All - "Allroy For Prez"

The Descendents are one of my all time favorite bands. Their music got me through some rough times. They are truly one of the greatest bands to walk this Earth, and I will forever love their music. That being said, ALL is, as you may know, the Descendents, minus Milo. The fact is this though: ALL is a criminally overlooked and under-rated band. Sure, they get sneered at by most punks because of their overt sappiness, but this sappiness is within the confines of hook-laden, carefully crafted punk rock that will stick to the insides of your mind like the bubblegum it so wants to be like. This is their second release, an 8 song ep that is possibly the best thing they ever did. It features Dave Smalley (of D.Y.S./Dag Nasty fame) on vocals , Stephen Egerton on guitar, and the unstoppable duo of Karl Alvarez on bass and Bill Stevenson on drums. If I haven't said this before, I'll say it now...Bill Stevenson is the best punk drummer, ever. Standout tracks on this are "Skin Deep", "Wishing Well", and the great "Daveage".

All - "Allroy For Prez"

Lip Cream - "S/T"

Here is one of the single greatest punk rock full lengths to ever come from the land of the rising sun. I am of course talking about Lip Cream's 1989 self titled album. They already had a slew of releases under their belts by the time they released this, a 12 song masterpiece of furious hardcore pummeling. Words cannot do this album justice. It is THAT good. Ranks up there with anything by Death Side, Gauze, Outo, The Comes, etc...If you have never heard this before, believe me, you are doing yourself a favor by getting it now!

Bloodsucking To Death!!

Rorschach - "Remain Sedate"

Here is New Jersey's Rorschach, and their first full length, "Remain Sedate". They played hardcore with a slight metallic edge to the songs, and harsh, lacerated throat vocals. They released a split with Neanderthal and another full length that is way more metal then this one. I think this album is just intensely played hardcore fury, check it out for yourself.

Rorschach - "Remain Sedate"

Pestilence - "Malleus Maleficarum"

Here is "Malleus Maleficarum" by Pestilence, a metal band from the Netherlands that started off as a thrash metal band , but later on incorporated more death metal and even jazz influences into their attack. Sadly to say, I don't find those albums as interesting as this one. Maybe it's the sheer amount of killer riffage to be found on here, maybe it's the short but ferocious minute and a half onslaught called "Extreme Unction", maybe it's the fact that this album destroys. Their follow-up album, "Consuming Impulse", has its moments but can't hold a candle to the intensity of this one.

Pestilence - "Malleus Maleficarum"