THE MINGERS etc LIVE

THE MINGERS

LOS MENDOZAS

LURGAN'S VERY OWN JOHN TRAVOLTA

ONLY FUMES AND CORPSES

all pictures by Mel

This was one fun gig, 100 DRUNKEN NIGHTS opened with their Clash/Rancid inspired ska punk, getting tighter all the time. From darkest Galway was ONLY FUMES AND CORPSES, one of the hardest working bands on this Island. Mixture of melodic and harsh hardcore. Great CD out at the moment. LOS MENDOZAS, all the way from Mexico via the bypass in Bristol, when they did actually play it was fast crazy hardcore. But they were more interested in having a good time with members of the audience and giving us a good time and involving everyone. Ah, THE MINGERS, who it seems will break up soon. At least they got to play over here. Great fastish melodic punky hardcore. They were great, I think they had a good time playing live too. What was it, FULK CHELSEA (you had to be there to know what I'm on about). Colm livened things up as per usual, you can see Lurgan's very own up there in the pics. As Cormac was carried through the crowd, the gig came to an end. I sold a couple of records and went home happy.
Thanks to everyone who played.

PULLING TEETH - MARTYR IMMORTAL CD

PULLING TEETH - MARTYR IMMORTAL CD
Wow, this is one sick CD and I mean that in a good way. Most of the songs are total ragers, blasting forth from start to finish. Mental riffage at breakneck speed and insane vocals. They have a real adrenalin kick behind them. Coupled with this are some more slower, intense and melodic ranges - but still heavy at the same time. Mixing good metallic fury, with the best of hardcore. Taking the heavyness of Integrity, Tragedy and mixing Poison Idea and lots more essential ingredients and coming out with a crucial sound. The lyrics are fucking amazing, such a hatred towards some aspects of humanity. In particular our greed and wastefulness. I whole heartily agree with what they are saying. I can only imagine that they would shred live and put on an amazing live show. You know you really need this.

WWW.DEATHWISHINC.COM

WWW.PULLINGTEETHMD.COM

THE MURDER DISCO X - DISCOGRAPHY CD

MURDER DISCO X - COMPLETE DISCOGRAPHY 1997-2004 (EXIST103)
Phew! Where on earth do I start with this crucial comp? 36 songs, from their releases: SUPERCRUST 7", FEEDING OF THE 500 7", Split LP with JILTED, 1998 Demo and Comp releases MORE WORLD - LESS BANK, WELCOME TO HELL, MISSING IN ACTION, MAXIMUM SUBJECTIVITY and some unreleased tracks, along with covers of DISCHARGE, VARUKERS, SOCIETY DOG, VERBAL ABUSE and VOID. Now, despite all those tracks from different releases, numerous line-ups, the wonderful thing about MURDER DISCO X is that all the songs here sound consistent, pent up fury and anger from start to finish. Great recording quality from start to finish, which is a big plus to my ears. Exciting fast and furious 80's styled hardcore, with great d-beat sensibilities and rip roaring songs. No cannon fodder here, all highly charged incendiary, adrenalin pumping core to the max. Memorable songs that make me wanting to play it again, again and again. All the lyrics are printed in their full glory and boy Ralf is an angry man, he's got a lot of interesting things to say, doesn't hold back and I agree with his ideals. Various pics and the M.D.X. story (so far) are included. A great CD that will appeal to the hardcore purists and cruties and anyone else with good sense and taste.
PROFANE EXISTENCE RECORDS, PO BOX 18051, MN55418, USA.
WWW.RISEOFCRUST.COM
WWW.MURDERDISCO.DE

PROFANE EXISTENCE VR SERIES

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www.profaneexistence.com

SIGNAL LOST - PROSTHETIC SCREAMS CD

SIGNAL LOST - PROSTHETIC SCREAMS CD (PRANK086)

Wow, just incredible, easily one of the best releases from 2007. Great guitar driven punk, with an emphasis on tunes that are uplifting, catchy and at the same time full of depth with a mood enhancer through out. Some great surf licks, ballsy mini solos, and just darn brilliant songs. Just straight punk, no fillers and all frills. Just think of THE WIPERS, AGENT ORANGE, melodic anarcho punk. Just think of when you want fantastic punk songs that will stay with you for a long time, well then think of SIGNAL LOST. Ashley's voice has the tones of an angel, but with an angry attitude and a lust for the dark side of life. Just beautiful and punky in an AVENGERS way. "La Beaute Est Dans La Rue" is one of the best songs I've heard, it's been stuck in my head since I first heard it. This band works so well together, each of them contributing to one hell of a release. Dark lyrics, darker meanings and stunning music - definitely throwing a curved ball at you with it's beauty and strength. The artwork reflects the lyrics perfectly. You really do need this in your collection.

PRANK, PO BOX 410892, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94141-0892, USA.

WWW.PRANKRECORDS.COM

LIFE LONG TRAGEDY - RUNAWAYS CD

LIFE LONG TRAGEDY - RUNAWAYS CD

Although I did not know what to expect, I certainly did not expect this. This is the equilavent of your life's emotions compressed into 12 songs. The highs and lows are captured here in the form of LIFE LONG TRAGEDY's enchanting new CD called 'Runaways'. It's full to the brim with hook filled abrasive, yet sad melodies that capture the mood - whatever the feeling. Songs that have a lot of effort put into them with fantastic guitar work, it's a combination of riffs so soft - coupled with harsher undertones. The dual guitar attack feed of eachother and seriously impress the hell out of me. Runaways is one of those releases, that with the more you play it, the more you uncover things you did not notice in the previous listen. So it's exciting and thrilling, which makes me want to play it again and again - I know I'll be playing it for years to come. Harsh sung vocals, creeping into the songs - only add a more humane feeling and compel the listener to sing along and rock out at the same time. Angst ridden lyrics of a sensitive, yet assertive front man. It took a year to complete this and it has paid off. I can see this being the sound track for many a soul during the course of this year.

