Free Love Society Free Love Society cassette
Gloomy punk but energetic, not weighted down by their “depression.” There’s definite commercial leanings a la SIOUXSIE, but this is still pretty enjoyable.
MAXIMUM ROCKNROLL
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Gloomy punk but energetic, not weighted down by their “depression.” There’s definite commercial leanings a la SIOUXSIE, but this is still pretty enjoyable.
Driving, mid-tempo punk with melodic guitar work. Six songs, not overwhelming, but pretty good.
This thoroughly enjoyable album showcases a blistering thrash attack with catchy power chord guitar progressions and solid melodies. Sixteen songs, each distinctive compositionally, with good lyrics to boot. My suggestion: purchase this terrific LP!
Dirty thrash with hoarse, shrieking vocals not unlike NEGAZIONE. Not too much metal damage, personal lyrics. A solid effort.
These guys have the clean, non-metallic SoCal punk sound down pat, even the vocals remind me of BAD RELIGION. Good lyrics in a neat booklet. Good job.
Two slow, uninteresting post-punk ditties appear on the A-side of this release, but a clutch of eight energetic punkers charge away on the flip. A rudimentary sense of melody and nifty speed changeups make for accessible listening, but the material doesn’t stick to the ribs. Okay.
As expected, melodic mid-tempo raw punk filled to the top with politically aware messages. This music has a hard edge and is enhanced by the high-pitched female vocals, making most of these 12 songs catchy and memorable. Only available through mail order.
A solid competent demo with a focused metallic punk/thrash sound comparable to RAW POWER. Lyrics shift from smart to silly. Excellent stuff.
This Canadian band shows pop-punk roots in this good effort, though it seems a bit more power could have come out of these five songs. The lyrics deal with social/political feelings in a simple, clear manner.
Another new SoCal outfit with the “straightedge sound”: Fast, clean thrash with positive lyrics. A good band, but nothing that hasn’t been done before.
This powerful and interesting English band plays pounding, mid-tempo music with catchy riffs, loud drums, and a great combination of male/female vocals. All together, this record has a lot of the same qualities as Holland’s FUNERAL ORATION. Lyrically, it’s also right on cue.
Mostly garage-y punk with a melodic edge. The lyrics rise above the “garage band topics” covering capitol punishment, honesty, college radio stations, etc. Neat.
Musically, it’s a mixture of soft and harsher sounds. Lyrically, it’s all powerful, dealing with domination, revolution, and liberation. Inspiring.
Somewhere in between YOUNG MARBLE GIANTS and VELVET UNDERGROUND enters this band. There’s some really great intensity building, musicianship and twists, but is so subtle and quiet that unless you have a “mood” for soft music, this is a bit boring.
Goofy humor is the appeal of this LP from CHAOTIC DISCHORD, who use a UK thrash style to cover topics like nasal sex, beer as a metaphor for life, random destruction, and nail bombs. No lyric sheet, but the music ranges from okay to very good, especially on “Vibrator Up Your Nose.”
These guys put out as many records as BLACK FLAG used to, with about the same quality control. Boring, pretentious stuff, at least on vinyl. Guess that’s why they’re so popular.
Pop is the key word here — be it pop-punk, pop-reggae, pop-ska, pop-wave —it’s all a bit too pop and not enough of whatever else. Buy hey, if you like pop…
Varied punk with a number of influences from this East Coast all-girl outfit. Three songs, all pretty good.
This has nothing to do with punk, thrash, or hardcore; rather, BRAVER NOISE springs from folksier roots, not unlike an American BLYTH POWER. What’s more, I tended to like this record’s melodic sense, well-structured compositions, and sung vocals. Very different; it’s unbelievable to me that this band contains three members from the original LAW & ORDER.
Slow to mid-tempo punk with interesting guitar work. Lyrics cover vivisection, patriotism, war, “the system”, and other subjects. Good sentiments but gets a bit tedious.
Poppy yet rhythmically driving, this release shows lots of power, but rarely really cuts loose. There are three guitars here, three women named Susan, and five songs that should have been shorter. Potential.
Al’s been around and playing the neo-psych world for what seems like forever, and this LP is good to see and a slight departure. Most of it is rowdy country music, but there is some good country blues, and the rest is some plain rockin’ hot dogs. Good fun.
Short but sweet, one quick blast of the old A.A. Like it this way — short on metal damage solos, fast power and food lyrics. Subscription freebie for…
A hot, consistent album from this young Bay Area outfit, playing powerful metallic HC with smart lyrics. Sure to be a hit with the crossover crowd, and most others as well. This version of A.A. has now split into a new (original line-up) A.A. and into CONDEMNED ATTITUDE.
I’ve always been a great fan of WRETCHED’s loose, powerful brand of hardcore, but I’m not as impressed by this release. Much of the manic energy is still there; yet, the “live” feel of this disc gives the production less density than usual, and the guitar wanking was a real annoyance. Still, “La Tua Morte…” is a powerhouse track.
Too many years have elapsed since WIRE’s prime to make this record an event. The four songs here seem more like a rock-ier extension of DOME than the kind of dense, rich songs WIRE and COLIN NEWMAN used to do. Nonetheless, “Drill” has a nice beat and interesting vocal rhythms.
Over two albums, WHIPPING BOY has moved from straightforward punk into something a little less defined. Their latest has an air of mystery about it. The vocals have a number of influences, including BIRTHDAY PARTY, VIRGIN PRUNES, and PSYCHIC TV, but these don’t get in the way of the band’s changing progressions.
More country-ish than their previous grunge, they sound like a lightweight CCR now. Best song is a cover of ROY ORBISON’s “Rock House.”
This band must-foots it down the metal and punk border while singing some pretty good lyrics and some pretty goofy ones. Nothing really startling, but they do what they do well.
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.
