V/A Stop the Killing Now cassette
This benefit for animal rights features ten UK punk and hardcore bands. Some great tunes from the likes of REPRISAL, DESECRATORS, and the STUPIDS. Band info included.
MAXIMUM ROCKNROLL
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This benefit for animal rights features ten UK punk and hardcore bands. Some great tunes from the likes of REPRISAL, DESECRATORS, and the STUPIDS. Band info included.
A double LP comp with a really wide mix of mostly known bands doing cover songs. And a lot of them are 60’s covers to make it even more fun. The highlight is the DK’s doing “I Fought the Law.” There’s also ALEX CHILTON, SKY SAXON, PANTHER BURNS, SLICKE BOYS, and 20 others. Pretty great!
A consistent collection of recent Hungarian hardcore outfits. Most notable are the KRETENS and MARINA REVUE. Good stuff.
With such groups as DEPRAVED, INSTIGATORS, CULTURE SHOCK, SCREAM, CIVILIZED SOCIETY, and more, there’s a great variety of music on this worldwide sampler. Ranges from folk to punk, but there’s a nice edge to all tracks, and political lyrics. Recommended.
This label really puts out the material these days, and most of the bands here have their own separate new release as well. Included are HARD-ONS, VULTEES, MASSAPPEAL, SPUNK BUBBLES, HEADSTONES, and a number of others. Good effort.
A nine-band benefit cassette for the famine victims in Ethiopia, all artists being from the UK. Fair to good live and studio recordings from such notables as OI POLLOI, BROKEN BONES, and the INSTIGATORS. Band info included.
Yet another Xmas comp of neo-60s bands, and this one is pretty decent. Tracks by the SLICKEE BOYS, VIPERS, PSYCHO DAISIES, IGUANAS, CHEEPSKATES, and more.
If ever a bunch of guys deserved each other, it’s these geeks — WHITE FLAG and the NECROS (who split this disc). Nothing to do with supporting the AT defendants. Next…
One dozen European acts are represented here, blaring out their own brands of ’77 punk and thrash noise. Among the best are RAPED TEENAGERS and INFERNO. Hot stuff.
Four bands, one song each, in a 60’s vein. Hottest track is from SPECTRE’S REVENGE, a tough rocker. Lighter material from BO WEEVILS, NO MAN’S LAND, and GAS BABIES. Comes with issue #2 of Foreign Object mag out of Australia, but I don’t have an address for them.
A five band benefit for the No More Censorship Defense Fund. Most of the bands here take the hard and fast approach, so why not help out Jello and the gang?
This EP is out of Germany and contains one track each by Germany’s STROMBERG POLKA (Oi), TIN CAN ARMY (punk), and the UK’s UPROAR (melodic punk) and CIVILIZED SOCIETY (thrash). Liked the latter the best by far, but overall a worthy effort.
Side One features RAPT who belt out 25 songs, while Side Two has HERRAIDS (Sweden), spewing out 27 songs. Lives up to its advertising as an ultra-noise and thrash comp, not for the weak of heart. Hang on! It’s wild!
From the land of AOD, here comes 16 more acts for you to sink your teeth into. Prime cuts are by DIRGE, X-MEN, HOGAN’S HEROES, and V.I. Great Joisy hardcore.
TUPELO CHAIN SEX are sort of a novelty rock’n’roll/horn ensemble that use a lot of cover material and are pretty goofy for the most part. And if that isn’t enough, this is a rare, collectible 10″ blue vinyl, limited edition that’s one of the worst recordings, quality-wise, ever. For fans and collectors only.
An anti-Nazi skin band is always a pleasure to see, let alone an anti-nationalist skin band. Delivering their message in a slow/medium Oi style, most of the songs are adequate, with one that’s more catchy. From Germany, but available from…
An unexpected pleasure, this debut vents out a demented, ugly vertigo that uses LIVE SKULL and RAT AT RAT R as a starting point but along the way still spits out an excited hardcore industrial din.
Quite a versatile band. On this meager EP, we get high class pop thrash, metallish punk, and what sounds to be ethnic beer drinking music put into Oi!-ish form. Very good.
They list DESCENDENTS, RAMONES, DEAD BOYS, MOTORHEAD, and early SAINTS as their main influences, but these two songs here lean more on speedmetal and MOTORHEAD than on the more melodic punk genre. Decent, but nowhere with lyrics.
Possibly the fastest band in the world, playing blazing thrash with off the wall disjointed breaks. Lyrics seem to be appropriately silly. Crazy.
This band used to be the X-MEN… the Chicago ones. I’m glad they changed their name, too. They are an eclectic group showing diversity in their mix of aggressive and twisted pop songs that range from frenetic pop punk to bare and goofy melodies. A weird band.
Industrial punk set to a rhythm machine, reminding me a bit of early TG or TUXEDOMOON. Plenty of guitar-like feedback and distorted vocals set the mood for this NJ combo.
It’s taken quite a while, but they finally got their LP out. Though both the music and lyrics tend to be unexceptional hardcore, SHELL SHOCK is to be congratulated for sticking with it, especially as they hail from the heart of Klan Kountry.
Forceful hardcore, but not as metallic as other recent NY acts, instead relying on powerthrash and grinding most breaks. Hot.
