Throw in former members of NYDM bands like Pyrexia (Danny Trapani-guitar) and Internal Bleeding (Jerry Lowe), throw in some pizza, mobster shit, the Statue of Liberty, street corner hotdogs and pretzels and throw in a blender with NYHC up your ass and Punchyourface gets plopped out. 

Street Terrorists is their second full-length and Jerry and I have been in touch for some time now. After the very cool instrumental intro with vocals/excerpts, I just had a feeling this band would do exactly what the band name implies.  “Hypocrisy” comes in with some lethal and pummeling NYHC beatdowns.  I mean punishing.  Jerry’s vocals are a bit different on here, than when he sang on the IB album – Onward to Mecca, where he was more growly, but still had hardcore-styled vocals.  On here he screams a lot and definitely sings in more of a hardcore voice.  There’s also plenty of metal influences with this band and check out the next song, “Mark of Cain”-nice opening thrash metal type of speed, with a little blasting going on and Jerry getting into those lower register vocals over the blast.  During this part, I just want to pick up change and windmill and knock people’s teeth the fuck out.

 

The title track has a nice opening.  The hardcore groove is lethal as it creates a sinkhole where everyone gets swallowed in.  This song has way too many beatdown grooves…So I would set this song right in the middle of their live set.  If you open the live set with this song, no one will be left standing.  That 1.28 slam with the screams is punishing and after some weird guitar/bass type of noises, the groove hits again and again.  The groove slows down even more and this section reminds me of early The Acacia Strain.  It’s got that super slow-down groove, which is just punishing.  The double bass drums on this song hit super hard, especially towards the end of the song.  Ridiculously fun and brutal hardcore song.

“Linestepper” is the perfect named song as that is exactly what you will be doing-line and two-stepping all damn day……..Jerry lets loose on some growls and the various vocals around the 1.15 part, with the screams, growls and shouted vocals is quite dynamic and the song then picks up the speed.  The 2.29 part is the Holy Shit moment with the slowdown.  You will two-step all damn day to this and the bass guitar slaps you silly across that mean mug of yours too, for good measure, just to keep you in line. “Natural Born Dealers”, is exactly what you would think the song is about.  The song has a very urban flair to it there is a plethora of NYHC slam moments.  The 2.07 part with Jerry’s growl and then the slow-down groove is a pit-inducing monster. 

 Street Terrorists is a killer NYHC album by Punchyourface.  The album is very organic with a lot of urban influence and street-sounding cred to their sound.  I like Jerry throwing in some of the growls, as an homage, to his death metal influence and the band would do well in front of death metal bands with slams, like my alma mata Internal Bleeding and Devourment etc….I did not know what to expect when Jerry sent me the album (thank you my brother) and definitely, my ears perked up once I cranked this mutha up. Oh yeah-crank this loud and proud.  NYHC style mofos!

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