Anti-Cimex Criminal Trap 12″
A seven-song raver in the early DISCHARGE vein. Glad to see this excellent Swedish band getting exposure elsewhere. Pick this up!
MAXIMUM ROCKNROLL
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A seven-song raver in the early DISCHARGE vein. Glad to see this excellent Swedish band getting exposure elsewhere. Pick this up!
This Polish band recently toured Yugoslavia and while there, recorded this album which was then released in France—a truly international effort. Their style is generally thrash with good tunes and out-front guitar—a more melodic approach not unlike TOXIC REASONS or N.O.T.A. They are fine musicians, and on a dub tune you can really hear that well.
A mega-cool comp with EXCEL, NO FRAUD, ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT, and thirteen more HC groups. Another great job from this promising and consistent new label.
This 15-band world compilation cassette features 37 songs and fantastic sound quality. So, if international HC is your fancy, get this. My faves include the STUPIDS, HERESY, and LUNATIC FRINGE.
A truly cool HC comp featuring the RAPED TEENAGERS, CANCEROUS GROWTH, LUDICHRIST, PSYCHO, and many more. Here the accent is on gruff thrash, but a few slower cuts break up the mayhem. Darn good.
A great compilation of eight Canadian and US bands varying from rocking garage punk to straight-ahead thrash. YOUTHQUAKE, PROBLEM CHILDREN, and SONS OF ISHMAEL are my favorites, but there’s something for any punk/HC fan out there.
Contains SCAB, ULTRAVIOLENCE, and KRAKDOWN from NY, and ZERO, VOMIT AND THE ZITS, and GASSENHAUER from Montreal. All the tracks are live, but of good quality. Lots of great noise, thrash, and energy. Recommended for those who enjoy live recordings.
Basically, a pretty good comp containing mostly smaller US outfits. Musical styles vary a bit, but LIFE SENTENCE, LEGION OF DOOM, and PUNKS FOR PROFIT really rock out.
A mixed bag of punk, ’60s folk, rockabilly, experimental, and pop with Volume 2 being a bit better than Volume 1. Features the likes of GRUESOMES, DEJA VOODOO, MY DOG POPPER, ENIGMAS, and lots more.
Jesus…a sheer noise museum here with previously unreleased tracks by BIG BLACK (sounding strangely like the FALL), HAPPY FLOWERS (very twisted noise), HOSE, KILLDOZER, SCRATCH ACID, and the BUTTHOLE SURFERS (with plenty of horns—jazz damage?). Horrible cover, but this is one comp I find myself returning to over and over.
This installment, The Wound Deepens, contains a few tracks each from an international line-up. Hot stuff from E.A.T.E.R, STRANGLEHOLD, HALF LIFE, CÁ”LERA, PANDEMONIUM, LEGION OF PARASITES, and others. Excellent selections and fun listening.
It’s hard to pin down what it is that makes this EP so appealing. It may be the well-honed HC songwriting, the elaborate power-chord tracks, the added edge of accessibility, or the powerful vocals. Whatever it is, I enjoyed the four tracks on this record thoroughly. Another great one from Florida.
For $1.50, this is the deal of the month. This tape rips! Ten songs of excellent sound quality very musically from HÜSKER DÜ-ish anthems to HC. In the same league as RAW POWER. Good lyrics. An exciting release!
From out of the ashes of late SIC KIDZ rises DAS YAHOOS, a CRAMPS-like “horror” quartet. Though it’s nothing new, their music is very well done, real pounding simplistic psychobilly stuff in five tracks, and one atmospheric, spoken-word track.
Still as great and still as diverse, this SUNS LP is almost as good as their first. It’s a mixed bag with half psycho rockers and half melodic country-type beats, which is OK but not as overwhelming as before. However, some of these songs are real standouts in terms of originality and intensity. Still worthwhile.
Known as a “musician’s band” in the Bay Area, this Santa Rosa trio plays tight, tight, tight and leaves the other local musicians in awe. Musically, they utilize jazz, metal, and HC in a manic combustion that breaks new ground, though traces of early MEAT PUPPETS seem evident. Lyrically progressive and musically intensive.
