Gauze - Equalizing Distort (1986)

Where has the time gone? It's been half a year since the last update, and boy does time fly. It is time to resuscitate the ole' blog. Time to wear off the shackles of the soothing sounds of classic rock that haunts my mind at work. Time to scoff once more at people's high opinions about their music. Time to, once more, lock my opinions about music back up in my ivory tower. So, are you prepared for more posts about me being a fanboy of certain musicians? Or the wonderful sounds of cult hardcore punk? Or just bad music? Then let's take this journey together.

I need to get my bearings straight in my first post, and the best way to do that is post some classic hardcore punk. Friends who slowly shake their heads at the noise that will be emitting from their speakers need not fear, some slow sad sack music is coming right up to always balance my eclectic blog. First things first, Japanese hardcore, and the almighty Gauze to be specific.

Now I have noticed that an individual into hardcore ages, evolves, in a very distinct way. Granted, this formula doesn't work with everyone, otherwise mosh hardcore would be the way of the buffalo, as they say. But I have noticed it when it comes to people that are into classic hardcore and punk. As one ages, the classics just don't become enough anymore, sure the contemporary sounds can help, but you will always want more. You find yourself down a path to the cult, the sounds of the elite, the taste grows weirder and darker. In this spectrum comes Japanese hardcore, the definitive answer when it comes to cult hardcore punk.

It's relative to many people of many genres. Fans of hardcore turn to cult hardcore, punk and noise, fans of metalcore turn to the Neurosis brand of music (more commonly referred to as "beard metal"). And last, fans of pop punk, well..... they unfortunately still love pop punk, it's just played by older people.

Gauze is one of my favorites of the Japanese brand of hardcore. Fast, abrasive and distinctly classic sounding. Fugu, the vocalist, sounds like he is snarling, foaming at the mouth when singing. The music is a whirlwind of all the influence of USHC at the time and Discharge, only taken to a slightly weirder place. The repetition of the music is key, it beats it's way into your head and the choruses of a song like "Pressing On" don't leave. Distort my friends, distort.

Tracks:

1. Pressing On
2. Crash the Pose
3. Thrash Thrash Thrash
4. 勝手にさらせ
5. Fact and Criminal
6. パッパッパ
7. Absinth Trip
8. Distort Japan
9. 言いなり

Distort.