***Slovenly imprint Black Gladiator was founded on the principle that ANDY MACBAIN (TUNNEL OF LOVE, THE MONSIEURS, ANDY CALIFORNIA) is the last true savior of rock'n'roll. Along with the mighty Billy Childish, Mark Sultan, King Khan, Haunted George, Oblivians, Cheater Slicks, Gories and a monkey's paw full of others that were actually there for, and brought up on, 20th century noise, Andy California is an essential and spiritual component of the great force of primal, rhythmic skronk, and possibly the only man left with the sincerity and inalienable right to deliver it. With three tracks deliberately more blues than his usual pop hook snarl, this EP is the last goddamn word in testosterone soaked primitivity.
7" $9.25
02/26/2016
***The Black Gladiator / Slovenly brotherhood is in the business of pushing punk crudity like it’s going out of style (it ain’t), and with this debut LP by Michigan’s CHOKE CHAINS there’s no mistaking our intentions. THOMAS JACKSON POTTER, he of ‘90s Crypt Records legends BANTAM ROOSTER and an original member of DIRTBOMBS, has concocted another nasty recipe for disaster with this latest unit featuring THE MILLIONAIRE (ex-CHINESE MILLIONAIRES) on drums, LINDSEY CRAPPOR, (ex-NO BAILS) on 2nd guitar, and bass handled by a ballistic warlock named CHIZZ. Taboo tackling cuts like “Let’s Try Suicide” and “Rock Paper Rapist” guarantee deep emotional scarring, and the album’s opener “Safe Word” thrusts supercharged negativity transferral with terminal raunch. This is a cocksure debut from a battle-scarred crew, saturated with hostile imagery and the hyper-aggressive delivery you’d expect from pedigree of this caliber.
LP $13.75
01/29/2016
CD $10.65
01/29/2016
***If any punk album in 2016 is going to transcend description it’s this debut long player from KCMO’s WET ONES. I can tell you that the band is made up of ex-members of FAG COP who released some of the most aurally offensive and insipid shit this side of The Fatals and Grabbies, and more recently, White Load. There’s a couple MOUTHBREATHERS in there too. Talk about an underappreciated band. One of ‘em shelled out some seriously disgusting cuts here with “I Live Life Reckless” and “Static,” and after a hundred spins they are finally starting to sound somewhat palatable. How did they even make this record? Shouldn’t they be broken up already? Nothing this screwy ever lasts for more than a few minutes these days. They assure me that they’re the best of friends and are immune to implosion, but this is not the sound of a trustworthy group. Oh well. For now this gets the coveted Black Gladiator / Slovenly seal of approval, and we’ll whip their asses raw ‘til they give us more.
LP $13.75
01/29/2016
CD $10.65
01/29/2016
***NOW AVAILABLE ON VINYL!!! Black Gladiator busted out the gate hard in 2010 with our first release: a reissue of the awe-inspiring crudfest “Rockin’ Rollin’ Bitches” LP by Brookline, MA’s TUNNEL OF LOVE. Two years later we continued to spread this unique brand of ear piercing whomp with an LP release by TOL member ANTHONY MACBAIN’s THE PSYCHED project. Now, in 2014, we’re still in the game of furthering this demented agenda with THE MONSIEURS. This is Anthony’s older brother ANDY’s forte and peak, as the musically tortured leader and originator of Tunnel of Love. With The Monsieurs, Macbain has fine-tuned his horrific delivery and concept without sacrificing any dBs. With the man himself solely on vocals and backed by two blonde bombshells, HILKEN MANCINI and ERIN KING on guitar and drums respectively, The Monsieurs are unleashing indubitable rockin’ rollin’ noise with sharp aesthetics, aggression and a perfect amount of pop sensibility, making this platter just palatable enough for those too timid to take the plunge into Tunnel of Love’s sonic cesspool. CDs in six-panel digipaks, LP includes an insert.
