Back catalogue: All genres

Review: Originally featured on the soundtrack to The Hangover II (of all movies), 'Black Hell' from Misfits mastermind and all round evil Elvis curmudgeon Glenn Danzig finally comes to vinyl for its first time ever in both 12" format and in the form of this limited orange splattered 7" (just in time for spooky season). Featuring 'Thirteen' on the flipside (originally appearing on Danzig 6:66 Satans Child whilst made abundantly more popular by Johnny Cash's cover version), this is a perfect little slice of sultry, macabre wax to get the Halloween ghouls doing their best hoedown.

Review: Dark Entries label regulars De-Bons-en-Pierre are back with more of their scuzzy delights in the form of their Card Short of a Full Deck EP. It's drenched in textbook sludginess as is often the way with Beau Wanzer and Maoupa Mazzochetti ever since they came together in 2016. These tunes were all originally written back in 2019 for live performances and really find the pair pushing at the boundaries of accepted social norms. The absurd sounds pair skipping rhythms with dark and freaky basslines and plenty of eerie rave chords to make for an all-new kind of dance floor energy.

Review: Doctor Explosion returns with a surprise: they sing in Catalan! This limited-edition single features two tracks - one is a remake of their early classic 'Baby Please Go' (now titled 'Ves-te'n Si Us Plau') and the other is a cover of 'Perdo L'esma', an adaptation by Barcelona's Eurogrup of James Brown's' I'll Go Crazy.' Both songs are sung by Jorge Explosion in flawless Catalan and co-produced by Guerssen and Circo Perrotti. This release feels like a reunion of old friends that recalls the early days of both projects so is rife with nostalgia.

Review: With a title paying homage to London's cultural epicentre for the hippie and mod movements that would serve as precursors to the punk rock revolution, The Carnaby St. EP offers up a seasoned cross-Atlantic meeting of sonic minds between two seminal punk acts on either side of the sea. With legendary UK Subs frontman Charlie Harper and long-time bassist Alvin Gibbs linking up with Dead Boys guitarist Cheetah Chrome for a balls-to the-wall blowout celebration of some of the most quintessential cuts from the British Invasion that initially put them on their life-long trajectories, here the mutual veterans tear through faithful yet feral renditions of The Rolling Stones' 'Paint It Black', The Yardbirds' 'For Your Love', and our personal favourite; 'Taxman' by The Beatles. 3 covers, 7 inches and decades' worth of punk rock legacy.

Review: Formed in Barcelona's underground scene, the Italian-Catalan duo Silvia Konstance and Viktor Lux Crux aka Dame Area blend industrial-tribal rhythms with minimalist synths while drawing inspiration from avant-garde pioneers like Esplendor Geometrico, Suicide, and Einsturzende Neubauten. This highly anticipated fourth album, Toda la verdad sobre Dame Area ("The Whole Truth About Dame Area") marks a more aggressive, percussion-driven sound and a departure from the melody-focused album they dropped back in 2022. The dynamic live performances the pair are down for are distilled into an album that perfectly captures their experimental edge with unpredictable rhythms, metallic percussion and plenty of energy.

Review: Th eighth full-length from former Misfits horror-crooner Glenn Danzig's solo project/band served as their first LP to not carry a number, following 777: I Luciferi which angled itself as the closing work of that initial seven volume sequence. Originally released in 2004, Circle Of Snakes continues the descent of Danzig into a rawer, more abrasive form of metallic leaning gothic hard rock, with a notable lowering of vocals in the mix in order to elevate the churning jaggedness of the instrumental rumble. Continuing to eschew the more industrial programming of previous Danzig entries and echoing the stripped back approach of 'Danzig 1' and the increased heaviness of the aforementioned Luciferi, the album would also mark the first appearance of Tommy Victor of Prong on guitars, helping to aid the audible malevolence and ultimately leading to one of the strongest contributions to Danzig's latter day 21st century output.

Review: Released first round time in 2002, Danzig's 777: I Luciferi is a step away from the programmed industrial influences of the two albums that preceded it in favour of a return to the metallic, rawer sound that helped Glenn Danzig stand apart from his horror shadowed punk beginnings. Now, more than 20 years on, this reissue is a reminder of Luciferi as a high watermark in the later work of one of the most controversial figures in metal, punk and hard rock.

