Amsvartnir

Rot In Hell has been in constant rotation since releasing the excellent "As Pearls Before Swine" full-length (Which you can read over at Halifax Collect). One of their more recent releases was a split with fellow UK band Wayfarer, courtesy of Carry The Weight (CTW) Records. Each band contributed one track and just like RIH earlier material, they don't disappoint.

"Amsvartnir" starts off slowly before growing into a savage assault. I won't bore you with more references to Integrity or Ringworm. As much as those two bands may have influenced Rot In Hell, this is a fresh, bloodthirsty monster. Easily one of their better tracks (Not like they have a bad one). "Father you've had your glory. Now I'm taking mine!"

Wayfarer's "Faithless And Accursed" isn't as raw as "Amvartnir" but just as metallic. This was the first time hearing the band and it certainly was impressive. They have an LP available that I highly recommend and there's a new EP in the works - CTW has more info on both).

The packaging is really gnarly. Housed in a thick cardboard sleeve with artwork by Glyn, the first hundred copies came on white vinyl with a little booklet and other extras. The record release version came with a rune stone I've heard, but those were sold out very quickly.

Rot In Hell always has a knack for fucking interest releases, both musically and aesthetically. As cool and involved as the Wayfarer split was, it has nothing on the lathe 7" that was housed in a fucking ski mask. Even with the alternate versions of "Hallways Of The Always", there is a level of attention and detail paid that few bands can match.

Nothing but death for you all!

Another Friend To The End

Gathering ex-members of Left For Dead, Chokehold, Cursed, and The Swarm, Haymaker is guaranteed to be good. Taking cues from the previously mentioned bands whilst adding an extra level of hostility and uniqueness, a heavy, punishing sound is forged. After releasing a handful of splits and EPs, Haymaker unleashed "It Only Gets Worse", a twenty-five song assault that featured one of Pushead's better pieces on the cover.

As prevalent as the LFD/CH sound is, there is equally a mix of Infest, Negative Approach, and MDC. The lyrics are straight to the point, no bullshit attacks on American policies, gun control, cops, and most notably religion. Make no mistake, there is no tolerance. Their distaste for organized religion, particularly Christianity, is clear and reinforced with tracks such as "God Can Fuck Hymn Self" and "Team Jesus Is Losing"; t-shirts show Jesus surrounded by shotguns along with other 'sacrilegious' designs. There is no middle ground; they hate and they do it well. Yet as aggressive and downright hateful the lyrics can get, there is a limited amount of cursing. Some bands fall into a nasty habit of using cursing as a crutch, often transforming a possibly decent song into something juvenile and uninspired. Not Haymaker though.

My favorite release is "The Lost Tribe" 7", which was released by Deranged Records. From what I've gathered, this material was supposed to be on the second LP but it never saw the light. So, I take it this is a demo of sorts? In any case, there needs to be a second LP.

You get the heavy hardcore 'take no shit' side of the band with perhaps a tinge of Motorhead . By that, I mean the six tracks have a little more melody with some rock n' roll touches. Is it a rock album? Absolutely not. But it does have its moments. For example, "Another Friend To The End" breaks the cycle of under a minute hardcore numbers and in a strange way is catchy. It also happens to be one of my favorite songs, no matter the genre.

The other five tracks hit the usual topics: politics and religion and 'scenes'. To my ears, this is Haymaker at its finest. I really dig the vocals. They dominate the sound-scape - earlier recordings muffled or muddied Jeff's vocals. From the preview of Pick Your Side, Jeff's new band, it sounds the same.

Haymaker embraced hatred for... damn well everything except skateboarding. That aggression often carried over to live performances in the forms of broken glass, fireworks, fire-extinguishers, sofa couches in the 'pit, and in Baltimore's case, flying garbage cans.

So, crack open a cold one and prepare to thrash. In their own words, "Wreck Shit"!

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Pre-Order Pick Your Side's (ex-Haymaker) debut 7" over at A389.

* From the Seven Sisters Of Sleep Post: The Gehenna/SSOS/COG/CF show has been canceled, unfortunately.