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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!
Probably the only English band to truly understand American garage trash, that wonderful mixture of R’n’B and white teen angst. These incredibly prolific guys couldn’t care less that it’s not 1963, whirling on in a world of their own fueled by surf, Mersey, DIDDLEY, KINK-dom, and KINGSMEN. Boss.
Both sides are up to the METEORS’ best standards. The A-side combines crypto-surf guitar and psychobilly, while the flip is an eerie cover of SAM THE SHAM’s hit. Echoes galore!
Back on the HC team, Vinyl Boogie has released a sizzling EP by this Berlin band. They play ultra-tight thrash with lots of melody and no fat. Four songs, all excellent.
Growling guitar havoc highlights this four-song Spanish EP with a sound similar to OLHO SECO. Power chords laced with chaotic-paced grinding makes for an interesting effect. Lyrics are translated on the inner sleeve, but the vocals are harsh with a rough edge that delivers the same bite as the guitar. A good dose to crank it up for raw vibrations.
It’s difficult to tell who’s doing what here, but both sides are powerfully done post-punk for the most part with song titles that describe both the lyrics and mood of the music: “Holocauste,” “1944,” “La Petite Horreur.”
An eerie, sullen filled slice of blue from Iceland with opposing male and female vocals. Very JOY DIVISION-ish in its attempt at a gloom-laden melody. Nice packaging as are all EPs through Diavlery Productions. Interesting and moody.
Scott says they sound like a cross between psychedelia and a trebly FLIPPER. Dogtowne says they’re pretentious pretenders to the VELVET UNDERGROUND’s second LP. Whatever, they do combine pop tunes with incredibly abrasive guitar noise and feedback to produce a highly listenable product.
Kinda folk-punk with catchy electric songs, not unlike a slightly less crazy SOFT BOYS. Poppy, but good guitar sound and not at all wimpy.
Containing some ex-members of STRES D.A., this band plays semi-tuneful thrash, unrelenting in pace and featuring raw and rapid lead guitar, hoarse vocals, and pounding toms. Well done.
Very English sounding, very female vocal sounding, very punk meets post-punk sounding. Seven songs, all chunky boppers with perky-jerky lyrics.
Smoking speedcore attack from Canada. Never expected this. Fast punching rhythms with metallic leads and mayhemic chord changes. Good vocals and drum smashing prove this LP to be one of the classic records that you can always pull out and play. First S.N.F.U., then DIRECT ACTION, and now HYPE—the Canadian assault is upon us!
HUNGRY FOR WHAT’s approach is molded by ’77 punk, but a certain sleekness of production imparts a contemporary feel to their songs. There’s some good music here; still, H.F.W. see-saw between moments of power and a sedate professionalism, with the latter winning out in most cases. A strong, yet unmoving release.
Thrashin’ Oi sounds from Germany. These tuneful tunes are delivered competently and powerfully, although there is definitely an amateurish garage quality to the playing, too. Can’t say anything about the lyrics, but I can say they’re definitely into their boots and rolled-up jeans.
Wall-to-wall, highly produced, powerfully delivered, and tightly played stop-and-go thrash. That sound generic enough? Nonetheless, these guys are good, do feature almost post-punk guitar work at times plus the tape comes with mini-zine Rancid Humanity.
The FALL are getting easier and easier to take on the first listen. This 45 chronicles a day in the life of a terminal loser over a scrappy, howling song with blasts of harmonica. This flip has the first cover tune they’ve ever done, and it draws more of a rockabilly sound out of this line-up.
Aaagh! It’s t-h-r-a-s-h, not t-r-a-s-h! Okay, now that that’s clear, onto the music. Most of the songs here are really well recorded, though there’s a few live ones with a slightly tinny sound. But all the songs shred—very powerful thrash!
The A-side is a pretty catchy, almost MOTÖRHEAD-type rockin’ metalish number with excellent lyrics. The flip is too plodding for my tastes, but again with good lyrics. While I don’t enjoy this brand of DISCHARGE as much as their earlier incarnation, at least the integrity of the thoughts is maintained.
