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!
Decent-to-excellent sound quality, this tape is an area compilation (see German scene report for listing of bands). 90% thrash, lots of energy, and a welcome sign of a thriving small scene.
Very strange. This package is incredibly elaborate: sturdy box enclosure, 84-page book detailing the history and discography of Japanese punk/hardcore in color, and typically wonderful Japanese punk graphics—all leading up to…a six-band cassette? Yep. Two songs each by LAUGHIN’ NOSE, GAS, GISM, WILLARD, LIP CREAM, and COBRA. Not that the music is bad (it’s not), but somehow I’d have expected the tape itself to be as comprehensive as the literature. Still, a collector’s item.
A variety of underground German HC bands share this tape, including TIN CAN ARMY, IDIOTS, ANI(X)VAX, and eleven others. The sound quality is adequate, the songs respectable, and the tape’s a good value for those curious about the prolific German hardcore scene.
On first listening, I didn’t think that many covers on this neo-’60s garage collection cut it, but I’m changing my mind right now. Classy acts like the CANNIBALS, X-MEN, and MILKSHAKES are joined by equally raw outfits like KILLED IN ACTION, VERTEX, and BAD KARMA BECKONS. How could a record with a band called LEGENDARY VEGETARIANS on it be bad?
No name to this Japanese collection, but at least the bands are identifiable : the SEXUAL, CONFUSE, JIGA, and M78 (actually a “fuck” band with members of GAS, GASTUNK, GHOUL, and SYSTEMATIC DEATH). All the tracks on this EP shred, with noise thrash and DISORDER-type thrash prevailing. Great!
Mostly high-quality recordings of high-quality bands, like UPRIGHT CITIZENS, BEDRÖVLERZ, DEPRESSION, CHRONIC SUBMISSION, AOD, EXECUTE, DEZERTER, HEIMAT-LOS, SOLUCION MORTAL, OFFENDERS, SVART FRAMTID, etc. Good collection.
Three bands share this effort. RIP from Spain, HERESIE from France, and VI from Denmark. The sound quality is okay but not excellent, but the music still shreds.
Quite an international line-up, starring UNDERAGE, DEZERTER, KROMOSOM 4, SCAPEGOATS, UNNATURAL SILENCE, FOAD, NEON CHRIST, BLOEDBAD, PROTEST!, INFERNO, and more. It’s non-stop thrash, for the hyper among us.
This is the second release from an English band that has superb garagability. Both sides here have great hooks with the A-side being slower and starker; it’s the poppier number here. The flip is faster, more upbeat, and has a great grinding guitar break. A must for psych-pop garage fans.
Crisp, tuneful rockabilly (invested with a rich musical and lyric sense of humor) melds with punk on this bright four-tracker. It’s such infectious, hysteric, clever fun that I defy anyone to keep their feet from tapping during their three upbeat originals, or their delightful rockabilly reworking of the RAMONES’ “Blitzkrieg Bop.” A must-get.
Competent, but ultimately unexciting post-punk. Sparse, GANG OF FOUR-ish tunes, but nothing that catches fire. But then, maybe it’s not supposed to—after all, it’s from Iceland. Shut up, Tim.
Punk with a rockabilly twist, or visa versa—it’s hard to tell. In any case, it’s a modern, yet old sound—something the French are apparently the best at, these days.
This one didn’t really set me on fire. Fast with crusty production, they trade vocalists with each song and one of the singers manages to sound a little like Joey Shithead. Could be compared to BGK or the OFFENDERS if their stuff were a little more catchy.
Great rocked-out pop-punk. Very straightforward, driving, fuzzed-out R’n’R… catchy and powerful. B-side is not the VELVET UNDERGROUND song.
I like this record…a lot. This German outfit comes blazing out with great stuttering thrash guitar. Their overall sound is rough and raspy but still manages to keep a controlled fury. They sing most of the songs in English so that you can sing along.
SVEA SKANDAL contributes four adequate compositions on this EP, and despite some good musicianship and vocal choruses, it doesn’t quite connect. “Nar Solen Gatt Ner” comes close to a spirit of aggressive catchiness, but this record basically contains medium- and fast-tempo punk with the vocals imitating the chord changes. Okay.
