The Abused + Edgegazer Fanzine + : Weekly Seizure 11.8.13

Greetings goofballs. Got some GREAT gear in this week. Still burning through some tapes and zines, but these are the ones I'm gonna focus on for the here and now. Also, not that it matters, but I tried listening to Unbroken this week and it still didn't do much for me. Now you know.

EDGE GAZE-AHHH BITCH PLEAZAH

1) Edge Gazer Fanzine
Edge Gazer is a visually impressive fanzine done by a younger coreman (with some serious photography chops) down in Texas. I dig his enthusiasm for newer core, and overall enjoyed the zine. I know there was a little bit of balking at the steep price, but in the end I figured it'd be worth it and I'm not disappointed.

BRICK CITY

This is probably the most coverage I've ever seen given to Life of Reilly so that was cool. I dug the reflection on Free Spirit as I too am bummed about the record that didn't materialize out of that awesome promo tape last year. The definite highlight for me was the Chris Corry interview (interesting nuggs about Stop & Think, WW4 and the Pain Cave). The Intent layout rules (See above). My only gripe comes with the reviews...and I know, after all the time I spend complaining about how zines never have reviews I should probably shut my yap, but hear me out. I like that they're long and heartfelt, I just think the verbiage is a little convoluted and hard to understand. Generally though it's a good read and an impressive first effort. Really impressive. I got mine straight from the source, but you can save a few bucks if you get them from Mosher's Delight here.

JUST ANOTHER FOOL

2) The Abused - Loud and Clear Reissue
I'm not gonna "review" this record because you should have heard it already. Bonafide NYHC gem. Guitar tone, riffs, art, the total package. I used that old anecdote about how these dudes got into hardcore because they stole a car and found a Minor Threat cassette in the tape deck to open up a paper in college and my professor seemed horrified. Anyway, in terms of the re-ish, this is one of the best I've seen. Super extensive booklet filled with flyers, setlists, photos and a sticker sheet. Side A has the original record on it along with a live version of "Police Reign" and side B has the demo tape on it.

To steal an exchange I had with my Oz-Barney brother BSN: "The spiciest of the reissue meatballs." If only that half-assed Krakdown reissue on State of Mind would've looked this good...

Radio Raheem is sold out for now, but there's another press coming mid-December.

Boston Strangler - Joke's On You 3 song promo: (NOT EXACTLY A) Demo Dogz #9:

DID U HEAR ABOUT THE BOSTON STRANGLAH? THE ONE THAT EVERY BODY KNOWS

Got this one from Fun With Smack and got it super quick. Super happy with it, just as I have been with everything the Strangler's done. 3 rippers, even more of a Discharge vibe and my new favorite B.S. cut "Forward into Hell." Seriously, how hard does that song rip? Good n' throaty on that melody, straight up perfect track. Love the vocals. Seriously. Writing about hardcore is stupid sometimes. You've already downloaded this, so go listen to it your damn self and try to tell me I'm wrong.

Mighty Mighty Boston

Intent Demon (Logo Power #7)

This demon mosher guy came from Edge Gazer fanzine, but I think he's all over Intent's letterhead and was probably done by Chris X based on his involvement with other Intent related ventures. I like that he's making the "Loser L" with his right hand.

Confirmation Bias Fanzine (Logo Power #6)

The pile of cocaine kind of looks like a nacho smoking a joint. Don't act like you weren't thinking it.

Found this in the satirical Confirmation Bias zine (reviewed elsewhere on 'dis blog). Too adorable to pass up. A stylized depiction of the devil's lettuce trying to screw up hardcore for everyone. NOT ON MY WATCH.
Couldn't find a credit for the artist, but again, you can get the zine here.

Confirmation Bias Fanzine (Weekly Seizure - 12.1.13)

JOKES ON YOU!

It was a good mail week. New Boston Strangler promo tape, new ish of Chump Change and two new ishes of Mosher's Delight. Expect slow and inconsistent coverage here! I wanted to shed some light on an interesting zine I picked up in a package from a european friend.

PILLS SNOT FEAR

1) Confirmation Bias Fanzine
"Confirmation Bias" is the tendency that humans generally have to gravitate towards ideas and concepts and information that favors what they already believe. That we have a "grand narrative" in our heads, and when we have experiences which confirm this grand narrative, we gravitate towards them. When we have experiences which negate this grand narrative, we ignore them or spin them until they do. It's a fascinating idea, and one that I definitely see in my own life. Anyway, I knew this one wasn't going to be a "reviews + interviews + rad old pics" zine, and I kind of expected not to like it. The zine is broken up by a litany of lists and brief essays, usually humorous ("how to survive an all-dayer" and "How to sneak into shows without paying") that in some way relate to the hardcore scene.

