Neurosis Neurosis cassette
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.
MAXIMUM ROCKNROLL
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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!
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.
GI seem to alternate releases between Dutch East and Mystic, this one on the former. Excellent production and melodic punk tunes are the hallmark here, and while you can still pick out that DC sound, they’ve broadened to reach back to punk roots, as well as even earlier (the WHO?), all without losing that oomph or character of their presentation. Interesting.
18 short blasts of repetitious DISCHARGE-ish thrash with horrific lyrics mostly dealing with war. Neat lyric booklet, pretty good job.
Little or no fluff here, just eight blasting tunes, fueled by lots of booze if most guesses are correct. Tight, fast, and intense, even if you wouldn’t rather “drink than fuck.”
On repeated playings, I figured I liked the idea of this retro-’60s disc more than the outcome. All the right trappings—good sense of humor, some interesting melodies. But the juices never really flow and I can’t really recommend it against hardworking prole dough.
Back again with their noisy brand of raunch’n’roll, these gals don’t disappoint. Most of their songs are slow-to-medium-paced and only occasionally drag—yet somehow maintain a special quality, be it in the lyrics (“Punk Rock Jail Bait”), singing (Freedom”), or that down and dirty pounding (“Crazy World”). Oh yeah, they’re even better live.
Ten songs from this new Bay Area band that has influences ranging from dirge to blues, rock, and punk. The simple melodies and complex beats add to the interest here but detract from the power, but an intensity can be felt through the raw, loud vocals.
Hardcore energy melds with funkiness on this record, which sounds somewhat like a jazzier version of late BLACK FLAG. I didn’t care for the songs here, but there’s a certain catchiness and power that might make this band into a future contender.
Great music, great lyrics, and great guys. Eurothrash meets US stop-and-go. Though a bit generic in sound, the intensity and urgency easily overcome that potential problem. Hot stuff from the Northwest.
Unfortunately, you have to make a comparison with HÜSKER DÜ/REPLACEMENTS with this record. The melody and hoarse vocals are too close not to. But still, there’s a creative element here that is just as charming as those other groups and that should be given some room to grow.
Hard thrash with some speedcore tendencies. The band is tight, the lyrics are personal and social, and the tape is enjoyable, but a bit lengthy.
Like many hardcore bands today, DISORDERLY CONDUCT has incorporated growly metal vocals and some metal guitar licks into their song. They keep the “damage” to a minimum though, and the overall feel, both musically and lyrically, is punk with a sorta SoCal feel. Should be popular with fans of both ’cores.
This 21-song album may well be the DK’s swan-song, and ironically is one of their best releases. 95% thrash, this one rages from start to finish, but also contains some of those nice little touches which make some rock’n’roll a cut above. While I haven’t really gone to a DK’S album for quite a while, this one stands out, lyrically as well as musically. “Chickenshit Conformist” is the most accurate, no-bullshit analysis of the current state of punk on record to date, a must for all concerned.
Dirty straight-ahead thrash not unlike POISON IDEA. A few miniscule bits of metal show through: the MOTÖRHEAD-ish power, wailing guitars, etc. Pretty rockin’.
This outstanding Fresno band barrels along still relatively unknown after all these years, and undaunted by their lack of recognition, continues to produce hot material. Besides being some of the nicest folks in HC, they are among the most proficient, and on this LP, they’ve broadened their material to include blues, jazz, and other influences, as well as adding a lot more guitar work.
Punkish fright-rock is performed adequately on this EP. While the ballad “Fiend Without a Face” lacks any measure of menace or melodic interest, the other two numbers boast an upbeat, riffy energy and sung choruses. Basically unmemorable.
The A-side is a tuneful thrasher that holds your attention with its pounding, building drive and lyrics. The flip is a ballad about growing up that starts out interesting but goes on far too long. Worth it for the “Death Beach” alone, though.
Sadly, this may be the last record we see by this great DC band: it appears they too have split due to personnel changes. BEEFEATER was never a cliché normal thrash band and they proved it once again with the 12″ with hard-hitting, really thought-out lyrics that stand out. Some of the songs have an experimental feel. But it’s the title track that rocks the best. They’re missed already by me.
