Metal Riot

Pretty blown away by the new Neck Deep In Filth track that crossed my desk today. By crossed my desk I mean I am in bed and just finished Narcos Season 3 (some corrupt ass motherfuckers) and checked my email and was like ,”Hot damn! Check out this scorching bad ass punk track from Nepal.”

The band have a new EP coming out and it features a new song “Praise The Tyrant” that is very timely if you look at the disgusting resurgence of nationalism in the world and situations like Trump where the people who claim minorities are bad really just want autocracy and to be taken care of the most, fearful bigoted shitheads (at least in America). I am super excited to hear the rest of the release now. I love hearing bands with a good message whether Napalm Death or the much missed G.L.O.S.S. or the recent Cliterati record or this band, so I can keep a slim bit of fucking faith in humanity!

The artwork is made by Dib Gurung, known for his work with Chepang, and reflects the strong political views of the bands by showing a member of a minority community surrounded by bullets and the Nepali flag. As vocalist Vishal puts it – “We’re living in a society filled with racists, misogynists, and hate filled ultranationalists. We’re surrounded by scum. Hence, Neck Deep In Filth.”

Anyway, this song is killer. The opening sample ,“flags are bits of colored cloth that governments use first to shrink wrap people’s brains and then as ceremonial shrouds to bury the dead” gave me chills. I don’t know what it is from but hails and cheers to this band for putting such a message so front and center! Very great.

Neck Deep In Filth  recently premiered the song and gave an interview on the Nepalese extreme music scene HERE at Unite Asia. They remind me a bit of anarcho stuff like Nausea and early Extreme Noise Terror a bit but there is also a grim and dark powerful modern hardcore element to the end of the song that makes you want to scowl, look at the ground and slow whirl into the pit swinging your arms wide.

Also be SURE to pre-order their full new self-released EP right HERE (out in a few days on Sept. 9th)!

Freddy Alva/ Photo by Jammi Sloane York

 “I believe that the main running thread during graffiti’s infancy in the mid-1960s, and its subsequent expansion during the following decades, was the underlying element of this movement being a youth-driven one.” – Freddy Alva

New York City. New York Hardcore.

Everyone knows that both the place and musical style have had a legendary impact in shaping wider culture and tastes around the globe. New York is forever the hub of America, the place where the Statue of Liberty (our strongest symbol of hope and justice despite what assholes like Trump’s failed Muppet fascist buddy Stephen Miller would have you believe) looks benignly outward welcoming and holding her torch high.

Everyone knows Judge, Sick Of It All, Madball, Burn, Killing Time, Skarhead and countless other influential and aggressive acts who have rallied crowds, raised adrenaline levels and blown minds for years. When it comes to the huge impact of graffiti on the world, the parallels are most often shown between hip hop music and graf artists. Some cool documentaries exist as well.  When it comes to the rise of NYHC and the impact and synergy between fans and players with the graffiti world, the story is still more clouded in the wider mass consciousness.

A fantastic new book aims to change that. Urban Styles: Graffiti In New York Hardcore (DiWulf Publishing) is a crucial and comprehensive guide featuring photos, interviews from key players and lots of informative info related in an at times informal but very real and insiders style manner. It is our immense pleasure today to share with our readers an interview with author Freddy Alva, a long time scene member and expert who has shaped this labor of love into a very special moment for fans of New York, the music, street art and the people.

Freddy was very active in the DIY culture of hardcore from the outset; he was a fixture at such venerated venues as CBGB during the heyday of their Sunday matinees. Along with friend and fellow NYHC stalwart Chaka Malik, Freddy covered the music scene through his fanzine New Breed and eventually released a well-known and highly revered compilation cassette that featured some of the most influential bands of the time, The New Breed Comp. A recent documentary sharing the same name has been released to critical acclaim.

More below.

