Dutch hardcore masters of the 80s back with a new 7” the ‘Nazi-Frei’ (Nazi Free) EP. Two brand new songs including the anti-fascist anthem title track, two re-recorded NEUROOT 80s blasters and one cover of a 1977 Dutch punk classic, totalling five songs on ultra super limited ‘brown note’ marble vinyl in a foldout sleeve with lyrics and art. Artcore has a raging roster of current band interviews with NEUROOT to accompany the 7” EP, Washington DC’s RED DEATH, Edmonton’s NO PROBLEM, Toronto’s UGLY POP RECORDS, Sheffield’s RAT CAGE, London’s STAGES IN FAITH and Madrid’s ACCIDENTE. The VAULTAGE section of the zine has an overview of 70s/80s punk in the Mid-Western States in ‘Can’t Stand the Mid-West’, a look at early South Wales punk history in ‘The Wasteland of my Fathers’, an interview with the authors of ‘Tomorrow Is Too Late’ the Toronto Hardcore book and the action gig photography of Nele Vandermaesen. Finally, all the usual review damage completes the picture, all in a packed 40 page litho printed A4 fanzine rounded off with no advertising dilution whatsoever. Our take: If you’re still weeping yourself to sleep over MRR ending its print edition there’s always the long-running Artcore fanzine, which will scratch any discerning punk’s itch for record reviews, band interviews, historical retrospectives, and the occasional rant, all without the need to keep track of a power cable. I imagine that if you’re in their target audience, you already know what Artcore is all about, but I’ll mention that this time around you get interviews with people like Red Death, Rat Cage, No Problem, and Ugly Pop Records, histories of punk from South Wales and the midwestern US, and a ton of other content. And as with the past several issues you also get a 7” record, this time a new EP from 80s Dutch hardcore legends Neuroot. If you’re reading this, then that probably sounds pretty darn great to you, and I can confirm that this is another top-notch Artcore experience.
