Three years following the release of Darker Handcraft, crust/hardcore/grind outfit Trap Them emerge with a new album and an entirely new rhythmic section with Brad Fickeisen, formerly of The Red Chord on drums and Galen Baudhuin (Infera Bruo) on bass.

On Blissfucker, the four-piece have peppered their chaotic combination of grind, crust, metal and hardcore with some of the slowest and catchiest riffs they’ve ever written, but that’s not to say that Trap Them have softened their sound. On the contrary, right off the bat opening song “Salted Crypts” sends out a very clear message to the listener that this is not going to be pretty. Rightly so, Blissfucker is filled with the band's iconic Entombed-influenced crusty hardcore and is just as heavy as previous efforts. But while Darker Handcraft rage forward at full blast its entire run time, on this new work they've found a way to balance all the relentless blast-beats, all the vicious and cacophonous guitar-work with some crushing hooks and catchy tempos without compromising the intensity of their attack. Mid-paced bangers like “Gift and Gift Unsteady” and “Sanitations” offer some reprieve from the utter cacophony displayed by clamorous tracks such as “Lungrunners” and “Former Lining Wide the Walls”. This works really well and gives each song a more distinct character, which is no easy task when we’re talking about grind/crust releases.

The record also contains quite possibly the darkest, creepiest song Trap Them ever written to date, I’m talking about “Ransom Risen”, which starts slowly with some eerie guitar melodies but suddenly bursts into a boisterous blend of frantic drum beats, ferocious riffs and anguished roars.

Even though, Blissfucker is a bit different and more sophisticated than previous works, I’m positive that fans will be truly impressed with the record’s cohesion and energy.

Band info: www.facebook.com/TrapThem
Label info: www.prostheticrecords.com

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All Hail the Void was a promising release for Enabler in 2012. The Milwaukee, WI (now Ohio, in general, no specific city listed) band sought a name for themselves by fusing elements of metallic hardcore with groove-laden rock and roll. The album was a solid release that showcased excellent riffage, badass drumming and solid structure. Two years later, enter their latest full length La Fin Absolue Du Monde. Translated: the absolute end of the world.

When I think in apocalyptic visions, Enabler's latest offer isn't quite something I have in mind. Calvaiire's “Meurtrières” is a song that always sounded more like a world collapse. Though “Prey” gives it a run for its money. Anyway, La Fin Absolue Du Monde is an album that sticks with its sound and solidifies the grounds that the band built themselves upon.

La Fin Absolue Du Monde sounds more focused than All Hail the Void. Just about every aspect of the band has significantly improved. Jeffrey Lohrber's guitar riffage is absolutely haywire. Tracks like “Balance of Terror” and “Neglect” are chock full of hooks and groove through the speakers. Other pieces like “World Sterilization” - bringing the heavy with crunchy, rough riffs, and the aforementioned “Prey” are faster pieces that blast with vitriol. Songs are consistently interesting and seldom feel like they're taking up too much time or falling flat.

What I find most strange with this album is how incredibly easy it is to digest, and perhaps that's what didn't sit too well with me at first. I'll admit, when I first listened to this, I was not a huge fan. However, the more I listened to it, the more it began to sink in. I can see why someone would be put off by the approach but I can also see why someone would dig it. La Fin Absolue Du Monde has an exceptional rock and roll angle to it but it services the album very well in the end. To those who might have a difficult time getting into that, I say stick with it. The more I listened to this, the more it picked up steam.

Overall, the new Enabler is a good album but it's not the end of the world, despite its title. I don't know how many more spins I'll give it before the year is out but it has some great song writing and some amazing riffage/drumming. Enabler manages to be one of the more stand out metallic/hardcore bands out there though I'd say their best is yet to come. If you like bands like Tragedy or From Ashes Rise and wish they had a larger rock and roll edge to them, then La Fin Absolue Du Monde is going to be right up your alley.

Christopher Luedtke

Band info: www.facebook.com/enablerband
Label info: www.thecompoundrecs.com

Chris is a film reviewer for Examiner.com (good luck finding his work there) and journalist for Metal Injection (better luck finding his work there). In his spare time he video blogs and promises a second installment of the Guilty Gear Retrospective on YouTube under theOfficialChris. He also writes novels, applies for jobs, attempts to write music, eats cheap food, drinks lots of coffee, enjoys opera, worships grind, and works. He can be found posting songs and bitching about the awful V/H/S film franchise on Twitter: @CoffeeCupReview.

