A.N.S. - Pressure Cracks
I got hip to TX skate-thrashers A.N.S. by accident. Their The Process of Stoking Out LP arrived casually slipped in with a record I won on eBay. I’ve been wary of the “free record with your eBay purchase” ever since I received a couple Foreigner platters I never asked for. Usually it’s like saying, “Thanks for paying the freight to get this out of my house”. But eventually I gave it a spin and was pleasantly surprised by high quality Black Flag-ish crossover thrash. Further investigation yielded another LP, about a gazillion split 7”s, and one of my favorite acts of boneheadery in recent years.
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On new LP Pressure Cracks (Tankcrimes, 2009), A.N.S. seriously up the metal quotient. Trading sped-up Black Flag/Dead Kennedys surf licks for sped-up CoC chug, the results are breathless, energetic, and over before you know it. 9 songs in 22 minutes, all written on tour and recorded in a few days: exactly how you should make this kind of music. Improved production captures their live fury without diluting any of the punch. I’m tempted to use phrases like “balls out” or “balls to the wall”, but given IO’s recent meditation on overused metal adjectives, I’m reluctant. Is it cliché to advise the listener to turn this record up, shotgun beers, and punch holes in drywall? Hell…I’ve done it. In any event, without Annihilation Time around anymore to menace and bleed on posers, it’s good to see young bands stepping it up with their own potent mix of Hardcore, Metal, and Rock.
Amazon (CD, MP3)
eMusic (MP3)
Interpunk (CD, LP)
Tankcrimes (CD, LP)
