Be At The Show

End It

Grantski Records. Augusta, GA. 5•13•2024

A few years ago I began diving into the world of hardcore and heavy music more. I had dabbled in these waters for years, but had never swam them in earnest. In the midst of this period of discovery I caught wind of a then newly released album by End It. It was Unpleasant Living, which would go on to be one of my favorite projects of the year, and a wonderful building block in my music listening. Getting to see them at the store felt like a full circle moment in this regard, with one of the first bands in this style I would've honestly called myself a fan of coming to my home venue. Their set lit up the room like a bolt of lightning. As soon as they began people began diving off the stage, and this would not stop for the entirety of the set. If Brass Tongue was where the evening began to ramp up, End It was where it exploded into the full on melee it was careening towards. Dives, pile ups, and violent pitting as always would be the standard. But, what pleased me the most was the way their set and rhetoric made me feel internally. The band's music represents the perfect level of pi**ed off dissatisfaction and contempt for the world around you. End It distills the experience of our late capitalist hellscape into the perfect misanthropic sonic beratement. I do not feel happy at the End It show. I would not say I am having fun at the End It show. I would say I am experiencing a violent catharsis of all of the suppressed anger the world around us manages to fester every day. Listen to End It. Terror was up next.

IWE: IWE VS HIERARCHY

American Legion. Augusta, GA. 1•13•2024

While speaking to our new friend John at Dead Media, Erin and I received a hot tip about a wrestling show going on that night. We were told of a cage match and several other extravagances to be enjoyed. Seeing as Erin and I had been talking about covering wrestling shows for some time, we decided there was no time like the present to begin our new venture. As we arrived we instantly knew we were in for a good time, with wide eyed kids and beer bellied good ol boys as far as the eye could see, wrasslin’ was in the air. As the show began I found myself feeling more excited than I had been in a long time. I hadn't been to a live wrestling show since I was 11, but soon all those nostalgic feelings enveloped me. A high energy opening match full of loud kicks and dives to outside got the blood pumping early. The gorgeous show off heels Exotic Youth stole the show with their garrish looks and s**t eating grins. Lindsay Snow and Dani Jordyn competed for the women's championship, only to end the bout with a tease towards a future hardcore match. White Mike captured the vacant IWE Championship in a fantastic 4-way bout. The final match of the night was a huge blow off cage match, pitting two teams of 6 men against one another. When it was all said and done, the heels had conquered the faces. As they beat down the heroes, cursing obscenity at the angered fans in attendance, I was reminded of my late grandmother who I used to go to shows with. All around me old ladies and men were screaming back at the heels, clearly fully immersed in the performance. Nobody believes in wrestling more than women over 60, and the voracious granny's at the American Legion that night reaffirmed that fact to me. This show was a beautiful reintroduction to live wrestling for me, and an even better first show for Erin.

These took forever to post because we wanted to get the zine put out first. We hope you guys are enjoying it and the new subject matter we have to cover. Another wrestling show is in the pipeline but don't worry, music will still be coming. Let us know if you like the new stuff! Love y'all. IWE Pro-wrestling Sean Legacy Cody Fluffman

Morbid Visionz

Grantski Records. Augusta, GA. 11•25•2023

Morbid Visionz took to the stage around 8:45. After being run through the fire of Primitive Rage I was in great need of a moment of solace and some rest. Unfortunately Morbid Visionz did not plan on giving it to me. What they did provide me was a dose of chasmic doomy death that gave me a moment of respite but still bashed me over the head with its dominance. This was the kind of chunky metal that makes you feel as if the ground beneath your very feet is only moments away from swelling upward and cracking at its precipice. This band brought nothing but grime and dirt to their performance. At times their sound would soar with anthemic guitar leads and driving drums, and at other times it would drag the audience through the mud with slow chugging riffs and deliberate loud shots of percussion. If this band had anything in their sound and aesthetic it was power. Every piece of sound they produced was so full of muscle and vigor. This band's sounds like it has been in the gym for months on end, lifting weight and pounding Bang until its bones have begun to crack. The frontman of the band tied this all together, spitting the words and snarling his face up behind the microphone. Morbid Visionz managed to simultaneously slow the pace of the evening down a bit, while retaining all of the rage and carnality that had been previously cultivated. From this point onward though nothing would be slowed down. The show was careening toward a break neck endpoint, and nobody had any intent on stopping it.

Tomorrow is No Cure. We have had such a fun year. We can't wait for the next one.