Big Biz - Quadruple Single

Big Business - Quadruple Single

New EP from one of the most consistently rad bands around. This time out they've added a fourth member (Scott Martin, guitar) and he just fucking shreds all over this. Its like just when you think Big Biz couldn't get anymore rad, they go and release this EP, tipping the scales of radness.

The Electronic Anthology Project

The Electronic Anthology Project EP

This is Doug Martsch and Brett Nelson from Built To Spill doing 80's synth pop versions of BTS songs, and it fucking kills. This is like all the totally rad remix EP's you've heard but ten times better because they are Built To Spill songs. These aren't remixes they are totally new recordings (vocals and all). One song from each of their seven studio albums gets the synth treatment here. Party time.

PULLEY

Pulley - Esteem Driven Engine

Pulley - Sixty Cycle Hum

Pulley - S/T

Pulley - Together Again For The First Time

Pulley - Matters

Pulley - Time Insensitive Material EP

Pulley - The Long And The Short Of It 7"

Fucking Pulley. One of the best melodic hardcore bands to ever grace the earth. Scott Radinsky (Ten Foot Pole) on vocals, Matt Riddle (Face To Face, No Use For A Name) on bass, Jim Cherry (Strung Out) on guitar and Jordan Burns (Strung Out) on Drums. A bona-fide punk rock super group. The line-ups shifted for subsequent releases but Scott Radinsky stuck around on vocals (despite a lucrative MLB career). Every one of these albums totally fucking slays. These guys played a major part in my youth and are definitely one of the 90's best punk bands. Life-changing tunes right here dudes.

The Dukes Of Nothing - War & Wine

The Dukes Of Nothing - War & Wine

Former members of Iron Monkey playing scuzzy punk'n'roll. These dudes only released a couple 7 inches and this EP before breaking up (almost a decade ago). The singer of this band, Tony Sylvester, just recently replaced Hank Von Helvete in Turbonegro (the outcome can't possibly be as bad as Hank's new band Doctor Midnight and the Mercy Cult). If you dig Mötörhead, Zeke and Ass Cobra-era Turbonegro then The Dukes Of Nothing will leave you moist in the crotch.

MUNG - Vow Of Poverty

MUNG - Vow Of Poverty

Named after Leukorrhea, Mung were a 90's Boston hardcore band. Their first EP, Vow Of Poverty, was released in 1996 on the Bosstones' Big Rig Records label. As far as I know this was Mung's only release and it totally slays. If you like H2O, CIV and American Standard then these six songs are your new favourite jams.

Deep Sleep - Turn Me Off

Deep Sleep - Turn Me Off

Totally awesome Descendents inspired hardcore. If you dig Lion Of Judah, Government Warning or Cloak/Dagger then this shit is for you. Ten songs with tons of melody and interesting guitar lines that breeze by in just thirteen minutes (who do they think they are the Circle Jerks?). My only gripe would be that this album is way too short.

Night Fever - New Blood

Night Fever - New Blood

This is some fucking rocking hardcore out of Copenhagen, Denmark. This sounds a little like Annihilation Time, but mostly these dudes remind me of one of the best hardcore bands of the last ten years: DEAD FUCKING STOP. Eight totally rad old-school bangers that are sure to get your ass moving.

Algernon Cadwallader - Parrot Flies

Algernon Cadwallader - Parrot Flies

This is the second album from these PA dudes and it is a total monster. Eleven of the best tracks you'll probably hear all year. Algernon play intense and mathy indie rock that any fan of Cap'n Jazz, By Surprise and Monument will totally dig. I thought their debut was the shit but Parrot Flies is just a total banger and so much better. I've listened to this all night on repeat and I can't get over how totally rad it is. This has already been posted on every blog on earth so if you haven't grabbed it do so because this album will totally own your life. I'll be blasting this shit out my car window all summer long. Jam.

Slow One - The Double Cross

Sloan - The Double Cross

The new one from these Godfathers of CanRock. This sounds like the Beatles, the Kinks and The Cars rolled into one. These dudes are Canadian Rock royalty. Power pop at it's absolute best. This album totally slays.

Big Kids

Big Kids - Hoop Dreams

Big Kids - Don't Be A Baby EP

Big Kids - Phone Home

Big Kids are the fucking shit. Try and remember the first time that you heard Weezer.... That is what hearing these dudes for the first time is like. Big Kids play emotional punk rock that sounds like Small Brown Bike, Bear Vs. Sharks and Hot Rod Circuit mixed together. Every one of these dudes' jams is a total banger that begs repeat listening. I jam this shit on the regular and you should too. Buy whatever these dudes put out and press a beer in their hands when they play your shit town. Life changing punk rock right here.

Ansikt Til Ansikt

F T F - L N, L L

This thing is fucking good. Maybe I'm biased because this was one of my favourite bands throughout high-school (and beyond) but this is definitely their best LP since the Self Titled album. Chad Yaro is even back in the band after an eleven year absence. To me this sounds like Reactionary mixed with Big Choice and every track is a total banger.

BLACK GOD

Black God - S/T

First there was Black Widows, then Black Cross and now Black God. This is the latest collaboration between Rob Pennington (By The Grace Of God, Endpoint) and Ryan Patterson (Coliseum). Along for the ride this time are Nick Thieneman (Young Widows) and Ben Sears (Prideswallower). This was recorded last Halloween in Louisville, KY and it totally fucking slays. Head on over to No Idea Records and buy a copy. According to the band they have already recorded the follow-up 7" but I have no idea when that will be released, hopefully soon. Best hardcore release of the year (so far).

