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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!
If you’re unfamiliar with the UPRIGHT CITIZENS, this domestic release is a collection of some of this German band’s finest stuff. Newly recorded, it exhibits the umph and stamina of a well-rehearsed band with exuberant rhythms and strong medium-paced melodies. A good dose of excellent stuff in the BYO tradition.
I wish they meant what they say and destroyed metal. Instead, they’re “destroyers” in the metal vein. This metalcore stuff is pretty fast, but the guitar…I can’t go on.
The cover might fool you into thinking this is ’60s-punk-oriented (it did me), but forget it. Unless you’re into EAGLES drivel, pass this sucker up. Australian country crap.
Germany’s goofy punks present a concept record: five songs, each one pretending to be a different band from a different country—a US surf band, a UK metal band, Mexican mariachis, etc. Good idea, terrible results.
Frantically awesome, this six-songer is a chunky, zooming speed-fest, featuring such a raunched out vocal beset (“Mom Grab Those Little Ones Off the Street…”) continues to sweep the senses as the Swedish mayhem goes totally apeshit. Raw, abrasive, intense, energetic, full-blown torching action will make this a new fave. Great!
Can you picture MDC meets HALF JAPANESE? Sort of garagy thrash blitzes punctuated by ranting vocals and a unique drum roll. Short tunes, and short on melody. Different.
A live EP of SLAM cranking out those strong rhythms with effective arrangements and variations. The vocals are extremely raw with a definite deep edge, as the band hits some fast chords, but sticks close to some creative licks. The live mix is not bad, and the energy is very high. A Swedish band with their own distinct style, and good at it.
A very limited posthumous release, this garage production features a 1981 recording of two wonderfully noisy, trashed, raw-as-hell punk rock classics. Find it at all costs.
Very good neo-’60s punk, indeed—perhaps second best in the burgeoning Swedish scene. Tight, loud, and with really good influences (HAUNTED, CHOCOLATE WATCHBAND). But they are just a shade shy on pure aggression, and that’s why I give the nod to the NOMADS.
Good skunk French punk, if you know what I mean. You know, music you can pogo to, that has those unmistakable French choruses. Strong production.
Pretty atypical for a Japanese release, this all-female combo comes forth with four grungy garage tunes, with production to match. Some fast, some slow, all trash. Primitive.
Not to be confused with the early UK punk band, this combo is formed of ex-RATSIA and PELLE MILJOONA N.V.S. members. Both songs are in an early pop-punk style, owing more to pop than punk, with an accent of high production.
A four-song rip-snorting thrash attack. It’s in the English-style of thrash, but with a decent amount of melody. Non-stop tight, angry attack.
Quite unusual punk. Take a synth-oriented new wave band, double their speed, adjust the vocal speed to “perky,” and voila—three songs, all zippy, poppy, and enjoyable. Good hooks.
Very excellent ’77 punk style release. I thought by the sleeve and name it’d be metal mania, but instead it’s really powerful, tuneful, and catchy PISTOL-type punk without being really imitative. It rocks.
Great melodic thrash with power, hooks, and tunes galore. Neat trade-off male/female vocals. Hot production. Recommended!
Some of the rockingest and most sparkling post-punk I’ve heard since the early FALL. Hey, it’s a band like this that might give “post-punk” a good name.
Those gumbie English socialist musicians think they can change social consciousness by hitting the charts. Makes one wonder how these great political intentions, evident in lyrics past and present, can possibly instigate changes by making the masses dance the night away to that big-band white-soul disco dance beat. Boring at best.
Over the metal edge go our Italian friends. This time out they present four songs, all of which sound like GBH to me. A step in the wrong direction musically, but they’re still hitting hard lyrically.
This is the “HOLY DOLLS,” formerly RIISTETYT, gone from HC to new wavey synth-pop post-punk. If that sounds bad, it’s because it is. If that sounds good, pick up another rag.
Yet another neo-noise band. This group combines the sparse post-punk sound of BIRTHDAY PARTY with the treble feedback guitar of JESUS AND MARY CHAIN. Three tunes, none awesomely ripping.
The OLHO SECO side contains material culled from past releases, and their crushing HC sound must be savored if you lack these records. The flip seems to be a brace of live-in-the-studio tracks by BRIGADA DO ODIO, recorded to sound like DISORDER sped up and stepping on boxes of Rice Krispies. A very good value.
A five-song, one-sided 7″, this is largely abrasive slower punk/post-punk. It’s all well-done, though I think knowing the lyrics would be most helpful.
Abrasive, raucous yet sparse fast-paced post-punk. Reminds me at times of the FALL meets BLURT meets the JESUS AND MARY CHAIN.
Most of the material here is psych-wanking in a BEEFHEART meets BIRTHDAY PARTY vein; post-punk inanity. But one of the two versions of “Happy Hour” that appear on the disc really cuts loose, with a great CRAMPS-like rock-out. The rest leaves me cold.
Eccentric folk/blues punk? The YOUNGBLOODS meet the FALL? Whatever, the MEKONS are back, expanded to about seven or so people of all ages and descriptions, and their music certainly reflects that variety.
Metal-influenced thrash and punk from Finland. Well done but somewhat uninspiring, though it should appeal to more people than not, as their genre is “in.”
