Fringe Candidate-Fringe Candidate

Self-Release/Independent
2017

Fringe Candidate is a hardcore punk band from Akron, Ohio. The group is fronted by Karl Vorndran and this self-titled release looks to be the band's studio debut. It came out in late December of 2017. Recorded by the band's own bassist (Jamie Stillman) at Historic EarthQuaker Devices, "Fringe Candidate" is a vicious collection of (street-legit) hardcore punk with great song titles like "The Boy Who Cried Hitler", "Buy Your Way To The Top", and "At Each Other's Throats". Joe Dennis (guitar) and Josh Leskanic (drums) round things out for this loud & lethal (and decidedly snotty like all great punk acts) group that is like a caged animal just waiting to attack it's prey!At a mere five dollars, Fringe Candidate's self-titled album is a must-have for fans of down & dirty/bloody-knuckle hardcore punk!!

The Barber-General Thrashing

Zero Hero Recordings
2016

Moscow, Russia's The Barber released "General Thrashing" close to one year ago, but I'll be damned if that is going to stop me from bring it up now! If you are a fan of (underground) punk rock n' roll, eighties hardcore punk, and Motörhead then chances are you'll feel the same kind of instant attachment to the band's debut LP as I did. I'm not going to say that you won't like The Barber if all three of those genres are not heavily represented in your personal music collection. Mixed in with vintage punk and (street-worthy) hardcore, "General Thrashing" has more than enough (metallic) rock and roll to get you up out of your seat and into the pit. Just so there is no question about it these guys known how to write (Grade A) material that is every-bit as catchy as it is cruel. You can thank the group's legitimate ability to absorb the greatness that is (and forever will be!) garage rock and roll for that revelation. Preceded by the 2014 EP "Original since 80th", The Barber's first full-length album could easily cross on through to the other side. I'm just wondering if the general population will be able to see The Barber for what it really is. Will they understand the spirit of this band and what makes them tick? Can they look beyond the cool music and the good times? Hell if I know. Maybe it doesn't even matter. I mean as long as people spread spread the word about these guys then it is all golden. But that's the kicker. It isn't enough to just experience the music of The Barber. You need to share it with other people. Deep down inside I get the feeling that this Russian band is the real deal. Let's not go changing that. Sell this band to your friends for what they are. We desperately need to rally around this lot and others like them so that they don't feel pressured to change for the sake of more gigs or a record contract.  As can be heard here, The Barber's latest release is a wicked cover of The Exploited's "Beat The Bastards". That's a good sign that these Russian musicians are still tied to their roots and that they are marching forward to the beat of their drummer alone.  With all of the obstacles that have surely sprung up,  The Barber gets mad props from me for sticking to their guns!

Free Metal Monday: Iron Regan-Spoiled Identity

Decibel
2014

This Monday's freebie is not so much "metal" per say. Or at least not on this (Richmond-based) band's latest 13-track release, "Spoiled Identity". As some of you may recall Iron Regan, whose 2013 full-length debut album, "Worse Than Dead", I covered last year (http://metalmark.blogspot.com/search?q=iron+reagan), is a side-project featuring members of Municipal Waste and Darkest Hour. While the band's debut-album was (thrash-tinged) crossover (sounding not at all unlike a punk/hardcore version of Municipal Waste) "Spoiled Identity" drops a lot of the more metal moments and instead focuses on straight-up hardcore punk. With this "Name Your Price" download, which will also be available as a flexi 7" through Decibel Magazine, the band speeds through 13 tracks in under five minutes! While the title cut clocks in at a minute and four seconds the majority of these "songs" run the length of twenty seconds or so! Mind you some of these "songs" are just sample clips, but still it's all good in the hood as this is one of those records that you could blast in it's entirety before your neighbors would even have time to call 911 to complain about the noise! Now that's cool!