Devil's Horns Zine

  Cropsey-Cropsey (1054 redux) EP review. FFO: Riffy, Moshy NYHC. New York (and surrounding regions) have always produced some of the world's best hardcore and this newcomer follows that strong history. This debut EP was originally released digitally by the band in January 2021 followed by a very limited CD Digipack pressing by German label FWH Records, Cropsey has recently joined the 1054 roster To kick things off 1054 have done a jewel case CD repress with a 4-page colour booklet containing lyrics and with a brand new bonus track named "Crackwhore" which shows the bands progression & where their sound is heading ahead of a proposed full length in the near future !. This is a dense and strong release that lays on the riffs and vocals with confidence, in fact, the confidence is that of a much more experienced band. Now that's encouraging as hell for a debut EP.  Cropsey has tons of layers and whilst every track is exceptionally heavy, the composition of all the el...

  Another Bloodshed-Molotov EP review. FFO: hard as fuck Euro beatdown hardcore. Yet again 1054 records floors us with the heavy hitters. 1054 is now ripping thru the USA as well as across Europe (and South America as well) and this French assault force Another Bloodshed just dropped this brutal EP of classic beatdown hardcore. This is decent on all fronts-really original vocals with variation, mad ass gang vocals and sensational riffs to encourage mass violence at gigs. This might be five tracks, but by the end of it, you'll need more than Gatorade to recover from this vicious onslaught. Each track mixes up the style which is predominantly metallic hardcore of the highest order, but initially, I didn't know how to interpret the vocals. But after a few tracks, you realise they are utterly vicious and unhinged like the big riffs in every track. This is evidently clear in my fave tracks, Blind Rage, Molotov and Feel Your Pain . This is a mix of solid hardcore in the vein of Firs...

  SCHKEUDITZER KREUZ-ISOLATED AND ALONE ALBUM REVIEW. FFO: AGGRESSIVE INDUSTRIAL PUNK. Australia continues to set the standard for extreme music, pretty much year after year. This one-man assault declares this premise perfectly. And the bio is very clear in intent and purpose: Schkeuditzer Kreuz is one human and some machines, making noise, in the face of it all. Live electro-industrial punk created out of the wreck of the plague year 2020. The human element of SK has been playing stringed instruments in punk bands since the days when the world had happiness and hope. Since the decline, there has been a building of greater affinity with machines making the creation of SK inevitable. The name Schkeuditzer Kreuz comes from a motorway intersection between the A9 and the A14 in Sachsen, Germany – the sign for which was glimpsed out the back of a moving vehicle while escaping Leipzig many years ago. The sound and feeling behind SK is based around that signpost. S.K. in essence, but...

  ISUA-I EP Review. FFO: Crushing, Apocalyptic Doom/Sludge/Extreme Metal. There is no other way to put this; THIS IS A FUCKING CRUSHING DEBUT. It doesn't matter if you push these devastating tracks through an oversized speaker, your headphones or via your crappy car audio, this will melt your brain and disintegrate your ears. Whilst the EP is just two tracks, the promise of what comes next will hook you, as well as the sheer oppressive nature of this release. To throw a simple label of sludge is a touch lazy, as the EP tracks touch on many variations of alternative genres from doom, punk, post-rock, black metal, death metal, stoner metal and blackened hardcore. And this is not from a band failing to find their identity, they have simply gathered punishing weapons from various areas to concentrate on an all-out attack. The two tracks are definitely downtempo but full of vigour and colour. Opener Burden of Dreams begins grimly and the bleak tone doesn't lift at all; this miserab...

  Born From Demise-American Desperate EP review. FFO: Nasty, Heavy Hardcore. In what is proving to be 1054 records biggest year, Born from Demise deliver the goods straight to your skull all the way from Massachusetts. And we all know that area has produced some of the hardest hardcore bands ever....argh Blood for Blood, Siege, SSD, Slapshot and Death before Dishonor to name but a few legends. So the history is huge for this region and whilst these cats (or really anyone) has a long way to go before achieving that level of skill, this EP is an epic start to their career. This is six solid tracks of heavy hardcore that refuses to fuck about. Whilst there isn't a huge progression in sound over this solid EP, that's fine by me. What many fans want is heavy and metal-influenced tunes that kick your arse. Every track does this and it is as much old school hardcore as beatdown. The vocals are harsh and really punishing. This EP demands you play it again and again. The production is ...

  Mereflesh-Baptised in Blood album review. FFO: Harsh, Dark Death Metal/Slam. Straight out of Melbourne is this killer band that has built on their initial release from 2018, The Nightmare Begins . This album is heavier, darker and is absolutely stupidly confident in how fucking nasty this album is. But the band is made up of two hardcore veterans of very notable bands, so it's hardly a surprise. The lyrics match the massive riffs as much as the grim, yet amusing cover art that is phenomenal. Heath's riffs work exceptionally well as it touches the intricacies of brutal, yet technical death metal but also has deathcore sensibility of blazing staccatos and wild breakdowns. The music is chunky, thick in overall sound and relies on dissonant focus and so much mood, in an utterly nihilistic fashion. The production is perfectly crushing as expected. What lifts this sensational album is Makka's vocals that serve as an insane instrument/weapon and drive each track as much as the r...