Year: 2026
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NAG – ‘Fear’ cassette
Newest offering from NAG out of Atlanta, GA. Since their first demo in 2016 this band has brought us something like 3 LPs and too many EP’s / singles / splits to accurately count. Don’t think for a second that NAG doesn’t have any gas left in the tank, though. The seven tracks on Fear…
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GARBANZO – self-titled cassette
Debut cassette out of Gettysburg, PA. GARBANZO brings us 4 tracks of lo-fi, fuzzed-out garage-punk. Repetitive, catchy, flanger-heavy tunes with lazily delivered vocals. As far as I can tell this is a drum-machine driven solo project but I cannot say that with absolute certainty. It’s snotty, it’s juvenile, it’s catchy, it’s pretty much all you…
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STIFF PRICK – self-titled cassette
Newest offering from the Kill Enemy Records camp out of Pittsburgh, PA. Another ripping fast hardcore-punk band of the style which has become almost synonymous with this labels other output; ILLITERATES, LITTLE ANGELS, SPEED PLANS, etc. There’s at least some shared members with ILLITERATES, and likely others on the label, but who can really keep…
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YELLOW GHOUL – self-titled cassette
Six songs of distorted, no-frills, no-nonsense hardcore-punk. YELLOW GHOUL is a recording project from Buffalo, NY which is the brainchild of the drummer from PISSING MATCH / PURE HEEL. Rob recorded all the instrumentation then enlisted Buffalo musics unofficial mayor, hardcore-punk stalwart John Toohill, to write lyrics and record vocals to them. What we end…
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HAVANA SYNDROME – ‘Kill Your Brain’ cassette
HAVANA SYNDROME is back with their second cassette EP and it is another round of demented synth-punk mayhem. Hailing from Buffalo, NY, their first demo surely turned some heads, well, it definitely turned mine anyways. This project began as the solo-project of mastermind Lucas, first cassette being just him and the songs driven by a…
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DOLLAR DRAFTS – ‘Bat Out of Heck’ cassette
Six song debut cassette from Cleveland power-trio. The ‘power’ that DOLLAR DRAFTS has just happens to be their sense of humor. A tight band with pop-sensibility and solid musicianship with a huge emphasis on goofy, idiotic songs. Seeing this band live, however, is a surprisingly engaging and entertaining experience. In terms of the recorded output…
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DEFORMED SKULL – self-titled cassette
Disturbingly lo-fi, fucked up, 80’s-inspired hardcore-punk from Connecticut. DEFORMED SKULL is the kind of band that could be used as a barometer to tell just how into hardcore-punk someone truly is. This is the second self-titled cassette released by DEFORMED SKULL, and is thankfully also known as The Jailbreak Demos which is helpful for differentiating…
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WELCOME TO THE CROWBAR HOTEL!
After harboring tape reviews for years with no home for them to rest, THE CROWBAR HOTEL is now open to the public. Our hotel staff plans to review fresh releases as they are submitted to us. The Crowbar Hotel has no turndown policy and will review any physical release sent in, with a heavy emphasis…
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ECLECTIC BLEND – ‘Live at My Apartment’ cassette
Living in Western, New York, there is a reasonably small pool of weirdos and outsiders consistently doing music stuff. I have been aware of ECLECTIC BLEND for quite some time and anxiously awaiting their studio demo that has been in the works for multiple years at this point. Is that what I received when finally…
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ZERO BARS – ‘Life and Hell’ cassette
I was sent the first ZERO BARS demo to review at the end of 2023 by MAXIMUM ROCKNROLL and I remember liking it ok, but really liking that amidst their fast punk songs the band slipped us a curve ball of a catchy WIRE-esque post-punk number. Lo and behold they do it again on this…