V/A War is the Crime cassette
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.
MAXIMUM ROCKNROLL
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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. We reserve the right to reject releases on the basis of content. Music without vocals or drums will not be considered. All music submitted for review must have been released (or reissued) within the last two years. Please include contact information and let us know where your band is from!
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Punk of all speeds with some rock influences (solos, etc). Pretty interesting sound textures, a good amount of innovation. Pretty good.
Grungy, chunky punk tunes with personal/social lyrics. Lots of raw garage momentum here, good job from this long-standing outfit.
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.
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.
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.
Strong, powerful punk and HC with a gritty metallish guitar sound. OK lyrics, fairly original, overall, a pretty impressive showing.
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.
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.
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.
Pretty “dark” stuff here; gloomy pop that comes across as pretentious and commercially-oriented. No thanks.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
Pretty much a novelty item, just two guys trying to play as fast as possible for short periods of time. Humorous.
Powerful tuneage here: grinding punk and HC of all speeds with lots of anger and momentum. Good tunes.
The DYLAN cover is OK, a bit too rock but pretty powerful and done with spirit—the flip is way rock Á la WARREN ZEVON.
Considerably better than the average “positive” act, these guys play mostly straight HC, but it’s got a good sense of personality. Honest, optimistic lyrics, also worth checking out.
More guitar raunch garage punk here, though it’s a bit more eclectic than in the past. Side one rocks hard with that “just a little off” quality that makes it special. Side Two is a bit too disjointed for me, but it’s still hot.
High quality live material from these two bands, thirteen songs with alternating tracks rather than sides. My faves are “She’s not a Girl” and “Communication Breakdown” by V.M.
Poppy punk with some rockin’ power and kinda annoying vocals. Watch for an upcoming LP with Bob Mould producing.
A very ’77 sounding four-song release—classic punk, reggae punk, noise punk, etc. Nothing spectacular, but it’s definitely enjoyable, especially “1 August.”
Metally HC, but often more metal than HC, with the cheesiest DEF LEPPARD/JUDAS PRIEST vocals I’ve heard in a while. Lyrically, “Nazi Baptist Commando” is good, but the rest blow. Lyric of the week: “I masturbate, ejaculate, and wipe it on the wall.”
I get the feeling of potential greatness here. Like the very first recordings by HÜSKER DÜ, this has a rigid, almost experimental guitar atmosphere. Mostly instrumentals and some of the driving guitar sounds grab at that amphetamine push of early URINALS.
Their first major label release shows their usual pop flair and basic beat, though both tunes are more blues-based than previous releases. Catchy, but I wish they cut loose a bit more with that ever-cool guitar.
Sounds like early TELEVISION meets JONATHAN RICHMAN. Understated garage music with smart but twisted lyrics—like “Little Johnny Jewel”.
Humorous chunky punk with metal influences (solos) which don’t fit with the music. Lots of “fuck you” attitude and lyrics, as shown by the song title of the month, “I Hate Everything.”
First off, these guys have the best logo—a rubber with a mohawk. Musically, they play thrashy punk with dumb but moderately humorous lyrics. Fun in a retarded way.
Recorded in Australia in ’86, this latest incarnation of the GROOVIES contains originals (dating back to ’67) Cyril Jordan and George Alexander. Included are reworkings of “Kicks,” “I Can’t Hide,” “Shake Some Action,” “Slow Death,” etc., as well as some WHO and r’n’b covers—all inferior to either their own previous versions or the originals. While I admire their rock’n’roll dedication, there’s a real lack of spark or insanity here.
Hot punk and thrash with sing-along choruses. Words cover personal and social issues. Good straightforward stuff.
Mid-tempo punk without too much to set it apart from the pack, save their sing-along choruses. “Bell and Dagger” is the standout.
A more powerful remix of their domestic release, with the addition of another track and color cover. South Carolinan/Alaskan metalish hardcore from Wally and co.
Rough and tumble old style punk rock here, very spirited, similar to the VANDALS, LOVE CANAL, etc. Slap in the face lyrics deal with religion, society’s problems, and some very backwards lyrics on “SLUT,” the title tells the story.
