Abnormal Growth Abnormal Growth cassette
A potpourri of musical styles (acoustic, metal, experimental, etc.), all with silly/dumb lyrics. Slightly amusing, but not a bucket of laughs.
MAXIMUM ROCKNROLL
A potpourri of musical styles (acoustic, metal, experimental, etc.), all with silly/dumb lyrics. Slightly amusing, but not a bucket of laughs.
A duo (guitarist and drummer, as well as both singing) dish out pop punk that sounds like it might be the German equivalent of the TOY DOLLS. Catchy, poppin’ tunes.
Mostly mid-tempo punk with monotone-sung vocals which don’t fit with the music. Not bad, but nothing special.
Out of New Zealand, this European release contains tracks from two of their EPs. Three of the four tunes are pretty pop punk (with the emphasis on pop), and one’s a cooker with raw guitars, sorta like the DOUGHBOYS.
What, a second EP already? This noise-fest of a record is playable at either 33 or 45, and either speed sounds plausible. So take your pick, slow grunge with growly Satanic vocals or speed noise with falsetto.
Basic and raw, degenerating into noise jazz at times, this will appeal to those who like the NY noise bands of today (SWANS, SONIC YOUTH, etc.) and the NY noise band of the past, VELVET UNDERGROUND. Cool and bizarre cover of PRETTY THINGS’ “I Can Never Say.” Contains members of SHOCKABILLY, HALF JAPANESE, and VELVET MONKEYS.
Enjoyable punk and thrash from this West German outfit. Good lyrics, powerful, clear sound quality make this tape a hot one.
No, this is not the U.S. band of fame, but a pop punk neo-’60s band. At times they sound like LOVE, especially the Arthur Lee-type vocal inflection, though the music is a bit more modern. I knew that France was isolated musically, but this is a bit much!
Some varied punk noise here with a fuzzed-out guitar tone and harmonic female vocals. Gets a bit too folksy at points, but some tunes really jam.
Dubbed as the “Best of…” album. Side A features nine previously released songs from demos and early vinyl. Side B has nine songs too, three of which are fair covers, all of which were recorded live. The quality is pretty good and does a fair job of capturing the fel of this band. Overall, if you have never heard this band’s heavy punk sound or if you’re diehard fan, then this is of interest.
Strange record. Side One consists of two songs, both punk-ish with good drive and aggression, while maintaining a quirky aspect. On the flip, the quirkiness comes to the fore, and musically they transform into an experimental-ish post-punk band, much lighter and eclectic.
The debut tape by the most obnoxious band in the Bay Area contains covers of “Stayin’ Alive” and “Old McDonald Had A Farm” and annoying originals. Actually, these bozos are amusing, criticizing everything in sight.
With a name like that, you know it’s gonna be metalcore, and you’re right. Actually, it’s not that metally, but Satan-y vocals have gotta go. Lyrics—hmmm—I don’t want to know. Pass.
Surprisingly enough, this new LP is actually a really good record. No metal, no thrash, just straightforward punk rock with some good hooks and, for the most part, excellent lyrics. An unexpected comeback
Jangly acoustic punk, but sometimes more fuzzed-out. The accent here is on melodies, good smooth stuff, but the vocals are a bit annoying.
Not to be confused with the UK band, this CULTURE SHOCK is from Illinois. Seven songs of gloomy, droning, metallic rock, similar to DIE KREUZEN’s October File material.
Live at CBGBs in ’79, both tunes suffer from unexceptional performances and poor sound quality. For fanatics of this once-great Ohio band only.
You know, I could bash on instruments and scream unintelligibly, also, and I can do it for free.
Chaotic thrash and punk, a little on the dirty/sloppy side. Good vocals, the singer sounds convincing. Pretty good.
This band has always been a breed that is able to blend industrial noise with garage punk. Most notable here is the colored marble vinyl plus a live extremely noisy sound. Most of the stuff is slower and more experimental noise but one of the five is the best bunch of rockin’ noise lately. Not their best but OK.
