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First installment of a new split series pairing the best of the best in modern extreme music on 12 inches of wax.
VOL.1. features Acaustix & Ready Armed System from Austin, Texas, who both previously released demos on Roachleg.
Ready Armed System blast through 9 tracks of raw, speedy American style hardcore, while Acaustix take an influence from Swedish bands like Bombanfall. A match made in hell!
Our take: Roachleg Records kicks off a new series they’re calling Military Grade with a split 12” between two Texas hardcore bands. The same person recorded both sides, and both bands sound raw, fuzzy, and live, akin to the blown out recordings we’ve heard on records by their fellow Texans Nosferatu. Despite—or perhaps because of—the similar recordings, differences in the two bands’ styles really shine through on this split. Ready Armed System plays ultra-fast US-style hardcore, with tempos worthy of Koro (occasionally even pushing into Heresy territory) and a singer with a scruffy, Rollins-esque bark. Acaustix has more of a raw punk style with super blown out guitars and bashing d-beats, taking influence from Anti-Cimex and Framtid. Both bands totally rip, and while the recording lacks some detail (particularly the drums on R.A.S.’s side), the performances are bursting with the wild energy I want from an underground hardcore punk record. Another ripper from Roachleg.