WWW.DEATHWISHINC.COM

WWW.MYSPACE.COM/LIFELONGTRAGEDY

IRON LUNG - SEXLESS//NO SEX CD

IRON LUNG – SEXLESS//NO SEX CD (PRANK 092)
The second full length from this duo and they continue with their insane wall of noise that is dubbed power-violence. For just two people, they sure know how to conjure up an incredible sound. Saying that, it is power-violence by numbers – slow heavy breakdowns that change gear in a split second and you are shaken awake by the ferocious breakneck speed and mental chord changes. It’s done really well and the fact that the sound quality is second to none definitely helps lift them above the norm in this genre. They definitely take notes from the masters, INFEST, DROP DEAD and CROSSED OUT continuing where they left off. Following the lyrics, I get the impression that they either work in a hospital or an old peoples home, or read a lot of William Burroughs along with watching b-movies? Strapped to machines and the prolonging of death is the order of the day. Extra points for having Nick Blinko artwork on the front and the text of the booklet are dissimilar to Nick’s own pen work. Need your noise fix? IRON LUNG will deliver the goods.
PRANK RECORDS, PO BOX 410892, SF, CA 94141-0892, USA.
WWW.PRANKRECORDS.COM

BORN/DEAD - THE FINAL COLLAPSE CD

BORN/DEAD – THE FINAL COLLAPSE CD (PRANK RECORDS 093)
Having already bought the vinyl version of this on their tour, I knew already what a corker it is and due to steady rotation since then one that I firmly love and will continue to play for years to come. If you don’t already have it or missed them on their tour – 3 months covering most of Europe then I suggest you not sleep on it. Already going for a number of years, with a good backlog of essential releases already under their belt, with ‘The Final Collapse’ they continue with another cracking full length and evidence that they are still burning with anger, pain and frustration. Creating an engaging mood with their medium paced anarcho punk, that thunders into fast raging parts, dipping into moody breaks with Wyatt’s sombre bass strokes. Will and Wyatt, sharing the vocals, shout and spit their fury at what is happening to the world and society around us. You can’t help but agree, unless you have no blood in your body. The songs are intense, interesting and challenging. Coupled with their heartfelt lyrics is art, not merely as nice decoration, but hammering their point home. The CD has excellent packaging too, having the same artwork to that of the booklet of the LP and doing it every bit of justice and retaining the same beauty. If that isn’t enough, they cover ‘Sirens’ by CRESS and it’s one of the best covers I’ve heard done, just jaw dropping. Finishing off with ‘Assault’ from their split 7” with ‘PELIGRO SOCIAL’ and if the lyrics of it don’t move you, you must be made of stone. A hard working band, who have my highest respect and a CD every punker should own.
PRANK RECORDS, PO BOX 410892, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94141-0892, USA.
http://www.prankrecords.com/
http://www.prankrecords.blogspot.com/
WWW.MYSPACE.COM/BORNDEADPUNX

UNSEEN FORCE - IN SEARCH OF THE TRUTH

UNSEEN FORCE – IN SEARCH OF THE TRUTH CD (VCR011/GRAVE020)
Unseen Force was a band from Richmond, VA, that existed for about two years from about 1985 to 1987. During that brief period, the managed to release ‘In Search Of The Truth’ LP and play a lot of live shows. It’s great to see this re-issue of the LP, from the vaults of US hardcore past, I always remembered it being such a storming LP. Remember being the operative word, as I lent the LP to someone in the 80’s and never got it back. So I’m pretty glad of this reissue. All the songs are pile-driving, incendiary fast hardcore punk. Crucially they had a great drummer whose blasts are the back bone of these songs, coupled with infectious riffage and venom spat lyrics. They hammer on like there’s no tomorrow, if you were a punk in the early to mid 80’s there wasn’t any and this shows through their lyrics of pain, hurt, fury and hope. They sure were a tight unit, with great songs and this is quite evident in the live set that is included with this re-issue. The live recordings, equal the studio stuff and I can only imagine them being awesome live, looking at the flyers included in this package they sure played with a lot of great bands of the time – themselves being great too. If that isn’t enough for us, also included is the 2000 MANIACS demo from 1984, the band some members of UNSEEN FORCE were in previously. You can see where the songs came from, although similar, they are faster and shorter – the great thing is they haven’t dated a bit and will pump you up with an adrenalin surge of hardcore that will fuel your thirst until your next hardcore fix. You can see a lot of effort went into this package, with the flyers, photos etc and kick ass music. You’d be a fool not to check out UNSEEN FORCE, especially if you have a love for old bands like POISON IDEA, FINAL CONFLICT, CHRIST ON PARADE and current bands such as BORN/DEAD.
GRAVE MISTAKE RECORDS, PO BOX 12482 RICHMOND, VA 23241, USA.
http://www.gravemistakerecords.com/
WWW.MYSPACE.COM/VCRECS