For the most part, a letdown from the band’s previous releases. The title track is laced with funk guitar and sing-alongs, and the remaining ones lean towards offbeat rock’n’roll. Musically, the material seems to be missing what the band was aiming for.
The nifty 3-D album cover (glasses provided) presages this band’s lyric compulsion with horror movie themes. The songs are all presented in a stripped-down, punkish format, with good melodies and arrangements, but very little in the way of power. A little dumb, and only a little better than average.
Both tracks are labeled with the same title, but I know for a fact that they’re two different songs. Good stuff more in the YARD TRAUMA/FUZZTONES style of hard-driving psych/punk with a good sense of melody, a nice use of the whammy bar on guitar.
This time around, the label responsible for the great Back from the Grave compilations has decided to release a whole album by one band, the SQUIRES, who aren’t so much a ’60s punk band as a ’60s garage pop band. While most of the material isn’t as inspired as that classic “Going All the Way,” most of it combines an appealing mixture of raw instrumentals and strong melodies.
On their second release, they have shed their gloomy post-punk shadow and their tendency for arty experimentation in favor of a harder two-guitar edge. There’s a delicate interweaving of rhythms that should excite guitar fans of TELEVISION and even the SOFT BOYS.
These seven songs are nothing but classic melodic power, as the music comes across as early UK BLITZ backed up by the Boston HC sound that until now was lost in a fog of stupid metal. Gravelly vocals are broken up by catchy sing-alongs, and the production is slick yet only enhances the band’s sound.
SCRATCH ACID shed some of their BIRTHDAY PARTY influences on this LP, which contains an assortment of powerful, gritty rockers mixed in with a few artier numbers. More of a rootsy rock approach is evident here, and the overall variety makes it recommendable.
A side project for COUCH FLAMBEAU and the APPLIANCES, this pretty much sounds like a side project. “Scarey Love” has an experimental feel with dark, brooding vocals, and the flip is funkier, sort of novelty. Interesting, but…
ROT has a poppy SoCal beach punk sound accented by fuzzed-out guitar work and sarcastic lyrics. Ten songs of pure fun!
Decent but unoriginal power-pop on these six tunes. Jangly guitar and pounding drums are the cornerstones here, a more BEATLE-y version of the CHORDS or JOLT. I’d use the late, great QUICK as my standard in power-pop, mainly due to their guitar power and tunemanship—these guys’d get a 6 to the QUICK’s 10.
This seven-song job rocks hard, but also contains a number of instrumental and vocal over-indulgences that infect even the more promising tracks. It’s like the MINUTEMEN in terms of song structure, with lots of guitar wankings and awkward vocal intrusions. Basically unappealing, for me.
PAINFUL DISCHARGE specializes in mid- to fast-tempo hardcore addressing personal/social themes. “Not So Cool” has some riveting instrumental changes, but the four other tunes lack distinctiveness. Overall, a respectable debut release.
A dozen tunes of that forceful SoCal sound. A good mixture of thrash and melodic punk with angry vocals. Hot release.
Both sides of this 45 are great rocking tunes that do the term power-pop justice. Plenty of zip, great guitars, and catchy tunes and vocals. Fine.
This band was great early on in the San Francisco punk scene, but before they split up they went way soft. Back again now, they’ve taken up where they left off, with soft pop. Unless wimpy BLONDIE meets bad NICO is your passion, avoid this.
A pretty strong blast from these Washington weirdos. This is slow to fast HC with thoughtful lyrics. My one gripe: it’s only five songs! But it still rips.
Yes, it’s the same HERB ALPERT song that your mom and dad listened to, but these Austin garage pups mix it up a little bit more for a pleasurable trip down the muzak/noise road. Flips does a double-take on the so-called “New Sincerity” movement in Austin. Maybe this is the Austin band to watch.
The passion comes through on this frenzied EP of high-velocity thrash. A pummelling guitar and drum attack combined with harsh vocals makes each of these songs decisively effective, as well distinctive and dynamic in their own right. A winner!
