describe our guitar sounds, because at the time I was playing a Marshall stack and Jamie was playing some big, burly-sounding metal amp like a Mesa Boogie or something. And of course Jamie can write and play proper leads while I can just make wild noises. It's funny about the captain crunch / cookie crisp thing because by the time we recorded Insect Circuitry we had basically switched places. I was playing guitar out of a Sunn Concert Bass amp and using a Big Muff pedal as my main distortion, so I had basically no treble at all in my sound. Jamie eventually gravitated toward a more traditional rock guitar sound. I also grew more confident about playing leads, and eventually wrote some more structured parts. When Devour stopped playing we had at least a dozen songs that we had written all of the music for, but Cody hadn't written lyrics and vocals for very many of them. I hope that sometime I can compile the best recordings of all of these songs onto a digital release or something. Our next record was going to be really weird. Ι like Technocracy-era COC playing Joy Division covers on acid or something.
As for the lyrics, Cody wrote all of them except the song "Useless Ruin," which Matt wrote. The lyrics are very bleak, but I promise you that Cody meant every word that he screamed. I hope he doesn't mind me saying that he has lived a very hard life. He is one of the smartest, most caring and genuine people I have ever known. He cares so much that he really takes it to heart when the world disappoints him, and all he can do is scream. Or drink. I wish he'd do more screaming and less drinking.

FC: If you had the opportunity to travel back in time, which two albums you would like to release on your label? And of course, pick two bands that you would like to release their records and they are not already on Sorry State.

D:
I don't think there are many current bands I'd want to release that aren't already on Sorry State. I don't really think there is much prestige associated with putting out a record. Basically, I want to do a record for a band when it wouldn't come out otherwise, or if someone else wouldn't do it properly. There are a lot of current bands I love, like Crazy Spirit and Ropes, for instance, but Toxic State and Youth Attack both do great jobs putting out their records. Going back in time, though, I must admit that it would be pretty cool to have a hand in putting out Wire's Pink Flag and the Fall's Hex Enduction Hour. Those albums are two of the greatest things human beings have ever accomplished.

FC: Besides great hardcore punk records you have also released some garage rock or even “alternative” (speaking about the sound) albums. Do you thing all that garage explosion that's going on lately is just another hipster thing or a trend and no-one will remember it some years from now?

D:
I have no idea. I turned 33 years old yesterday, and I have no interest in putting on a costume or defining myself as a "garage rocker" or a "d-beat raw punk" or other such nonsense. I'm just trying to listen to as much good music as I can before I die. I will say that often it is really fun and energizing to be part of a tight-knit scene (like the retro 80s HC scene of a few years ago with bands like Direct Control and Government Warning), but it doesn't feel like we are in one of those times right now. Instead, right now feels more like the 90s, when the most interesting bands were not the ones working within strictly defined templates, but instead the ones who discard templates entirely. For instance, this fall I will release an LP by a new band called Broken Prayer that mixes elements of hardcore, post-punk, and Nervous Gender / Screamers-style electronic music. This is the kind of thing I want to hear right now, bands with no boundaries. I don't think too much about what I (or anyone else) was listening to 5 years ago or will be listening to 5 years from now. I want to be involved with what I'm excited about right this minute. When it's time to move on I'll move on.

FC: Give me your top-5 hardcore punk albums of all time.

D:
I am sitting in a room surrounded by thousands of records, yet I find it impossible to answer this question. I can name some bands: Minor Threat were the band that started it all for me, that made me love punk; the Fall consistently challenge and amaze me; Direct Control proved to me that you can still make good music; Leatherface remain very close to my heart; Poison Idea and Negative Approach will always be there when I'm seething with rage; the Buzzcocks and Gauze make me certain that there is no limit to what human beings can accomplish with drums, guitars, and voices.

No Tomorrow
FC: I saw a picture of No Tomorrow playing in front of a fest banner with some big companies advertisements like Newcastle Brown Ale beer. What relationship may have a hardcore punk band with big companies banners and if that has anything to do with the diy ethics? I'm asking that because No Tomorrow will release  a record on Sorry State records, plus all the conversation around  hardcore / crust bands that played  - or will play in the future - in big festivals with rock-stars, banners and promoters like Tragedy on Hellfest.

