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!
Still demented, psychedelic, with painfully slow power rhythms and that unmistakable growling voice, this is no surprise except that they sound more like SCRATCH ACID than I remember. (Or did they just leave D. Yow off the credits for “Never Gave Me a Kiss”?) Oh well, no standouts but as good as ever and equally as irritating.
High-powered and high-production ’83-ish UK style HC. Six tunes, all with good tuneage and power galore. A bit too studied perhaps, but good listening nonetheless.
Very powerful HC with metallish influences and intelligent words covering war, capitalism, right wingers in the punk scene, and more. Also includes a booklet which explains their lyrics further. Pretty damn impressive.
Quick punk with a melodic edge. Relatively memorable stuff, but only three tunes.
A pretty peculiar band, While basing their music on ’77 punk, they employ ’70s rock guitar and eccentric arrangements that are partly amusing, partly nauseating—mostly the latter.
Early UK punk sound slightly updated with guitar overdubs. Four tunes, nothing exceptionally memorable.
Punky/country mix, with accent on the corn. Kinda dippy little stories, almost nursery-rhyme-ish, set to jaunty and sometimes driving music.
Pleasant Aussie power pop. The B-side is forgettable, but the A-side is much better than expected, owing to some rough edges left in the mix and some catchy hooks. It’s not as strong as some of their earlier stuff, but it’s a good tune anyway.
Fast and hard punk, powerful as hell. Wild, chaotic and noisy, there’s a real coherence to all six tunes, a sense of tightness in the midst of madness. Good shit.
Searing trash with tinges of that old metal stuff. Very professional (in the good sense) packaging and production, which makes for a rad tape.
A rather grungy and depressed-sounding four-songer from this committed bunch, which could be due to the gruff vocals. Musically, punk and hyperthrash are their forte, and the words seem a bit more personal this time around. Slightly different that their previous releases, but good nevertheless.
Speedmetal, slick production, female vocals, and unbearable listening. Ouch!
Some super-grunged out punk rock with a totally distorted guitar buzz and rockin’ crazy energy. Spazmo stuff.
No, they’re not hippies, they play basic garage-y punk and HC with socially-oriented lyrics. Pretty good lyric book included.
Basic thrash with mediocre production. Musically, nothing special, but the words are totally on-target, covering pacifism, peace, religion, etc. with intelligence. Great sentiment.
Fairly light pop punk, combining melodic strains of HUSKER-ish “mould” with ’79-ish punk. Should appeal to a wider audience than usual, but nothing especially gripping.
Straightforward punk and thrash with loads of energy and powerful guitarwork. Not too original, but pretty rockin’ nevertheless.
Grunge-y punk mania here, with pissed-off lyrics slagging the rest of the goony world. Great juvenile fun.
Pretty catchy melodic garage punk with a distorted guitar sound. Lyrically, I’m not sure what’s going on. OK.
Cool straightforward punk noise with lyrics about drug abuse, religion, personal issues, and more. “Family’s Only Family” stands out as a catchy tune.
Early punk sounds with fun barroom sing-along vocals. A total gas: you can almost see the beer spilling all over the place.
Two fast tunes and two slow ones, both with a lot of guitar and beat, though the latter gets old fast. The poppy pair have a R’n’B based rock structure, sorta like DR. FEELGOOD meets NOMADS on a so-so day. Plenty of potential, but lagging somewhere along the line.
You betcha! Awesomely weirdly produced noise thrash that just tears out your eardrums. Definitely insane.
100% speedmetal for the SOX now, and it’s pretty good, probably their most solid release. Sounding comparable to METALLICA and the ACCUSED, they have maintained their intelligent lyrical outlook, questioning religion, inequality, greed, oppression, etc. My only gripe is the slightly trebly production, but that’s minor. This is swell!
As a tribute to their European tour, Brazil’s CÓLERA releases this live tape of their solid, powerful punk sound. Production is very clear, making this one more than worthwhile.
The second demo by this mysterious Arizona band, playing a variety of styles from straightedge HC to rap to synth silliness to speedmetal, making fun of everyone and everything, except the Master Cheez, of course. Rad shit.
Pretty hot upbeat early style punk with a good sense of melody. Four live tunes and two studio ones.
