St Louis scuzz punk wonders, SHAVED WOMEN are. Theirs is a brand of often sludgy heavy hardcore punk that really steps right on your face out of the gate. Fronted by Ben Salyers whose growl is strangled and guttural, this band can ooze right on by you and speed past you. Early sludgy hardcore heads that were looking back at metal, for their truest inspiration and approach to evil music making, were looking in the same direction as SHAVED WOMEN and the ugly, pounding jams they produce. APOP RECORDS released a self titled 7″ by this lot in late 12′. Previous releases have come courtesy of Midwest punk masters ROTTED TOOTH and even Finnish band CIRCLE’s label, EKTRO. The s/’t 7″ includes 3 songs veering from blasting hardcore methodology (“Anxiety” and “Pressures”, which both include some great lead guitar playing as well) to wall smashing sludgy pummeling rock (“Adulthood”). Doesn’t seem like these guys have released anything else since the 7″, so let’s all be on the look out. If you can get down with hardcore punk rock-isms then this is some very high quality stuff for you to grip. They get the groove needed for the slower jams, and they also get the frenetic pace needed to pull off the proper hardcore blasters. More than I can say for most punk bands. Hit us up when you come to Boston SW.