D:
This question kind of bums me out. I wish I hadn't used that picture; I know No Tomorrow don't want to sell beer (or anything else), and I'm very much against corporate sponsorship myself. In that photo they are playing this festival called Hopscotch that happens every year in Raleigh (in fact, this year's version just happened last weekend). The people  who run the festival are very much from the Pitchfork end of the indie scene, and the festival is heavily sponsored by corporations. Unlike a lot of people from the indie scene, the organizers of Hopscotch actually recognize that the DIY punk and hardcore scenes do contribute something important to the vitality of our area's larger music scene, and perhaps the wider artistic culture as well, and they always ask lots of local punk bands to play. I'm sure that whatever they're giving us is pennies to them, but for DIY bands the pay is much better than we would receive at just about any other show, and often it's fun to play to a different crowd than the same 50 or so people who come to every DIY show. My new band, Infeccion, played a Hopscotch show this year and it was quite fun. That said, were I to organize something similar myself I would not rely on sponsorship to help cover the costs.
Punks must realize that they have had a hand in creating this culture of corporate sponsorship, or at least in allowing it to thrive. The DIY scene in the US, by and large, just doesn't take care of bands anymore. The biggest problem, as I see it, is the $5 show. Despite huge changes in both the punk scene and the wider economic climate, punks have clung to the idea of the $5 show like a religion, but I think they're guilty of following the letter of the law rather than the spirit. When I first started going to DIY shows in the mid-90s, most of them cost $5, and a gallon of gas cost about $1. Now a gallon of gas costs about $4, yet shows still cost the same? Further, clubs and other venues have continued to increase their share as their costs rise, so the bands are actually getting less of that proportion than they were before. At least in Raleigh, it seems a regular thing for a touring band to get paid less than $100 sometimes even only $30 or $40. Local bands virtually never get paid anything at all. I'm not saying people should be able to get rich off their bands, but in this climate where being in a band is essentially like throwing your money down the garbage chute it's not difficult to see why bands turn to corporate sponsorship.
If things continue this way, pretty soon you will only be able to see 3 types of bands on tour: corporate-sponsored bands, bands who are trying to get corporate sponsorship, and rich kid bands whose parents or cushy day jobs support their "hobby." If the DIY touring network in the US is going to survive, we need to change this culture in which people give you shit for asking for more than $5 at the door. If I attend a donations show, I always throw in $10 or $20, and if you can afford it you should do the same. Promotors shouldn't be afraid to charge more if the show's or the bands' costs were higher. I also think the standard wholesale prices for records and other merch are too low, but the problem isn't as bad as it is with touring and things are starting to change just a little bit, so I'll leave that argument for another day.

FC: Close the interview the way you want.

D:
I have to say thanx again for all your kindness. Thank you so much for the thoughtful questions. I hope my answers didn't waste the time of anyone who chose to read them. Thanks to everyone who supports the things I do by buying (or even just listening to) records, going to shows, etc. Thanks especially to my girlfriend, Jet, who puts up with a lot of shit in order for me to indulge my passions for music and art.

Sep 17, 2012

Haggatha & Hibernation @ Kalidromiou 94

14/09/2012

My dear diary,
I had the honour to be in kalidromiou 94 basement that silly and so prospective night of our beloved september. You know, i didn't had the chance to see Eternal Hated cause i told my self "what the fuck name is that? i don't like metalcore names". I met sarabante twins and we had some drinks, while Haggatha guys ruled the stage with their theatric, traumatic and heavily dizzed stoner/sludgecore the way we used to like it back in early 00's, with a mascot for a drummer that i cut off my hands he was playing on "life of Brian" by Monty Pythons.



And then, ohhh my beloved diary. Then came Hibernation. As we say hell on earth. They were crucial, like they enjoyed every fucking second of their set, with he crowd - packed as in a human furniture - going nuts, with endless singalongs and fists in the air and some pogo and more sing along and so much feeling, with the canadians sludgers to delivering the goods "best band we saw live". Hibernation alive and kicking. Big hugs to Worlds appreciatice kitsch and Nick "the huge" Pale for the great photos. That's all for tonight my beloved diary. I kiss you, goodnight.



