Gatekrashör - Revenge At Midnight (2016)

It was a bit of a surprise and a treat to snag a copy of this Gatekrashör tape at the last record collectors' show. This was produced just for 2016's Metal Fest, and since we weren't there, we didn't think we'd ever stumble across a copy. The tape gods bless'd us tho!

This tape is a treat - it's a leap forward from their first tape, and definitely hints at the stuff that Matt Ries has gone on to do with Traveler. Their original ethos of keeping it unpolished is, well, not tarnished but... shined up a bit? 

Grab the download from the Gatekrashör bandcamp.

Gatekrashör - Fear Of Attack (2012)

We're not sure why we've sat on this tape for as long as we have... local speed metal dudes Gatekrashör haven't been seen in many years, with guitarist Matt Ries now playing in Traveler. Gatekrashör didn't have an interest in being super-polished, as Beatroute noted in 2013:

Describing the Gatekrashör sound is a straightforward task. Keeping the old guard alive and well with Venom-esque style, Judas Priest’s heft and the speed of Exciter, Gatekrashör is absolutely drenched in the NWOBHM style they so flagrantly wear on their collective sleeves. This is Banzai worship at its purist... 

 

“It just sounds like rough, dirty, raw speed metal. It’s what Canada needs right now. We have all these polished bands, bands [that] are singing like Riot’s Thundersteel – not that it’s a problem. We wanted to play stuff like Iron Angel and Jaguar instead,” says Neild.

Of note: the CCPS offices are in what was the riding of former NDP MLA Deborah Drever, who appears on this cover. We didn't know that when we voted for her, but had we known... we would have voted twice for her.

This tape is still streaming/downloadable over on the Gatekrashör bandcamp.

Black Pestilence - Chaotic Wisdom (2023)

Black Pestilence have been working their doom metal mania for about 15 years, and their new tape shows them in fine, forbidding form. This is excellent and pummeling release - we found a press piece that claims that this tape "expands on lyrical themes including LaVeyan Satanism, current events, social issues, and the glorification of the epicurean lifestyle."

You can get this from the Black Pestilence bandcamp.

Riot City - Live In Newcastle 04.05.23 (2023)

There's this weird thing going on with Calgary metal bands (specifically, those in the more traditional end of the metal spectrum) having their albums released on European labels. Riot City have a couple of LPs under their belts, both on Greece's No Remorse Records... but we opted for this live tape, recorded on the first night of their European tour at  Little Buildings in Newcastle, UK. It's a pretty great recording and the set is a lot of fun (including some very Canadian stage banter, eh?).

We gotta go track down Riot City's LPs... but you can get this limited edition tape from the Little Buildings bandcamp.

Harsh- ...I Wish I Did Better... (2023)

There are several reasons why Harsh are one of our favourite punk bands in town; they're unapologetically political, they don't take themselves too seriously, and they're a whole lot of fun. This new tape of theirs captures that best with the photo of the Real Dan Izzo on the folded paper insert. At least, we think that's Dan?? 

This one's recommended - you can get it via Harsh's bandcamp, but it's best to catch them live.

Telstar Drugs - Unknown Tape

This is a tape we picked up at one of the record collectors shows last year... it had been sitting on our desk waiting for more info - but we couldn't find anything, so we'll make something up (as usual). We were told this is a Telstar Drugs tape, which checks out - two of the tracks on the A side also show up on a 2014 cassette of theirs (the B side is random bits of noise that sound disturbingly like a failing cassette player), but there's no indication that this is an official release. We're also not sure if this came out before or after their move to Montreal... so we're just going to send you towards the download.

