Old punks don't die. They just decay into noise. Or, at least, that's what Die! Die! Die! has done. Never a quiet or comforting act, this seventh album from this New Zealand trio is audaciously abrasive. Utilizing an almost black metal guitar scrim at times, these blistering post-punk pieces rarely move even remotely close to accessibility.

Die! Die! Die! This Is Not an Island Anymore (self-released)

Oh, but they move. If you can imagine the propulsive tendencies of such Touch and Go acts as Kepone pushed to the limits of rationality (with full needles-pinning production sound), you're getting closer. Truth is, I haven't heard such a sustained, absorbing sonic attack in ages.

This one will blister the ears as an appetizer. Within seconds pretty much all skin crawls away, leaving every other part of your body open to the attack. Don't worry. The pain is so absolute that all sensation is wiped away within seconds.

And all this without industrial bombast or even the hint of post-production enhancement. I have no problem imagining these songs live. The band's name is totally correct, except that you might die more than three times. Abasement never felt so fulfilling.

Jon Worley