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Rejoice, all ye thrash fans and revivalists. Toxic Holocaust has released a new record, and it is everything you’ve come to know (and hopefully love) about the Portland, Oregon assaulters.

Let’s not mince words; Toxic Holocaust aren’t innovators of the genre -- they aren’t redefining crossover thrash. What they bring to the table is stripped down, crust punk-like thrashiness that teeters on the edge of hardcore. Think bands like Discharge and Krömosom while maintaining the aggressive speed of Kreator. Throw in some early black metal influence (Bathory and Venom, anyone?) and you’ve got the backbone of Toxic Holocaust.

This new album, Chemistry of Consciousness, is their fifth full-length, and features some of the most stripped-down, filthy, and vicious crossover meeting black metal meeting crust punk tracks. Right from the opening track, “Awaken the Serpent”, Toxic Holocaust pulls no punches; the Swedish crust influence shines through, held together by the Bay Area thrash sound. The band leaves very little room to breathe, opting for an all-out attack instead of getting overly technical. Joel Grind’s vocals are raw and ripped, spewing lyrics like bile being expelled from the body. “Salvation is Waiting” contains darker, leaner parts from “Angel of Death” off Reign in Blood, mixing in some Haunting the Chapel-like eerie guitar sounds. The track moves from a two-step groove into a full-scale thrash jam, then segues back into the two-step breakdown. Probably the most interesting track due to the sheer brutality and assortment of influence, “Salvation is Waiting” is nearly three minutes of destruction, hell-bent on delivering driving, merciless sounds and never letting the foot off the gas pedal.

The album does tend to wane thin towards the end. Some of the tracks unfortunately bleed together (like “Deny the Truth” and “Mkultra”), leaving a dizzying feeling, quite possibly the side effect of listening to the band in high doses. However, Chemistry of Consciousness is a rage-inducing assault; an album certainly worthy to thrash out to. There’s no use weeding through the album with a fine-toothed comb; Toxic Holocaust’s attack is pretty straightforward, but sometimes, that isn’t such a bad thing.

Bill Haff

Band info: www.facebook.com/ToxicHolocaust
Label info: www.relapse.com

Editor-in-Chief at Scratch the Surface, Bill Haff is a Philadelphia-based music critic who also contributes for Cvlt Nation, Metal Injection and Ghost Cult. You can follow him on Twitter at @bill_haff

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Two years after their debut record for Relapse ‘Harhakuvat’, Finland’s Unkind return with another vicious slab of crust-infused d-beat hardcore, which sounds darker, harsher and more aggressive than everything the Finns have ever written.

Yet, although consistently powerful and aggressive, the music contained within also transcends the boundaries imposed by a rigid style such as crust/d-beat hardcore as the band make several deviations from the left hand path to spice up their furious assault. For every d-beat, frenetic moment, there is an equally intense yet more atmospheric musical passage which gives the songs a sinister edge and sounds genuinely unsettling. Those who have heard Unkind’s work, especially their previous album ‘Harhakuvat’, will know exactly what to expect from ‘Pelon Juuret’. Those who haven’t, please imagine if Mogwai had been fed with a solid diet of Discharge and Amebix and then decided to make a crust/hardcore album, or try to imagine a more visceral and violent Envy, multiply that by ten and you have Unkind.

The title theme, which means “roots of fear”, kicks things off with a raging fury, unleashing savage riffs along with a wrenching, frenetic drumming with the right amount of force to inflict some serious damage. Following track, “Vihan Lapset”, continues in similar fashion, but it’s on “Valtakunta” that things start to get more interesting with Unkind balancing the brutal chaos with some disquieting, engaging melodies. The album ends with the surprising “Saattokoti”, nearly five minutes of ambient sounds rounded with some fascinating banjo melodies that prove that Unkind unlike a good portion of their peers in the netherworld of crust/d-beat hardcore are still pushing ahead to new, stranger places.

