Axe Rash, 'Wrath'

Everything's on fire and Stockholm's Axe Rash is here to fan the flames. Scorching hardcore-punk riffs, motorcycle-revved drums and a scream that gargles blood closes the incredibly titled Contemporary Ass 7-inch with "Wrath." Vocalist Hilda grunts, spits and howls with blistering force: "I am my only god / And I'm vengefuuuuuuuul," her vengeance leaving behind a trail of bodies. And that's just in the first minute. What begins as a D-beaten speed bomb turns into a Stooges-ian doom-punk vessel for wah-wah'd guitar solos and air raid sirens. The apocalypse has swagger and thy name is Axe Rash.

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