REPLICA - Strings EP

REPLICA has consistently been the best hardcore band in the SF/Bay Area for well over a year now. Always fun, engaging, and at the top of their game live, I can actually say with certainty that they are one of the best bands in the world right now. I can't wait any longer to share this EP with you all - it's a 2013 top-ten'er for sure. Last time I saw em they had even more new great songs. They're also touring the west coast in August. No sign of them slowing down. Up there with legendary Bay Area hardcore bands like TALK IS POISON, ECONOCHRIST, DEAD AND GONE, and CHRIST ON PARADE.
Oh, also, they're lovely folks! 

REPLICA EP

BANNLYST - Demo '83

Dear Norwegian hardcore freaks and Euro-hardcore enthusiasts: today's your lucky day! I bring you a rare demo/rehearsal recording by the classic Norwegian hardcore masters BANNLYST. Complete with in between song nonsense, unreleased songs, absurd covers of SHAM 69 and DISCHARGE, and obligatory "Louie Louie" cover, this is the rarest BANNLYST material I know of. The quality on the first track might scare you into thinking this is a waste of time, but I promise it gets better and you should keep listening. Most of these tracks were not on their split tape with ANGOR WAT or "La Dem Ikke Lure Deg" EP. I really don't know what more to say about this. If you know and love this band and were stoked to get the discography LP from Norwegian Leather a couple years ago, you definitely want to add this to your collection. Thought you'd heard every genius Børre Løvik riff? There're some you haven't heard on this tape. 

BANNLYST Demo '83

MOTORBREATH - Rock N Roll Band EP

MOTORBREATH didn't do anything groundbreaking or new. They didn't come from ex-Soviet Russia, South America, or Southeast Asia, but from a land with a bountiful history of raging hardcore and punk bands. The artwork isn't eye-catching or memorable. It's boring. So why would I post this EP, you ask? Because it rips so hard that all of the aforementioned generic qualities are blurred out in a ruckus frenzy of relentless hardcore! Yes, the obvious comparisons are undeniable, but this band was cranking out searing MOTORHEAD-fueled hardcore before the dubious trends, and with a much greater ferocity than most of em do these days. The urgency in the drumming and vocals give this EP the extra push, accomplishing an effect of complete panic similar to bands like SKITKIDS. If you only bother to enjoy the very best or stand-out examples of this style, you really ought to check this one out! I wouldn't waste your time, and couldn't pass the chance to share it! 

MOTORBREATH EP

V/A - Nå Eller Aldri EP (Norway)

I <3 <3 <3 Norwegian hardcore!!

Ote Kippersund and Gunnar Nuven's (singer of FEBER, SVART FRAMTID, SO MUCH HATE, KAFKA PROSESS) X-Port Platter label was without a doubt one of the best European punk labels in the 1980's. Based in Oslo, the X-port roster consisted of a who's-who of the exciting Norwegian hardcore scene from 1984-1989. This compilation is a brilliant display of the distinctly intense + passionate hardcore style coming out of Norway at the time. Ripping exclusive (at the time) tunes from BANNLYST (best track!), PSYKISK TERROR (BANNLYST members), KAFKA PROSESS (legendary!), SISTE DAGERS HELVETE, ANGKOR WAT (more "anarcho" punk styled), LANDSSVIK, and AKUTT INNLEGGELSE (pre TURBONEGRO, HA!). All X-port EP's were housed in awesome oversized poster-foldout covers with great art and layouts! I tried to take a decent picture of the poster...

NA ELLER ALDRI 

KE SE MUERAN EP

A rare one here. Okay, so here's the story I got:

A box of these EP's arrived at MRR a couple years ago addressed to my friend Martin. It was postmarked from Honduras. The package was full of KE SE MUERAN EP's (30 copies? 50? Can't remember the exact number, but it was a lot). A letter accompanied the package explaining that KE SE MUERAN was a hardcore punk band from Honduras, and that they can't sell them there because it would be too dangerous. It also said that a relative or friend or something was living in Pennsylvania, and would be coming soon to collect the records. That never happened...so the record remains shrouded in mystery. The matix's in the dead wax are scratched out, and the only info is what you see in the pictures. Hoax or Honduran hardcore? One thing's for sure, this EP is a fucking scorcher. Blazing latino HC - reckless and pissed. You gotta hear it.

KE SE MUERAN EP

SKITKIDS - Skitfucked By The State 12"

Unless you were hiding under a rock in the first decade of the 2000's, you should already know that SKITKIDS were one of the best punk bands in the world. Both 12"s, split 7"s with NIGHTMARE and EXHALE, and the Välkomna Till Paradiset EP are all essential Swedish hardcore masterpieces, and those of us who caught them live will never forget those experiences. Pummeling d-beat drums, TOTALITAR-esque riffs, searing leads, and completely mental uni-brow monkey-man vocals all carved SKITKIDS a place in all-time hardcore punk hall of fame. Socially conscious lyrics blended with ridiculous cartoonish record art and a maniacal party vibe also set them apart from the rest. Today I present you with their 2002 demo, pressed to vinyl in 2003 by the Danish label Plague Bearer. Though the production and overall intensity was lower here, these songs contain the same caliber of appeal and hooks that all their subsequent releases did. 