Band info: www.facebook.com/UnkindHardcore
Label info: www.relapse.com

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Billed as a cross between Mogwai and Tragedy in their press materials, which, for some strange reason, really piques our interest, Finland’s Unkind return with another furious slab of d-beat crust/hardcore crossed with some intriguing and dark atmospheres that transcends boundaries and avoids easy pigeonholing.
Scratch the Surface caught up with drummer Saku to talk about their latest album, 'Pelon Juuret' and their imminent touring plans.
 

You just released your new album and sixth LP, ‘Pelon Juuret’, how has the reception been since its release?

“Pretty good! There haven’t been many complaints and even the ones that had some were mainly positive overall.”

This is your second LP for Relapse Records and it seems that you didn’t receive much attention outside Finland until ‘Harhakuvat’ was released two years ago. How did that affect your development as a band?

“Well if there's been anything substantial it must be that we've attained a bit more prestigious gigs out of it as well as loads of attention from people who would have otherwise dismissed us entirely.”

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"...We've never really considered changing anything in hopes of pleasing a larger crowd."

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It seems that ‘Pelon Juuret’ essentially picks up where ‘Harhakuvat’ left off, weaving an intriguing blend of furious d-beat crust/hardcore with some dark ambiences. In your opinion how does the new album differ from its predecessor? Did all the recognition the band garnered recently had an impact on the songwriting?

“It's a bit more coherent and straightforward compared to our previous releases. As for the recognition it probably gave us a bit more self confidence, but overall the creative process has stayed the same. We've never really considered changing anything in hopes of pleasing a larger crowd.”

The press release describes your new album as if Mogwai made a record of Tragedy covers or a From Ashes Rise influenced by Explosions in the Sky. Are you comfortable with such descriptions and do you see yourselves influenced by these bands?

“It is somewhat accurate at least to someone who hasn't heard us before although I can't see we've drawn any direct influences from any of them. Comparisons and genre labels do have their place - mainly in introducing bands to newcomers but from there on they should have less meaning and importance as the only thing the listener should decide upon is whether they like it or not.”

Which other bands have influenced Unkind to this current point the most?

“The biggest and earliest influences were and still are to some extent Discharge, Amebix and Black Sabbath. We have pretty wide taste in music so there have been loads of other smaller ones over the years, but those three have remained central inspirers along with numerous others of the same type.”

You have an impressive array of influences from grindcore/crust and post rock atmosphere to hardcore, etc… and you still manage to sound cohesive and preserve your own identity. Do you find it difficult to get the right balance between all those different sounds?

“I'm glad to hear you think we've pulled it off. We've never felt we've had to force it in any way. It's just our basic recipe to try and add dynamics to our songs. I think we've just about found the right balance especially with the latest material.”

The artwork for ‘Pelon Juuret’ depicts an unsettling black and white drawing of numerous humans lined up and with what it seems their eyes bleeding. ‘Harhakuvat’ also has a black and white cover with a man covering the mouth with his hands, so it seems that you have some sort of fascination for monochromatic images. How does the black and white art work in tandem with the music itself?

“Black and white cover art has always been the classic format in hardcore/crust albums and it does usually fit the bleakness of the music well. As long as the visuals fit the mood of the record it doesn't really matter to us how much colours there are. With the last two albums we wanted the artist Jacob Speis channel the feelings he got from the music into images and it worked out great both times.”

Finally, what plans and projects does the band have for the rest of 2013 and beyond?

“We have an extensive release tour starting on the 3rd of august with a set of Finnish gigs after which we hit the road with the KEN mode to tour most of Europe. After that we'll probably slow down for a bit and start writing new material and sorting out some gigs for the next year.”

