No Problem - Let God Sort'em Out (2018)

This is yet another one that escaped last year's top 20 list, and it sounds like it would have snuck in there quite easily, had I taken notice in time. No Problem from Edmonton, Alberta are a DIY hardcore outfit that I daresay stands out of the rich Canadian punk scene. Let God Sort'em Out is the band's third full-length release. The album has a direct and explosive starting point which is constantly enriched with melodic experimentation throughout, the way punk bands like the Wipers used to approach their material. The final result makes for a really interesting listen that doesn't miss an inch of its explosiveness and aggressiveness. No Problem is one of today's bands that attribute a certain freshness to hardcore punk, without compromising its edge.

Let God Sort'Em Out is out on vinyl through Taken By Surprise records, whose roster is interesting to say the least, and it's out there for you to check out.

Belated obsessions: Martyrdöd - List (2016)

If I'm to be honest, crust punk in general is a genre I've come to love and enjoy only in the past 6 or 7 years, although in the meantimen I've been sure to retroactively dig through its historical monuments, as I always try to do.

Martyrdöd, being consistently around for more than 13 years now, have always been a name to watch out for out of the ever-exploding scandinavian scene. Amid the chaos of new and interesting releases along with the struggle to keep up (among the always limited free time of course), List was the gem I missed during last year, and if I hadn't, it would surely have been among the top places of 2016's top 10. Martyrdöd always had a distinct melodic edge in their d-beat/crust clatter, but with List I think they've marked the genre for good. Folk melodies had never made their way through so distinctively and substantially and, if you're thinking that this has become at the expense of sound harshness and/or speed, well, you're mistaken. The Swedes are as extreme as ever, the vocals haven't calmed down one bit, only now there's always a lead guitar around to transfuse a melodic and epic edge to it all.

This looks very much like an album that will turn the heads of new listeners for this extreme form of hardcore punk, and the least you could do is take a little time to appreciate it.