SKITFUCKED BY THE STATE

FALLOUT - Conscription EP

First EP from this ultra DIY anarcho punk band from England. Audibly, it fits among the CRASS roster, but I guess they were doin' their own thing. Cool, simple, politically-charged punk. This band is post SIX MINUTE WAR. I can't ever get enough of stuff like this. 

FALLOUT - Conscription EP

V/A - NOIZE OF NORWAY Cassette

So, a classic piece of Norwegian hardcore/punk here. I have to confess: this is a copied version of the comp that I bought off of a distro many years ago, so the sound quality reflects that fact. But tell me- what other blogs have this compilation available for download? Right, so for those who haven't head it and are as obsessed with Norwegian hardcore as I once was (and I guess technically still am), here's an opportunity to hear it! I mean, 3 exclusive SVART FRAMTID tracks!!?? Yeah, the tape quality is shit, but you have to hear them. One of my all time favorite bands form any region and era. Demo tracks from the mighty BANNLYST (their demo to be posted eventually, I have a decent bootleg tape), stuff from known bands like AKUTT INNLEGGELSE, ANGOR WAT, and SISTE DAGERS HELVETE, and some "shit-fi" quality stuff for lesser known bands like PSYKISK TERROR (BANNLYST folks), GONOREAGAN, NSG, AQUA VELVA, etc. 
So in summary, "sorry" to those who prefer top quality, and "your welcome" to those who have been searching for this rare tape. 

NOIZE OF NORWAY tape

V/A - PUNK TERRITORY VOL. 4: Italian Hardcore 1981-87

For you to obsess over throughout the course of your weekend: 33 tracks of full throttle hardcore from Italy! I love this CD because it offers some of the less celebrated names of the era, mostly from rare cassettes, and it still delivers the goods as much as a comp with WRETCHED, NEGAZIONE, CCM, and PEGGIO PUNX would. Here's the run down:

5 tracks by THE WOPS - USHC style reminding me of something like THE FIX // four tracks by WRONG BOYS - the first song is a dead rip-off of TSOL's "Superficial Love" in riffs and arrangement, while the other 3 are fast and punchy hc tunes // BLAXFEMA shreds through 3 thrashier hc tracks // 3 fast SoCal punk sounding tunes from CRAPPING DOGS, channeling DEAD KENNEDYS at times // One melodic upbeat oi/punk track from THE SKULLS // 6 catchy punk tracks by TRAUMATIC, taken from the Senza Tregua comp on BCT // 2 raw and hook-filled punk songs from WARHEAD // 3 punk tracks with a wild and expressive vocalist from DICTATRISTA // 2 rambunctious tracks from STAZIONE SUICIDA // finally, 5 more melodic and post-hardcore sounding songs from U.N.S - sort of a cross between HDQ and HEIMAT-LOS...or something...definitely the odd one of the bunch. 

PUNK TERRITORY VOL 4

INDIREKT - Nacht Und Nebel EP

Today we have the killer second EP from a classic female-fronted Dutch punk band. Highlighted by urgent tempos and creative melodic vocals, INDIREKT was among the top tier of political punk and hardcore bands from Holland in the 1980's. This EP, along with their subsequent split 2xLP with VERNON WALTERS, is just a tad bit more matured in sound than their previous EP and LP. But all of their records are mandatory classics! 

INDIREKT - Nacht Und Nebel EP

V/A - PUNK ROCK WITHOUT BORDERS Cassette

Here's an interesting compilation from Belarus featuring bands from there as well as Poland, Russia, and one from USA. I literally cannot provide any more info about this because all the info is written in the Cyrillic alphabet....which I can't read! Though I would really like to learn. The only reason I know the title is because someone wrote it in English on one side of the tape. The styles range from rough melodic punk, to hardcore, to crust, but all are great quality, and I'm guessing most of the recordings are from the late 90's-00's. Definitely worth your time to hear some excellent lesser know bands from Eastern Europe.

Punk Without Borders Tape

BETON COMBO - Perfektion Ist Sache Der Götter LP

Essential German punk LP! Upbeat, hook-laden, driving stuff from West Berlin, 1981. Most songs are driving political punk tunes, but there are a couple slower and more dynamic tracks on here, and they break the mold with a few unconventional moments - most notably in the epic "Der Längste Ritt." They went on to release a more hardcore sounding EP called "Sound Ltd." in 1983, and a cool mini LP in 1985 called "23 Skiddoo." Perfect for the spot between TOXOPLASMA and SLIME on your next mix tape! 

BETON COMBO LP

SICKOIDS in Europe!

Just wanted to do a quick post to spread the word on my friends' European tour! You should already know this great hardcore band by now, but all you lucky European's now have a chance to experience them live in the flesh. Don't miss one of the best, stand-out current punk bands!

GRAZHDANSKAYA OBORONA - Игра В Бисер Перед Свиньями

Here's another album from the Russian punk legends GRAZHDANSKAYA OBORONA. It is their sixth album, and the title translates to "In the Game Pearls Before Swine." This album employs an acoustic guitar and is devoid of driving punky drums, landing it closer to the folk end of the spectrum. The tunes are still great though, and I'd recommend it just as highly to any GROB fan as much as I would "Necrophilia" or "Optimizm." Such an incredible band!

GROB - Игра В Бисер Перед Свиньями