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!
Despite the lack of lyrics, pictures, etc. enclosed, this is one of the best speedcore releases to date. Not generic thrash-metal at all, this displays incredibly tight musicianship, innovative structures, and unexpected breaks which push this one over the top.
Contains many of the tracks off their EP’s, though it omits at least one track off each. Divided into a folk-punk side and a surfer side, this is highly enjoyable teen pop.
Hard-driving fast punk with a good bit of melody. Lyrics alternate between personal and silly. Lots of fun.
The original line-up is here, but the sound is quite subdued these days. There are one or two thrashers (even those are not the ravers of times gone past), while the rest of the songs are strongly based on various forms of ’70’s rock, most of which don’t really excite.
Nice to see these lads still at it, blasting out great pop-punk with continued enthusiasm and gusto. Catchy tunes, high speed playing, and great musicianship add up to songs that stick. Just about all new material here, but it sounds like a friend on first listening.
One for the collectors. A garage combo from Kansas City in 1966 — did a pretty good demo, a raving original and a smooth cover of the WILSON PICKETT classic, but only a few acetates. On white vinyl, and nifty, if you’re into ’60’s garage.
Wow, I’m impressed. A one-song, three mix record which is the catchiest, trashiest, most rockin’ song I’ve heard from this lot in a while. They do two electronic versions (1 dub) which are okay, but the “shit mix” rules. Hope the LP’s this good.
Very basic but driving punk on five of the six tracks. Lyrics are explicitly political a la DOA (Joey Shithead produced this disk), delivered with snarled vocals. Good to see this band back again.
The funniest thrash band from New Jersey have cooked up a sheer fireball of a second LP. Some of these tunes rip so fast I thought I was listening to some foreign release — couldn’t really make out the words, y’see. My only trouble is deciding which is funnier, the “traditional” song “Surfin’ Jew” or the blazin’ cover of the Masterpiece Theatre theme.
The folkish side of neo-’60’s pop emerges on this lilting EP, which reminds me for all the world of later-period BANGLES. The most energetic material here is recorded live, but that isn’t enough to revive this limp slab of wax.
This international demo cassette comp from Germany features DISACCORD, CHALLENGER CREW, and many others. Varied but good sound quality plus a listing of bands’ addresses and demo tape prices.
More, more, and even more HC for those thrash and burn addicts out there! Features STRES D.A., KZV, and PATARENI, to name a few, all of which deliver abrasive noisecore. Only for people with cast-iron eardrums!
This American release showcases the greatest hits, as it were, of the German Weird System label. BLUT & EISEN, NEUROTIC ARSEHOLES, RAZZIA, CRETINS, and others serve up a series of blistering HC and punk cuts mandatory for those who don’t have the original German recordings. Excellent, varied sampler.
This is a special limited-edition four-song EP that comes with the latest issue of Trousers In Action fanzine. The fanzine is good for the low-down on the Australian underground—a little more punk than what you would read in B-Side. This EP features a gritty punk tune by CHAOS, a sheer fun noise-fest by FEEDTIME, a quirky track by EXAMPLEHEAD, and a great BUZZCOCKS-like song by TOYS WENT BERZERK.
Lots of great material from the current crop of French HC bands, and there’s enthusiasm as well as tight, hot music. Bands include ZOI, HEIMAT-LOS, FINAL BLAST, M.S.T., SCRAPS, RAPT, and more. These bands are not as distinctively “French” as previous waves of French punk, seemingly more influenced by US hardcore, which in a way is a shame.
Pop-punk, thrash, Oi, are all present here. Hottest recordings are by DEAD ENDS and URBAN BANDITS (odd production), but if GEORGE IMBECILE & THE IDIOTS’ live tracks had been done in a studio, they’d have been tops.
This is their second LP, and there have been some changes. A few males are now in the formerly all-female line-up; the sound has gone from a rougher KLEENEX-type sound to a much slicker SIOUXSIE-influenced feel. What hasn’t changed is the lyrical radicalism, still inspirational.
This Aussie band once again delivers the goods: mid- to fast-speed hardcore with crunching guitars and an impassioned vocal attack. Occasional forays into slower velocities result in less power here, but there’s more than enough frenzied thrash for most HC aficionados. Good LP.
Four nifty songs here, all in that irresistible Swedish pop-punk vein. The guitarwork is hard and well-fleshed out, the melodies more often than not memorable, and the entire record so buoyant that I recall the best work of ATTENTAT, 6-10 REDLOS, and other fine Swedish bands. Wonderful!
A vast improvement over their last LP, this one showing lots of spark and energy, sometimes reminding me of BAD BRAINS. Glad to see these vets rocking so hard and still keeping their fine lyrical content. Plenty of melody, too.
These early recordings with one of the greatest UK punk outfits contain four songs, all finely recorded and performed. While lacking in the immediacy and power of their first LP, these slower alternate versions have their own charm. “Barbed Wire Love” is especially good.
Their second release continues with their BUZZCOCKS-like pop-punk sound, though not quite as explicitly derivative this time. They combine tough lyrics, pounding beats, teen vocals, and a slight bit of experimentation with pop rock’n’roll tunes. It works.
Out of the 15 mid-tempo punk songs here, most are made up of delicate guitar leads, simple drum beats, and droning vocals that lean toward the dark side. Maybe the songs are too long, maybe the band doesn’t live up to their name, but this slab just doesn’t stand out.