Sep 13, 2012

Desperate Hours - The ironies of life continue 7''


Desperate hours hailing from Goleta, Ca and in their first 7'' released last year on Konton Crasher records they deliver four raging d-beat hardcore tracks. I buy this 7'' from the fellow skate punk bak mainly cause i liked so much the cover art. When i asked him what they are all about he told me that they sounding like DOOM. Hell yeah, Desperate Hours remind of Doom a lot but as you already note they are huge scandi freaks (don't forget to mention here that desperate hours is an Anti-Cimex song). These guys can easily described as an ass-kicking raw punk band not unlike those LA or NY bands whose fame come prior to their skills, bands like Cervix, Perdition, Mauser, Mata Mata, Kruel and the list can go on. A little bit of distortion, a little bit of raging d-beat, some scandi crust and some Doom and we have Desperate Hours. Buy this 7'', you won't be disappointed.

download

Sep 11, 2012

Fit for Abuse


Continuing the posts about fast old-school hardcore punk bands, and as nigro asked for this, here we have Fit For Abuse's discography as it has been posted ages ago on Dan's old-fast-and-loud blog. Fit For Abuse is an A-class punk band delivering the usual boston hardcore and by boston hardcore i do NOT mean Have Heart or stuff like that. I mean unstoppable and mean and pissed-off and many other type of negative things that you can use as an epithet for hardcore punk. This discography contains 37 tracks. Fit for abuse demo from 96 (it's the only release that's more punk with some sing-alongs but the rest tracks shreds) with an F.U's cover, followed by Psycho Ray demo, the track from Stab and Kill vol. 1, the tracks from the split with R'N'R on bridge9 records, the mindless violence 7'' on Crust records and an unreleased track from that session. One of the founding members (Muzzi) have been also in Out Cold for a couple of years.

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Sep 8, 2012

OBLIVIONATION


Wake up this morning and a friend have sent me a mail. "Check this, it's John Evicci's new band". For those who don't know john Evicci is one of the founding members of Out Cold and the only member of the band with Mark Sheehan (rest in peace man) that were in Out Cold all the way, from the first day till the disbanding. Also, in Oblivionation plays John Kozik who has been a member of Out Cold from 1998 to 2001. So, what you have to except here. Raging, full of power and mind blowing hardcore fucking punk. I think words are useless, but this fucker gonna shake your head for good. Three tracks in six minutes. What else do you want?

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Sep 5, 2012

Toxic Vomit


Κάθε φορά που έρχεται μία κυκλοφορία εδώ στα κεντρικά του φιφντινκάουντζοβάρσον στο Πικέρμι που ταράζει τα νερά, και κάνει τα μυαλά μας να πονάνε όπως όταν κατακτά, με την αξία του, ο Αστέρας Εξαρχείων την κούπα, ξεκινάω το ριβιού με την φράση ''Τί να πεί κανείς...'' και μετά λέω και άλλα πολλά πράγματα, συνήθως θετικά...

Έτσι και τώρα...

ΤΙ ΝΑ ΠΕΙ ΚΑΝΕΙΣ για αυτό το θερμοπυρηνικό ολοκαύτωμα που έκαψε τα προηγούμενα κεντρικά μας γραφεία στη Λούτσα και αναγκαστήκαμε να μετακομίσουμε στο Πικέρμι;!!;)  Η μπάντα τα παίζει όλα σε ένα δίσκο! Βασικά πάνκ παίζουν, αλλά οι μάγκες τα'παν όλα. Οι προτάσεις πλέον για contract στην Maverick της Μαντόνα τους έχει αναγκάσει να δουλέβουν παράλληλα 3 διαφορετικούς λογαριασμούς mail, και τα γκρούπ στο facebook δίνουν και παίρνουν... Όσο για τα likes στο youtube είναι τόσα πολλά που η πράσινη μπάρα κοντέβει να τετραγωνίσει όλο το βίντεο. Τόσο πράσινο ούτε σε αναδάσωση του Σκάι (του Αλαφούζου... που έχει την Πανάθα... που είναι και αυτή πράσινη... όλα συνδέονται...).

