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!
A 14-song, 8 band punk/hardcore comp tape from the Philippines. Some notable material from BETRAYED, PHILIPPINE VIOLATORS, and COLLISION to name a few. Nice package, lyrics, and band info included.
A comp from the garage, featuring punky and thrashed out noises from STATE OF CONFUSION, BORN WITHOUT A FACE, S.N.O.T., and more. Some good stuff here.
A solid Filipino comp with hot cuts by the BETRAYED, WUDS, and PUBLIC SCANDAL. Mostly punk, but a couple rockabilly tracks are thrown in.
Contains many “big” European acts like INFERNO, RATTUS, WRETCHED, INSTIGATORS, etc., plus smaller acts scattered around the globe. Lots of good stuff here.
This on-going chronicle of unknowns swings to Sweden, 1964-67. Most of the tracks are Mersey, Mod, or R’n’B, with the hottest coming from the PALMES, HEP STARS, and TAGES. This volume, unlike the others, contains many live tracks, some of which aren’t the hottest sound quality.
Ahhh, some diversity — 14 bands, 24 songs, from Spain to the USA and over to Japan. Styles ranging from ska inspired pop-punk to speedy hardcore mix this international sampler up nicely. Great sound quality and some notables such as STEVE STILETTO and TARGETS plus a nice package make this a winner.
A blazing hot dose of live HC by the likes of BGK, LEEWAY, FALSE LIBERTY, and many more. Sound quality is generally good. Snag up this fucker.
This Philippine comp features four bands, BETRAYED, PRIVATE STOCK, GI AND THE IDIOTS, and the WUDS, all recorded live at the last show at Katrina’s (a club at Manila). Good quality punk rock, includes band photos and has a nice package to boot.
A way hot tape starring CLOWN ALLEY, LEEWAY, RAPED TEENAGERS, VICIOUS CIRCLE, and many more. Ninety minutes of great material, so get this, dude!
Another comp of European outfits, showcasing a variety of punk and hardcore sounds. Most notable are GEPOPEL, DISACCORD, and PLAGUE. Good selection of material here.
This decent North American comp has something for every musical taste: powerful hardcore, funnypunk, melodic rock, reggae, a 70’s cover and a couple of mid-tempo standard tunes. F.O.D., A.O.D., DISSONANCE, and SCRAM stand out from the pack, but there could have been better tracks from the name bands overall.
Relatively powerful punk with a considerable amount of gusto. Cool guitar sound, pretty rockin’ stuff here.
Another of Rev. Norb’s “finds”, and the A-side is again barely palatable pop wave, but the flip has a more punk edge. As Norb said, “OK, so they ain’t quite the PAGANS or AVENGERS, but this ain’t S.F.”
A re-release of this retarded song. Trubee sent off ultra-weird lyrics to a Nashville recording outfit, doubting they would ever record it. They did, and Mykel Board now wants us all to know and enjoy it. A short but sweet joke.
Mostly pretty tedious 77-ish punk with a few catchy choruses to make some cuts memorable. Lyrics are in the “personal rebellion” vein. Okay.
Distinctive, nasal vocal meld with a gritty instrumental sound not unlike a cross between BLACK FLAG and traditional fast-and-loud HC. The result is unique and effective a fair proportion of the time, though consistency isn’t S.D.T.’s strong suit. Aggressive and loud.
The re-formed STARVATION ARMY showcases four medium-tempo rockish punk songs on this EP, which lack much in the way of power, melody, or interesting lyrics. Below the standard.
An energetic trio that has a pretty sparse (guitar is largely rhythmic) and clean sound. Goofy lyrics and boppin’ tunes are the thing here, and should appeal to a broad range of listeners.
This well-known English ska outfit fares quite well indeed on this selection of early cuts. Terrific tunes and energetic performances make this record special — in particular the bouncy version of “Monkey Man.” One of the better Peel session releases.
Three songs this time, two of which are up-tempo pop-punk ringers, and another which builds up (too little too late). Again, the obvious BUZZCOCKS influence, and again, enjoyable.
The special appeal of this record is in the fact that it’s the first real taste most people have had (aside from a pathetic bootleg) of the early, punk SLITS. Some familiar, and some unfamiliar material — all of it very raw and quite interesting. Recommended.
Heavy on the twangy guitar and vocals lush with harmony, this group cuts a delicate balance between pretty pop songs and tougher guitar based garage sounds. Good songwriting, like softer tracks by the CELIBATE RIFLES, or the harder stuff by DIED PRETTY. Good, though.
This looks and sounds familiar to me, but I can’t place. It. Anyway, here we have 18 medium tempo garage-y punk tunes, with catchy lyrics. Reminds me of the early Los Angeles underground sound, very rocking with tasteful twists!
Fans of The Scream period SIOUXSIE will find favor with this excellent four-track release recorded in late 77. “Love in a Void” is as great as always, but “Mirage” and “Metal Postcard” also connect with a vengeance. Rawer than other versions of the same songs, and a real treat.
SINS specialize in solid mi-tempo punk with good instrumentals and vocals reminiscent of the early SAINTS. Aside from a few less interesting songs, what emerges here is an extremely promising effort, especially on rootsy punkers like “In the Red” and “Fair Share” which balance power with finesse.