A six-song mid-tempo punk effort that’s unmistakably British. While it’s a change of pace from thrash, it’s about as “progressive” and “new direction-y” as metal thrash claims to be. Enjoyable, but definitely older-sounding.
Both of these 4+ minute sides are definitely in the BIRTHDAY PARTY post-punk vein—screaming vocals, punchy but varying sparse rhythms, etc., etc. “Modern” but abrasive.
Great psychedelic touches add a lot to this release. Abrupt intervention and special effects turn good raw, mid-tempo punk into something special. Neat female (I think) harmonies remind me a bit of SIOUXSIE or S.F.’s MUTANTS, but this goes beyond.
These two refreshing slices of Swedish punk revive a ’77 sensibility without losing a mite of the hard-driving energy needed to excite in the ’80s. “Ni Ska Få Ångra” in particular maintains an invigorating pace and style that updates the work of older Swedish outfits like EBBA GRON. A fine single.
Mid-tempo Brit-punk that’s fairly energetic, though not thoroughly tight. Somewhat hindered by mediocre musical production, the lyrics do come across here—and they’re basically personal/political. Decent.
More “uncompromising” noise from this gang. Uncompromising can mean “they suck musically and don’t give a shit because they just wanna make annoying sounds and get their highly intelligent and political message across.” Repetitive, but intense.
The A-side is a steady but slow rockin’ moody tune with full vocal choruses, echoey vocals, and powerful back-up. Definitely catchy and non-wimpy. The flip blasts out a sorta R’n’B-based rocker with cool hiccup-y vocals and singin’ guitar, much in the vein of the early FLAMIN GROOVIES.
Some of the CRASS-releated people return to short songs. Lots of emotions penetrate these fifty minute-or-under tunes. These short, snappy numbers, though, depart from, say, earlier CRASS or the MINUTEMEN in that they’re…classical music. Not classical punk, but the Real McCoy. Well, if you saw Amadeus, you know the music biz really hasn’t changed all that much in the last several hundred years. Right?
Snappy post-punk sounding like BIRTHDAY PARTY or PREFIX on speed with vocals like SKREWDRIVER. Weird, huh? They’d go over big in the NY art-damage scene.
While “Lois” fails by virtue of its numbing repetitiveness, the flip is enjoyable fast punk—though rather inexpertly produced; if the recording had more punch, the song would be a memorable bit of ’77-ish punk. An okay single.
From Italy with the potential to be viciously insane, PUTRID FEVER storms with a good musical selection and sharp guitars, but the recording is so mix-matched, it loses the flavor of what should really occur. Get PUTRID FEVER a good recording and look out!
PROFAN RELIK muster a sharp, buzzy guitar attack on this nifty three-tracker. The mid- to fast-tempo punk tunes here sustain their distinctiveness with a clever blend of offbeat guitar riffing and BUZZCOCKS-style guitar solo figures; in this vein, “Esam Kvar” is especially effective. This disc really grabbed my interest…recommended.
POTENTIAL THREAT’s second release continues the aggressive thrash-paced mayhem with good female vocals. Storming music that is nice and fast, well-approached with strong lyric structure and verses. POTENTIAL THREAT is a tight outfit and should please many.
I really like this Scottish outfit’s first vinyl offering. The title cut is sort of a folky, undistorted garage pop song with moody anti-war lyrics; “Do They Care” is a strong early CLASH-style punker; and “System of War” is a beautiful and melancholy mid-tempo chant. Varied and evocative.
Most of the six songs included here are a bit annoying. While the instrumentation is of a ’60s derivation—kind of more flaccid EASYBEATS—the vocals are too “clean” for my taste. But on one song, “Car Crash,” it all works together, producing one eerie classic. Worth the price alone.
From what I can make out, they’re basically the same band comprised of three female German punks. Music is in that “sort-of-not-playing-their-instruments” style like the SLITS. The production is quite freaky with a spooky mix of echoed vocals and drums mixed way up front and guitars way in the back. I like it and I’m not sure why.