Like Portlandia it presents a funny satire of a subculture (in this case, hardcore/straight edge) that's supposed to be hyperbolic. It works generally (I thought the idea it presented about enacting "straight edge revenge" at shows was hilarious) but at times the jokes kind of get tired and it's hard to see if it's really a satire or genuine nerdery. The straight edge clip art page wasn't really my thing I guess.

ACTUAL CONCEPT DESIGN FOR TECH DECK T-SHIRT

Overall though, it was refreshing and kind of funny. Oh, there's also a Sectarian Violence tour journal in it. Fun read. I know there's a niche of people who'd appreciate this kind of humor. Those interested can seek them out here. It's in Europe, so make sure you account for shipping charges.

In Effect Fanzine (Logo Power #5)

RE-BOOT? LOL

Another one taken from In Effect Fazine. It was a forward-thinking article about "HARDCORE ON THE NET."

Token Entry Buttcheek (Logo Power #4)

PINK THINGS?

This was taken from In Effect Fanzine #11. It appears to be some sort of alien skinhead, completely naked except for a pair of Doc Marten boots, a tribal-ish tattoo on his right arm and the Token Entry logo tattooed onto his left ass-cheek. It speaks for itself really.

The Flex - Flexual Healing Vol 2: (NOT EXACTLY A) Demo Dogz #8

I've got a great new formula...for BLACK AND REDDDDDD

The Flex - Flexual Healing Vol. 2 

In the Doghouse: Live at Mongrel Fest

I'd been wanting one of these tapes for a while, and finally managed to acquire one through a euro trade. I loaded praise on their first demo in Drug Dogs Newsletter #A and at this point they've also got a  7" out too. Since this is a live tape, I won't go too deep into the bands sound, but if you dig burly, mean, one-two-feck-you kinda old Boston stuff, then you've probably already discovered this band. 

The sound quality of this recording ain't terrible either. I'm not sure if that sample at the beginning was added in later, or if they opened their set with it, but either way it's cool. I wasn't really familiar with Mongrel Fest until I'd read Big Karl's review of it in Intro Changes #2. 

REXUAL REELING

Highlights:

-Mongrel Fest seems like a cool fest, and whoever got to see this set was privileged because this band rules. (I think I've seen the video floating around).

-There's a great "Unity" speech (that doesn't get too namby pamby) right before an excellent cover of Breakdown's "Kickback."

-Between songs, you can hear two moshers talk about how tired they are at this point in the day. Having never been to a hardcore show in the UK, I find it comforting that showgoers there talk about the same inane stuff.

-The "Get in the pit and touch each other" mosh call. 

-Youth of Today's "Take a Stand" gets the cover treatment at the end, and it sounds straight ferocious.

-You can download this tape/set in one entire MP3 at their bandcamp, here. 

True - DEMO: Demo Dogz #7

I've got a ton of tapes I wanted to give some attention to. I'm just going to start whittling down the stack. Not enough reviews are getting posted online, just download links. Bleh.

If the kids, are united...

TRUE - The 4 Song Demo

I got this through the mail from my friends over at Mosher's Delight HQ in Washington DC. It's the second release on the zine-turned-label and it's made up of guys in Ancient Heads and Demolition.

Unabashedly straight edge, definite Insted vibe, heavy on the youth crew tip. The best track on here is definitely "Life Won't Pass Me By." Good long intro, and a wonky kinda break down that seriously reminds me of something great that The Offspring would have used circa Ignition. (Yes, that's most certainly a compliment).  

I also really like this demo because it says THE REAL UNITED EDGE really big on the spine, but it's not the name of the demo. It just looks cool up there.

Anyway, interested parties should consult their bandcamp (http://therealunitededge.bandcamp.com/) where they can download the album, or the Mosher's Delight Bigcartel to purchase a copy.

The Flex Snoopy (Logo Power #3)

Snoopy slept on top of his house. He was a true renegade. He wears a punk collar. Taken from the newest tape by The Flex. 

Gratitude Fanzine #1 + Ride the Fury #3 (Weekly Seizure - 11.24.13)

I got to live out a middle school obsession and see Monster Magnet this week. If you happen to be a fan of the Magnet, get in touch. I'm thinking about starting a usenet forum. This week I got a few zines, namely Edgegazer and Gratitude, and the ever growing stack on my desk of things to review just keeps getting less and less tamed.

