Total Sham

picture by Marley Kennaley

 If you've been around this page a bit you probably know that I'm fond of the Kansas City hardcore punk scene and I've written enthusiastic reviews about Loss Prevention, Beta Boys / Electric Chair and D.Y.E... well D.Y.E is dead but came back under the name of Total Sham (an expression widely used by the right wing media to describe the last US presidential election if I'm not mistaken) and that's what I'm going to briefly talk about today.

Yes I really enjoyed D.Y.E last year tape, I actually enjoyed it so much that I included it in my year end's top list so I was utterly excited when I understood that Total Sham was nothing less than D.Y.E!

 

 

 

 

  So no surprises here, these nine new tracks are in the pure lineage of the 2021 tape: mean and ugly furious hardcore punk! These guys are really good at making you feel a strong mix of rage and disgust for the modern world: Total Sham are your dirty fingernails scraping your sore throat when you force yourself to vomit all the disgusting goon / cheap beer that you and your loser buddies have ingurgitated all evening...

Mostly fast-paced, Total Sham tracks can also have heavy and dirty mosh parts that feel like kicks in the guts while you're puking blood in fetal position, lying in the mud. Definitely a "feel good" record!

 

In my November post about D.Y.E I mentioned Glib and Discovery, some aspects also make me think of the less power violence-influenced band from John Cardwell from Portland: Suck Lords. There is the same kind of sloppy "I don't give a fuck" attitude in the way it's played and the way the anger and rage are displayed literally all over the place. To a lesser extent I can also think of The Bug from Chicago who've managed to take the mess to an even higher level. 

You got my point anyway, if you're into dirty, sloppy and mean as fuck US hardcore punk, this is exactly what you're looking for.

 

 

 

  N,J'Oi!

 

 

 

You can listen to Total Sham on RAF#35. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rien à Faire is on FB 

and INSTAGRAM

 

 

 

D.Y.E

 

picture by Aaron Rhodes

D.Y.E is a new hardcore punk band hailing from Kansas City, Missouri, featuring members of Tremenda Venganza, Trauma Plate, Big Cola, Kolumbine Kids and other KC punk acts.

These guys released a demo and full length in a few months earlier this year and guess what? they both totally rip.

 

 

 Released on Dirt Bag in May this 4-track demo is pure aggression from start to finish, the intro is a sample sounding like someone opening the door to a bar, smashing a bottle, and immediately starting a fight (another Saturday night in KC?), so consider yourself warned: you're gonna get some!

D.Y.E's tracks are short, fast and angry as fuck hardcore punk gems alternating between fast and heavy parts on which the vocalist never stops throwing out hate and disgust. It's a demo so it probably sounds heavier that it should (a lot of mosh parts reminiscent of the heavy side of the early NY hardcore scene), sounding a bit like a "tough guy" hardcore band at time.

  It's a cool demo but slightly too "heavy" for me, thankfully the real deal is coming next with... RULES!

 

 

 Once again released on Dirtbag Distro, Rules is the embodiment of everything that every hardcore punk fan expects. It's short, fast and bloody aggressive! In a nutshell it totally rips from start to finish!

 

 

  Featuring a classic but cool and restrained artwork by Swiasty, this record is not in bad taste overkill at all, just twelve pure hardcore punk ripper tracks that's all! With nine of them clocking in before the 1:30 mark this is done in total no-bullshit mode, no time's wasted here ma'am, oh no! Recalling early 80s USHC or some bands from the No Way Records catalogue, D.Y.E perfectly masters the recipe of a great hardcore punk song, not forgetting to plant a few seeds of heaviness here and there but in a much more subtle way than on the demo this time (and that's a lot better).

I can think of bands like Glib or Discovery but above all if you liked Loss Prevention (from KC as well), you'll love D.Y.E. The new hardcore sound of the Midwest?

 

Definitely one of my favourite record of the year. 

 

N,J'Oi!

 

 

 

You can listen to D.Y.E on Rien à Faire #28.

 

 

Rien à Faire is on FB 

and INSTAGRAM

 

 

 

Loss Prevention

picture by ShuttleCockMusic

Loss Prevention is hailing from Kansas City, Missouri, and has set itself the noble goal of spreading chaotic punk hardcore all over the place.

Glory to them!

These four guys have subscribed to tinnitus and nasty headaches a few six packs ago, they were seen in  the loud and dirty Bad Mouth, Narc Parade, Neptune, Kolumbine Kids, The Drippies, Nancy Boys and Speed among other weirdos' acts...

It all starts at the end of 2019 with this love demo tape dedicated to KC police force.

With 5 tracks in total and all of them around 2 minutes each, Loss Prevention is making it last longer than most of their little peers.

Slower than some but faster than most, the band smells like chaos, rage and despair... a cocktail which has had some success in the great history of punk...

I love the second guitar, losing itself in some dark alleys haunted by a drunk Greg Ginn, the ride is wild but beautiful! The kind of reverb effect on the vocals makes me think of the Brick Walls 7" by the Beta Boys.

All the songs are a bit similar but you can feel that these guys have a lot under the hood.

For their first release on wax the band is going out with 11PM Records, from Virginia, a young label which has released a bunch of great records for the past 14 months of so. Some of them have actually been reviewed here, on your favorite webpage.

Shoot to Kill is obviously another expression of appreciation for the men in blue, it's true that, lately, they have been highly praised in the land of the free.

With four songs only and two of them close to the minute mark, Loss Prevention have sped up their game.

Following the demo recipe, this 7" is just spicier, rawer and nastier... the second guitar is all over the place, the singer has definitly lost it and the drums just keep beating it again and again...

A lovely dose of chaos in a world of despair, these guys are on the right track...

Would love to check them out live!

You can listen to Loss Prevention in Rien à Faire #12.

N,J'Oi!

Rien à Faire is on FB