CAPITALIST CASUALTIES.

Santa Rosa, CA's own Kings of Powerviolence make their second appearance here on the L-RV, and damn if they aren't overdue…

What can be said about a band that was at the forefront of the genre and kept their benchmark high from the get-go. These guys live the filth they spew - unlike today's "jockviolence" set.
Every now & again they still rear their beautifully fucked-up heads, so never, ever, ever count them out.

No soap is gonna wash this off, you'll just have to live with it, kid...

Capitalist Casualties - A Collection of Out of Print Singles, Split EP's, & Compilation Tracks

Link in comments.

VILE.

You know, I don't venture out on the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) much - I like to drive my car and shit - plus, I don't like being shot at by armed transit cops - they aim to kill - and they have been very sucessful in that aspect. Google "BART cops kill" if you don't believe me.

What the fuck does this have to with Vile?

Well, I do know that Concord, CA lies 30 miles east of San Francisco, and is the name of one of the main BART lines / stops. That D-Bag Tom Hanks & Luke Muthafuckin' Skywalker himself - Mark Hamill - were from Concord, dude! Also, according to Wikipedia, Concord at one time was also known as "Drunken Indian"!!!
Real fucking nice, pioneering Northern Californian forefounders…

Another thing that is little known about Concord is the affinity that the madmen from Vile have for bands such as Cannibal Corpse & Suffocation. It is apparent in their sound - maybe more so on the C.C. side of things - but they are more than merely aping said sound. These guys thrash like crazy, and - because they are from the East Bay - they have a tad of that "Exodus Attack" in their attack, comprende'? Good stuff.

Vile - Stench of the Deceased

Link in comments.

IN DISGUST.

Hot damn there be some ass-blistering blasting coming from this San Jose Power-grindlence outfit!

While they may not be a household name to many outside the Bay Area, they most certainly lay waste to many heavyweights in the HC/Powerviolence scene.
Do yourself a favor and check this out.

*(Sorry for the lack of updates, but my house is going through some MAJOR renovation for the next couple of weeks. Most of my shit is packed up and/or covered in drywall dust for now, so pardon the lack of updates).*

In Disgust - San Jose Oldies, Vol. 1

Link in comments.

BONE AWL.

There's not much going on in Novato, CA on most days.
It certainly isn't a "happening" place, there's no "scene" to speak of, and that makes it the perfect place to start your "KVLT" Black Metal band if you are Bone Awl!

In a genre quickly becoming the flavor of the week, Bone Awl skips all the usual trappings of subscribing to the narrow view / belief patterns of the movement, and their sound? Well, that's on another level too.
A shit-ton of cassette only releases, etc. only adds to the mystery behind these Bay Area cave-dwelling black mashers.

Check the cold raw hypnotic stylings for yourself, right here, on this cool live on-air radio set...



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Bone Awl - 05.21.2004 KFJC 89.7FM, Los Altos Hills, CA

BL'AST!

I'm serving up some choice nugs today from Santa Cruz's finest hardcore/skatecore/lurker crew. Enjoy this most excellent set w/ soundboard quality from back in the day when Indy 169's & 9-inch (plus) wide decks with "money bumps" were the norm.



Bl'ast! - 06.20.1985 Sportsmen's Lodge, Sun Valley, CA

Link in comments.

*Re-upped: 05.22.2010*

BRAINOIL.

You ever been to Oakland, CA???

The East Bay ain't no joke, and Brainoil is the soundtrack to your apprehension....

The region has always bred (punk/HC/metal) bands that stand out above the rest, and while I tend to shy away from posting much sludge around here due to legions of overly-mediocre bands that have saturated the genre -(look around, bro)- Brainoil has always hulked above the rest.

No question about it.



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Brainoil - Brainoil

CRETIN.

It's hard to believe that Cretin has been around since 1992 seeing as how they hadn't released a recording until 2004.
The band has been on hold more often not, but the material that has seen the light of day is top-notch.
It's hard for me to not think of such greats as Terrorizer & Repulsion when I listen to this - yes, it's that good!

The band has been threatening to release a new album for a few years now, but have been on hold while lead Cretin (Dan) makes the (full) transformation from frontman to frontwoman (Marissa).



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Cretin - Freakery

ACEPHALIX.

Some of my old partners-in-crime who employ a nice mixture of all things related to Motorhead/Japanese crustcore/blackened death/first-generation HC/Nor-Cal thrash.

I'm having a hard time writing this - probably due to the fact that they fucking slayed 'em all live at Bender's last night.
The copious amounts of booze involved certainly didn't help...

Acephalix on DoucheSpace



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Acephalix - 2009 Demo




Now playing: Mesrine - Krystof Masiak
via FoxyTunes

STEEL POLE BATH TUB.

The last two summers that I lived in Ann Arbor & Detroit in the 80's were a fucking drug-addled mess, and these guys were the soundtrack to my existence on a nearly-daily basis.

Once I moved to S.F. in 1991, a good friend of mine introduced me to them.
I got to know them a bit better, watched them in action in the studio, and as housemates at one point for a short time back when The Mission was ALOT more scary than it is now.
San Francisco had all kinds of bands back in the 90's before the dot-com boom (which seems ages ago now), and these days "the scene" here is pretty much riddled with ironic hipster metal or -even worse - electro bullshit or free jazz/folk garbage.
I am assuming, mind you, as I find the "live music experience" to be highly overrated these days and rarely go to shows.

