Tag: punk metal

Horse Head – Missionary [2015; self-released]

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Following their 2012 self-titled demo, the Arizona-based Horse Head issued this four-track EP, with punk-tinged metal not quite drifting into sludge.  Song names like “Red-Eyed Angel” and “Whiskey And Blood” give things a blue-collar vibe, and the raspy screaming fits well enough with the rough-edged guitar tones.  While the drummer doesn’t get much spot-lighting, he puts in the most consistent work of the EP, standing out even more due to the break-downs being the biggest point of differentiation between the songs.  Not a bad start for the band, but fairly lacking in material to bring people back for their next effort.

Suiciety – Crawling Machine Edition [2015; Desert Highways]

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Sporting six tracks recorded in 1996 but unreleased until this EP’s issuing, twenty years after the band’s last release, Crawling Machine Edition lives up to its time capsule status with a rough-edged mix of thrash and punk, gilded with metalcore vocals and hard-repetition choruses.  While none of the lyrics are especially memorable, they’re delivered with good enthusiasm and an attitude that, while brash and a little cliché by today’s standards, isn’t too tiresome.  Whether the songs were worth unearthing after a couple of decades is debatable (and really depends on how much trouble it was to acquire them), but for fans of the band, it’s likely a thrill that could never have been expected.