Nervosa - Jailbreak (Napalm Records) [Matt Bladen]
Filth Is Eternal - Find Out (MNRK Heavy) [GC]
My final review this week is from Seattle’s Filth Is Eternal and I have their new album Find Out has been described as a vigorous re-awakening of the band who have recently been building a decent reputation for themselves in the live scene. Fun fact, they used to be called Fucked And Bound which they decided was a bit much and changed to Filth Is Eternal. Anyway, let’s see what is going on with this album.
Its straight into it with Half Wrong which is scathing hardcore punk that flies by in just under 2 minutes and you already know that there is going to be no letting up on this album its going to be full throttle and angry all the way, Crawlspace has a crusty D-beat sound and brings that unmistakable 80’s sound gloriously into 2023. Magnetic Point clocks in at 70 seconds and despite its short run time has a measured but chaotic feel and doesn’t waste a second making its presence felt, Cherish throws a bit of a post punk vibe throughout the song but still has enough bite about it so it never loses any of its edge which is a decent trick to pull off!
Roll Critical goes back to the vicious punk you are expecting but somehow doesn’t feel as hardcore as you are wanting its more of a straightforward punk track, it is however still angry and fun, Curious Thing instantly goes back to the grimy D-beat chaos and even throws in a nice guitar solo towards the end for good measure!! Into The Curve takes us to the halfway point of this album and we haven’t even had 10 minutes of music, we don’t get much more timewise here either, just over 2 minutes but what we do get is yet another scathing and urgent punk battering.
We then come to the single Pressure Me which throws in a murky death metal-esque sound into the mix but obviously doesn’t ever veer to far away from the punk sound that they are so good at after this comes Body Void which is a barnstormer of a song and is 100% sure to be an absolute killer in the live setting as it starts of furiously and the builds and atmosphere until the furiously chaotic ending.
The Gate clocks in at a mighty 2:40 and is just dripping in 80’s hardcore throwback sounds and even when we get some melodic vocals the viciousness doesn’t stop it just keep layering it up and bringing it to new levels, Signal Decay has a measured and precise feel to the song which helps the whole sound expand again to show that they don’t just do angry, pissed off punk, they also do thoughtful, angry, pissed off punk its got a haunting beauty through and really has to be heard to appreciate just how good it is! All Mother goes directly back to the snotty punk that serves Filth Is Eternal so well and is a blast of a song that is here and gone in the blink of an eye and in the last verse on this song the vocals have such a venom in them you just have to sit back and take it all in and it leaves you drained.
Last Exit is your last slice of D-beat and it’s gloriously dirty and unrelenting throughout, its then down to Loveless to finish us off and at 3:15 its somewhat of an epic that starts with a riff so filthy you feel like you need a shower after hearing it and it continues on with this slow, grinding pace all the way through the song which is a bit of a departure from the rest of the album but it’s a gloriously disgusting way to end the album.
There was not a second wasted on this album, every note and vocal hits the mark and its full of furious anger but also underscored with fun and full throttle punk, the various styles that are sprinkled in for good measure never veer off course and always add to the sound and the way they can one minute be uncontrollably angry but the next thoughtful and melancholy is a real strength and I can only see Filth Is Eternal getting better and better as time goes on. An absolute must hear album. 9/10
Tee Pee Records doesn’t put out a ton of albums in a year, but when they do, they rarely, if ever, miss. So, when I see something coming out from them a vinyl pre order is imminent from this guy. This all holds true for the debut album from the Australian trio Stepmother, who call out bands like Blue Cheer, The Pink Fairies, and The Damned as reference points, so of course this is coming home to me. But does Planet Brutalicon live up to the Tee Pee standard and those classic bands they call out as influences?
The short answer is f yeah it does, as Stepmother kicks so much ass on Planet Brutalicon. You can hear the Blue Cheer/early punk influence all throughout the record, with no better example being the total ripper opener Fade Away. I would not be surprised if these guys had some Motorhead records in their collection too. The production on Planet Brutalicon is perfect for the band’s sound, case in point the next track, Settle Down, which is a proto metal/punk mash up that gets everyone up and moving and the sound produced by the band has been recorded as it should sound. The Damned influence is strong on Scream For Death, as the raw punk rock energy comes through strong. Where The Game is brings that high octane proto metal punk hybrid right into you face, all with a super catchy chorus. One Way Out slows it down just a tad, but still kicks ass, like a proto metal Ramones.
Tee Pee Records once again does not disappoint, as Stepmother brings it on Planet Brutalicon. This is pure rock and roll energy that dares you not to get up and move. Great stuff and a keeper for sure. We need more bands that just play kick ass rock like Stepmother brings us on Planet Brutalicon. 9/10
Maggot Heart - Hunger (Svart Records) [Paul Scoble]
Maggot Heart play aggressive rock music, that is in places; noise rock, punk rock, alternative rock or just straight hard rock over the course of this album, changing sounds depending on the mood they want for the particular song. Maggot Heart are also joined by three guest artists; Jan Groppel on trumpet, Lars Zander on tenor saxophone and Fabian De Menou on piano.
The album starts with the track Scandinavian Hunger (which is a play on words on the Darkthrone album name Transylvanian Hunger, for those readers who are not black metal fans!). Which is a great, brooding piece of noise rock with a punky edge. The riffs are nice and spikey and the song boasts a really good driving and aggressive chorus. Next we get Nil By Mouth, another uptempo rocker that is driving and purposeful, again we get a really good chorus that sticks in your head. It’s a great song that has a pleasing noisy swagger to it.
LBD has a tight strummy guitar riff and feels a little lighter than the first two songs, something that is emphasised by the use of trumpets. The song is tightly focused, and absolutely drips with great melody. The next track Archer takes us a little further from the aggression of the first two tracks. The song has a slow and brooding opening before piano and saxophone are added making the song a big ballad that just keeps getting bigger. Eventually this has reached Bond theme proportions. The song keeps growing to a huge ending with a massive and very fervent vocal performance.
This Shadow takes us back to a taut rocker. The song boasts a tight and brooding verse section and a bigger and very dramatic chorus. The song has a great ebb and flow due to the vacillating between the two sounds, I also love the huge rumbly bass guitar! Looking Back At You is another aggressive rock track, this time with a bit of an alternative rock feel to it. There is another very effective vocals performance from Linnéa Olsson and a very good dissonant guitar solo.
Concrete Soup has a brooding and dissonant feel to it, the verse section is spikey and belligerent, but is tempered by a more flowing and melodic chorus. The album comes to an end with the song Parasite, a spikey and aggressive piece of rock, with a very antagonistic chorus and a very tightly controlled verse section. There is a brooding, dark and minimal section in the middle before the song builds back up for assertive and forceful end.