DIATRIBE – Diatribe (EP)

“Hardcore” is a term I usually use when referring to porn, but I have also heard that term can be used to connote a music genre, and the Australian up-and-comers Diatribe place themselves comfortably inside this Hardcore variety. This EP is their second release (as far as I can tell) and there appears to be lots of work hours behind it. Included are a full multimedia presentation, with member and band bios, Internet links, and even a video of the band performing the song “Morebajana” (studio sound, though). This is nothing less than impressive from an unsigned band.

Their work ethic also shines through in their music, which is nothing short of impressive. Songs like “Big Deal,” “Morebajana,” “Life in Life,” and “The Shit I See” punch like a tropical punch-flavored punching ball, and the band: Josh Smith on vocals, Darryl Newsham on guitars, Chris Benyk on bass, and Aaron Smith on (very punchy) drums, sound like a tight and home-grown unit. Josh Smith’s clean vocals, though, sound a bit like he’s ill or something, but his screamy ones are cool. The sound is all tranny-amp guitars and dead cool fat-plectrum-picked bass, and the production quality is very good for a demo.

Upon reading the EP’s lyrics, my opening porno-referral actually seemed quite appropriate, as there’s just as much “f*^k”- business going on here as in a standard adult movie … a part of the package, I guess, but in a song like “The Shit I See,” the f-word is mentioned more than once per paragraph, and verses like “Never need effort/Just to open your eyes/They smell and they’re queer/Ahhh the ugly f*^ks” will never ever qualify as mature.

Still, there’s some cool stuff overall going on here, and it’s definitely worth the effort to send an e-mail and some Aussie dollars (they use dollars in Australia, right?) to these guys to get a copy and check it out for yourself. I dug it, and in all honesty, I usually can’t stand this kind of music … so how’s that?!