Flattbush

Not much is known about Flattbush except that the anti-imperialism, anti-capitalism, pro-workers, Pinoy-centric grindcore band was formed by blue-collar immigrant brothers Enrico and Arman Maniago (vocals and bass, respectively) shortly after they moved from the Philippines to Southern California in 1990. They have gone on to blare their agenda on stages alongside the likes of thrash masters Napalm Death, Death Angel, and Fear Factory; the legendary Japanese art-noise combo from Japan Melt Banana; and genre-tweaking weirdos Faith No More and Mike Patton. Flattbush’s polarizing lyrics, machine-gunned riffs, and seismic blast beats over the decades have remained as thoroughly hardcore as its politics have been hardline to the left: Smash the tentacles of capitalism! Faith No More’s Billy Gould, who released the band’s previous albums on his Kool Arrow label, has returned to executive produce the band’s self-released fourth album, Strategic Offensive. Contributors to the band’s 2003 debut Bradley Walther (guitars) and Ramon Banda (drums) have also jumped back into the bunker to contribute to harsh cuts such as “Stop Lumad Killings,” “Extra Judicial Killings,” and “Trained to Kill.” The blood-and-guts-soaked cuts are as brutal as the topics—politics, corruption, money, and Uncle Sam—are evil. The humble-but-famously-loud Flattbush plays for change, not money, and can be made to vanish overnight. Jump in the movement now before it is too late.