Dark Times

Dark Times pick off where the rest of hardcore punk took a commercial turn. Dark Times springs from the elusive Black Hole Crew (Haust, Okkultokrati and more), and, already  with their first 7" and  demo cassette, achieved a high standing in the Oslo underground. The band were hailed by NME and Brooklyn Vegan, and-  still only armed with a lonely demo and 7" - became the first Norwegian band ever to be profiled in the American punk-rock bible Maximum Rocknroll. The band consists of guitarist/lead singer AK and drummer Rikke, who both have a history of working in student radio. Barytone guitarist Sebastian Rusten is also a notable illustrator, with artwork for all of the Okkultokrati-releases as well as Dark Times' first 7". Produced by Pål Bredrup of Okkultokrati and Haust, their second 7", Girl Hate, delivered pure musical passion and fire through four short, yet precise tracks. The group's stylish monochrome and precise blend of no wave, noise rock and hardcore punk have led to comparisons to Black Flag and the early output of Sonic Youth, Mudhoney and PJ Harvey. Untouched by the arch-Norwegian ideal of nitpicking and competence, Dark Times' fierceness will excite any fan of hard, raw rock. When watching today's self-proclaimed "indie" bands, half of the time is spent twerking on pedal details - these are dark times indeed. But here's at long last a bastion of true independence: a power trio counting in and churning out no wave noise-punk of the nastiest league.