Lifetime "Seven Inches" Ad

It's been a year. I've debated what to do, just leave the blog up so people can download or just walk away. Most things are still functional download wise, though with mediafire, some aren't. Maybe we'll make a switch over, maybe not. But for now, we'll get this going again.

Here's an old Lifetime add for the Seven Inches collection CD.

Enjoy!

the Assistant - Both LPs, EP, and Splits

The Assistant were a hardcore punk band from New Jersey. They played loud, fast, heavy music with lots of screaming. They also played catchy and poppy songs with slightly off key singing. Songs with programming, keyboards, and samples- Yeah, that too. They could also jam for 5 minutes without saying a word. I try not to get to tied up in the genre(s) slapped on a band, outside of the broader things like Hardcore, Punk, Ska, Rock, Emo, Metal, etc.; I know that the Assistant was a Screamo band, but that just sounds so narrow, so I guess I will get caught up in it this one time, which is why I called them a Hardcore Punk band at the onset of this post. I think that does them the most justice, and at least for me, more fairly says what they were and the depth of what they meant to me.

The last song that the Assistant released, "I Have A Name", from the split with Takaru & This Ship Will Sink, states that the Assistant, as a band, was about standing up for what you believe in. To me, that speaks far more to what this band meant to me (and many others). They covered topics that encompass just about every aspect of human emotion, self-reflection, and dealing with life itself, as a whole. From self-abuse to the impacts of illicit drugs (and discussion of the lengths that governments have been willing to go to in order to test out new drugs on the poor and the resulting impacts), sexual abuse, consumer culture, the consequences of convenience, the com-modification of independent and thought provoking music sounds/scenes, and much more. All of it with thought and explanation - an insight into the words and thoughts that are just as heavy (if not more so) than the music they are playing. Multiple members singing and writing lyrics gives a little something extra, not that the band wouldn't have been great with just Leigh singing.

I will leave it at that- as i've said before here, some times less is more. The Assistant, for me, is a band that ranks up there with Battery, Hot Water Music, the Cable Car Theory, By The Grace of God, and other incredible bands that seemed to fuse themselves into the music they played, and shared words that were bits and pieces of themselves and of myself too. That's not said for a dramatic flair; this music of hardcore and punk ; through many bands and people; has indelibly made an impact on nearly every aspect of my life in some way.

Members have been in a laundry list of other bands, especially guitarist/vocalist, Tom. Check each and every one of them out.

Sadly, it seems, everything the band has done has gone out of print. So, in two downloads, you have the Self-Titled LP, In the Year of the Dawg Tour EP, We'll Make the Roads By Walking LP, the aforementioned 3-way Split, Split with Red Scarlet Letter, and a song that seems to come from an internet created Comp (an alternate version of the song "I Have A Name" from a comp called Screamo Room Presents...) ***In the Year of the Dawg actually features two tracks that ended up on the second lp, they are identical, but included for completions sake***

Enjoy!

DOWNLOAD: The Assistant "Self-Titled LP & In The Year of the Dawg"

DOWNLOAD: The Assistant "We'll Make the Roads LP, Splits, & Comp Track"

Parades End - "Self-Titled" 7inch

Alright, time to bounce back. Been down and not posting for a few months. Moved into our first house and dealing with an infant who is rolling over and learning to crawl and stand almost simultaneously has proven to be the exciting challenged that it promised to be. But now that things have settled some and the office/record room has come together for the most part, lets get back to this.

Parades End were one of the first, if not the very first, band that I ever heard that you could remotely call Screamo (by 90's emo/punk standards). I had no idea of it when I heard them in the mid/late 90's. I was still very much a hardcore/punk kid who knew emo as it related to the DC/Dischord universe.

I was fortunate enough to catch Parades End on local 88.7 KSPC as they played a live 5-song set. I was doubly fortunate enough to be recording the radio that night. It wouldn't be until years later that a good friend would share with me the Assistant which then led to things like you&i, saetia, jeremin, neil perry, and on and on down that twisted genere muddled list of hardcore punk music. Unfortunately, it would still be more time after that before I was able to run down a copy of this 7inch. Clearly I did though, and even was able to get a copy of their split 7inch. Both 7inches and the live radio set were posted on the old What We Want Blog, though the rip here is just the 7inch, and is a newer rip done with the new laptop. It may only be marginally better, but its not quite as hot (loud) of a rip as the previous one, so it balances out a bit better on all playing platforms.

