I know that when I’m needing to unwind properly I have to listen to the nastiest stuff I can find. Doesn’t make a difference which scene it comes from. I know what it is I want as soon as I hear it. Bandcamp is a beast of a platform for scratching this itch as I can tear through stacks of new content. Out of all the music out there that makes me want to kill (more), these two acts have caught my ear in a big way. Existing very much as separate entities altogether, this pairing will have a regular spot in my daytime/nighttime/work/dinner playlist. The prettiest thing in this post is my face at the top of the screen. Expect filth everywhere else.
ZERO – No Salvation (2016)
All I know about this band are that they’re from Washington State and that they break necks for living. Imagine turning up to a show and Harm’s Way are posing down The Acacia Strain for the right to headline that night. The hostility and aggro in the room could squash air. ZERO take big, big inhales of that type of venom and blow it out with the brash nature of young men who have something to shout about. Typically pleasing and frill free riffs and breakdowns aren’t for everyone looking to get nasty, but they do the fucking job for me. Crunchy, stamping drops and barked vocals never give time to hooks or riffs for too long; there may be few catchy moments on the band’s debut, but it delivers with gusto.
This is a crushing debut and one that should fit in perfectly alongside the previously mentioned acts with it’s simple, punishing performances all round. ZERO have written a score for a day meeting your in laws or just having to sit and deal with children. Hell, you could probably play it at work but expect shit to kick off. Nothing pleasant has ever come from someone counting down with a kick drum and ride bell. When that fourth bell pings, push the smaller kids outta the way. They’re definitely not ready for this.
Spurn – Comfort In Nothing (2016)
“But don’t you think violence is wrong?”
“Aw fuck off Kevin. Wasting pigs is radical, man”
I love really morbid comedy and chaotic hardcore in equal measures. Spurn offer both of these in slightly mismatched quantities and the chaos reigns. Up in Canada things might seem a bit fucked after listening to these Calgary natives and the angular, twisted grind that they churn up. These guys make the harsh sounds of 90’s industrial sound like pre-programmed songs on high school music room synths. Godflesh fucked Fear Factory when they were still playing death metal and Mastodon jizzed onto a rag that somehow made it’s way into the offspring of the first two. Hence, Spurn. It’s not comfortable music and Comfort In Nothing doesn’t give back to the listener unless the listener wants to feel worse. It’s a great time for dissonant death metal and dark, grindy hardcore. Spurn are one of the fresher takes on the sound, delivering the nasty just as well as the big hitters of our time.
This one’s ideal for a day when your own reflection makes you grind your teeth. Drink some fucking chai tea, smoke some weed or whatever it is you need to calm down. This one will tip you over the edge if you don’t go into it feeling at least a little bit zen. Music is corrupting and the pervasive attack of Spurn should put them as the first pick for anyone dealing with a shitty job or an overbearing partner. Not ideal for a comedown though. That’s another playlist altogether. Maybe next week on the special Bless Me With Beautiful Bandcamp Bands Because I’m Brutally Hungover.