Three post-punk tunes from this English band, all of which are fairly driving. I like “Ritual,” the best as it delivers the most oomph. For those into “death.”
Upbeat German punkers with a great sense of humor. They sing about the walking dead like it was an outtake from a Disney film. Lots of sing-along-style tunes with quick step guitars. Should appeal to MISFITS fans.
An interesting record from Mute, and definitely BIRTHDAY PARTY influenced. Did I say “influenced”? Why, it’s…Rowland Howard on guitar, Mick Harvey on drums, and Simon Bonny singing. There are some great tunes here: “Shaking Chill” is hopping and the rest grind on with apocalyptic moments characteristic of the style.
Clean live recording of the CULT MANIAX at their finest. Powerful Britpunk with crisp vocals in a chanting form. If you haven’t heard them before, they’re not thrash, just tight melodic aggression. But this live recording is too much; great sound.
Yeeeoowzza! This disc is a flailing sonic eruption! Fast teeth-gritting grinds of raw abrasive combustion with raunchy vocals that roar out in command. Sweden’s CRUDE SS storms six numbers so chaotic with a powerful raging beat that the power is the closest thing to actual destruction. One hot Swedish platter!
Denmark’s LE CRAP wanders through bewildering territory, indeed. While the guitar sound is hard and driving, the songs on this EP work with experimental song structures and off-beat percussion, with some unpleasant results. Not unlike France’s HUMAN BEINGS.
An organ-dominated ’60s punk sound in the Pacific Northwest tradition. Harmonies are okay, so’s the beat, but a bit more guitar is definitely called for. Too poppy.
Two of Brazil’s frontline HC bands share this live recording. CÓLERA are medium-to-fast-paced, while RATOS are more frantic. Both are tight but raw, in the music and vocals. Okay, if you’re into live recordings.
Unlike his former band SHOCKABILLY, Chadbourne’s solo efforts steer away from the head-first fuzzed-out psychedelic trips and goes for more personal (and political) subjects. There are some incredible lyrics here about nationalism, pornography, and criminals in coats and ties all delivered in a folky, sometimes spastic sound that really connects.
CARNAGE delves into a slower punk style on this release—an approach which unfortunately omits songwriting skill or instrumental punch. Some good lyric themes are addressed here, but the music is largely stolid. Too bad.
A very hot three-song release. “Seeing Through My Eyes” and “The Point of Agony” are especially good, capitalizing on metal punk with maxi-power and mini-solos plus sharp lyrics.
Various punk celebrities from the old days offer their talents for this album of slower, ’77-oriented material. The absence of energy in the tempos put me off initially, but there’s some very palatable SEX PISTOL-ian material here, albeit cleaner and more refined. A decent record.
They weren’t kidding, cuz this is a garage special. Kind of like a HALF JAPANESE goes punk. Enjoyable eleven tunes.
Somewhat garagy production, but still listenable. Features eight fast thrash tunes, pretty tight and melodic to boot. I think if they got into a decent studio they’d turn out something above average.
More tuneful than most Finnish thrash, this band employs melody, and clean production and playing; because of this, there’s more of a British feel to this six-song release. But by no means is this a sterile, plodding record; quite the contrary, it’s pretty strong medium-paced thrash and good listening.
A rockin’ minimalist guitar-oriented band here, who on the A-side sound like the BYRDS meet the FALL, and who are a bit less distinctive on the flip. Interesting.
Two defunct Chicago-area bands share the honors on this split EP. DEAD FINK produces raw but hook-filled punkers of which “Home in a Grave” is particularly outstanding; HAPPY TOONS alternate between a careening thrash assault and some weird metal-tinged structures, but they’re crude enough to get away with it. A surprisingly strong release from two relatively unknown outfits.
I guess this is where we start hitting the dross of Greg Shaw’s collection. Instead of great, nasty fuzzy punk songs from the ’60s, we’re treated to wimpy pop bands masquerading as hip political folk rock (aargh!). Although the two tracks by the GRAVEYARD 5 are pretty cool, it’s getting harder and harder to recommend this series when there are excellent compilations elsewhere.
