THE MELVINS
Nude With Boots
(Ipecac)

HERMANO
...Into the Exam Room
(Regain)

UNLEASHED
Hammer Battalion
(SPV)

RUN YOUR MOUTH
3-Way HC/Garage Split
(Rumour Control)

CABRóN
Mexican Shoe Thief
(Robot Enemy)

A HORSE CALLED WAR
Stumble at Every Hurdle 

(Calculon)

HEATDEATH
S/T 

(Conspiracy)

MORE REVIEWS

Man, I was damn glad to hear that sales of vinyl are on the rise since like the late 80’s. If CD’s ever die completely let’s hope this market experiences a true revival. Anyway. UK label Rumour Control has issued this six song/three band/ half of them are covers split. What’s wrong with it? It is too damn short. So short indeed, you’ll get the needle in the right groove and by the time you adjust your ass on the seat you’ll have to get back up to flip the motherfucker.

Alright, first up are Leicester’s Brain Dead who offer an original titled “Civilisation”. I was expecting good things because I enjoyed their split with Rot in Hell, and these crusties don’t disappoint. A couple of tempo shifts, one growl in, and a slow end shall suffice. The recording of Bridlington’s Search & Destroy is a lot better. Not only is the volume higher, but their overall sound has more punch and girth. Their song “I Hate Myself and Want to Die Blues” is angry as fuck; one full throttle speed, barking vocals, and a second part to this quickie which initiates via bass and an even more violent middle passage that gives way to the same first verse. Not sure about the lyrics, but as far as music, that’s it. Self Destruct hail from Yorkshire and though they can easily be lumped with these wild English men, their rock is much more garage rock oriented. Their “End of the Line” is filled with melody but also with a violent edge rarely seen in hardcore bands.

The second side belongs to the covers; Brain Dead covers Boston straight edge legends Negative FX.  Quite appropriately it is all about the anger; “Citizens Arrest” is super fast and very much adheres to the original.  Unorthodox as it may seem I much prefer Search and Destroy’s cover of the Arctic Monkeys’ excellent “I Bet You Look Good On the Dance Floor”. The recording is just an inch a way from shitty and their version almost crumbles with sloppiness and balls galore. It’s fucking fantastic, energetic and catchy. Search and Destroy really own this song, and almost this EP for that matter. But they shouldn’t be hailed as victors just yet. Self-Destruct’s cover of the Zero Boys’ “Outta Style” is also up there. Perfect pick I may add. There are elements of charged up rock and roll and even some rockabilly beats in the drums. The melody is there and though less prevalent than in the previous cover, Self Destruct have some chops which they display nicely in all their garage punk façade.

Brain Dead MySpace

Self Destruct MySpace

Search and Destroy MySpace