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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!
The impression this music gives off is one of being on the “dark side”—whether by more traditional classic punk sounds or post-punk, the depressing element comes through. It’s all well done (tight and powerful), but it does leave me “cold” emotionally. Hmmm…who’s this Jack Rabid on drums?
This clever Michigan outfit is obviously obsessed with grade-B horror and sci-fi films. While I share their enthusiasm for such things, I think their music is a bit too campy and cute to transmit that genre’s combination of awe, humor, and fear into the aural dimension. The basic garage pop/punk/rock songs here could benefit greatly from a more distorted guitar sound. Comes with DIY 3-D glasses.
Hey, buy this gnarly thrash record and find out everything these guys hate: anarchy punks, speed punks, Henry Rollins, frat boys, rabbits, moms, commies, Reagan, and probably themselves. However, they do love “Kate,” the lucky girl. Music’s pretty cool.
To be creative, one needs not overtly placate our inherent need for aggro; this lot chooses the back way in much the same way a certain strain of barbed leeches swim into children’s rectums when they stop moving in the Amazon. A disc like this will languish on record shelves only because people would rather cop out on the tried and true rather than burn their big toe in the boiling hot-spring of newness. Your loss, fuckers.
“Wally Wally” satirizes the arch-conservative Wally George TV show with a disciplined power-chord attack, some studio gimmicks, and self-consciously funny lyrics. The flip is a spoken word/tape dub track. I admired the spirit of this 45 more than I really enjoyed it.
RHYTHM PIGS play good “meat and potatoes” thrash with surprisingly effective vocal harmonies and musical changes of pace. Most of the songs here manage to break the typical thrash mold without sacrificing a whit of power in the process. Check this one out!
These ORANGE DOE-NUTS from Kansas City present us with almost two separate bands. One side is pretty much an excellent thrash record, with snappy, rapid-fire clear-cut songs. But flip it over, and suddenly we’re hearing reggae, jazz, and experimental stuff. I realize we’re all a bit schizophrenic, but….
A new band that contains Tim and Chris (BIG BOYS), Mike Carroll, Bill (ex-HAPPY DEATH), and Jim (ex-EL B J). There’s a mixture of some of the best elements of ’60s punk (especially the vocals), ’70s punk (a cover of RICHARD HELL’s “Blank Generation”), and blues rock (Á la GUN CLUB meets CREAM). The beat is pounding, the guitars are powerful (slide guitar even!), and the production and execution are tight. They rock.
This varied album contains quite a few lilting acoustic tracks, some straightahead rockers, a bit of metal, and some really inspired lyrics. “We’re Coming Out” and “Favorite Thing” are exciting enough, but the remainder of this release lapses into lackluster, uninvolving pop. Severely inconsistent.
Somewhat disappointing, especially after such a long wait for a REDD KROSS R’n’R fix. Mostly all covers (STONES, BOWIE, KISS, etc., etc.), the only real killer for me, the only composition with that ol’ RK pizazz, is the only original, “Linda Blair.” Hey guys, don’t wait so long for the next record—and get back in your groove. Pin-Ups this ain’t!
Superficially not unlike SIN 34, KREMLIN KORPS opt for a more churning guitar sound and longer songs that emphasize personal politics. The compositions are OK, but not exceptional; the things which really make this four-tracker work are the rich instrumentals and sneering, satiric vocals. Interesting.
Powerful production and an incisive guitar sound conspire to make this debut album by JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT both dramatic and exciting. None of the songs in particular stand out from the rest, but the ten mid-to-fast-speed HC tunes here boast clever arranging touches that add good measures of texture and vitality to the proceedings. A solid LP—with some exotic lyric themes.
NO TREND’s debut EP was a grungy blend of demented lyrics and near-insane instrumentals—in other words, a classic. This 12″ contains those tracks remixed to sound a bit cleaner, plus two additional songs. Of the newer stuff, “Die” in particular rates for its chilling vocals; of their older material, “Mass Sterilization” still maintains its dynamicism. Great record.
There’s some fine rocking stuff on this five-song release; it’s consistently great garage R’n’R with plenty of power, great snarly vocals, and fine production. Especially liked “Cleo,” which brought images of the BAD BRAINS to mind.
Very bizarre. A reissue of a ’60s punk band made up of G.I.s stationed in Germany during the Vietnam era. Besides their unusual haircuts (bald spots dead on top of their heads), their music was quite experimental for a pop/punk band. They utilized a banjo, among other weird sounds, incorporating them into tough, rhythmic R&B rockers. Worth looking for.
They sound like they come from Ireland (S.L.F., UNDERTONES), but actually it’s Covina, California (they appeared on Barricaded Suspects comp). Lots of excellent pop/punk with good hooks and choruses, with more of a SoCal not-quite-thrash rush. They look like poseurs, though, and while they might give SOCIAL DISTORTION a run for their money in that field, I hope they don’t end up like the RED ROCKERS (you gotta check the cover of their latest LP!)
