Do The Crop Circle

Another big want that I'm finally able to knock off from my want list: the uber rare Darvocets "do the crop circle" 7" released exacly 20 years ago by Non Commercial Records in the mere quantity of 300 copies only. I've been worshipping these guys for such a long time that is still hard to believe that I finally own a copy of their debut release. A mate from downunder unloaded to the masses his collection recently. I've asked him to sell me his copy so many times that I kinda feel like this copy had to be mine. The deal went super smooth (he even thrown in a great extra ep for free!) and a couple of weeks later this ep's journey from the other side of the globe ended safely in my mailbox. Darvocets were the weird band from the clevo scene. While all the clevo bands have that distinctive sound that make them unique and easily recognizable, this stuff would indeed fit better in a Killed By Death compilation. Both musically & lyrically, D. sounds like that dumb retarded kid who did way too much psychedelic drugs and had a morbose obsession for ufos, aliens & sci-fi horror movies. All of course done with a good dose of tasteless humour that makes me appreciate these guys even more! Not only this record is quite hard to find, but there are several cover version. Regular one with coloured back cover, super limited "Darvisettes" version and photocopied sleeve (this one, unsold stock copies that the band sold around 2005-06). Good luck scoring one!

ITALIAN HC flyers

Here's some old italian hc flyers. The first two are from the 80s', the last one is from the early 90s.

KNIFE FIGHT interview 2002

Here's one of the first interview with one of the best US band from the last decade. The demo and the first two eps are already unfuckwithable classics. Originally featured in cult canadian zine Town Of Hardcore#2. Taken from Town Of Hardcore zineography book from 2007.

Shock Value

The mysterious Antitodo Records, as I easily predicted, finally did it again. This time it was Lockjaw's debut ep "shock value" turn. Again an excellent work, a perfect reproduction of the original. I would have loved a reproduction of the limited "ted bundy" sleeve but, hey, you cannot always win. Some on orange wax, other on blue. Essential record. A friend recently introduced me to Lockjaw unreleased full length. I didn't even know about it's existence until a week ago. It's titled "gang violence" and was recorded around 1985. I hope the fellas at Antitodo are planning to finally put this out properly (as far as I know until now it has only been released on a discography cd that came out in the 90s' on Grand Theft Auto) since it's definitely worth it. But please next time remember to include a bloody dust sleeve in the package. I hate when records come without it!

Bet On The Possibility

Last year during April I did some of the best scores of the year and 2015 seems not too different. I've indeed finally been able to cross off one of my major wants. Long story short, a japanese friend found a copy of Deathside second full length "bet on the possibility" in excellent condition for basically half the current amount of money people ask for it on eBay or discogs. As soon as he informed me he found it for that price, I immediately wrote back to secure it. Two weeks later, this jewel is finally in my greedy hands! I find it still hard to believe that I've finally got a copy of my main Selfish Records want. Of course I could have given up and get that bootleg that came out a few years ago (easily recognisable for darker cover and label as well as single sheet insert without lyrics in inverted colors), but I'm glad that I patiently waited for an original for the price I wanted to pay for it.

While there's an endless diatribe about which Deathside album is the best one, I got no doubts. As much as I worship their first full length "wasted time", 1991's "bet on the possibility" is their masterpiece. It has more diversity and each song is even more perfect than the previous one if that can be possible. Not to mention the incredible clean but still powerful production that makes it flawless. Not sure if it's true or just a legend, but I've heard that Selfish went bankrupt with the release of this album since they spent way too much producing it! For sure this is also the best packaged record that ever come out on Selfish. Gatefold cover with four different artwork and big double sided insert with almost unreadable lyrics since they are printed in inverted colours. Nothing more to add, this is indeed a genre defining record. Without it, burning spirits and generally japanese traditional hardcore wouldn't be the same for sure.

Euthanize Me

One of the most anticipated album of the last year (well, at least for me) was the Wetbrain "s/t" debut lp on Painkiller. I was totally sure that this was gonna rule that I even put it on my end of the year list even before actually listening to it. The more I played their 2012 demo, the more I got excited about this upcoming debut. Of course it's release date has been delayed for a few months. Then it seems like no euro distros was carrying copies and there was no way that I was going to pay overseas shipping. When I've finally found one that had it, it never showed up. After waiting for a month and a half, I gave up and ordered another copy. Luckily this time it took only 4 days to arrive here. Well, I can assure you that the wait was worth it and all my expectations were even exceeded. Featuring some of the usual clevo suspects (including Larry Darvocets with his trademark vocals style), this is more KBD oriented hardcore that sounds like a more straight forward version of, duh, Darvocets. Even lyrically it's full of sci-fi movies, mind control and time travel references that cannot not bring to mind a comparsion with the mighty Darvocets. If you were disappointed like me by Folded Shirt, Wetbrain are the answer to your unholy prayers. Half of the tracks are from the demo, the rest is new material. Cleveland confirms again to have the best and most solid scene in the whole US of A.

THE FIX interview 2008

Here's an great interview with probably the best hardcore band that ever came outta USA, the Fix. Taken from Pederast Prophet#1, released around '08/'09.