Out for Blood #1 (zine seizure)

Out for Blood is the next step behind the sordid mind(s) putting out Excitement Level Zero and the band Cretins, and announces itself on the cover as a zine that'll "shit-talk."

A great aesthetic and layout, not too different from ELZ really. Unfortunately, I found the John Evicci interview to be kind of softball, which was a bummer because (like the rest of the world) I love Out Cold. No matter because the Jon Westbrook interview picked it back up, tracing Knife Fight's history with a few things nerdy and nuggety here and there, and because the dude is always willing to talk about cool shit from their era and he's not afraid to pontificate on California's weirdness and KF's outcast status.

Honestly though, the zine's real identity lies in its (as suggested on the cover) outspoken reviews. The author has a serious thing against "dangly earring punks" and makes fun of Tumblr almost as much as I do. I'm also a big fan of the term "chain posers" because...who doesn't agree that this is kind of getting out of hand here? Also, I like that he disses The Flex and Obstruct, just because I (still) think it's funny when popular hype bands get shit on, regardless of my own feelings on them. Contrived or genuinely angry, it was an entertaining read, and as anyone who's ever tried to write about music knows, it's way more fun to talk about that which sucks than that which gets your approval. 

I got mine here. By the looks of it, you can too. 

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.