Formed from the ashes of VIOLENT COERCION, this band plays powerhouse thrash and pounding BL’AST-ish noise, accented by anti-authority lyrics. A fierce band to watch out for.
Boston has given us some great pop-punk like STRANGLEHOLD and the NOT, only to see them slip away largely unappreciated. OK, Boston’s giving us another chance in MOVING TARGETS, whose debut is quite a gift. Hope you try this one, and you’ll find there’s more to this city than metal.
The MR. T EXPERIENCE definitely connects with an entertaining record here. This is simple and catchy punk rock, presented with biting guitarwork and high energy. What’s more, they address a variety of offbeat themes in a trademark funny/dumb manner I found winning. Good work, guys!
This tape will blow Pee Wee Herman’s house down, no problem, OK? Eight metallic thrash numbers in the same vein as ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT, ACCÜSED, etc. Keep the adrenaline flowing at an accelerated rate. Check ’em out, another hot unknown from the Northwest!
There’s a basic “SF street punk” sound forged out by the LEWD, FUCK-UPS, etc., and this band seems to fit that classification, save their sing-along choruses. Pretty good.
Slow, grinding punk with a metal influence. This band relies less on annoying solos, though, and more on a crunching pace to knock you down. Victor loves these guys, but then again, Victor is crazy—so test these waters ourselves.
The long-awaited MDC LP is an interesting release. Thematically, they cover South Africa, cops, food, bullies in the pit, soup kitchens, nukes, skateboards—the gamut of HC themes. The mix isn’t quite as full or noisy as it could’ve been, but a cover of “Big Picture” (Canada’s SUBHUMANS) is a treat, and the rest of the material is pretty much thrash, though country, R’n’B, jazz-metal, and even rap influences sneak right in. Dave’s voice seems a bit straight at times, but that may have been intentional to make the vocals clearer.
This is a Kansas-to-LA transplant that manages to capture the KINKS “Waterloo Sunset” era—not an easy thing to do right. The song also manages to effectively poke a little fun at the LA psychedelic scene. Nice bit of pop.
They’re not going to like this comparison, but this is better than anything the DREAM SYNDICATE have ever done. The TRAINS use the same approach as the SYNDICATE, but are much looser in their approach, they rock a lot harder, and their subjects aren’t as tired. For fans of GUN CLUB and RADIO BIRDMAN.
A torturous, grinding experience that occasionally lurches into third gear, only to slam back into first, not to mention reverse. Metallic gears of guitar driven onward by the pounding, crunching rhythm section and the howled-over grated vocals. The ants will get you! Hey, somebody’s got to do this since Pus ain’t doing it here anymore.
A sloppy, messy version of RKL? These guys do have potential, and with time, they’ll rock like crazy.
This is heavy with the post-punk drum and bass sound, and while the title track has interesting lyrics, the music simply drones. The flip is a bit more upbeat, combined with more of an edge, yet still doesn’t stand out.
Besides a pair of folk-tunes, what you get from this young band is a thrashing, HÜSKER-ish folk rock sound. Complex yet straightforward, these tunes show promise, though the various members are strewn around the country in colleges.
This is the second release from this terrible duo resplendent with song titles like “Razors in My Apple,” “Daddy Melted,” and “The Vacuum Ate Timmy.” All are recorded live and have a sheer dimwitted glee of ugliness and howling fear. I loved it. File between FLIPPER live and the BUTTHOLES.
“Teen trash” is right—this neo-’60s garage outfit presents a clutch of primitive, upbeat rockers on this one. We’ve heard it all before—and that’s the problem. Montreal’s GRUESOMES don’t recycle their riffs to sound new or different, though there are a few nostalgia moments here, like “For All I Care.”
Underlying garage pop riffs and harmonies potently mixed with pounding drums and gut-wrenching vocals, the end result is nothing less than powerful. Six songs that are drowned in rawness and energy, and can’t help but grab our attention in one way or another. The lyrics lean toward personal concerns.
