Svetlanas -- Naked Horse Rider

WE ARE SVETLANAS FROM BIG MOTHER RUSSIA -- FUCK OFF! is how Olga Svetlanas chooses to start her shows, and it doesn’t get much softer from there. Svetlanas are abrasive, aggressive and slightly discomforting in their rawness -- there’s no way to pussyfoot around it, and you shouldn’t bother trying to, because they sure-as-fuck don’t. Naked Horse Rider is an all-fronts assault: melodically metal, perfectly punk and lyrics that are equal-parts political and potty-mouth -- by “potty-mouth,” I mean “twisted enough to make G.G. Allin blush.” Somewhat masochistically, it’s their sincere zero-fucks-given vibe and Olga’s larger-(and more intimidating)-than-life persona, coupled with some seriously remarkable musicianship that makes you want to stick around just to prove that you can hang. Do yourself a favor and get a little uncomfortable -- it’s fun. -- Stevie Navarre Allen

Psycotic Pineapple -- Where's the Party

There are a million and one "should have"s in Punk Rock, but man, Psycotic Pineapple really should have been huge. Their sole LP, 1980's Where's the Party runs across the punk spectrum with wild abandon and goofiness, but sometimes descends into sheer terror. "I Wanna Wanna Wanna Get Rid of You" is the perfect merge of new wave bounce and LA punk misanthropy. "Hang On For Your Life" is an all-out garage rocker that morphs the sound of a chainsaw cutting meat into the Four Tops' "Reach Out" for no reason at all. Meanwhile, "The Saw" could have been a Flipper tune and "Headcheese" sounds like a demented Freddie Mercury role playing as Leatherface. This bands juggles wackiness and destruction like they are one in the same and it is a black mark on the punk community that this band isn't mentioned alongside the rest of the punk heroes. Let's undo the damage right now! -- John Gentile

Berserker Detroit -- 2016 Sampler

I have been spending a lot of time recently banging my head to the Berserker Detroit promotional sampler. Berserker is a musical celebration of all things metal, punk, noisy and strange. The third annual event will take place March 3-5 at Detroit's historic Masonic Temple. The download features 50 plus songs, one from each band appearing. There are tracks from the bigger headliners like Voivod, Cannabis Corpse, Ghoul, Antiseen and Macabre, and also plenty of local Detroit gems like Rebel Spies, S.N.A.F.U. and Child Bite. The download is absolutely free, and you're pretty much guaranteed to find something wonderful and heavy that you will love. You must check out this three hour monstrosity and experience the madness that is Berserker Detroit. -- Tom Crandle

Proletariat Punch -- Signs of Civilization

Proletariat Punch’s Signs of Civilization takes you back in time to the glory days of ‘80s anarcho punk. With an impressive 25 tracks spanning just about a full hour this band not only hits you with “traditional” anarcho, but they definitely added their own updated edge to it. The band tackles other genres like hardcore, crust and even ska at one point. No one is safe when it comes to this band’s lyrics either, especially the ones in the songs like “Cellophane,” where they call out a ton of society’s superficialities, and “The Opposable Thumb” where they voice their rage about environmental degradation. Proletariat Punch takes on so much in Signs of Civilization both lyrically and sonically with such force and anger that they very much deserve to have more notoriety than they do now. -- Ricky Frankel

Downtrodder -- Demo

Downtrodder is a new band from Philly that I was recently exposed to on Facebook. I hate being a curmudgeonly old dude when it comes to music, so I try to check out most new bands when I get the chance. Normally these attempts end in minutes of misery, but this time I was hooked. Downtrodder has not been a band long, so there really isn't much to say about them other than the fact that I hope they play Richmond soon and that if they continue to make music like this then I would love to put out their record. Check them out. -- Adam Gecking, Say-10 Records

At The Drive In -- Relationship of Command

At The Drive In's Relationship of Command is one of those records that'll always be hard to imitate. The musical idiosyncracies of Cedric Bixler-Zavala and the technical intricacies of Omar Rodriguez have always been a major talking point about the musical revolution the band led in the '90s and 2000s. When it came to taking the post-hardcore/screamo game and flipping it on its head, few did it well as ATDI. Everything about this record was on point and felt like a perfect culmination of the music they made that preceded. The depth of their storytelling and the genius in their music really shone here. Prime example being the caustic and ever-abrasive "Invalid Litter Department," which spoke on the abductions and murders of the women of Juarez, with no help coming from the corrupt authorities. Sure, these guys, whether together or split into The Mars Volta or Sparta, will always have a bunch of WTF moments and even when reunited, they still leave you polarized but to me, these fuck-ups can't stain the legacy of what came before. New music and tours this year are ample enough reason to dive back in and this here's (to me) their best record to do so. Any record boasting something as majestic as "One Armed Scissor" is a record to devote multiple listens to, after all. -- Renaldo Matadeen

Ramones -- Road To Ruin

I know what you're thinking. This guy really picked another Ramones album? Yes, he did. Road To Ruin's always been a favorite, and as I've been working through the band's catalog with my kid, who now calls the Ramones the Timons and seems to believe they're leather-jacket-wearing meerkats, it's a record that I keep coming back to. The songs stack right up against any the band released before, and while the production is the biggest departure from the first three classics, it serves the band quite well. If the retro-'60s vibe of the early LPs played up Joey's girl group vocal tendencies, the more modern approach on Road To Ruin has the same impact on Johnny's guitar. It certainly sounds tougher and more menancing than on previous releases, and whenever anyone throws around the classic description of Johnny's sounds as that of a buzzsaw, this record is exactly what I hear in my head. -- Adam Eisenberg