Deathlust

You either love or hate Kickback. There is no middle ground. Hailing from France, the band has been spreading its message of violence, decay, and Marquis De Sade themes since the early nineties and "No Surrender" is their latest full-length. Ignoring Kickback's controversial history for a moment, this effort is what negative hardcore should be: aggressive and out for blood.

Whereas bands like California Love and Gehenna prefer short, misanthropic assaults, Kickback puts out jams that can range past the five minute mark. Musically, this is like a continuation of "Les 150 Passions Meurtrieres", meaning it has a little more of a Black Metal tinge rather than NYHC. I read an interview that explained the change - the new guitarist has a history with BM (To be clear though, BM has always been an influence on the material, at least to my ears). The assaults may be longer, but they still pack the same punch as C/L does. Even with the longer numbers, there isn't that usual repetitious feel; they keep the listener engaged and uncomfortable.

"No Surrender" powers through eleven tracks in thirty-seven minutes but I cannot help but want more. There's a new full length on the horizon - a two year gap is much better than ten for sure. In the mean time, revisit the band's catalog for some serious metallic hardcore with hate and perversion.

I never really checked out the band until I heard the guest vocals on the Blind To Faith split and for a while I couldn't get past them. They were screechy and at first seemed out of place with the rest of the band. After a couple of listens to "Forever War", I was completely swayed and have never looked back.

The new material is going to slay. As a side note, this was - to my knowledge - only released on CD, which is a momentary bummer. GSR still has this in stock along with some gnarly shirts and hoodies. Support a good band.

This World Is A Shithole

A quick glance at this blog will reveal my love for Gehenna. For my money, there is no heavier, hyper-aggressive band in the world. This cassette tape was the start and features some of the band's best material. I absolutely love the look of the tape; it is housed in a thin manila envelope with a morbid cover and Gehenna written in the corner. It's not flashy nor busy but simple and to the point. Inside, there are a handful of booklets, including one that features the lyrics while others are ads for long gone distros and bands - Fall Silent. The imagery is stark and the simple fact that its black and white simply adds to the grim style. Continuing with the aesthetics, the demo's look reminds me more of a d-beat/crust band rather than hardcore, which is refreshing.

As soon as the first track, "83%", begins, a whirlwind of hatred and violence washes over the listener. The feedback crescendos into crushing guitars and savage drumming. Mike Cheese's demonic growls and apocalyptic lyrics sets the band apart from the usual formula. For example, the first words uttered on this recording are: "Human debris covers the Earth." It truly is negative hardcore. "83%" chugs along, complete with breakdown moments and snarling vocals. This is probably one of my favorite songs but as much as I enjoy it on the demo, the song is so much more intense with the most current line-up (Having members of Reno metal outfit Violent Ruler only adds to the speed and thrash). This is showcased during the live set on Erratic Radio this past summer.

Immediately after the first track, "Woodmaker" continues what "83%" started. As harsh as Mike Cheese's vocals get, they still are almost clean giving the music a much more powerful edge - the reason I say that is that the vocals could very easily be cookie-cutter grindcore nonsense and the lyrics would be lost in cheesy growls. One cannot help but sing along to the chorus of "We Must Obey".

The final track is "The Bottom Line", an abstract number revolving around pain and revenge. One of the biggest things that attracted me to Gehenna's music was the level of sophistication and thought that went into the lyrics. Portraits are clearly painted for the listener in the span of two to three minutes, portraits that are both vivid and often violent. To close things out is one of the more interesting lyrics: "Straight Edge, I Win Again". It's interesting to see how the band matured since the demo. It doesn't take too much to see how much more psychedelic/trippy/drugged out Gehenna became in their latest full length and especially the Blind To Faith split.

This version of the demo - cassette tape in the envelope - is long out of print and very hard to find. Luckily I scored one on eBay (Just the tape at first but then one with the envelope and insert) for a great price. For those that want to hear the numbers without tracking down the tape, they were gathered for the excellent "The War Of The Sons Of Light And The Suns Of Darkness" semi-discography CD and later on the LP. Like the tape, the original CD, which was released by CrimethInc, is out of print; A389 released the LP a couple of years back and still has copies of both the first and second press. The three tracks might some of my favorite but I prefer the various versions on live records (83% on the aforementioned Erratic Radio session and on the Catharsis split) a bit more.

It's a great starting point if you're new to Gehenna. You're given a ten minute assault on humanity, an assault that is merciless and stark. All hail the Seven Crowns.

Stumble To Failure

"Reaping The Whirlwind: is California Love's second 12" but like the Low Profile Threat record, it's short as hell. While the length of time may be a bummer, the content is top notch. The sound can easily be described as a mix of Infest and Gehenna; you get the intensity of the former and the negative, misanthropic black metal tinged latter (This recording doesn't have too much of a black metal influence but C/L's final output "Post Mortem Emanations" does.).

The biggest surprise to me was the simple fact a label like Youth Attack! released this monster; Youth Attack! is respectable and has worked with bands like Ruination and The Repos but this - "RTW" - doesn't fit their usual criteria. In any case, this was also released by the band on their Cali Love label.

Ten to one if I've talked to someone about music, California Love has been mentioned. It's a violent, take-no-prisoners style that many attempt but few excel. A Gehenna quote comes to mind: "Our songs are about real fighting. Fighting is violent, brutal, calculated, and unmerciful. Not just fighting with your fists, or with guns, or with knives, but fighting with every fiber of your existence. These fights are everywhere... On the streets, against yourself, mental, legal, spiritual, or financial, wars. Every living thing is fighting an unending battle." Lyrically, the band doesn't push the boundaries nor are they overtly poetic but they're brutally honest.

Tracks like the closing "Wolf Feast" are just negative assaults on humanity and document the simple fact that life is a war. The usual topics are discussed; misanthropic and apathetic humans, religion, and failure. For example, "Of Flesh": "Mankind surrounds me - can't stand the sight - your voices disgust me - worthless lumps of flesh - always around me - suffocating - feelings violent urge - fuck your life." In under a hundred words, you're painted a bleak outlook that is sure to ruin your day.

I've seen this band described as grindcore, hardcore, power-violence, death metal - pretty much every name under the sun - but to me only one name stands out: Negative Hardcore. Whilst Gehenna's lyrics are more abstract at times, both bands share the same outlook and the same sound, It's no mistake that there is a split between them (A389 still has some in stock), a record I'm positive will appear here.

As I mentioned above, Youth Attack! and Cali Love released "Reaping The Whirlwind" back in 2008. I've been able to track down a handful of variations:

/100 Green Vinyl w/ Silk Screen Cover
/100 Purple Vinyl w/ Silk Screen Cover
/500 Green Vinyl w/ Regular Cover
/500 Purple Vinyl w/ Regular Cover
/? Gray Vinyl w/ Regular Cover (This is a transition color so I have no idea on the pressing info)

While California Love released the flawless "Can't Waste Death" 12", I have to admit that this is my favorite record by them. "Reaping The Whirlwind" is the perfect album for Winter. Take a seat and embrace the hate.