Last Priest - LP 12"

I have a boner for Last Priest. These guys blow me away with how good they are. Or were, rather. This is the last record from the San Diego foursome.

Last Priest brings a slightly tighter and heavier sound than their previous incarnation, Find Him And Kill Him, and this LP, which came out in 2006, is so good it's almost upsetting. I mean shit, I named the blog after the first track on the record. It's upsetting in that you want more from a band that was clearly on top of their game and you're not going to get it. Unfortunately they were around for such a short period of time (2004-2006) and only put out three releases - a two track 7", a four track EP and this seven track LP - so we'll have to enjoy what little of them is available. I'll post those other releases later.

Brian Hill (The Plot To Blow Up The Eiffel Tower, An Arrow In Flight, Soft Pack) took over the drumming duties later on in the band's timeline but still in time to help write/record this LP.

I would list some personal stand out tracks but I'd be naming six out of the seven so what's the point? Listen to it for yourself and decide.

Download it here.

Sidetracked - "One Lane Road Ahead"

 The best hardcore in the Northwest (maybe even the west coast) consistently comes out of the southern Puget Sound region, which includes Olympia and Tacoma. Bands like Owen Hart, Sojourner, Fever and Rocket Attack have made hardcore fans nationwide sit up and take notice of what's coming out of the this cloudy corner of the country. Sidetracked is probably the band I think of first when I think of bands from the region.

Fans of Capitalist Casualties should immediately be able to notice the influence on the under 10 minute, 23 track blitz that is 2005's "One Lane Road Ahead". I would also go further and say while probably not influenced by, there are definitely some similarities on this album to San Diego icons Find Him And Kill Him.

Two videos below: the first is from the recently released 'Uniform' 7" on To Live A Lie records, which can be picked up here. This will give you an idea of their studio sound. The second video was recorded live at 924 Gilman in Berkeley.

Download "One Lane Road Ahead" here.

The Neos - 1980-1983 Discography

For some reason this blog has received the ugly stepchild treatment recently with nearly all of my blog attention directed towards El Camino Car Crash. Which is odd because I probably listen to hardcore on a more regular basis than anything else. Go figure...

In a demonstration that good hardcore can be found just about anywhere geographically at some point in history, Victoria, B.C. in the early 80's blessed us with the wonderful insanity that was The Neos. From 1980-1983, the high school trio banged out three 7"s of what had to have been the fastest and hardest punk rock coming out of western Canada at the time.

For whatever reason, the band remains relatively unknown to most despite the fact that they opened up for the likes of Black Flag, the Subhumans and the Dead Kennedys to name a few, and had their songs covered by NOFX and the mighty Charles Bronson.

Check out the first four tracks (one video) and download link below. This is good shit.

Download here.

Lightning Bolt - "Ride The Skies"

Lightning Bolt isn't for everyone. The Providence duo has been banging out their style of music since 1994. I say 'their style' because there is no genre label that adequately describes what they do. I've seen them tagged with everything from hardcore to noise punk to drum & bass, none of which sufficiently express their style.

Naturally, much of their uniqueness come from the fact that they are a two-man wrecking crew of drummer Brian Chippendale's ridiculously skilled and frenetic beats and Brian Gibson's effects driven bass barrages. Chippendale provides vocals over the chaos.

Check out the video below to hear the title track and get a small sample of their legendary live shows.

Download the business here.

Find Him And Kill Him - You Can't Fuck With The Kids EP

Find Him And Kill Him was one of those bands that would have been a blast to play in. Fast, driving , thrashy hardcore that barely allows you to come up for breaths of air in between songs. This 7", their first release, really embodies that sound and its pace and energy make it near impossible to not listen to repeatedly in one sitting.

Around from 2002 - 2004 or so, Find Him And Kill Him would go on to become one of San Diego's most beloved hardcore bands, featuring members that would later go on to play in Last Priest, The Plot To Blow Up The Eiffel Tower and Crocodiles to name a few.

All the tracks on the record are good but last track, "Find Him And Kill Him," might be one of the best hardcore sing-alongs you'll ever hear. Check it out.

Download the anger here.

Ice Nine - Nobody's Son 7"

I've been meaning to get this blog off the ground for a while now but school, my other blog and life have been getting in the way. After a few hours to myself, it's off and running. And what better way to start than what may be one of my top five favorite bands of all time in any genre: Ice Nine.

The hardcore that's been coming out of Indianapolis for the past few decades is truly some shit to behold and Ice Nine is one of many, along with greats like Burn It Down, The Dream Is Dead, Angelville, Majhas, and The Black Arrows Of Filth And Impurity to name a few, that should not be slept on. Ice Nine's discography that came out back in 2004 on Happy Couples Never Last is without exaggeration one of the best collections of music that I own, and I have a lot of music.

They were around in the early 90's, broke up in the mid 90's, played Dudefest back in 2009 and decided to put out this 7" of new material in 2010. At first I was a bit skeptical as to if they could continue the brilliance of their previous material but they've picked up right where they left off. The second track, "SPDGAF," is the standout here. It's Ice Nine as you know and love them.

Rumors have it that a full-length is on the horizon from the Naptown boys. In the meantime, check out their latest stuff.

Download the 7" here.

Buy the 7" here.