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!
This is a good garage pop band that doesn’t come off obnoxious. They manage to switch easily from an early PAUL REVERE ripping guitar sound to an easy chiming BYRDS sound. Although I like this record a lot, I’d still like to see a little crustier production.
There’s a decidedly jazzy feel to the thrash this band delivers. I can’t really put my finger on it, but it does set them apart in a way. No, it’s the guitar and drumming; though they’re both frenetically fast, it is jazzy as well. Hear it for yourself, because this is something of a breakthrough, different from the MINUTEMEN.
This band consistently defies categories. More than hardcore. More than rock. More than experimental. And this LP blazes out with a fury that’s sharp, clean, and loud as fuck. The sound on this release is more concise and focused than earlier stuff but doesn’t sacrifice any of their drive. Possibly one of America’s most important bands.
About half of the songs on this tape are carbon copy covers of IGGY POP (“Five Foot One”), JOY DIVISION (a priceless version of “Dead Souls”), and even the likes of BUTTHOLE SURFERS and BLACK FLAG. The original numbers are sporadically funny, too, sounding something like a R’n’R version of the MENTORS. This tape is almost so bad, it’s good.
Three of these four tracks really make it, as they are strongly laced with power. Two are slow/medium paced, but deliver a great dose of punk, musically and lyrically. “Whose Power” is a faster cut, but still maintains that depth of strength. Good job.
Admittedly recorded on a shitty four-track, you can still get a decent feel for this band, and their zeal comes through. They’re into powerful thrash, and I hope that they soon do some better recordings.
Virginia’s answer to ADRENALIN O.D. This is wild, crazy stuff that is abrasive and raw, yet still maintains an exhilarating power. Lyric content is sometimes hilarious to uproarious laughter. Then, there’s the serious side. Effective guitar work with good drum arrangements adds special punches along with a Keith Morris-vocal screaming that makes this entire 21-song LP a fun release. One of the better US releases of late from a new, up-and-coming band.
We’ve got the mandatory SPK and TEST DEPT, who are featured on every one of these tapes. Clever packaging, however, belies the Sominex inside; poor quality sound, too. Well, three strikes and you’re out, but that’s only two. OK, then there’s this band called MUSLIMGAUZE easily qualifies with their incredible suckiness.
The tail end of an acid trip all us used to see Uncle Sam ridin’ a skyrocket, yeah, and just before I cum I get deja vu and my chick turns into Marilyn Monroe, an’ fuck, when I play this tape none of that shit happens…fuck…
Former BROWNSVILLE STATION-er supposedly recorded this prior to his stint with that band. It’s pure rockabilly and rockin’ R’n’B done in that mid-’60s interpretation style, similar to, say, JOHN HAMMOND (but not quite as exciting). Better than most of the current rehashes.
JUVENILE FRUCTATION are responsible for a whole tape’s worth of pre-garage ramblings in a punk-rockish style that gets a bit tiring after about two minutes. Proto-primitive; these guys need more practice.
Instrumentally they remind me of a cross between SACCHARINE TRUST and perhaps CORROSION OF CONFORMITY. Vocally, I hear D. Boon of the MINUTEMEN. There’s lots of slower modes, then lurching faster parts. Fine, if you like that quirky genre.
TH’INBRED rely on songwriting finesse and the basic HC trappings to hybridize an effort that’s very special. Their off-beat humor melds with the music quite effectively—resulting in thrash with an unusual and likable difference. I look forward to their upcoming record.
This band opts for a metal-thrash approach incorporating a power-chord orientation with the strong influences of SSD (in some of the squiggly guitar solos), DIE KREUZEN (the anguished vocals), and DISCHARGE (in the basic song structures). The compositions on this 12″ exhibit fine energy and commitment, though they only occasionally assert any degree of originality. Basically OK, I guess.
Two snappy slices of power-chord rock here, neither of which caught my fancy. Both songs boast mildly appealing choruses, but very little else aside from the hard guitar work to recommend them. HARLOTS need more sustained songwriting to satisfy a die-hard pop fan like me.
GLENHEADS definitely have the requisite weirdness to succeed in the experimental biz, but none of the talent for creating noise that eats away at your cortex. Tesco would know what I mean. Basically, it’s self-indulgent pop-influenced experimental material with a lot of vocal treatments. I don’t like it.
Now this is interesting. This band treads a line somewhere in between metal and thrash. And even though their cover of “Eighteen” is a bit pedestrian, a comparison with the ALICE COOPER BAND isn’t too far out. They’ve managed to tone down the typical LA metal sound with an edge of psychedelia. I’d like to see what they can do with a full LP.
