Hostile Crawlcore

Bay Area punk legends Flipper go through bassists like Spinal Tap did drummers; most recently, Nirvana veteran Krist Novoselic left and was replaced by Rachel Thoele, the band's first female member. After years of inaction punctuated by intermittent live gigs, Flipper is back for real — a new studio album, Love, and a live companion disc, Fight, are expected in May. The new songs are as sludgy and hostile as classics like "Life" and "The Way of the World," which brought the power of creepy-crawling slowness to the speed-crazed early-'80s hardcore scene, inspiring the Melvins, Nirvana, and others in the process. Drummer Steve DePace still lurches more than he rocks, while Ted Falconi's guitar and Bruce Loose's vocals have lost none of their snarling aggression.