Catch Unkind on tour with Ken Mode at the following locations:
Fri 13.09.13 Cafe Nova, Essen, Germany.
Sat 14.09.13 Patronaat, Haarlem, The Netherlands.
Sun 15.09.13 Cassiopeia, Berlin, Germany.
Mon 16.09.13 Feierwerk, München, Germany.
Tue 17.09.13 Chapeau Rouge, Prague, Czech Republic.
Wed 18.09.13 Elfer, Frankfurt, Germany.
Thu 19.09.13 Bastard Club, Osnabrück, Germany.
Fri 20.09.13 SAS, Delemont, Switzerland.
Sat 21.09.13 Freakout Club, Bologna, Italy.
Sun 22.09.13 Lo Fi, Milano, Italy.
Mon 23.09.13 Secret Place, Montpelier, France.
Tue 24.09.13 Les Saints Des Seins, Toulouse, France.
Wed 25.09.13 Miroiterie, Paris, France.
Thu 26.09.13 La Ferailleur, Nantes, France.
Fri 27.09.13 Minsters Bar, Stoke On Trent, UK
Sat 28.09.13 Crane Lane, Cork, Ireland.
Sun 29.09.13 Voodoo, Belfast, UK.
Mon 30.09.13 Fibber MaGees, Dublin, Ireland.
Tue 01.10.13 Corporation, Sheffield, UK.
Wed 02.10.13 Royal Park Cellars, Leeds, UK.
Thu 03.10.13 Audio, Glasgow, UK.
Fri 04.10.13 Water Rats, London, UK.
Sat 05.10.13 VK, Brussels, Belgium 

More info at: www.facebook.com/UnkindHardcore 

We have one copy of Unkind’s latest album ‘Pelon Juuret’ courtesy of Relapse Records to offer to one lucky reader, to apply you need to follow us on twitter or facebook and answer the following question in the comments section below before August 31: 
What is the name of Unkind’s debut album for Relapse Records?
Giveaway is now closed and the lucky winner is Wendy Chung from Syracuse, NY.


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Hardcore bands sure like to walk the walk and talk the talk, but when it comes to all out war, in many instances, sheer intensity is missing from the music. Enter the real deal, All Pigs Must Die, with their searing second salvo titled, ‘Nothing Violates This Nature’. The Massachusetts based band featuring alumni from such hardcore luminaries Converge (drummer Ben Koller) and The Hope Conspiracy (vocalist Kevin Baker) avoid all the negative connotations that come from such a loaded word as “supergroup”, as this band is completely without contrivance. Like their 2011 debut ‘God Is War, ‘Nothing Violates This Nature’ has also been produced by Kurt Ballou (Nails, The Secret) of God City Studios and released by Southern Lord, and it is another pitch black pressure cooker of grindin’ metallic hardcore.

The diversity of the music on display, dictated by Koller’s superhuman drumming, is what separates All Pigs Must Die from the rest of the Entombed-fanatics playing catch up. Opener ‘Chaos Arise’ races out the gates like Trap Them at their unbridled best, and ‘Silencer’ swiftly follows suit with all the hostility associated with grindcore and power-violence. It is a direct continuation of where the band left off with their debut only with added attention paid to the pacing of the album, as each song has been positioned for maximum force. Instead of keeping to breakneck speed and eventually losing power through repetition, All Pigs Must Die have the wherewithal to drop tempos during the ferociously groove-focused ‘Primitive Fear’ and the deathly ‘Bloodlines’. While the slow, sinister and methodical ‘Of Suffering’ takes this approach one on step darker with its doom-laden beginnings, simple eerie guitar leads, anguished screams, and pummelling end beat-down which rides out on a hail of feedback.

As mentioned, Koller is on fiery form (nobody would expect anything less from him) and his playing really give the caustic music its uncontrollable verve. He detonates the grind of ‘Aqim Siege’; takes ‘Holy Plague’ from bucking noise-rock through the mouth of punk, grindcore and thrash with his fluid tempo changes and powerhouse blasts; and, as with his contributions to Converge’s music, he shows how impactful he can be even at slower speeds (Faith Eater). The real highpoint of his playing, however, is found at the album’s end. “Articles of Human Weakness” is a flaying finish to an album that is as sonically harrowing as you are likely to hear. Koller’s cyclonic fills cause a sandstorm when matched with the ragged riffs and screams, and the song has a lot in common with the title track from Converge’s last album, ‘All We Love We Leave Behind’, in that, the band drain out every ounce of intensity and emotion remaining after the preceding 9 songs. Just when you thought it was safe, Southern Lord have let loose another bile-filled, high speed and high impact hardcore album; this time from one of the gnarliest bands to ever spill out of Massachusetts.

