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!
The ultra-gruff vocals on a lot of Japanese hardcore may seem tedious reading about or cliché to some, but you really have to hear them to “appreciate” this new standard. DEADLESS MUSS provides a good example, backed by a wired and loose aggregation. Good.
A beautiful cover photograph greets your eyes to this slice of horror harmony in gothic punk. Smooth melodic, with that big audience appeal yet still holding those eerie dealings of the DAMNED. The raw craziness might be gone, but what exists taunts you with robust rhythms. Surprising how a band that could do “Neat Neat Neat” does a spaghetti western-type ballad in “Shadow of Love.” Again, this isn’t punk—or is it?
As with many other of the current crop of Italian HC bands, there’s definite jazziness to their music as well as totally gnarly vocals, tight musicianship, and plenty of emotion and political awareness. Both male and female vocals lead the charge.
The A-side is an unbearable, slow, long, tedious bluesy number never to be heard again. The flip is more in a melodic but tough punk style—OK, but not at all exciting. Disappointing.
This, CHARTA 77’s second album, continues in the fast punk/occasional thrash groove they’ve established. Mostly tuneful material with a steady (sometimes too much so) beat, chorus back-up singing, and every now and then a song that jumps out from the rest. Good, but not awesome.
The first US release of Australia’s CELIBATE RIFLES contains eight tracks from their first Aussie 7″ and LP. Half super rocking punk Á la early SAINTS or RADIO BIRDMAN, and half hard-edged ballads.
Cleanly produced but noisy post-punk. Most of the songs are pretty dirgy, with a few that are quite driving. The music itself is powerful and churning, although I found the vocals a bit on the annoying side.
Again, Mr. BRAGG returns with more of his biting social commentaries set to punky folkish music. Whether the themes are overtly political (like the cover of “What Side Are You On”) or more personal (like “Richard”), the lyrics will delight, and unless you demand the full sound of a traditional band, you’ll probably find the music stimulating, too.
Totally excellent melodic punk/thrash record. This, their second LP, is no letdown at all, cruising along the autobahn at 120 km/hr, powered by non-stop punk fuel. No knocks, no sputtering—great ride.
Tim might say that “this sounds like KILLDOZER meets COLIN NEWMAN watching an SPK video en route to a concert by KING SUNNY ADE.” Suitably confused? Join the club. This is highly original, intensely percussive music that defies categorization; some of the tracks, like “Ostrich” and “Soul on Ice,” have really grown on me. Real good.
Highly produced and accomplished pop-punk with punch. Catchy songs are the hallmark, done in the older but quite powerful punk style; this four-songer from Japan (not the LA group) is excellent.
As if a soundtrack for an ultra-bizarre horror treat, AMEBIX scorches down with a deep, haunting sound while the guitar and bass churn out some cauldronistic spells of eerie havoc. Vocals are booming and strong, pushing with character, and Arise is superbly recorded and shows the improvement of the AMEBIX sound still as powerful as ever. One of the best of 1985. Get it!
ALIEN SEX FIEND’s musical style concentrates on a gritty, vaguely spooky rock/post-punk approach without any discernable emphasis on songwriting. Nine songs appear here. Only the rockabilly-tinged “Boneshaker” connects with its up-front percussion and psychotic echo effects. Nothing special here at all.
At times this is rather usual mid-tempo Brit-punk, with some of the intros being more exciting than the body of the song itself. But then at times they surprise with their sudden bursts of extra excitement and energy. Also, this is a live tape of this anarcho-punk band, and a studio might produce a much livelier product.
This band features Peter Prescott of MISSION OF BURMA, and is indeed reminiscent of those days, but this is a little less tame and more likeable. They are being touted as the “new HÜSKER DÜ,” which I’d like to avoid doing but it’s incredibly hard not to. Nevertheless, the VOLCANO SUNS are unto themselves in imagination and talent. This record is fabulous.
A US compilation consisting of IBEX, VOA, BUTT ACNE, JUVENILE BEHAVIOR, BEDLAM, A.O.D., MAGGOT SANDWICH, LONELY CROWD, and MUTES. Varying sound quality and musicianship, but overall an OK comp.
A whole range of anarcho music, mostly in the British anarchist band tradition, but also including sparse post-punk, poetry, and semi-industrial—all of it coming off pretty well. R.A.F. PUNK, ICONOCLAST, INDIREKT, HAGAR THE WOMB, DECADENT FEW are among the choices. Some disparity in sound quality, but most is up to snuff. Good job.