Στιχουργικά, γιατί μουσικά γαμάνε τα'παμε και πιό πριν, κινούνται στο ρεαλιστικό φουτουριστικό ρεύμα του Νίνο (..Και αν έρχεται το τέλος και η κα-τα-στροφή, το μόνο-που μετράει.. για μέ-ναεισαί σύ)... Καταστροφολογία, μαύρος ψόφος, κλάμα και οδυρμός, uber-ζόφος και μιζέρια... ότι πρέπει δηλαδή για να υποδεχτούμε την νέα σεζόν... 'Ντάξει τα παιδιά, τα κορίτσια δηλαδή γιατί στην μπάντα παίζουν η Κατερίνα κιθάρες, το Μαράκι τύμπανα και φωνές, η Κατερίνα που λέγαμε πιο πρίν επίσης φωνές, η Κατερίνα που έχει ξανααναφερθεί μπάσο και πλήκτρα, ενώ η Δούκισσα είναι επί του νομικού (τα πιάσατε το αστειάκι έτσι..) και επί του μάνατζμεντ. Τί λέγαμε; Τα κορίτσα λοιπόν έχουν και κοινωνικές ευαισθησίες και αναλύουν θέματα που μας αφορούν όλους και που κανείς δεν μπορεί να πεί ότι κλείνει τα αυτιά του, άλλος τα μάτια του και άλλος το στόμα του σαν εκείνο το σκίτσο με τις μαϊμούδες, ούτε όμως να μοιάζει με λάχανο όπως ο δίσκος των Discharge, που γενικά έχουν αρκετές επιρροές από Τοξικός Εμετός.

Τοξικός Εμετός λέγεται η μπάντα που παίζουν η προαναφερθείσα Κατερίνα, το Μαράκι και που δουλεύει η Δούκισσα επί του νομικού τομέα και του μάνατζμεντ.

Μιλάνε για τον ιπτάμενο τρόμο, τα νέα αυτά αστικά panzer, τους αρουραίους των αιθέρων, τα περιστέρια και τις 18ούρες (που κανείς δεν ξέρει να τα ξεχωρίζει γιατί καμουφλάρονται), που αυτά τα καρφιά που βάζουν κάποιοι στα μπαλκόνια και στα περβάζια τους δεν τα ενοχλούν πια, γιατί είναι μαζόχες και πουστοπερίστερα και απλά τα βάνουν στον κώλο τους και μετά απλά πετάνε παραπέρα. Επίσης τα χιώσματά τους, τα απεκρίμματα αλλιώς, φέρουν μολύνσεις και είναι πουτάνα φάση αν τα αφήσεις και ξεραθούν. Μιλάνε για τις βόμβες πλουτωνίου, κρυπτωνίου , ουρανίου και νετρωνίου, που καθημερινά σκοτώνουν τα τρισεκατομμύρια παιδάκια που προσπαθούν ακόμα να βγάλουν τα riff του Γάντζου, και είναι πολύ δύσκολα για αυτά, αλλά πολύ εύκολα για αυτόν, αλλά και πως να τα βγάλουν άμα δεν τους δίνει κανείς την ευκαιρία, και τα σκοτώνει με μπόμπες;

Επίσης λέει για παπάδες μπούστηδες, κάτι πρεζόνια από Βάθης (athens city hardcore ρε καργιόλια), και για τα ναρκωτικά, κάτι το οποίο συνάδει με το νέο ήθος του blog (το οποίο είναι φούλ τρέξιμο, σαλάτες και κοντά στο κίνημα ''Πανκ, βάρη και ξύλο στους φασίστες)..

Επίσης βρήκα άλλους 5 λόγους για να ακούει κανείς τον δίσκο:

1) Την ώρα του φαγητού
2) Ξύλο στους φασίστες
3) Αντί του κλίσματος, ή συνεπικουρούμενου με αυτό
4) Ξύλο στους φασίστες
5) Μαζί με ένα χαλαρωτικό μπάνιο σε μια μπανιέρα γεμάτη παγάκια με κλειστό το φως

Ο τρόπος που πεθαίνει ο τύπος στο τέλος του ''Τρίτος Παγκόσμιος Πόλεμος'' είναι φαντασμαγορικός, επιπέδου χόλυγουντ, ενώ έγκυρες πληροφορίες με πληροφορούν για επικείμενο εφτάρι το οποίο κράζει το Βέλγιο στην πρώτη πλευρά ενώ στην δεύτερη έχει διασκευή Μάβρα Ιδανικά από το λάιβ στα Μέγαρα στις 13/1/85.

