The Hard-Ons Smell My Finger 12″
After several 7″s, we get eight songs together finally. HARD-ONS combine punk, HC, metal, and 70’s rock and roll into a hard-driving, energetic blend with geeky lyrics.
MAXIMUM ROCKNROLL
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After several 7″s, we get eight songs together finally. HARD-ONS combine punk, HC, metal, and 70’s rock and roll into a hard-driving, energetic blend with geeky lyrics.
One of the better sounding domestic HC releases in a while. Good power and production on all four tracks, and although it’s mainly generic metal-influenced hardcore, there’s a gripping urgency that carries it off. Lyrics are pretty bleak, although “Consider the Alternative” offers some hopeful thought.
The band’s name says it all: this is a series of demented versifications backed by a kind of improvisational MINUTEMEN style. An eccentric concept with interesting results, but not astounding.
Was expecting gloom and doom, but got some varied innovative thrash with funny lyrics, one song being a gloom satire. Contains live and studio material.
One side of this fan club record has five unreleased GERMS tracks recorded in 1981, none frankly up to their highest standards, while the flip contains a number of songs from their last show at the Starwood in L.A. A good memento for fans of this once great band.
GASH turn in four songs here, showcasing a mid- to fast-tempo hardcore format with excellent lyrics and strong female wailing. A real progression from their debut LP, sacrificing nothing in the way of power or drive.
VIIMEINEN RAKKAUS, with their emphasis of funk and post-punk influences, spread their ingenuity a bit too thin on their two tracks, but one song by FSF — a punkish treat with a “beat” intro, has personality and flair. Decent.
The instrumental work on this EP, which sounds the work of an undisciplined MINUTEMEN, tends to lack focus and drive. While “Sunburn” sustains energy, the other four tunes use more complex, “funk” guitar figures that left me unexcited.
Sounds like LINK WRAY meets funk meets your average rock’n’roll bar band. Sometimes it’s fun, sometimes dreadful. A little of both here.
An early 70’s rock’n’roll sound here. Not on the slick side at all, but much more of a rough guitar sound.
Their last record was notable because half of it was great aggressive post-punk. But this second one is very mellow, comparable to the quietest JOY DIVISION or SAVAGE REPUBLIC. There’s definite musicianship, but it’s pretty boring.
This is the new group arising from the untimely death of D. Boon, and MINUTEMEN fans will be neither too surprised nor disappointed. The music is softer in places, and even though the guitarist only picked up an electric guitar a year ago, this is a good start.
Mix GUN CLUB, BUTTHOLES, and THE WALL, and you get a pretty cool down and dirty bastard blues/punk mix that is modern as hell and timeless at the same time. Excellent.
A dressed-up KILLING JOKE? Poppish, driving rhythms with a basic pop-punk mood. Lots of hooks, but the relatively unchanging medium tempo does leave you wandering at times.
Highly political melodic punk. A three-song giveaway that comes with the equally political World War 3 comic (#7). Both are well worth checking out.
Jesus… noisy little thing. Try to imagine the CRAMPS on speed. The music here is a pretty wild trashy guitar romp but the best thing is the pretty irreverent humor in the same vein as the ANGRY SAMOANS, MENTORS, and DICKIES.
A speedcore instrumental edge, featuring hard, fast guitarwork, underlies the three songs here, which operate in a faster HC vein. Powerful, but lead breaks and lackluster songwriting detract from this effort.
This German garage band has crunchy guitar and a frantic rhythm section from the start, but after the singer kicked in, it became painfully obvious where the weak link was. If you can stomach the “soulful” NANCY SINATRA vocals, you’ll still get groovy psych in the vein of TELLTALE HEARTS or CHESTERFIELD KINGS.
This strong three-tracker exploits a riffy, rock’n’rolly approach to the kind of music perfected by bands like the LIME SPIDERS and CELIBATE RIFLES. “Action,” with its rambunctious energy, rates as the standout here. A very good showing.
A little bit of punk, folk, dance, and pop appears here, but the message remains the main interest. A combination of thought-provoking lyrics, written information, tape commercials, and acted-out situations has been done before, but there is still a need for this type of effort and this band is doing their part.
Here’s a furious little album, this time exploiting the studio more to bring out a swirling tight-fisted sound that’s not punk and not metal but something in the middle and very cool.
Varied female vocals are featured on these seven songs, most of which plumb a poppish vein with the hooks on the subtle side. Moments of rockin’ energy emerge from time to time, but the predominant style is soft and mid-tempo. Adequate, but I’m not convinced.
Actually, this is a re-issue, one side containing their first EP Lungs, and the other presenting their Bulldozer 12″, both of which came out in 1982. Lots of driving darkness here, though the Bulldozer side has a lot more power to it.
Some great melodic SoCal-ish punk from this talented bunch. Songs are dramatic, a bit long, but someone sign these guys. Great Damned cover, too.
ANOTHER DESTRUCTIVE SYSTEM bases their intense diverse sound around their even more intense message; speaking out against governments, war, and human exploitation. Dedicated.
WUT cruise with a basic HC style that’s either slow or moderate in pace, but spurt outbreaks of unbelievable fast thrash to add power and interest. This band only connects during these moments of instrumental fury; the reggae and mid-tempo HC doesn’t hit the spot. Uneven.
