With Krazy Fest making its triumphant return this weekend, it seems somewhat appropriate to review the 2010 EP from Brain Banger. Who? Why, a trio direct from that mecca of blown-out amp punk/hardcore: Louisville, KY. And they feature members of Young Widows, Lords, Breather Resist and Black Cross to top it.

The five-song effort Munsoned is a predictably feedback-laced, smoky smorgasbord of murky, hard stoner riffs, a pinch of grunge/noise rock overtones, and grunting, sneered vocal yowls, but with a palpable and forward-moving energy. "A No Brainer" opens with piercing guitars, and then the song goes into a nebulous pound akin to Melvins, only with more compact percussive fits. "Stay Down" picks up the tempo plenty, adds more wailing, noisy guitars and takes on a billowing intensity that gets the vibe on Munsoned increasingly interesting and harrowing.

"Procession" lets the band relax a bit more, with vocals that are actually melodically sung in some way, at least for them. Momentarily, it feels like them trying their hand at a Black Sabbath-type, melodic dirge, but in their hands and with their indie-punk sensibilities makes it more dynamic and free-swinging. Immediately thereafter, "Pay Attention" transitions back to the more urgent version of Brain Banger. The silvery sneer of the guitar tones in closer "Save" make it a winner, too.

Munsoned is an active onyx of sound that's pretty familiar and somewhat expected given its creators' backgrounds, but that doesn't make it any less enjoyable and impressive.

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Procession