Sunday, January 7, 2018

Handsome Prick "Anonymityville"

Handsome Prick
"Anonymityville"
Horror Pain Gore Death
Released: December 22nd 2017

Great groove death metal and grind with an obvious attention to the ridiculous. But it isn't sloppy noise "ridiculous" (I don't waste my time writing about music I don't dig). This is brutal material. Think Blood Duster meets King Parrot. So musically, the ridiculous is in the craziness of the music, but also in that I enjoy the crazy ridiculous music. "Anonymityville", Handsome Prick's second album, is not ridiculous for ridiculous sake. The brutality and song writing make sure you know this is serious.

There is ridiculousness in the song titles too (as typical, I can't really make out much of the lyrics). Check the song titles, I mean who writes a grind song called "Alopecia Support Group". 

DEFINITION:



al·o·pe·ci·a
ˌaləˈpēSH(ē)ə/
noun
MEDICINE
  1. the partial or complete absence of hair from areas of the body where it normally grows; baldness.

"Return of the Barfly" is one of my favorite titles. "Seduce and Abandon" is one of my favorite tracks, though there isn't a clunker in the batch.

These Indiana monsters get mega points for covering the Meat Puppets "Melons Rising" (1982), a song which held the title of my favorite hardcore song for many years. That Handsome Prick knew enough to cover the song makes this mandatory in my books. That they destroyed it in a grindcore manner gets ridiculous bonus points. 

Additional points given as they also know enough to cover Quincy Punx "Young and Dumb". What the hell? Who is Handsome Prick? 

Handsome Prick does a song called "He's My Ex". If it were only an interpretation of All's "She's My Ex". Hell maybe it is, I can't understand the vocals (other than "we don't give a f*&k" - at least I think that's what they yell at the end of the song).

I did manage to understand the lyrics to "Pro Shot Couple Pictures" with the help of the lyric video posted below (hint, the lyrics are the song title):




Love the rock breakdown in "I Don't Like Anyone" 

I don't know much about the ridiculous, grind mayhem that is Handsome Prick, but I sure do love this album.




Cheers,
Frank FOE





Saturday, January 6, 2018

16 Fistula Split 7"

-(16)-/ Fistula 
Split 7"
-(16)- – Complications (Killing Joke cover)
Fistula – Mongoloid (Devo cover)
Patac Records
Released: December 15, 2017

 

This split 7" (digital available as well) is one of the first of an ongoing Fistula split seven-inch series on PATAC Records. The other 7" in this first wave is a split with Come to Grief.

Two of the best sludge bands covering two of my favorite bands which also happen to be two of my favorite tracks by those favorite bands.

It is a win - win, win - win, win - win situation.
.

Killing Joke's self titled debut LP from 1980 was a life changer. To be 14 and be able to hear that album as it was released had a huge impact on me. No one sounded like that album before. No one has sounded like that album since. One of the true classic albums. Get it if you don't have it. If you have it and haven't listened to it in awhile, put "Listen to Killing Joke" on your to do list.

"Killing Joke" must have had an impact on the members of -16- as well. I love cover songs and love sludge. This is real dirty interpretation of the song that works extremely well. A definite win - win.


"Complications" - Killing Joke
See the sun turn green
From my penthouse window
It's different now
Because you got no shelter
Alienation
By experimentation
Enjoy yourself
This is the new age

Complication!

Ransom the birth
Of a new destruction
It's different now
It's what we always wanted
Alienation
Self-destruct
At the count of ten

Complication!




Fistula's version of the Devo classic "Mongoloid" is superb.

"Mongoloid" was on the 1978 "Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!" LP. Devo is my second favorite band of all time, but that's just because Slayer is my favorite. Devo saved my life in high school. Without Devo, my path in life certainly would have been a different one. So to say that a band legitimately changed your life path, certainly means I take any band covering their songs with great interest.

In Fistula's version, I love the distorted bass, love the pop of the snare and love the harsh vocals. I tend to sing every song in my head with a Fistula-like growl anyway, so this sounds familiar to me. The sludge factor is a thing of beauty, yet within the structure of the original song has a tremendous amount of unsuspected energy (sludge is usually kinda sludgy).