Enough mumbling... Parades End, as mentioned, certainly fell into the Emo/Punk/Screamo realm of music going on at the mid/end of the 90's. Spoken/Screamed vocals, driving guitars, drums that while not simplistic, didn't rely heavily on lots of toms and double bass, and enough emotion that you could see this four piece bouncing around the stage trading vocals between guitarists. Though, it isn't without mentioning that they did have at least one song on the Indecision Records comp Guilty By Association, which featured the band as a 5 piece with a singular singer. Not a bad track itself, but a fair bit different.

In the end, the band recorded this 4-song 7inch, 2 tracks on their split 7inch, the aforementioned comp track, the radio set, and a full length that was purported to have been recorded over with a lot of nonsense and noise since the band was splitting up. My understanding is that some of that became the track "the Book of Jae" which was on another comp. Members were in and have since been in quite a few bands, some you've even heard. Enjoy!

DOWNLOAD: Parades End - 4 song 7inch

Battery - Until the End

If I ever had to pick a best or favorite record from the 90's, it would come down to Battery's "Until the End", By the Grace of God's "fortheloveofindierock" EP, and Snapcase's "Progression Through Unlearning", with an honorable mention to Ten Yard Fight's "Hardcore Pride" EP (In My Eyes "Nothing to Hide" misses by a year- damn!).

"Until the End" is quite possibly the most played record that I own. For quite a number of years this album and the aforementioned By the Grace of God EP were almost daily listening, and with good reason-

Great lyrics, a passionate singer whose voice was always full of emotion, and music that was fast but able to hold a tone of heaviness when needed. The Until the End tracks that were actually recorded for the lp have an almost punky feel to them, as if the band blended punk and a metal sound to come out the other end with a punchy hardcore sound (the last 3 tracks actually appear on the 'Let the Past Go' EP and aside from These Are the Days, have a much heavier sound to them similar to the first lp "Only the Diehard Remain").

Brian McTernan had a way with getting his emotions across in his words and his voice (as he similarly did when playing guitar and occasional vocals in previous band Ashes), and Ken Olden as always, has a way to get the music to where it needs to be. The band was rounded out at the time by the equally noteworthy bass of Ben Chused (Ten Yard Fight) and drummer Jason Hamacher (Frodus, Combatwounded Veteran).

What has always set Battery apart for me, and kept them a lasting band some 15 years later, is that the music remains fluid to time- it isn't so rigidly defined by any time period, be it the heavy chugga, chugga of the 90's, or the youth crew revival that took off right around the time Battery disbanded. The lyrics still resonate, so many of the subjects in it are still things I have feelings about, even if some of them aren't necessarily relevant to my life anymore (I will be 33 tomorrow, I've moved on from feeling like the outcast kid in Has-Been, though it is still a indulgent thought to think about fat ex-high school jock stars as fat, balding used car salesmen), the lyrics and the emotion found within is about as close to timeless as I could ever call a hardcore/punk record.

Even when talking about things like the hardcore scene (In Our Hands, That'll Never Be Me, Until the End) it isn't 'rah rah rah- stabbed in the back- fingerpoint!' The same can be said for the emotional and personal issues discussed throughout, with the most glaring probably being the third track, "Why is She in Pain?" Tackling image issues and perception that rail thin, almost starving female figure is what should be held as the epitome of beauty; and more than that, accepting the responsibility the author has unwittingly played in that process.

At the end of it all, what makes Battery so incredibly important to so many is one shared thing that in all of my conversations with Battery fans, they just can't quite put their fingers on- the overall band and its emotion and feelings conveyed through their songs... all the records were good, but Until the End is the best one. Enjoy!

