Like any true record nerd out there, I do love top ten lists. Could I miss the opportunity to write a end of the decade one? Afterall, it only happens every ten years. Hence a good reason to reanimate my now defunct blog.
In 2010 I was 33 years old and still trying to check out as much new bands as I could. 10 years later, I've almost lost interest in new bands and I'm generally listening to old music only. After being into, for a lack of better words, extreme music for almost three decades, I guess it's a natural process. Everything has already be done way better years ago. The hardest part of writing down this list was indeed the new releases part. I'm not totally out of touch but most of the time I gave a chance to the flavor of the month, I usually got disappointed quickly.
That being said, people are still able to write good music for fuck's sake! For sure the 10s' won't be remembered as the most innovative decade ever, but at least something interesting has been released. I'm also pretty sure I've missed out awesome and incredible new bands, so feel free to fill up my gaps!
NEW RELEASES
-V.A. "¡Brutales Matanzas!" lp (2010, Cintas Pepe Records)
The debut release of what would soon became a cult label was a compilation lp. Full of new and obscure bands from Mexico and Perù. What might sound like a financial suicide to many, turned out to be the most solid compilation of the decade and proved that south america scene is still healthy and strong.
-FOGNA "s/t" 7" (2010, Bat Shit Records)
Ok this was released as a demo in 2009 but it was put on wax the following year so I've decided to include it anyway. Straight outta Sicily, gloomy and pessimistic hc deeply rooted in the golden era of our penisula tradition, perfectly mixed with some goth/post punk. A true gem, I still hope their "Paura Nella Città Dei Morti Viventi" ep will see the light one day.
-ネメシス (NEMESIS)
"慟哭 (Dou-Koku)" 7" (2011, Ratbone/ Flower Of Carnage/ Solar Funeral)
A truly underrated japanese future classic. If this was recorded in the late 80s', it would have been another must-have from Selfish Records. It sounds like a rabid inbreed between Nightmare and Kuro. Perhaps being a shortlived band didn't help their legacy. Check also their second ep which is equally good.
-PEOPLE "Fairy Tale" lp (2012, Damaging Noise Records)
Between late 00s' and early '10s, noisepunk became trendy and suddenly all the smelly crusties started playing this style. Japan of course had the best bands. But most of these bands didn't age well to my ears. Of course I like my hardcore chaotic and noisy but when you're focused only on distortion, you forgot to write good tunes. People from Fukuoka instead followed the path traced by the Swankys and assembled a very remarkable album. Too bad it came out on a dodgy american label that ripped many people off.
-GUTTERGODS "Innersense" lp (2013, Cool Death Records)
When hardcore has became generic and predictable, these aussie weirdos managed to break all the rules and assemble an unique album that sounds like nothing you've listened to until now. Early Agnostic Front meets Christian Death meets Leftovers? Yes, please.
-INFERNOH "7 Spar E.P." lp (2013, D Takt & Rapunk Records)
Sweden kept unleashing tons of great bands paying homage to their ancestors. But no one managed to do it better than Infernoh. Brutal kang punk with memorable tunes and catchy riffs. A future classic for sure!
-FRAMTID "Defeat Of Civilization" lp (2013, LVEUM/ Crust War/ Black Water)
Framtid finally released their second full length and we all immediately understood that all the noisepunk or crashercrust (I hate this term) released during the hype of the genre was totally useless and forgettable. While producing a wall of noise, Framtid proved again that your songs can also be memorable. Since Kawakami is gone, these guys had no competitors.
-TERCER MUNDO "Ser Nosotros Mismo" lp (2014, Cintas Pepe Records)
This was one of the first band that kept coming to my mind when I started thinking about this list. While their debut ep is equally good, I've opted for the lp since it has a slightly better production. But it's still the perfect mix of rawness, political awareness and, at the same time, catchyness that make south american hardcore unique. And Tercer Mundo were absolutely the best at doing it. Que viva hardcore!
-経血 (Keiketsu)
"Scapegoat" cd (2017, Hikan Label)
I've only discovered this band recently hence not owning this album yet (but the lp reissue is on my way). It was love at first sight, er...listen. Total on point The Comes and The Nurse worship with an ADK touch. I can't get enough of this shit!
-OUTRE TOMBE "Necrovortex" lp (2018, Temple Of Mystery Records)
This decade saw me going back to my first love: death metal. The old school one, of course. While most of the modern bands weren't able to capture my attention, Outre Tombe second album instead was an instant winner to my ears. They sound like a perfect mix between two of my favourite bands ever: Bolt Thrower and Autopsy. Throw in that they "sing" in french, the most delicate and less brutal language ever, and somehow it bloody works!
Honorable mentions: ANTIMOB both lp, EXIT UNIT 7", PSICOGALERA 7", CUNTS/ ANAL BUTT split 7", CONTROL/ EXITHIPPIES split 7", INNUMERABLE FORMS lp, SACRIFICIO lp, PERVERTED CEREMONY lp,, MUSTANG lp, URBANOIA first 7", EXACERBACION 7", TEARGAS lp, HIMEI eps, LARMA lp, ROCKY & THE SWEDENS lp
REISSUES
Ok, I've cheated here since I've posted 11 records but it was impossible to cut any of these. There have been tons of excellent reissues during this decade so it was pretty hard to decide what to include and what to exclude. Tons of mediocre stuff has been kept on print over the years but there were some classics that for some obscure reasons managed to get a proper reissue treatment only recently (Gauze albums are the perfect example). Plus there are some super obscure records that are almost impossible to find that finally got properly reissued. I think my list is a mix of both:
-ZOUO "The Final Agony" 7" (2011, Crust War)
-SAGATRAKAVASHEN "Sexual Lust" 7" (2013, Umbrella Records)
-THE FIX "Vengeance/ Jan's Rooms" 2x7" (2014, Touch & Go)
-VA "Rodrigo D. No Futuro" lp (2015, Beat Generation)
-ASTAROTH "Guerra De Metal" 7" (2016, Epidemia Records)
-SHITLICKERS "GBG 1982" 7" (2017, Negative Insight Fanzine)
-NURSE "discography 1983.1984" lp (2017, LVEUM)
-ATOXXXICO "Punks De Mierda" 7" (2017, F.O.A.D. Records)
-GAUZE lps (2017, XXX Records)
-CONVULSE "World Without God" 2lp (2018, Svart Records)
-ソドム
(SODOM)
"聖レクイエム" lp + 7" (2018, F.O.A.D. Records)
LIVE SHOWS
I'm old and jaded. Most of my old friends moved to something else many years ago. Gigs in italian squats still start way too late and are usually filled with way too many crappy opening bands. I don't like being in overcrowded place. Yeah, I didn't attend that many shows during this decade. These days, I can persuade my lazy ass to go out for a live show only if there's a band that I do really like. Anyhow, I've still managed to see some great live action:
-NERORGASMO
-BLASPHEMY
-IRON MAIDEN
-DEATHSIDE
-MUSTANG
-MORTUARY DRAPE
-IMPACT
-GOBLIN
-TERRORIZER
-RADIO BIRDMAN