This is the swan-song for the DESCENDENTS—without Milo again they’ll be called ALL and thankfully this live record isn’t an end-of-the-career-rock-bullshit move. It turns out to be an extremely tight “best of” set recorded in Minneapolis. A lot of the clunkers from previous albums sound incredibly gutsy with the in-yer-face production. A classic.
At least on their second LP, this funny punk band combines pop punk with that curious mixture of country music and German drinking tunes, a blend that goes down pretty easy. Lots of tunes sound familiar, meaning they’re good at ripping off tunes and rearranging them, twisting them for their own weird reasons.
A young thrash act here, playing it garage-y and a bit sloppy. They should improve with time. Song titles sound positive except for “Pussy on the Line,” which could be un-positive.
Dark songs of love and bleakness set to mid-tempo punk. The almost forced “sung” vocals may attract some and alienate others. This band stems from the original LOS OLVIDADOS, who eschewed hardcore in favor of slower, more powerful tunes.
Powerful tuneage here: grinding punk and HC of all speeds with lots of anger and momentum. Good tunes.
Though there is a decidedly metal stamp on their material, it’s not too tedious to stomp out their originality. A fairly unique blend of powerhouse metalcore, imaginative structure, and smart lyrics set them apart from the speedcore pack. Worth checking out.
Album number four for these Berkeley knot-heads, and like the previous one, this was recorded in West Germany. There is lots of familiar ground—stupid joke songs, etc. But there is some great beefy production, a cover of “Puff the Magic Dragon,” and a duet with an uncredited female vocalist that actually sounds like prime X material. One of the best things here is the anti-drug song “Damaging Dose” because the sleepy psychedelic-tinged tune gives FANG a place to grow to.
High quality hardcore here. Very tight, with hot production, lots of variation and powerful as hell. Good lyrics to boot. Get this.
This European label has got a handle on getting Japanese HC to the world (a 7″ sampler, this disc, and a comp LP to come), a welcome project. On this release, FUCK GEEZ crank out five great pop punk tunes, all with great verve and sound. Catchy tunes (some off their Japanese 7″s) and hot packaging (as are all the records in this series so far).
Punk with a psychobilly flavor, this album is well-done and has a crazed quality to it. Not over-the-edge, but there’s spark, fun, and power to it.
Just in case you don’t have enough GG ALLIN records, this release will solve your problems. OK, this package contains no songs playable on the radio, ten songs with “fuck” in the title, three with “cock,” five with “piss” or “shit,” etc. Live and studio, usually good sound quality.
Strong, powerful punk and HC with a gritty metallish guitar sound. OK lyrics, fairly original, overall, a pretty impressive showing.
It’s been way too long between any efforts by Jad Fair and his crew—thankfully Jad is aware of this and has laid down 22 great, weird rock’n’roll classics that have the grunge of the VELVET UNDERGROUND and the charm of JONATHAN RICHMAN. Early ones on red vinyl so move, cheesehead.
Youch! A very hot album of mostly rapid powerhouse thrash, although a few of the newer cuts show some musical growth. Lyrically, it’s mostly personal, covering honesty, individuality, etc. in an optimistic fashion, minus the “positive” rhetoric. Great debut vinyl by this upcoming band.
Grungy, chunky punk tunes with personal/social lyrics. Lots of raw garage momentum here, good job from this long-standing outfit.
A potpourri of sounds here: from early DISCHARGE to SUBHUMANS-y punk to speedmetal, all with political lyrics. Pretty enjoyable, overall.
Punk of all speeds with some rock influences (solos, etc). Pretty interesting sound textures, a good amount of innovation. Pretty good.
Don’t know too much about this (no song titles, even) except that it’s pretty good; crunchy mid-tempo punk with quite a bit of experimentation. Some slow doomy stuff, too. Cool.
KTMK return after a few years’ vinyl absence, and though their famous short insane songs have disappeared in the interim, what remains sounds OK. Songs are in the medium-speed range, focusing on the beat and power. Good guitar, not too much of the post-punk pretentiousness, and hot production.