DOWNLOAD: Battery - "Until the End"

*That was weird...download link FIXED*

City Rockers - A Tribute to the Clash

Here's a good and diverse (band wise and with the direction some of the covers take) compilation for your sunny and windy weekend.

I picked this CD up quite some time ago in a used bin at the local shop and its been worth every penny and then some. Many of you may have heard some of these tracks if you're a fan of the respective bands, but more than a few of these tracks have also slipped past recognition for far too long.

To say this track or that track are stand out tracks would almost literally take up the entire cd as each band either does a good traditional take on the song or adapts the song to their style and does it nicely. Whether it is the first track with Dave Smalley playing "Death or Glory" and channeling Billy Bragg with just his voice and guitar or Kid Dynamite's fairly traditional send up with hand claps and all- just with a snottier snarl to it (the same could be said for Saves the Day's cover of Clash City Rockers); the whole CD is strong throughout.

I will say that, of all the tracks here, my favorites are One King Down doing "London Calling" and playing it in its fairly intact original form, but as OKD (meaning as a metallic hardcore song), Demon Speed giving "Rock the Casbah" a psycho/rockabilly treatment (really, any treatment other than stripped out synth new wave punk of the original is probably a great treatment- NOTE: the live version Joe Strummer did with the Mescaleros is exceptional as it showcases the true strength of that song), and Lady Luck's introspective feeling "Lost in the Supermarket" shines with the soft female vocals. **I would say that I love the Dropkick Murphys cover of "Guns of Brixton", but the live track loses some of the energy and punch of the studio version they did which is included on their Singles Collection Volume One.

One King Down "London Calling":


The inclusion of some very good ska bands doing very good ska versions of songs is a huge plus for me, both as a fan of ska and a fan of the Clash. The Stubborn All-Stars do an almost ska-country version of "Lose This Skin" while Skinnerbox ends the CD with "Straight to Hell." As is always the case with these kinds of things, there are tracks any and all of us would have liked to hear which did not end up on the CD, but it is a good mix of some of the best known songs and songs that are a bit more secondary.

DOWNLOAD" V/A "City Rockers"

Lady Luck "Lost in the Supermarket":

H-Street - "Self-Titled" 7inch

H-Street were a hardcore band from Austria in the 90's/early 00's. They played a fast and slightly revival type of hardcore- owing a lot to older bands at a time when heavy and chugging riffs still dominated. As the cover would indicate, they were a straight edge band, but their appeal was much wider than that.

With songs about friendships, racism, , and perseverance, they tread some familiar ground at times, but the music and lyrics definitely make for a combination that does not feel rehashed or generic. Add in a cover of a local band (Open Season), some melody to the fast beats, and its a nice 5 song EP that still holds up some 10-12 years later.

Enjoy!



DOWNLOAD: H-Street - "Self-Titled" 7inch

H-Street "Common Ground":

Fourth In Line - Just Another Day tape + Religion Killing Policy ADDED: Open Wide CD

Fourth In Line were a hardcore band from Orange County, California in the mid-90's to the early 2000's. They played a style, at least on the tracks here, not too unlike the first album/7inch by Straight Faced. Not too surprisingly, that is how I came into contact with the band, as they seemed to play more than a few times with Straight Faced, and even covered the song "No Gain on the Play" when SF stopped playing almost all of the songs from their "Guilty"lp.

I got this tape at a Showcase Theatre show some time in '96 or '97 when it came out. It shows a good blend of somewhat punky hardcore that could put the band on a show at the time with anyone from bands like the aforementioned Straight Faced to Pennywise (at that time, not now). Songs like Trippin Randy and Religion Killing Policy (which is from 1999 and a compilation) show more of the straight forward Hardcore sound, while "Father" gets a bit of the softer treatment.

All in all, the tape tracks still sounded great after not being played for some 6-7 years now and the songs hold up pretty well- fun, fast, hardcore with just the right touch of punk and humor.

