Skull Drug
Holy shit fuck yes I can get my hands on new Skull Drug. After scraping by on tracks from their ReverbNation page for what seems like ages, I can shoot-up the Hard Times EP straight into the brain basin right now. For real, I’ve been jonesing. And, oh man bro, this stash does not disappoint. Primo shit right here. Released to an all-ages crowd at Cooperstown on April 18th, the Hard Times EP kicks ass right out the gate with “No, I Didn’t”, the ultimate in thrash-punk-metal: “Did I ask for your opinion? (No, I didn’t, no I, no I, no I didn’t!) Did I ask for your advice? (No, I didn’t, no I, no I, no I didn’t!)”. “Destructive Design” begins with some Choking Victim punk before going into a chugging metal verse. Don’t even get me started on the “Whoa-oh-oh’s”. I be whoa-oh-oh-ing for days. If you enjoy fast-as-fuck thrash you just can’t go wrong with this album. “Disoriented” thunders on all cylinders while touching on subjects many of us have felt: “Where am I? Who have I become? This place isn’t familiar, Where did I end up?” Skull Drug certainly doesn’t tone it down for the final track. On the contrary, “Delusions” takes on the powers that be, religion, government, and fear. Do yourself a favor and get hooked on Skull Drug and the Hard Times EP here.
Mrs. Howl
Mrs. Howl just recently moved their act to Phoenix from Seattle. I mean, like, literally weeks ago. With them they brought some pretty rad dance punk that I certainly can’t wait to see live. Until then, we have The Yoshi Sessions, their latest record released on April 20th. Opening with “Sweeter Kinney”, it shouldn’t take you much to realize their influences. A marching drum roll leads into a descending guitar line before the full on dance beat kicks in and you find yourself shimmying uncontrollably. There’s definitely a Gossip type thing going on here with even rougher edges and I can certainly get behind that. “St. Philamina” will show you the more ballady side of Mrs. Howl whilst “Mannequin Man” is pure, dirty rocknroll. The closer, “You’ve Got Time”, with it’s addictive hi-bop energy, does what all final tracks should do: leave your audience wanting more. With new band member tryouts supposedly this past weekend, let’s hope we all get to see Mrs. Howl live soon! For now, check out The Yoshi Sessions on Bandcamp here.
Wallbreaker
Holy Christ on a cracker, you need to stop whatever it is your listening to and put on the new Wallbreaker demo RIGHT NOW. Who is Wallbreaker? No idea! Where have they come from? Great question! I can’t find jack on these guys and that’s so fuckin’ awesome. Reminds me of listening to punk “back in the day” when many times you did indeed just have a band name on the side of a tape and nothing else. This is some dirty, d-beat punk and I like it. A lot. From opener “Escape” to the final track “Beast” this album just doesn’t let up. I could tell you I have a favorite track but I’d be lying; I let all 9 minutes of this album wash over me in one symbiotic wave. Finally, I’d like to think there’s hiphop head in this punk rock group: the album beautifully opens, and closes, with EPMD’s “Please Listen To My Demo.” Genius. Listen to DEMO by Wallbreaker right here.
