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!
A decidedly ’60s raunch sound—’60s punk with organ, rock ’n’ roll drive, and pop melodies—all toughened up by strong rhythm guitar work. Live tape, and unfortunately not really mixed. EXOTIC HIPSTERS spinoff.
Seattle’s FASTBACKS return to vinyl once again to showcase their solid, chunky pop/punk compositions. Of the four songs here, “Midnight Confessions” and “See and Say” win the top song honors, though the general standard here is somewhat lower than their debut 45 and 12″. As always, the plaintive female vocals fit the music well.
Let’s be charitable here. The best thing this dark, keyboardy band has going for them is that their bass player used to be in NO ALTERNATIVE.
The fog has lifted and ROKY is back. Or has it? ROKY sounds wide awake on this one and he’s got his Texas bar band racing to keep up with his nasty vocals. He’s sacrificed much of his psychotic edge to get a more controlled sound here, and fans of CREEDENCE rock should snatch this up. The flip is a smoother re-make of an earlier song he did.
This is their third tape, and no let-down; the first six songs are fine studio stuff, followed by what sounds like a bunch of four-track and live material. Catchy songs, all punchy, and tightly honed. They should tour.
Very impressive political thrash Á la CRUCIFIX, but with other cool influences too. Powerful as shit, this band has been working at it. Recommended.
This primitive effort by DEVIL’S NIGHT adds new dimensions to the word “garage.” The female vocals veer into psychosis more often than not (which is good), but the slow- to mid-speed offerings here aren’t quite as entertaining as they could be.
What’s this? A new Australian discovery? A mid-’70s guitar band? A neo-Mod outfit? Actually, it’s our buddy Lyle Hysen (ex-MISGUIDED) and friends turning in a pretty neat, rockin’ set of three songs, except for the offbeat drumming. (No, no—just kidding, Lyle!) Fun.
Well…forewarned is forearmed. So beware that DYS, like SSD, have changed and, yes, it is heavy metal. And yes, there is a ballad on this record. While far from being the worst metal record I’ve heard, it doesn’t set the world on fire, y’know? I mean, if you’re gonna do a goddamn heavy metal record…GODDAMN IT, make it knock down people, make walls shudder, and make it have women take their kids off of the streets because of it, for chrissakes! Look, if you need to hear the old DYS, change the speed to 45.
A big, noisy psych sound from this Philadelphia group. The tunes are propelled by a driving sax that manages to stay out of the way when it’s important. Put these guys on the same bill as the LYRES, FUZZTONES, and NOMADS and the room would explode in spontaneous combustion.
I was totally blown away by this one. With the quasi-religious cover drawing, I was expecting some devil drone wank, but instead I was treated to a sledgehammer-style thrash band that is mostly female! Should be a 7″ out soon!
This label, Mutant Baby, is obviously heavily into garage satire. Raunchy music and equally nasty lyrics are the vehicle for anyone to say anything musically—a truly democratic form. And BUDCORE certainly exercise their rights. But as the CRUCIFUCKS have suggested, “Democracy Spawns Bad Taste.”
This is a very strange, Dada-esque band from Milwaukee who use dildos for percussion and are heavily into pyro. There are even punk and heavy metal bands who ask them advice on how to blow up things on stage. Music here is slower and more dense than on their first cassette, Gravel on Urine. Lots of found vocals and scraping metal.
The B-side is forgettable. The A-side would be, too, except the vocals sound like Jello meets Beefheart at the Grand Ol’ Opry.
This one’s a real left-handed gem. Basically, they’re a pop band from the Northwest who are saved from the wimpy pop graveyard by a cool and grungy production from Greg Sage of the WIPERS. One side sounds like JONATHAN RICHMAN on acid and the other like YOUNG MARBLE GIANTS punking out. Great!
After releasing that ridiculous Into the Unknown LP last year, most bands would have broken up and hid their faces forever. But these brave fellows buckle under and come back with this five-song EP that has them on the road to recovery. While nowhere as good as their debut, it’s a promising restart. (New band has Greg Hetson of CIRCLE JERKS.)
Never thought from the cover that I’d like this…but life is full of surprises. It’s rhythm-machine-driven, but has plenty of chutzpah—sort of like SUICIDE meets PEARLS BEFORE SWINE.
These guys have been around for a while and have a couple of records out. Once you get past the singer (who sounds too much like Jello Biafra), you get a pretty good band with lots of different textures. They still sound a little like early BAUHAUS, but the sound here has some rough edges that sort of remind me of the EMBARRASSMENT.
