For review and radio play consideration:
Please send vinyl (preferred), CD, or cassette releases to MRR, PO Box 3852, Oakland, CA 94609, USA. Maximum Rocknroll wants to review everything that comes out in the world of underground punk rock, hardcore, garage, post-punk, thrash, etc.—no major labels or labels exclusively distributed by major-owned distributors, no reviews of test pressings or promo CDs without final artwork. Please include contact information and let us know where your band is from!
Hard-driving hardcore that addresses the personal (relationships, alcohol, etc.) as well as the political (apartheid, abortion). Eight tunes, all delievered in a gritty, varied manner—some fast, slow, some both. Like it.
Great! No let up, powerful as hell, raging hardcore with hooks, changes, and cool vocals. Five songs, all good.
This is the DAMNED’s second release in this series (the first being from ’77), and this was recorded in ’76. Needless to say, all five tunes here are very energetic, classic punk rock, and for those who don’t already have their early material, here’s your shot.
Pretty vapid stuff. The title track comes the closest to being listenable, but it is just a few hairs away from being the utterly commercial rock dreck that the other two tracks are. Sad.
These guys have a garage ’77-ish toe-tappin’, finger snappin’ sound which will make you hum along happily. Four fun tunes, all energetic yet melodic, and very catchy.
Of all the Australian bands trying to be mistaken for the STOOGES these days, the COSMIC PSYCHOS perhaps come closest to achieving the goal. A few of these songs actually sound like they might be rediscovered STOOGES classics, and the overall feeling of this LP recalls the Funhouse era of everyone’s favorite band. Noisy, nostalgic fun.
After releasing a couple demos, these dudes put out a righteous slab o’ wax: probably one of the best thrash acts in the Bay Area, with good social words. A swell debut.
A pretty well-developed band, mixing punk and HC with some slow doomy breaks, metallish licks, a fair amount of innovation, and lyrics dealing with ignorance, the arms race, and personal subjects. Good stuff.
Garage-y punk with enough variation and intelligence to set it apart from the pack. Good sentiments and catchy tunes.
It seems like 7” EPs are a dying breed and it’s ones like these that remind me how good they can be: hot, tight, straightforward HC that sounds like early ’80s US thrash. Intense stuff.
This is the American issue of their first three singles. Predictable, as one side has A-sides and the other the B-sides. The band’s debut single is so far above anything else they’ve done that the rest, especially the B-sides, are really slow, tired, and pale in comparison. Still worth it for “Bamp Bamp” (great garage mania) if you don’t have it.
Garage-y, rebellious punk & HC with youthful energy & sloppiness. Sound quality gets odd at points, but this is moderately enjoyable.
Straightforward, tight thrash and ’77-ish with male and female vocals, lyrics tackle vegetarianism, nuclear way, oppression, etc. Good.
A crack-up. I assume these guys are satirizing stupid metal bands, cuz with songs like “Shit on Your Mother’s Ass” (song title of the year, hands down!) and “I’ll Pulverize You,” they just can’t be serious. Stupidly hilarious!!
GISM-like growls set to punk and post-punk arrangements. Nothing special, but competent.
Hot uptempo melodic punk with personal lyrics. Catchy, memorable, mid-paced fun tunes with good energy. Neato.
Fun, chunky mid-tempo punk with humorous lyrics concerning the dating game, organized religion, food and more. Good production, hot material.
This Philly conglomeration featuring ex-members of MCRAD and AUTISTIC BEHAVIOR is pretty rockin’ on all six songs. They’re fast, catchy, and even though they sing mostly about girls and booze, they’re pretty fun. Who’s to knock these guys’ tradition? Pretty hot.
With the music being a mixture of speeded-up quality FLIPPER and early MINOR THREAT, this record kicks it with HC anthems that cover such topics as love, Gilman St. Project, anarchy, and all-out wackiness. The band’s smart-ass sense of humor is in abundance throughout the lyrics, packaging, and general concept. Equally abundant is the band’s “we can do whatever we want” attitude, which is a pleasant relief in these days of professionalism. This be great!
Recorded live in Germany last summer, and although the INSTIGATORS’ sound is there, it’s not totally. Meaning that it’s a pretty low fidelity recording, more suitable for tape release than vinyl.
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).
High quality hardcore here. Very tight, with hot production, lots of variation and powerful as hell. Good lyrics to boot. Get this.
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.
Slow metal, speed metal, lotsa guitar wanking, unimportant lyrics—a sure hit.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Imagine Ralph of CAPITOL PUNISHMENT fronting a grungy psych/psludge band. You can’t? No, it works.
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.
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.
Chaotic thrash and punk, a little on the dirty/sloppy side. Good vocals, the singer sounds convincing. Pretty good.
You know, I could bash on instruments and scream unintelligibly, also, and I can do it for free.
Live at CBGBs in ’79, both tunes suffer from unexceptional performances and poor sound quality. For fanatics of this once-great Ohio band only.
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.
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.
This demo-style cassette features four songs of great quality, sounding like early L.A. material with a modern touch. Short but good.
Jangly acoustic punk, but sometimes more fuzzed-out. The accent here is on melodies, good smooth stuff, but the vocals are a bit annoying.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Sixties power pop, one decent rocker and the other a ballad à la PRETTY THINGS. Not urgent.
