Last year I started to explore slam and became a huge fan. In 2018, after a couple of shy tries in the early months, I finally got big into punk in late summer and I continued to have fun with it for the rest of the year. I started to love powerviolence and hardcore punk, and with this post I have tried to help get some albums that will make you understand the style and satisfy your curiosities. Have fun and merry Christmas again.
1. Siege - 失われたセッション - Lost Session '91
Siege were one of the most important hardcore punk acts of the 80s, pioneering the powerviolence genre. After breaking up in 1985, they had another go in 1991, before disbanding again. Even if much didn't come from this, we still received the Lost Session '91 EP in 2014, showing their power with our secret guest tonight: Seth Putnam, of Anal Cunt fame. You can recognize his pained screams anywhere, and it's interesting to see how he would have sounded on a more traditional style of punk, rather than his own sound with AxCx. The production is extremely rough, but after a while you get used to it.
Siege - 失われたセッション - Lost Session '91
2. ACxDC - Antichrist Demoncore
This was one of my first powerviolence records, and it helped me a lot to get set into how the genre works. The songs are brief and aggressive, as you should expect them to be, but many of the compositions have great ideas sprinkled in them. My favorite song here will always be the last one, titled Give Up, thanks to the excellent build-up to the climax of the song and album. It's one of the best I've ever heard.
ACxDC - Antichrist Demoncore
3. Man Is The Bastard - Sum Of The Men "The Brutality Continues..."
Man Is The Bastard is one of the most important bands of the genre, having helped with building my appreciation for the feedback that is so integral to the sound. Their first album is great, having only two sludgy, doom metal flavored punk songs and the rest being fast hardcore punk anthems. One of the greats.
Man Is The Bastard - Sum Of The Men "The Brutality Continues..."
4. Man Is The Bastard - Thoughtless
This one is their classic one, the album most people have listened to. It's much more intricate than their debut, finishing up on one of the best and most impressive songs in the band's catalog: Moloch, an 11-minute epic that is mostly spoken word over the slow moving instrumental.
Man Is The Bastard - Thoughtless
5. Man Is The Bastard - The Lost M.I.T.B. Sessions
This EP is probably my favorite release from the band, with two clear sides representing the two modes the band worked on. The first two sons are longer-than-average powerviolence anthems, while the final two are among the best sluggish songs they have written. Also, I think it's time to mention that the bastard skull and the general aesthetic of the band's material is some of the most genius I've ever seen, and I am a rabid fan of the minimalism and color palette used in powerviolence.
Man Is The Bastard - The Lost M.I.T.B. Sessions
6. Goatsound - Scum Reinterpretation Album
Scum is one of my favorite albums in any genre, and this reinterpretation brings us a great spin: have 28 hardcore punk or grindcore or whatever bands come in the studio and see how they recreate each song off the album. And have this entire thing go down in only one day! I find it amazing that things like this happen yet there's very, very little mention of it online. I find it important to mention that some of the songs here aren't recorded in their traditional style, my favorite being "Life".
Goatsound - Scum Reinterpretation Album
7. ANF - S/T
This is hands down one of my favorite powerviolence releases. The riffs are incredible, and the use of the bass is exactly what it should always be. You surely don't want to turn this down if you are a fan of the style. I have to say, the artwork is also incredible. The band has the Charles Bronson approach down, filled with inside jokes, with the best example in the opening track "Circle Pit".
ANF - S/T
8. P.L.F. - Jackhammering Deathblow of Nightmarish Trepidation
P.L.F. are one of the most fun grindcore bands I've ever heard, but I really don't like how difficult it is to get their albums, especially this one. I'd be grateful if I were you, because the chances you would have came across this if it weren't for me are pretty low.
P.L.F. - Jackhammering Deathblow of Nightmarish Trepidation
9. Clitgore - Stories Of A Bloody Clit
One of the most important bands in my country, Clitgore, released an EP of covers and demos this year, and I'll use this opportunity to congratulate the group for their tireless support of the romanian underground. Not only have they organised a DIY fest for about 10 years, but they continuously tour the country and even outside. They deserve a whole lot of respect from everyone.
Clitgore - Stories Of A Bloody Clit
10. Blutrină - DiscoBallz
Blutrină are a fun grindcore group also from Romania, and their first album was great. It incorporated cartoon samples and references, and it was one of the better releases of 2016. This year they released an EP of covers for 80s disco songs, and put their own spin on it as well. I usually wouldn't have given this much attention to such a minor release, but I also wanted to use the opportunity to mention them, since htey are one of my favorite bands from my country.
Blutrină - DiscoBallz
11. Endless Swarm - Imprisoned In Skin
God damn, is this album vicious. I hadn't listened to Endless Swarm's brand of powerviolence before this, but the excellent art convinced me to give them a shot and so, here we are. Trust me when I say this is one of the best examples of this style this year. It's also longer and more developed than most powerviolence releases I have come across.
Endless Swarm - Imprisoned In Skin
12. CLOSED - CLOSED
Released only a few days ago, this project initially caught my attention through the excellent and minimalist artwork and aesthetic. After a couple of listens and getting used to the vocals, I can now recommend CLOSED's debut for it's obvious worship of old Man Is the Bastard, bringing a modern spin on the band's material but keeping the production raw enough to be enjoyed on the same level as their influences.