They have a Facebook page which a friend shared with me (thanks Sergio) and seeing as this tape was circa 1996 and the band split in 2001, hopefully there are more tracks out there. It is mentioned in the compilation that they were recording a full-length in 1999, if anyone has other tracks, get in touch with me, I'd love to hear them and can (and would gladly) post them up. E-Mail: it.follows.blog@gmail.com

DOWNLOAD: Fourth In Line - "Just Another Day +1"

ADDED: Fourth In Line "Open Wide" album
This Morning I received an email that contained the full length "Open Wide". 10 tracks (11 songs) of more of the same stuff, just more refined and with a bit more hardcore edge to it. Good hardcore from sunny Southern California.... enjoy and thanks to Jeremy for sending it over!

DOWNLOAD: Fourth In Line - "Open Wide"

A Poor Excuse Link Fixed

The Link was all screwed up... but it works great now... download the record from the post HERE

And a flyer for your troubles... one of many a great Headline Records show. As always, click the picture to see it bigger!

A Poor Excuse - Self-Titled 7inch

Alright, lets get back into the swing of things with this new year and kick it off with a good, pissed off hardcore punk band from Mass.

Angry, hateful, in your face- work sucks, the people in power suck, intoxication numbs the pain. The song 4/20/99 does offer a little more than that, with a point that could be taken by a lot of people. The track For Those In Power offers up a nice anthemy call in it, but overall this little 9 track 7inch, released on Rodent Popsicle delivers what you would expect of a hardcore punk band putting 9 songs on a record.

They released another 7inch (Crashed Out...), & A split with Right Brigade, and a 4 way split with Dropkick Murphys, Slang, and Tom & the Boot Boys. The 4 way split should turn up here in the future; until then, enjoy 9 angry tracks in less than 8 minutes.

DOWNLOAD LINK FIXED

DOWNLOAD:A Poor Excuse - "Self-Titled" 7inch


A POOR EXCUSE "For All Those In Power":

the Nerve Agents - Pictures: Showcase Theatre 1999

I was lucky, ridiculously lucky enough, to see the Nerve Agents on many occasions from just about the beginning of the band (I remember them being the opening band on the Rev tour stop at Showcase Corona- you know, when there was a Showcase San Diego) and on through the full arc of the band. And while I certainly some them far less during the Butterfly Collection time period, they were always an insanely fun and good band. Somewhere I have negatives for these and more pictures, but I sent a ton of them off to the band before Days of the White Owl came out. And while my pictures didnt get used, I did get a thanks in the album which is still one of the "cooler" things to happen. Great band, especially that first ep and the split with Kill Your Idols.... that David Bowie cover is outstanding....

Retribution - Two Song Tape

Retribution were a hardcore punk band from Southern California in the late 90's. To the best of my recollection they were from Yorba Linda/Orange County and aside from this tape they had released a demo tape previously and recorded a song titled "Kicked in the Teeth for Friendship". With political songs (Pigs with Badges) and a t-shirt design that had lady liberty being arrested by riot cops (I still have mine in a box somewhere).

According to the letter I found with the tape, these two tracks were originally going to be on a 7inch. Sometime after this the band took a bit of a harder turn in their music (which started to show in the track "Kicked in the Teeth...") and eventually led the band to change names. Changing their name to Atreyu.

As Atreyu they went on to release a few albums, even signing with bigger labels like Tribunal and Victory. I honestly was not a fan of the change and never paid much attention to the band beyond this point, but it is an interesting thing to look back on and listen to.

ALSO- IF ANYONE has the Retribution demo (or any other Retribution songs), Id love to get my hands on it. I do now have a means of transferring tapes. Which is good because so many of them seem to be dying fast.

Another great Showcase show

The flier is probably the last time I saw Retribution, though I am almost certain I saw them right as they made the switch and am damn near positive that there is a flier somewhere with them opening for Total Chaos along with Titty Twisters, Pukes, and Stiffs and it saying "formerly Retribution" on it. And if we're talking "went on to..." status, Titty Twisters singer went on to do a few bands over the years including vocals/guitar for A Better Hope Foundation and vocals in a revived Outspoken. I think this was also the last time the Nerve Agents played down here before releasing "Days of the White Owl" and moving more towards that horror hardcore punk image.


