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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!
The GIRLS are off in many tangents and can be a little boring but they are still provocative. Here they have depressing psychedelia to lounge music to ethnic accents to the true LSD freak-out. Very musical, poetic, downright pretty, distinctively ugly, the great acid experience or background music.
I’m impressed. This band was around for ages before finally spewing out a great debut LP last year. This time, they’ve decided to scrap a lot of old, tired ideas in favor of stretching out lyrically and musically. There’s a fuller, inspired sound here without seeping into a pap wimpiness. Good.
One whole hour of droning FLIPPER-ish noise. I can get into SABBATH dirge to some extent, but this is just plain boring. The only asset is the short length of the songs (30 in all).
This new English pressing of the infamous 12″ contains all the original tracks, and on the flipside there are six previously unreleased and one new song, all which were recorded live. The sound quality is fair for a live recording and it sounds very much like the vocals were overdubbed, and if that’s the case, the whole side loses credibility.
Four tunes that are centered around a very catchy, steady, pounding beat and a nice guitar buzz. The lyrics deal with simple political statements but remain interesting, which is complemented by the deep-throated vocals. Good stuff.
In this day of slick releases, this may seem pale. But this band is pure garage aesthetic in both sound and words. This is dirty rock’n’roll and as dirty as it gets, too. You may be offended by “Just Wanna Die,” “Pussy Teen Power,” “Cunt Tease,” or “You Look Like a Jew,” but I say that these guys get four stars for bravery.
This strong release shows this Virginia band at their near best: distinctive vocals blend with flailing rockish punk on the four songs here, of which the title track seems the most memorable. Production is hot, making for a ripping release. The only drawback is the sporadic guitar leads.
Good old punk with rebellious lyrics kinda like TOXIC REASONS. While this seems rather basic, PLEDGE OF RESISTANCE have a good bit of rockin’ energy.
This band has been compared to the MINUTEMEN in previous tape reviews here, but on two of the three cuts here they remind me more of the no wave post-punk, while the title track is more in the eccentric pop vein.
This band is one of the new “eclectic” post-punk outfits that seem to be pouring out of SoCal. They mix punk power and intensity with other genres, borrowing from hard rock, funk, etc. This one works better than many I’ve heard, though I’d like to see more of these bands harken back to early punk’s appreciation of economy in length of tunes.
A great consistent tape of rapid HC not unlike POISON IDEA or JERRY’S KIDS, while still maintaining some identity. Good lyrics, clean production, and lots of songs make this a necessary addition to your collection.
At first, I thought there was something different about this band and I couldn’t put my finger on It. More metal? Slower? More doom and gloom? More rock? Well, yeah, all of the above and produced by ALICE COOPER. Very gothic, slow, tired, and staid. Are the ’70s back or were they here all along? Yawn.
This group is chillingly similar to the MISFITS, even down to the creepy stage look and gorefilm lyrics. They still manage to blend it with a hard-driving and cleanly recorded hot records—somethin the MISFITS always lacked was production. So, if SAMHAIN doesn’t do it for you and you still need that hit of gore, these guys are your find.
This band has been one of San Francisco s premiere doom-and-gloom bands for years and this new LP deserves some notice. They haven’t completely eliminated the gloom, but they have become much more musical and the arrangements shine over and above previous material. Some great rockers here and a variety of styles, instruments, and lyrical material.
This outfit whips up a cool batch of fast, driving punk with a dash of metal guitar thrown in. All seven songs are undeniably tight and powerful with sociopolitical lyrics, making these dudes a blazing unit who deserves your attention.
Neo-psych from Mammoth Beach, NJ, and judging from the photo they’re not too ashamed to whip out the old paisley. Truthfully, this isn’t so bad—nice mix of fuzz guitar and droning hypnotic vocals. And the flip has one of the best sounding SMALL FACES rip-offs ever. Very enjoyable, thank you.
