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FYI, McCarthyism is moving! My landlord has sold my house, and I have yet to find a solid place to live/work. So as of Dec 1, do not send any mail to the Hyattsville address. When a new place is found, I will update here.
Last Exosus show: May 8 @ the warehouse nextdoor 1017 7th st nw washington , DC $7, 7pm w/ medic,fight amputation, as long as we're all living we're all dying, arcadius Also: We have just moved into our new office (the mailing address is the same, though) and finally have a new mail order person - so oustanding orders will start to have WAY less lag time!
Noticed a review of Carrion's the Crime of Idle Hands that I had never seen before.
I have the flu. I feel awful.
Medic Update: 1. Greetings & Amputations, Medic's first CDep is sold out. We will be repressing it in january. It is still available from Robotic Empire, Ebullition, Dischord and other distros probably. 2. There is a new Medic/Triac split 7" released on Reptilian Records. You can get this from me (colored vinyl) for $4 ppd (josh@mccarthyism.org or the address on my site) or from Reptilian directly. 3. In Febuary, we will be probably releasing a limited LP version of Greetings & Amputations. Preorders will start once the Flowers In The Attic 7"s ship (PS - I just got the test presses of that and they sound great) 4. In March or April, Medic's as-yet-untitled full length will drop on CD & LP (though the LPs may follow the CDs by a month or so) in time for their spring tour with Darkest Hour. And that's all the news that's fit to print.
the Catalyst "A Hospital Visit" review "Never judge a book by its cover"--indeed, words to live by. Take the Catalyst, for example. If you put too much stock in labels, in this case record labels, you might go into their new album A Hospital Visit with the wrong notion of what you'll actually get on it. It's of little consequence, really--this material speaks for itself. As is the case with most bands on the McCarthyism roster, the Catalyst carry a certain amount of D.C. hardcore style in their sound. Here, that influence is more minimal than you'd expect, though. Instead, A Hospital Visit operates most within the grunge realm, dripping with Nirvana-isms throughout. This is also a fairly rocked out listen, possessing a little more swagger than the typical punk band packs. In truth, those rocking moments of A Hospital Visit are its best. If looking for the appropriate specimens, turn to either "The Broken English Breakdown Shakedown" or "Chronic The Hedgehog." Sampling the platter's Sub Pop slanted highlight "The Parties At Your House," things start reeking of Seaweed--it's a welcome stench. Top to bottom, this is a well-crafted offering. If you long for the good ole days of grunge, A Hospital Visit is for you. The Catalyst will also prove a pleasant entry to the hardcore folks out there searching for an acceptable change of pace. Either way, you can't deny this is solid stuff for what it is. If any of this sounds up your alley, give the slab a shot. - (House of Smut) Exosus/Clancy 6 review Regardless of the inspiration point, as long as the sentiment behind it is pure, music which relies on power will always get over with listeners for that fact. This Exosus/Clancy 6 split 7" is a good example of that princple. Regardless of whether the scale tips more on the side of metal or hardcore, rest assured you are going to have your face torn off by this listen. Exosus is first up, with their pair of tunes "My Life In The Diamond Trade" and "Chasing The Dragon." Unlike most of what McCarthyism puts out, there isn't a hint of any D.C. styled angularity to these cuts. Also, while definitely coming from the school of hardcore, Exosus has much more in common with Reign In Blood-era Slayer than anything else. "My Life In The Diamond Trade" is the most sprawling of the two songs, featuring an ominous tempo slow down at the midpoint where a few death grunts get squeezed in. "Chasing The Dragon" wraps the Exosus half of this split in a blinding fury, keeping things straight-up feeling in spite of slight riff variations. On Clancy 6's three tracks, "Pulse Control Is Process," "Shallow Graves," and "Neverendings Have Me Shifted," the subtle Fugazi-isms you were expecting do in fact rear their heads. In comparison to the cuts from their awesome split with Vincent Price's Orphan Powered Death Machine, these efforts feel a great deal more powerful and accomplished. That's saying a lot. Sick-as-hell blastbeats propel "Pulse Control Is Process," as well as "Shallow Graves" which boasts a nice shift to midtempo, putting off a pretty evil vibe in the process. "Neverendings Have Me Shifted" proves the quirkiest of the batch. It's also the most complex in terms of arrangement, with very obvious morphs in time signature throughout. Ending in a noisy locked groove, this one's a fitting finisher. As much as the hardcore community will certainly be clamouring for this platter, it seems just as worthy a pick up for metalheads. The power of Exosus is overwhelming and undeniable, while Clancy 6 continue to improve. If these styles are anywhere within your realm of interest, this 7" would be a wise score. An all-around killer. - (House of Smut)