The last time I heard the FLIES, I thought they were just an OK garage band from Boston. This record has them turning up the fuzz and feedback to a really nice effect. While there’s still a poppier side to them, even strains of country in there, they’ve got a good handle on the future if they keep in those rough edges. VELVET UNDERGROUND fans should check out “All Hung Up.”
Hold the phone, Jesus is back! Mannnnn…. This be a hot-shit record. Not only is this the first release for this band, it’s also the first time they’ve recorded themselves. What REDD KROSS are to the NEW YORK DOLLS, these guys are to the CRAMPS. All over this record you can hear great fuzzed-out, burned-out riffs and spooky lyrics. Incredible.
Featuring a real live Iranian on vocals, this live tape gives the listener an echoey idea of what power thrash FEARLESS IRANIANS FROM HELL can deliver. And judging by the lyrics I could discern, they’ve got a lot to say, as well. FEARLESS IRANIANS FROM HELL, get thee to a studio, or off with your hands!
Completely unrestrained weirdness, this tape is guaranteed to fry your brain after a mere ten minutes. Strongly reminiscent of early-vintage RESIDENTS, albeit with considerably more dementia, both lyrically and musically. Though inconsistent from cut to cut, FARMERS are fairly good at what they do on this tape.
A rather scathing look at American society performed by three young fellows. Musically, it’s pre-garage electric guitar and vocals, reminding me of an even more minimal MANIAX (Fresno variety). Teen charm.
DON’T NO recalls the high-velocity antics of the better Boston outfits before they went metal, and there’s some fabulous stop-on-a-dime thrash on this one, powered by ripping drum-work. A potential classic. Get it.
Some very tight, fuzzed-out thrash with some pretty pessimistic lyrics. Excellent sound quality to boot.
DAMAGE connect again and again with a nasty, no-holds-barred thrash style on this, their debut album. Apparently recorded live at CBGB’s, this platter has the sharpness of a studio effort with high marks for tightness, production bite…and some very different lyrics (some partially in German!). A very pleasant surprise.
These CUNTS have been around, and their newest record carries over more of their cheesy ’60s psych/trash sound. Even though it’s not going to set the world on fire, it’s still nice to hear that creepy electronic organ.
What happens when members of SUICIDAL TENDENCIES break off and form their own band? Well, it’s called the BROOD. Metallic HC with excruciating guitar whacks totally in a MOTORHEAD school of raw energy. This is a good dose of awesome exhilaration. Check into what looks to be a quick up-and-coming band.
Three very long songs of the rhythmic, depressing post-punk variety. These guys have been around for quite a while, so they pre-date many bands doing this genre, but I have to say I like others who aren’t quite as jazzy, such as BIG BLACK. From Seattle.
More loose and dodgy music from this group who can be favorably compared to both the MONOCHROME SET and PERE UBU’s Art of Walking. Although there isn’t a lot of ground being broken, it still gives you a little buzz, like when you first heard UBU or the BIZARROS.
What’s happening to America when high school kids begin producing industrial music? It has to be an encouraging trend. I didn’t much care for their voice-oriented material; yet, the instrumental sections here are sometimes haunting and effective, spanning a wide variety of experimental styles. More, I say!
This is definitely independent and underground. This guy records on a low budget with a $15 mic and gets a sound that is 100% better than anything PUBLIC IMAGE has released in five years. Even though it’s basically a one-man show, the playing here is surprisingly cohesive and loose at the same time.
Do you think that if I give this a bad review, G.G. ALLIN will stop sending me something new to review every issue? Probably not, but it’s worth a try. Here goes: The only thing smaller than this guy’s brain is his dick, which he tries to overcompensate for by writing pathetic songs (four of ’em here) of sexual degeneration. Wishes he were IGGY, but his ego’s too big to accept such “small-time” status. Okay, G.G., send the next one…
I hear this is the first of many politically oriented “unity” HC compilations to come out of Mortarhate. (I think it’s Mortarhate; it’s hard to tell from the disc and cover.) It’s an admirable sentiment, unifying activist punks with other movements, but it’s not the sentiment alone that’s good here. The tracks shred. Excellent, it includes BROKEN BONES, POTENTIAL THREAT, INSTIGATORS, VARUKERS, LOST CHERREES, MALINHEADS, DEZERTER, and lost more, many previously unreleased.
Incredibly powerful Swedish compilation that features 37 songs by 14 bands. Hard-hitting with lots of thrash rhythms, you’ll experience variations of hardcore from fast, turbulent explosions to raw, gut-crunching scorchers. Furious fun from INGRON HUTLOS, MOB 47, NYX NEGATIV, ASOCIAL IRTS, SÖTLIMPA, KRIXHJALTERS, DISTRUST, and more. This is one to check out. Really good.