1) Ride the Fury - Pro Wrestling Zine #3

I caught this one on the last go-around and liked it enough to order again. Many of you already know I'm a wrasslin' fan across the board, and I'm glad that there's some ink being dedicated to the similarities between the cultures. I'm also prone to buy things which have "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan on them.

USA! USA!

The zine also came with a homemade Ring of Honor DVD which I haven't watched yet, but is from a good era of that promotion. I'm stoked on this zine but have a few gripes. There's some really great purely wrestling zines right now (Atomic Elbow here in the states, and Calling Spots in the UK). The layout is a little too "indesign" ish, to the point where the interview with Jam of Code Orange Kids is almost unreadable due to weird spacing errors. However, it saves itself with a few gems. One being an interview with Tom Sheehan in which he tells a story about Indecision touring with Milhouse and Silent Majority and how they gave a shirt to Perry Saturn at a rest stop. I'm also a big fan of the question "If your parents said you could bring back one wrestler who passed away to come back to life to eat Thankgiving with you, who would it be?" Bummed no one said "Ravishing" Rick Rude though. That's my answer, no question.

Nope, that ain't NYC Mayhem-era Tommy Carrol. RIP Brother

Overall, it's sick, the DVD is a nice flourish and I loved issue 2. The fuzzy layouts may seem like a persnickety gripe, but my eyes suck and it was kind of a stumbling block here. Much respect to the back cover image though, a full on HBK tribute mural.

Barbershop Window

DVD's, zines, demos and anything else related to Ride the Fury records (including the above reviewed zine) at their bigcartel. 

2. Gratitude #1

I don't feel even remotely hyperbolic by calling this the best zine of 2013. As a means of disclosure, I actually contributed the Rampage centerfold, but my bias isn't any issue. Gratitude takes after the zenith-era of brilliantly written core culture zines Lockin Out #1 Fanzine and Trumbull Escapades. These zines were insular, obsessive and academic in ways few other zines were, and at times even genius. I won't sell this one that hard. You're either into the aforementioned zines and therefore 'get it' or you don't. I am going to leave this, my favorite quote in the entire zine because it absolutely articulates my position on Metallica better than anything I've ever managed to pen...and i wrote an entire 60-page senior capstone project on them in college. (Not a joke:

What's cool about Metallica is: everything. I revel in seeing them bum people out by doing things they sincerely think are great. Sometimes I don't even know if what they're doing IS great, there's just too much history there for me to make heads or tails of it. The world's finest authors couldn't make up a character like Lars Ulrich if it was their life opus - the closest we have is Pete Campbell from Mad Men. God bless them both. --Leah Geragosian (@diahleah)

Top notch content and contributors, excellent art, footnotes (!) and the best Free Spirit interview I've ever read. There's a few of them here at the Mosher's Delight bigcartel. Get on the right wagon, bunko. 

Me and the dog will show you who's hard

Neutral Accents Fanzine (Weekly Seizure - 11.17.13)

Filthy Lucre

Greetings, groin grabbers. Got a huge order of things to read and listen this week, coming in from all corners of the world (see above). Great stuff. Particularly chuffed over The Flex Live at Mongrel fest tape, courtesy of my euro friend Fabian.

Fly the flag

1) Neutral Accents #5
I'd be remiss not to mention my favorite fanzine in America, Neutral Accents, and I recently snagged #5. 

I basically put Neutral Accents in the same camp as those "lad culture" mags (Think Loaded) that popped up in the UK throughout the 90's. They were mags which glorified a culture more than anything else, vying for the ribald interests of the modern English male through slick coverage sex, drugs, rock n' roll and copious amounts of SOCCER (erm...football). Perhaps NxA is the calloused, cynical and wholly depraved successor to these magazines, feverishly scraping into the corners of the modern male psyche. Pornographic illustrations, old rock n' roll, selective amounts of hardcore (none o' that B9 nonsense) and a series of film reviews (Grim Cinema) that rivals anything "The Academy" could put together makes it, in my opinion, the best fanzine in America. 

One for the freaks. For the rockers. For the knuckleheads who have Think I Care next to Thin Lizzy in their iTunes. 

