Alaric

VINYL FORMAT. Comprised of Bay Area punk vets from bands like dead and Gone, Enemies, Cross Stiched Eyes, and Noothgrush, Oakland's Alaric came together to play dark, '80s-inspired post-punk that sounds instantly familiar and completely unique. And though dark music has seen a resurgence among the indie scene lately, the group stands apart from such trite fashion and lo-fi tinkering, more inspired by and indebted to the sounds of Killing Joke, Rudimentary Peni, Christian Death, and the like.

The eight tracks on the much-anticipated debut LP are all standouts and its easy to imagine as being well received by the more interesting rock radio stations in 1982 or in 2011. The songs display an intense, foreboding aura, with a heavy production that is never "metal".