Nine Garden State beauties (A.O.D., STETZ, CHILDREN IN ADULT JAILS, SACRED DENIAL, MY 3 SONGS, CYANAMID, PLEASED YOUTH, BODIES IN PANIC, BEDLAM) blossom forth in a well-cultivated comp. No rotten tomatoes here—just plump pickins. Jersey’s finest.
While most of these tracks fall into the category of “good; but weak production,” you still get some pretty rippin’ tunes from MIA, DECRY, ROACH MOTEL, and DISORDERLY CONDUCT. The tracks from NAKED RAYGUN, OUTPATIENTS. and D.I. are very hot. Special live recordings from the MISFITS, JFA, and the GERMS. Cool poster included, too.
This third Throbbing Lobster comp again contains mostly pop or garage bands with some noteworthy moments—being the PRIME MOVERS, and the re-emergence of CLASSIC RUINS and WILLIE LOCO ALEXANDER, and a good track from LAST STAND. Humor Dep’t: MIGHTY IONS’ “Pedro Morales” to the tune of “California Uber Alles.” Band to watch for according to Dave Scott, who says “VOLCANO SUNS will be the next HÜSKER DÜ.”
Excellent hardcore with melody. Powerfully delivered in both slower and faster songs, the band provides great lyrics and sentiments as well. A bit of reggae is mixed in, breaking up things nicely. Good debut, and a credit to their genre.
This is a live recording, and the songs are versions of material that has appeared on all previous 12″-size WIPERS releases, as well as a few newies. WIPERS are a straightforward, driving rock’n’roll band with punk overtones and attitudes. And like a previous straightforward band, CREEDENCE CLEARWATER, WIPERS sound very much alike both live and in the studio.
This three-song release, their second, again combines PRETENDERS-like vocals and pop/punk arrangements, but is a bit more punk in style. Excellent recording.
A new band from the East Bay area that features an action power sound with metallic hooks that really drives forth. Medium-paced with deep vocals over a buzzsawing guitar sound that frequently has different chords. Has a unique flavor to it, with similarities to C.O.C., BLAST, and so on. Good stuff to watch for.
Very intelligent and cynically optimistic lyrics are combined with intense slow and fast HC to produce another excellent NY release. (For more info see article this issue.) Right up there with REAGAN YOUTH, this one should be gotten.
The A-side sounds like ’76 power-pop, not unlike the FAST or FURYS. The flip is much more interesting, combining original vocal tricks with more modern pop/punk Á la early BOW WOW WOW. Not bad.
Usually, I’m a sucker for murky, mysterious pop and I wanted to like this a lot more than I do. After their last 7″, I figured these guys would be ready to take on the likes of the EATS or LOVE TRACTOR, but this recording really wears thin after a couple of playings. Not necessarily bad, but maybe a little uninspired.
The compositions on this release from UNITED MUTATION sacrifice the thrashiness of their debut for a spookier, more atmospheric approach—but it works. Churning arrangements, an aggressive HC energy, and those trademark laryngitis vocals team up to good effect especially on “Take Your Pick.” Solid and recommendable.
On the A-side, TRUE WEST showcases a neo-generic pop style that’s so soft and unassuming that it left me completely uninvolved. The STOOGES cover on the flip, though, musters up some excitement despite the band’s continual tendency to squelch its own power. Lacks heart.
The kind of record Jello would appreciate—really quirky, jazzy, thrashy, experimental punk. While not imitative of MINUTEMEN in any way, said band’s fans should be able to relate to this.
I thought that SOCIAL UNREST had lost that special spark in recent times, but lately, both live and on this new vinyl, they’re back in fine form. This slab contains HC of all tempos, and with their new personnel and Jason on vocals finally gelling, they’re a force to be reckoned with again. Excellent release.
This Portland talent and brain of the WIPERS has filled this LP with ballads. Tough lyrics, as is his trademark, as well as strummin’ that ol’ geetar. I’ve always been one of Greg’s biggest fans and when I’m sad and need consolation, this will be on the turntable. I wouldn’t live without it.