New Flowers In The Attic LP review: Flowers In The Attic--s/t McCarthyism 2004 Coming off their amazing split 7" with Roma Delenda Est, Flowers In The Attic seemed poised for great things in the future. That said, nobody could've been prepared for this. With their self-titled debut album, the band have forged what may be the ultimate masterpiece of modern hardcore. All that initial promise has in fact been fully realized on this monumental release. The results are utterly beyond words. With a base sound rooted in the angularity of D.C. hardcore, and channeling the dark energy of black metal, Flowers In The Attic have revealed even deeper layers to their palate on this disc. The increased space of a full-length has allowed them to delve deeper into the doom metal aspect of their music, while at the same time opening doors to something almost new wave in feel. Then there are the vocals. The scream of hardcore at its best hits from a place so deep inside, the truth of its sentiment cannot be questioned. More often than not, this unfortunately isn't what you get. Rest assured, the vox of Rebecca Burchette has it right in a way perhaps no one else ever has. When this woman steps to the mic and lets loose, it's like something is being purged from the darkest recess of her soul--it's impossible not to feel this passion as these songs hit your ears. This listen is not only unique but organic--alive and powerfully so. Flowers In The Attic don't let you down in the songwriting department, either. The opening "874524I" starts as a hornets nest of blackened frenzy, morphing into an epic slab of sludged out doom. "The Mouth The Salt And The Open Wound" has a very waved feel to it, thanks to the paranoid quirk in the moving guitar line. "Ode To The Six Foot Hole" compliments that track well, only with a decidedly goth slant and bursts of mega-downtuned brutality that will stun the sickest of doomers. Flowers In The Attic even manage to check pure rock n' roll on the riff which surfaces as all other voices fall away during the closing "Blah Blah Blah Shit." Again, all of this is incorporated into a hardcore context, with Burchette's voice willing it all to a mythical level of brilliance. Bottom line: Flowers In The Attic have crafted one of the most important hardcore albums ever in this debut. Original beyond compare amongst a sea of parody, this album rises above all others of its ilk and shames them into invalidity. Pray that this band stays their course and hold together for many more efforts. This is something very special. Bravo. - House of Smut
HeartAttack review of the Flowers In The Attic LP: This is a pretty short record- 6 songs ona one-sided 12" at 45rpm- but that's not to say it's not good, because it is. They don't do anything extremely death-defying, just play some heavy "wall of noise" hardcore, with strained, half-growly, half-screamy female vocals. Wow, her voice is intense! They remind me as sort of a mix between Pg. 99 and Undying, with slow, wavering distorted guitar picking that builds into powerful hardcore or thrashy parts, sometimes moshy ( but not too mushy, phew!). They have a lot of energy throughout, and I imagine they pack a punch live. Flowers in the Attic combines thrash, hardcore, metal, grind and punk rock to give a nice mix and another release that will probably delight fans of other McCarthyism releases.
New reviews, all from slug & lettuce : The Catalyst "A Hospital Visit" CDep A Hospital Visit from the Catalyst is sick! These Northern Virginians belt out seven heavy and abrasive, yet still melodic cuts of grunge-influenced punk. They kind of remind me of old Deadguy meets the Refused with a little bit of Clutch thrown in. Their lyrics are about good things like partying, politics and good people. Members of Tristatekilling Spree and Human Timebomb. Hot shit! Flowers In The Attic LP This is a one sided 12" of white vinyl that plays at 45rpm, so it's fairly short as LPs go. This Baltimore band is brutal, and what I am most interested in is the raspy crazed female vocals which are screamy and cool sounding. Musicallym they are discordant and grating, bridging hardcore with sludgy noise rock. They alternate between slow and sludgy, to fast and manic, to melodic and weaving, working in those high-pitched guitar sounds here and there (that remind me of Converge), which gives them an eerie feeling to their already dark and otherwise drop tuned hardcore style. The Faeries "Riot In The Hive Mind" CD This is crazy, eclectic and all over the place. It's got so many influences that it's really hard to describe what they sound like. Sludge, discordant dirty punk, blast beats are just a couple of descriptions that fit the sound of this band. The Faeries contain members of EyeHateGod and Outlaw Order but my metal friends tell me this doesn't sound much like either of those bands. The lyrics are personal and pretty grim with politica overtones. There are also facts strewn throughout the booklet about how fucked up the government is. These guys seem pretty pist off at mainstream society. The lyric sheet is my favorite thing about this release. The pictures are messy but in a very cool looking way and the lyrics are all handwritten. My one gripe is that the CD packaging is 7" size which is really crappy if you work at a big distro. Exosus/Clancy 6 split 7" Exosus play blistering metallic mayhem, full of discordant guitars with just a hint of mathy tech possibilities. The vocals are screamy and guttural in a blargy yelled way. Lots of high-end distortion, and over the top metallic riffs putting this in a metallic hardcore direction. Features members from Ochlocracy and Flowers In The Attic. While Exosus hint at blast beat manicness, Clancy 6 deliver, taking the high end distortion even further, blasting the beats farther, while the vocals get even more gnarly taking this into a noiser direction. A bit too much for me. The Fiction/Birthday Boys split 7" The Fiction play danceable, bass driven, punchy punk rock. The Birthday Boyz play a screaming little ditty about my new favorite pastime, basketball. It's very discordant and screamy.
New Flowers In The Attic 7" ep! preorder now : $4 us/$6 north america/$8 world either send cash to the address on the store page, or paypal josh AT mccarthyism DOT org. add 50 cents for paypal. this record will likely be $5ppd when it comes out due to high production costs, so you are saving a buck by getting it early. all preorders will get stickers, maybe posters and anything else cool we have lying around. listen to a song off of it at http://www.mccarthyism.org/mixtape/ (track 2) I'm only accepting 100 preorders due to the fact that last time i did preorders it took me way too long to send them out it and it was a clusterfuck. Also coming soon: Searchingforchin full-length Triac/the Wayward Slayer tribute 7" Mannequin/the Catalyst 7" Medic full-length the Wayward full-length Flowers in the Attic full-length
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New Releases:
Flowers In The Attic
Searching For Chin
the Catalyst
the New Flesh / Clancy 6