Some very poor recording mars what were probably some very exciting live moments for the four bands that appear on here; SYSTEMATIC DEATH, GHOUL, GASTUNK, and the CLAY turn in several tracks each, but…too bad.
Action packed chaos grooved into spasmic colored vinyl. Quick charges of lightning-paced thrash with jubilant tempos and grinding assaults featuring eight German bands doing fourteen sonic bursters. INFERNO, ROTTING CARCASS, CERESIT 81, BOLKOTTZ, WOT, MANIACS, and more deliver some crucial sounds that exhilarate to the fullest.
Like most compilations, a little spotty. RAW POWER starts off and blows away all the competition. Their sound here is sooooo much better than their first LP, as they showcase their breakneck stop-and-start sound with vocals literally spit out through your speakers. RAPPRESAGLIA and PEDAGO PARTY both go for a more popular thrash sound. The other band, RIVOLTA DELL’ODIO, has a slower art-damaged sound.
The Melbourne, Australia equivalent to Bullshit Detector, where you get good recordings by eleven of Australia’s hottest hardcore performers. The prizes include double tracks by CIVIL DISSIDENT, who undoubtedly are one of the three best Australian bands, and intense stuff by I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVY, who thrash it with humor. Plus excellent tracks by END RESULT, VICIOUS CIRCLE, BODIES, MURDER MURDER SUICIDE, and more. A very quality effort, you can see the heart behind this!
It’s that punk/Oi (skunk) sound that’s so popular in France. Here we have a muddily recorded indie release with four bands, two of which produce mediocre examples of the genre (DISTURB and TOXIK), one a good example (OFFENSIVE), and the other an excellent example (KIDNAP). The song by the latter is “1984,” the song Jeff wanted to put on our Welcome to 1984 LP.
Pus and I often have minor musical differences, so I was hoping for the opportunity to take a friendly swipe at the old headbanger’s international thrash-oriented compilation. But I’m having a hard time because it’s a fucking good record. Some of the groups here are among my favorites (like 7 SECONDS and MOB 47) and the selections are usually up the best of each band’s standard, so I’ll just have to bite my tongue and get into these vicious slabs of cranium-crunching mayhem, etc. Kudos to GENOCIDE EXPRESS, SIEGE, and even HOLY DOLLS.
A good value, this cassette features a clutch of Cleveland bands (CIVILIAN TERRORISTS, LURID, JIPPO, PESTILANCE, and PLAGUE) and just under 30 songs. The sound quality’s good, the music even better—and this tape (as well as future ones in this series) comes with a fanzine, stickers, etc. if you send $1.35 to No Fun.
This is a really quick overview of the SoCal industrial/difficult music scene. You get just about everything on this tape, including psychos like JOHN TRUBEE, DEBT OF NATURE, and BRENT WILCOX to CABARET VOLTAIRE/CHROME-sound artists like PIERRE LAMBOW and RANDALL KENNEDY. Comes in a real classy cardboard package with booklet.
Four bands share this first release by Depression zine. LATIN DOGS (political thrash) and TOXIC ATTITUDE (garage thrash) are both recorded live at a “lawn party.” THE LIPS ARE BACK (older punk) and EDDIE & THE WOLFGANG (garage) round out the release. LATIN DOGS are definitely the best of the lot.
Some extremely fast-paced punk here that’s both tuneful and rips. Worth checking out—I hope they do a record.
Both sides have their catchy, drawing aspects—slow, grinding, powerful, dark tunes, skillfully and menacingly done. At times, the female vocals get a bit too “pretty” for me, but overall, for this kind of material, it’s good.
Basically, this German group mines that same lode that EDDIE & THE HOT RODS did years ago. Still, with the hard-charging guitars and nifty melodies you might find yourself singing along to these full-throttle rockers. This band has a simple but good formula on this record that works.
Another “unity” appeal from AFRIKA BOMBAATAA, this time in conjunction with John Lydon. The result is a rap/punk modern-day “Eve of Destruction.” Infectious, but Mr. Rotten doesn’t seem quite believable to me.
Sort of jaunty early punk sounding. These three songs sort of remind me of RADIO STARS or something like that. Lyrics are simply fun-oriented. From Japan.
A bad ’77-sounding band from Japan. Bad Johnny Rotten vocals, bad reggae. Nice cover, though.
Some very fast-paced punk with good tunes, plenty of back-up vocals and choruses, and driving but simple guitar. Sounds like the BRISTLES, in that there’s a heavy UK influence.
