West Coast Round-Up #1: B.C. Grind & Hardcore Part I

My previous post about the Vancouver group Ahna kind of resulted from a renewed interest in the underground on the west coast of Canada, specifically because I'll have been back on this coast longer than I have been in the past 4 years. So excuse this local focused and semi-indulgent round up of a handful of good grinders from B.C. and if it's not your thing then don't worry, more posts are coming. I think it fits in well with catching up on 2012 too.

It's strange growing up on Vancouver Island and just when you've become more invested and interested in underground music, you move to Toronto. That basically happened to me, and understandably from there I became more observant of the metal and hardcore scene in Toronto than I ever was of the one back west. Even when I was in B.C. I was in a place where it was an ordeal to go to a decent show (local or otherwise) even if I had known where and when, or was interested in music bands around me were putting out. I was a little underage as well so that wouldn't have helped.

What I'm getting at is I'm ashamedly very unfamiliar with the B.C. underground music culture where. I did know of and love a few acts (such as Skagos, Baptists, and Mitochondrion) however despite my geographical disconnect for so long I know I can do better.

In that spirit I plan on attending more shows when I can while I'm here, I've only been to two here compared to the hundred I've seen in Toronto. Even then in those two I came away with two great locals outside of Mitochondrion: Griefer and Ahna, plus others like sludge makers Hoopsnake. I'm kind of annoyed because I just missed a Despise You show with five bands I'm writing about here, a perfect chance to ease into things, meet people, and pick up some records while avoiding increased shipping costs.

This post will deal with releases under the punk umbrella but I intend to get some local doom, sludge and death/black metal together if I find enough enjoyable records. What you'll find below are some of the grind and punk bands I've been enjoying lately from my home province.

Yes just how most shoegaze bands are trying to break through the Loveless barrier, hardcore and grind groups are continually influenced and trying to reach the classics of (US) hardcore/grindcore like Infest, Crossed Out, Insect Warfare, Spazz, Discordance Axis, Man Is The Bastard, Despise You, Capitalist Casualties, Iron Lung, etc. And then of course we have the mountains of Nordic and UK grindcore I really shouldn't have to mention.

And it's not to say that B.C.'s fomenting grind underground is unique for Canada. Canadian grind and hardcore like Endless Blockade, Wadge, Haymaker, Kali, Left For Dead, The Swarm and Cursed (Toronto),  (Winnipeg), Dahmer, Inertia Kills, Deche-Charge, Ballast and Mesrine (Quebec) — these are all worth a mention here as they've made a mark.

There are even more recent groups from this forest laden land have made a slight mark in the underground like the bizarre Mudlark, as well as Baptists who's demo I reviewed a while back. In fact they've just released their debut LP "Bushcraft" through Southern Lord so it seems at lea are dropping a new record in the coming weeks. Hopefully I'm not accused of arguing the following Canadians bound by grind are breaking molds or truly escaping the gravity of the above. But having said that I think you'll find that like their eastern brothers B.C. grinders are clearly destroying it and not giving a fuck just as satisfyingly as more well known bands.

So anyway, below are a few unsigned bands from the Pacific Great White North I'm really enjoying and I think you should check out. There's a couple others worth mentioning but for now its Six Brew Bantha, Obacha, War Hero, Shooting Spree, BRIDGEBURNER, Famine, SKUFF, Osk, Violent Resitution, MASSGRAVE, and White Lung.

Hopefully you find some enjoyment in the local flavor of hardcore B.C. has to offer.

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///// SIX BREW BANTHA /////

Grindcore — VICTORIA — Unsigned/Independent

Starting off very strong with Six Brew Bantha as these three guys shred hard. Like cheese-grater on flesh at high speed grinding. This self-titled LP houses 17 tracks of unstoppable violent grind, technical and bordering on death metal  in some tracks ("Fisgard Block Party") and once again returning to charged thrashing hardcore directly afterwards ("Governmentality"). Furious blast beats do a good job of pulverizing though they feel a little dampened by the production, and a humanitarian message delivered in a toxic scathing, screams form the rest of the foundation.

Sometimes like on "From Vice To Crutch" there's a '90's metalcore vibe ( ex. KIG) that quickly slams back into mincing, and then there are some very creative mid riff/song change ups in pace and structure like in "Destructive Energies" or "Humanufactured" that are undeniably wicked. It's these moment's that feel like Cephalic Carnage in their strange tech grind but not as spacey or cerebral. This is some devastating and swift stuff.

