Headcheese sophomore LP is 12 tracks of piss-pants frustration mocking loss prevention officers, moronic militias and certain label heads. Irreverent smashes of furious punk that doesn't give a shit what brand your leather jacket might be or how old your Black Flag tattoo is.

Headcheese are pieces of shit. The worst band I've ever worked with. What makes them so fucking insufferable is what is also the best part about them. They sound like it what they are. This isn't fly-by-night garage pop that sticks around like half chewed gum to your shoes. It's turbulent, aggressive hardcore that's very likely to pull the ceiling tiles down out of your basement show and piss in the corner.


Our take: We’ve loved every previous release from Headcheese, but I think Expired is these Canadians’ best one yet, amplifying everything I liked about their other records while honing and refining the most unique aspects of their voice. While it’s perfectly clear where Headcheese’s inspirations lie, they really sound like themselves on Expired, and it’s hard to imagine any other band delivering a track like “Special Forces,” for me the record’s standout track with its staccato rhythm and unforgettable vocal. The other tracks aren’t far behind, though, combining great songs with a loose, swaggering delivery that’s punk as fuck. While the rhythm section clearly appreciates the wild, lunging delivery of United Blood-era Agnostic front and early YDI, the guitarist’s riffs have a classic punk catchiness to them and the vocals drip with charisma, relying on an unlikely combination of off-the-beat wildness and a Dayglo Abortions-style way with a snotty, sinister melody. For me, Expired is one of the standout releases on one of current punk’s standout labels.