LP $13.75
10/28/2014
CD $10.65
10/28/2014
***Have you ever been to Hanover, PA? I‘ve spent time there, and It’s WEIRD. Hanover is lousy with mongoloids /Juggalos and slack jawed farm people. DREW OWEN, otherwise known as SICK THOUGHTS, was born there, and through the benevolent seer abilities of his dad was fortunate enough to escape to Baltimore, MD, currently ranked in the top 30 most dangerous cities in the USA. Monsieur Owen has somehow overcome his geographically debilitating boundaries, and with the aid of no one but his own 17 year old genius, has vinyl releases on labels from Italy (Goodbye Boozy), Sweden (Ken Rock), Zaxxon (Canada), and a few American imprints, including an upcoming single on Memphis’ finest, Goner Records. This large hole 10” on Black Gladiator is the nastiest recording we’ve heard yet from this pudgy, pimple faced fuck. Sick Thoughts channels GG and the Jabbers and Japanese noise with heavy negatory spirit on each track - a sonically screwed and puberty drenched hatful of hateful punk rock sputum. Includes a poster. (STREET DATE - 10/28/2014)
10" $13.75
10/28/2014
***GINO AND THE GOONS are the most unlikely band to have gotten any attention in the current shitpool of rock’n’roll posecrap. Fakes are plenty, and everyone seems to be buying it, but we’re happy to be wiping our asses with it. Late 2012 saw the release of The Goons’ debut self-released LP. The 300 copies only press was a goner in no time flat, but the sickos at Total Punk rushed out a reissue to meet the demands of of the desperate, and quickly followed with the Troubled 7-inch, the sleeve of which I just devalued by setting it in the condensation on my desk of my 11th beer of the night. This slab was promptly answered by the weirdos at Pelican Pow Pow, with the release of the Oh Yeah! single, and it’s even soggier than than the sleeve I just ruined. In 2014, Gino and the Goons and Black Gladiator have sniffed each others asses just enough to have come to the understanding that if we’re gonna do a record together, it’s gotta be the baddest shit. THE BADDEST SHIT. This is the album you wanted to be budget rock. This is the album you wanted to be dumb as fuck. This is the album that fails on both levels. This is the album that proves that Ramones worship doesn’t have to be predictable or generic. This is the album that proves that rock’n’roll doesn’t have a fashion, and that musical style rules supreme. PLAY LOUD cuz, ‘cause...
LP $13.75
10/28/2014
MC $9.25
10/28/2014
***We’ve waited almost two years since the debut single from W. Palm Beach, FL’s NEW COKE, and now Black Gladiator is psyched as hell to present to you their much anticipated follow up, the Duct Tape Your Mouth EP. What we have here is seven stiff black inches of terribly dark and uncomfortable lyrics, firmly planted on top of the catchiest tunes this side of Greg Oblivian’s Reigning Sound. Singer DANNY MORALES’ bizarre delivery twists and grinds over the relentless R&B-fueled backbeat of the title track as well as “I’m Not A Fan of Your Romance (Asshole)”, and the beauty almost surpasses the threat in the closer “I Am Drunk, I Have A Gun, I Want Names,” but don’t let the gorgeous melody fool you… New Coke is hiding out in the bushes waiting for you, and they’re packin’. (STREET DATE - 2/11/2014)
7" $9.25
02/11/2014
***Prepare yourselves for a superdope psych-punk thrashing from the lunatic minds behind Montreal’s CPC GANGBANGS, RED MASS and DUCHESS SAYS. This new amalgamated group is called PYPY (π π), and this debut LP Pagan Day is a mind searing concoction of sinister wah-wah freakouts littered with fuzz, distortion and the necromantic scree of co-lead singer ANNIE-CLAUDE DESCHENES. Super disco-breaks reminiscent of the dance punk of NYC’s legendary 99 Records (ESG / Liquid Liquid) slither in on “Daffodils,” and the blistering pop of “She’s Gone” rivals Thee Oh Sees most burning tracks. Add all of this to one of the finest recording sessions we’ve ever heard here at Black Gladiator / Slovenly HQ, and you got yourself a prime moving platter for your heaviest rock’n’roll club soirees and claw-your-eyes-out solo home listening sessions. (STREET DATE - 2/11/2014)
LP $13.75
