HELLCHILD.

One of my all-time favorite bands, this should not come as a surprise to many of you - it's most likely one of your favorites as well, no?

Hellchild bridged the gap between hardcore & thrash/death/grind with a sense of intelligence - even their burliest/heaviest/grindy-est moments came off with a painstakingly-heartfelt precision.
There was a lot of soul running deep in the work they put out there, and Harakawa is the fucking BEST when it comes to gutturals in my opinion.
His pipes bellow the most beautiful of all pain, desolation, madness, sadness & anguish I have ever known.

If you didn't already, you certainly won't now - this is for the rest of US.



Hellchild - Circulating Contradiction

Link in comments.

BEOWÜLF.

The Mid-Eighties Crossover / Thrash phenomena has always been a favorite of mine - I'm not afraid to admit that. As a culture-locked teenaged skate-punk growing up in mid-Michigan in those days (I think I've mentioned that before), those bands just spoke wholeheartedly to me.

For me, bands like Beowülf fueled many a heated session, or a long late-night road trip to infiltrate spots in cities far away. While they may have been overshadowed by the infamy that was garnered upon that "other" band from Venice, these guys slung a mean vato-loco thrash-style somewhat akin to the likes of, say, Motörhead meets Discharge, but definitely with that "gangsta flava" that Venice Beach is famous for.



Beowülf - Beowülf

Link in comments.

HELLSHOCK.

More than just another "denim-cut covered-in-spikes band", Portland's Hellshock surpass the masses of D-beat / Crustcore clone bands by bringing this thing called "HEAVY" to the plate.

No "one-trick pony" here, folks - these guys lay it down fast & furious, yet are also fully capable of bludgeoning you with the doom-laden breakdown & a tight solo if need be.

PDX - for some odd reason - has always been a hotbed for killer crust bands, but these guys easily wear the crown for "superior rock power" in their neck of the Pacific Northwest.



They Wait for You

Link in comments.

GERIATRIC UNIT.

When your band is comprised of former members of Heresy & Iron Monkey, you know it's gonna be powerful & in-your-face scary. The only thing these guys have in common with their name is that they ain't no spring chickens - on the other hand, these guys spew corrosive thrashy hardcore all over the place.

Fast as fuck. Chaotic as fuck. A throat full of gravel. An ear full of pummel.
That's what these guys bring to the party. What you got?

You better look out…



Geriatric Unit - Kill the Pose

Link in comments.

TERVEET KÄDET.

Sack-blistering thrashy crusty hardcore from the land of Linux and vodka.

These guys haven't stopped attacking you about the ears and brain since they started back in 1980 - were you even born yet? - and while the faces and styles may have changed, their relentlessness hasn't eased up, and that's a good thing.



Terveet Kädet - Onnellisia Kytkentöjä

Link removed 01.04.2011 due to the leeches over at Punks and Skins - FUCK YOU GUYS.

CONCRETE SOX.

Legendary crusty-thrashcore from Nottingham, UK.

I'd be hard pressed to think YOU haven't heard of them before, so I'll spare you all the history lesson.
I will say though that they have been around since 1984, and plan to become active again in 2010.

Here is their first full-length release from back in 1985 - a year I found myself buried in a bag of weed, skateboards that were outfitted w/ Indy 169's or 215's, no intention of getting a job anytime soon - getting a fuckload of tattoos was more important, and this was part of the soundtrack to my becoming a grown-ass man screaming FUCK. THE. WORLD.



Concrete Sox - Your Turn Next

Link in comments.

VERBAL ABUSE.

While there's been quite a few lineups / eras of Verbal Abuse, it's pretty much a no-brainer to say that these guys were always at the forefront of hardcore / thrash / crossover at any given time - regardless of the musicians involved.

1995's Red, White & Violent proved to be an explosive and precise pit-inducing monster - never missing a lick, never missing a beat - just a full-on gnarbucket-style Nor-Cal thrash attack at it's finest!



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Verbal Abuse - Red, White & Violent

CRYPTIC SLAUGHTER.

Did you know that soccer is hardcore/metal as fuck?

In the case of Santa Monica's Cryptic Slaughter it was!

These young So-Cal teen ragers met whilst playing in a youth soccer league before turning into one of the premiere standouts of the "crossover" genre.

Here's their lightning fast & core-as-fuck first album that still stands the test of time 23 years later.

There's a certain element of fury & angst shown here that seems to be missing from alot of metal/core bands these days that is present on this recording - see for yourself, whydontcha?

*(This shit fits perfectly between "Horrified" and "Animosity")*



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Cryptic Slaughter - Convicted



THIS POST MARKS THE TWO-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THIS BLOG.

It's hard for me to believe that I would still be going strong at this point.
I've done ALOT of blogs over the years, and I think I've finally found the speed/material that works for me - hopefully my ride has been fun for you as well.

While I haven't posted quite as often as I wish I could, I try to post records that are meaningful/under-appreciated/lost classics more often than not.
I like to geek out tweaking images I've found on Google of the bands. Sometimes a cool picture to fuck with inspires the post - what can I say, I love to fuck around in Photoshop!

I've made some cool friends with this blog, as well as made some contacts with some of the bands; also just as important is the fact that ALL the blogs I have linked to in the sidebar I can honestly say are great people who share the same lust for music that I do.
We don't all have the same taste - mine is questionable on most days - but that's what makes "the hunt" so fun, right?

Anyways, I'm gonna go back to my ice cream before it all melts, but I thought I'd say THANK YOU to those of you who stop by - your comments are always appreciated!
While I may not always reply to the dialogue, I certainly enjoy the stories that you share with me, and that in turn has inspired many a post here as well - keep those comments/suggestions coming!

