"Ram Jam Is The Bastard..."; 5 Powerviolence Bands For Chewing Glass To.

Being new to Powerviolence, it's hard for me to engage in conversation with anyone online about the music because it appears as though if you haven't been clued-in since the very inception of the genre, you're just a fucking runny-nosed poser. Now, that assumption is purely based on the needlessly pretentious blather being spewed on Facebook pages like "I Heart Powerviolence" or "I Hate Powerviolence", so maybe it's not fair of me to assume that the majority of Powerviolence fans are stuck-up sk8r boys who ditched Blink-182 when girls started wearing snapbacks and hardcore tees. So, call me out if you will, but this is what I think of the music:

Powerviolence is the closest thing to "real punk" there is right now. Sure, it borrows heavily from Sludge and Grindcore, but punk has always been derivative, that's not a bad thing in the least. It's filthy, it's stinking and you could OD on the fucking stuff if you're not too careful. The music is stripped down to the bone and accentuates all the most primitive and ugly dispositions of underground punk and metal. It is, in short, the sociopath arsonist that comes out at night when Sludge has finally nodded off on its piss-stained mattress. Here are some bands you should look into if you're not both soft and anemic.

Cave State

The California-based Cave State have been breaking faces on the internet and their respective local scene this year with the release of their self-titled slab of heinous filth. If you're new to Powerviolence, then this, in my opinion, is where you start. Fuck the old guard, Cave State come at you like Abdullah The Butcher with a crazy look in his eyes and shards of glass sellotaped to his fingers.

Sea Of Shit

Sea Of Shit are the sound of opiate withdrawal in a swollen and sweaty Indonesian prison. It's caged aggression at its very best, like a snarling, rabies-infected dog with no front legs. Downtrodden and pissed off Powerviolence that spits venomous Sludge right in your face where physical assault fails.

Witch Cult

Despite being pansies and quitting while they had a pretty good thing going, in their short run, Witch Cult put out some of the most disgraceful noise you could ask for. Their self titled record is nothing but wall-to-wall angry and should be a staple part of your bulimic Powerdiet.

Sex Prisoner

Perhaps my favourite of the lot, Sex Prisoner don't seem to bother too much with the tortured artist or bleeding heart liberal gimmicks. Their only mission appears to be to make sure everyone in the room is bleeding profusely from their faces and vomiting into their pint glasses. Stomach churning, fist-to-jaw brutality from Tucson, Arizona. They'd quite happily show up to your little sister's communion, spit right in her face and take whatever cash your aunts and uncles reluctantly handed over to her.

Water Torture

Probably one of the most name-dropped of the bands on the list, and rightly so, Water Torture have all the charm of the drunk uncle that shows up at Christmas dinner with a chronic nosebleed, an 8-ball and his favourite switchblade to show the kids. With music that sound like a junkyard mechanophilia gang bang and a vocalist who probably isn't on speaking terms with his mum, you know Water Torture could easily be the chosen few.