Τέλος το έβαλα μετά από Out Cold,
και ενώ δεν παίζουν ίδια φάση,
κολλάνε οπότε κομπλέ...

5 νεκροί, 5 νεκροί...
χωρίς αιτία, καμία λύπη, βασανιζμένες ψυχές,
απόγνωση, απόγνωση, απόγνωσηηηη

-Μπιλάρας και ο πρώτος παιχταράς

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Sep 3, 2012

Crude Thought

So, once again Borja did a great job as a coordinator and lazy Berlin-based bastard and here's his deliverance about a new ace hardcore punk band outta Olympia, Washington. I got two reviews, so i split 'em and i added both cassettes on a single file. Go download


-Borja, the tattooed monkey :

ones more a crude thought review. yesterday i wrote mike a review about this fantastic band from olympia (washington state) called Crude Thought. After writing him some shit i found a lot more about this band, sooo i must recover everything and start again. I don´t mind ´cause i discovered that they have TWO demos (i just knew the first) and since yesterday i have been enjoying the second one like a fucking puppet waiting for a new bone. the first time i listened to them it was back in athens, somewhere somehow in the internet. the demo was incredible fresh, brutal and fantastic. i have being listening to them a long time and sent the videos or the demo on youtube to countless friends. i am totally overthrown by all this new bands (ok, new is maybe exaggerated the last 3 - 4 years) in the US and Crude Thought is definitely one. actually their music is quite simple, it´s totally tense and frightening. in my opinion hardcore punk as it´s best. this band is crude, raw, tight, with great mid-tempo beats and as well a fucking noisy sound. their first demo was an incredible opening and the second demo i couldn't say that is better or worse, they have a darker sound (some songs remember me to siouxsie and the banshees but in a punk way) and they play some songs as well from the first demo and it sounds more evil. anyway a band that is absolutely great. simple drums like a warhead coming closer, a bass which is cutting wounds deeper and deeper in your skin and at last but not least the voice blasting your alienation out of your head. this makes it being like spending the last minutes of your live in a roller-coaster without safe-belts puking everyone in the face during the loopings. HAHAHAHA, what a great feeling. enjoy this unique band which created their own sound which is for every band something exceptional.

download


Hysterics & Crude Thought - February 2012 Tour from FindingTheWayFilms on Vimeo.

Aug 30, 2012

Hostage...


It was the other night while i was chilling with my friend bill on his apartment talking about our vacations, the rising of right wing in athens and europe and the struggle against, the hot girls that we never saw this summer, the mojito against sex on the beach cocktails, the nisiros against astipalaia islands, and a whole of other craps that can go passing by a punk's mind on an august afternoon. Then his roommate came in after his 8 hours daily grind on a shitty job. We said "hey, man" he spared a look at us, he went straight up to the turntable, picked up Wasted Time's "No shore" 7'' and he started to break his neck fast to the "Hostage" track (i have to say that we listened to side A three times straight). I can say that i loved their lp when it came out ("Fatherland" is THE track musically and lyrically) but i never pay attention to their seveninches (same thing with Government Warning, and their drummer plays also here) and two days now i'm listening only this masterpiece. I know that the majority of you, listeners, you already know how amazing this 7'' is (it came out 2007 through Grave Mistake records) but for all the nerds that passed down of your nose, give it a spin. Music judgers, bloggers and confectioners told me that they sound like Poison Idea, Negative approach and SSD.

