Review / 200 Words Or Less
Nö Pöwer
No Peace

Sorry State (2013) Nathan G. O'Brien

Nö Pöwer – No Peace cover artwork
Nö Pöwer – No Peace — Sorry State, 2013

No Peace is the debut LP by Charlottesville, NC’s Nö Pöwer. There are subtle elements of garage and psych at play here but it’s primarily raging hardcore punk, with a noticeable emphasis on the noise. It's a primitive and blown-out style of D-beat that’s been injected with a distinctive dose of artiness and then drenched in feedback. Although he’s not stretching the margins of hardcore vocals too far, the singer is still able to effectively convey a variety of emotion; whether it’s depression, anger, anxiety, or often times, inexplicable. The drums and bass step outside the Dis zone for brief periods of erratic improvisation, trying as best as they can to keep up with the lightning fast guitars, which squeal and swirl all over the place; driving the band’s sonic direction into face-melting realms. This comes as no surprise, considering this the same band that dedicated side B of their 2011 demo cassette to one four-plus minute jam of chopped and screwed remix racket that had the singer shouting the band’s name repeatedly atop an inordinate drum beat. While there’s nothing quite that bizarre on this LP, Nö Pöwer is still pushing the limitations of the big D beyond monotonous reiteration. Attention all other bands: start doing this now! No Peace is the perfect amalgamation of punk sub-genres and a furious goddamn record. How much art can you take? Exactly this much.

Nö Pöwer – No Peace cover artwork
Nö Pöwer – No Peace — Sorry State, 2013

Related features

Advertisement

DCxPC 2025

Recently-posted album reviews

Chat Pile

Cool World
Flenser (2024)

The great American experiment has a wide range of experiences, but it tends to focus on the coasts. There are countless dystopian pieces of art, often culling from a Warriors-esque concept of urban grit. Chat Pile play dystopian, brutal noise-punk, but from a distinctly middle American point of view where instead of civilians shadowed under dense skylines, their anonymity instead … Read more

The Anomalys

Down The Hole
Slovenly (2024)

If I have to give the elevator pitch, I’ll call The Anomalys garage rock with an ear for surf and psyche rock -- turned up to 11 and blasted through blown out speakers in an old 1980s sedan. It’s high-energy, no-frills rock ‘n’ roll with attitude. While it’s short, loud and fast, there’s also quite a bit of nuance and … Read more

Pinhead Gunpowder

Unt
1-2-3-4 Go! Records (2024)

Pinhead Gunpowder began in 1990, recording a 7” in 1991. The band last released a 7” in 2008… Until late 2024 when the band returned with the 14-song full-length Unt. So congratulations if you had “we get a new Pinhead Gunpowder record before a new D4 record on your bingo card. (These two bands released a split 7” in 2000 … Read more