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Bloody Flag: Crushing Dominion cassette (Bunker Punks Discs & Tapes) Bloody Flag is the solo project from Chris Ulsh of Power Trip, Impalers, Mammoth Grinder, and many, many others, and this new cassette Crushing Dominion follows up Bloody Flag’s self-titled debut cassette from 2023 (which was also released on Bunker Punks). Bloody Flag is billed as “Disbones Goatworship,” and if you get the dual reference in that tag, then you’re almost certainly in the target audience for this. (For the uninitiated: “Disbones” refers to Disclose’s releases circa 2001-2005, when their style shifted slightly, while Goatworshipper was Kawakami from Disclose’s harsh noise project.) Crushing Dominionpicks up where that first cassette left off (in fact, I believe it was recorded around the same time); we named that tape Record of the Week when it came out, and the follow-up is just as worthy. Fans of Ulsh’s band Impalers (and who isn’t a fan of Impalers?) will warm right up to Bloody Flag’s in-the-pocket d-beat rhythms and harsh vocals, while the ripping palm muted parts and spot-on, Kawakami-style “nuclear rain” guitar solos give Bloody Flag its own flair. Along those same lines, Chris Hansell of Warthog contributes a harsh noise track to Crushing Dominion (just as he did on the first tape), and the S.P.K. / Neubauten-style tones fit perfectly with the heavy, apocalyptic vibe of Bloody Flag’s d-beat songs. While Bloody Flag sticks very close to the template Disclose laid out during their Disbones era, Ulsh’s deep knowledge of the style, his talent, and his years of experience playing all different kinds of heavy music elevate everything about Crushing Dominion. In particular, the riffs sound classic without feeling overly familiar, no small feat in a genre so crowded with adherents. If you love d-beat raw punk, I don’t see any way you couldn’t love this tape. Also, note Sorry State has a limited supply of this release; if we’re sold out, hit up the source Bunker Punks to snag a copy.