DOWNLOAD: Retribution - "Retribution/Shallow World" Tape

We Gotta Know Podcast

We Gotta Know Podcast is a fairly new offering from Jason Kollins. Hailing from the frozen north of British Columbia, Jason offers up a nice selection of Punk & Hardcore (and whatever varying sub genre names you want to use) from bands you might expect like Cro-Mags, Black Flag, and Youth of Today to bands like Handsome and Brand New Unit. Add in a Seaweed track and you have all the great makings of a podcast, not to mention Jason's own commentary.

Jason has posted the track listing on the Podcast's blogspot & there's plenty of talk and link sharing on the facebook, so be sure to check out the links to both below.

While I'd always planned to share the Podcast in a post, I've also posted links to the download as Jason is currently working on a place to store the file (as mediafire knocked it down after awhile)- these will likely be temporary as well, but any port in the storm, right? Each link is to the entire podcast, so just pick one- no need to download both.


Download Link #1  |  Download Link #2

We Gotta Know Blogspot
We Gotta Know on Facebook

Gorilla Biscuits - Live in the Netherlands 2007

Here's a fun one from the Gorilla Biscuits re-union tour that happened in 2007. I missed the tour when it stopped off here in Southern California, but I hear a great time was had by all. If the pictures included with the audio (one of which you see to your right) are any indication, the shows were a hit everywhere.

On even the slightest off chance anyone finding themselves here does not know who GB is, they were a late 80's/early 90's hardcore band from New York. With a stellar first EP (it still gets more play than the LP for me) which was followed by a Full Length that laid the framework for many a hardcore band to follow. Fast and fun, it was also funny and intelligent- While the EP had a bit more of the run-of-the-mill topics of being positive in the face of adversity, betrayed friendships, shit talking, and the like, the record was still very fresh sounding and without the feeling of beating a dead horse, while the music definitely pushed the band over the top with that first record (High Hopes and Breaking Free are easily two of my favorite HC songs, period). The "Start Today" lp that followed in 1989 showed the band moving to a sound that incorporated a bit more of melody and the timely use of tempo changes & breakdowns that has been oft imitated and hardly ever matched. The LP also saw the band exploring topics of racism within the scene, vegetarianism/culture, and not wasting all of ones time be it to the TV (stand still), procrastination (Start Today), or changing lives (Time Flies). Not to say that they abandoned their previous topics, as songs like New Direction, Two Sides, and Forgotten all addressed topics similar to the first EP's.

Members went on to (as well as concurrently played in) many bands including CIV, Quicksand, Warzone, Side By Side, Rival Schools, and a nearly endless list of other bands.

I don't remember where I got this, surely it was from another blog a few years ago. All credit to the taper/photographer (there's 5 pictures in the folder) and the original poster. It's a really good quality live set, clear music, clear vocals; by the sounds of it one of the best audience recordings I have ever heard and easily an A recording. The vocals make me think that it isn't a soundboard.

Added bonus of a Judge, Warzone, and two CIV tracks- and of course, Sittin Round at Home which is actually a Buzzcocks song, albeit a bit different as GB has been known for doing it.

DOWNLOAD: Gorilla Biscuits - Live in the Netherlands 2007

The Offspring - Baghdad 7inch

A little 3-song EP (4 track, Im not counting the Blurb) from after the "Self-Titled" album and before the "Ignition" album, it has the original version of their cover of "Hey Joe", as well as an earlier version of "Get It Right" (later appeared on the Ignition lp) and an updated version of the song Tehran, titled "Baghdad", and a little instrumental song/sounds called "The Blurb."

The Offspring have long been a favorite band of mine- call it right place, right time with the release of their "Smash" album. However, it was the discovery of their back catalog soon after and more specifically their second lp, "Ignition" that hooked me. And one of my favorite songs, you guessed it, "Get It Right." I can't say that I have felt that way about anything the band has done for a very long time, with the hodgepodge of genre mashing and convolution that was "Americana" being my breaking point (Ixnay on the Hombre was a good record- hate me if you like).