SCHLIESSMUSKEL tries a little of everything on their debut EP: “Klaus E.” is a blast of catchy thrash in the gritty tradition of HEIMAT-LOS; “Nachigedanken” has an almost RAMONES-y appeal; “Rita,” with its wonderful vocal choruses, qualifies as appealing pop-punk. A varied, and very good, EP.
A 24-song 7″ that’s as basic and homemade as you might expect. Musically, it’s rough—both in terms of playing and production, but that shouldn’t stop you from enjoying the punk primitiveness within. Fun.
Gruff vocals accompany discordant, biting hardcore and thrash on this hard-rocking seven-track EP. A lack of variety in songwriting is about made up for with the grinding guitars and overall vocal intensity. A good follow-up to their excellent debut EP.
This is a nine-song 7″ of pretty raging thrash and hard-edged punk. The drumming is mixed kind of weird so it sounds a little tinny at times, but otherwise this band delivers short, fast blasts of anger with early DISCHARGE-like ferocity.
The A-side is driving melodic punk with cool guitar and neat singing, as well as some sound effects. It works. The flip is much more of a ballad with lots of choruses. OK, but it does drag on. Neat guitar, again.
Punk in an English ’78 style. Both funnypunk and serious punk lyrics set to above-average driving punk tunes. Hey, I think this is a punk record, and a totally enjoyable one at that.
Two fine German hardcore bands share this platter. HOA clock in with some pounding thrash, tight as hell and powerfully delivered. Ah, but then MANSON YOUTH take their turn, and for a band with such a lame name they are quite a revelation—tight, great guitar, and one of the most urgent female vocalists I’ve heard in a while—great lyrics, too! Hard to go wrong with either side.
The percussive edge of SPK and later EINSTURZENDE NEUBAUTEN springs up on this 12″, which has less power and dementia than it really should. This is industrial noise filtered into several distorted rock compositions, making for some repetitious listening. Below the standard.
A four-song bone-crunching EP, heavy on power and guitar. In the mid-tempo range, they have a big sound without getting too clean or too metallic. It pounds.
Face it, if you haven’t heard the INSTIGATORS yet, you’re a worm. But here’s your chance to snatch up to 13-songs of their hard melodic sound captured in a live setting. A damn fun tape.
It’s easy to complain that the BABIES are too much like the BIRTHDAY PARTY, but after some classic singles, this LP isn’t bad. While no one song really stands out, the total record is quite enjoyable, adding Southern-style blues and pickin’ to psycho post-punk.
Some pretty hot stuff here. This is straight, urgent thrash with a good amount of musical variation. Lyrics seem to concentrate on torture. Good effort.
These guys write pop-punk songs so simple and catchy that you swear you’ve heard them before somewhere. Maybe you have, but the secret of great rock’n’roll is the ripped-off riff, reshuffled and redelivered in a new context. Both songs (one slow, one rocker) are top-notch. A special band.
At first listen, it seems like a wimpy pop record and the B-side mostly is. But after a few listens, the A-side seems like it must be a lost and forgotten AVENGERS song. Melodic and simple with a bite of its own.
Really fine, driving punk rock with that French inflection. Not thrash, but quite uptempo basic melodic punk with lots of zip and power. Cool choruses, too.
Very garagy production and basic mid-tempo late-’70s punk sound. Can’t say much about their musical competency, but it is an indie record and they sounded like they had fun doing it.
Great cover of the OTHER HALF’s ’60s classic on the A-side, while the flip sounds like a slightly cleaner early FALL tune. Great drive and spirit on both—a treat.
On the faster tunes here, I don’t think this latest version of Wattie and Co. do as well as before, but on the more adventurous tunes, they come off very well, with a fuller sound. They can still put out some good sounds, as hard as that is to admit.
A well-executed poster sleeve makes a nice introduction to ENOLA GAY’s highly committed brand of punk and thrash. The compositions vary in quality from song to song, but their best moments occur when their instrumental power conjoins with great hooks (as on “Wealthy Ones”).
Buzzsaw guitar thrash on all six quickie tunes here. A posthumous release, this band was influenced strongly by the US hardcore sound with stop-and-go arrangements, snarling vocals, and short punches.
A whole cassette LP of great punk with lots of hooks, melodies, and good rocking. Reminds me a bit of the DK’s with political lyrics and all. Hot.
The DEPRAVED do it again! While there aren’t as many standout numbers here as their debut LP, there’s crunch and lyric spite to spare on this one. Imagine British thrash with catchy riffing and memorable vocals choruses, and you get an idea how special this record (and band) is. Very strong!
Four ripping early blasts by the DAMNED are featured here, versions formerly only available on bootleg tapes and records. Several of the tracks, like “Sick of Being Sick,” are actually superior to the previously released versions. A must for fans of ’77 punk.
Political lyrics in both English and German accompany thrash with very tasteful speedcore influences. No guitar leads here—just fast hardcore, even though I would have preferred songs with more overall distinctiveness. D.B.F. put in a solid debut effort here.
Marc Riley and company break a bit out of their FALL-like beat mold (at the same time as the FALL do with their cover of “Mr. Pharmacist”—interesting) with a cover of BRIAN ENO’s “Baby’s on Fire”—a pretty exciting version. On the flip, they return to their usual rolling form with a jangly, driving tune.
Wow! 60 minutes of thunderous thrash with metal guitar action that blows away anything in its path. Good sound quality, tight, and “Final Fight” and In All This Shit” were real eye-openers.
Excellent classic punk, Oi, and thrash here. Not only do these guys play fine, tuneful stuff, but they deliver It with oomph and have fine lyrics to boot (no pun intended). Good stuff.