More strangeness from Kramer and the gang at Shimmy Disc. A lot of this is acoustic, switching between experimental ditties and folky ballads, but the lyrics are poetry and quite humorous at times. If you enjoy musical poetry…this is it.
Mykel Board’s latest scam, a supposed South African surf band who do twisted covers of “Livin’ in the USA” and “California Girls.”
Basic hardcore sounds here done with the intensity and energy of the early DC acts. Good social, political, and personal words, fun sing-alongs, and loads of spark! Good.
Not too surprising to see a disc like this on Touch and Go. Heavy-handed swamp-voodoo electricity. While listening to this I kept imagining what it’d be like if Jim Morrison, in his drug-induced stupor, had cracked his skull trying to get on stage to do an impromptu set with IGGY and the STOOGES, what fun. Wonder what this sounds like on compact disc.
Really excellent pop punk. There’s a DC-ish quality to the tunes, meaning lots of melody, power, personal/emotional lyrics, and Don Zientara production. Four tunes, all hot.
Punk and HC with a very metallic guitar sound. Lyrically, no Satanic BS, but on-target lyrics slagging censorship, big business etc. Pretty good. Comes with lyric booklet.
Hot! Discordant sounds mixing straightforward punk, jazz, post-punk, and much more, all with anti-system, anti-conformity words. Slightly reminiscent of VICTIM’S FAMILY.
The B-side is a GEORGE THOROGOOD-type blues/bar band dumbo song, but the A-side is a killer cover of the LONNIE MACK instrumental “Wham.” Don’t know who KATON is, but KODA was a mainstay in BROWNSVILLE STATION.
This, their third EP, presented heavy-hitting hardcore at various speeds. Seven tunes, no lightweights, all world quality playing and punch.
So-so speedmetal without too much personality or distinction. One long, slow number is memorable, but the rest is passable.
Chunky garage-punk from this all-gal band, good garagey tuneage, rockin’ energy, and they have a song called “Mosh”!
Driving mid-tempo punk with pretty snarly female vocals which bring the AVENGERS to mind. Lots of energy here and a good sense of melody.
Weird production and vocal effects add a mysterious feel to this otherwise straightforward hardcore release. If they hadn’t added the distortion, it’d be pretty generic.
A couple of new members this time around, but that hasn’t slowed down POISON IDEA’s momentum one bit; this is still their brand of loud, potent powerthrash. Slightly more metal than in the past but the accent here is on the force and fury. Scorching.
Straight ahead mid-tempo garage punk with strong social and political commentary. A stab at melodic structures and decent playing makes these guys a step above the ordinary. Hand-screened covers and self-production. Yeah!
Disjointed metallic HC which sounds BLACK FLAG-influenced. Four tunes, all powerful and twisted. Good stuff.
Distinctive female vocals (that sound like an angry twelve-year-old kid) are the highlight here. The music is good too, featuring medium-paced raw guitar punk. Sounds tough.
This Swedish band sounds more like an Italian hardcore band, meaning it’s a bit spastic and eccentric with lots of changes and frantic outbursts. Actually, it’s sort of like MDC in its bassy, herky-jerky sound. Good lyrics.
Metal up the gazoo! Makes me cry to see one of Europe’s (Finland, to be exact) oldest and formerly best bands end up this way.
Three tunes here: Side A is a long, slow punk tune which gets a tad tedious, while the two numbers on the flip are upbeat and melodic with jangly guitars. Good.
Six-song EP from France that usually starts slow then charges furiously into each song much like a lot of Japanese hardcore—there are songs they sing in English, complete with lyrics, but they whip by so fast you’ll have no idea what they’re saying.
David says this is what can happen if you go too long between records. All I know is they’ve made the most radical change of direction since BAD RELIGION hurled themselves into the unknown and barely made it back alive. So, from a hardcore band they’ve become a WALL OF VOODOO synth/mood band. Only on one track do they use drums and guitar. Hope they get back alive, too.