02/11/2014
CD $10.65
02/11/2014
***Slovenly imprint Black Gladiator is back on the map with the only album that’s ever made me want to grow my hair and shake it about: the debut, mucked-up and hella fuckin’ cruddy long player from Brooklyn, NY’s THE PSYCHED! Psyched soul members ANTHONY MACBAIN (TUNNEL OF LOVE) and PAUL WELL (ex-THE APES), smash nine tracks of huge, mid-tempo boom & thud over the top of your skull, adding a filthy, next level doom-metal element to the OG Tunnel of Love raw rock’n’roll blast, like a total punk version of Electric Wizard. The album is a souped-up version of the primitive, two-piece live show, and both are necessary for the total Psyched experience. What else can I say other than I hate your guts for having to convince you that this record is the shit. (STREET DATE - 5/29/2012)
LP $13.75
05/29/2012
CD $10.65
05/29/2012
***Totally deranged 12-inch 45 RPM EP from defunct one-man unit ELECTRIC CRUSH: a long lost cassette only release from Las Vegas circa Y2K. Originally a 10-song tape titled Dropouts In a Drug Haze, Black Gladiator opted for the perfect first side only of the original release to bring you three tracks of stone cold punk rock headache sandwiched between two slices of drum breaks and bent guitars slathered with methamphetamine psychosis. Electric Crush represents the sound of Black Gladiator before it even existed, and the label couldn't be happier they located him after all these years! Musical parallels to Muddy Waters classic late ‘60s fuzz guitar driven, break-beat ridden Electric Mud are plenty, so the label came up with a take on the elusive and bold black cover of "'Mud." Limited edition of 300 copies.
12" $13.75
01/25/2011
***The new VEX RUFFIN & THE LO-FI JERKHEADS 45 is crammed to the deadwax with four more tracks of sample-heavy punk-slop overloaded with distortion, stupidity and raw funkiness. This EP, just like the last one, will damage your speakers, make your ears bleed and your titties swing! As with all Black Gladiator releases, this is an ultimate tool for warped underground rock'n'roll DJ's that are hell-bent on wreckin' shop.
7" $9.25
01/25/2011
***“A reissue of the single greatest punk album of the 2000's, TUNNEL OF LOVE’s Rockin’ Rollin’ Bitches. Two different labels have released this on compact disc, but this is the first time this album will ever be available on vinyl. Equal parts Guitar Wolf (the noise & fury), early Flamin’ Groovies (the pinnacle of trad rock’n’roll in a post ’55 world), and the Electric Eels & Slayer (for pure fucked-upedness and extreme Satanism), this fourteen-track LP clocks in at a modest 25 minutes, yet delivers more devastating music than most bands’ entire discographies. Tunnel of Love never practice, but every now and then they assemble in public, decked out in black and white striped tights and black capes, ripping apart punk clubs and leaving audiences stunned. This is truly the most bad-ass rock’n’roll band on earth. You can either get down or you can get out of their way.”—Black Gladiator
LP $13.75
06/22/2010
***Black Gladiator’s second release is the debut from Chino, California’s VEX RUFFIN AND THE LO-FI JERKHEADS. This four-track 7-inch EP is going to be the most talked about 45 in every scene around the world focused on crazed music, from underground hip-hop circles (Vex is also recording an album to be released on STONES THROW this year) to the jaded know-it-alls at the garage/weird-punk message boards. Vex Ruffin and the lo-fi Jerkheads is a one man unit armed only with a basic sampler, a smokin’ stack o’ wax ranging from early rhythm & blues to the crème de la crème of punk killers, an electric guitar and a mic. Imagine if Tipsy met The Spits and was severely underproduced, and what you get is a primo batch of lysergic slop ripe to be freaked at any good party.
7" $9.25
06/22/2010