The A-side is a rapid-paced tune that combines the charm of early PENETRATION with UXA’s power—both female vocals. The flip is very POISON GIRLS-like. Whoops, just noticed that this should be 33, not 45. Still OK, but now it’s a male vocalist sorta STOOGES-like and not early as fun. Oh well.
Intense innovative thrash and HC with a CRUCIFUCKS-ian edge. Hot music and great hilarious lyrics and clean production and a good amount of experimentation equals a fucking cool band! This should be a record.
Now here’s a young punk band from San Jose who has a good sense of melody and writes some pretty catchy thrash in the style of SOCIAL D or D.I. Even though they have one of the stupidest, most immature covers I’ve seen in a long time, I think they have a future.
Does “horror thrash” exist? If so, FEAR ITSELF plays it well, complete with metallic tinges and spooky lyrics. This contains ten cuts of whizzing thrash with slower rockin’ parts, resembling ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT. Don’t be afraid to buy this tape.
Dizzying whirlwind thrash not unlike DRI. I’d love to see these hyperactive spastics live because they’re tight and powerful as fuck. A searing release.
A little too weird for my tastes. Starts out with catchy SoCal punk but, hey, what’s with all these goofy Top-40 keyboards? It’s too bad, because the words don’t really anything and in the end (geddit?) the music doesn’t either, just a musical candy bar.
This band recorded one LP under the name SUBURBAN NIGHTMARE, and I recall it being fun and just a little on the snotty side. With this release, they get down and dirty with their hard-driving garage/grunge punk. Some great covers of bands like CALICO WALL, AVENGERS, and LARRY AND THE BLUE NOTES. This puppy smokes.
Half the tracks here are really listenable garage rock’n’roll, while the rest tend to be too rockabilly-ish or poppish in derivation for me. Obviously, they’ve got power and roots, but I hope they don’t get stuck in the past.
A one-sided “live in the studio” LP, pressed on green vinyl with an etching pressed on the flip. A good slice of these enjoyable guys, funk and punk, a treat.
Driving, angry mid-tempo punk with rhythmic, distorted, upbeat sounds blended with good sing-alongs and politically minded lyrics. Several treats show up on this, as some memorable basic guitar and vocal arrangements make a very loud release from this band that does not live up to their name.
Here’s a new group formed from members of the URINALS/100 FLOWERS and the LAST. It’s a stupid name, but it’s one of the classic slow, summer psych/garage records. Neat clear vinyl and there’s a 7″ out there by these guys with only 300 pressed. Collectors?
Traces of HÜSKERS meets ’70s rock, containing many of the excesses (long, drawn-out songs, self-conscious structures, etc.) that made that kind of music so unbearable and necessitated punk in the first place.
Tight musical compositions plunge headlong into some serious topics of personal beliefs. A few good riffs that harmonize rather well and keep a steady pace as vocalist Dave Smallee croons his way with such an exceptional flavor. This man’s voice makes the record. He has a craft with his voice and uses it so well, the A-plus of this slab.
This intriguing album contains textured and highly varied guitarwork and an emphasis on good songwriting I found refreshing. Not all the songs are memorable, but there’s a poppish edge to CONTRABAND’s best songs, combining mid-tempo punk with harmonic vocals to make for an LP that grows on you. Good, solid release.
Although these dudes are pretty sedate compared to modern HC outfits, they play some enjoyable twangy garage punk. The lyrics dwell on personal and political matters and “War Heroes” is destined to be an underground classic.
Though there’s nothing new musically, this mid-tempo hardcore platter is well done, has clean (perhaps a bit too much) production, really audible vocals, and really good lyrics. Always glad to see a good band emerge from mid-America.
Great, rawly produced four-song EP from this abrasive band. The guitar is at full blast and grinds away at mid-tempo with a demanding floor-trembling sound, when mixed with the notable vocals and one-two-one-two drum beat. A powerful release.