Imagine Ralph of CAPITOL PUNISHMENT fronting a grungy psych/psludge band. You can’t? No, it works.
Quick HC with a metal-y guitar sound, but what rules here are the well-thought-out lyrics, attacking ignorance, sexism, racism, religious fanaticism, greed, governments, and more. Comes with a booklet—good stuff!
German funny pop punk. Good sounding classic punk, which is enjoyable without understanding a word—though I’m sure it’s much more fun to sprechen Deutsch.
Aussie rock punk on all three tracks. Decent power and big beat but no real special energy or lyrics to make you sit up and take notice.
“Eleven Parts” is an instrumental which mixes metal, punk, post-punk etc. with discordant guitar noises. The two cuts on Side B sound like a cross between BLACK FLAG and a modern speed-core act. Not bad.
We forgot this one last issue, but don’t you miss out. DESECRATION (AZ) hits hard with a dozen songs reminiscent of the new UK thrash acts (HERESY, RIPCORD, etc.), with excellent caring social/political words. Canada’s SUBVERSE keeps up the momentum with a harsh, abrasive thrash sound with hoarse vocals, also possessing good sentiments. A great introduction to two of the hottest up-and-coming HC acts.
This demo-style cassette features four songs of great quality, sounding like early L.A. material with a modern touch. Short but good.
Ex-FALL guitarist Marc Riley and his ilk have come up with another quirky, rigid fast-paced Anglo post-punk record. It’s no accident that this should appeal to FALL fans or fans of groups like the THREE JOHNS or the MEKONS, as guitarists from both groups make appearances here.
Pretty “dark” stuff here; gloomy pop that comes across as pretentious and commercially-oriented. No thanks.
Just because this is one of my favorite bands doesn’t mean I’m biased. This is great! Imagine a fuller-sounding Las Vegas Story / Death Party, a must for all GUN CLUB fans. OK, maybe a little biased.
Melodic epics with jams and just enough psychedelic-ness to be interesting. Without these occasional freak-outs, it would be just a little too offbeat to be another new wave pop record.
Moving on from their previous barn-burner of a single, “Just Fourteen,” these guys have still kept the raw energy that compared them with rough material by the LYRES, the NOMADS, and early garage groups like the SEEDS and COUNT FIVE. There are some slower tunes but I’ve a feeling it’s just to break up the album. In fact, the way the NOMADS have been lately they could stand to cover material like the SINS’ “Possession.” A keeper.
Some snappy upbeat punk tunes here with keyboards which aren’t too overbearing. Includes a couple covers (DAMNED, AEROSMITH) and eight originals. A pretty good start, somewhat of a NUNS feel.
R&B sixties punk on both sides, the A-side is an organ-dominated tune and the flip is harp-heavy. Neither really wails, but both are competently delivered and although generic in style, there is a thread of originality. From San Diego.
Pretty tuneless stuff here, garage punk and thrash with lots of screaming. Sixty tunes in sixty minutes, what fun!
An energetic and well-produced follow-up to 1985’s What’s for Dinner? On this record, the band moves away from the rough-edged wackiness that led to comparisons with the ANGRY SAMOANS in favor of a more streamlined, slicker sound. Traces of surf, sixties, and metal are combined into a powerful guitar sound, but I miss the irreverence and originality of the first LP. Still, this is a strong release.
Pretty standard TOY DOLLS stuff here, not quite as inspired or energetic as past efforts. The DOLLS’ trademark zany humor seems a bit forced on some songs, and the best track, “Fisticuffs in Frederick Street” has already been released twice. Not bad, but I know these guys can do better.
I’ll admit it, I was skeptical that the world needed another TRAGIC MULATTO record, after all aren’t they just a junior BUTTHOLE SURFERS band? Bullshit—this is a fucking great, they’re a hell of a lot more concise than the SURFERS. A great sense of humour here, their cover of the Safeway theme song is hysterical as are most of the songs that deal with the seedier part of city living.