Review: Few pioneering punk acts from the 70s portrayed the debaucherous ethos of the lifestyle more than The Dead Boys, so much so, that drummer Johnny Blitz almost lost his life on April 19th 1978 after being stabbed five times during an altercation. Covering his medical bills by organising a four-day benefit at the iconic New York City venue CBGB's, the band's own performance on May 6th featured New York Dolls' Jerry Nolan handling skin duties for nine songs while the remainder were covered by OG Blues Brother and comedy legend John Belushi (who was an avid supporter of the city's punk scene). Tearing through a set of material made up from Young Loud & Snotty, as well as We Have Come For Your Children (which would be officially released just a month later), with a few Dolls covers for good measure, Night Of The Living Dead Dolls is a piece of authentic punk history, reliably captured with questionable audio clarity just like those attending CBGB shows had come to expect. Complete with additional liner notes detailing the iconic night in full.

Review: You can feel the energy emanating from these rare, almost-lost recordings of heroic San Francisco punks the Dead Kennedys. Laid down in 1978, the same year the band got together, it's hard to work out what's more remarkable - the rabid vibe itself, or the fact that rabid vibe seemed to come so effortlessly and naturally once the founding members joined forces. It's almost like it was meant to be. Across 16 tracks that vitality is laid bare in all its ferocious glory. And while it's great to hear the origin stories behind some of the DK's biggest songs - 'Kill The Poor', 'Holiday In Cambodia', 'Forward to Death' - it's perhaps more interesting getting to grips with the initial ideas that didn't come to fruition in the end. Either way, basking in the glory of an outfit with protest and anti-establishment attitude bleeding from every orifice still feels fantastic.

Review: .Often considered to be one of the biggest commercial flops in music recording history, Standing In The Spotlight was the 1989 debut solo album from Ramones bassist Dee Dee Ramone. Released under his rap moniker Dee Dee King, the bizarre project served up an amalgam of old school hip-hop, late 50s garage rock and even doo-wop, all blended together in chaotic fashion, and led by Dee Dee's new gangster bravura. It's been noted that the hip-hop-centric attire seen on the cover was adorned by Dee Dee at his last few Ramones shows shortly before departing, which drew major ire from his bandmates. Tapping Marky Ramone to oversee percussion samples, and even enlisting Debbie Harry (Blondie) to provide backing vocals on 'Mashed Potato Time', and, 'German Kid', with the latter featuring vocals sung in both English and German (nodding to Dee Dee's growing up as an army brat), the album was crafted with every earnest intention of launching Dee Dee's solo career. Conceptually inspired whilst in rehab and used as a project of focus when embracing his newfound sobriety; the sheer enthusiasm and fearlessness of Standing In The Spotlight grants it a pass and a place as a truly absurd offshoot oddity from a vital member of the one of the defining punk bands.

Review: Originally formed in New York City in 1973, The Dictators are about as proto-punk as you can get, almost rubbing shoulders with the seminal sonic groundwork laid by The Stooges (only with almost none of the praise shared). Their 1975 debut full-length Go Girl Crazy! would be distributed by Empire before the band would be dropped, only to see their vision co-opted just a few years later by the burgeoning punk scene they'd been just a tad too early for, ultimately dissolving into the annals of proto-punk history. Now over a literal half-century since first reforming, The Dictators return with a self-titled ten-track slab of fuzzy, anthemic goodness featuring original members Andy Shernoff and Ross "The Boss" Friedman, emboldened by the tongue-in-cheek, all too self-aware lead single 'Let's Get The Band Back Together'. With some members sadly lost to illness, what better time to throw agism out the window and remind all where the riffs, snarl and swagger originate from?!

Review: Die Sexual exist in the world of Adult, of Gary Numan on a night out at Kit Kat Club, Cabaret hedonism, phallic and yonic electronic beats, rhythms and other noises. Elektro Body Musique, the title a play on electronic body music, or EBM to the cool kids, takes the bull by the horn with savage, hyper-lascivious futurist club music that makes you feel like the voyeur and objectifier in equal measure. 11 tracks owe as much to dystopian cold wave as electroclash and synth pop, basslines warbling and bouncing beneath blunt instrument kick drums and savage key stabs, all topped with the kind of energy-inducing snares we often worry were left in the glory days of these sounds. Immediately dark, alluring, and suggestive, it's a strong case for giving in to temptation.

Review: In the mid-90s while the hardcore punk scene witnessed both an influx of more melodious acts as well as those injecting the scene with as much metallic bite as possible, few could have been prepared for the utter assault on the senses The Dillinger scape Plan were cooking up. Often cited as the one of the pioneering acts in the mathcore subgenre (combining the unhinged intensity of hardcore with the compositional dexterity of math rock), 1999's Calculating Infinity is still regarded to this day as one of the most uncompromising, impenetrable, and challenging debuts in alternative, punk or metal. Their only full-length with original vocalist Dimitri Minakakis before his departure and subsequent replacement by the admittedly much more dynamic Greg Puciato, and pre-dating their experimental collaborative EP with Faith No More/Mr. Bungle mastermind Mike Patton; the material here does little to offer any sonic respites of glitched out synth ambience or even a melodious hook. Rather, it lays down a highly complex blueprint of odd time signatures, polyrhythms, dissonant breakdowns, jazz freakouts and caustic vocal howls that would inspire an entirely new wave of outsiders who felt hardcore and metal just weren't vicious or experimental enough on their own merits.

