Canadian grindcore band Apes release their second full-length album, Penitence. Starting out in 2012, Apes’ music is rooted in grindcore, infusing more and more hardcore and black metal as they went along. They have released three EPs and an earlier long-player, Lightless, in 2017. I hear a lot of death metal when I listen to this music, propelled along by the hardcore lines and tempered with dark black metal. The combination is intoxicating, and it appeals broadly to a wide range of heavy music fans. The band is Alexandre Goulet (vocals), Patrick Cloutier (guitar), Simon Olivier (guitar), Lo ..read more

Photos by Wayne Edwards. © Wayne Edwards Main article on the festival at FFMB, https://flyingfiddlesticks.com/2023/12/03/punk-in-the-park-orange-county-oak-canyon-park-silverado-california-november-4-and-5-2023 ..read more

Wisconsin hardcore metal band Deathwish let loose their third full-length album, The Fourth Horseman. Deathwish is from Appleton, Wisconsin. Getting together in 2014, they have released two 7-inches as well as two long-players, Out For Blood (2015) and Unleash Hell (2017). They play a thrashing construction of hardcore metal and punk that can be seen in a certain light as an homage to bands like the immortal Motörhead. According to the press release, you should expect “sonic warfare” that will be “a formidable assault on the senses.” The band is Bitty (bass, vocals), Guinea Pig Champion (guit ..read more

Photos by Wayne Edwards. © Wayne Edwards Main article on the festival at FFMB, https://flyingfiddlesticks.com/2023/12/03/punk-in-the-park-orange-county-oak-canyon-park-silverado-california-november-4-and-5-2023 ..read more

Photos by Wayne Edwards. © Wayne Edwards Main article on the festival at FFMB, https://flyingfiddlesticks.com/2023/12/03/punk-in-the-park-orange-county-oak-canyon-park-silverado-california-november-4-and-5-2023 ..read more

Photos by Wayne Edwards. © Wayne Edwards Main article on the festival at FFMB, https://flyingfiddlesticks.com/2023/12/03/punk-in-the-park-orange-county-oak-canyon-park-silverado-california-november-4-and-5-2023 ..read more

Photos by Wayne Edwards. © Wayne Edwards Main article on the festival at FFMB, https://flyingfiddlesticks.com/2023/12/03/punk-in-the-park-orange-county-oak-canyon-park-silverado-california-november-4-and-5-2023 ..read more

The debut EP from Smoke AxD is Vaya Con Dios. Smoke AxD was formed to combine the two essences of heavy metal and cannabis. True, this is not an original idea, but it is executed here with remarkable energy and enthusiasm. The band is Hoya Roc (bass), Lord Ezec (vocals), and Sean Martin (guitar), and the story of its creation is concise. “Hoya had completed songs and lyrics just waiting to be brought to life. He then focused on what musicians he could get that shared his love of big riffs and big spliffs. Hoya had been wanting to do a band with his close friend and brother, Lord Ezec (Crown o ..read more

Hardcore death metal band Terminal Nation start a new decade with their sophomore long-player, Echoes Of The Devil’s Den. Terminal Nation is from Little Rock, Arkansas. They formed in 2014, and after a couple of EPs and a split, they released their impressive debut full-length album, Holocene Extinction (2020). That record really got my attention, and I have been waiting for the follow-up ever since. A split with Kruelty in 2022, The Ruination of Imperialism, was great fix, and now we have a new 12-song set in the form of Echoes Of The Devil’s Den. Terminal Nation is Chase Turner (bass, vocal ..read more

Photos by Wayne Edwards. © Wayne Edwards Main article on the festival at FFMB, https://flyingfiddlesticks.com/2023/12/03/punk-in-the-park-orange-county-oak-canyon-park-silverado-california-november-4-and-5-2023 ..read more