The Singles Collection is contributor Jason Jackowiak’s weekly column focusing on rare and essential 7″ releases.

This week on the Singles Collection we’re headed down to the Lonestar State, specifically to its capitol, Austin, where they’re currently dredging up some of the best modern hardcore to be found anywhere on the planet. It’s almost an embarrassment of riches down there, and we’re only scratching the surface here, so let’s stop wasting time and get to the action.

Getting us going this week is the newest release from Mammoth Grinder, the No Results EP on the ever-awesome Inkblot Records. The follow-up to their awesome Rage and Ruin LP, this four song belter is a fire-breathing behemoth of His Hero is Gone-style HxC spiked with classic metal (think Sabbath or Priest) flourishes, a bracing kick of crusty, crushing down-tuned madness for people who hate everything and everyone. Lucky for you filthy hessians, it’s still available from the label’s MySpace

Next up we’ve got the first offering from MG offshoot Branch Davidian, the Party O’ Clock EP on Depleted Resource/Sick Thought Records. They’re the drunken older brother who never quite moved out of your parents’ basement, and who still walks around in sleeveless Anthrax t-shirts and denim vests talking about bitchin’ Cameros and that time in the parking lot of the arena when he did 7 beer bongs in a row and like, totally made it with this chick. Their sound is more or less straight-ahead ’80s thrash with bits of power-violence tossed in for good measure. They’re less cartoon-y than Municipal Waste, but no less destructive, and “Dumpster Girls” and “Get the Fuck Out” are two of the best thrash-burners of recent memory. Limited to 350 copies on (ironically) virgin white wax, these are still available at the labels’ respective MySpaces. Buy or Cry.

Last, but certainly not least, we’ve got Total Abuse’s Sex Pig EP on Deranged Records of Canada. This crew have been making waves as of late with their fucking crushing self-titled LP, but Sex Pig pre-dates it by a year or so, and while they’ve evolved into an absolute destroyer of a band, the seeds of their havoc were definitely planted here: Seven tracks in (just over) seven minutes and utter sonic obliteration a la Violent Apathy or D.R.I. or something equally as muddy and demented. These are still available from the label and from a few scant distributors, but not sure for how long, so if you are into it, better grab one.

Next week we promise to get back into it with songs with actual melodies and hooks and all that fun stuff. But we’d be lying if we said we hadn’t really, really enjoyed pummeling your eardrums with the last two week’s worth of picks.

1. The Singles Collection – Video Installment On Sacred Bones, With Zola Jesus, Max Elliott And Dead Luke
2. Hollywood Takes Over Mammoth Records
3. The Singles Collection – Gary War, Personal & The Pizzas
4. The Singles Collection – Gary War, Spirit Photography, Pink Noise
5. The Singles Collection – Ancestors, Fresh Meat, Young Widows, Melt Banana