Dean Brown

Band info: www.facebook.com/apmdband
Label info: www.southernlord.com

Dean Brown is a metal scribe based in Ireland. He is currently a contributing editor to the North American cultural magazine Popmatters and he regularly throws words for a number of other reputable loud noise publications such as About.com/heavy metal, Soundshock.com, MetalIreland.com, MoltenMagazine.com, amongst others. He has a strong affinity for music that shakes souls and leaves debilitating tinnitus in its wake and such obsession has left him financially and medically crippled, but he wouldn’t have it any other way. Follow Dean on twitter @reus85

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Circle Takes the Square - Decompositions: Volume Number One

Savannah-based Circle Takes the Square impressed the heck out of me when I saw them opening up for Kylesa early last year on their European tour.
Now, the band returns with their first full-length album in eight years, following an EP entitled ‘Decompositions: Volume Number One, Chapter I: Rites of Initiation’ released in 2011, and just like their previous full-length 'As the Roots Undo', this new effort features an eclectic bag of sounds and moods, veering from an intense and raucous combination of noise, hardcore and grind to lulling ambiences and folky tunes. 'Decompositions: Volume Number One' will take you to a number of places, equally evocative and off-putting, challenging and intriguing, and although it’s not without its faults it’s a good, solid effort from a band that sounds like no one else. That obviously means something! (7.2/10)

Band info: www.circletakesthesquare.com

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Age of Woe - Inhumanform

Armed with a crushing style of death-influenced hardcore, similar to Entombed and to a lesser extent Converge coupled with the monolithic sludge of Neurosis, Age of Woe’s “Inhumanform” is a surprising release that shows a lot of promise for a band that formed only three years ago. The band wastes no time on subtitles and kick things off with the incredible “Like Embers”, which boasts some heavy and crunchy monolithic riffs braced by bulky, powerful drums, while some grabbing guitar melodies play throughout the quiet moments. In tracks such as “The King of Thieves” they pound out a two-step hardcore with a consistent fury sounding a bit like their infamous comrades Disfear. Good stuff! (7.5/10)

Band info: www.ageofwoe.net

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Okus - Okus

Okus? Sounds like the name of an orc from Lords of The Rings doesn’t it? Well, it’s not! It’s actually the name of a grind/crust combo from Ireland, but sonically they’re just as vile and fearful as those vicious creatures from JR Tolkien novels.
Okus combine elements of grind, punk, crust and doom to offer up a raw, powerful and sometimes intimidating sound that assaults our senses in a Entombed-meets-Napalm Death way. With 7 tracks running through nearly 32 minutes, “Okus” is lean and vicious and sees the four-piece excelling at layering different sounds and rhythms, switching easily between relentless, powerful blast beats to sludgy, caustic grooves. Nasty stuff! (7.8/10)

Band info: www.facebook.com/Okusband  
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Just a week before embarking on a new European trek along with Circle Takes the Square and Code Orange Kids, crust-grinders Full of Hell have decided to give away their second LP ‘Rudiments Of Mutilation’ as free download during this week only! From today through next Monday, July 22nd fans can download the entire album via the A389 label Bandcamp right here.

The band also recently released their first official video, created for the track “The Lord Is My Light” by their cohort, director Lukas Hodge; check it out below.

Full Of Hell European Tour with Circle Takes the Square, Code Orange Kids:

7/24/2013 O13 - Tilburg, Netherlands
7/25/2013 Hafenklang - Hamburg, Germany
7/26/2013 Fluff Fest - Rockycany , Czech Republic
7/27/2013 Vlamrock - As, Belgium
7/28/2013 Glazart - Paris, France
7/29/2013 The Haunt - Brighton, England
7/30/2013 Underworld - London, England
7/31/2013 Classic Grand - Glasgow, Scotland
8/01/2013 Star and Garter - Manchester, England
8/02/2013 Star and Garter - Bristol, UK
8/03/2013 New Noise Festival - Karlsruhe, Germany
8/04/2013 JZ Riot - Lichtenstein, Germany
8/05/2013 Aera - Wien, Austria
8/06/2013 Cassiopeia - Berlin, Germany
8/07/2013 AJZ - Bielefeld, Germany
8/08/2013 Underground - Köln, Germany
8/09/2013 Ieperfest - Ieper, Belgium

Photo by Freddie Ross.


