Infest - No Man's Slave

No Man's Slave's recording spanned roughly five years before completion in 2000. This was because the instrument parts (drums and guitar) were completed in the Summer of '95, while the lead and back-up vocals weren't done until 2000 as the band had disbanded in '96. So this release was done posthumousness (like Tu-Pac!) and actually not fully available until 2002. Infest is, or at least should be, one of the most well known American hardcore bands. Their sound fits into the power-violence grand scheme of things (faster than fast music and hoarse vocals). Their lyrics are fairly straight forward, socio-politcal though often through a personal viewpoint. The recording on this album can be perceived as their cleanest though it is rough enough and fitting of the band's sound. Song lengths average under one minute per song, so you can get an idea of the pure thrash fury in short bursts. One of my favorite hardcore bands.


Infest - "Behind This Tongue"

Hey a Infest song that starts out relatively slow!. "Push me, test me, Bring out the best in me". These lyrics still have meaning to me to this day, even in their simplicity. Reframing opposition as simply a building block for the self through converting it into motivation.


Infest - "Terminal Nation"

And here's a relatively long Infest song (1:31). The principal thrash onslaught gives way to a rare instance of a slower, groovier riff, and of course the song swings back and closes at full speed.


Infest - "Contact"

I love the drum roll - vocal paring here, which flies in between open guitar chords and lots of high-hat and crash playing on the percussive end.

This 19 song album is only released on vinyl (12") as far as I know. You can purchase it over at Deep Six Records, for $10 in the U.S., a bit more for outside of the U.S. The "link within" widget down below should have a fun time pairing this up. I'd say check out my posts on Born Against, Man Afraid,, and to a lesser extent Assault, if you are into this stuff.