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!
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.
Sensational dwellings into the mystical realm of haunting rhythms. Strong similarities to CHRISTIAN DEATH, PHAIDIA mist forth a long LP’s worth of magical, creeping, abrasive, and deadly harmonies that capture the spirit. Good instrumentation and frenzied vocals. If you can get this, it’s a bloody feast.
Out of left field (literally), this Yugoslav band has done a great job of resurrecting the best aspects of ’76-type punk. It’s a hard-rockin’, R’n’B-based punk style, reminiscent of JOHNNY MOPED or some early NY punk and proto-punk bands. Despite those roots though, PARTIBREJKERS manage not to be derivative, and almost every track has some spark of originality.
Hardcore that’s based on R’n’B, extrapolated through ’60s punk, early ’70s rockin’ blues filtered through HEARTBREAKERS into the ’80s. In other words, imagine a totally punked out version of CHOCOLATE WATCHBAND’s “Let’s Talk About Girls” in French and you’ve got the idea.
A pretty uneventful outing for these normally exciting guys. Their cover of CREEDENCE’s classic is no improvement at all on the original, while the flip seems pretty uninspired as well. C’mon guys, get psycho!
This collection of the prototypical French punk band is not to be missed. Their sound (raw guitar and vocals combined with a rhythm machine) set the standard for “the French sound,” evident still in many punk and hardcore bands. Contains LP and 45 material, as well as their later incarnation as METAL BOYS.
MELLAKKA’s second EP continues where the first left off, storming with fast Finnish beats in the traditional set by LAMA and KAAOS. This is high-caliber stuff and has that continual punch that keeps your ears attached to it. The beat is titanic and the guitar roars, vox effects work well also. Rate it a 9+.
More “electric Q-tip” music from the neo-noise boys from England. A-side contains a JESUS AND MARY CHAIN meets the BYRDS noise/pop ditty, while the flip is more in the ultra-treble tradition.
Is this really from Greece? Countrified rockabilly meets SUICIDE for three rockin’ tracks that are hotly produced with neat psych effects here and there. OK.
Very well-done and punchy pop-punk with femme vocals. All four tracks rock hard but maintain great melody. Unfortunately, one of them, the title track, is marred by the addition of horns. Otherwise, fine effort.
A great new LP by an interesting (and now proving without a doubt) diverse band. Clean, catchy rhythms and distinctive melodies that lean toward the post-punk end of things. But they incorporate gothic, folk, psychedelic, and especially the punk element. Side one is full of great melodies, and side two rocks out. Recommended.
Great, punchy, high-energy English ’77-punk with hooks that even a depressed Jeff Bale could lay into. With a vocalist who sounds like a wide-awake IGGY POP and wonderful power-punk songs, this is the band to watch for. Good stuff.
Formerly PLASMID, this band drives to sheer quickness of distortion and abrasive thrash. The combination of DISORDER meets WHITE CROSS is how this band sounds, and at that level, your eyes will pop out since this rips. This will be the next cult band. Forget DRI. Here’s HERESY. ’Nuff said.
Mark E. Smith has always opted for making ugly, twisted music during the career of the FALL, so I expect him to be sacking just about everyone in the band after this record. They continue with hypnotic drone songs with sly pop melodies, with lyrical lashings against middle-class mores and attitudes.
Better-than-average power-pop from France. There’s a hint of ’50s rock ’n’ roll, GROOVIES-type pop (late period), and surf.
Another “noise band” that has managed to get better technically without sacrificing anxiety or power. Has the original mix of “Yu-Gung” that was released on an EP this year, and there’s even an angelic (or demonic?) choir style on the vocals that gives a neat haunting quality to their sound.
Grinding, spooky stuff with a heavy drum beat that is haunting in its abrasive persuasion. Combines the flavors of AMEBIX and 1919, for which you get a dark, thrusting sound. Eerie, sinister, the DEFORMED raise three cryptic melodies from the depths, using many effects to full advantage. A creepy delight and a band to take notice of.
Quite an auspicious debut for this hard-rocking outfit. DEADLOCK hits with powerful yet varied hardcore, playing tight as hell and with melody as well as speed. Holds your attention.
This is the Canadian band not the Aussie one, and their debut contains what I’ll call the “Western Canadian” punk sound with the DOA rock ’n’ roll influence. When I heard em live last year, they were straight ahead thrash, but their debut contains eight songs that rip along with a combination of melodic thrash, DOA, and even a sort of DEAD BOYS influence at times. Like fellow Canadians the ASEXUALS, lots of good hooks and choruses, and good lyrics, too.
Hard to tell what’s what on both sides, but it doesn’t really matter as this bugger is excellent. Besides a very stimulating eight-page booklet/cover, the music is riveting as well, making good the band’s stated desire to not just entertain but inspire. Get it.
Recorded back when men were men and the COCKNEY REJECTS were the heirs apparent to the PISTOLS sound, I was hoping for a real knockout. While most of the tracks here are decent, they are largely studio doodlings, outtakes, jamming, etc., and rarely approach the awesome power and impact of C.R.’s first two LPs. For collectors.
CHAOS U.K. represented here with a pretty tight rehearsal, featuring the current line-up doing all the faves and some new aaaarrghabilly classics. This a collection of great stuff for all you out there who eat up those cassette-only jobs. Don’t miss this scourging delight.
Interesting. Solid pop-punk music-making distinguishes this enjoyable three-track EP. The title track is quite an engaging ditty, though I was caught by the vocal harmonies and lyric satire of “Heroin,” and a hard guitar sound bolsters the power of all the tracks. Recommended.
The BIRTHDAY PARTY have left their mark on much music played today, and this comp collects some fine odds and ends, like “Release the Bats” and “Junkyard,” along with harder-to-find tracks like the unreleased “The Plague” or the alternate version of “Friendcatcher.” A treat for the true fan, or a good introduction.
This reminds me of early raw, mid-tempo punk mixed with traditional garage rock ’n’ roll. The second side does offer a faster speed with most of the songs, but still…well, it’s been done before. The band does rip on the surf tunes, which makes this tape more exciting. Overall, not too bad.
At their best, ACTH show a real ability for crunching mid-tempo punk with nifty vocal choruses and guitar riffing. Another up-and-coming Italian band which deserves their chance at vinyl. Good stuff. (Does ACTH stand for “andrenocorticotropic hormone”?)
Besides an outrageously funny and lewd cover, this comp delivers two tracks each by eight SoCal bands, most who hail from the Long Beach area; RHINO 39, VANDALS, RED BERET, CREWD, FALLEN IDOLS, SECRET HATE, NIP DRIVERS, and TARGET OF DEMAND turn in surprisingly unraucous tracks, mostly in the mid-tempo HC vein. Decent, but not mind-blowing.
From Texas comes this compilation which features bands from across the country, with the exception of Italy’s RAW POWER. The majority of the material is in the thrash vein and comes from previously released demos or vinyl. Some standouts include MORAL DISGUST, AGNOSTIC FRONT, CHRONIC DISORDER, VERBAL ASSAULT, and ILL REPUTE.
