Total Abuse

Modern day hardcore bands namedropping Void, Negative Approach and Die Kreuzen automatically throw down the money-where-your-mouth-is gauntlet, so when Austin's Total Abuse does all that and then the singer talks about how he likes to hide behind a wall of power electronics noise and intone to the audience dictator-like, I am skeptical. But with the new weed of HC bands like Fucked Up and Sex Vid (covering the Dead C for heavens sake) the combo of select history lessons in sound vs. conceptual rulebook out the window can't be anything but a kool and welcome cardioshock to the genre. Deranged Records' comp of Total Abuse's LP/7" and demos doesn't quite yield the Black Flag-meets-Whitehouse vibe that's been hinted (I haven't seen them live), but the off-the-rails HC destruction (esp. the smoking demos) has made me a huge fan. They are powerful, fast and noisy as hell and the singer's yowl does me just fine; and calling a track "Banned In Austin" might be funny, but sure doesn't sound like a joke.
-Brian Turner