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It's been a little over six months since The Secret’s fourth album “Agnus Dei” was highly praised in these pages for its chaotic, noisy and abrasive concoction of punk-crust fury and black metal nihilism. Now the Italian four-piece have released a new video for “May God Damn All Of Us” from that record, which was directed/edited by Rasmus G. Sejersen. Check it out below.


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It is my distinct pleasure to present to you another pleasant or better yet unpleasant crust/grindcore surprise. Grind aficionados and admirers of all things raw, rotten and vile please meet Utopium, a young collective from Portugal who play a straight-up, dirty and crusty grindcore. They’re not exactly newcomers to the metal world as the five members of Utopium have all paid their dues in a slew of hardcore, punk and metal bands before getting this new project together. So it’s no wonder that with all the experience gained in those bands you've got one skilful line-up who know exactly what they're doing. Indeed, over slightly 23 minutes Utopium churn out an unrelentingly fast, brutal and chaotic crusty grindcore with the same skill and intensity of heavyweights like Nasum and Rotten Sound. It is violent and threatening music full of chaotic riffs and blastbeats created with the intent to pummel your eardrums until they spurt blood. One of the most positive characteristics of “Vicious Consolation / Virtuous Totality” is the amount of variation the group exhibit throughout these 18 tracks, from the chainsaw riff carnage à la Entombed explored in tracks like "Held Tombstone" and "Owner of a Kept Abidance" to the relentless grind onslaught of tracks like “Jaded Graft” and "Thin-Skinned Skill", there’s never a dull moment to be found here.
This is one of the better grindcore releases to come out in a while, sure it doesn’t bring anything new to the table, but then again, when it’s this good does it matter?

Band info: www.facebook.com/utopiumgrind
Label info: www.bleakrecordings.com

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With “Bushcraft”, Vancouver metal/hardcore crew Baptists solidified themselves as a furious crusty-hardcore force. The Kurt Ballou produced platter earned critical praise for its relentless and in-your-face attitude and catapulted their status to the level of killer acts such as Nails and All Pigs Must Die. 
Guitarist Danny Marshall took some time out to share his thoughts on the new album and why he doesn’t feel compelled to write a trillion riffs per song anymore.

First things first, how are things in the Baptists camp at the moment? You’ve just got back from SXSW 2013, how did that go?

“Things are good. We're back to writing, have a few cool shows coming up - same old stuff. SXSW was awesome. We actually almost didn't go - it was well over 7000km round trip, and we really didn't have many shows lined up. Haha. We decided we'd go regardless... punk vacation. The Thrasher Death Match was awesome - Black Breath, Mammoth Grinder and Hatred Surge were highlights of the trip - and we played a Brooklyn Vegan/Invisible Oranges day show, which ruled also.
On our way down we played a few shows with our friends in Griever, who are an absolutely outstanding band, and a couple with Loma Prieta, as well. Those guys are super skilled, too. Both of those bands made us feel like shit. Haha.”

Baptists’ debut full-length record “Bushcraft” was produced by Converge’s Kurt Ballou at Godcity Studios and is getting strong accolades from the press and fans. I guess you’re pretty pleased with the results?

“Well, the album wasn't really produced by Kurt - there wasn't really time for us to re-arrange things or for him to really make many suggestions beyond sounds and such. That would have been great, but we had five days to track and mix.
We're really pleased with the end results, yeah. There's not really another person that captures this particular type of music better than Kurt, so we felt very fortunate to have had the chance to record with him. The response has been surprisingly positive, which is nice.”

This new effort follows up a self-titled 7-inch released on 2011, which our former writer Ross Gnarly described as a “…full force attack of metallic hardcore fury,” and is just chaotic and intense as its predecessor. From your point of view, how did the writing and recording of this new record differ from “Baptists”?

"Well, the 7" wasn't really meant to be anything. We'd been playing together for a month or two when that was recorded, so we were just all fired up. Ha. There were exactly two years between the two releases, so we had forever to write Bushcraft. Too long.
The recording/mixing processes were both really quick - the 7" in a night, or maybe two, and Bushcraft in five days. We had to fly to Boston, but other than that..."