With lines like, “It don’t matter how we win, even murder is no sin” and “Nigger nigger, go back home,” the National Front promotes their nationalist and racist ideology through 4 bands they’ve signed to their label : SKREWDRIVER, DIEHARDS, BRUTAL ATTACK, and ABH. Sad, and dangerous…
Six bands share this compendium of Spanish hardcore, including the likes of ULTIMO RESORTE, SHIT S.A., and MG-15. R.I.P., however, shame their competition with 13 ripping live songs in a well-orchestrated thrash style; their tracks alone make this compilation especially attractive. Give it a listen!
KAAOS and TERVEET KÄDET split this German release. While most tracks are available elsewhere, the materal is very hot, and at least available to more people in the world. TK is in fine form, although their new drummer (replacing Walde, who died) is not quite as tight. KAAOS is consistently powerful and productive.
A live release of ten Finnish hardcore groups with a major emphasis on the BASTARDS and POIKKEUSTILA. Good sound quality gives this the right edge, as it is gritting and raw, yet uncompromising in energy. Interesting listening from Rock-O-Rama.
A compilation of Finnish hardcore on Germany’s Rock-O-Rama label. The music is generally strong (though some is overly generic), but there is a problem raised by this album—the appearance of so many tracks that have already been released on earlier Finnish (or even German) records. Although it’s great to witness the “internationalization” of the punk scene on vinyl, I wish that the organizers of these projects would try harder to get only unreleased cuts or songs on records that are out-of-print or otherwise impossible to get ahold of. Here, the ratio of easily-available material is close to 50%, and that’s too much.
A compilation of Finnish hardcore on Germany’s Rock-O-Rama label. The music is generally strong (though some is overly generic), but there is a problem raised by this album—the appearance of so many tracks that have already been released on earlier Finnish (or even German) records. Although it’s great to witness the “internationalization” of the punk scene on vinyl, I wish that the organizers of these projects would try harder to get only unreleased cuts or songs on records that are out-of-print or otherwise impossible to get ahold of. Here, the ratio of easily-available material is close to 50%, and that’s too much.
An excellent follow-up, this compilation features some of the hot current crop of young German hardcore bands, with some great tracks by TORPEDO MOSKAU, AGEN 53, PORNO PATROL, EA 80, CHOAS Z, NEUROTIC ARSEHOLES, TIN CAN ARMY, CRETINS, and VOLXFRONT. A fine recording, on colored vinyl.
Although the previously released tracks by MORNINGTON CRESCENT and BGK make for a shred-fest in themselves, the two songs by BUTCHER are also worthwhile. Their cover of T. REX’s “Get It On” is a delightful pop-punk version, but “Psycho Trend” seems a tad more lively. Available with Chainsaw zine.
CCM and I REFUSE IT from Italy; FARTZ and SOLGER (R.I.P.) and REJECTERS from the Northwest; MEAT PUPPETS, PART-TIME CHRISTIANS, and MAGGOT BRAINS from all around. Lots of live tracks and decent sound quality, but what’s most unusual about this release is…no accompanying booklet with lyrics, addresses, etc., a rarity these days.
This trio of Swiss experimental bands channels their ideas through traditional rock song-structures. COPVLATION are the punkiest here, adopting an early CABARET VOLTAIRE sound, albeit with more power in the drums; XERXES VON MUNSHREIN have definite potential, though this band is decidedly more synth-oriented. No truly great songs here, but let’s hear more from the country that used to be the creative center of first-rate post-punk.
Italy’s premier scorching attack delivers an outrageous LP’s worth of material. Packaging includes a nice cover illustration by Stiv (TVOR) and a lyric sheet insert, with the translations in English, showing some well thought out writings. WRETCHED continues their thrash barrage with powerful guitars and booming drums as vocals hoarsely growl through lung-filled vocals. Well-produced, for all fans of good, powerful international hardcore. Exceptional.
Their cover of SWEET’s “Teenage Rampage” is a tiresome retread of ’70s rock I’d just as soon forget (is it meant as a joke?). The flip, however, is more in keeping with VICE SQUAD’s typically polished punk sound. Release by release, this band is sounding increasingly like LIGOTAGE (Beki’s band). Coincidence?
Reminds me a bit of early SHATTERED FAITH, with its tuneful hardcore approach, yet there is a more heavy-handed European thrash influence at work, too. While not startling, the record is engaging and listenable. Do I sound like Steve Spinali yet?
TOLBIAC’S TOADS present two cool tracks, one in a more melodic and catchy Britpunk style, the other in a thrash-meets-13TH FLOOR ELEVATORS-meets-BLURT style that’s quite unusual. SNIX’s pair are more predictable, but also well done, in an Oi style. Two up-and-coming French bands.
This tape features a selection of live tracks by TERVEET KÄDET, most ranging in sound quality from fair to good. Remarkably, though, I liked the power of these performances much better than the ones documented on the live side of the Black God album; so, this cassette could prove an interesting addition to your TK collection.
