For review and radio play consideration:
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!
ANGST aim for a “roots pop” approach, incorporating elements of punk, country, blues, and power-pop into a clutch of highly accessible ditties. Some songs are slow, but this band’s forte is in faster, intricately arranged tunes like “It’s All a Lie” and “Butler Grace,” which demonstrate a subdued, yet punky energy. Fans of the NEATS and EMBARRASSMENT should enjoy this.
While this is a garage recording, its sheer enthusiastic short bursts of thrash noise and accompanying song explanations are very enjoyable. Well done, however naïve it comes across.
There’s good, solid thrash on this six-tracker, but ABSENCE OF MALICE add nothing particularly original or inventive to the proceedings. You know what to expect: fast tempos, atonal guitar rifting, occasional lead breaks (and some good lyrics expressing youth alienation). OK.
This is like the WÜRM record, or one of those records on SST after the band has broken up. Too bad, because OVERKILL managed to blend equal parts of harsh metal and snarling punk. The vocals have a cool rasp sound that may give MOTÖRHEAD a run for their money.
Mid-tempo pop combined with a rockin’ garage sound gives this record a very unique melodic style. The band’s curiosity to experiment with different musical influences can be heard throughout all six songs. A lot of diversity and talent result in a very catchy record. Great job.
Catchy harmonized vocals accompanied by a very clean, crisp, polished sound make up this three-song EP. “Corporate Toy” is the farthest from being background music; the other two songs almost lose it by the lack of power that they fail to offer. One out of three—not too bad.
A 21-song tape that displays this band’s tight medium-to-fast-paced hardcore sound well. There are some metal influences, but not in really blatant ways, with the accent on power. Lots of well-executed stop-and-go action, excellent vocals, and heavy bass and drums make this worth checking out.
BURMA’s sound meant a lot to me when they were around; swirling waves of guitar, nervous psycho vocals, and muscular bass and rhythm attacks. This live release lives up to the quality of previous recordings; all unreleased tracks, and if you think they might have been wimpy, check out their covers of the STOOGES’ “1970” and PERE UBU’s “Heart of Darkness.”
The fourth demo tape from this Texas four-piece. Harsh guitar, banging drums, and gut-wrenching vocals result in classic generic garage thrash, meaning generic thrash played in a garage. Basic, yet enjoyable.
Speedcore maniacs from LA strike hard with a unique sound that mixes metallic cranks with full-blown aggression that will meet both grounds and still destroy. Really powerful lyric content that leans toward the vegetarian/political beliefs. Watch for this band as they are sure to grow insane.
Eee-yowww! This I like…a lot. Comparisons with SONIC YOUTH are going to be made, because LIVE SKULL keeps charging with full-speed intensity. I can’t see these guys ever closing their eyes and just drooling.
This LIVERS release is a varied affair. It’s got a ’60s-influenced garage pop number with a fuzz guitar break (“Spy Hunt”), two garage thrashers, and a garage punker (“Punk Jet”) that sound like they are recorded live, and a “progressive” number with synth (“Face Kicked In”). I could do without the latter, but the rest is pretty cool.
Well, this was bound to happen sooner or later and boy, does it give me the creeps. Christian punk rock. Musically, it’s a mix of ’78 AVENGERS and a little SADO-NATION, but the lyrics are chock full of condemnation for not following the scriptures, anti-abortion, and questioning just who runs the liberals. Scares the shit out of me.
This is slightly reminiscent of mid-period STIFF LITTLE FINGERS in its growling attack. The flip has a more dreamy, calm dark quality to it. Only 500 pressed, but an EP’s on the way.
While this album has all the nervous energy of their Intellectuals Are the Shoeshine Boys LP, they’ve now progressed to a nice healthy psychotic rasp that mixes the best parts of the BUTTHOLES and the BIRTHDAY PARTY. Not to be confused with KILLDOZER 85.
A very appealing release from a Midwest band on the English Hit label. They’re rockin’ ’60s psych meets ’70s punk with a little rockabilly thrown in and a DYLAN cover. At best, they have elements of both RADIO BIRDMAN and the NOMADS. Not as great as the above, but close.
This is a great record. Although the songs are some of the best they have ever written, there is a certain flatness to the production that seems to have been mixed for a three-inch speaker in an AM radio. Vocals are way up front while the raw guitar and drum sound we’re used to are shoved back. Could be a case of experimentation or maybe a sign of things to come.