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Aug 24, 2012

Trauma - self titled lp


Get back to my beloved city of athens, oh man, it was ages, right? And with ages i don't mean paul ages , brother of Todd who destroys the drumkit on the latest Trauma album. Trauma is a hardcore punk band from Portland, Oregon and i remember when billy from crust-demos posted their demo back in 2010. back then i thought that these guys would like just to deliver top finnish (or scandi if you prefer) hardcore. Listening again their tracks i have to say that Trauma is the most close thing to Deathreat. Short, sharp, loud hardcore songs nearly over one minute per song. Billy from Deathreat, From ashes Rise, Tragedy is playing guitar and Todd from Tragedy, Deathreat, His hero is gone is playing the drums and some dude from Final Warning doing the vocals. Songs like "fall in line', "Soma" and "Fear us now" are truly unique - not that they re-inventing the wheel but - in a style of destructive, catchy and in your face punk with a touch of true threat floating around. I'm glad that the above mentioned Tragedy members can play first class punk (still..) and the latest tragedy album is just a bad parenthesis (or i hope....). Buy it wherever you see it. It really worths it.

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Jul 23, 2012

Spanish hardcore

My good basque friend borja sent me another great review about a tape with spanish hardcore bands. I upload it on jumbofiles as i wrote on my previous post where you can see a tutorial if you find it difficult to download.


-Borja, from the wastelands :

I was writing one more time some stupid things and i couldn´t concentrate much on what i was writing, so like i always do i started to listen to music. and i started to listen to the fabulous compilation tape from the 80s called SPANISH HARDCORE from bct records from san diego. an italian friend gave me ones this tape... and i promissed mike two different reviews, but this is a FUCKING MUST!!!!!!!!!!! whatever, this tape is a FUCKING AMAZING HYMNE of spanish HARDCORE (and i write it with big letters), starting with MG-15 (from Nerja), IV REICH (Zaragoza), RIP (Mondragon), FRENOPATICSS (Barcelona), ANTIDOGMATIKSS (la Roca) and ULTIMO RESORTE (Barcelona)...

every single band is incredible. i grew up with this sound. it´s normal that after this the raw and aggressive sound from finnland, sweden and italy makes you crazy. but when you listen to this you realize that the spanish hardcore and punk scene in the 80s was totally unique. other band like GRB, Subterranean Kids, HHH, Codigo Neurotico, Ultimo Gobierno, all this fucking crazy bands from the basque country... there are much more bands i would like to write now...


there are a lot of bands on this tape, but i wanna write about one. exactly the band i know since i am very young. it´s RIP. when i started to listen to punk i used to go to a recordstore in barcelona and i found this record NO TE MUEVAS (don´t move) with this amazing cover. i got an edition where you can listen as well to the songs record on the split with ESKORBUTO, called ZONA ESPECIAL NORTE (special zone north). The tape compilation is missing, RIP appeared also on the MRR compilation WELCOME TO 1984.

RIP play hardcore, fast raw brutal and aggressive hardcore (specially on the split with eskorbuto and on the compilation) and FUCK GORILLA BISCUITS and FUCK VICTIMS and JOIN RIP! DISCOVER real HARDCORE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! all their songs (you should know spanish for the brutal fantastic lyrics, i knwo they are not anarchists, but their lyrics beat even bakunin or bonanno) are very powerfull. it is very rare to listen to such a band with a combination between beeing raw and dirty and having at the same time clean recordings. i could write about every single song and start cutting my veins in this orgasm of music. now the song ODIO A MI PATRIA (i hate my fatherland) started and outside it is raining. i hope that the lightnings destroy everything (as well me)... i really can say that i love this band. when people talk about hardcore without having listend to RIP, discharge, crucifix, agony, kafka process, wretched, UBR or ripcord (for example)...they never have had listened to hardcore

download

Jul 21, 2012

MediaFire Account Received Strike


So, mediafire for some reason choose to shut-down my account cause "i violate terms of services". I sent a "ticket" to mediafire support team hoping that they'll give me back my account. i think they'll not grand my request, unfortunately. Some of the files i have upload are dead, so once more if you want a specific album leave me a comment on the specific post and i'll try to reupload it as soon as possible to a new account. take care.

and here's the answer from mediafire:
Hello,
Thank you for contacting MediaFire.

The account is permanently suspended due to a Terms of Service violation.
We appreciate you bringing this to our attention.
Sincerely,
Mediafire

So, i'll start to upload in Zippyshare (except some albums will be on my other mediafire account) hoping that i'll have no problem in the futur.