I love BIG BLACK and this LP is no exception; the only qualm I have is that a couple of these songs sound so much like the BUTTHOLE SURFERS that they should’ve declared an ode to them so as not to be called plagiarists. Still, this material is strong in melody, rhythm, lyrics, and production. Classic songs as always.
A pretty hot effort here. These wild Iowans unleash a harsh, driving thrash attack with social and political lyrics. The mushy production is a setback, but this is worth investigating.
Eight bands, mostly murky sound, mostly thrash stuff. Standouts for me were the spastic psychotic thrash of BRAIN DEATH and DISACCORD, who spreads thick swirls of distorted guitar on an early-DISCHARGE base.
Volume One covered French neo-’60s garage, and this latest volume covers Sweden. The bands emerge from punk to pop-punk to power rock, all with that zesty garage undertone. Grittiest stuff comes from the SLAMMERS and SLOBSTER, though fine stuff by HIDDEN CHARMS, SINNERS, and BOTTLE-UPS (among others) are welcome, too. Good work.
This label Anhrefn is dedicated to alternative bands who pride themselves in their Welsh identity, culture, and language, and this comp contains two tracks each from five bands. Two are punk (YR ANHREFN, ELFYN PRESLI), while the other three are best described as folk-punk, post-punk, and techno-pop. An interesting array.
Emma is a squat/rehearsal/recording studio/concert hall in Amsterdam that is run by and for bands and fans. This double-LP not only comes with a complete description of Emma’s intent and a booklet by the bands, but lots of music that’s been performed live an in the studio there. Thirty international bands in varying styles and recording quality. There is literally something for everybody here divided by sides: hardcore, pop, post-punk, noise, etc. They’re an example to us all.
Two to four songs each from GAUZE, GHOUL, EXECUTE, LIP CREAM, OUTO, and GASTUNK. Lots of great stuff, especially by LIP CREAM and GAUZE, though there are very few slouchers at all here. Hot.
With this 24-song tape, VORTEX seems to be coming from BUTTOCKS-y “roots”, but has speedmetal tendencies: frenzied guitar outbursts pop up for no apparent reason, then just as suddenly disappear, and many songs have intricate slow introductions. Not bad.
A big sound, classic Britpunk sound—lots of production, accent on vocals and choruses. Professional punk from England.
While this live tape (recorded in Holland, ’86) doesn’t pack the punch of a bunch of adolescent loonies, the upbeat mid-tempo sing-along punk showcased here is pretty impressive, even by modern standards. SUBS fans will definitely dig this.
Most of the tunes here rip right along at a rapid clip, combining good tunes, that classic French chorus singing, and hot production. There are a few change-of-pace tunes which are decent though they tend to be longish. BLITZ influence, but uniquely French. Watch for more hot records on this label.
Outside: a plain, homemade, obviously “punk” sleeve. Inside: a three-song, well-produced, hot sounding record. Powerful punk, both fast and medium-paced. Quite a refreshing surprise—no hype, just the facts ma’am.
A couple of former UNDERTONES blend pop, post-punk, and folky experimentation with mixed results. Somewhat of a letdown after the good recommendations I’ve heard, as I found it lacking in punch and focus. Not dynamic.
This latest release has taken quite a while to get pressed. They’ve slowed down a tad, but still maintain their characteristic intensity. You get twenty songs, mainly mid-tempo noise thrash, a heavier sound than usual. Catch ’em live this August-September on tour in the US. (They need a van for two bands; can you help? Write…)
More great punk, really ripping powerful stuff, hot bass and singing. Tight band.
These guys have been compared a lot to the BUZZCOCKS, though I hear a lot of the early UNDERTONES as well in here. Both tunes are bouncy pop-punk, with good melodies, pounding drums, and up-front guitar. While this is a good start, the tunes weren’t as instantly memorable as their aforementioned prototypes, and I hope they don’t lose the grit in their attempt to “make it.”
Two songs are rock punk, while a pair are straight-on punk thrash. Schizo personality, but good at both.
