Claude Coma & the I.V.’s Manslaughter 12″
Some great punk rock here. A 7-song release, lots of frantic power, great lyrics, and plenty of imagination. A punch in the face.
MAXIMUM ROCKNROLL
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Some great punk rock here. A 7-song release, lots of frantic power, great lyrics, and plenty of imagination. A punch in the face.
Delightful raw production sets the atmosphere for this five-song EP. The music is set to a clean fast tempo and involves simple changeovers and stead beats. The vocals are shouted and represent an angry tone. Overall, this seems to have captured a strong DIY feel by bringing back some of punk’s basic nature.
This promising EP features impassioned screaming vocals over a bunch of frenzied, almost-interesting thrashers. The lyrics cover the basic punk-rock subjects, but it strikes me that bands like the QUEERS and E-13 have done a much better job with this kind of music. Adequate.
Could this be the coolest all-female psych band from Minneapolis? Maybe the only? I like this mixture of the LYRES, FUZZTONES, and even SALEM 66 just fine. I just wish they’d kick up more of a ruckus — I get the feeling they may be holding back a little here.
Good ol’ punk with a good amount of spunk. Four songs, RAMONES-ish vocals… a swell job overall.
Here’s a basic angry punk attack similar to S.F.’s SICK PLEASURE, with fed-up, hateful lyrics. Sounds great if you’re totally pissed off.
An eight-song posthumous release. Recorded in 1983, this is standard NY thrash, though I’m not sure why this particular release came about so late or what particular historical significance it contains to NY HC. Decent.
Following their effective 7″ (included here with an additional track), BIG STICK pushes five guitar-oriented songs through a flanger, adds pounding drums, sprinkles demented vocals over the mix — and what results is funny, wild rock that many PERE UBU fans might find agreeable. Interesting.
Finally some new material, a limited edition release (to entice a big label?) that is indeed a bit “different” for Metal Mike, Greg Turner and Co. While the five originals still have the trash edge, they don’t have the thrash delivery. Harkening back to their 60’s punk roots, these tunes are not frantic but are “love gone bad” garage — snottiness fades to sadness. Includes folk-punk cover of “Somebody to Love”.
Sounding much like a rockin’ DOA, this particular live performance is AGGRESSION is decent, though a bit disjointed at times. Guess I’m not one for most live recordings unless incredibly magic moments are caught, and in this case it’s just an average performance.
Proving there’s more to NYC than street survival and “fuck you” lyrics. Fueled by strong female vocals, intelligent lyrics, and still powerful playing, there’s a PENETRATION/ POISON GIRLS influence, but also more going on here — funk influences, folk rocks aspects (cover of “Blowin’ in the Wind”) and classy production. 8 songs, worth mailing away for.
Ninety minutes of hard-hitting music from 7 SECONDS, CANCEROUS GROWTH, SCARED STRAIGHT, and many more. Production and performances are generally good, so I bet even Jack Klugman will send for this!
A four-band comp from the Basque region of Spain, containing three tracks each from the above-named bands. KORTATU is a peppy ska band—decent. CICATRIZ rages with some fine punk, the best tracks here. JOTAKIE and KONTUZ HI! have some pretty unmemorable pop wave stuff.
13 bands from all over the globe spew out their own brands of rapid noise. Sound quality varies and the POLISIVALTIO and LUDICHRIST cuts stood out from the rest of the pack. Good effort.
WARPAINTED CITY INDIAN has a GBH-meets-PISTOLS sound, does both thrash and mid-tempo punk, is tight, and occasionally surprises. Overall—good punk.
90 minutes of melodic ’77-ish punk with serious pop tendencies, especially on side two. About 1/4 is studio material, and is pretty “smooth.” The rest is live, and packs a little more punch. Fair.
So-so early English-style punk. Four tunes, no real standouts, but not dragging either.
One JOY DIVISION-type song, one decent punker, one tune in between. Well produced but not especially remarkable.
Pop punk and thrash owing to the RAMONES, DK’S, etc. Singing is way wimpy, but the music cooks at times. Afraid to know how tame the lyrics are.
A pulsating beat full of melodic musical structures pushing forth a steady pace with grinding vocals and good harmonizing. Very tight with a raw appeal for this three-piece from Japan, making a fun, enjoyable sound that sticks. Good guitar effects work with the right charm. Good stuff from the MCR label.
A refreshing yet rockin’ departure from HC, reverting back to early punk’s simplicity and yet maintenance of power. Just a drummer and guitarist who sings as well, this is rock’n’roll as it should be, though there are a few limp tunes.
Poppier than I remember their previous efforts, there’s a lot of psych guitar and feel here, though rarely crunching. With the female vocals, they at times sound like some early UK pop-punk outfits on the rockier tunes.
Real pounding beat and buzzsaw guitar, mid-tempo punk. While not remarkable, one tune, “Move Onward,” is quite special, a catchy classic.
A very strong HC release possessing a hefty amount of force and innovation. This has great words, an intense female screamer, and even a cool lyric booklet! Get this or eat eggplant!
Excellent at both classic punk and thrashy punk. Lots of back-up singing adds to the more-than-adequate playing and production. An English feel.