A domestic US comp featuring VATICAN COMMANDOS, VERBAL ASSAULT, CAPITLE, LOST GENERATION, SACRED DENIAL, PLASTIC BANGS, and CANCEROUS GROWTH from the East; BURNING WITCHES and MINISTRY OF TRUTH from the West; and TOEJAM from the Southwest. Good sound quality and good studio production are the call of the hours, as are the performances themselves. Well done.
From an underground movie that stars JOAN JETT, TEX (of the HORSEHEADS), Derf Scratch (FEAR), and El Duce (MENTORS). Includes incidental music, dialogue, and some pretty good tunes from SOCIAL DISTORTION, TEX AND THE HORSEHEADS, MENTORS, JOHANNA WENT, and a killer track from DR. KNOW. Although there are some cool tracks here, it’s not the kind of thing you’re going to slap on the turntable too often.
Four of the Northwest’s best thrash bands put together on a 7″ with excellent, powerful production. POISON IDEA, still one of the raspiest, gnarliest thrash bands, careens through a track called “Laughing Boy.” And both LOCKJAW and FINAL WARNING have crunching, muscular tracks, while the song by E13 draws more from the ANGRY SAMOANS. Buy this record now.
A bizarre East meets West combo. One side contains D.C. area bands (EXHUMED LUNCH, SPASTIC RATS, MALICE, G.I., UNITED MUTATION, etc.) and the flip are all from Albuquerque, New Mexico (JERRY’S KIDS, AKA, WONGS, and more). Slightly uneven in sound equalization, but overall, it’s an enjoyable thrash/noise experiment.
From the graphic look of the cover and band names, I would’ve thought this was a largely punk record. Not so. Fully two-thirds of it is various forms of new wave—some listenable, a lot not. It’s only with the last eight or so tracks on side two that we get some punk, with cuts from many bands previously not recorded such as HICKOIDS, SHOCKHEAD, CRIMINAL CREW, HAPPY DEATH, IDEALS, and JEFFERSONS (ex-DICKS minus Gary). Mixed bag.
This mini-comp proves the D.C. scene is indeed alive and kicking with six tracks, all by different bands. The standards are solid all-around, though the songs by MARGINAL MAN, UNITED MUTATION, and GRAY MATTER seemed especially impassioned. Good record.
This band had former members of SLEEPERS and NEGATIVE TREND, and this record was released after they had broken up for a couple of years. A very hard band to peg, because they play too slow for the punks and too loud for everybody else. But they had a great thundering guitar sound that was mixed with delicate, chiming pieces that had a dreamy quality to it.
Another guitar/garage effort from Austin and this one delivers more into the area of GREEN ON RED and a harder MEAT PUPPETS. I even detect a little bit of a Doug Sahm influence on the vocals. There’s a real nice mixture of raunchy guitars and psychedelic structure, but these guys are great live.
Another great Florida garage punk band. I don’t know if this breed of trashiness and psychosis is a by-product of the heat and humidity down there, but for some reason that state produces a lot of entertaining outfits with semi-retarded lyrics. These guys sound more than a little like the ANGRY SAMOANS, which is the highest sort of compliment.
Billing themselves as an “industrial hardcore half-breed,” I’d say they’re more on the industrial side of life. While there are some post-punk influences, the noise/mechanical factor is predominant. This is a “live” tape, and well-done if you’re into modern pain.
Poppy garage band with ’60s bubblegum sound meets ’60s punk. Organ sound and lightweight guitar characterize their “teen sound.” OK cover of “These Boots Are Made for Walking.”
This band combines the sneering sarcasm of punk with bursts of mid-tempo energy, and it’s the humor that makes this effort interesting. The frantic “Running Wild” contains some power-chord abrasiveness; the other five tracks lack a distinctive punchiness. Not great, not bad.
Wrestling Hardcore, folks. Yep, all you pencilneck geeks will wanna snap this mutha up to show how on top of things ya really are. Musically, good blues meets punk. Enjoyable.
Continuing along with political/topical material, the RAMONES hit on Ronnie’s trip to the German cemetery with SS dead. The song (B-side is off LP) is a medium tempo rocker, a catchy tune that grows and grows and grows and grows and grows on you! Great!
This reunion was recorded last year with all original members intact. This is the band that helped define the sweaty, cheesy punk sounds of the late ’60s which later inspired a ton of other bands. This recording is full of their old fire, and any true fan of the LYRES, FLESHTONES, or any new underground garage bands must have this tape.
