I’m gonna jump out of your speaker right now and slab you in the bum. Cheers!

I don’t know how it goes with you people, but whenever I come across a website that has a ‘links’ section I usually am not that tempted to click on that button in order to find more links when I am not necessarily looking for something specific. So I decided to write a little piece for you with a bunch of links included so if you are somewhat interested in what I mention, say or suggest you can click-away the night. You could say that this is my first news to use sorta post with useful links for those who care.

Let’s kick this first piece off with some news from the Belgian hardcore scene, more precisely about my punkmetalling bros in Rise And Fall. This week an MP3 of The Void from their upcoming record Into Oblivion was posted on their label Reflections Records’ website. Listening to Into Oblivion, release date 11/24, you won’t have a hard time hearing their varying influences though those create a rather unique sound. People that can appreciate some Slayer, Entombed, Tragedy, Discharge, Integrity, Black Sabbath, Eyehategod, Integrity, Cro-Mags, Leeway, Ringworm and Dead Stop in their lives need to give Rise And Fall a shot. Punkmetal to the bone. Speaking about punkmetal, Integrity’s live intensity of the early 90s has been immortalized by means of a slab of vinyl. Aurora Borealis has put out a live LP with a set from back in ’92, a show in Cleveland on Palm Sunday. Only 500 copies were pressed and the record has been out for a few weeks now, so if you want this you gonna have to act fast. This week I’ve been listening to two other Cleveland bands quiet a lot, two bands that are still around, I assume, Upstab and Cider. Both bands play filthy raw punk with a lot of distortion and a straight forward sound. Upstab have some old Clevo dudes in the ranks, I don’t know who exactly, but I bet some of them have played in Integrity or Ringworm at one time. I know about one EP they have, put out by Even Worse Records/Way Back When Records from The Netherlands, that should be still available. I have some more stuff by Upstab as MP3s, but I don’t know if that stuff is from a demo, another EP or perhaps unreleased stuff. One thing is sure, it’s hard hitting. You can listen to an Upstab track here. Cider feature a better known Cleveland legend, namely Aaron Melnick, though in the insert of the They Are The Enemy EP on Painkiller Records he’s credited as both Brainwashed Aaron and, the classic, A2. They Are The Enemy EP was rereleased earlier this year by Painkiller Records, but I don’t think it’s still available. Next to They Are The Enemy EP Cider put out the Out To Get Me EP on Non Commercial Records in 1994, that is sold out of course. Basically it will be hard to find a Cider record anywhere, so all I can offer you till you do is this MP3. Maybe some day Painkiller Records will put out a Cider discography or do a repress, just like they are about to do with another raw Clevo punk project featuring a (only one?) Melnick, The Inmates. Their Asshole Anonymous LP was released a couple years ago on Human Stench Records, limited to 300 copies only. So if you want to find out more about this obscure Cleveland outfit, be sure to order the LP from the fine folks over at Painkiller Records. I don’t know if their Government Crimes EP will be on the repress as well, but it def would be a nice extra. Listen what The Inmates were about here. To end this part about Ohio’s filthiest there’s one more thing I have to say, and again it involves Painkiller Records, The Darvocets have recorded 6 new songs that will be on a one sided 12”, listen to their Eyes Like Ants to get a little hint as what they might sound like. A lot of info on all these Clevo bands can be found on the Non Commercial Records website.

That’s all I’ve got for you for now, I have a lot more news line-up that I will be posting soon. You might have to recheck Megalomaniacal Supernauts sooner than you think…