Nora - Loser's Intuition (2001)

Nora - Loser's Intuition (2001)

I'm just gonna say it. Nora are fucking ace and you should feel bad for not knowing about them. So who the fuck are Nora and why do they have an old-ass womans name?

Well, little jimmy. According to Wikipedia "Nora is a metalcore band from Highland Park, New Jersey." Lovely, and very insightful. To give you a better idea, they were signed to Trustkill during the late 90s, that means Eighteen Visions, Bleeding Through, fuckin' THROWDOWN, Poison The Well, Shai Hulud, and Brothers Keeper were label mates.What you can take from this is that they're a legit hardcore band from a time where this type of music had a relative amount of success. In addition to this, vocalist, Carl Severson, owned and run the formidable Ferret Music. Which released records by the likes of skycamefalling, Disembodied, Stretch Arm Strong, Funeral For A Friend, Killswitch Engage, From Autumn To Ashes, among others, and released Converge's best record Petitioning The Empty Sky.

Why they chose their name on the other hand, beats me. Well, it did beat me until I searched the interwebs, apparently they're named after Nora Diniro,a character from the film Pump Up The Volume.

Now, I really like this band. And Loser's Intuition is a fucking ripper. It has a real sludgy, hard rocking edge
to some of the riffing. And while that may sound like a fucking horrible combo when paired with 90s hardcore, the result is monstrous (think Coalesce, DEP, and Hatebreed beating each other to death). The two guitar approach allows for some chunky riffing, harmonised weird ass riffs, and those cool diminished chords (dem parts that sound hella nasty). When compared to other hardcore bands on Trustkill and Ferret, Nora stick to the shouty approach, with the occasonal Rollins-esque spoken monologues. Weird to think, but in 2001, the whole 'i'm shouty one minute, and now i'm tender and emotional the next' deal wasn't the done deal in hardcore.

While Nora may not be so active these days, and Ferret Music has signed a huge amount of shite since Carl handed the company over, we can all rejoice at the awesomeness of the early Nora material.

I hate comedy dramas
http://www119.zippyshare.com/v/mJnyI0ne/file.html

Cocobat - Supercharged Chocolate Meltdown (2001)

Cocobat - Supercharged Chocolate Meltdown (2001)

Released on Toy's Factory in 2001, Cocobat hit us up with a live EP. Six originals from past records such as Return of Grasshopper, I Versus I, and Ghost Tree Giant, and one cover of Bark At The Moon, originally done by Rainbow.....nah, just fucking with you. I may as well say that Ozzy's solo material doesn't do much for me. So yeah, man.

Musically, you know what your getting if your familiar with the records these tracks are from. For the uninitiated, Cocobat play funky, groove-laden 90s hardcore. One thing I must say, is that the production is crystal clear. You can really hear the extended chords, the beefy kick drum patterns, and the crazy bass-skills of Take-Shit. Obviously there is some deviation from the studio recorded versions, but by and large, Cocobat stick to their guns. Impressive stuff.

In conclusion, this isn't essential. But it is a decent little stop-gap EP for the fans.

Get down with this funky shit
http://www41.zippyshare.com/v/gCWzeDFU/file.html

Cocobat - Tsukiookami (1998)

Cocobat - Tsukiookami (1998)

Boom. And we're back, baby.

1998, Cocobat release this monster EP. Yes for those who have seen the track listing, they do cover Gastunk. Killer, dude. They also get a guy by the name of Jacky Ohtaka to shred his balls off over those tracks. No joke, I think Jacky may have actually shredded his balls off. RIP Jacky Ohtaka's balls.

Now. as far as I can tell. This is the first (and only?) record to feature the guitar wizardry of Kazunori Mizoguchi. Who is he, you ask? He only played in a band called NUNCHAKU.
Fucking killer, dude.

Mizoguchi really brings a spice to Cocobats sound. I mean, yeah. It's still typical Cocobat. it sounds like Earth Crisis punching Metallica while Pantera watches in a video shop owned by the entire late 80s NYHC fraternity, in a shopping district co-ordinated by Sepultura. Did any of that make sense? Probably not. Do Cocobat sound like any of those bands? Not really.What was the point of writing it? I dunno, dude. I just dunno.

Anyway. Killer EP, Kazunori Mizoguchi we hardly knew yah. Check out his website here: http://kazunorimizoguchi.tumblr.com/

Get hell-bent (fo' leather)


http://www115.zippyshare.com/v/XfgZfsLC/file.html

Dank Update For Dank People

                                                                           

Am I a lazy bastard? Yes I am. It's been six months since I last posted, and I never got round to properly uploading the shit that was requested of me.

