Squandered Message Getting Blunt cassette
Powerhouse thrash with some cool melodic breaks. Only four songs, but a neat tape.
MAXIMUM ROCKNROLL
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Powerhouse thrash with some cool melodic breaks. Only four songs, but a neat tape.
Another one of those strange post-punk releases that instantly reminds you of a thousand bands. Their taut, murky music and oblique lyrics reminded me of the MINUTEMEN, PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH, even the BLOODY MANNEQUIN ORCHESTRA.
SOB clearly take their nod from fellow Japanese thrashers the SWANKYS and CONFUSE; nine fast blasts here, exploiting an enormously energetic, basic HC style with loads of emotion and power. A total winner!
This band does a dark, rolling sound and also has a lot of instrumental finesse. Some of the guitar…uh..”hoodling” sounds a lot like GONE and the vocalist has a touch of NICK CAVE without being obnoxious about it.
Mostly mid-tempo, driving punk with occasional ventures into SEPTIC DEATH-ish thrash. Lyrics have a desperate personal edge to them. Cool.
In their latest effort, SEKAANNUS employs a mid-tempo HC approach that’s listenable, but fails to pick up enough energy or noise to make a definite impression. Three songs, all in a repetitious, riffy style.
Punk rock with a great obnoxious “punk rock” attitude. Lyrics range from rebellious to ridiculous. About 45 minutes worth of great tunes plus a funny interview. Too great for words.
The A-side from this veteran DC band at its best has strong MC5 influences: with the structure, leads, vocals, and riffs, it has a bit of a 70s rock feel, but it’s catchy and powerful. The flip is a folk/acoustic song that lacks power but has good lyric impact.
I don’t think fans of Southwest bizarro noise will be disappointed here. Six songs that loudly snake their way across your turntable, with a modern acid sickness in their trail. I guess this is art.
STATIONS OF THE CROSS are a new NC band who play punk and thrash with metallic tinges. Eleven songs, clean production, personal lyrics. Good job.
Superfast hyperthrash with fierce roaring vocals. Nothing too original, just 15 minutes of total insanity.
HENRY ROLLINS’ (ex-SOA/BLACK FLAG) first solo vinyl effort is not so solo. Backed on cuts by a hard-driving band (including ex-SOA/FAITH/EMBRACE member Mike Hampton), the musical tracks sound much better to my ear than anything the Four Towels did in recent years. Despite the cleanness of the production, there’s real structure and bite here, and Hank sounds in great form. Biggest surprise — no spoken word.
Mostly ferocious noisy thrash but a little more metal than their flexi released last year. Good lyrics, and contains both live and studio material.
Some recent recordings by Finland’s RATTUS, showcasing a powerful hardcore sound with metallic guitar work and thoughtful lyrics. Contains live and studio material. Good job.
“Noise” is the operative word for PUSSY GALORE — and happily, noise is used in very inventively on most of the tracks here. The two songs on the A-side sound remarkably like riffy 60s garage punk put through the old blender, while the thrashy “Get Out” easily out-trebles the JESUS AND MARY CHAIN. Unusual, and good.
Here’s a Scottish act who makes a variety of noises, all with intelligent words about war, pacifism, etc. Enjoyable stuff.
This four song effort presents mid- to fast-tempo punk/HC with some lead breaks that tax one’s attention, and frankly less in the way of memorable compositions than I’d hoped for. Good energy, but unmemorable.
Rockin’ garage-y pop punk with a fair amount of variation. Hilarious personal lyrics, too. Fun stuff here.
This French band manages a mid-tempo punk style competently, yet without the passion of some of their countrymen (i.e., KIDNAP). “Ilot Amsterdam” is the clear standout due to its energy and melodic crunch; much of the other material just stands there.
Basically, this sounds like the STOOGES trying to do a cover of a JESUS AND MARY CHAIN song they just can’t get a handle on, so they make up for it by laying out a full-out aggressive noisefest ending. Truly inspiring.
A new release from the new version of the NIKOTEENS. Mostly energetic HC with slight metal influences. Good job.
Fun, garage-y, varied punk with good, common sense lyrics. Good stuff, but “Terminal Dudes” and “Gay Rape Squad” stand out as prime cuts.
While the sound is fairly decent (a bit thin on bass), the music is a mixed bag. Some tracks rage, while others are a bit languid. Lots of medium-to-fast punk, with a few ballads. Not overwhelming.
The A-side is a decent driving post-punk tune with a YARDBIRDS’ “For Your Love” vocal harmony. The flip is an early 70’s type ballad — yecchh!
The thoroughly glammed-out band photos on the pic sleeve was fair warning on this one. Three songs in a metal-punkish vein, interrupted by dreary Japanese lead breaks and lame sung vocals– and close to zilch in the way of cool songs. Too bad.
