Asunder vs. Like Flies on Flesh

Great split LP that deserves its place in any self-respecting crusty punk record collection! ASUNDER drops two heavy slabs of death/doom on your cranium and believe me, it hurts! Reminiscent of the greats like MY DYING BRIDE or PARADISE LOST and they are not afraid to take their time. “Tides of Ruin” crosses the ten-minute mark, but never feels overlong or boring. Nice mix of blackened crusty sludge from Texas metalpunks LIKE FLIES ON FLESH, who would have been right at home here in the Bay Area. I wish we could have heard more from them in the future, but this was their only recorded output. Whatever limitations you hear are excused by the recording methods—both ASUNDER and LIKE FLIES ON FLESH originally released these songs as demo tapes before mixing and mastering them for split LP preservation. ASUNDER forged on until 2009 with three more great releases—the monstrous A Clarion Call, a great split LP with GRAVES AT SEA, and ending with Works Will Come Undone. LIKE FLIES ON FLESH vocalist Jamie Myers has kept busy in the years since. She joined HAMMERS OF MISFORTUNE circa 2003, releasing The August Engine and The Locust Years before guesting on WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM’s Diadem of 12 Stars album and their Malevolent Grain 12-inch. She now sings for occult rockers SABBATH ASSEMBLY.

20 Years Ago Today at 924 Gilman Street

DYSTOPIA did a one-time reunion with their original vocalist Dan Kaufman (who was also in SHIVA), playing a bunch of songs off their split LP with EMBITTERED. LIKE FLIES ON FLESH were amazing. Their name is screwed up on the flyer because the guy who booked the show insisted that "Likes Flies on Flesh" was the correct name. The show almost got shut down by the Berkeley PD when a huge fight broke out between the cops and random drunk crustys.

20 Years Ago Today at 379 40th Street

Gotta love the flyer poking fun at the Y2K hysteria that never panned out. I don't think I was at this show, but who remembers the epic metal monstrosity that was LIKE FLIES ON FLESH? They damn near blew DYSTOPIA off the stage at Gilman a couple nights later! Who was INDEX FOR POTENTIAL SUICIDE? Good name, if nothing else. JENNY PICCOLO was decent emo-gone-grind; some people used to say that they sounded like what would happen if the LOCUST were nice people. Ouch!