Really aggressive with a big sound and a tight delivery, grinding your face with the best of them from the southern tip of this lonesome island. You can buy this on bandcamp (name-your-price) or on vinyl from Scream//Writhe and Choking Hazard Records, as well as other hardcore/grind distros. Follow them for tour news and shit.


DOWNLOAD (Bandcamp)

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///// OBACHA | WAR HERO | SHOOTING SPREE /////

(Obacha)

Powerviolence | Grindcore | Grindcore/Powerviolence— SQUAMISH — Unsigned/Independent

Obacha - 2012 Demo (2012
Obacha / Chetwrecker - Split (2012)

A quick note about all the bands in this section is that they all share members, and are a part of other local bands like Hyperemesis, Cryptician, Power Trip, Selfish Beings, and Primitive Surgery.

Obacha represent the Canadian interpretation of an accelerated Infest and Crossed Out styled revival grind/hardcore/powerviolence. The fuckin drumming, snare especially, is blazing fast here as are all the projects here, and the battering that is unleashed by Obacha may be the most distilled. Their two releases mow over you without pause in songs that rarely reach past 40 seconds so you can imagine the intensity you're about to step into. Killing Spree take a similar approach, and while Obacha feels a little faster and chaotic they're both coherent, mincing powerviolence worthy of absorption.

High pitched shrieks and low growls and grunts pepper the blazing punk eruption throughout the split (which is my pick so far). Tracks like "Downer" slow shit down and then leap into metallic whirlwind fervours while everything else explodes forward. Then look towards one like "Hockey Riots" and the following "Derailer" which are bursting with energy and sound almost insane. Both of these are spastic but very enjoyable.

Check their blog for news and shit, and contact 6th Ave. Records to buy a physical copy of their last split. Or go their bandcamp and get it all for free — I'm providing secondary links with the tracks split up since they're all in one on the bandcamp. Eventually Scream//Writhe will be carrying the Chetwrecker split in the coming months and there's only one copy of the demo tape left. There's a four-way split in the works so follow them if you want in on it.

DOWNLOAD (Bandcamp) Split
DOWNLOAD (Mediafire) Split (tracks split up)
DOWNLOAD (Mediafire) Demo (tracks split up)

Osk / War Hero - Split (2010)
Ummm / War Hero - Split (2009)

War Hero unsurprisingly carries a similar torch as Obacha but witha few more slow downs, right from the beginning of the Osk split we see this between "Dropped" and "Cram It". Really these guys kinda remind me of a filthy Dangers. "Talk-O" slams on the breaks amidst the precious 30 seconds to deliver a megaton slowdown one-off, as is the case with "Finger Puller"; the entire time the bass sounds like a monster devouring the guitar riffs to create one thick fuzzy wall of wrecking ball hail. Both outputs here are so short it's a bit debilitating on first listen (as is Obacha and Shooting Spree) however this fades quickly . I'll be talking about the Osk side later.

The Ummm split (Ummm was (?) an Albertan grind band) is just as punishing with worse production, with songs streching into over a minute a few points and much to the pleasure of me. The opener "Gore" as well as three following tracks take time to draw out some more thrashy rhythms and whining bends, branching a little away from the 30 second blasts of related projects, but only slightly. The final two tracks seal the split with exactly that.

Check their myspace for other tracks and info on where to their records. Scream//Writhe as well as Hash Crimes have the Osk split and Rotten To The Core Records have the Ummm split. Can't find a link to their split with the now dead Hominid from Alberta but it is available at To Live A Lie Records really cheap.

DOWNLOAD (Mediafire) Split w/Osk
DOWNLOAD (Zippyshare) Split w/Osk

DOWNLOAD (Mediafire) Split w/Ummm
DOWNLOAD (Zippyshare) Split w/Ummm

Shooting Spree / These Are Da' Results of A Thousand Electric Voltz - Split (2013)

While fairly young there's no question Shooting Spree are just brutal. Absolutely filth grindcore/powerviolence (dubbed as 'minecore') with once again insane snare work/blast beats and a hydra-like vocal delivery by all members. It's like if Insect Warfare were sped up slightly. The songs rarely reach past 30 seconds but are plump with ferocity, lyrically dealing with harsh drug use and the consequences.