Review: Ultra Point Of Intersection Exist is a landmark album in Japan's noise and industrial scene that was created by Ichiro Tsuji in 1987. All these years on, Dissecting Table still delivers a standout and relentless fusion of harsh electronics and mechanised rhythms that echoes the dystopian intensity of Whitehouse, SPK and Einsturzende Neubauten. Straddling noise, industrial and experimental extremes, the album captures the radical spirit of its era alongside peers like Controlled Bleeding and Ramleh and so has long been a highly anticipated reissue or noise fans. It comes with a new design that respects the artist's wishes to forgo the original layout.

Review: After rising through the ranks of the local punk scene in Palto Alto, California, during the late 1990s, all-female outfit The Donnas were whisked to national (and international) superstardom via a deal with major label Atlantic Records. This retrospective looks back on that period of the now-dormant band's career, combing their two albums from the imprint (2002's Spend The Night and 2004's Gold Metal) with a disc of singles, B-sides, rarities and live takes. That means heaps of heavy riffs, vocals espousing suburban teenage angst and hooky choruses on discs one and two, with the third disc delivering an attractive mixture of raucous pop-punk, nods to metal (one of their major infuences, fact fans) and becalmed and cheery acoustic versions.

Review: There's more to song titles like 'Song to Noise' and 'A Siren Is A Simple Device' than meets the eye here. The former is a lyrical declaration for the power and beauty of noise, cacophonies as art, walls of sound as things of real intellectual might. The latter paying homage to how much emotion can be felt in the most mundane refrains and vibrations in the air. Setting a precedent for the album as a whole, analogue sound researchers Driftmachine - AKA Andreas Gerth and Florian Zimmer - team up with word and sound artist Andreas Ammer, known for his work with Acid Pauli, to create something that plays with and changes our perceptions of what noise is, what it can be, and what it might be used for. An academic exercise, the results are surprisingly inviting and accessible.

Review: Following the release of their cracking third full-length Blacked Out in 2024, Seattle punk n' rollers The Drowns revisit their origins with a reissue of 2018's much-adored debut LP View From The Bottom. Though hailing from the grunge capital of the world, the band bear more sonic similarities to folk-punk troubadours Dropkick Murphys than the type of icons who've worked with Seattle legend Jack Endino (Nirvana, Soundgarden, Murder City Devils) who handles remastering duties, beefing up anthems such as 'Eternal Debate' with extra snarl and soul. Complete with updated artwork offering a more artsy minimalist companion piece to the original, this version also comes with a newly added cover of 'Satyagraha', the opening cut from hardcore punk legends 7Seconds classic 1989 LP Soulforce Revolution.

Review: Returning with their follow up to 2022's exceptional high watermark Hygiene, the fifth full-length from Albany, New York based post-hardcore heroes Drug Church promises to be their most introspective and scathing work to date. Initially formed as a side-project to frontman Patrick Kindlon's Self Defence Family, while guitarist Nick Cogan would soon find himself equally busy with his side-project turned hardcore megastars Militarie Gun, the seasoned veteran status of all core members allows their compositions to sonically weave through the intersectionality of their musical backgrounds. Coalescing the jagged aggression of Black Flag with the frenetic grunge of Mudhoney, while offering crunching nods to Smashing Pumpkins, Weezer and especially Pixies, with regard to Kindlon's constant to-and-froing from absurdist shrugs to unhinged displays of utter terror, Prude promises Drug Church's reliable brand of accessibility and aggression, only with both ends of the spectrum maximalised to the point of ouroboros self-devourment. This is the RevHQ exclusive variant, limited to just 300 copies pressed on yellow and black splattered wax.

Review: The long-gestating follow up to 1992's initial instalment, Black Aria II would finally arrive in 2006 after years of discussion from Misfits/Samhain horror-punk visionary Glenn Danzig, and further his exploration into the cavernous realms of modern classical dark ambience. Conceptually based around Lillith, the first wife of Adam, the material here is far more minimalist and starker than its gothic predecessor, while utilising a more varied array of instruments on top of the pre-established organ and strings, with more Eastern sonic influences to conjure a mercurial vision independent of the preceding volume. Complete with eerie chimes, chants and esoteric lamentations, the project marks one of Danzig's most intriguing works when compared to, say, his Elvis covers compilations, and offers a transportive, biblical, haunting narrative delivered almost exclusively via instrumental atmospherics and insidious gloom.