Medusa

"Medusa harnesses the power of Slayer's most evil riffs and filter, twist, and abuse them via the record collector, nerdworthy triptych of Melvins, Lightning Bolt, and The Jesus Lizard. At times they are surprisingly melodic, other moments sound like they're trying to separate your arms from their sockets in order to use them as battle re-enactment swords, and sometimes they're trying to do both...there is definitely no fucking around." - Outburn
Medusa is a Bloomington favorite of mine. Their debut EP, En Raga Sul, is a very impressive work that leaves you feeling like you just fought a war and don't know who won.

En Raga Sul

Official Site

Punch - Push Pull (2010)

Push Pull (2010)

Just as their debut release did, this album covers multiple corners of the hardcore spectrum. The vocals are as shrill as you would expect them to be, and the musicianship just as tight and fun as you would hope from this California powerhouse.

Buy It

Last.fm

Spiritual Bankruptcy

Myspace // Last.fm

Ridiculous thrash-punk EP from Bygones, which, if you recall, is composed of Zach Hill and Nick Reinhart, two of my favorite musicians who collaborated to create one of my favorite albums of last year. Stream it from the link above, and then buy it at the same place for only three dollars. Or find it for free elsewhere.

PUNCH

These guys are so. fucking. raw. Hardcore/Thrash from San Francisco. Meghan's vocals are killer, the band's sound is tight and cohesive, and there are some really good grooving parts. Their self-titled debut LP got released this year and I can't wait to hear their future efforts. Cheers to the friend who got me into them.


Punch - Punch (2009)

Myspace