Anti-Machine: S/T 7” (Toxic State Records) The latest and greatest from Toxic State is the debut EP by Brooklyn, NY’s Anti-Machine. As we’ve come to learn about Toxic State releases, you can always expect the unexpected. Records on the label can range from noisy raw punk to peculiar arthouse pop, but are always presented with captivating and elaborate packaging. Anti-Machine isn’t antithetical to the Toxic State milieu, but this EP is about as close as they’ve come to releasing a bare-bones, street-level US hardcore band, and the feel is different. Sure, there’s a beautifully screen-printed poster included, but no artsy graphic design. Instead, you get a photo of the band looking cool in leather with beers in hand. Anti-Machine features seasoned veterans from the NY scene, with familiar faces from bands like Sister Anne, Crazy Spirit, Extended Hell, and a lengthy list of others. It sounds like the band walked into the studio already dialed and ready to play at their hardest and meanest. Each track is a cold and venomous powerhouse of wall-to-wall energy. The chaotic intensity, frantic but rocked out riffs, and Walker’s snarling vocals remind me of early Accüsed—not to mention their grindhouse, “driller killer attacked by demons” aesthetic. The bonehead punk on the cover with brains being decimated by a drill is a pretty spot on depiction of how listeners will feel after blasting this EP. If you’re looking to rage full-on Splatterhead style, look no further than Anti-Machine.