Add to My Radar   

Casting Ships are a Kingston, NY based nautical folk punk band who grew up on hardcore and cut their teeth on a deep love for the scene. The band is now a duo made up of Rob Samps on vocals and guitar and Nikki Mayone on cello. They are about to drop one of the gems of the Summer with new release From The State Of New York on Burning Capital Collective. The five song EP was recorded Nada Studios by the great John Naclerio (My Chemical Romance, I Am The Pilot) and will likely turn the head of anyone unfamiliar with the group who hears it as well as please older fans.

I caught up with Samps and had a lengthy chat about the record, the country and a LOT more. Casting Ships are about to open for famed ex-Faith No More and Bad Brains vocalist Chuck Mosley and will have cds available at the show. They have a lot of other stuff on their plate as well.

We don’t really pander to people with short attention spans like a lot of sites these days. If a conversation is interesting but long, chances are we will go way above other sites word counts here. If that offends you, don’t be the daft twit who writes tl;dr on our Fbook page. If it wasn’t for you, go back to twiddling your thumbs liking 800 random Instagram photos and speaking in emojis as you post your 800th Snapchat dog ears/nose selfie.

For those of you who can handle a nuanced hour long conversation, by all means come aboard BELOW.

Svetlanas are a killer live band I always tell people about. I had a blast sharing a small Altercation Records festival campout concert with them last year with my Walking Bombs project and a buncha other bands like Sheer Terror and Damn Broads. That was a fucking great weekend. Not only do Svetlanas lampoon Putin and write kick ass punk anthems but they also are friendly and hang out with fans.

Svetlanas have been called “the most dangerous band in the world” thanks to their super intense live performances at such international festivals as Vans Warped Tour, South by Southwest, Rebellion Festival and more.

The Russian “thrashcore” band (now living in Italy) consists of (first names only): OLGA (vocals), DISTE (drums), STEVE (bass), RICKY (guitar) and the newest member, former Queens Of The Stoneage /Kyuss bass player Nick Oliveri who dubbed Olga, “The best front wo’Man’ I’ve seen since Lee (Trash Talk) and Blag Jesus (The Dwarves).”

Svetlanas’ latest release, THIS IS MOSCOW NOT LA just came out on Rad Girlfriend Records / Subkultura Records.

Stream the video HERE.

The tastefully bleak and bold Cercle Social Records camp has launched the Pre-Order for pushy post-punk’s Haunted Horses new 5 song EP HERE! The Seattle group have a very compelling sound that is both spare and huge, the live drums bashing through the discordant yet melodic guitar layers and sort of morose but personally affecting vocals for a sound that reaches out and grabs you tightly. Really hope people get into this industrialized punk EP.

Seattle’s The Stranger describes the band as “confrontational prog punk as imagined by a troupe of angry cave-dwelling Luddites, Haunted Horses manifest a furious onslaught of sound rarely found these days, at times channeling prime-era Liars in their cacophonies of claustrophobic angst.”

New music is not available to preview yet but you can get crushed and crush on the older vibes of HH’s  “The Void” music video HERE. It’s pretty close to some of the energy of the new stuff I have been lucky to get a preview taste of only the newer stuff I heard was more driving without sacrificing cool experimental aspects.

Get yr shit together and get on over and order a copy! The EP drops July 20th, so you won’t even have long to wait!

The Discussion is the new post-punk/goth/rock band from vocalist and guitarist Laura Pleasants of Kylesa fame. Pleasants has always been very versatile and we are stoked to hear more from this latest endeavor (also feat. Derek Lynch and Richard Adams).

The band have a pretty substantial European tour mostly booked for this autumn with more dates TBA, so if you can catch them as they develop their swing you’ll be able to tell people you were there later on. Should be some super cool shows.

Dates BELOW.

Pierce The Veil and Rise Against plus White Lung? Well that is certainly not the most everyday combo. I can dig it. All of the bands have integrity for different reasons and do have connections to the family tree of punk while here and there dabbling in hard rock.

General and VIP tickets go on-sale for all dates at 10 a.m. EST on Friday, May 12. All tickets will be available for purchase at here: www.piercetheveil.net