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Collaps - Getting Used To The Dirt LP Review

Collaps are a German melodic street punk/oi! band formed in 2022. This here is their second album that came out in late April. Their first record, Executor came out in 2023 on Mendeku Diskak. Musically it falls close to fellow German punk band Oxymoron. Both bands play melodic, hard hitting punk anthems with some mean, rousing hooks. But Collaps throw in a pinch of Motorhead and a dash of Cocksparrer in the mix to make sure the roof of your house gets thoroughly blown off!   Getting Used To The Dirt by Collaps Getting Used To The Dirt houses 11 stellar street anthems about living in a world that is quickly being shrouded in darkness. The first song "Cokehead Politics" paints the picture of a society in chaos and our hypocritical leaders seem to either do nothing or turn their backs completely on their people, further driving the nails into the coffin of society. Some of the other songs like "You Don't Get Shit", "Grinding", and "I Think We're ...

Beware Puny Humans! IMPLODERS Are Here!

Shock Treatment: Lets start things off by telling me who’s all currently in the Imploders demolition unit: Mike: Lineup has always been the same since we formed in 2020. We got Joey on guitar, Todd on vocals, Curt on drums, and myself (Mike) on bass. Shock Treatment: What is the IMPLODERS origin story? How do you guys all know each other and how did you decide to come together and start the band? Mike: Joey and I had played in two bands together prior. Pink Wine and Teen Archer. He was one of the first homies I made when I started training into the city from Ajax to play in bands in Toronto. So we were well acquainted many years prior to starting IMPLODERS. Todd I had met through his previous band - Average Times. A garage punk band based out of Ottawa. I used to co-run a record label called Hosehead Records with my best friend Patrick (drummer of Chain Whip, another band I’m currently playing bass with) and we released Average Times first LP. So I slowly developed a friendship wit...

Nocturnal Prose - Our Mi$ery Is Their Currency LP Review

This band is from Texas but it sounds like they should be from somewhere colder and foggier. A place where at a certain time of night, the shadows come alive and dance in the realm of the living. Perhaps centuries of fallen souls grow restless and are beginning to channel their despair into the vessels that inhabit the area. In hopes of reaching the outside world and communicating their woe and agony to anyone who will listen and take pity. This I feel could be what Nocturnal Prose are projecting through their music. Through this other dimensional pain, come lessons and warnings to us, the living here and now.  OUR MI$ERY IS THEIR CURRENCY by Nocturnal Prose I wouldn't say Nocturnal Prose is a full on goth or death rock band, but they certainly cut in heavy slices of it into their sound salad. The rest of it is sprinkled with what remind me of darker new wave like Red Lorry Yellow Lorry or The Chameleons. The singer has a voice that sounds like it's echoing back to you from ins...

Caspa - I Hate Caspa EP Review

Caspa, for those that are unaware, is basically Spanish for dandruff. It is also a San Antonio based neurotic, synth punk band that could care less about me, you or any little white flakes that may fall on your crusty black band shirts! Caspa is comprised of members from other local groups such as Amygdala, Ill Informed, Nocturnal Prose, Faulty Cognitions W.I.M.P, Yolquetza and Pallbexar. This is their debut 12" EP and it's out now on Total Agency Records, in fact this is Total Agency #001! I guess good things can still grow and flourish in these days of bitter air and salinated earth.  CASPA- I hate Caspa EP by TOTAL AGENCY Caspa the band are hardly little white flakes blowing in the summer breeze, being brushed off with ease. In fact, if we're going to compare this band with any kind of epidural condition, I'd say they're more like a sun burn. Looking to sear and sever the nerve endings of modern society and our bloated, privileged lives as we know it. They'r...

The Plane Crash - Too Little Too Late 7" Review

Mark Death, known for his stint with no frills, punked up, rocket fueled rock n' roll bands like The Hot Lz's and The Halfways has assembled a new crew to help take down the sterile institution known as modern rock n' roll and restore it to its former sweaty, leather clad glory! The Plane Crash also features guitarist Rich Peterson from Somerset Meadows, Chuck Roast formerly of Minty Rosa on bass and drummer John Chilson of The Hoods. This 7" actually came out last year on Mark's own label, Hate Street Records but it just recently popped up on my radar and I thought it was just too good to be buried by something as trivial as time. This 7" is the follow up to this Portland band's previous LP Nostalgia For The Gutter , also out on Hate Street Records.  The Plane Crash play a mean brand of boozed up, stripped down rock n' roll like The Dead Boys The Joneses, or Radio Birdman once did in a different age. Like the bands I just mentioned, The Plane Crash al...

The Sleeveens Interview!