Missed reviewing this a few months back. This trio is pretty versatile, varying from tight, fast thrash to rock ballads to metal-tinged punk to melodic fusions. Well produced, but the heavy rock influences take their toll.
Melodic punk that’s well done, with the accent on both lead and back-up vocals. This is not raw punk, but the guitar sound is powerful, and the drumming strong, too. ’78 in ’85.
Another very hot recent Italian hardcore release. Gnarly, well-produced political thrash, intense vocals—good all the way around. Get it!
A rippin’ little tape. Full of sharp lyrics, tuneful-as-hell thrash, and an upbeat attitude. Another fine band out of Canada with a good debut.
Unlike a lot of contemporary Japanese HC bands, this group delivers some very powerful HC without resorting to metal influences. Really well done recording and come distinctive touches add up to one hot release.
Totally mindblowing madness here from Japan. Raging speedcore thrusts out pile-driving chaotic leads and maniac raspy vocals, whose style is unique and adds character to the GASTUNK sound. Fast, maniac slices with some interspeed variations make this one of the hottest Japanese LPs since GISM.
Actually, this is a four-song 6″ that comes in a 10″ jacket. Don’t ask me why! Musically, it’s slowed-down punk and noise, somewhat like FLIPPER (garage-y) but more tonal. Decent, but not exciting.
The second tasty release from Holland’s FUNERAL ORATION. This one features guitarist extraordinaire Tos N., who adds some distinctive frills and textures to the band’s already shredding sound. Most of the material here combines HÜSKER DÜ-style instrumental density and vocals with the traditionally powerful Dutch thrash approach, and the results are stunning. Add to that a couple of plaintive ’60s-tinged cuts (like “Dayfall”), and you’ve got an LP that will be on your turntable a lot.
Right up there with all the best English power-thrash bands. Repetitive speed riffs and howling vocals, hot production and no-let-up pace all add up to a great four-track debut.
The four excellent straightforward thrashers here will all be appearing on Pushead’s EXECUTE/INFERNO split 12″ really soon, so you’ll get to check this one out or yourself. Good one.
This album features the addition of Graham (ex-DESTRUCTORS) to guitar duties, whose work is sharp and noticeable. But when the ENGLISH DOGS changed singers and did the classic To the Ends of the Earth 12″, I expected a churning explosion of insanity on this one. Instead, I got half of that. Bummed, but trying to be fair, this has more approaches to mainstream metal than speedmetal, which is well-executed and craveable for all you fanatics. The speed stuff is great, storms with power and exertion.
Despite the RAMONES influences in the title, these tunes are much more on the pop side of R’n’R. Which is not to say that the music is poor, but power-pop is not what I was expecting. OK for what it is.
Well, maybe this is another case of wanting to like something more than you eventually do. Basically, a heavy, somber, dark thrash band with elements of metal hare and there. I don’t speak Italian, but it seems as though they’re flirting with Satanic overtones. Not incredible, but interesting.
This live recording documents DEZERTER at a 1984 rock festival in Jarocin, Poland before an audience of 20,000 (!) people. While the production doesn’t do justice to this first-rate outfit, the excitement comes through; 17 songs here, most of them very good, and a few really excellent.
“This one is for TOM VERLAINE… We hate him!” Geddit…? “Idiot Box”…? Never mind, what we have here are a couple of mid-period DAMNED live tracks that have fairly good production and performance. On the flip, they announce their musical progression, due to the fact that they use more than three chords. Great sleeve.
Pretty repetitive metalish hardcore at a medium- to fast-clipped pace. Not as offensive as some, but doesn’t do anything for the emotions or intellect. Okay vocals.
The first of many Oi! releases to be put out by Roddy of the OPPRESSED (a label looking to non-racist Oi! music. Incidentally, he’s looking for US Oi! bands for a UK Oi! comp LP of this nature.). Decent Oi!, and a project worth supporting.
This great new English band punks forth some outrageous harmonies with nice musical compositions and crafty guitar work. Male and female vocals add nice touches with the changing paces. So much like the original INSTIGATORS, it’s uncanny. Fab stuff!!
Tricky cover (doesn’t state the band’s name anywhere on the outside), but straightforward, driving punk inside. There will always be a place for well-done ’77 grunge.
This Italian band describes themselves as “pro-Soviet,” and the LP rocks a bit more and harder than their EP, and shows a lot of diversity in the slower, mid-tempo punk songs. They seem to take a little bit more time and work to develop a sound that makes a statement that you don’t necessarily need to know Italian to understand.
Jeez, could they be Mods? Yes, but not very stimulated ones. Four songs, decent pop rockers, but not ravers at all.
All four tracks here are instrumentals, as I assume all the tracks are on their LP as well. If you’re into ’50s rockin’ tracks like “Tomahawk, “Rumble,” etc., you’ll jump for this. Modern spaghetti western rock ’n’ roll from Sweden.
Another fine release from this great, fuzzy Aussie garage band. Although some of their stuff Is really comparable to KILLING JOKE, BIRTHDAY PARTY, and even FLIPPER, a lot of people might find them a little derivative, but I think they’re a whole mess of fun. Makes you feel dirty just slapping them on the turntable.