I read that you guys used to be in more technical bands in the past like Textbook Tragedy, but Baptists definitely seems focused on a more strip-down and violent approach. How much of a challenge it is to not have a riff change every two seconds these days?

"Absolutely not a challenge in the least! I don't think any of us are compelled to make anything "tech" anymore. I personally can't really write anything like that anyway. Put what needs to be in a song in a song - if it ends up being 45 seconds or a minute long, who cares. Once a song starts to lose steam, let it end!"

As I mentioned before, “Bushcraft” is pretty intense and angry, what was the band’s mindset while working on it?

"Fucking charge! Haha - I don't know. Bottle up your feelings and blast them into some songs."

I’ve also read that this new effort is about your own frustrations with the city and the whole urban life. Care to explain a little about that theme and tell me if the lyrics on “Bushcraft” are real stories or made up?

"That's a question for our singer, but yeah - it's about all kinds of escape. Most of the songs are based on real things in Andrew's life, though."

What lies next for Baptists? 

"We're heading to the Power Of The Riff festival in LA in August and playing some shows around there, and just writing a lot. We're a good chunk of the way through writing for the next album, so that's cool."

More info at: https://www.facebook.com/baptists
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I found about Better Not Born when Southern Lord Records tweeted about them, picking the Finns as the band of the day a few weeks ago. If Southern Lord vouches for them, they must be good right? Absolutely so, these fellows have studied the best crust/hardcore discs Southern Lord have released so far with profound dedication and use that knowledge to weave some nasty and impressively ruthless songs. 'Horde of Sheep' demonstrates their intensity, combining the fury of hardcore and the dirtiness of crust with the heaviness of metal, kicking some serious ass like Tragedy or Trap Them. 'Inner Void' the other BNB track from this split 7” with fellow countrymen Cause a Riot kicks in similar fashion, tossing out some fierce and raw grind-punk riffs that provide the ideal accompaniment to Sampo’s caustic screams. With any luck, Southern Lord will snatch these guys for their rooster and I’m sure that whatever they will do next, it won’t surely disappoint anyone who has enjoyed the latest works from Baptists and Nails.
Cause a Riot are more punk-driven and don’t impress as much as Better Not Born, but sound fairly competent, unleashing two blasts of punk-hardcore that don’t sound too far removed from the anarchic sounds of acts like Poison Idea and Anti Cimex, albeit with a better, more modern production. They attack their songs with fierce intensity, focusing on delivering punishing rhythms and straightforward, crunchy riffs that sound religiously faithful to the genre’s most emblematic precursors. Definitely, they’re a band worth keeping an eye on in the future as well.

Band info: http://betternotborn.bandcamp.com | http://causeariot.bandcamp.com

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Sometimes you look at a band and you just know they’re going to hit you hard and fast, and California’s Nails are exactly one of those bands. Their second album “Unsilent Death” released two years ago, offered us a violent concoction of grind, crust, hardcore and metal in just fourteen minutes. This one doesn’t mess around either. Clocking at a mere eighteen minutes, “Abandon All Life” gets in, beats you hard, and gets out just before you know what hit you.
Nails waste no time and get straight to the point with opener "In Exodus", which displays blindingly fast, crusty guitars and throat-shredding vocals. I’m actually a bit worried about vocalist Todd Jones, because anyone who thrashes their voice like he does would need a lifetime supply of throat syrups or in the worst case surgery. Most of the songs fly fast with the explosive power of a high-caliber bullet, only “Wide Open Wound” and final track “Suum Cuide” show the band ease off on the gas pedal and slow down a bit to churn some crushing, mid-tempo riffs.
This is one of the nastiest and heaviest slabs of extreme music you are likely to hear this year. But then, I guess you weren’t expecting any subtleties with an album title like that, were you? 

