Brain Slug - Live in Power Promo Tape

Long Island's Brain Slug first came on my radar when they played a rare Hardcore bill at Steven's Institute of Technology in Hoboken. On a night when I was on a mission to see a personal favorite of mine in Living Laser.
My eyes and ears were opened to a score of bands, including
Brain Slug, that would more than earn favorite status through their blistering performances that night.

Dirty, grinding and ugly. Three elements that initially drew me to Brain Slug's sound nihilistic approach. Three key ingredients that keep me interested. There approach to Hardcore brings to mind bands such  as Straight Ahead, Rorschach, Citizens Arrest
(There's a cover CXA's "Serve and Protect on here.) and power violence kings Man is the Bastard. Amongst these six killer tracks there is also a cover of The Beastie Boys "Ode too..." from the bands 1982 Hardcore EP "Pollywog Stew".
The six song promo tape serves as an appetizer for the upcoming full length album where each of the four original songs will make an appearance. If "Live in Power" is any indication of what's to come in the near future. Fans of Hardcore will have one hell of a record to look forward too. I, for sure, can't wait. James Damion

Order it Here

The Problems - 2014 Cassette Demo

The Problems are a side project of sorts featuring former  Hello No frontman John Woods and some friends from Germany. The bands personnel originally crossed paths when John's band Hell No stopped off in Germany during their 1999 European tour. More than fifteen years later these friends have stayed close. Finally deciding to give their friendship a creative edge.

The demo opens with the song Drunk Again and while the opening skit/audio is absolutely unbearable. Problems Faced when Traveling. While Woods handles most of the vocal duties. You can easily detect a second vocalist on these songs.

It quickly moves in the right direction, ultimately winning this listener over with a sound that quickly recalls Soulside's
As for the previous mention of Soulside. There's no Dischord or Revolution Summer revival happening here. The rest of this tape seems to walk a line between the Killed By Death sound and that of early
Black Flag. Simple, raw and quite good. Not bad if you can get it.

Everything from the cassette format to the pedestrian cover art reads "No Frills" while recalling days gone long by and how, as kids of the 80's.
We'd scour our local indie record stores, fanzines and shows to get hold of the latest demo cassette before it was gone. So bust out the tape deck or dust off the old boom box and give this one a shot. James Damion

The Problems  Bandcamp
The Problems  Facebook

Skull Practitioners - S/T 1 Cassette Demo

It's not often that a cassette tape shows up in the mail. Instantly returning me to my days in Queens when I'd be hard at work on the latest issue of Unite.

These days, I often find myself standing in wonderment, admiring how perfectly this ancient technology fits my mailbox. Then wondering how in the hell will I find a way to listen to it. This weeks arrival delivered more than a digital download and some nostalgia for me though. It was the sounds within that produced the real reward.
New York's Skull Practioners, a relatively new trio featuring 3/5 of the band DBCR (Review Here.)
are poised for noise. Recently featured as
The Deli's NYC Record of the Month!
(And rightfully so.) The four track cassette serves as a perfect introduction to the bands sound. One that seems to develop and unravel simultaneously.
The trio's sound blends components of Psych, Surf and Post Punk to form a somewhat loose and experimental garage banger that is sonically dissonant. While the third track "Foreign Wives" got the biggest rise out of this listener. It's the addition of "Nelson D" (recorded live at Brooklyn's Grand Victory) that really puts the bands musical ability and promise on display. Add to it the trip inducing artwork of Renato Cascioli and you've really got a strong foundation to build on. I'll definitely keep my eyes and ears open for these cats. Until then, go check out their bandcamp and bust out that cassette player. James Damion

Skull Pactitioners  Bandcamp

Johatsu - Demolition

I'm not exactly sure what's going on but with more and more tape releases popping up I'm beginning to think there is some diabolical plan being devised to trick us into re-investing our hard earned cash in outdated technology. Lucky for me, only a few days after receiving this archeological gem in the mail. I was lucky enough to haggle my way towards an old school turntable/tape deck stereo at a flea market down by Asbury Park. Upon listening to this, my twenty dollar investment made me feel like a Wall Street wiz.

Johatsu, which is Japanese for "Evaporated people" or "One who abandons life in society". (Ask my wife, she's from Tokyo.) Johatsu features Rich and Aaron, best known for their work in NYHC bands All For One (Recently added to the New Breed Tape Compilation) and Hell No. Both bands that kicked around before a lot of you had pubes.
With all respect to those bands, Johatsu's rookie release "Demolition" is a different beast altogether. After hearing some early demos I was intrigued but wasn't really sure the project would ever get the wings it needed to take flight. Here they deliver ten songs that immediately leave a mark. This was the first time my blog partner Dave and Me actually sat down together to listened to a new submission. I couldn't help but feel that overall, the tape really exceeded my already heightened expectations. Seeing Dave's ears perk as he looked over at me inquisitively was a little surprising being that we don't always share the same taste in music. Think New York Hardcore meets Amphetamine Reptile Records and gets stuck in the mud on the way to a Metal show.

The sound is heavy, ferocious and relentless. Mix that with some muddy production that may or may not be intentional but definitely works as a benefit to the songs. Are Johatsu covering Joe Jacksons "Biology" or mutilating it for their own consumption? It's hard to tell. You make the decision. So, is this a demo? An LP wrapped in a cassette, wrapped in a riddle? I'm not sure. Regardless, I'd like to see this one get the vinyl treatment. I also eager to hear more. James Damion

Wardance Records Order it Here

Johatsu  Facebook Page