DEATHLESS BASTARDS - Demo (France, 2012)

Straight out of Brittany and featuring former/current members of Warkorpse and Necrowretch among others, Deathless Bastards play rocking speed metal punk that has Motörhead written all over it – loud, crusty, heavy and metallic. The sick riffing on the last track reminds me of good ol' Acid (Belgium), but this should also appeal to Inepsy and Midnight fans. Really catchy stuff, looking forward to hearing more from this band! The cassette should still be available from Impious Desecration so support them and order a hard copy if you liked it.

DEATHLESS BASTARDS - Demo (France, 2012)

EXTINCTION OF MANKIND - "Without Remorse" demo (UK, 1993)

Extinction Of Mankind don't really need an introduction, do they? Anarcho metallic crust punk from the UK heavily influenced by Antisect as the lettering/artwork suggests. They must have quite a massive discography by now. Saw them live a couple of times in the mid '90s but they never appealed to me much I'm afraid… This is their first recording, a lengthy 10-track tape that reeks of cider breath and filthy black rags. I've seen a different version of this tape with an alternate cover so I'm guessing it had been reissued at some point, but I got this copy straight from the band upon its release so I guess it's as authentic as you can get.

EXTINCTION OF MANKIND - Without Remorse demo (UK, 1993)

LEBENDEN TOTEN - 8 Tracks Demo (USA, 2002)

I don't think I need to hear another single "noise punk" band at this point in my life. Call me old or jaded, but this subgenre has gotten so redundant and sterile it's probably the "screamo" of the '10s and it's only a matter of months before that shit floods second hand bins. I love noise and feedback as much as anyone, but I also need riffs, hooks, and song structures in my punk. Lebenden Toten is one of the very, very few bands of the genre I can hang with, even though they really started to shine later on in their career (I suggest checking out their 2nd LP and 8" first thing if you've never heard them.) They hadn't really found their trademark style on this demo yet – even Chanel's vocals sound pretty different from the distinctive singing style she's known for. 

LEBENDEN TOTEN - 8 Tracks Demo (USA, 2002)

HEATHEN HOOF - Promo demo (Finland, 2004)

Heathen Hoof is a Finnish retro metal band paying tribute to the NWOBHM with rough vocals bordering on oi!/punk at times, which may not work for some people. Nothing too fancy or epic musically either, this is  stripped down old fashioned rocking heavy metal that actually sounds like it could've been recorded in rural Wankceisterborough UK in 1980. The first 4 songs were recorded in February 2004, the last 3 in August 2002. They released a 12" EP on Nuclear War Now! in 2005 that shows an improvement over this tape, but I yet have to listen to their more recent full-length LP.

HEATHEN HOOF - Promo demo (Finland, 2004)

無我 [MUGA] - "修羅の道 [The Road Of Asura]" demo (Japan, 2004)

Not surprisingly, Muga is pretty much the continuation of Result, who they shared members with (there's a CFDL connection as well though they're musically quite different). If you've heard the Result album, you know they sounded somewhere between heavy 90s UK crust and Tragedy before Tragedy even released their debut LP. This 3-song cassette came out 2 years after the Muga's debut album, which is their only other release I'm familiar with. I believe they later released a split CD and a second full-length CD. Moody "crust de salon" done better than most Europeans aping the style.

無我 [MUGA] - 修羅の道 [The Road Of Asura] demo (Japan, 2004)

DOOMSTONE - "Possessed Cemeteries" demo (USA, 1991)

I've always thought this Doomstone demo never got the recognition it deserved. Coming out right at the peak of the death metal explosion in 1991, it didn't meet many of the style criterias of the era: no Sunlight or Morrisound-like production, no super fast beats, no gore-drenched lyrics… And humorous stage names like Keeper Of The Brazilian Death Metal Albums (bass) or Cross-Turner Upside-Downer (drums) kept them from being lumped with the super serious Satanic panic to come (read: second wave black metal). Even though the vocals are deep and brutal as all hell, you can tell Doomstone's influences were firmly rooted in '80s (and even '70s) heavy metal culture. Not exactly surprising when you know the band shared two members with the excellent veteran death/thrash band Deceased. The first Doomstone album came out 3 years later but I had pretty much lost interest in death metal at that point so I can't even comment on that one. [Update: I got my hands on last year's vinyl reissue of the first Doomstone CD and I'm glad I did, it's every bit as excellent as the demo. Released by To The Death Records from Sweden. Get it!]

DOOMSTONE - Possessed Cemeteries demo (USA, 1991)

SUICIDE BOMB - Demo (USA, 2009)

This was sent to me a couple of years ago by Robert of the almighty Terminal Escape blog, who you may also know as a member of No Statik, Conquest For Death, What Happens Next?, Artimus Pyle, etc. He was in Suicide Bomb together with Will (Born/Dead, Desolation, Red Dons…) but that's about all I know. The tape says the band only lasted 3 months but I wish they'd done more as this 5-song affair is excellent. Catchy old school US hardcore with its share of mid-paced ragers and great raw but tuneful vocals. I wish the cover had lyrics printed so I could sing along. Impressive little cassette!

SUICIDE BOMB - Demo (USA, 2009)

KONTEMPT - "The End Of The Destructor" demo (Canada, 2004)

The Kontempt 7" released on The Total End Records in 2006 survived a few record purges over the years at the Kängnäve HQ with its brand of brutal and downtuned Swedish-style hardcore. Hailing from Montréal, Canada, they also released this 9-song tape a couple of years prior with a slightly different line-up – the most noticeable difference being the vocal duties on this demo handled by Chany of Inepsy fame! I'll admit to liking the 7" more, but the tape is worth a listen anyway.

KONTEMPT - The End Of The Destructor demo (Canada, 2004)