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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. We reserve the right to reject releases on the basis of content. Music without vocals or drums will not be considered. All music submitted for review must have been released (or reissued) within the last two years. Please include contact information and let us know where your band is from!
A studio band with Jeff Nelson and Ian MacKaye who document two incredible songs. Simple, strong, straightforward structure with interesting, powerful music and very inspiring lyrics. A great amount of creativity mixed with sincere effort make this record highly recommended. Beautiful packaging.
Not as close to speedmetal as some might guess, this record has a good, steady rhythmic beat, interesting vocals, dark lyrics, and loud guitar that at times falls down towards wanking leads. When these pieces are put together, a rocking sound comes forth — but in many ways is too consistent and tiresome.
I think most people who read these pages know what Orange Co. straight edge bands sound like, and also know that despite their imitative streak, these bands usually have something to say and deliver that message with lots of great music. DON’T NO are not an exception to this.
Was this DOC OI before? Hmm…anyway, nothing too oi here, mainly early punk sounds. Actually, 3 of the songs are on a vinyl 7″, the 4th track being pressed on an accompanying flexi—oh, those Japanese.
Their second 7″, this one contains 4 tracks that all rage. Blazing hardcore, no let-up stuff, with tight turns and lots of fire. Nothing new, but excitingly done.
Twisted punk and thrash that reminds me of early DIE KREUZEN, but more tweaked out. Heavy power, original breaks. I like it.
I’ve always enjoyed this band, their exuberance, dedication, and insane stage performance. While live they create a wall of noise that’s virtually impenetrable, on record you can make out the tunes of a lot more, hear their early punk roots and still get off on their attitude. Punk lives here.
Tons of tunes here, though the monotony does finally get to you. There’s just a singer/guitarist and a drummer who blast out ultra-simple rock’n’roll a la CRAMPS, drawing on ’50’s R’n’B and rockabilly.
The vocals sound like Paul Weller (JAM), the songs are intricate and somewhat pop-punkish (but without very strong hooks), and the lyrics socially conscious. The overall effect doesn’t excite like the best French bands, but provides inoffensive listening.
You won’t see any band members or label name on this record because the whole thing is plagiarized by taking everyone else’s Top Ten hit and changing it radically (mostly lyrically). There are “covers” of “We Are the World” (“We Are the World”), “California Girls” (“California Punks”), “Break Dancing” (“Fake Dancing”) and more. Every piece of trash you ever wanted to change. Genius.
A great new demo from this Bay Area outfit. Blazing HC with a metallic tinge backed with intelligent personal lyrics make this a must. Great sound quality, a nice package, and lyrics included, for only…
The DISORDER sound is again successfully filtered through a uniquely Japanese sensibility on this energetic, crunching 4-tracker. Every track here is fueled by the same manic power, backed by raw guitars and vocals, making CONFUSE one of the best outfits in Japan. Total ace!!
A debut by this German garage band, new LP in the works, and while it’s not a blazing psych effort it does have a smooth charm to it. Similar in nature to the BACKDOOR MEN. Perhaps a little too much leaning on the Farfisa and maybe a little more guitar next time, okay?
A softer but more imaginative LYRES? Maybe that’s not really fair, ’cause there’s a lot more slow L.A.-type ’60’s pop-psych here, only occasionally getting to third gear. But they do have that bar band/grade B exploitation movie feel.
One-hundred-miles-an-hour thrash with 3 second leads. Okay! Very straightforward, lots of power, snotty vocals and decent lyrics. Your basic hardcore, but with lots of energy and enthusiasm. A pick-me-up.
Snappy shit here — driving drumming (a much updated rockabilly beat), hot guitars and lots of energy. Great pop-punk, on the NOMADS’ label.
Oh boy, genuine insanity. It starts with the wrong titles (“Anal Eat”, “God From Anal” and “Born to Anal”) and continues with wacko garage music punctuated by the most bonkers vocal ravings and production heard in quite a while.
A country-ish style slips into this album of accessible ditties, which is at its very best when an upbeat energy conjoins with solid power-chord punk. A few of the less disciplined and slower numbers miss the mark, but the rudiments of good songwriting with a great sense of humor make this band a potential contender.
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.