#5 comes out swingin' with my favorite back cover image of all time (see above), a great interview with Hoxton Tom McCourt, "Captain Drack" (great raunchy comic about a Duke Nukem type with a mean streak), a guide to home brewing and an always great Grim Cinema section (side note: the review of Only God Forgives was so good, it convinced my girlfriend to rent it at Redbox. Thanks Neutral Accents, you saved our evening!). Plus, great layouts, funny pics and great reviews. If you're not on the Neutral Accents wagon, than you're on the wrong wagon entirely. Rectify it. There's still some zines available at their bigcartel! 

It speaks for itself

The Skaggs Savage Rhythm (Weekly Seizure - 11.10.13)

As we whittle down into the nitty gritty, meaty big and bouncy center of the winter holiday sandwich, remember to think about the things that really make life's casserole sweet: zines, riffs and the seasonal pumpkin flavoring of various desserts and hot drinks.

Plenty of fare to report this week (including a copy of the new Neutral Accents fanzine), but I've still gotta chew my way through it. 

I had a friend that used to smoke

1) The Skaggs - Savage Rhythm Demo Tape

I got this one through a euro internet friend (Unionwiththeabsolute) is the only name I know off the cuff, but the point is, he had the decency to send me this (and Lost in Space) zine, even after I totally failed at getting him a Get Down demo on Ebay. Good dude who's been a big supporter of Drug Dogs Zine. The Skaggs take their name from country music singer Ricky Skaggs and play a crooning style of early 2000's Wal-Mart Country...just kidding. They're a German band who take cues from the gritty likes of 86 Mentality, Void and I hear a little bit of SSD in the vocals. There seem to be a lot of european bands playing this style (maybe it's just my misplaced excitement for the Violent Reaction/The Flex tour that's supposed to hit Yankee shores soon) but I don't have any complaints about it. The demo itself sounds like a moderately crisp boombox recording (wish the drums were louder, but it makes the guit sound kinda fuzzed out so that's cool), and they take some stylistic cues from the "drawing Iron Maiden logos on my pee-chee folder" school of artwork (see also: Peacebreakers). Pick one up here because you could do far worse. Shout out to the Freaks and Geeks sample in "Wise Ways," weirdo/spooky guitar lines in "White Lies" and the screamed expletive which caps off "Sorry State." Ultimately, I don't care if you dig my comparisons. I like this tape, and think you should check it out if any of the aforementioned bands flip your cookie.

You know what he's up to now? He's Dead

Chiller Than Most Fanzine + Activate Fanzine (Weekly Seizure - 11.3.13)

Hey howdy ho. Nothing much to report except for that I still have a ton of zines to read! Thought I'd share some thoughts on a few that've come my way.

Activate #1

1) Activate #1
To shoot perfectly square, this one kinda fell flat on me. I'm not a huge fan of the layouts and the huge print...makes me feel like I'm getting screwed on content. I also didn't like that I was promised "reviews" and there were only 2. The questions tend to be of the surface variety ('who are your influences?' 'Who plays what?') and remind me of zines like It's Your Choice (which I did not like). That being said, there IS some cool content. Poder Absoluto is a band I've been interested in lately, and the interviews with Intent, Disapproval and Freedom were decent. Oh, my art was also reprinted here on the Dog Years interview. There's certainly potential with this zine. My honest opinion is "quality over quantity," so maybe trimming down on the number of interviews and digging a little deeper in the interview process would help? This could've been so great with a better layout and some reviews...
Looks like they're sold out, but keep your eye on their bigcartel here for future updates.

Team Tapir

2) Chiller Than Most #1
Incredible zine offering from a longtime internet buddy Atilla. The zine comes out of Europe (Hungary) and is completely cut n' paste for an incredible layout (peep the photo below). Nice, thorough interviews with Zach from Intent, Stand Clear, True, Unified Right and Rich Perusi's new band Garbageman. Great reading, great to look at. Definitely worth your time. Again, it's sold out, but maybe pay attention to their bigcartel and hope for a reprint.

LORDY that layout. Looks like a Ninja Turtles action figure package. 

Hashtag Hardcore Fanzine + Wasted Paper Fanzine (Weekly Seizure - 9.29.13)

Thanks for your patience folks. Things are a little bit skee-wompus here at the Drug Dogs camp, but per usual, I'm not going to let the stress of spinning a few plates keep me from what I love: zines about hardcore. Here's a little bit of what's been accompanying me on my (many) bathroom trips this week.