The riffs are chunky, the pace is extreme. This is some unbelievable grind that has a few brutal death metal moments, for instance in "Gangbanger" near the end there's a heavy set of slams muffled in distortion before the snare machine-guns onward again. Fans of Insect Warfare and Cellgraft will really want to check these crazy fucks out.

They have a few splits, a demo and an EP (check their facebook and blog for a list) but they're mostly gone. You can however stream two of their releases over on their bandcamp page, one of which (above) will be out in full soon so there's on two tracks now..


DOWNLOAD (Bandcamp)

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///// BRIDGEBURNER | FAMINE | SKUFF /////

(BRIDGEBURNER)

Grindcore | Hardcore/Crust/Punk | Powerviolence — KAMLOOPS — Unsigned/Independent

BRIDGEBURNER / SKUFF - SPLIT (2012)
BRIDGEBURNER / Ahna - Split (2012)

BRIDGEBURNER are another huge surprise, one of my favorites here. If you like Insect Warfare or Magrudergrind then these guys have some stuff you'll wanna hear. The tone is definitely similar to those brutes but with some wicked sludge like break downs between feedback jolts before the grimy grind machine starts up again. Tortured roars from multiple throats, a lot of distortion and feedback.

All their material has a bleak vibe surrounding it making it all the more heavy. "Hag" (from the Ahna split) is a three minute battering that grinds for a few moments before tumbling back down to a crawl, and Dustbowl incorporates this element as well between hardcore punk spasms. You gotta turn it up for those enormous riffs. Half the time BRIDGEBURNER spend time pressing down on you with gritty grooves, but the other portion of time they grind just as sickly. The opener of the Skuff split ("Two of a Kind") shows off a nice balance that extends into "Inhale/Exhale"; another crusher . The Ahna split has plenty of short bursts as well, in fact the majority of it is blazing and thick grind ("TDB" and "Cathartes" are vicious).

Ahna's side shows their ability to make some crusty punk with undercurrents of doom, mid paced and slightly awkward in its sound. I don't think it's as accessible or heavy as their debut or "Empire" but it shows Ahna tread ground that isn't seen too much.

Definitely a monster in the Canadian underground. I'm keeping an eye on these locals and so should you. Buy it here.

DOWNLOAD (Bandcamp)

Famine - First World Problems Demo (2012)

Famine are three dudes making some crusty d-beat hardcore from the edges of Vancouver. I know, the whole Southern Lord wave of Entombed-worshiping crusty thrash have become about as overbearing as the blackened skudgecore surge, so if you can do without it I don't blame you. In spite of this Famine take the traditional crust punk socio-political ethos and refreshes it nicely, making enjoyable thrashing madness exactly as it should be.

It's all executed smoothly with very dirty production, a triple vocal siege in the traditional grindcore/hardcore tone. Catchy and saturated with distortion and static, Famine bring some catchy crust punk in seven shots of political frustration. The target should be obvious from the title. One or two tracks like 'What Value?" have a very swedish grind feeling (like Gadget) but always circle back to the crusty underbelly; "Ecocide" does this as well. "War Fear ends the demo in a more bouncy fashion while longer track like "Mental Walls" really stand out and weather well.

Unfortunately unless you catch them live I think I got the last copy of this demo (#67/100), I haven't found it on the other labels/distros listed here anyway (I got it from Scream//Writhe). So maybe throw them a few bucks on bandcamp if you so desire and like them on facebook.


DOWNLOAD (Bandcamp)

 BRIDGEBURNER / Skuff - SPLIT (2012)
Skuff - Demo (2012)

Skuff dish out vicious blows of noisy powerviolence with only two bassists and drummer, all three of which yell their balls off too. Because at the least it's just a bass and drums this shit is extra violent and heavy, but with two it becomes a barbaric punk thrashing I don't have much to compare to. I think their split with Bridgeburner is the best material but it doesn't hurt nor take much time to check out the demo and other splits.

Barbaric grunts assail you, the choppy bass lines and furious drumming erode your bones. Skuff come at you swinging big weights at high speed. "Green Wash" is a particular favorite with it's almost playful beat near the end kind of like the open for "Smog Day" which really punds, whereas "Anarcontradictory" is dissonant and unnerving. "Fried Mind" and "Tooth Decay" (that intro riff) also stand out in the bassy stampede of the one split but taken together it's solid all over.