An excellent pop-punk LP. This band combines great female unison singing with ultra-catchy pop tunes and driving delivery. Lots of guitar and pounding drums — sort of a VELVETS/JESUS AND MARY CHAIN approach.
This French band shows a real skill at fast-tempo thrash with punk overtones. Guitars are in the front where they belong, leading a ferocious instrumental attack, and the vocals are extremely strong and characteristically French. A fine effort, and very recommendable.
This is yet another “Best of…” compilation, and a fine one it is. SHAM 69 were the original singalong Oi style band and they pounded out lots of catchy, memorable rockers, most of which are captured here. If you don’t have this stuff yet, get it now.
SEMINAL RATS owe some of their stylistic nuances to fellow Aussies the CELIBATE RIFLES; this seven-track EP rocks hard, especially on standouts like “Rat Race” and “Change.” While none of these tracks will revolutionize rock’n’roll, this release is solid. Very decent, and very Aussie, if you know what I mean.
A quality Finnish hardcore release. Great at both thrash and slower grunge, a genuinely hot first release. More!
The RUTS were one of the early, and best, of the English punk bands. These five tracks, although recorded in a bland studio atmosphere, still have the bite and punch of that era. Nice little document of punk from 1979.
This LP has a mixture of tiresome mid-tempo punk and melodic hardcore. The music has potential, but this effort fails to create anything outstanding — the fair melodies lack force and the vocals seem to be very forced. The effort is there; maybe next time.
A hot speedcore act mixing the sounds of METALLICA and the ACCUSED. Six songs and a funny interview, one darn impressive tape.
Great garage-y punk and thrash that brings CODE OF HONOR to mind. Lyrics seem to be in the social/political vein. Good stuff, and a tasteful name, too.
MUSTA LAMMAS straddle that boundary between hardcore and thrash, adding a loose Finnish sound and ending up with nothing too grabbing. The songs mine a gritty, medium- to fast-tempo style, and it was difficult to remember much in the way of riffs, much less songs, when the EP ended.
A three-song release in the pop genre. One song is fairly straight pop, one sounds like the late Mod band the JOLT, and one’s a real good rocker.
This Dutch band seems to model itself after outfits like PANDEMONIUM, who specialize in ultra-fast thrash with political lyrics. The harsh, speedmetallish vocals are way in the front of the mix, which unfortunately pushes away the great instrumental sound here, but this is still a respectable debut.
The second cassette by these garage gods. This one boasts solid musicianship and thoughtful, sometimes humorous, lyrics. Quite a blast.
Definitely hardfuckingcore. Fast, slow, hard, gnarly, unrelenting, pounding…you get the idea. First rate in the genre.
This four-tracker from the MALINHEADS has all the elements of great thrash: stop on a dime instrumentals, passionate, throaty vocals, ripping production, and roller coaster energy. The fact that nearly every song here is distinctive doesn’t hurt matters, either.
Don’t know what the big deal is over this band, at least after listening to this three-song release. I found the tunes boring, lengthy, and exactly what I’ve been trying to avoid in music for a long time. Maybe live they make it.
The music here ranges from dirge thrash to pop noise, but the lyrics are the high point, raging on subjects like hair length and old people, with classic stupid humor. Much like early AOD but in a more seriously obnoxious manner. Worth a laugh.
That basic French pop-punk style, complete with those trademark vocal choruses, seems to be the order of the day on this release. Unfortunately, though, the songwriting is un-notable except for the catchy “Maurice,” which opens this seven-track 12″. The other songs have hooks that are predictable, and songs with little if any staying power.
The JONESES seem to have glammed out, judging by the cover pics, and their music has definitely veered even more into a slicker, more generic rock direction. To wit, compare “Ms. 714″ and “Crocodile Rock” to the versions on their first 12″ — the rawness and immediacy are gone. Nice guitar mix, though.
Missed this one a while back. Apparently, this band is known as the GBH of Germany, but I hear that sound as well as a melodic SoCal sound, adding up to an excellent sounding, politically aware release. Good one.
Mostly mellow, almost folky with occasional bursts of mania reminiscent of the Minnesota sound (HÜSKER DÜ or a soft SOUL ASYLUM). Admirable for this as the rockin’ parts are good and the mellow parts pretty but still a little too subtle.
With an almost entirely new lineup, the music here is a mixture of their early sound with a “progressive” U2 feel which hangs some of the time, but I did find myself picking the needle up before a couple of songs ended. The vocals are also hard to deal with, carrying out each word with too much attention.
A very lively live recording that’s perhaps better on tape than vinyl. Actually, it’s hard to tell if this is a boot or legit as there’s no identification or label or other information. But it’s genuine, and sounded like a great show.
Musically, this is fairly unimaginative Italian HC with four grinding mid-to-fast-tempo numbers, and one ripper, “Non Per Me.” Lackadaisical production and playing buries most of the material here.
HUNGER ARTIST has a great non-metallic hardcore sound with personal lyrics. N.O.D.R. remind me of a less polished SUICIDAL TENDENCIES with political and socially oriented lyrics.
Some serious noise with a beat here for the BIG BLACK/SONIC YOUTH fans, as well as those who like loud guitar/drum power. Thanks to Kent for making me aware of this.
