The tides of extreme music history have been crashing against us for a long time, bringing wave after wave of styles and bands to our ears. But none of us can be fully present in all scenes at once, so it’s easy to lose track of some crucial bands and albums. Sure, you may know Morbid Angel and Deicide, but you might not have had time to check out Convulse’s World Without God. You might be all about Dissection and Necrophobic, but have you had a chance to listen to Sacramentum’s Far Away From the Sun? Powerviolence, the sound that took hardcore punk to its most extreme and insane heights, is no exception.
Sure, you probably know about Infest, Charles Bronson, Spazz and Despise You, but not everyone is well versed enough to know about Apartment 213 (or wasn’t old enough to be into them when they were putting out material). For those of you who fit in that group, Magic Bullet Records is reissuing Apartment 213’s totally bonkers Cleveland Power Violence in digital form. Decibel readers are perfectly adapted to blasting drums, dissonant guitars and enraged shouting and grunting. Still, there’s something uniquely exhilarating (in a dark/gallows humor sort of way) about songs like “On Her 1st Birthday,” “Severed” and “The Green River Killer.” Along with the familiar powerviolence tactics, Apartment 213 throws in some legit death metal riffs as well, which adds some extra weight to the chaos.
Check out “Severed” below and check out the full album at this location. And stay tuned, as Magic Bullet Records will be reissuing a compilation of Apartment 213’s material called Collected Violence (the theme is very consistent) on November 17.
