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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!
Varied in sound, from classic VICE SQUAD to SUZIE QUATRO to punk lounge music to PAULINE MURRAY-esque material. Some songs are totally great, with neat choruses and subtle touches upon pounding rhythms, and others are doggie-doo. Better than not, overall, and sometimes it’s pretty funny.
Both sides contain that old VARUKERS power, although a bit tighter but more restrained before. A good comparison of past and present comes by playing the B-side back-to-back with “Never Again” from their 1981 EP. Something’s gained, something’s lost.
A Swedish release from this German band could prove to be their best yet. Well thought-out English lyrics, and the song “Future Dreams” features crafty acoustic guitar work as the structure is close to that of the ALARM. The other four tunes all rage with clean riffs and rapid aggression. This is such an exceptional release, you should be demanding this in your stores all across the globe. UPRIGHT CITIZENS to tour the US this summer, this could be a band not to miss.
Quite a good-sounding recording for a live show tape, and this band takes advantage of it to deliver some very tight and powerful thrash. Tuneful, too.
Three powerful young Swedish thrashers share this tape. While I’ve heard MOB 47 sound more powerful than this before, they are still a plus here. And so are CRUDITY (more fast thrash) and AGONI, who are along the lines of DISORDER.
This studio group is made up of people from the synthesizer band MOEV. This project, unlike MOEV, has a gritty, harsh edge to it. Very similar to early CABARET VOLTAIRE and METAL URBAIN. There are pounding rhythms fighting against the vocalist who sounds like he’s choking to death. A dance record.
This neo-? record from Sweden has an OK A-side, but “I Tell No Lies” is buoyed by a delightful pop sensibility, layered vocal harmonies, and good instrumentals. This combines the accessibility of modern rock with the stylistic elements of ’60s punk. A strong release.
Both sides of this 45 contain slowish but powerful poppy punk, with solid rhythm, jangly guitars, and somewhat menacing vocals. There’s a ’60s feel to it, but it’s not overwhelmingly so. Haunting.
Tapes #3 and 4 in what may turn out to be an endless series of cassettes from SECOND AUSCHWITZ. The Agent Orange tape, like the rest in the series, contains zillions of songs, while Zyklon, Belgium seems to be a live recording with even more zillions of songs. Well, this band certainly gives you volume.
For such outrageous-looking guys (mohawks and spike city) and such a sharp-looking cover, their music is relatively tame. For the most part, it’s uneventful poppy punk. Only on one song, “No Man’s Land,” do they exhibit any real creativity or zip. Too little too late? Let ya know next record. From Japan.
Definitely on the experimental side. After listening to this, you’ll know what it’d be like to be stuck overnight inside a Japanese robot factory with CHROME or something. Lemme out!
Rigorous energy pushing the limits of power with knocking flurry and extreme excitement. One of the best Canadian releases in a long time, this album carries a weight of potent hardcore rhythms with some metallic riffs and overall variety of punk harmonies. Dynamic sing-alongs all combined with forceful vocals and an ensemble delivering well-produced goods. This is a scorcher.
This limited edition bootleg (200 copies) showcases the live performing talents of this early English punk band through a variety of vintage performances. The sound quality ranges from poor to pretty good, but only about one-third of this album captures the excitement of this band. I suppose one’s desire to find this disc depends on how much of a RUTS fan you really are…
The trouble with reviewing all-girl groups is that people tend to separate them as if their simple existence is an act of feminism. Yes, rock is male-dominated, but it’s not going to change by making a spectacle of these groups. This Canadian group makes no excuses, and delivers with an individual, uncompromised sound. Just about all of the songs have hard-edged rhythms and good playing. Excellent start.
Incredible Swedish thrash mercenary action at it again, this time from Jerker and RÖVSVETT. Split-second bursts to lightning-fast turbulence with raw, gruff vocals make this an exceptional platter. Eight manic quakes of mayhem and speed to stir some braincells. Interesting and uplifting.
A powerful punk band here! They deal in mid-tempo punk with some post-punk overtones, but always maintaining their power and rawness. Quite professional and tight, but not “slick.” Excellent recording.