But in my god-darn defence, I finished uni. I'm now officially edjumacated, son. And I gotta full-time job...okay, so none of that classifies as a good excuse. But still, mang. I'm gonna sort shit out and start posting more often....I swear, I promise, I....I...i'm probably lying. No doubt life will get in the way again. But while the iron is hot, eh!

                                     Also Relevant: 

 

Anyway, guys. Just letting you know that i've got some dank posts coming up. Keep yo' eyes peeled, son.   

Cocobat - Return of Grasshopper (1996)

 

                                                  Cocobat - Return of Grasshopper (1996)
I'm not going to lie and say i have a comprehensive discography of this Jap hardcore powerhouse. However, i have a few CDs of theirs knocking about and I'm always searching for more.

For those not already acquainted, Cocobat are a Japanese hardcore band who have been going strong since the early 90s. Their debut, which is HERE, is a great groove-infected hardcore record. Yep, that's what i said. Groove-infected.

Usually when the words Japanese and hardcore are used to describe something, people either think of
A: Hardcore pornography (usually of a disturbing nature)
B: Noisy Discharge-punx with mohicans and studded jackets

Although i'd love to say that Cocobat incorporates both of these things, they simply don't. Instead of ripping fast GAI worship, Cocobat opt for a groovy, metallic edge that was oh-so-new at the time.

No studded jackets or mohicans, say whaaaaat? I thought this was Japanese Hardcore!

That image should speak volumes, Cocobat aren't your typical punk band. While the likes of Confuse are accused of being a prime example of fashion-punks, Cocobat just look like a bunch or norms....by 90s standards at least.

Since Cocobat weren't spending hours patching and studding their apparel they must have spent their time practising their instruments because they are all super competent and water tight.

From what i can gather, after the first record they booted former vocalist Ryuji (Disarray/Bitousha/Dessert), drummer Matsuzaki, and Shinichi Suzuki (Lawshed) and replaced them with Koji on guitar, Kame on drums and Hideki on vocals. Basically, this record features only one member from the original line-up that recorded the self-titled effort - the amazingly named, and skilled, Take-Shit.

You'd think their sound would have changed with this massive overhaul. And while they do sound different, it's still a big mish-mash of heavy chugs, slap-bass, and schizoid guitar parts.You can tell that Take-Shit runs the joint, slapping-popping-taking shits everywhere on this record. Man, he can play. Guitar-wise Koji brings more 90s hardcore conventions to the table: militant chugs, natural harmonics, discordant chords, groove-riffing - the whole shebang. On top of this there are plenty of inventive ideas floating around by all members.

Annotating each song would probably be a big snore for y'all, so i'll just say this: If you didn't like their debut, you probably won't like this.

Take-Shit taking shits for shit and giggles
http://www98.zippyshare.com/v/WTRIvJMo/file.html

The Misfits - Horror Business EP (1979)

 

The Misfits - Horror Business EP (1979)

So here we are. Final Halloween post. I was hoping to be a bit more prolific, but what the hell.

Horror Business is simply one the the greatest songs ever written. Any other opinion is bullshit and you should feel bad for not agreeing with me.

On this legendary EP The Misfits rip through three tracks of pure punk rock glory. If Horror Business and Teenagers From Mars don't convince you that The Misfits were one of THE best bands to ever exist, then i have no idea whats wrong with you.

I suppose the only issue with this record is that the former tunes make the final cut Children In Heat seem insignificant. However, don't get me wrong. Children In Heat is a rad tune, it's just up against some hard competition!

The line-up on this masterpiece is the same as Night Of The Living Dead: Danzig, Only, Steele, and Image 

As we all know, The Misfits rotated guitarists frequently in their initial short life span, creating even more punk rock classics with every record they put out. And then Danzig left...we wont get into that here.

A fucking gem. Happy Halloween, you fiends!

Teenagers from mars and we don't care!

The Misfits - Night Of The Living Dead (1979)

 

The Misfits - Night Of The Living Dead (1979)

What would Halloween be without The Misfits. Undoubtably one of the greatest bands ever. Night of the Living Dead is one of the prime Misfits recordings from the classic, or one of the classic, line-ups. On this record Bobby Steele rocks the guitar, while mainstays Glenn Danzig and Jerry Only do their thang. On drums is Joey Image, of whom i have no knowledge of. Apparently he donned the sticks for less than a year in The Misfits and became active in recording in the 00s...as well as having a Youtube Podcast channel. It's true, look it up!

This particular record is pretty interesting in terms of the song choices. Obviosly we have the Romero homage Night of the Living Dead, as well a favourite of mine, Where Eagles Dare. The last cut, Rat Fink, is actually a cover by Allan Sherman who was dead well before the Misfits were on the scene.
 

A true fucking classic.

I ain't no goddamn son of a bitch, you better think about it baby!