Tear It Up - Nothing to Nothing (2002)

"Another fucking day. Twenty-four wasted hours, doing what I'm told, being what they want. It's all for Nothing - A Life for Nothing. I live for no one. I'm fighting a war against myself. I'm not living for anyone. I want it to stop. I wanna feel better. I wanna feel good again. I just feel Nothing, I feel dead inside, I wanna be dead outside. The guilt is constant. Another sleepless night. Just so worried about the future, screaming about the present, bullshit in my past. What do I have to show for it? (Nothing!) I'm fighting a war against myself. It's a fucking losing battle. It's all for me. It's not for anyone else. It all means Nothing. From Nothing, to Nothing. From Nothing, to Nothing. From Nothing, to Nothing...I CANT HELP IT!"

Negative hardcore from Jersey. Pretty fast, very tight. If you don't already know, the bandeatured dudes from (deep breath... ok, go!) Dead Nation, The Rites, Cut the Shit, Splitting Headache, Forward to Death, A New Enemy, Down In Flames, Guilt Trip, etc... definitely for fans fo Black Flag, Negative Approach, Jerry's Kids, Shark Attack, etc - but like I said, you probably know these guy's shit already if you've heard of any of their other bands.

Favorite Track: "Close My Eyes and Hope for the Worst"

Old Sarum/Raise the Curtain - Split 12" (2003?)

I first heard both Old Sarum and Raise the Curtain on a Teenage Disco Bloodbath compilation I got in the mail sometime in '05 or '06. I was immediately taken by Old Sarum's sound - a hybrid of grindcore drums, crust punk guitar and vocals, and hardcore sing alongs. From one track to the next, the band exhibit a whirlwind of influences, but more importantly an earnest desire to communicate their feelings through punk rock. Unfortunately, this album is the band's only output that I'm aware of. Honestly, all of their songs kick ass, but I'd recommend "Couches Capitalism" and "You Can't Clap with a Beer in One Hand" as good starting points. I feel a bit unqualified to compare Old Sarum's sound to any one band though - while their sound doesn't differ terribly from their partners on the split (see below), Old Sarum definitely came off as more memorable and catchy, and certainly more innovative. I'm reminded of the crop of bands in the late '90's and early '00's that fused grindcore and metallic hardcore with the political consciousness (for better of for worse) and DIY-attitudes of the mid-90's crust punk and post-hardcore crowds. Fans of Ebullition and CrimethInc bands would probably be real into this band.

On the other hand, the female-fronted Raise the Curtain have more material available than Old Sarum, but not by much. As this Split is officially sold out, Jonah was kind enough to burn me a CD with the tracks from both bands, as well as another EP from Raise the Curtain entitled The "...To Be Continued" EP. Their sound is more akin to mid-to-late nineties metallic hardcore at times, but has a very "Ebullition-esque" political and social mindset (see "Mouthsex"). While they don't necessarily mimic the bands, I can imagine fans of The Assistant, Catharsis, or Chokehold being into Raise the Curtain. It should be said that both bands hailed from the fine city of Boston, Massachusetts, and this split was recorded by Will Hollingsworth at Dead Air Studios.

dl

400 pressed on white or grey swirled vinyl with silk-screened covers. The layout's pretty sweet, (song explanations, lots of collage work, lots of photography, etc. - very Reversal of Man), but the Raise the Curtain portion is 11x17 and the Old Sarum Portion is a sixteen page booklet with, so there's no way I'm scanning all of that shit. (While the vinyl was sold out, somehow I still got the insert. Jonah's a good dude like that.) If you know where I can score a copy, I'm highly interested. Same goes for the first As Long As We're All Living, We're All Dying 7".

Teenage Disco Bloodbath Records
MySpace

Breathing Fire + Soul Swallower 7"s

Breathing Fire and Soul Swallower are just two of a shit-ton of bands to hop on the power-violence revival trend of the past few years. Taking cues from the power-violence pioneers (Neanderthal, MITB, Infest, Crossed Out, and No Comment, etc.) they also incorporate elements of more straightforward hardcore and sometimes even death metal. Both bands have fairly different approaches, but have a similar appeal.

Breathing Fire - Demo 2005/Breathing Fire 7" (Painkiller) dl



Former members of X Files X, and buddies with the dudes from Mind Eraser, Think I Care, Scapegoat, etc, Breathing Fire are in what a lot of people would consider the elite circle of hardcore bands pursuing the power-violence sound. This demo was recorded in either 2005 or 2006, and was re-released as a 7" EP by Painkiller. (Since initially posted, the band have released their debut full length Year of Lead on the label as well.)

Soul Swallower - Demo 2005 + Soul Swallower 7" (Collapse) dl

Soul Swallower was the band I know I was looking to hear after X Files X broke up. The Infest-styled riffage is still here, but so is a more Napalm Death/Carcass tone. This is way more brutal, and definitely more metal than X Files X ever was. I'm almost reminded of a more straightforward Backstabbers Inc when I listen to this 7". The demo features early versions of two songs and a Youth of Today cover.

If you're into either of these records, you can purchase them from RevHQ (or could, until recently...) recently released their LP on Painkiller, and Soul Swallower appear to be on something of a hiatus. Members are currently playing in The Rival Mob.

The Difference - Demo 2004

The Difference - Demo 2004



The Difference were a four piece punk band from Virginia Beach, VA. Unfortunately, the band was a short-lived venture, lasting only from December 2003 until July of 2004. They played a total of eight shows, and recorded as many songs. Within that brief span though, the band incorporated elements bands as varied as Joy Division, Black Flag, Nirvana, Refused, and Swing Kids, playing a style of punk that was mostly fast, but sometimes slow; sometimes heavy, and sometimes soft.

Almost immediately after recording the demo, original frontman Jered Grimes (New Radio, Ammunition, etc.) left the band for personal reasons. Tim Skirven (American Tourist, Savage Land, Dialogues, etc.) stepped in, allowing the band to continue playing. There is footage of several of these shows (as their farewell show, with Jered and Tim singing), so if people are into this, we'll work on uploading those as well.

dl

Members went on to play in Moutheater, New Radio, No I Wouldn't Fuck Her, and Rose Hollow.