PROBLEMIST are a San Francisco group that quietly makes tapes and communicates with experimental bands around the world. Organized religion is the target here, not only as a big business, but also on its subtle effect on people’s fears and behaviors. But this isn’t a noise band; it’s a mixture of electronic and rock that is aggressive, eerie, and not too arty.
Four very primitive and basic slow punk songs by this all-female aggregation. Sort of interesting, but not really as stimulating as I had hoped. They’re in-between the thrash of the early SLITS and the catchiness of GIRLS AT OUR BEST. I’d rather see one or the other. From Japan.
Weird. These are lyrically “sensitive” songs about animal torture or human ignorance, and then a “skinheads rule” song. Perhaps it’s a satire of that mentality, but if not, this Oi/thrash band is quite schizophrenic.
This thrasher contains some great songs, good hooks, cool harmonies, and excellent lyrics. In many ways, they remind me of 7 SECONDS, which is nothing but a compliment. Give ’em a listen.
Don’t ask me what language the titles are supposed to be in, but this band hails from Japan. The A-side is a quirky, slightly ambient number that sounds like Jello somehow got his ass down to Asia. The B-side sounds like BIRTHDAY PARTY got their butts there.
Quite politically aware lyrics, stop-and-go thrash, and melodic songs are combined here for your listening enjoyment. Good sound quality, and neat guitar sound.
The singer reminds me of a bizarre cross between IGGY, Gary Floyd of the DICKS, and Fritz of the MUTANTS. The band itself is a bit of all those, too, but more in the line of ’60s punk done with ’77 verve. Good Australian rockers.
Yet two more ferocious Dutch HC bands. MURDER INC. is powerful as hell, combining a thrash attack with a destructo FLIPPER-ish noise sound. M.O.G. are a speedy, manic, and tight screaming assault, not unlike TERVEET KÄDET, but even faster. Cool.
Highly produced, neo-? music, not unlike early PSYCHEDELIC FURS. It’s OK, but I like PSYCHEDELIC FURS’ initial material much better. This one has a terrible country-ish rendition of “96 Tears.”
33 or 45? At either speed it sounds wrong. Ambient/industrial weirdness from Japan.
LUNATIC FRINGE employs repeating guitar figures to create an effect of intensity and drive within their songs, not unlike ANTI-SECT, but without all of that crushing power. Still, much of this EP works by sheer insistence—especially the fine rocker, “Con-formity.” Good British HC.
Just got this off Sean and does it wail. Great energetic thrash with an American flavor. Well thought-out speed attacks that thrust blazing instrumentals with feverous havoc, still comprehensible with wild screeching vocals. Head-bopping fury continues the pace with nice sing-alongs and interesting leads, it shows you what can be created when a scene falls apart and the music gets more enthusiastic. A great UK release—this could be the UK comeback!
As you might be able to tell from the title, this is a snappy thrash/funnypunk outfit. I imagine that they’re even more fun if you can speak French. Fun.
Poppy rock ’n’ roll/early punk that sounds like a lot of bands that appeared on ’75-’77 compilations. There’s a slight NEW YORK DOLLS influence, though they’re less snotty-sounding.
Sadly, this pretty much proves that this band is over-hyped. While their first 7″ was promising, this record is fairly bland and sounds like “product” rush-released to take advantage of the “buzz” in England. The only really good song here is their cover of Vic Goddard’s “Ambition.”
This band combines many different influences into a semi-original and interesting sound. I hear traces of skunk, rock ’n’ roll, rockabilly, ’77 punk, and weirdopunk at various times on these six tracks. These recordings have a live feel to them, but that doesn’t detract from their listenability. Fun and crazy.
The title track of this record is a giant of a song; it must be heard through huge Cerwin Vega speakers driven by a 200-watt amp. HULA is definitely more commercially viable with this release, but previous tunes displayed a benign but invigorating quality. Nevertheless, this is excellent.