There’s a lot of jazz and metal influences in PEGGIO PUNX’s approach to punk, something that doesn’t excite me too much. If you’re into fancy bass picking and jazzy riffs, though, you’ll go nuts. Otherwise…
Strongly political (see interview this issue), OI POLLOI are a punks/skins unity band that pound out medium- to fast-paced punk that’s heavily bass-oriented, has lots of great screaming, and some nasty guitar noise. Uncompromising.
Rapid-paced Oi-type hardcore, complete with catchy sing-along chorus, ripping guitars and drums, and the inevitable Japanese gruff vocals. Good.
Sort of like a CRAMPS-gone-funk meets JESUS AND MARY CHAIN. Lots of thumping beats, gruff vocals, and noise galore.
Have they heard FLIPPER in Japan? Actually, that’s not really fair or accurate, as this band has a lot more elements of punk, metal, and melody in their dissecting approach. But there’s something in the intentionally sluggish approach to warrant the comparison.
While at times the synth can overwhelm, there are several tracks that really drive hard. This is art-damaged punk in the tradition of early TUXEDOMOON, with a dash of METAL URBAIN thrown in. Rockin’ weird.
The majority of the tunes here are just that—mid-tempo and pretty powerful older-syle punk. Every now and then they launch into, and prove they can play, faster stuff too. Excellent production and good listening, and comes with a bonus flexi, too.
More straightforward fast punk than their debut EP, this one rips. The addition (I believe) of the COMES vocalist adds some real punch to the singing attack (lots of back-up choruses, too), and this all-female combo has left the ranks of the amateurs. Hot, from Japan.
KOTTGROTTORNA produces some respectable power-pop with this, their second EP, and this band’s hallmarks are unforgettable vocal harmonies and choruses. “TT Tass” is especially strong, though the two songs on the flip demonstrate this band’s consistency. Considerably “lighter” than their contemporaries, this record is still good in its own right.
Unrelenting and hammering, these three songs combine power with an intensive mood of uptempo gloom. The title song is my fave, with its repetitive guitar refrain. Great production, and as Pus says, great cover art by Naomi.
Pure second album CLASH-type melodic politico-punk. I think you know that I’m describing. They do the genre well.
The production on this classic transforms a garage thrash band into a psychotic mess. Atonal thrash with inhuman vocals put through some kind of mixing madness, producing totally crazed rock’n’noise. Twisted!
Great name for a French band, but the music doesn’t measure up as well. For the most part, they’re a poor-man’s RAMONES, delving into ’78 pop-punk. It’s tight and well-produced, but not really exciting. A couple of covers (MC5, KINKS), but the best track, “In Case of Sunrise,” has a BO DIDDLEY beat with lotsa raving.
Nice pulsating beats in a haunting post-punk harmony with eerie sax effects. Female vocals sounding like SIOUXSIE or Anja of X-MAL that creep along with the flowing rhythms. Sharp, distorted guitar sound with a powerful drum mix. Interesting but jazzy goodies from Italy, with similarities to early X-MAL DEUTSCHLAND.
The singer from the STALIN’s new solo release is a diverse effort. While it certainly won’t appeal to the “hardcore or die” crowd, it may—or may not—be of interest to those with more catholic tastes. Featured are a “new wavey” remix of an earlier ENDO song (“School’s End”), an atmospheric post-punker (“Water Sister”), and two punkish cuts, the best of which is “The Stalin.”
Some intense, tuneful crazed thrash. Hot production and tight command are very important in this effort, but as with most Swedish thrash, it’s the melodic songs that make it all really stick. A good one.
Translating as “Poison Pig,” I expected a bit more weirdness than supplied, but this slab of plastic contains some neat tracks. They can do thrash, punk, proto-punk—all with verve and gnarly-ass vocals and guitar. Reminds me a bit of early PERE UBU.
DECAY explores the grungy edges of messy, chaotic thrash in a way that makes most Italian thrash outfits sound disciplined. Tim says this record sounds like it was recorded on their third rehearsal, and that may not be too far from the real truth.