Capsule - No Ghost

Capsule - No Ghost

Capsule are a hardcore band from Miami, FL who occupy the perfect middle-ground between Brainworms and Converge with some southern sludge thrown in (i.e. Torche and Kylsea). Heavy as fuck, spastic, melodic and totally fucking rad. This has been getting tons of love all over the place, so if you've been sleeping on this don't as it is the best heavy releases of 2011 so far (and definitely a top ten contender right now). No Ghost will be released this spring by Rorschach Records so pick up a copy, crank it to eleven and bum out all your square neighbours. I can't stress enough how rad this album is, and if you didn't love their last album Blue, fear not, as this one is a little more straight forward (but still fucking heavy as hell).

Buy Supplies

By Surprise - Mountain Smashers

I have been listening to this album on the way to and from work everyday for the past couple weeks and I still haven't gotten tired of it. These songs will seriously be stuck in your head for weeks. Great melodies, a tight rhythm section, noodley guitars and fun lyrics have insured that this will be one of the years best albums. If you dig Everyone Everywhere, Algernon Cadwallader, Monument and bands of that ilk then this should be right up your alley. I can't recommend this album enough. Go buy ten copies from Topshelf Records and give them to your friends (assuming you have ten friends, that number may be lower for some of you) this album is that good.

Stan Bush & Barrage

Stan Bush & Barrage - S/T

If anyone out there was all fired up after listening to those Blood Bros mixes and wants more rad and inspiring jams from the 80's then look no further. Before you go and put this on make sure you've got an extra pair of socks and pants handy because Stan Bush's music will rock your socks off while simultaneously making you cream your jeans (this dude can sing like Sammy Hagar and shred like Eddie Van Halen). Even the slow-jams are rad (and I hate slow-jams). This contains "The Touch" and "Dare" from the Transformers movie soundtrack (the 80's animated one) as well as three tracks from the Kickboxer soundtrack. Try and be angry while listening to this, it can't be done, I'm grinning from ear to ear just writing about how fucking cool this album is.

Blood Bros

Blood Bros - First Blood: Train! Fight! Win!

Blood Bros - Heaven2Hell: Train! Fight! Die?!

The Blood Bros are DJ/Producers Derek Allen (DJA) and Dirty South Joe (DSJ). Under this moniker they have compiled only the most radical and inspirational songs from 1980's action movies (and a couple real choice recent ditties). Here is their write up for first blood:

Put this mix on when you are training on the beach, hitting the bag, chopping wood, running up/down a mountain, or generally doing anything which requires/involves fierce determination and focus to win. BLOOD BROS!

I have never read a more appropriate description in my life. The sequel may even be better than the original (It contains One Track Lover from Garth Marenghi's Dark Place). Seriously this shit has got me all jacked-up. Volume one dropped in September, and the sequel was only just unleashed in January but the Bros are already promising a third edition this year, so keep your fingers crossed for that. Don't sleep on these mixtapes as they will totally own your life, big time.

Excel

Excel - Split Image

Excel - The Joke's On You

Great Venice Beach thrash on par with their friends in Suicidal Tendencies (Mike Muir signed them to his Suicidal Records imprint). Randy Burns (Suicidal Tendencies, Megadeth, Possessed) produced both of these albums and they both wail. Guitarist Adam Siegel went on to play in the Suicidal Tendencies funk side-project Infectious Grooves. Dave Mustaine claims that Metallica stole the riff for "Enter Sandman" from the song "Tapping Into The Emotional Void" off of The Joke's On You LP (there are similarities, but I don't think there is much merit in his claim). If you dig Suicidal Tendencies, Exodus and Sacred Reich then you'll love Excel.

Sepultura

Sepultura - Beneath The Remains

Sepultura - Arise

Sepultura are perhaps the greatest thing to have ever come out of Brazil (besides Pele and butt implants, natch). They had two rad albums before these and two after, but these two albums are their only truly essential releases. Sepultura seamlessly blend hardcore, death metal and thrash into one pissed-off assault on your eardrums. The band will always be loved and remembered because of these two albums and their radicalness. Max Cavalera has the perfect voice for heavy music, so in your face and aggressive, and on top of that guitarist Andreas Kisser just fucking shreds all over the place. Legendary Florida death metal producer Scott Burns recorded both of these albums (although only Arise was done at his Florida studio, Morrisound) and unlike a lot of his work the drums here don't sound like someone banging away at a typewriter in the least.

Atrophy

Atrophy - Socialized Hate

Atrophy - Violent by Nature

Thrash metal from Tucson, AZ. Both of these fine slabs-o-thrash were released by Roadrunner Records in the late 80's/early 90's. The band called it quits after founding guitarist (and main songwriter) Chris Lykins left to attend med-school. Quality thrash metal with all the hallmarks of the genre: Blazing solos, double-kick drumming and generic lyrics about social unrest (with the obligatory party song thrown in). This may not be on a Megadeth level of awesomeness, but it is definitely on par with anything Exodus or Testament put out. Like most old albums on Roadrunner these are long out of print.

Wasted Youth - Black Daze

Wasted Youth - Black Daze

Wasted Youth started out as a hardcore punk band in the early 80's (their singer is even on the cover of the book American Hardcore). However, on this release they went full on thrash metal. Bassist Dave Kushner went on to play guitar in Velvet Revolver and Drummer Joey Castillo went on to play with Danzig and Queens Of The Stone Age. The guitar work on this is fucking incredible, lead guitarist Rick Seccombe just shreds all over this thing with one face-melting solo after another. The musicianship overall is pretty rad and its a real shame these guys never took off. The artwork was done by Michael Seiff who also created cover art for Suicidal Tendencies, No Mercy, Excel and Beowülf.