Shrinking Violet - Shrinking Violet (1998)

Thanks to John Hadley for passing us a copy of this tape from Shrinking Violet, a band he played in at one point (though not on this tape, from what we understand). We're not familiar with this band, but some helpful person has posted a bio to archive.org (of all places):

Lisa German (vox, gtr) and Brad Pharis (bs) began playing music together in high school, inspired by the sound of grunge and punk rock. They founded the original incarnation of Shrinking Violet and before long had graduated from playing high school talent shows to opening for bigger acts from the nearby city of Calgary...  Shrinking Violet captured the grand prize in the first-ever Java Sharks Independent Band Challenge, beating 26 other bands and winning among other things, a VW van, and recording time. These sessions led to the release of the "What Matters Most" EP, featuring Jared Schimnosky on guitar and Rob Shawcross on drums... the departure of Schimnosky and Shawcross led Shrinking Violet to take a bit of hiatus, but the band returned, re-vitalized with new additions John Hadley (gtr) and Chris Potter (drms). 

We're assuming this is an early tape of theirs... and we're trying not to make too much of that bitmappy cover art. 

Get it here. 

X-Ray Cat - Chemical Imbalance (2017)

Here's a punk tape from a few years back - we somehow missed seeing them live, though X-Ray Cat's lead singer/guitarist went on to front the very excellent Mandible Klaw and their bassist now holds down the low end with No Brainer. Those two bands should give you enough to triangulate the sound - if you guessed that it's the type of thing you'd expect to come out on Wasted Wax or Handsome Dan Records, you'd be bang on the money.

Get the download from the X-Ray Cat bandcamp.

Antisocial Club - Antisocial Club (2010/2021)

We somehow missed picking up this cassette reissue when it first came out a couple of years ago - so with former Antisocial Club drummer Bart Dutchak winding down his quite fantastic Wasted Wax Records, we figured we better nab a copy before it disappears into the ether. 

This was originally put on vinyl by Handsome Dan's records, so as you can probably expect - it's very much in the genre we call "Dan Izzo punk." If we had the skill and ability, we'd definitely be out skateboarding to this. So it's also probably not surprising that two thirds of this band would go on to form the rhythm section of Izzo's Spastic Panthers.

As mentioned, it looks like Dutchak is going to be shutting down Wasted Wax after 10 years of putting out some great Southern Alberta punk records - for now, you can grab this Antisocial Club tape and other goodies over at the Wasted Wax website.

Child Actress - Ancestor Worship (2023)

We're counting this tape as a Calgary thing even though Rena Kozak is based in Montreal these days - at least in part since it's a release on local label Red Spade Records (who also put out a Child Actress 7" lathe in 2019). 

This self-produced tape definite benefits from Kozak's extensive experience in mixing and sound engineering - and the song writing is pretty great as well, landing somewhere between dream pop and power pop (her live show definitely pulls towards the latter).  The very excellent "Always Moving" is a standout here.

Get it the download via the Child Actress bandcamp - there are tapes and LPs out there somewhere as well, but we can't seem to find 'em online.

Leather Jacuzzi - Rumours 2 (2023)

While this year's Sled Island didn't bring the SIDS reunion we've been dreaming of, it did bring back Leather Jacuzzi - who had a new tape in tow. This is another spastic blast of semi-ironic garage punk, anchored by a bunch of folks who know there way around this stuff - and featuring the hi-larious lyrics and delivery of Sarah Ford.

This was a limited edition tape, but you can grab the download over on the Leather Jacuzzi bandcamp.

Various - We Are Time Mixtape Vol 1. (2023)

Back into the pile of tapes in the CCPS office, starting with this excellent compilation from Jesse Locke and Chandra Oppenheim's We Are Time label. This tape is bookended by two of the great weirdos of our city - Chad VanGaalen kicks things off with a mix of free jazz and Glassworks-ish repetitive rhythms, while AuntBibby closes out the affair with a super fun electonic number that would fit along nicely with, say, Eine Kleine China's last album. Oh, and the second track on here is a great power pop ditty from expats Motorists.

We bought this just for those three tracks - but it's also got Tough Age and a bunch of other swell bands that are worth checking out. This is a well-curated tape - you might be able to snag a copy via the We Are Time bandcamp.