Interview conducted with Stefan Murphy and Ryan Sweeney! Shock Treatment: Let’s start off by telling me who’s all an official Sleeveen and what you all do in the band? Stef - Singer / Songwriter / Guitar Jamie - Bass Eli - Guitar Sweeney - Drums Shock Treatment: So part of the band lives in Ireland, and the other part in the U.S. is this correct? Tell me, how does a song come together for you guys and when do you have time to rehearse them? Stef - I write the songs and usually we rehearse them before we record them. We get together 3-4 times a year to tour and always try to fit in some studio time. We do okay considering I'm in Dublin Sweeney - Yeah, Stef lives in Dublin while the rest of us live in the Nashville area. Stef usually sends a demo of new stuff he’s working on so when we get together we have an idea of what we’re gonna do. This band works incredibly quickly, which has been crucial to our existence. We’ve gotten good at maximizing our limited time together. We typical...

The Flash Kicks - Couldn't Care Less LP review

The gang at Wanda Records has produced yet a nother fist pounding, adrenalin pumping punk record! This time with the debut album of the Cologne Germany trio Flash Kicks full length. If you decide to scramble around in Discogs for their back catalog, don't sweat it.These guys have only made one other 7" back in 2019 for the German label Get Stomped Records. This release is limited to 250 copies on black vinyl and comes with an insert and download coupons so you can download this record and play it on your commute to your dead end day job. But take caution, if you do this, Flash Kicks could have you turning over you desk, putting your foot through your computer screen, and telling that fat head boss of yours to sit on his thumb!  Flash Kicks have tightened up and sharpened their focus to hawk like precision since their debut 7" seven years ago. This LP is high intensity, fuel injected rock n roll and all cylinders are firing at maximum capacity. Musically, this band has som...

The Protos Interview!

Photo by Leah Wilhelmina  Interview conducted with singer/guitarist Daan Proto Shock Treatment: Who is currently in The Protos and what does everyone do in the band? Daan: The Protos is Guus, Sid & me (Daan). Guus plays guitar, Sid is on drums and adds backing vocals here and there, and I sing and play guitar. Two guitars and a drum kit is what it’s always been, and we’re pretty sure it’s what it’ll always be. Apart from the music, we all put in some work getting shows, but to be honest we’re not that good at it. Usually people send us a message on Instagram or email, and if we’re available and we like it, we go for it. Shock Treatment: How did you guys all meet and decide to play music together? Daan: I met Sid and Guus at punk shows in Amsterdam/Haarlem. At that time we were playing in Achterlicht (Guus), The Covids (Sid), and Burlers (me), and there were plenty of shows where we’d run into each other. Around that same time I went through a break-up, wrote some songs about it...

The Statics are back?!

What a pleasant surprise this is! One of the coolest bands of the 1990's have returned with a brand new 7" from Chaputa Records! The Seattle trio that were infamous for their rowdy, lo-fi, blown out rock n roll have emerged from their, according to my calculations, 28 year hibernation! This band released both of their LP's on the infamous Rip Off Records back in 1994 and 1997. And everyone knows you can't be some square stumbling off the street corner to be on this label! Label honcho Greg Lowery has vision and high standards for god's sake! After all, Rip Off Records #001 was a Statics 7"! The band also released a grip of other great 7"'s on killer labels like Super Electro, Dead Beat, Estrus, Empty and Wallabies.   Now fast forward almost three decades later and The Statics are ready to pick up where they left off? Let's hope so because the world desperately needs a rock n roll band of this caliber to ease our many sorrows. You'd think after...

An interview with Rich Evans of Total Punk Records!

Shock Treatment: So Rich, you moved from Orlando to Portland back in 2020. Was this difficult for you doing this in the middle of the pandemic and was there a particular reason you chose Portland? Rich: The decision to move to Portland was the age old scenario… I met a girl. We had been long distance dating and at the tail end of 2019 I decided to move. I quit my job on New Year’s Eve, sold my van in the beginning of January, and started the painful process of breaking the news to my bandmates, my family, my roommate, my friends, and my partners in my wrestling promotion (Mayhem On Mills). I had lived in Florida for my entire life and was very involved in Orlando so it felt like breaking up with an entire town. It was hard but I was ready for a change. Golden Pelicans had an Australian tour booked for March 2020, April was going to be the big two year anniversary show for Mayhem on Mills, I was going to book a huge going away party at my neighborhood watering hole/ home venue Will’s ...

Wax Head - GNAT LP review

Wax Head are a group of young British malcontents that have been going around causing the good and decent people of Manchester to not sleep out of fear. Causing them to lock their doors and windows when the sun goes down, and wait up for their children at night to ensure their safe return home. The wolves are out in the city at night and looking to feed their unquenchable cursed hunger. The band has been around since roughly 2023 or so, they released an EP titled Salt Fat Acid Heat and a live LP Live in Salford  in 2024. After that it's been a crumb trail of digital singles leading up to this, their first studio LP. Like mischievous serial killers, Wax Head were been dropping clues on where all the bodies are hidden. What laid waiting for us at the end of that trail definitely delivered!  GNAT is actually a breath of intoxicating air, something to actually get excited about in the rapidly expanding world of dark and desperate rock n roll. Notice I didn't say "fresh"...