This German outfit, not unlike fellow countrymen the NIKOTEENS, sustain thrash-tempos without sacrificing their fundamental commitment to distinctiveness and even melody. The two songs on side A, with those tasty choruses, are especially appealing. A treat.
All three songs on this Danish EP go on too long for their own good, and opt for restrained guitar progressions and lyrics heavily influenced by spaghetti westerns. Hypnotic; in fact, I’d better finish this review before I’m lulled to sleep…
This is post-punk with an abrasive punk edge. The A-side changes pace several times, making it more interesting than the more repetitive flip. Neat psychedelic touches here and there.
Maniacal Japanese speedcore with raw vocals in the vein of GISM, MOBS, or ZOUO. Tight, quick blasts of forging power with metallic leads and splashing cymbals. One of the better Japanese releases, it carries its weight with good musical melodic structures, worked together in an undeniable thrash attack. Worth finding, both sides featuring three ferocious doses.
Some very enjoyable pop/punk with biting lyrics. With the femme vocals and tight, upbeat instrumentation, they remind me of early GIRLS AT OUR BEST—a nice remembrance indeed.
An all-female combo from Switzerland, playing some pretty upbeat old-fashioned punk rock. It’s more than competent musically, and very peppy/poppy/punk. Enjoyable.
This five-song release is in an early punk mold, with tuneful tracks done in a very basic, slow/medium-tempo style. At times, it reminds me of TELEVISION, though not as arty. Decent.
Medium-paced thrash in a sort of English style, with those gruff Japanese growls attached. Most of the Japanese bands that play whatever type of punk do seem to add some complexity to them, making for some gripping tunes; plus, as with this band, they’re good musicians.
Slow-paced punk/post-punk whose most imaginative aspect seems to be the vocals—both in range and lyrical content. (Not that I can understand Japanese, but if the song titles on this EP are any indication, this must be a treat.)
This New Zealand punk band maintains some real drive through many of their songs, which plumb a style emphasizing a diversity of punk approaches, fast and slow. Nevertheless, the compositions themselves rarely impressed me with any measure of catchiness or inventiveness; but there’ s no denying that the title track is a highly worthy kinetic thrasher. A mixed bag.
“Mommy, can I go out and skate tonight?” starts off the DISASTER AREA side, a German punk approach with a complete MISFITS appeal to it. Probably the first German skate-oriented band, DISASTER AREA doesn’t thrash, but just brings up a good, powerful assault with lots of choruses. DIE SCHLIMMEN FINGER are very similar to DISASTER AREA, yet more melodic with good, creative harmonies; an English Oi sound is close to their sound. Both bands are fun listening and deserve their own respective releases.
Four tracks, a couple of which have appeared elsewhere, but these versions done a year ago really burn. “Race Riot” is in the vein of Hardcore 81, while “A Season in Hell” and “Burn it Down” also cook. “General Strike,” which appeared on DOA’s “limited edition” 45, is the most “rock ” of all tracks, but its sentiments, along with all the other cuts, are DOA at their political best.
A cool four-song old-fashioned punk release, featuring fuzzed-out guitar, snarling vocals, tight relentless mid-tempo rhythm, and catchy tunes and choruses. Believable.
This band returns with more of the same fast guitar riffs that help make their songs on The First Sonic World War compilation so good. This French group has an excellent sense of melody but doesn’t sacrifice their power for it. Their choruses are similar to Oi bands but without the mindless lyrics. I want to hear more from them.
Hey, a good sounding recording from Brazil! Ataque Frontal Records is kicking off their label with 20 hot, tuneful thrash and fast punk numbers by this excellent band. Really cool bass and tight instrumental playing are prime features here, so pick this one up. From the makers of Alerta Punk zine.
Just when I thought we’d never have to hear the CLASH again, we get hit with this. Sounds like studio outtakes from the CLASH’s second or third LPs, but no—it’s the CLOX from Germany, whoever they are.
There’s a decidedly ’77 feel to this (they cite the LURKERS as an influence), but it’s not plodding at all, delivered in a snappy, fast way (perhaps due to their liking of MDC, MINOR THREAT, etc.). Enjoyable, old-fashioned punk with verve.