This Texas band opts for a truly punk approach on this five-song effort, and the charm here is largely due to the hard guitar sound and the “fuck you” punk attitude. I liked the title song in particular, though the entire platter is filled with riffy, punchy, enjoyable punk rock. Good.
SCRATCH ACID is back with six demented, charging rockers, a nasty guitar attack, and vocals very reminiscent of NICK CAVE. While not as rootsy as their last LP, the band emphasizes power on this release, which rates as very good for its genre.
This record has more drive and power than a lot of post punk releases these days, but that energy is often sapped by annoying breaks, too many funky riffs (for my taste), and sometimes irritating vocals. Could be worse, though.
These mid-’79 tracks, five in all, show a fair diversity of punk styles and some rockin’ power, especially on “Society.” The RUTS were never a major force in British music, at least in my opinion; fans will find this an interesting document, nonetheless.
Japanese skate metal thrash— what’s next? Well done, but all four songs are devoid of personality. I think Roger really likes them so they must shred.
On the basis of their first two singles, I was expecting bouncy female vocal pop-punk with a great sense of personality. This set of tunes, however, veers into X-MAL DEUTSCHLAND territory with its sung vocals, slower tempos, and thinned out guitar sound. Too bad.
The RAID play basic but enjoyable garage punk with pop influence. Lyrics are in the rebellious vein. Pretty catchy stuff here.
A cassette-only release in a limited edition of 500, doing an entire and complete cover of the STONES’ heroin masterpiece. However, tongue is firmly in cheek as half the songs are done straight and half are completely trashed. Yes, a classic.
Another release in the spirit of early UK punk with just a tad of the old post-punk. Catchy (almost danceable in their B-side dub remixes), and raw enough to be interesting. “South Africa” sounds remarkably like the PISTOLS with effects and “Power for the Many” is a studio piss-about.
PSYCHO has released a full album’s worth of blazing thrash which is undeniably powerful, but some tempo variations would have helped. Lyrics cover conformity, society, Ed Gein, and more. A solid, vicious release.
This album provides a lot of mid-tempo melodic punk with strong rock’n’roll roots. The songs have a good mixture of humor and serious concerns brought out through the lyrics as well as the music. My only complaint: the songs tend to drag on too long.
Easily one of the coolest garage trashers from Australia for a while. Rough-edge vocals with a great hook and anthemic lyrics — a future classic. Just a true slide of sludge with a heart of gold.
Totally raging obnoxious adolescent thrash with some pretty good lyrics, and some pretty bad ones. Lots of spirit and energy in these guys.
POPTONTO utilizes a riffy, traditional approach to mid-tempo HC with an emphasis on power chords and serious lyrics. A very sincere bunch of tracks, but this band doesn’t stand out in the areas of songwriting, or overall personality. Okay.
A true cheese classic. Extolling the virtues of too much acid and hanging out in Haight-Ashbury complete with wah-wah pedal and go-go dancers singing backup. The flip is a little more serious but pleasant melodic pop song with just enough bite to keep you listening.
Here, we have coupled the previously available PHANTOM OPERA EP, a group that rose from the break-up of the criminally underrated SECRET HATE, whose EP is also featured here. Both bands combined heavy riffing punk with everything they could get their hands on, from metal to surf. Too cool.
If you don’t have a sensitivity to noise, this will sound like a self-indulgent instrumental mess. What we have here is an insane, grinding, industrial-strength set of “tunes” which purposely tries to disorient and infuriate. You know what? It works.
Here’s some solid garage punk with realistic lyrics covering starvation, war, the underprivileged, etc. Comes with a lyrics book with effective graphics. Great job (not the band from Pomona!)
This great new live album should dispel any ideas about this band being a wimpy, light pop band, and prove that they can hold their own with the likes of “Detroit-style” rock bands from Australia like the CELIBATE RIFLES or the SCIENTISTS.
This all-girl band from Japan specializes in upbeat, melodic pop with tight, clipped, melodic vocal harmonies and nifty songwriting. Bouncy and energetic. I like this a lot!
This release touches on that fringe where HC meets haunting, discordant post-punk. The shouted female vocals, rhythmic instrumentals, and loose, fragmented compositions were difficult for me to enjoy.
Somehow, Norb Ugly (ex-S.U.M., now of DEPO PROVERA) dug up quantities of two early Green Bay “punk” singles and now wants to foist them off on you. This one is from 81 and has that new wave punk sound of 79-’80 — okay beat, but with deep pop-rock roots.
Forget the MIQUEL CO. side (sounds like Irish folk meets bad 70s rock), and the MASSACRE side is a 50/50 proposition. One tune is a pretty driving yet tuneful thrasher, but the other is a miserable metal clunker. Why?
Three French acts here: MST (basic but hot thrash), MASK HAAGAZ (more basic but not thrash), and BUTCHER (noisy thrash). Pretty good.
This band manages to take up all the space they can with their mixture of JESUS AND MARY CHAIN dissonance and SONIC YOUTH meets BIG COUNTRY melody. The instrumental on the flip is one of the most incredible production jobs I’ve heard in a long time.
