SPAZZ - DWARF JESTER RISING

           

When I first heard these guys I had no clue that they were forging a new sub-genre of hardcore. I just knew it was the fastest and funniest shit on the planet. With countless releases and splits, Spazz endures as one of the most prolific bands in HC. Though not as aggressive or refined as some of their later work, Dwarf Jester Rising remains slightly more memorable for me. It was my introduction to both the band and to language of the music they inspired. Whether playing a bass laden sludge part, or a blinding garbled blast, Spazz delivers the goods as a cartooned badass that rises from the page to kick your teeth in. Unlike the metallic leanings of many of their spawn, they managed to move into uncharted territory without sacrificing one single ounce of punk rock. Who knows? Maybe someday HC bands will have ideas again. For now...

MAN IS THE BASTARD - SUM OF THE MEN "THE BRUTALITY CONTINUES...."

Aside from making what's among the most powerful and violent sounds on the planet, I never 100% understood how MITB could be categorized as powerviolence. The rest of their PV contemporaries took such a specific straight up HC or grind approach to the fast/slow thing. MITB evolved out of some earlier PV-ish projects, but ended up opting for a more flushed out, organic, even jammy feel. Sum Of The Men was my first exposure to the band. Despite being familiar with it's member's earlier work, this record came out of left field offering the most distinct and challenging music that had yet graced my dirty little teenage earlobes. To top it off, the lyrics are über intelligent. Really! Absolutely fucking hilarious. Poodles!