Their second release (first was a one-sided 7″), this one flexing some muscle. The three A-side songs are slightly-better-than-average pop-punk, but it’s on the flip where they really cut loose. Three more tunes, much more energetic, both thrashy and imaginative.
Not to be confused with the Ohio outfit, this Italian band presents fast, aggressive, utterly tuneless punk and HC in a suitably non-descript style. Tempos are fast, energy high—it just doesn’t connect.
Gruff, rough vocals set to pounding classic punk. Four-and-a-half tunes, mid-tempo, decent power but no really blasting memories.
This very strong release almost seems like a Dutch version of DIE KREUZEN, with the emphasis on high-speed thrash and the occasional guitar squiggles (and sometimes more than squiggles). I liked several of the tracks here, which at their best, seem to combine all of the elements. Recommended.
A pic disc 12″ in a regular color cover, and the weirdness doesn’t stop there. There’s one “normal” punk tune, one change-of-pace thrasher, one BLURT-type raver, and then a bizarro mix of that same title song. Quite a treat.
Intense shouting damaging these vocal chords raunch out a wailing voice over an extreme beset of raw unrelenting guitar buzzing with crackling fury. Yet it break into a few acoustical-type riffs, then the madness explodes, the members fully delivering a mayhem so true to hardcore.
An interesting new Swedish band. KRAPOTKIN have a heavy guitar attack, and the song structures are quite diverse. “Vallum” is too slow, “Temor i Teheran” is too arty, but the EP is saved by the title track, which as a rougher sound, a driving beat, and a great hook.
More pop-punk with powerful guitar and drums from KENZI. An early UK punk sound on all three tunes, all quality.
Fast-paced sing-along punk from Germany. I enjoyed the energy and style (as well as the interesting arrangements); I can’t say I was altogether blown away by the tunes. I’m certain that an understanding of the lyrics would have helped in this case.
Early BLONDIE sound with plastic female vocals and a decently powerful pop-punk band. Vocals ruin it all.
Obviously influenced by the noise kings of the UK, GAI runs with deadly barrages of distorted thrash, crazed with a total no-holds-barred approach. This is a collection of GAI tracks and the transition into the SWANKYS (which they become, since both bands shared the same members). A multitude of mayhem!!
An offbeat mixture of melodic mid-tempo awkward punk and hyper-speed thrash accented with heavy Spanish vocals. Tempo changes are quick, powered by demanding, clever guitar licks. Seven songs that are kept to a fast pace and a potent foreign hardcore feel.
Two of the four tunes are pretty decent ’81-style Britpunk, while the other two songs have a trumpet added, which adds a goofy feel, sort of like HERB ALPERT gone punk.
The A-side is a harmless little ditty, power-pop with a little guts, but the B is a neat cover of a VELVET UNDERGROUND tune, one of their poppier numbers that’s been up a bit here. OK.
The sound ripped my teeth from their gums as my mouth gaped open wide in astonishment as to the full-front ferocity of extreme power smashing my face. This is the best new blast of damaging explosions to rock the brainwaves as an assault of growling vocals bark over a maniac lashing of speedy thrash pushed in with raw, loud distortion.
This four-song demo brings to mind larger English bands like DISCHARGE and SACRILEGE. The punchy music is suitable for headbanging and the lyrics are suitable for brainbanging. Good job.
Quite interesting. CRAMPS-like at times, real grungy sounding stuff, but quite primitive yet produced. Femme vocals lead the way for raunchy blues, rock’n’roll, and punk.
This five-tracker displays this Finnish band’s adeptness at mid- to fast-speed hardcore with rockin’ vocals and sizzling production. None of the songs stand out, but the energy and power abound on this record.
Ten songs from a new band made up of members from the ruins of Wessex punk bands, the outstanding one being Dick from the SUBHUMANS on vocals. The band surrounds itself with a strong reggae punk/ska sound that is based on flowing melodies and very catchy rhythms. Very refreshing and interesting without making compromises.
An outstanding compilation of CRASS material most of which is taken from past singles. But there are three previously unreleased songs that document the band’s musical growth. Recorded interviews and conversations are included, as well as a complete lyrics booklet that contains an essay about the band’s history. Overall, very inspiring and highly recommended.
The A-side is a good mid-tempo punker, catchy, etc. This flip is a ballad, rock Á la LED ZEP, and unbearable.
The boys went a rampaging in Japan, shocking the minds with their chaotic fits, and recorded some new smoking tracks that send quake waves throughout Japan. Great straightforward bites of feedback and distortion in the crazed tradition meet you with the four new bits on side A. Side B was recorded live at one of the Japanese crunch shows.
It’s taken me a long time to like these Aussies, but this one has finally sunk in. This band has the traditional rock’n’roll Á la BIRDMAN/SAINTS sound but with their own poetic style in both rockers and ballads. Great production, inventive arrangements, and topics ranging from world view to personal view. A fine release.
CAS PRAWDE is one of those bands with an upbeat punk attack, abetted by riffy song structures, but without much in the way of hooks or memorable tunes. The power’s OK—where’s that added punch that wants to make me listen to it again?
I found myself getting caught up in the dynamic thrash of CNT—hot guitars, passionate vocals, the typical Finnish speed attack—so much so that the intrusion of speed-metal licks bothered me all the more. Too bad; otherwise, it’s a cool record.
