Review #131: Reproach/A.N.S. Split (EP) (2008)

REPROACH/A.N.S. SPLIT EP

Year: 2008

Genre: Punk Rock
Sub-Genres: Hardcore, Thrash
Label: Still Holding On Records
Tracks: 11
Length: 11 Minutes
Style: Angry/Wild
My Rating: 6/8

Obviously, this is a split EP between Reproach and A.N.S. And it's a 7" vinyl. Wax. Know what I'm sayin'? I think you do. Both bands are hardcore punk groups with heavy metal influences and a love for skateboarding. A.N.S. formed in 1999 in Texas (U.S.A.), and Reproach formed in 2000 in Belgium. There are eight Reproach songs (all extremely fast and short) and three A.N.S. songs (slightly less fast and short).

1. Reproach - "You Deserve It"
Loud, angry vocals. The second half of the song is ultra-fast.

2. Reproach - "Skateboarding Saves"
Slow intro with an awesome metal-ish riff. Extreme blast-beats thrash about in the second part of the song. There's backing vocals, also.

3. Reproach - "The Fallout"
The first part is slow. The second part is extremely fast. The third part is slow.

4. Reproach - "Onward to Destruction"
Very fast parts and kinda fast parts. Really growly backing vocals. Durrrrhhh!

5. Reproach - "L.A.P.D. Can Suck It"
Shortest song on the 7"! Sweet Seventeen seconds long. Lightspeed mega-thrash beats and awesome slower bits inbetween.

6. Reproach - "Kicked in the Teeth"
Yet another fast song. Not much else I can think of to say that makes this track stand out.

7. Reproach - "Family Shooting"
FUCK! SFLDFLKJSGFJKLFDG;'LLDFG;FLDG;LFDLGD;LGD;FLGFD

8. Reproach - "Fuck Us All"
This song's about a person who probably wants the listener to fuck ALL OF US. EVERY ONE OF US. YEAH. GOOD GOIN', BUDDY. Anyways, that's the end of the Reproach side of the record.

9. A.N.S. - "Kooks Go Home"
Now for something fast, but with slightly more emphasis on musicality than speed. The first half of the song is instrumental. Slow, very cool, sort of ominous, and I like it. Midway through the song, things speed up, and the vocalist starts singing, sounding like a cross between Henry Rollins and the guy from J.F.A. A head-pumping beat, and excellent riffage. Even a few mini-solos in the background. The song changes again towards the end of the song to get even faster, and then, believe it or not, it continually gets speedier and speedier until we're at speeds rivaling the eight tracks before this song. But then things cool down and the song slows down. This is the longest song on the EP. And probably the best, also.

10. A.N.S. - "Locals Only"
I wonder if it's named after the J.F.A. EP of the same name... anyways, it starts off with a slow intro until the vocalist screams "LOCALS ONLY!!". Pretty much a typical hardcore song. A little mini solo here and there.

11. A.N.S. - "Dawn Patrol"
An instrumental track. Begins with the sounds of sea gulls and waves at the beach. And with that said, this song has a bit of a surf-y guitar sound to it. It's fast, too! In one part it gets extremely fast. But yeah, no singing here, so you can just enjoy the krazy franticity of the whole thing. There's a short heavy metal-type solo in one part. But yes, that iz the end.

"Kooks Go Home" is definitely the stand-out track, here. I personally prefer the A.N.S. songs over the Reproach songs -- they're excitingly fast, but eventually it gets quite same-y and grating. The best track of that side of the EP is probably "The L.A.P.D. Can Suck It". What you like best from this little 7", that'll be up for you to decide if you have listened to it. But if you want to listen to some extremely fast music today, go listen to this or something. Until next time!

Top 3 Favorites:
1. Kooks Go Home (A.N.S.)
2. Dawn Patrol (A.N.S.)
3. The L.A.P.D. Can Suck It (Reproach)

Review #28: A.N.S. - Pressure Cracks (2009)

PRESSURE CRACKS

Year: 2009

Genre: Heavy Metal, Punk Rock
Sub-Genres: Thrash, Hardcore
Label: Tankcrime Records
Tracks: 9
Length: 21 Minutes (Medium-Length)
Style: Angry
My Rating: 6/8

As the newest release from A.N.S., this one features the band delving into the thrash-metal genre. Whether that's what they'll be for the rest of their career or not is unknown. Still, this is a pretty good album that takes advantage of a new, more metal-y sound.

For this record, the band signed to Tankcrimes Records, a metal and punk label. Much like their previous album, the '80s influences can still be heard, and there's a track that totally reminds me of something off of "My War" by Black Flag. But, here's the important part. The review.

1. I Killed Porcho
Starts with a soundclip of the infamous Henry Rollins vs. Unnamed 15-Year-Old Kid interview where the kid is saying "you going a little slow heavy metal, kinda? Maybe?", to which Greg Ginn replies "a little zany, a little wasty..." the song starts. This one is really fast. You can hear the hyper-fast metal guitar riffs and the heavy inclusion of guitar leads. Great first song!

2. Down the Rabbit Hole
Another fast song, but not as fast as the last song. It's the shortest song on the album. Ends VERY fast.

3. If You Don't Get It Now...
A slow intro. The song itself is pretty fast. Closer to just plain ol' hardcore, here. I love the vocals, here.

4. Seized by Fascists
"Nazis... I hate these guys" -- the song opens with that line. The vocals here are pretty badass, and the song itself is also really good! Towards the end there is an awesome lead-solo. I listen to this song in the car a lot.

5. Speak to Me
Makes extensive use of lead guitar. Interesting beat, here. 2/3 through the song, it slows down. Eventually, it fades out. End of Side 1.