This Minneapolis band blends a hard melodramatic rhythm with the typical complexly performed pop their town is known for. Ugly words, big buildups, and a hard drive make for a promising debut. Reminds me of WIRE at times.
Raging female vocals lead this HC frenzy. Sounds like a slightly more metal version of the early COMES. Intense.
Their name could be serious, judging by the lyrics to “Girl in Red,” but it could be a parody. Anyway, this is noisy punk and thrash with a metallic edge. Lyrics cover cops, skating, and moshing.
This is the legendary SF garage band that spent years preparing for this release. Although I’m partial to their rockin’ live show, this record is an adequate representation of the garage madness they’re capable of. Couldn’t live without it.
OK, this little gem features no less than 46 songs, all varying in style, content, and quality. From C&W to the harshest HC, all aimed to pierce your skin. GG fans take note.
A sexually offensive pic on the front (girl and gun mode), and an equally ridiculous essay on the back. Can’t figure this band. But the music is like a demented PIL meets early GODFATHERS bordering on industrial pop with very catchy melodies. Quite good.
Varied punk and pre-punk/post-punk styles. Two or three of the songs are fairly straight-ahead rockers with both ’60s and ’77 influences, while the others are more eclectic and slower-paced.
Metallish, hard rock-ish HC with tweedle-dee leads. Lyrically, I don’t know what’s going on, but they do have a song called “Suck My Cock.”
A repackaged “greatest hits” LP, this features “Wasted,” “TV Party,” “Six Pack,” “I Don’t Care,” “I’ve Had It,” “Jealous Again,” “Louie Louie,” “Gimme Gimme Gimme,” “Slip It In,” and more.
Early-style punk with an emphasis on melody. Lyrically, I don’t know what’s going on, but the music sounds good.
Good powerful thrash tunes from this Chicago band. “Not Just My Head” is a short blast, while “One Track Head” is a bit more complex and interesting, with loads of energy. An impressive start.
This is volume one of a “roots of punk” series, featuring Northern Ireland’s BEARS. They put out two 45s in ’77, one of which “bears” the name of the LP and rates in my top ten all-time punk list. However, that track on this live in ’77 recording is nowhere near as electrifying. Decent, but not necessarily magic.
Yet another HC band that’s pissed, full of brotherhood, and advocates a “love it or leave it” patriotism. “Back Off” is their by-word. See ya.
These guys make the CRAMPS look slick. Totally demented, rocking trash for all you retardos out there. A classic.
So-so hardcore without too much distinction. Competent musicianship, good lyrics, but just nothing special.
Some sloppy drunken punk rock for ya, with both serious and silly lyrics. Fun, but not the sort of thing you’d listen to often.
The first French speedcore release. AGRESSOR has less speed and more tuneage, while LOUDBLAST has the speed, more wanking, and even falsetto screeches. Gore themes, with a bit of politics.
Aside from a song or two, this live LP represents their latter sound, a rock-oriented approach. The songs are less anthemic and less gripping, more prone to length and dilution. It’s hard for me to relate to this approach, especially as 7 SECONDS was my fave for many years. And given my fondness for Kevin, it’s doubly hard to say I don’t really like this period of their work, never mind the thin sound on this LP.
Very solid punk and thrash with a hefty helping of innovation and originality. Sorta doomy, sorta metal-y, but all powerful. Includes a lyric book, but if you can’t read Swedish, you’re out of luck.
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.
These gals make the BEASTIE BOYS look like flaccid wimps, doing intelligent and hilarious acapella raps about macho goons, the FCC, poo, etc. With loads of funny between-the-songs banter. Totally rad, and the “special prizes” are yucky!
One of many emerging post-hardcore, offbeat bands that usually signs to SST or Touch & Go. Actually, post-punk or post-hardcore may not exactly be right, sorta more like pre…something, and I’m not sure I wanna know what. Intelligent doodling.
Garage rap is here and anyone can do it. Or so prove these guys. And they are really tough with songs/raps like” “James Dean is an Overrated Asshole” (“I’d kill him if I were able”), a song about a school chum called “Billy the Scab” who they want to die for various reasons, and of course a “We’re the Warlocks” anthem that all rappers must have no matter how stupid. This record is ridiculous but pretty funny.
