Like Tractor, the "Mondo Dell'orrore" full-length (on SuperFi Records) from Geisha, another UK trio, is infinitely better than the material the band offered up a few years ago on the split 10" between the two. Sparse fits of heavily distorted vocals rest deep in the mix behind dense surges of (at times surprisingly melodic) power chord rhythms, thudding bass/percussion, and subdued wails of intense noise textures (also rather deep in the mix), but you really do have to check this shit out for yourself to get a real feel for what's going on. There's a good dose of "skronk" tucked away in portions of the guitar work, while the pulsing rhythms carry a dingy, sludgy churn to their underbelly, and a dissonant post-hardcore ring or even some rather relaxed clean passages seep forth on occasion. Plus they've got a great recording that perfectly benefits their attack with a really warm and natural set of tones that are certainly rugged – and overtly dirty when necessary – but somehow gel together into one big lump of sound without lacking enough clarity to do the job, so the various atmospheres created by the compositions are communicated just fine. There's definitely somewhat of an "unhinged" sensibility happening, but they totally pull it off and keep the material focused and, well… downright moving at its best. I don't know what else to say. I'm really fucking impressed. There's a truckload of diversity herein, but they manage to come across as completely cohesive and powerful, never once do things feel disjointed or particularly chaotic. Well fucking done, gentlemen. I'm sold. This is an excellent, excellent piece of work.

Geisha "Bondage Death"
Geisha "Geisha vs. Mechachrist"

Absolutely recommended, so pick one up if you dig the tunes. Crucial Blast wisely released this puppy here in the US (with slightly different packaging, it seems), so it shouldn't be hard to get your hands on:

@ SuperFi Records
@ Crucial Blast Records

Also from SuperFi Records is this self-titled early discography CD from Army of Flying Robots. Included are 13 tracks in just 23 minutes, taken from their self-titled 7" (2002), the split 10" with Jinn (2004), and the "Champion Boar Service" split 7" with Taint (2005) – all of which have been remastered, of course. The band unloads a rather explosive, grinding form of discordant, metallic hardcore/punk with a loose bit of a "screamo" sort of edge (but think the better aspects of the caustic, intense, socio-political "screamo" of the good ol' days, nothing related to the horseshit often associated with the term in 2007) in short, focused bursts (only one track tops three minutes). In a way it's sort of like the chuggingly frenetic style of Catharsis mixed with the slightly more metal-based riffs of some of those wild 'n' crazy old German bands like Acme, and the "screamo" element comes into play thanks to plenty of looser, noisier guitar textures and a pretty wicked form of scathing screams in the vocal department. The two tracks from the split 7" with Taint were all I had heard prior, and my minor complaints about the recording on said EP are the only such issues present here. The remastering has helped those two cuts out a little, but they still sound just a bit "flatter" in some way, whereas the rest of the tracks play through so seamlessly they might as well have come from the same recording session. The disc is packaged inside a thick 16-page booklet with all of the lyrics, song explanations, some photos, and a center spread of past show flyers and all that jazz. But despite a few silly song titles like "Do the Electric Boogaloo", these cats actually have plenty to say:

You try to tell us that image is nothing, but sell it to us for the right price the clown's toy balloons are getting no laughs, cut loose your demons on paper and ink smashing that glass and slicing your arm, is this ironic to turn on yourself wrinkled paper mutants scare them away, something's not right here, nothing's okay they'd sell the blue from the sky, they'd sell the light from your eyes.

I believe there are only two more recent tracks from the band that this CD doesn't contain, so hopefully they'll continue on long enough to gather enough material for a second collection – or perhaps an eventually more complete/robust reissue of this one! Good stuff.

Army of Flying Robots "Eyes"
Army of Flying Robots "Do the Electric Boogaloo"

As always, buy one if you like what you hear:

@ SuperFi Records
@ Robotic Empire