CLOSED - CLOSED
13. Cunter - 20
Cunter is apparently a hardcore punk supergroup, and the story of their name is actually pretty funny. I'm sure about the "super" part, because these short 17 minutes are incredibly engaging. There is a palpable attitude of revolt that you can feel, and the vocals that would be normally annoying fit the music perfectly. You won't be disappointed by this album.
Cunter - 20
14. The Casualties - Written In Blood
A more recent album here, this time front old punks The Casualties. It's nothing more than it says on the tin: great music from experienced players, delivered in a brief run time of 35 minutes. It's not revolutionary, but who needs that? I'm very happy with it just the way it is.
The Casualties - Written In Blood
15. Beaten to Death - Agronomicon
So, whoever knew that hipster grind was a thing and that it could be so good? This came out only two days ago, but you really wouldn't want to miss it. The aesthetic is great, but the music is also unique in the genre and deserves attention. While this is still largely a grindcore album through and through, it has many different production and songwriting quirks that make the album worthy of your time.
Beaten to Death - Agronomicon
16. Sordo - Collection 08 - 12
It's always fun to listen to bands' old songs that never got onto any major releases, and Sordo have no shortage of that in their first compilation. The songs and the production are incredibly raw, and you can hear the experimental noise tracks that they did as well. For a massive fan of the band, this is heaven. The original packaging of the album also had multiple photos and a text detailing the process of the band's early career, but I've chosen not to include those in order to encourage all of you to check the release out for yourselves.
Sordo - Collection 08 - 12
17. Sordo - Tactical Precision Violence
Tactical Precision Violence is one of the releases that got me into appreciating powerviolence, and I think it's thanks to the excellent atmosphere, the great samples, the reliable formula of clip, feedback, countdown and song, and finally the amazing use and tone of the bass. If you want an underrated, amazing band to help ease into the genre, Sordo and TPV are among the best answers.
Sordo - Tactical Precision Violence
18. Spazz/Charles Bronson Split
This is among the best regarded splits in powerviolence history, and for good reason. Firstly, the artwork and aesthetic is great. Secondly, it serves as excellent introduction into both bands' work. Finally, it's been one of my first experiences with the style, and now I've managed to get in good quality (320 kbps) for all of you to enjoy.
Spazz/Charles Bronson Split
19. Infest - No Man's Slave
Infest are a famous band, there's no way around it. The flame that powered their initial releases is still in them, and you can see that in recent live footage. No Man's Slave is a classic of the genre and for good reason, since it's one of the best examples of what make the style work. Because this release is so important, I've also managed to get it in good quality for my audience. Enjoy.
Infest - No Man's Slave
20. Harm Done - Abuse / Abused
This is just an excellent powerviolence album that YouTube recommended me. I must say, there is something in me that responds automatically to bands that use old english fonts for their logos and have minimalist art. Usually I like my hardcore punk albums to have a dash of yellow, but good ol' black and white will do the job just fine. The music also rips.
Harm Done - Abuse / Abused
21. Raw Power - Screams from the Gutter
Raw Power are one of the most important hardcore bands from Europe, and ever since their formation in the early 80s they have held up an incredible standard of music. They are Italian, and you can feel the energy in every album, but I think the best place to start is this album. You get to see the aesthetic, but you also understand the way they write their songs and execute the style. It's like a less harsh and violent Brujeria.
Raw Power - Screams from the Gutter
22. Hummingbird of Death - Forbidden Techniques
This ain't your usual hardcore punk album, this is fastcore. I think you can easily guess how the music sounds. It's still very closely tied to punk, but it takes the speed to ridiculous levels, creating a perfect, groove-filled expression of anger that can surely speak to many of us. It's an album and a band that I wholeheartedly recommend to anyone who needs an outlet to express their hatred.
Hummingbird of Death - Forbidden Techniques
23. Crossed Out - 1990-1993
Crossed Out are one of the most important and influential powerviolence acts of the 90s, and their vital input is present here, with everything you could wish for: studio tracks, early and live versions where you can hear the band's banter with the crowd, and a general feeling of understanding the group. It's one of the first compilations I discovered, and it made me appreciate the format a lot more.
Crossed Out - 1990-1993
24. Anal Cunt - It Just Gets Worse
This band was one of the most infamous groups within grindcore, and for good reason. Fronted by unmistakable screamer Seth Putnam, they set out to be the answer to the question "how far can we take offensive humor?". The album where this was most evident is this one. With their comedy perfected on the many song titles and lyrics present here, I'm sure this was the high point of their career.
Anal Cunt - It Just Gets Worse
25. Anal Cunt - Defenders of the Hate
This is just a great release from the boys, and I tried to think of a more underrated piece from them instead of offering one of their more popular albums. I like Defenders of the Hate a lot, because the songs are better produced and sound a bit more polished. I guess that should take away from the initial raw charm that they had, but it doesn't for me. If you are a fan, you will surely enjoy this EP as well.
Anal Cunt - Defenders of the Hate
Oh boy, what a colorful bunch of albums. I really love all of these, and I hope you'll have fun with them as much as I did. See you next year.