Sometimes these tracks are separated by amusing movie and rap samples (even a Scion ad) much like Magrudergrind and many brutal death records and it works well I think, that shit makes me chuckle if they're good picks.

Weird but brutal so I recommend this. I'm not sure where you can get a copy of the tape but they just completed a new (and quick) split and it'll be available soon so check their discography and follow them to get info on that. Or you can pay whatever you want on bandcamp if your fine with that.


DOWNLOAD (Bandcamp)

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///// OSK | VIOLENT RESTITUTION | MASSGRAVE | WHITE LUNG /////

(White Lung)

Grindcore | Grindcore/Crust | Grindcore | Punk/Post-Hardcore — VANCOUVER — Unsigned/Independent | Deranged Records

Osk / War Hero - Split (2010) 

Roskopp / Osk - Split (2009)

The guys here have their hands in MASSGRAVE, Mudlark and multiple other dirty projects surrounding grind and sludge. Osk (yeah pronounced 'ausk' I believe) are pretty fucking brutal Grindcore in the vein of the Swedish tradition that isn't afraid to crash and smoulder in some metallic, sludgy slow downs and very minute injections of discord. They may be my favorite of the grind I've mentioned here with BRIDGEBURNER following closely.

Even in the two short releases here (both well under 5 minutes) I was fucking flattened by all of it: the 2009 split contains the track "Arm Yourself" which is unreasonably heavy for a band no one's ever heard of. The rhythm here fosters an uncontrollable urge to go apeshit. The other three tracks are high velocity freight trains of 40 seconds or less grind composed of great riffs, ugly vocals from all members, whirring drums. All awesome every second.

(Osk)

The War Hero split (who's side I mentioned already) is just as high caliber, once again containing one longer track and three bristling assaults. It All Means Nothing is the longest, slow and loud riffs under hoarse screaming, just building a dark groove over two minutes before releasing into crispy grind.

They have such a great guitar tone as well, similar in deliciousness to New Low's first demo: filthy, warm and thick for continuous batterings of bone shattering grindcore. If you need proof just check out the track "Endless Repent" (off their 2008 split with Scumbelly) and if that groove doesn't flatten you then I would say move on.

These guys may very well be one of the best active grind bands contending with east cost titans like Endless Blockade. Everything I've heard by them has been impressive and enjoyable so you can't go wrong when picking a release.

Unfortunately I can't find any links to the majority of their shit online outside of their split with previously mentioned fellow grinders War Hero and a stream rip of their split with Colorado grinders Roskopp, so that's all I have for you. There's some pretty good live footage of them here and here if you want more for now. I know I'll be attending a few gigs they'll be playing at some point in the near future however and I plan on snatching up a whatever they have, because the small amount I've heard is awesome. They're opening for Iron Lung with Column of Heaven with a few other locals so I'm stoked for that, while on the previous and following nights Baptists and White Lung are playing.

Here's hoping they're working on a full length. I know they're supposed to putting out a split with the aforementioned BRIDGEBURNER. For now buy their records from Scream//Writhe, To Live A Lie Records, Give Praise Records, Hash Crimes, and Active Rebellion Records. You can hear a few unreleased on their myspace too.

DOWNLOAD (Mediafire) Split w/War Hero
DOWNLOAD (Zippyshare) Split w/War Hero

DOWNLOAD (Mediafire) Split w/Roskopp
DOWNLOAD (Zippyshare) Split w/Roskopp

Violent Restitution - Violent Restitution (2012)

When it comes to their music Violent Restitution are simple and vulgar, grinding with a crust edge and taking pride in being serious about activist causes. In terms of the members it's a little confusing on first look but i think I got it. On this record a previous member Mya Mayhem (previously of Life Against Death) did vocals, and she's a hardcore (socialist? anarchist?) activist who is involved in multiple anarcho-vegan-environmental, anti-capitalist themed causes  (Food Not Bombs, Black Pawprint Collective).

The drummer and guitarist are both from outside B.C. (the former Chicago, and latter Winnipeg) and both have been in multiple underground grind and hardcore groups. In fact Sarah was in Willing Feet on bass at one point who opened for Mitochondrion when I saw them the first time.