Rockin’ garage punk with raunchy female vocals and personal lyrics. Sounds a bit like the AVENGERS, and you gotta hear grungy classes like “He’s a Slut” and “Beer Picnic.”
This defunct post-punk band had a knack for the slow, somber songs recalling the best from bands like the SLEEPERS and TOILING MIDGETS. This album relies on the plight of cattle, check the title, but still manages to keep things fresh and interesting throughout.
These guys are very diverse with their influences and styles, varying from song to song: rock’n’roll, blues, funk, ballads… But regional similarities are too obvious to ignore. They have that distinctive Twin Cities sound (somewhere between HÜSKERS and SOUL ASYLUM). Vocal and guitar harmonies abound. Catchy and recommended. Each cover is handmade.
Plenty of good stuff from the state of Washington these days, and count this one in there. Great, fun punk/thrash with really nice touches throughout. Check it out.
The A-side will bring a smile to your face—a great, ripping punk song, more melodic than their previous material yet still powerful. The flip builds from power crunch to absolutely raging thrash. Great.
The second release by this band is not an easy one to peg. It’s god that heavy rock-fuck-you-we-do-it-this-way sound that you hear in bands like BLACK FLAG and DAS DAMEN, but some of the vocals really remind me of SACCHARINE TRUST with their strange poetry. I like this… but I still like BLACK FLAG.
Both songs on this single are fun but not really substantial. They feel more like outtakes in the studio than full-fledged songs. Fact is, with any other band, they would have sounded terrible, but the SUNS could play the phone book and make it sound cool. Hope the LP has more for it than this.
A heavy 10 on the psych/mind fuck meter. A swirling twist of real aural mind-fuck. All this done by one person, Marc Casey, formerly of the New York REACTIONS. Try to imagine GEZA X if he had a real problem with LSD.
Good, tough but melodic garage music from the Midwest. It’s really weird but at times this record sounds like some of the cool, hard rock music coming out of Australia.
A way-out comp with one German band, INFERNO, and a handful of smaller LA-area outfits. All the acts are impressive, but EXCEL and FINAL CONFLICT really get the ball rolling.
Four bands offer one song each on this nifty sampler. We get an intense, original HC offering from RUIN (with great lyrics); hook-filled pop punk by ELECTRIC LOVE MUFFIN; SCRAM performs an okay reggae-tinged number; and F.O.D. go completely crazy on their trashed out live track. Cool record; buy it.
The likes of TUPELO CHAIN SEX, SCREAM, and several other artists offer largely mediocre tunes on this comp, which covers punk/rap, HC, pop, C&W, and even spoken word on the various tracks. Only MCSHRED connects with two high-velocity thrashers; I daresay it would be impossible to skateboard to the rest of this.
A couple of live tracks from Canadian punk bands like NG3, DEATH SENTENCE, and MY THREE SONS as well as darker, art damaged like RHYTHM MISSION, RED HERRING, and NERVE TUBES. This is a good mixture and a nice way to hear how the bands come off live.
Here’s one where I liked the idea better than the final outcome. Take the best East Coast and Midwest garage bands and showcase a couple of their tunes—should be a great collection, right? Well, they started off right by getting the right bands—from Chicago, DWARVES, CUNTS, GREEN, from PA, the CYNICS and the ENDORPHINS, and also tracks from the LIBERTINES and others. But the whole is mixed horribly and just ends up a limp mess. What a disappointment.
Way rockin’ stuff here from two dozen Northern California bands displaying one or two songs each. Includes VICTIMS FAMILY, ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT, SHORT DOGS GROW, and more, contributing to 90 minutes of sheer insanity.
Great, raging hardcore—tight as hell and power production to spare. Glad to see another new outfit not pandering to metal clichés or influences, delivering the straight goods, musically and lyrically. Contains Dewey (ex-WHITE CROSS) on lead guitar.
Taking obvious cues musically, philosophically, vocally, lyrically, and even graphically from MINOR THREAT (and to a much lesser degree, MDC) might lead these guys in for criticism for being unoriginal, but what they do is so powerful and convincing that it’s easy to overlook these charges. Good lyrics, though a bit unspecific, hopefully to broaden with age and growth. Keep the commitment!