6. Tunnel Vision
You too can have "tunnel vision"! Just take a toilet paper roll and stick it in your eye! For real, though, this is another thrash song. Nothing extremely interesting here, but it's a good song.

7. The All Consumer
Starts RELATIVELY fast... then it gets REALLY FUCKING FAST... until getting about as fast as it started... and then it gets REALLY FUCKING FAST again. THEN IT STAYS REALLY FUCKING FAST, WITH A SOLO! THEN IT GETS REALLY FUCKING SLOW, and the singer starts yelling about how he "won't let it control him", and how "the morning has come". So basically, the first half of the song is ultra-fast, and the second half is really slow.

8. Instru-Monu-Mental
Opens with a pretty nice riff. Starts as a slow song, but it gets faster once the drums appear before yer airs. Basically somewhat art-punk sounding music accompanied by spoken poetry by Chris. This one has a good solo.

9. Bleeding
Starts with the ringing of a large bell. Another slow song. This one will remind you of "My War"-era Black Flag. Very interesting-sounding, introspective lyrics (though I can't understand them all). Awesome screams. The song actually gets fast 2/3 through! In this ending section, there iz, in fact, a neat-o sol-o. And then, it ends. No hidden track for you.

This is a very good album. While I'd like to see A.N.S. do a little plain o' punk here and there ('cause they're actually good at that), they are still just as great as a metal band. If "The Pool" was like the product of a strange sexual interaction between "Damaged" and "Suicidal Tendencides", then this album is the bastard child of "My War" and "Join the Army"! One of the actual SOLID albums of 2009! If you like punk or metal, then this iz for you.

Review #19: A.N.S. - The Pool (2008)

THE POOL

Year: 2008

Genre: Punk Rock
Sub-Genres: Hardcore, Experimental
Label: Cowabunga Records
Tracks: 10
Length: 32 Minutes (Medium-Length)
Style: Rebellious/Angry
My Rating: 7/8

A.N.S. is a hardcore punk band from Texas that formed circa 1999. The band has released three LPs and two split EPs. Their main style is Californian-soundin' skateboarding-related punk with a small dash of avant-garde, though they play crossover thrash on their newest LP, "Pressure Cracks".

Last year's release, "The Pool", however, is a piece of classic punk rock. It's fun, it's rebellious, all of the songs sound good, and they try somethin' different on each track. One of the very few SOLID records we've had in awhile...

1. The Deep End
The Deep End of... "The Pool", perhaps? If THIS is The Deep End, perhaps the last track is meant to represent the SHALLOW END? The Wading Pool? No? Well, anyways, the song begins with a good bass, and once the rest of the instruments kick in, with a nice solo, you can already tell that this is going to be a good album. After the intro, the tempo gets faster, and it's an energetic hardcore thrasher. You know what to expect (in a good way, of course!). The vocals get real intense towards the enddddddddddddddddddddddSDFSDFGDSF.

2. Just in Your Mind
Another great one. Starts with an ominous, psycho-sounding intro... silence... and then the meat of the song immediately starts! Even faster than the last song. Reminds me of an early Suicidal Tendencies song. Brutal backin' vocals!

3. Attack of the Reaganauts
Sorry, but... Ronald Reagan's dead. However, his worshippers are still alive and well. It wouldn't be a TRUE hardcore album without a slam at Ronnie. This one's an instrumental, though you hear some sound-clips from some show or radio serial that I do not recognize at one point. The song has a rather surf-y sound to it.

4. Skate Nazi
Neo-Nazis skateboard too, kidz! This song appears to be about the protoganist being harrassed by a Skate-Nazi, who wants to kill him! I love the chorus riffage.

5. Gar Ecliop
Okay, this is one of the weirder tracks on the album. It's all weird and in reverse. If you didn't already figure it out, "Gar Ecliop" is "Police Rag" backwards. We all hate pigs. Anyways, I decided to play the song in reverse and speed it up by 20% to get how it might have originally been recorded, and it's pretty bassy, basically revolving around police brutality and their unfair ways. A very badass song, either way... unfortunately, it fades out during the second verse. It ends too soon. End of Side 1.

6. Through Time and Space
A more downbeat-sounding song with a slow intro, but then the fast part of the song starts. The end section goes back to the original slowness, but then that gets faster, and then the song ends with a solo.

7. Skate Zombies Must Shred
Starts with a funny short skit of a Nature Show-sounding guy remarking at a crowd of skateboarders. It's pretty much a song laying down the ways of the skate zombie. Never seen one myself, but I'm sure that they exist. The songs end with a soundclip of a zombie skateboarding.

8. Thought Wrong
My favorite song on the album. The riff and the chorus are just classic. Dunno why, but it really appeals to me. A very good song.

9. The Grip
Slightly slower than the rest of the songs on the album. Great, aggressive vocals and an awesome beat on this one. This one also has a good solo.

10. The Shadow Has a Name
The last track on the album. It's a very weird track. It starts with the sounds of thunder, until we hear the drums, and then we realize it's a mostly instrumental track that's remniscient of Black Flag in 1984. More soundclips of people talking from old movies, and maniac laughing from Chris, the vocalist. There's also fast, thrashier sections of the song. All in all, it's a very diverse, interesting song. More rain and thunder at the end. And then, there is even more rain. More rain. Rainy, rainy, rain. Lots of rain. About 8 minutes and 30 seconds into the song, we start hearing some lounge-style music from a radio. The rest is basically a weird sound-collage. The whole song clocks in at almost 14 minutes in length.

So, if you like '80s hardcore punk, this is for you. The album's overall sound makes me think somewhere between Black Flag and Suicidal Tendencies in the early '80s. It's got the spirit. It's familiar, yet not overly contrived. It has the same attitude and youthful energy as its influences. One of the best traditional punk albums in awhile.