1) #Hardcore / Hungry is How I Feel Fanzine

Ultimately, I'm split over this zine. I'm not entirely sure how to divvy it up and who gets credit for what, but as far as I can tell, it's a collaborative effort between two zines (#Hardcore and Hungry is How I Feel zine). For the most part, it's excellent. I loved the first ish of #Hardcore because it had a euro zine feel, reminiscent of 00's zine fare like Hustler and stuff. Also, I'm not as up on Euro core so from an educational standpoint it's great.

It's also loaded with content, so for sheer volume, you can't do much worse. 

Highlight include: an excellent cut-n-paste layout, some opinionated columns, tons of reviews of records, shows and zines (wtf is up with people doing zines that don't include reviews? GET OUTTA HERE WITH THAT WEAK STUFF!), a word find, an awesome interview with Spoiler, an interesting interview with Kirby Michael and an interview with Kickback where he talks about banging prostitutes and practicing black magic in Thailand. It's also nice to see Darkside NYC getting a little bit of attention too…"so what's the problem douche-waffle?! That's all really great stuff." You're right. It is, and I feel like that alone would've made for an excellent zine.

Frankly, the food content was a little too much for me. I'm not a vegan, but I date one, and I know how passionate people get over their grub…and how annoying it is to listen to them talk about it.  I just don't really have much desire to read about it in a hardcore zine. I admit it's a creative angle, and it was done tastefully in the Spoiler interview, but the main reason I picked this up was for the Mike Dijan interview and honestly? It was the biggest letdown of the whole zine. Very little put it into discussing his musical projects past and present, and a whole lot discussing food, yoga and other non-core fare. Whatever, maybe it sounds bratty but I stand by it.

Good JUSTICE talk

I'm also a little bit torn on the True Colors bit. I mean, I'm a fixie rider so I should've been way into this, but I would've rather read about True Colors generally. All that being said, I see the appeal. Taking a "road less travelled" approach with content is commendable, and perhaps I'm not looking at it through the correct lens. As an American, I wasn't as familiar with True Colors before I saw them with Mindset in 2009 and I became a huge fan. I would've liked to read more on those experiences, but at this point it becomes a "beggars can't be choosers" thing.

 The truth is that, even with my gripes, this is still an excellent zine that's loaded with great content…I just feel like I need to acknowledge a flaw.

If you're in the states, I got mine through Grave Mistake so I'd suggest you take that route too, lest you get slammed on shipping from Europe. 

Pepto-Bismol

2) Wasted Paper #2

Got this one through a friend who's also in the ontario band Straight Truth.

I'm a huge fan of the sloppy layout because it's hand-made and it rules. The interviews are short, but conversational so they serve a real supplemental purpose (something that zines HAVE to do in the internet era). Also shout out to the awesome artwork on the back, depicting punx past and present. Highlights: stories of Hoagie ruining outfits with a bottle of pepto bismol and referring to it as "father's secret elixir." 

How HI can a punk get?

Also, big fan of any zine who "reviews" Kramer's business ideas.  The Ancient Heads interview was a firing line style number, a little reminiscent of Mosher's delight and the Omega's interview is full of requisite insanity. Worth hunting down for a quick, yet delightful, read.

3) Ancient Heads - Both Demos 7" [Climbin' Aboard / Ground Floor]

Between both demos and the radio set, I've already gushed over this band enough. This 7" sees both demos packaged together. Worth it for the insert (A Mad Magazine collage) alone! Buy/Stream here if you're a latecomer. 

What, me worry?

Wasted Paper Fanzine (Weekly Seizure - 9.22.13)

Hey all. I'm still crazy bizzay so nothing too in-depth here. Wanted to showcase this awesome layout from Wasted Paper Zine though. If I wasn't such a coward, I'd go back to the pure cut n' paste layouts...looks great and the content's good too. Full review forthcoming.

HOAX HITS SLC

PEE PEE

Breakdown Burger (Weekly Seizure - 9.8.13)

ARGH. Finally done criss-crossing this fair nation of ours, which means I can finally sit down and read/write. For now, here's a graphic of Breakdown's burger logo. D'oi.

Special Sauce

Straight Truth + Hashtag Hardcore Fanzine (Weekly Seizure 8.18.13)

Greetings dawg-ers. I've gotta get a few rocks outta my backpack right away here, and while I fully admit to being a straight up mark for zines and all things HC zine related, I haven't had much time to sit and read this week. Never you mind why (it's for good reason though) but just know that it hasn't been for lack of good rags...just lack of time. So while I play aspiring journalist for a bit this week when I travel to L.A. I hope to get plenty of good readin' in. However, just to give an idea of what's been coming through my mail-slot this week, here's a lil mini post.

