HAIRCUT - CRIATURA CS

"Excellent debut from this new Charlottesville, VA group. Three tracks of furious, midpaced punk that really manages to stand out from the pack. I'm honestly having a bit of trouble naming any singular band or scene that Haircut draws direct influence from, which is a pretty damn tough feat these days! A couple of these folks played in Animal Planet, so if you were into AP's left-of-centre HC punk approach, Haircut is definitely worth reaching for. However, I've really got to applaud the originality, strong production, and performance on this demo. These three tracks lay the foundation for a strong followup release yet have plenty of replay value of their own."

Feeling some srsz Annihilation Time/Greg Ginn riffage in this one. 

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Aggression Pact - Self Titled EP

"Debut release for this band formed by Dan from Waste Management and Ryan from Green Beret and firing off rounds in the tuneful traditions of BGK, N.O.T.A., A.O.D., and other bands with acronyms for names. Mark from Wasted Time and Mercy Killings handles the vocal portion of the group ensuring a real "Nuthin but Net" execution."

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Mercy Killings - Snuffed Out EP

"A year after recording what would be the self titled EP, the lads of MERCY KILLINGS returned to the great state of North Carolina to lay down yet another sonic assault of hardcore punk. The resulting material proved to be even more vicious than the band's initial effort, yielding five songs of the savage USHC that certain members have been known for producing for over a decade now with select nods here and there to other spots on the globe that have been known to influence good punk as opposed to shit punk. These guys are, thankfully, too purist and/or out of touch to even consider flirting with any of the cringe inducing trends and fashions that have plagued the genre as a whole in recent memory. Therefore, fans of well executed hardcore punk can rest assured that they will receive just that upon obtaining this slab."

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