Band info: www.unsilentdeath.com
Label info: www.southernlord.com

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Not even a year went by since Milwaukee’s crust metallers Enabler literally kicked my ass with their powerful sophomore album “All Hail The Void”, and now they return with another brave drubbing of crust-influenced hardcore-meets-metal fury.
Intense and brutal from start to finish, “Shift of Redemption” kicks and screams in less than twelve minutes with the kind of go-for-the-throat savagery you’d expect, with no subtleties, no breaks, nothing but frills-free aggression.
The title track shows the band dishing out the same gut-churning intensity that made their previous work such a caustic and brutal release, pure hardcore rage delivered with a crusty snarl. Things get even nastier on the following track “Live Low” with vocalist Jeffrey Lohrber repeatedly screaming the words ‘fuck you, fuck you, fuck you forever’ on top of a frantic slab of raging crust and hardcore-infused metal. The remaining two songs, “Sacrifice” and “Fallselflessly”, see Enabler slowing down the tempo a tad to churn out some killer, catchy, yet equally violent riffs.
Any fan of this band will certainly not be disappointed, because I’m not kidding when I say that “Shift of Redemption” will beat you black and blue. 

Band info: www.facebook.com/enablermke
Label info: www.thinkfastrecords.com

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They call themselves Baptists, but don’t go thinking that these Canadians preach the word of Jesus. Their doctrine is a whole different one and deals with nothing but the most ruthless and don’t-give-a-fuck crust-influenced hardcore.
Employing the same fusion of abrasive crust and frantic hardcore that recall bands like Cursed and Nails, coupled with the metallic riffs that nods to All Pigs Must Die latest work, “Bushcraft” is mercilessly brutal and furious from start to finish. It’s not an original combination, granted, but these guys play their instruments with such vigour and intensity that the fact that you heard it all before doesn’t really matter.
Although every track on “Bushcraft” is great, tracks like “Think Tank Breed”, “Bullet” and “Mortar Head” best demonstrates the piercing intensity with which Baptists assault our senses. Killer stuff from a young group with lots of potential! 

Band info: www.facebook/baptists
Label info: www.shouthernlord.com

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Hailing from Wisconsin, Warton are another bet from Southern Lord Records that once again confirms the label’s recent shift towards more punk and hardcore sounds following a few years in which the focal point was mostly doom, sludge and drone artists.

Just like its name suggests, don’t expect anything sweet or pleasant from this crust brigade ‘cause subtlety is definitely not in the Wartorn lexicon. These guys sound utterly pissed off and have only one goal, to fucking destroy, plain and simple. As a result, “Iconic Nightmare” offers nine songs worth of punishing, filthy and angry crust/punk delivered with a metallic fervour. Witness all the sonic havoc these guys can muster on tracks such as “Permanent Blackout”, “No Sanctuary No Salvation” and “Knee Deep in Blood”, where frenzied d-beat rhythms are crossed with fierce, grinding riffs and some metallic, razor-sharp leads.

The production work shown on this new work is clearly superior to their previous album “Tainting Tomorrow With the Blood of Yesterday”, and is at the same level of what Wolfbrigade have pulled out on their latest effort “Damned”. It’s furiously intense and violent, but it’s also accessible and rather enjoyable.

All in all, “Iconic Nightmare” is a punishing and menacingly hostile album that crust punks and extreme metallers can enjoy equally.

Band info: www.facebook.com/Wartorn
Label info: www.southernlord.com

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The press release states that crust-punkers Krömosom motto is: noisier, nastier and rawer. 
And indeed it will be rather hard to find a filthier and rawer record out there than “Live Forever”. But damn, that is so rude and abrasive that it reminds me of a band that I had in my teens, whose main goal was to simply annoy the neighbors with the noisiest, loudest and most corrosive shit that we could make. Some of these songs will make your ears bleed, as if someone was sticking rusty nails in your eardrums.
“Live Forever” is actually a compilation of songs already available in several splits and 12” LPs and it’s perfectly clear that this was from more than one session. While some songs exhibit some decent production work, at least for d-beat/punk standards, others sound as if they had been recorded in most disgusting toilet on Australia, where this bunch comes from. 
If you dig your punk/crust harsh and raw as Anti-Cimex and Discharge circa 81, then snatch “Live Forever” ´cause Krömosom are exactly for you. If you don’t, you probably stopped reading after the first paragraph. (6.8)

Band info: www.facebook.com/kromosom

Label info: www.southernlord.com

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