An interesting mixture of punk, hard rock, and reggae. MCRAD definitely has their act together, but the wanking leads go a bit overboard. Pretty good.
A-side is pretty icky pop, but the flip has a lot more zip and a slight edge and okay guitar sound. Decent power pop.
Heavy on the sludge from this now-defunct Australian garage band. You get a lot of nasty, crusty guitar riffs that pound insistently over and over in your head with just a touch of psychedelic melodies to mix things up.
On a major now, and the music is way pop. Decent rock’n’roll a la RAMONES, but not as pounding or catchy. Kinda disappointing.
Melodic pop-punk is, of course, the approved sound of the ten approved cuts on this LP. Lyrics are committed, guitars up in front, but the standard for this punk style is much higher. LAST STAND should aim their sights to the likes of STRANGLEHOLD or MOVING TARGETS, and a bit more energy (as on “Scum Guns”) wouldn’t hurt.
Thirty-six songs, half-live/half-studio of this hard-hitting Dutch band. Very politically aware and idealistic, their beliefs translate into raging, noisy outbursts. We in the U.S. may get a chance to see them live this summer, so buy this slab and help em get over here.
This band covers the “Beverly Hillbillies Theme” and does a song called “Jordache Jeans Hurt My Balls.” Yup, it’s snotty, garage-y punk and thrash at its finest. Sarcastic lyrics, of course.
From the Basque region of Spain hails this pop-punk band. This is commercial punk in an early UK style, incorporating ska and other influences as well. There are funny songs as well as an overriding political bent. Okay, but slick.
Another metal meets punk band, though not of the speedcore variety. The sound is more early punk with metal tinges, and lyrically it’s a mix of punk self-destruction meets metal themes. Pretty hurtin’.
The long awaited release from this SoCal band proves to be, for the most part, a strong release that shows growth and change. Musically, the music contains powerful HC melodies at a mid-tempo pace, with chanting choruses and simple structures.
This sometimes self-consciously bizarre EP uses a funny variant on a rap style on “Gödel Escher Bach: The Eternal Golden Rap,” while the two songs on the flip use a trebly synth (played quickly and seemingly at random) to underscore some similarly humorous lyrics. Strange, and basically okay.
Once again, the INSTIGATORS treat us to a live tape, this one recorded on their recent U.S. tour. Ten hard, melodic songs, most previously released. Good.
These four songs, recorded live in Denmark early last year, are not only first-rate versions of their best material, but actually surpass what I remember of their good live show. “Free” is the clear stand-out here, although all the songs are pretty good.
The rock/blues Australian style, but hey, they seem to be German (this is in a blank sleeve). Somewhat neo-’60s in style, especially the B-side, which rocks out. The flip is down and dirty blues. I wish I had more info.
A varied and well done EP. Some tunes are older punk (with a flair), some more typically modern Japanese hardcore — but all have something special. A treat. Not sure when this came out, though.
IDIOT IDOLATERS, on their debut, proceed in a punk vein with rock influences in the instrumentals and especially the vocals. A very good guitar sound only partly compensates for basically undistinguished melodies and power.
This double-album set from the HUSKERS rates as a real disappointment. Aside from two catchy numbers, the compositional structures here meander through their mid-tempo territory without going anywhere; the typical “lyric – chorus – lyric” structure of past efforts having been largely abandoned. Too bad.
Decent blues based pop with okay guitar sound and pounding beat, but with lamentably lame romantic lyrics.
Hot screaming thrash and slower mosh madness. But what I really dig are the positive lyrics that aren’t to criticize the “born again straight edge” movement. Too cool! Keep it up, guys.
Powerful thrash and HC from this Indiana outfit. Straightforward, but innovation is present. Lyrics seem to be in the spooky/horror vein.
Well, not godlike, but a pretty god showing with garage-y energy and silliness. Good “Sesame Street Theme” cover. Fun.
Monochromatic metal-punk from this veteran Japanese band. The tempo is moderate, the instrumentals and vocals a decline from the distinctiveness of past efforts.
This influential band is captured here at their peak in early 79, and the classic “I Found That Essence Rare” and “At Home He’s A Tourist” are given an aggressive, raw treatment on this EP, along with two other numbers. Very good versions, and recommended.
The second record by this group is a wonderful and curious mystery. A little bit of an early CURE guitar sound, a little GUN CLUB rhythm and a lot of weirdness. The singer has a tendency to gulp for air and lyrics at the same time like the singer for FEEDTIME. Strange MINUTEMEN style rockers that end very abruptly.
Cool mid-tempo singalong stuff with a variety of influences. Six good songs from this Florida band (not the San Diego FRONT).
