RELEASE YEAR: 2024BAND URL: https://vestindien.bandcamp.com/album/verdande In all honesty, I did not think it possible for the uniquely gifted masterminds behind Vestindien to top or better their flawless debut offering entitled NULL, but by some perverted and wonderful miracle these six twisted souls have conjured up a new work of radiant brilliance that transcends barriers and…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023BAND URL: https://omnibuspress.com/products/lifes-a-gamble-my-life-in-penetration-the-invisible-girls-published-on-18th-may-2023 The talented and iconic Pauline Murray is best known for her splendid work with punk rockers Penetration in the latter half of the seventies and some truly interesting, original-sounding solo works in the eighties that exist somewhere between new wave, synth pop, post-punk, and electronic music. Life’s a Gamble, her…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://omnibuspress.com/products/what-have-we-got-the-turbulent-story-of-oi What Have We Got? by author Simon Spence is a most illuminating, thought-provoking, and perfectly balanced overview of the origins and evolution of the Oi! music genre and the whole scene revolving around that both in the UK and abroad. In some ways highly controversial and infamous yet also underappreciated…
VENUE: Stereo DATE: 16.09.2023 ORGANIZER: Stereo/Slaamaskin/Glasgow Kiss PHOTOGRAPHER: J. Nepper Photos copyrights belong to the photographer. No unauthorized usage allowed. Please contact photographer if you wish to reuse images in any context. The cozy and somewhat intimate venue known as Stereo, which is situated in a rather vibrant part of Bergen’s city center, had…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023BAND URL: https://slaamaskin.bandcamp.com/track/du-2 I friggin’ love these mad Norwegian bastards and their energetic and spirited take on explosive metal, hardcore, and punk rock. With fierce riffs and even fiercer vocals, Slaamaskin mean business and are clearly out there to melt our faces and pummel us to death, and the cool thing is that…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://omnibuspress.com/products/kings-road-the-rise-and-fall-of-the-hippest-street-in-the-world-published-on-6th-april-2023 This expanded and revised edition of author Max Décharné’s vibrant and colorful story of the infamous King’s Road in London makes for a delightful summer read and is both insightful and humorous. With its warm and perfectly ironic tone, the book expertly guides us through the labyrinthine and deeply fascinating…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023 BAND URL: https://www.officialdamned.com/ Legendary British punk rockers The Damned are still firing on all cylinders regardless of whether they are on stage or in the studio. Should you need an example of the latter, Darkadelic, which is their brand-new slab of energizing and superbly crafted rock, finds the band in rude form and…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023BAND URL: https://www.facebook.com/people/Dirty-Velvet-Rock/100076167258796/ The Swiss alternative rock act Dirty Velvet was formed roughly four years ago and have been gigging quite a bit on their home turf since then, but their debut offering will soon see the light of day via Fastball Music, so let us take a closer look at that output,…
RELEASE YEAR: 2023BAND URL: https://utflod.bandcamp.com/album/split-ep-utflod-shaving-the-werewolf Fierce, frantic, and utterly intense, this four-track split EP by the two Norwegian outfits named Utflod and Shaving the Werewolf is as hard-hitting as they come. The ferocious musical attack of both bands is almost overwhelming but certainly not without a sick charm, and I find the material quite interesting…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022 BAND URL: https://www.wymeruk.co.uk/webshop/books/album-in-depth-series/the-stranglers-la-folie-%E2%80%94-in-depth/ The first time yours truly came across the uncompromising and legendary The Stranglers was when ‘Golden Brown’ appeared in Guy Ritchie’s movie Snatch, and that song prompted me to explore the group’s catalogue and especially 1981’s La Folie, which was a rewarding experience. Now, the thing is that there is…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022 BAND URL: https://omnibuspress.com/collections/frontpage/products/the-jam-1982-published-on-17th-november-2022 What a marvelous piece of work this visually stunning book on that tumultuous yet highly productive year in The Jam’s life that was 1982 is. That was the fateful year when front man Paul Weller decided to lay The Jam to rest following an intensely creative spell from 1977…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022 BAND URL: https://falsegods1.bandcamp.com/ “Suffering is all that really ever was” (Your Thoughts Are Void*) It’s been about 2 years since the post-hardcore/sludge+ metal New York quintet False Gods released their explosive fruit of the three preceding independently released EPs: “Wasteland” (2016), “Reports From Oblivion” (2017) and “The Serpent And The Ladder” (2019),…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022BAND URL: https://www.apollonrecords.no/product-page/rotvelt-human-slakt Human Slakt by the Norwegian outfit named Rotvelt is a real treat, and this analogue-sounding fireball contains energy and spark in spades. The output is primarily punk-influenced but there is something akin to harsh and unpolished indie rock that sneaks into the musical framework too, which basically means that this vigorous…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022 BAND URL: https://www.apollonrecords.no/ The hard-hitting musical collective known as Dang!!! have returned and what a joy it is to have these ugly fuckers tell us that the world blows ass and that absolutely everything is going to hell in a handbasket. Yes, this is some wicked stuff that is anything but pretty, and…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022 BAND URL: Omnibus Press Yours truly was enthralled by author Darryl W. Bullock’s previous book, the thought-provoking and illuminating “The Velvet Mafia: The Gay Men Who Ran the Swinging Sixties” (2021), which turned out to be one of that year’s literary highlights. Needless to say, I was very much looking forward to digesting…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022 BAND URL: https://godzovwarproductions.bandcamp.com/album/sadopunk-finland High-octane black/thrash metal with plenty of punk rock elements thrown in for good measure is what these maniacal Finnish fucks dabble in, and if you desire catchy, unpretentious, and hugely energetic metal with swagger and attitude to it then you ought to swing by the Godz ov War Bandcamp profile…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022 BAND URL: https://godzovwarproductions.bandcamp.com/album/gwiezdny-demon Fuck yeah, another record by this Polish act is always a most welcome addition to the review pile. What you get here is a harsh and filthy mixture of crust punk and black metal with a vibrant sound and heaps of atmosphere to it. Did I mention that it is…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022 BAND URL: This revised and updated edition of Keith Cameron’s book on the legendary Seattle rockers Mudhoney is a most welcome addition to the bookshelf, and its title is an apt one. Cameron’s work is Incredibly detailed and imbued with an ability to paint a vibrant and exciting picture of the nascent Seattle…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022 BAND URL: https://omnibuspress.com/ The story of John McGeoch is an engrossing one and let me start out by telling you that I am thrilled that there is finally a remarkably candid and deftly executed biography on the late guitarist and songwriter out there now. Known for his stellar work with Magazine, Siouxsie and the…
RELEASE YEAR: 2022 BAND URL: Undergang | Utflod (bandcamp.com) Thanks to a very cool dude named Ronnie, I got my hands on this superb 4-track EP titled “Undergang” by the Norwegian outfit known as Utflod, and I am forever grateful to him for making sure this musical hand grenade ended up in my mailbox. The quintet…