All personal opinions, likes, & dislikes aside, a good little EP here from 1991, released on the legendary Nemesis Records. I had been after this one for awhile for both it being an Offspring record and it being on Nemesis (as I would like to get at least one of every release on Nemesis- don't get me started on the original version of their first lp & my unwillingness to pay supremely over-inflated prices for it). I picked this guy up for a very fair price at Amoeba in Northern California when up there for Rivalry Fest 4-5 years ago.

Enjoy!

DOWNLOAD: the Offspring - "Baghdad" 7inch EP

Bladecrasher - 700 Club 7inch

Blade Crasher played a very straight forward, fast hardcore with just the slightest little almost heavy punk part to it. Youth positive, angry, and energetic; they existed for an all too short time with an equally all too short amount of output (demo, 7inch, and apparently 1 other track).

I honestly don't know a ton about the band other than some of the more well known things- they were from the Virginia area (at least I always heard them mentioned with VA bands & VA Beach), playing out with a lot of the bands of the east coast revival bands of the mid-90's (Time Flies, Count Me Out, ROTP, In My Eyes, etc.); and their singer Timmy went on to the even shorter lived No Justice, whose 7inch can be found here.

I do have the Blade Crasher demo (second gen copy from the good old tape trading days) but cannot at the moment place my photocopy of the cover, but look for it in the future. All in all, one of my favorite bands from the 90's revival, even if the 7inch does suffer a little of a thin sound (the demo doesn't).

For now, here's the Blade Crasher 7inch, released on Youngblood Records.

DOWNLOAD: Blade Crasher - "700 Club" 7inch

It Follows Mixtape # 2 : Drink Coffee and Destroy

Time for another Mixtape for the blog. I had planned a mini-one in honor of all the Carmageddon nonsense last month, but it got delayed. Next time.

This time around the mixtape is expanded a little more, again with the criteria of having stuff either released or to be released on the blog. The last one clocked in at just under and hour, this one clocks in closer to the 75 minute mark. Again constructed with an actual mix to it. Some build up, give way to a few moments of solace and then right back to it. Hope you all enjoy it- feel free to comment and throw things out there.

The Tracklist:

By the Grace of God - No School
Close Call - Slip Away
Reinforce - You Said
Drop it! - Counting Sheep (Wasting Time)
New Direction - I'm Bad With Names
The Cable Car Theory - Caffeine Battle Cry
Death By Stereo - Would You Like to be My Neighbor?
the Discipline Engine - Perfection Too
Notice 415 - Figments of Time
In the Grey - Province Town
Collision - Never Again
Written Off - Questions
Rain on the Parade - Respect (live)
Rancid - Can't Forgive (Embrace cover)
HFL - Nuclear Waste
Time for Change -III
the Assistant - I Don't Believe
the Shroud - the 8 Fathers of Salt Lake
Black Spirals - Still Sick
the Miracle Mile - 3 O'Clock at the Flag Pole, Be There
Blackspot - Drop
Agosto Espias - South Paw
Hot Cross - Solanka (live)
Moldar - Letting Things Go (to pieces)
Automatic - Not the Same
Skyline Awake - Seeking Solace
Voice of Reason - the Way Things Were
Bladecrasher - Do it for Yourself (demo)
Move Forward - the Only Constant
Let it Go - Interlude
Let it Go - Tear Down Your Idols
Straight Faced - Who Am I To Say
Where Eagles Dare - One Room Sanctuary

33 Tracks 74 Miniutes

DOWNLOAD: It Follows Mixtape # 2

(First Mixtape is HERE)

Swindle - In The Red 7inch & Olivelawn - 4 is Greater than 2 / Cat's Farm 7inches

TIME TO KEEP SOME PROMISES... for those who requested Swindle & Olivelawn, here you go!!!!

Swindle has appeared here a few times on split 7inches (with the Finders and with Over My Dead Body), but this time they make an appearance all their own.