A strange, endearing record. They’ve got a heavy-rock garage sound, but the vocals have a cracked, psychotic bent. Musically on par with SOUL ASYLUM, the REPLACEMENTS, MEAT PUPPETS, and GREEN ON RED. I give up; you try to figure them out.
More great raspy garage rock from this criminally underrated Chicago trio. Two live tracks recorded at CBGB’s in NY; file under Midwestern garage like the EMBARRASSMENT and early PERE UBU.
Could be the West Coast’s answer to the PROLETARIAT, what with their older punk sound (not driving post-punk as with the PROL’s) and their non-clichéd political lyrics. The FRONT’s highly catchy powerhouse pop-punk makes them immediately memorable, but I suspect there’s staying power as well.
Awful, lyrically and musically. Lyric-wise, I was expecting their usual dose of idiocy, but the band really blows too. No zip, rock influences, terrible guitar solos. Avoid.
Very basic and power-oriented thrash and fast punk. Outside of a sporadic wanking lead solo, this record’s straightforwardness is its strong point, as well as the gnarly singing and strong lyric content.
A classic KENNEDYS’ cover opens up to reveal a very controversial artwork poster and a record that will surprise many. Lyrically, it’s Biafra’s satire, biting as ever, and aimed at jocks, MTV, work, and the sick absurdities of bourgeois life. Most of the tunes are mid-tempo punk this time, with a couple of thrashers interspersed. But there’s a more “psychedelic” feel to many of the songs with Ray’s often-twangy guitar very cleanly produced. There’s even one (gasp!) experimental number, and also shocking, Jello actually sings (as opposed to yells) on several tracks.
Revisionist rock for people looking for a “hip” way to mellow down from punk. You know, those folks who find the newer HÜSKER pop sound really stretching their limits of noise tolerance. Hmmm, I guess I don’t like it too much.
These guys only border on post-punk as they tend to write mellow yet intense pop ballads. At their finest moments, they remind me of the VELVET UNDERGROUND or MAGAZINE. They have more interesting melodies, lyrics, and intentions than their current UK counterparts, and deserve attention (but maybe not here).
Biting early DYLAN-like lyrics meet HENDRIX-like psych/noise meets blues/folk and BIAFRA. Check it out.
This live concert, recorded in Hollywood, represents a fusion of late JOY DIVISION and Ummagumma-period PINK FLOYD. Atmospheric, slightly psychedelic, and well-recorded, this performance hits and misses with its post-punk sensibility; selected songs, however, are pretty decent for the genre.
Ripping thrash from one of the Bay Area’s best contemporary HC outfits. Neither the musical structures nor the themes are particularly unique, but the execution is way above the current US norm. The guitar sound is really piercing, the tempo is supercharged, some cuts have killer choruses (like “Drop Out” and “No Truth”) or guitar breaks (like “Landlord”), and the overall effect is ultra intense. Features European-style Pus production.
I’ve tended to like their post-Damaged records a lot more than some people I know; here, instead of long, drawn-out solos, the songs are shorter and more concise, and therefore pack more punch. The cassette version contains three extra tracks.
A band made up of musicians who know their instruments and how to make them create a new sound. Influences include funk, blues, and thrash. The vocals are rough, emotional, and from the heart! By far the most experimental band coming from Dischord, but it’s an album that definitely grows on you. Recommended.
“Progressive” punk that maintains a hard musical bite, yet combines with an almost folky female vocal (not unlike Pauline Murray in her PENETRATION days). Great words (comes with lyric book) and an intelligent outlook are as refreshing as the music itself. From the makers of Counter Culture zine.
This latest comp from Hollenqual contains hot tracks from the likes of VICIOUS CIRCLE, HALF LIFE, NEGAZIONE, BLUTTAT, HEIMAT, CRUDE SS, GEPÁ˜PEL, DETONATORS, NIKOTEENS, DOWN SYNDROME, and more. Good sound quality, though there are several tracks that were submitted by bands off their vinyl releases. All in all, a powerful collection, including the tracks from unknowns like GROFTROSEN.