THANK YOU FOR VISITING THE SICKNESS THAT IS LO-RES VISCERA.

(There's more to come).

CRUMBSUCKERS.

If ever there was a NYC band that fit the crossover bill, it would be these guys.
Many would label them as a "joke band" - (that would come later) - but honestly? The riffage on here is no fucking joke, son.

A perfect mix of NYHC-meets-Bay Area Thrash, and for me that's a winning combo on most days...



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Crumbsuckers - Life of Dreams

VIOLATION.

Chunka-chunka-chunka,
Growl-growl-growl...

I mean that in a GOOD way.

Excellent contemporary more-newschool-hardcore-than-metal, and defintiely NOT part of the "Thrash Revival".
These So-Cal thugs are more akin to falling sound-wise somewhere between World Burns to Death/Buried Alive/Slayer. Rad cover art, too.



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Violation - Devoured

INFERNO.

Rockin' 80's thrashcore from Germany.

Inferno had some reknown in the States back in the day as they were a favorite of Pushead, and were part of the whole Pusmort thing he had going on back then.

(I forgot about how fucking good these guys were; it's easy to forget about music you own due to having 200GB+ loaded in your iTunes)...

Excellent stuff you should certainly check out if you haven't already.
It's MUCH better than say, Mastodon, (or anything with that shitty JD Baizley / Pushead ripoff cover art on it) - or whatever flavor-of-the-week "thrash revival" band you'll read about in next month's Decibel Magazine...



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Inferno - Hibakusha




Now playing: Envy - Invisible Understanding
via FoxyTunes

PRESTO?

Some excellent Brazilian Hardcore (they always do HC well, don't they?) that pretty much runs the gamut of all things old-school whether we're talking hardcore, thrash, crust, etc.
These guys know how to mix it up well without sounding like are emulating anyone.

I wish I could tell you more about their history as I don't know much about them - (especially like, "what's up with that name?") - but I will tell you that they have been kicking the ass of my ears for the past week or so at 7am whilst driving in the Battle Toaster on my way in to work each morning...

Excellent riffs, nice guitar tone, rabid drumming, and those high-and-low back-and-forth crust-inspired vocals? You'll find them all here, check it out!



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Presto? - Atentado Sonoro




Now playing: League Unlimited Orchestra - Things That Dreams Are Made Of
via FoxyTunes

NEGATIVE GAIN.

Early eighties hardcore skate-thrashers from Toronto who had chops beyond their (mid-teens when they recorded this!) years - not unlike their 'Nucker bretheren Beyond Possession, but a bit more 'core than metal.

You know they were good, 'cuz this came out on the Pusmort label...



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Negative Gain - Back from the Dead

STACK.

It's probably been posted elsewhere on other blogs better than this one, nor do I have much information about them to share with you, but if you never heard Germany's powerviolence/thrashcore heavyweights before, now is the time to grab this discography and prepare to get your earballs kicked off (or something like that)...



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Stack - Konkret Lichtgeschwindigkeit




Now playing: Agata - Air Nozzles and Echoes Reset Live

D.R.I.

I was cleaning out the garage this weekend and found a box of old VHS tapes.
In there was this gem, so I thought I'd fire up my old VCR (they're all old now, aren't they) and record the audio from this solid performance of the best D.R.I. line-up from back in the day.

I wonder what any of their records after "4 of A Kind" sound like; haven't heard anything since - which, by the way - I love said album (as well as the early years).
Lots of fond memories of hot late night sk8 road trips around MI in the summertime, etc.
One for the ages, enjoy my boredom...



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D.R.I. - 06.27.1987 Live at The Ritz, NYC




Now playing: From Hell - Words Mislead You

MUGA.

I wish I could tell you more about this thrashy/metallic darkened-hardcore crew from Japan, but web presence is nearly non-existent.
I will tell you that they fucking kick ass with their solid (and fresh) approach to hardcore without all the usual cliches that come with the genre.

If anyone has any more info, or better cover art, or images, or just more music in general from these guys (and a girl) please share, willya?




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Muga - Muga




Now playing: Mörser - The Aim and the Method

ANGKOR WAT.

While Corpus Christi, TX may not be known as a hotbed for hardcore or metal bands, it did spawn a truly great thrashcore/crossover/whatever band in the form of Angkor Wat.

Great fucking riffage; all choppy and shit.
Fits perfectly next to that Beyond Possession record.

You should fucking own this.



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Angkor Wat - When Obscenity Becomes the Norm... Awake!




Now playing: Watch Me Burn - Infect

324.

Tokyo motherfuckin' grindrebel K-I-N-G-S, bitch.

These guys are hard to beat.

Enjoy this shit as it may be a bit slow around here over the weekend.
We have house guests from the ATL that i don't really dig on - their friends of the lil lady - but hey it's cool. Except they are staying in my office so I probably won't have much time to work on the L-R V.

*Oh yeah - I got prescription glasses today. Kinda weird...



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324 - Rebelgrind




Now playing: Imperial Crystalline Entombment - RÂvaskeith's Revenge

HELLNATION.

Ear-bleeding SHRED in the form of some blistering thrashy dirt-head hardcore, straight from "over yonder-holler, Kentucky".
It's hard to pick just one Hellnation record - and I'm not saying this one is the best or anything - but this one has been the soundtrack to my Saturday.
Furious and heavy, you can't go wrong with these guys...

D/L Hellnation - Thrash Wave right here.