I will stop pining about the old days now...

Enjoy what is most definitely a classic piece of San Francisco punk rock history made by a couple of dudes from Montana who decided to move to The City and make one hell of a (beautiful and sometimes ugly) racket.



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Steel Pole Bath Tub - Lurch




Now playing: Outpatients - Cover Girl
via FoxyTunes

WILL HAVEN.

How the fuck do I describe this record other than " I dig this"?

Late last night I decided to go through some old stacks of CD's down in the garage and found this little gem that I was pretty obsessed with about six years ago.
Things were a bit different then - I wasn't a parent yet - and I used to be able to blast tunes & stay up *ahem* "partying" until early the next morning.

This CD was in heavy rotation on most days/nights.

Them days is gone, but the soundtrack to those years remains, and this still sounds good to me.

Lots of fat riffs drilled into the ground, creating a heavy groove w/o quite being hardcore, metalcore, stoner rock, or (ugh) "nu-metal".
This CD is perfect for a late night solo drive through bad weather on a stretch of unfamiliar road - maybe that should have been my entire description for this, huh? - anyways, Sacramento, CA's Will Haven broke up for a few years, then got back together a year or two ago & released a new record but honestly? That record ain't so hot.

Enjoy this shining moment.



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Will Haven - Carpe Diem




Now playing: The Beach Boys - God Only Knows
via FoxyTunes

*Quietly re-upped 09.01.2009*

BL'AST!

Just got back from shredding the fuck out of the skatepark in Santa Cruz this morning, and while I was fueling up my truck on the way out of town I happened to run in to my old friend, Clifford. Clifford used to sing for Bl'ast!, thus the inspiration for today's post.

(At the time this was released, it would be fair to say that Bl'ast! was more "Black Flag-sounding" than Black Flag was; this is NOT a bad thing).



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Bl'ast! - It's In My Blood



Now playing: Capitalist Casualties - Strange Soup

DISSONANCE.

While these guys (and girl) were a few years older than myself - and 50 miles away - I somehow always ended up hitching a ride (or scamming some artsy girl into driving to Flint) to see some of my first real hardcore shows, and Dissonance was usually on the bill.
I saw them open for 7 Seconds, Corrosion of Conformity, Raw Power and many other "classic" hardcore bands.

For me, Dissonance was more than just a band.
Phil & Tanya (drums and bass, respectively) were very much responsible for their being any hardcore scene in Flint - well, them and Doug 'Wyatt" Earp - who owned the only cool record store (Wyatt Earp) for nearly 100 miles around.

(I think it's pretty safe to say there would be no scene to speak of (north of A2 / Detroit) without the afforementioned folks - you can add Ben "Rivethead" Hamper and Michael "Roger and Me" Moore to the list of Flint HC alumni as well).

Dissonance was really about having a good time and not worrying about "being cool", and that energy inspired alot of people to start their own bands as well.

If it weren't for Wyatt Earp Records and skateboarding, I might have missed out on all of this, but when I think back on those nihilistic (and weed-filled) days before "I got my shit together", my reality was filled with sleeping all day, road-tripping, and skating all night.
The soundtrack usually was courtesy of these guys, who quite possibly could be my all-time favorite hardcore band...



Dissonance - KDVS / Davis CA (Live In-Studio 1986).

You can still purchase the 2-CD/DVD Dissonance Discography right here.




Now playing: Brain Drill - The Parasites

CRUCIFIX.

Real street punk from the heydays of the S.F. scene - back when you made your own shirts and stuff.

Flying V's still kick ass...



Crucifix - Exhibit A.

BRAIN DRILL.

I'm sure I have used the word "shred" to describe at least a few of my posts, but let me tell you this - nothing I have posted before shreds like this...

Mind-melting ultra-mega technical death/grind calisthenics going on here, without sounding like they are just trying to be the fastest band alive. They are also looking for a new drummer at this point so if you think you got skills thick enough, holler...

D/L Brain Drill - Apocalyptic Feasting right here.

(I just installed a fuckload of new brushes in my Photoshop application, so be prepared for overkill from here on out).




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Now playing: Rammer - From Russia ...

SLEEP.

Don't have to say much about these guys, everybody loves them, but I will say that I was at this very show.
I turned 27 that very same evening, and yeah, it was a kick-ass good time...

LINKS -
DoucheSpace.

D/L Sleep - Haze Thater, SF, CA 06.25.1994 right here.



Now playing:
Reversal Of Man - Independence Day
via FoxyTunes

NOOTHGRUSH.

Whenever I listen to Noothgrush I start feel happy and content.
That may sound crazy to you, but it's true. Maybe the "painful plod of sound" they create cancels out any bad feeling or sadness inside me, fuck if I know. All I know is that these guys don't get enough credit for what they did for the doom / sludge genre(s). I hate the term "slowcore" - these folks were much more than that...



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Noothgrush - Failing Early, Failing Often

*Re-Upped 08.19.08*