Sow Threat "Love and Hate" LP

Tucked away in Okinawa Japan, for almost a decade Sow Threat has been pumping out some of the most rambunctious and explosive crustcore in the game. The early demo was a spirited execution of "crustcore" that's firmly rooted in the classics (Extreme Noise Terror, Doom, Sore Throat, Napalm Death) without devolving into a noise-not-music crasher crust spectacle. And it's a great joy that their incredible debut album is on vinyl, remastered and with new art/layout than the CD version on Straight Up Records.

Some bands turn this style into a monotonous brutality, Sow Threat manages to write compelling songs and create a dynamic and engaging album. Some bands lack the appropriate energy and aggression to do this style justice, Sow Threat plays with a reckless intensity that oozes charisma and personality. Some bands are just plain too fucking metal, Sow Threat captures everything in a wonderfully raw (but not noisy) production that sounds straight out of classic 90's Nabate/Skuld/Profane Existence catalog.