Rattus Stolen Life LP
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.
MAXIMUM ROCKNROLL
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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.
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.
Mostly mid-tempo punk with monotone-sung vocals which don’t fit with the music. Not bad, but nothing special.
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.
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.
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.
A potpourri of musical styles (acoustic, metal, experimental, etc.), all with silly/dumb lyrics. Slightly amusing, but not a bucket of laughs.
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.
So-so speedmetal without too much personality or distinction. One long, slow number is memorable, but the rest is passable.
This, their third EP, presented heavy-hitting hardcore at various speeds. Seven tunes, no lightweights, all world quality playing and punch.
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.
Mykel Board’s latest scam, a supposed South African surf band who do twisted covers of “Livin’ in the USA” and “California Girls.”
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.
A potpourri of sounds here: from early DISCHARGE to SUBHUMANS-y punk to speedmetal, all with political lyrics. Pretty enjoyable, overall.
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.
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.
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.
“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.
Disjointed metallic HC which sounds BLACK FLAG-influenced. Four tunes, all powerful and twisted. Good stuff.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
Chunky garage-punk from this all-gal band, good garagey tuneage, rockin’ energy, and they have a song called “Mosh”!
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.
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!
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.