Dat burger

1) #Hardcore #2
After trying to track this thing down from Europe for about a month, I feel happy to have one in my hands...which segues right into why Grave Mistake Records is the best punk/HC mailorder company in "the business" right now. Prompt Emails, fast delivery...none better. This is a thick zine, with tons of Euro hardcore coverage, which was my main intention for picking it up. Should have it all devoured here in a day or two, but I'm going to call attention to the back print here, just because I love the inclusion of Think I Care's Mongrel (for obvious reasons...best core band of the 00's, etc etc) and also Bad Religion's Recipe for Hate because even though it had mainstream aspirations to ruffle a few punker feathers (and an Eddie Vedder cameo to boot) "Kerosene" and "Struck a Nerve" are great songs, and while it's no Suffer or No Control, it's a fine record. Will provide a full report soon.

I guess it struck a nerve

2) Tapes
You'll note that Big Contest one has been out for a while. I know. I got it months ago, but I still wanna write about it and never got around to it. Take notes of the others. They're comin on the blog...and a new zine?! Yep. September.

Intent + Wild Man Wild (The Weekly Seizure 8.11.13)

Hey y'all. Kinda backed up with my other job, haven't had much chance to delve into the zines, but I got  a few tapes to tide you over til next week. Happy huntin.

1) Intent - It's Time Practice Tape
Not SUPER new and it's already long since hit the blogosphere, but I didn't go to Destroy LA, so I had to get one from the bigcartel. Sounds amazing for a practice  tape dunnit? I like the idea of bands going off and doing that, just doing it on their own and saving it for posterity. Like the Youth of Today Some Records tape I've been listening to today. Anyway, "I.G. Stomp" is a mosher something proper, and mine came with a lil note. (P.S., if you get a chance, go see Give on tour with Ceremony and pick up one of the shirts I did!)

s/o to the Zubaz Nation

2) Wild Man Wild - Dimension Dude Demo
Again, not very new, but I just got one. I actually did the artwork for this 'un, based on a bunch of suggestions that Taylor gave me and it ended up being a blast to do. Note that the tape is Zubaz print and references the Zubaz nation. I got this wrapped up in a bunch of Kansas City Royals scores from the newspaper too. Honestly, it reminds me of RZL DZL and stuff like that in the riffage and the dudes just want to have a good time. Track down the emps on a blog somewhere. If you're interested in art for your dumb band, I'm always interested. dylandraws.blogspot.com and dylanjdraws.tumblr.com for work samples. 

Hired Goons + Constant Constraint Fanzine + Extreme Aggression Fanzine (The Weekly Seizure 8.4.13)

Hey folks. Still no logo...but I did go to an ultra soul-deadening employee BBQ for my work this week. Ugh. Here's what came across my desk this week.

Harmony in my head

1) Constant Constraint #1
Ned from Title Fight does this one, and while I don't really get down with that band, the zine is cool. Layout is a little bit blurry (too much indesign) but I'll forgive it for the good content. Good questions begat good answers, and my favorite bit was in the Freedom interview when they were asked about Take Offense copping the name 'United States of Mind' for their upcoming 7". Also enjoyed an interview with Nick Woj from Cold World and Zizzack from Intent.

United States of Mind

NO PRESENTS FER XMAS

2) Extreme Aggression #1
Next up is Extreme Aggression #1.  Billed as a "metal & hardcore fanzine" and sporting King Diamond's snarling mug on the cover. A little lighter on content, but packs a wallop in the design dept. Peep the Satan's Satyrs intie below..or the completely hand written (!) Intent interview! Per the instruction page on the front, this is based outta Houston, TX, but I got it from Coke Bust's merch table. Great reading. Seriously, Satan's Satyrs is one of my favorite current bands and deserve all the praise and hype they get.

WILD BEYOND BELIEF

HIRE POWER

3) Hired Goons - Demo Tape
Burly skin-inflected core from somewhere in Canada. I got the tape in the mail this week without a lyric sheet (haven't been made yet) but I'm reminded of an early Sheer Terror (especially on 'Bearer of Plagues') with a little more rock and/or roll in the gee-tar bits. "Intro/Hire Power" is a brain-banger (can't catch the exact rhyme, but somewhere 'thunder' is rhymed with 'numbered') and I back the ever-lovin shit out of a good Simpson's Reference. HIREDGOONS.BANDCAMP.COM