Martyr AD

Who needs drugs? Martyr AD's April release from Victory Records, On Earth as It Is in Hell, is much cheaper for gripping your brain in a vise and giving it a good, heady scrambling. "This is the sound of three years of discontent and corrosion of life and society around you," the band's website says about its 30-minute album. A cool Martyr AD factoid is that its bassist is a woman, so it's equal-opportunity rocking, and On Earth is quality hardcore. It hits nonstop, like a hammer on a nail. Except your heart is the nail, and it beats faster in a resonant frequency collusion with the constant and unrepentantly angry screams. This is a good antidote for clearing out the voices of George Bush and John Kerry after a day of listening to election-year news, especially with lyrics like, "Another passing moment, another dead cliché, another jaw closes, around my throat today." -- Dave Amber

Martyr AD plays at 6:30 p.m. Friday, September 3, at Spanky's, 500 Clematis St., West Palm Beach. Tickets cost $10. Call 561-832-7964.