This all-Hamburg comp (past and present bands) is accompanied by a 20-page booklet, and contains all sorts of punk and hardcore styles. The bands are largely unknown to me though some familiar monikers popped up (CHANNEL RATS, HH-MILCH, BOIKOTTZ, KOMA KOMBO, TORPEDO MOSKAU). Enjoyable historical retrospective.
Hungary is well-represented by this four-track compilation EP, which contains some intriguing punk and hardcore material; especially powerful is ETA, whose track sounds amazingly like AGENT ORANGE’s “Bloodstains.” (This is on Primitiv Cozak, a division of France’s New Wave label dedicated to presenting Eastern European releases. More power to them for the initiative.) Some fine stuff on this one.
A split-LP by two great Irish bands. STALAG 17 puts forth two harsh, loud songs very much in the CONFLICT vein. Speed plus the changeover between male and female vocals makes the three songs by TOXIC WASTE interesting, too. Both bands have serious, hard-hitting lyrics which center on political unrest in Northern Ireland. Recommended.
This comp features 12 Welsh bands that represent a great sampling of talent from the area. Most of the songs are medium-paced, and the stand-outs include SLAUGHTERED TRADITION, NO CHOICE, and SOLDIER DOLLS. All in all, worth looking into. Booklet included.
Containing some powerful and well-recorded tracks from EPIDEMIJA, TOZIBABE, U.B.R., ODPADKI CIVILIZACIJE, and III KATEGORIJA, most of whom shred in the early Finnish tradition. Highly recommended.
It’s excellent, yes, with LA speed-metalists HIRAX who scream it out and through your throat; Japanese guitar aces EXECUTE deliver an excruciating blow; LIP CREAM always awesome; and from the UK, mindblowing speedcore stuff from CONCRETE SOX and SACRILEGE. Every person wants this ’cause it’s made by two people who are in the scene, Dig and Kalv. Thanks guys, until next time.
Owing more to UK thrash than the US variety, this band rocks with the best of their ilk (DISCHARGE-spawned), coming forth with a whole host of powerful hardcore tunes. Includes a hot cover of TERVEET KÄDET’s “Outo Maa.” Excellent.
This has a nice, wild feel to it. A kind of mixture between early simple punk and eerie vocals. Similar to SUICIDE but more feel to it and definitely more guitar in there.
This six-song release features older material, the highlight of which is four of the five tunes from TOY DOLLS’ first (and hardest to find) EP on GBH Records. A must for this loony band’s fans.
Again this English trio puts forth their great sense of humor and their ability to produce some incredible music. With this effort, we get two songs that just don’t want to leave the turntable. The A-side is a happy upbeat tune in the ever-so-familiar TOY DOLLS style, while the flipside is a bit slower and drags on at times, yet still comes off entertaining. The record will definitely put a smile on your face.
Minimal and raw basic punk, garage level, but well recorded and immediately pleasing. Coolness of guitar noise, snarly singing, and a refresher on what punk’s all about.
While the B-side is OK “progressive punk,” the A-side is a real blaster. Great punk rock, powerful as hell, with absolutely scathing lyrics. I wanna hear more!
A testament to the DIY mentality, SKEEZICKS present some simple, disciplined thrash with a combination of originals and covers. Recording quality varies a bit, but the songs are always bouncy and highly energetic. Recommended.
Four gals and one guy team up for some pop-punk with punch. Sort of like GIRLS AT OUR BEST, which, for me, is a good recommendation.
Will the headbangers like this? Musically, it’s that old thrash/metal half the time, and slower-paced metal at others. Lyrically, it’s not “satanic” at all, and instead covers political topics in a manner more complex than, say, DISCHARGE. I guess the main problem for the metalheads will be the female singer (best part of the record). Can they handle it?
RATTUS just isn’t the band I see going metal; their guitar structure is too HC to say the least. Even though there are plays at attempting a metal crossover, this is RATTUS and they still deliver strong hardcore riffs. Just ’cause a band does a few metallic leads doesn’t mean it’s metal. Some really decent RATTUS material of new form is here.
A three-song rockin’ all-female power-pop release. Two songs are more pop (a female RAMONES?), and one is a more moody post-punk tune. Good production, good record.
Two slower thrashy noise songs with slurring vocals that at times can be more annoying than enjoyable. The third song, musicwise, is a 180º change from the previous ones. It resorts more to a pop sound, but again the slurring vocals come spewing out. Nothing really special here.