All 16 tracks were recorded from ’83-’85 and have finally made their way to vinyl. The music is hyper-melodic thrash that has the same roots as UK’s STUPIDS. A mixed bag of happy, silly, and serious lyrics only add to this record’s potential, making this a high energy surprise.
WCF play their thrashy punk very competently, with screamed vocals and an acceptably fast instrumental complement. Nothing stands out, however, and the DISCHARGE influences, both lyrically and musically, don’t show off WCF’s originality. Pretty good.
Eleven medium to fast paced hardcore numbers featuring exceptional recording quality. Lyrics deal with society, personal problems, and the military. Recommended if you’re into East Coast HC.
Great rocking punk from this new four-piece. I’m not sure about the lyrics on a couple of the songs since no lyric sheet was provided. But “Freaks” is a classic. Nice package.
The VARUKERS’ usual style varies from ultra-intense thrash that rips, to a metal-tinged HC approach with occasional guitar breaks. The latter style predominates here, and although powerful, the song structures tend to become repetitious. Not up to their standard, but it’s still respectable speedcore.
Six bands from around the world, one track each. AEMATRACK from New Zealand kicks it off with one of the better recordings, a slow/fast rocker. There are two GUERILLA URBANA’s here, one from the Canary Islands and one from Peru, both of whom turn in raw but exciting thrash. DOC WOR MIRRAN is from Germany, doing an experimental punk cut that works. NO LIP is from Japan with an okay tune albeit on the slick side, and BULK (Denmark) wraps it up with a post-punk CURE-ish song.
The soundtrack of a movie, I think, with six tunes, all in an older punk vein. All the bands were from Hamburg, including SPIEL 77, 100% DISKRETION and others. Liked MEINE SCHUPPEN the best.
Another cool neo-60’s recording put together by YARD TRAUMA’s Lee Joseph, this one international in scope. Overall, it’s kind of uneven, but there’s some top notch stuff here, including AL PERRY’s funny garage cut, the LAST DRIVE’s raw, folk-psych offering, the BROOD’s haunting number, and so on.
Four British bands share this compilation 45. SATANIC MALFUNCTIONS and ACTIVE MINDS play hot and heavy thrash, while basic punk and folky approaches are mined by INDIAN DREAM and RADIO FREEDOM, respectively. A respectable, interesting EP made recommendable by S.M.
This triple 60-minute cassette comp features 22 bands from around the world, all of which have good recording quality. Lots of favorites, such as: KGB, DEPRAVED, APOSTLES, KINA, and many more. Also includes a band info sheet.
Another great effort from this king of punk satire, a great, fun-packed 15 band compilation. Features such notables as PLEASED YOUTH, DEAD MILKMEN, and F.O.D., to name a few.
Lots of 60’s influenced bands, though more can trace their roots back to the MC5 heyday than to earlier garage punk days. Some poppy stuff is here, as well as pop-psych influenced tunes.
A live comp of up-and-coming East Coast acts. Making appearances here are CANCEROUS GROWTH, PTL KLUB, and a handful of smaller bands. Good job.
England’s DISORDER and Norway’s KAFKA PROCESS share this LP. Both sides supply a great amount of thrash delight: honest, loud, and powerful. Each band has an average of five songs that are backed up with strong production without being slick.
A nice mixture of pop-punk, thrash, ’77, and even some ska punk thrown in, all delivered by Yugoslavian outfits. Comes with a booklet, neat package.
Here’s a Peruvian HC comp showcasing acts which range from frantic thrash to energetic ’77 punk, with varied sound quality. Most notable is LEUSEMIA, Peru’s answer to the RAMONES.
Despite the uninspiring cover art and the LED ZEPPELIN-like intro to the title song, this new release has all the UPRIGHT CITIZENS trademarks — tight, imaginative instrumental arrangements, plaintive lead vocals, memorable hooks, and generally on-target lyrics.
The female vocals here recall a mid-period SIOUXSIE, but not overtly, while the instrumental sound falls into that flanged British post-punk approach popularized by VIRGIN PRUNES et al. This is a good example of the genre, but by no means special.
I liked this band’s debut EP last year for its twanginess and scruffy vocals. Here, they have kept just a little bit of that while concentrating on the musicianship. “Thing…” is basically a somber instrumental, and the flip has a charming shit-faced singalong feel to it.
On the two zippier tunes here, they sound like GIRLS AT OUR BEST with a shade of BUZZCOCKS. On the other two, I fell asleep and can’t remember.
A reissue of the ’77 classic by Martin Rev (rhythm) and Alan Vega (vocals). SUICIDE pioneered this experimental but raunchy early punk sound, using effects in a psychotic VELVETS meets THROBBING GRISTLE manner with a dab of rockabilly. Get it!
The Spanish equivalent of MINOR THREAT? Well, they cover “Straight Edge” and they have a fast, clean sound. Lyrics in Spanish, fucking great stuff.
One of the greatest snarly teen voices in the neo-’60s vein, combined with a rockin’ R’n’B combo makes for hot listening. The addition of Farfisa doesn’t really help a lot, but the band is so astute that it certainly doesn’t hurt. Excellent.
Not quite as frantic as their fellow Italians NEGAZIOONE or INDIGESTI, STIGE favors a slightly melodic thrash sound, characterized by a hyperspace guitar sound. Good job.