Pretty much a novelty item, just two guys trying to play as fast as possible for short periods of time. Humorous.
Slow metal, speed metal, lotsa guitar wanking, unimportant lyrics—a sure hit.
Pretty nondescript hardcore. Out of the British school of noisy thrash, there is little tuneage, not exceptional tightness, just your everyday bang-away thrash. Title track has the most going for it.
This flapper comes with issue #5 of said zine, and features neo-’60s pop punk by FIXED UP and STING RAYS, as well as some doom and gloom by CRASH.
A comp of new (?) DC bands from rap to ’70s rock to speed metal. Acts include H.R., DOVE, PRESS MOB, and more, not much punkaroni, but one H.R. cut rocks.
A pretty damn hot comp here featuring KAFKA PROCESS, VOMITO SOCIAL, NO FRAUD, and OODLES. Lots of intense tunes here, and all profits fo to Greenpeace. Neat.
A very solid HC comp featuring the MELVINS, DIDDLY SQUAT, MR.BUNGLE, FALSE LIBERTY, ACCUSED, and loads more. Good sound quality, lots of action here.
This tape is #4 in a series from Bad News Cassette Zines. Some of the eleven underground acts featured are: the PARASITES, DREAM SMASHES, and BLOWFISH. An interesting mixed bag, you won’t be bored. Buy or fry!
Well, it’s finally here and it’s actually pretty damn good. A lot of bigger names here like CORROSION OF CONFORMITY, ADOLESCENTS, DOGGY STYLE, D.I., RAW POWER, ADRENALINE O.D., RAW POWER, and WHITE FLAG. The cut from MOJO NIXON about drug testing was a surprise but a welcome one. Some of this is available on other things but this is a nice sampler.
ATAVISTIC, DESECRATION, and CORRUPTED MORALS are the standout acts on this above average comp. Ten acts in all, good selection of tunes, comes with ‘zine.
An above average comp of world HC/punk acts, including the VARUKERS, MANIACS, UPRIGHT CITIZENS, and more. Sound quality varies, but this is mostly good stuff.
FRATRICIDE and DEATH SENTENCE are standouts on this Canadian comp. Includes seventeen bands and a lyrics/info booklet. Good junk here.
A very appropriate title, considering this consists of an hour’s worth of ferocious Spanish trash. Acts include SUBTERRANEAN KIDS, GRB, BAP, and more. Booklet included. Hot!
A really varied and pretty energizing comp. Hot tracks from MAA SEUDUN TULEVAISUUS, EUTHANASIA, and VALTIOKOLHOOSI put this above average, and other good tracks are supplied by MAHO NEITSYT, CMX, KUMIKRISTUS, and DORIAN GRAY. Get it.
In their never-ending series of comps, Mystic Moody presents fourteen tracks by fourteen bands. All of these tracks are taken from previous 7”-ers. Cool cover and some classic SoCal punk rock.
Anywhere from three to five tracks each from Toulouse’s PIN PRICK, LE BLOB!, BLABLA SCHMURZ GROUP, JOZEFS ET LES PHILLES, and SWINGLE GARROTE. All the groups play various types of ’77 punk, most of which is infectious and peppy. JOZEFS and the band are an all-female group that shows its ’77 roots best, SWINGLE GARDEN are young and powerful, PIN PRICK rock quirky and French. Good stuff.
Less than half the tracks here have enough oomph to make their long and drawn-out format hold my attention. But those that do have punch are good ones, delivering melodic but powerful hardcore à la late MINOR THREAT. No lyric sheet, a trademark of this increasingly impersonal label.
Sixties power pop, one decent rocker and the other a ballad à la PRETTY THINGS. Not urgent.
This first Mexican punk record is a four-song job. Stop-and-go mid-tempo, it’s amazing that anyone could get an indie record out there considering the shambles their economy’s in.
Pretty standard punk and thrash without too much personality, save their catchy sing-along bits. Lyrically, I don’t know, but “Zombie Mosh” is pretty funny.