 "Mongoloid" - DEVO


Mongoloid, he was a mongoloid
Happier than you and me
Mongoloid, he was a mongoloid
And it determined what he could see
Mongoloid, he was a mongoloid
One chromosome too many
Mongoloid, he was a mongoloid
And it determined what he could see

And he wore a hat
And he had a job
And he brought home the bacon
So that no one knew

He was a mongoloid, mongoloid
His friends were unaware
Mongoloid, he was a mongoloid
Nobody even cared
Mongoloid, he was a mongoloid
One chromosome too many
Mongoloid, he was a mongoloid
And it determined what he could see

Cheers,
Frank FOE



http://www.fistula666.com
http://www.facebook.com/16Band
http://www.facebook.com/fistula666
http://www.patacrecords.com
http://www.facebook.com/patacrecords
Patac Records bandcamp

Friday, January 5, 2018

DDC (Drink & Destroy Crew) Unite & Conquer

DDC (Drink & Destroy Crew)
"Unite & Conquer" 
Rebellion Records 
Released: December 15, 2017


The origins of FOE include creating a hardcore punk zine using the technology of the day, a typewriter and a copier machine, to spread the word about the music I love. Being able to instantaneously share the music I am reviewing makes things unbelievably easy today. There also is an inherent no bullsh*t clause, as the reader can become a listener and fact check my words with their own ears. If what I say isn't on point, my integrity as a reviewer is on the line. Which is why I always provide youtube, bandcamp or other sources. I believe what I write. I ain't bullsh*ttin'. And if you know me, as I typed that sentence, you also know that 2 Live Crew immediately went through my mind... and so I had to divert myself for 4:28 to listen to that rap classic, "I Ain't Bullshittin". 

Alright, so back on track. Do me a favor. If you ever liked punk (by any of the definitions of "punk") please click and listen to, "Revolution", from Drink & Destroy Crew's album "Unite and Conquer": https://youtu.be/qABg8Sr_1L0


Bold, powerful, catchy, fierce with great hooks. 

Hailing from Atlanta, the first thing I think about is the band Anti-Heroes. What that means to me is that the Anti-Heroes automatically are the standard of measurement for any punk, hardcore, street or oi band that has its origins from the Atlanta Georgia area. If you haven't guessed, I love Anti-Heroes.

DDC can proudly stand right alongside the Anti-Heroes and are creating quite a standard of measurement of their own. I have loved all the DDC discography that I have managed to get my hands on.


Drink & Destroy Crew are a melting pot of many of my favorite punk and oi bands. The ten tracks on "Unite and Conquer" are riotous rockers. Blend in the drunken fist to the face straight forward Headache Records sound, a pinch of Dropkick Murphys hook-ability, a lot of street anthem unification style and you have Drink & Destroy Crew's monster of an album "Unite & Conquer".

Guest vocalist Ryan Cadaver was a nice treat on the track "We The People". I didn't know who Ryan was before hearing his guest appearance here (vocalist for Casket Creatures - a horror punk band that I have now been introduced to, check this video https://youtu.be/LIKBmxPhRzI ), but what a wise decision it was to bring his strong and distinctive voice in to the mix. One of the best tracks. 

TRACKLIST:
A1 Call To Arms
A2 Comply Or Die
A3 Feast For Vultures
A4 (We Are) United
A5 Stand & Fight
B1 Spirit Of ‘76
B2 Revolution
B3 Days Of Glory – Warriors (Razorblade)
B4 We The People (featuring Ryan Cadaver)
B5 (We Are) United (FC Version)

The vinyl pressing information is as follows:

200 x black vinyl
200 x red vinyl
100 x gold vinyl
12 x test press

I provide the vinyl information for you as you know my highest compliment for an album is if I would recommend acquiring the vinyl, rather than just a download or CD. So yeah, I think that if you dig what I am saying, dig the track "Revolution", you will want to get the vinyl.

Cheers,
Frank FOE