Around for five years, they finally broke up due to lack of a strong local scene. This posthumous release contains live and studio tracks, both fast punk and thrash, which shows these TERMINALS to have been a highly committed, powerful outfit. Could they be persuaded to re-group? Ask ’em.
The A-side is the title track of the latest STAR CLUB LP, reviewed last issue. Needless to say, this band is still enamored with ’77, as their cover of the PISTOLS’ “Bodies” attests to. If that era’s punk musical style is your cup of sake, check this out.
This six-song job contains a bunch of their ’77 recordings, some previously released and others not. All the tracks contain their quirky pop/punk classic qualities, with genuinely psychotic lyrics. Catchy and wonderfully weird.
Five songs recorded in both ’82 and ’84, and are well done trash and punk with good melodies and execution. It’s either a live or garage tape, but quality is pretty decent. Catchy tunes, with a slight NEW YORK DOLLS influence on the slow numbers.
NEOS fans take note! Some former NEOS and JERK WARDs team up to unleash those short, sweet, psychotic blasts of sub-one-minute rage we’ve been missing. Noisy and nasty.
While the cover of the JOHN LENNON classic is pretty unexciting, the two flipside tracks are pretty neat. One is a surfish instrumental, powerfully done, and the other, “F for Fake,” is in a ’77 style that’s pretty neat. Decent.
Slick packaging on this Kraut 7″ sounds like a rehash to me with all those jangly guitars. Occasionally, they lapse into intense playing, but for the most part this looks and feels something like RED ROCKERS would have done three years ago.
This is a great melodic punk record that’s almost up to the awesome standard established by fellow Swedes ASTA KASK. Loud guitars, huge hooks, and catchy background vocals combine to make these songs stick in your craw, particularly the pair on side A. Highly recommended.
This comp represents past and present bands from the North Bay of the SF area. Side one, the “well-recorded side,” is somewhat within that definition, and contains some cool tracks by LUDAVICHO TECHNIQUE, CRYPT, UXB, PUKES, and SACRIPOLITICAL. The “not-so-well-recorded side” is “live” mateial, with a track each by 13 bands. Kent likes all this “warped stuff.”
Produced by Student Action Corp for Animals, this 7″er comes with a fold-out sleeve that contains all sorts of animal justice information and addresses. The disc itself contains a spoken word track, one musical track by D.C.’s SUBTLE OPPRESSION, and two songs by the Bay Area’s late ATROCITY. Those two tunes, highlighted by twin female vocals and atmospheric but driving punk instrumentation, are the musical treats here, and, unfortunately, are the only released testimony to that great band.
A nice little collection of young US bands featuring MINISTRY OF TRUTH, F, FALSE LIBERTY, ANGRY RED PLANET, CHRONIC DISORDER, NO MORE WARS, STUKAS OVER BEDROCK, E-13, HOMO PICNIC, ART THIEVES, MUSICAL SUICIDE, FUTILE EFFORT, BABY ASTRONAUTS, JUVENILE TRUTH, and MDC. Quality isn’t bad. It sounds like a lot of basement demos, but the effort is well thought out and delivered. A good compilation.
An international compilation of the known and a few newcomers—BORN WITHOUT A FACE, ARHIVISKA ZABAVA, DICTATRISTA, BRAVE NEW WORLD, UNIFORM CHOICE, CRASH BOX, ASBESTOS ROCKPYLE are among the former, while GLORIOUS DIN, BABY ASTRONAUTS (hilarious), ST-37, FAITH NO MORE, DOC WOR MIRRAN, and ARCATA BOYS CHOIR head up the latter. Enjoyable listening.
This buoyant sampler of Boston-area bands concentrates on accessible, up-tempo power-pop and punk—and manages it with surprising consistency. The FLIES, EDGE, and UNDERACHIEVERS vie for top honors, but the odds-on favorite is a slice of country swing (!) by SCRUFFY THE CAT. No thrash here; just agreeable, aggressive hard pop and punk—the kind you listened to and liked way back in ’79.
This German band has quite an “Americanized” thrash sound, not unlike the FREEZE, SOCIAL DISTORTION, and others that utilize a melodic yet driving thrash approach. All the tunes are excellent, tight, and powerful. Watch for vinyl soon; I know I will.
Both sides are “live” recordings from mid-’84, and while the sound quality is decent, there certainly has been plenty of other material (both live and studio) by both bands. In fact, I’d say that they’ve glutted the market—between tapes, Finnish releases, German releases, US releases, etc. I certainly can’t keep track any more of what’s what.
Boyd Rice is NON and Frank Tovey is the main FAD GADGET. This is a stripped-down noise record that plays with rhythms and repetition created by mainly non-musical objects. A party record.
The incredibly prolific RATTUS presents 25 songs, some already released in different versions, on this “live in studio” tape. The sound quality is very good to excellent, and the selections give you a chance to hear this band branch out musically; note the cover version of “Police and Thieves.”