This 4-track 7inch comes from right around the time of their first album "Within These Walls" (1996). In the Red shows the band moving a little more towards the refined and snotty punk that would explode on their second lp "Better Off Dead" (1998). Still some what caught between young punk band with a funny and fuck you kind of attitude and the band that would emerge a little later and show that it could still be funny and even have that same snotty sound; but also hit its mark and write songs that a bit more of a developed sentiment. Yes, all while still remaining that loveable punk band with a penchant for some killer covers (seriously, the Skid Row and Violent Femmes covers are great).

DOWNLOAD: Swindle - In the Red 7inch

Shifting gears a bit, but staying in the realm of San Diego punk is one of the better early 90's punk bands (were there really that many at the time). Playing a bit of a loose and jangly sound that would become even more prevelant in the band that followed them (Fluf), O and the the crew cranked out some very fun punk to skate to.

The two 7inches found here, both released by Nemesis Records find the band both building to their debut lp and playing around with the sound a bit. 4 is Greater than 2 is pretty straight forward Olivelawn along with a great cover of the Love song "Signed DC", while Cat's Farm kind of has a little funkier sound that almost makes me think of some of the early 80's Seattle pre-grunge stuff (seriously, Cat's Meow could be a b-side to the Green River song "Swallow My Pride").

Both records make up a small offering of a good, if not slightly forgotten early 90's punk band. Enjoy!

DOWNLOAD: Olivelawn - 2 7inches

By The Grace of God/ The Cause - Split 7inch

This split 7inch sees By the Grace of God in their later stages (this track would appear on the Initial Records re-release of their "Three Steps..." ep which included that ep plus assorted comp/split songs) with a song that starts of with a piano and spoken intro before the song kicks in with a mid-paced beat and those signature BTGOG era Rob Pennington vocals. A bit longer on the BTGOG side of things, this track shows another side of the band as they are able to continue a somewhat crawling pace throughout the song with momentary bursts of noise.

The Cause, from San Diego, bring a bit of a faster and more straight forward attack with their two tracks. A little punch and heavy riff or two thrown in with vocals that go from spoken to screamed in the same sentence are their formula. My first exposure to this band was their split with fellow San Diego-ians, American Tragedy, a very good CD if you can track it down. (If you can, post it. My burned copy has suffered through the years). The second track from the Cause shows off more of their heavy and even somewhat noisy side. Stop and go music that gives way to a pounding beat before again falling apart into a frantic guitar and vocal combo.

All in all, a very worthy little 3 song record. This can't be posted without giving a big shout to Big Brian from TFC/Xibalba because he had actually bought this at a show and I convinced him to sell it to me instead, on the condition that I make him a copy. Well, its been awhile, but here's your copy (haha).

DOWNLOAD: By the Grace of God / the Cause - Split 7inch 

As I Look to the Future Comp. 7inch

Just a quick one for everybody. I picked this comp up by chance a few months back based soley on the fact that it was a few bucks and had an early Bane song that seemed to pre-date the 7inch that the song appears on (though it did appear on their demo tape).

Sure enough, the song, "Lay the Blame", doesn't sound like the demo tape version (granted I have a rip of undetermined origins).

The other three bands are okay, but nothing here to really go crazy for. It is a nice glimpse into some things going on a while back as the bands are from all over (Texas, Mass, NY, and CT) with a little punk and some HC. Bane is by far the winner for me, but perhaps some of you also get to pick up a song from a local band you loved (because I myself am of the same type and definitely have some bands in my collection that I wouldn't like if they weren't local bands I had been raised on)

Enjoy!

DOWNLOAD: As I Look to the Future Comp.

Jellyroll Rockheads - "Kill Trend Thrash" Demo 7inch

Thrashcore with a Rock N' Roll twist. My first exposure to this great band from Japan was on the Barbaric Thrash Vol. 2 comp on 625. Their song "Road to Ruin" (which an earlier version features here on this demo) stood out for the higher pitched vocals and the kind of jangly, loose approach the band seemed to be taking to their brand of hardcore.

Fast, screaming thrashy hardcore that was often driven by the drums as the guitars started, stopped, washed over the sound with feedback, before restarting again. Guitar solos mixed in with the short blasts helped define them in their short existence.

Enjoy!

DOWNLOAD: Jellyroll Rockheads - "Kill Trend Thrash"