Rapid-fire ’77-ish experimental synth punk Á la SCREAMERS or early TUXEDOMOON. There’s a definite edge to both the music and lyrics, and although the songs are long and repetitious, there’s a mania that sustains interest. Dark, but not overwhelmingly depressing.
Mykel Board loves this band.
PINK FLOYD-ish psych from the Milwaukee monsters—says there’s three songs on the label, but really it’s just one plus some noise. Comes inside the latest issue of Bucketful of Brains.
Hard, medium-tempo thrash seems to be PARTY OWLS’ forte, though I was far more enamored of their goofy/retarded lyrics. Of the five tracks here, “Competition Skank” kicks up the requisite energy to be a winner; the other songs just sit there. Still, an above-average, entertaining release.
Is this the “fusion” music of punk? OTTO’S CHEMICAL LOUNGE pounds out these eight songs, and depending on whether or not you view this as a plus or minus, incorporate funk, jazz, rock, etc. into the tunes. Personally, I find it a bit annoying, especially on the covers of the GROOVIES’ “Slow Death” and the classic rocker “Shakin’ All Over.” I’ll take the originals, straight up, thank you.
The OUTLETS are aiming for FLAMIN’ GROOVIES territory on this one, but it didn’t really hit it on the nose. Instead of the songs charging along with melodic leads and galloping rhythms, it gets mixed up in its own tweeness and gets nowhere fast. Check out their comp tracks first.
At times metallish thrash, at times straight-ahead. Young and undeveloped as far as individual sound goes, this is a fairly generic Mystic-type release, giving a new band a starting chance to get some attention and develop. OK.
One of the East Coast’s new wave of neo-mod groups. I personally like raucous mod blasting with a flailing guitar, but these are precisely the qualities that NEW BREED lacks. They spend too much time on melodies and harmonic vocals, and ignore the all-important crunching sound. Aspiring mods should spend less time listening to the late JAM and more time listening to the early WHO and the debut singles by the JOLT, PURPLE HEARTS, and CHORDS.
Even though this is ancient material from a band long gone, it is representative of one of Boston’s finest outfits at its time. Holding the distinct Boston characteristics heard in GANG GREEN, SSD, DYS, and more, NEGATIVE FX packed strong musical combustion with hoarse vocal deliveries. Rapid, powerful, and totally enjoyable, NFX is a classic Boston band but this should have come out at its time before all the duplications arose.
Hot shit! You thought their past records were great, well here’s 19 tracks that are rockin’, thrashin’, imaginative, and catchy. The slower songs have a catchy early ’77 pop-punk sound, and the thrash just rips. A good mix that shows that NOTA are expanding their boundaries and coming of age as a style to US hardcore.
A 100% improvement over their recent 12″, this rocks out. Lotsa fuzz, cool tunes, and even the organ isn’t had. Only beef I have with all these neo-’60s bands is the lyrics—dumb boy/girl stuff. Otherwise, this is boss.
Yes, it’s really the DEBBIE BOONE schlock classic, but here adopted to a neo-rock format—and with no small success. The flip, however, has a driving guitar sound and stands on its own as solid alternative rock. (They also have a recommendable cassette, Streets of Poison, available; good material and excellent sound quality.) Good band.
Unlikely name for a great thrash band. Actually they’re more than a thrash band, combining funk, rap, and lots of odds and ends, but all delivered with power, gusto, and a great gruff singer. Excellent.
LDS straddles the fence between two genres: portentous horror rock and mid- to fast-tempo thrash. Certainly a tight outfit, this band doesn’t seem to have that sense for unique HC compositions—probably because they don’t really exploit the possibilities of either genre. Uneventful.
There’s a clutch of manic, ultra-fast thrash on this EP—some of it well up to DRI speed and even faster. Admittedly, the recording could be hotter and much of the guitar wanking could have been excised, but this record contains enough unspoiled moments to make it well worthwhile. Good basic release.
Neo-’60s pop with a dash of psych. Reminds me a bit of the HOLLIES, with good vocals and harmonics, but not too much edge.
This hand includes late ’60s pop-psych and rock influences, as did many fellow Midwestern bands of that era itself. Sometimes it works, sometimes not. On the single, it doesn’t really click (too poppish), but on the free promotion tape you can write away for, the garage side does come out much stronger. Different (now).
Abrasive, driving post-punk. Lots of guitar, sparse but full production, rhythms, and depressed lyrics. Is there something “D.C.” about this still? Perhaps, because despite the “down” aspects mentioned above, there is still an upbeatness to it all. Can’t put my finger on it—not sure I want to.