Even with Mya gone I would assume the groups ethos have not changed. She wrote the lyrics here which revolve around political and social issues and they clearly take their music, lyrical subjects and lifestyles seriously — as one should expect. Using music as a force for protest and reaction would be the way to put it.  Their new vocalist Jessica I have not heard but Mya's are extremely low, gravely and then she'll throw in a couple venomous screeches. The fury and disgust come through quite clear. Sarah wields the axe and very well indeed, she's in quite a few bands, Willing Feet on bass at one point who opened for Mitochondrion when I saw them the first time.

It's obvious they've shaped quite a weapon to bludgeon their enemies into a pulp. The cover may give you an Insect Warfare vibe (as will the Massgrave cover) but it can be a little misleading. The moments when they're really grinding it comes close but the crust influence brings shit to a slower pace compared to most of the bands listed here. Lost of feedback, heavy rhythms and hardcore slows and pinches and bends. "Evisceration" and "Vivisect" are two off hand but all of them show this nice duality. The grind is obscene while the slower crusty sections hypnotize and draw you in for another shredding.

This is probably one grind slab you missed just like me. Another record you can pick up at Scream//Writhe, Mercy of Slumber, and Choking Hazard Records, or you can email the band directly. Follow their progress on facebook, and you can hear their earlier demos under their previous name Degenerative Myelopathy.

The mediafire link is the same as the bandcamp link except the tracks have been split up.


DOWNLOAD (Bandcamp)
DOWNLOAD (Mediafire)

MASSGRAVE - MASSGRAVE (2011)

Outside of Osk I think Massgrave (containing a few members of some previous groups) is the grind group in the Vancouver area that gets a fair amount of attention. There's a good reason for that and you only need to hear one of their ferocious grinding punk assaults to be convinced they're a force in the grind arena. Loud as fuck jumping between filthy grind and more Protestant-like hardcore Massgrave have some seriously addicting material on this LP, "$lavery" and "What's Real?" take that latter quality while "Escape", "Bitter Emnity" have some ugly thrashing.

The production is great. A big low end and nice crunchy tone, outside of the clear Disrupt influence there's some influence from the German scene I think; some tracks have that metallic sludge twang to them but only a glimpse; usually in the shorter tracks.

One of the last tracks is "Diamonds And Warheads", a Capitalist Casualties cover and it's heavy as fuck. They do their elders justice.

I recommend you follow these guys too.  A lot of their shit is sold out in most places but you can get this one over at To Live A Lie Records, and you can get their much lauded "People Are The Problem" LP (which I have not heard) from Unrest Records. I'll be seeing them open for Rotten Sound in May so maybe I'll post something else at that point.

DOWNLOAD (Mediafire)
DOWNLOAD (Zippyshare)

White Lung - Sorry (2012)

Interestingly enough White Lung may be considered the least underground group listed here, but that has no bearing on the fact that they fucking kill. I've already done a write-up here on this album, it ended up on my year end list too and I discovered it late. I was on the plane back west when I put it on and it's been in frequent rotation ever since. Three chicks and one dude making some fantastic punk or post-hardcore that rips and shines brilliantly in 20 minutes.

Mish's vocals are awesome, they really stand out. Kind of coated in reverb giving it that retro British punk feeling, the delivery strong and enthusiastic. Bass lines are thunderous, their prominence here reminding me of Ringo Deathstarr: bouncy and surprisingly fast. Every track is memorable and full of energy without the edge being lost in the blurry twinkling . It's still scratchy and noise-ridden (the opener "Take the Mirror" or " Those Girls") but allows the brightness to pierce through sometimes with harmonic sweeps and high pitch tremolos.

So it's both aggressive and oldschool DIY feeling with a more new post-hardcore twinkle. "Bag" and "Bunny" are consuming in their catchiness on all levels, the former has a great chorus while the leads later on give me nostalgia flashbacks to the old NES Batman soundtrack. That looks strange as I type it. Anyway "Glue" and "Thick Lip" have this quality as well, it's almost like So Stressed if they weren't elctro-industrially inclined.

White Lung satisfy quite a lot of thirsts I think and Sorry is quite pleasing surprise from Vancouver. It's arguably a little same-y and I'm confident they're going to be branded as hipster in no time but fuck it, I enjoy this. They're making their way around so get tour dates and shit on their facebook, and buy their stuff at Deranged Records.


DOWNLOAD (Bandcamp)
DOWNLOAD (Zippyshare)