-
The Lemonheads of Hate Your Friends were a completely different beast from the jangly, alt-rock heroes they’d later become. Back in 1987, this was a punk band—loud, scrappy, and brimming with the kind of raw energy that only comes from a group of kids cutting their teeth in Boston’s hardcore scene. Released on Taang! Records,
-
The Normal’s “Warm Leatherette” is a turning point in electronic music. Released in 1978, this stark, mechanical track introduced Daniel Miller to the world, a name that would soon become synonymous with Mute Records and the rise of synth-based experimentation in the UK. Minimal yet gripping, the single captures a fascination with technology’s darker corners.
-
South of Heaven is Slayer’s boldest move. Released in 1988, it followed the relentless Reign in Blood, widely regarded as one of the fastest, most extreme thrash albums ever. Instead of trying to outdo their own speed and intensity, Slayer took a different route. South of Heaven slows things down, building menace and atmosphere in
-
Napalm Death’s Scum is one of the most important records in extreme music. Released in 1987, it laid the foundation for grindcore with ferocious speed, chaotic precision, and relentless energy. Tracks like “Instinct of Survival” and “Siege of Power” are primal explosions of sound, while “You Suffer,” at just one second, is the purest expression
-
Heresy’s Face Up to It! is hardcore punk pushed to its absolute limits. Released in 1988, it’s a whirlwind of speed, precision, and politically charged aggression that defined the UK hardcore scene at its peak. The album captures the band’s raw intensity, with tracks like “Consume” and “Network of Friends” delivering rapid-fire riffs and shouted
-
Demdike Stare doesn’t just have the coolest band name ever—they back it up with music that’s shadowy, experimental, and impossible to ignore. With Testpressing#005, released in 2014, the duo of Miles Whittaker and Sean Canty delivered one of their most visceral entries in the Testpressing series. It’s a two-track plunge into fractured rhythms, bass-heavy dread,
-
Fuck Buttons’ Slow Focus is an overwhelming wall of sound that feels both primal and futuristic. Released in 2013, it marked the duo’s first self-produced album, and it shows—every moment feels meticulously constructed yet feral, with pulsing electronics, distorted beats, and layers of texture that demand total immersion. The album opens with “Brainfreeze,” a relentless,
-
Sunn O)))’s Monoliths & Dimensions is a towering exploration of sound, blending crushing drone and avant-garde composition into something both elemental and expansive. Released in 2009, it marked a new peak for Stephen O’Malley and Greg Anderson, who brought orchestral arrangements and choral vocals into their already colossal sonic palette. It’s an album that feels
-
Big Black’s Atomizer is a brutal, genre-defining debut that cemented Steve Albini’s reputation as one of the most uncompromising figures in underground music. Released in 1986, the album is an unsettling mix of noise, punk, and industrial elements, with cold, mechanical rhythms and raw, jagged guitars. It’s a record that thrives on discomfort, capturing the
-
When Rozz Williams left Christian Death, he didn’t just walk away from the band he founded—he dove even deeper into the darkness. Shadow Project, his 1991 collaboration with Eva O, feels like the next logical step in his evolution, shedding Christian Death’s goth-punk origins for something more raw, personal, and confrontational. It’s gothic rock refracted
Roaring Anthems – Bollocks to Conventions
Sterling Mosh 