Travel back with me, if you will, to the boring ass days of the late ’60s-early ’70s. These were the days of laid-back, countrified rock music and self-conscious “me” lyrics. You want outta there, you say… then take the needle off this record, fart!
Sounds like ’70s Irish rock cum folk. Cum whatever, this is lightweight, jaunty stuff that we wouldn’t ordinarily review, cept it’s on the HÜSKERS label. But not even Bob Mould’s magic can bolster this one.
Rhythmic pop/garage straightforward ditties. It’s all very clean and well-produced and new wavish and I think I can’t handle this anymore. It’s for mildly mild mildewed kids.
Don’t let them fool you: beneath those goofy faces, beneath their copycat music (YOUTH BRIGADE), beneath their imitative cover (U.S. CHAOS), and beneath their lame lyrics (Alan King?), lies some real intelligence. How can I tell? Well, if you play this record backwards, you can barely make out the following: “Lone Live Proletarian Internationalism!” and “All Power to the Soviets!” I just knew they weren’t as lame as they acted.
Excellent, powerful ’77-style punk in a MISFITS/UNDEAD vein. The title track is instantly memorable for its sickoid lyrics and preeminently catchy instrumentals, but the other two songs here keep up the standard just as well. My opinion: get this EP as soon as humanly possible.
Mostly guitar and synthesizer dementia from one Terry Snider, done over the course of years. It’s sort of folk/pop/industrial trash (again Europeans, not thrash), some of which is listenable but painful, some of which is actually enjoyable. One person’s expression.
This is an unusual release in that it mixes short garage thrashers like “I Hate Pigeons” and “Older People” with lengthy, droning tracks containing feedbacking guitars, noise effects, agonized vocals, etc. (the title cut and “This Is Hell”). CYANAMID may be too primitive and tuneless for some people, including me, but they are different. Give em a listen.
This may be the CUNTS’ best effort yet. Like YARD TRAUMA, they manage to produce an organ-based ’60s punk sound that’s simultaneously evocative and tough. Both sides here are strong, but “Apocalyptic Breakfast” is particularly impressive.
C2D are mostly down to a three-piece (new singer only takes part on a couple of numbers), but still scorching out those banzai power chords. This LP sheers away the flesh with metallic HC, fast with effective grinds, raw thumping rhythms, and whining with blood thirsty guitar leads. If you craved more of their EP, quench yourself on this 12-song gem. And where do they get those song titles??—”Hair Spray Randy,” “Bang Your Maiden Head,” and “Lost Tweekend,” to name a few.
These guys have a knack for extremely clever punk arrangements, and demonstrate a good hand for satiric lyrics, as well. I only wish the ultra-boring guitar solos had been excised from these boisterous and intelligent mid-to-fast-tempo punk tunes. “Spontaneous Human Combustion” is a pop-punk near-classic.
A very powerful blast here. Who are these guys/gals and why doesn’t everybody know about them? This 14-song thrash rave comes incomplete without vocals, but who cares? Killer.
On their slower material, these guys remind me of the FUCK-UPS, with their older-style, bone-crunching punk attack. Most of the songs here follow in that mold, with a couple of thrashers, or at least with thrash breaks. Their lyrics tend to dwell pretty much on the negative, making the FUCK-UPS comparison even more valid.
Elements of ’77 punk, hard pop, and even C&W surface on this pleasantly upbeat five-track effort. Instrumental expertise and good songwriting about on this tape, though my favorite composition is the pop-punky “It’s All a Lie” because of its tasty guitar riffing. Very entertaining.
A snappy new punk pop EP with a whiff of the ’60s (especially in “I’ve Seen Her Somewhere Before”). The ACCELERATORS have RAMONES-y vocals, blasting guitars, bouncy singalong melodies, and that relatively rare ability to write terrific tunes. My favorite release of the month.
Yet another ’60s punk compilation, this one primarily dealing with the pre-psych influence on the genre. What this means is a lot of ’64 or so sounding stuff, with an accent on surf, R&B, and British Invasion garage sounds. Not as wild as I’d hoped.
No “theme” or “geographic” orientation here—just a smattering of more obscurities from the seemingly endless ’60s archives. No real losers here, and the highlight for me was the GOLDEN CUPS cover of “Hey Joe.” Just what we need, right? But this has gotta be the ’60s equivalent of a thrash version!
Awright, baby, this is part one of the Texas entry into the Highs series, and I think it’s the standout so far. It’s even better than the much rarer and highly-touted Flashbacks volumes. LARRY & THE BLUE NOTES do an incredible blast, as do the BUCCANEERS, KIT & THE OUTLAWS, the BY-FIVES, and NOBODY’S CHILDREN. (Note; CHAZ & THE CLASSICS’ amazing psychedelic punker is the third song on side two). Total gold.
Volume 10 of the Highs series covers Wisconsin. There’s too many bluesy rhythms, pumping saxes, and DYLAN rip-offs for my tastes, but heavy fuzz guitars from the likes of the SHAG and the WANDERER’S REST, and unbelievable rave-up at the end of the MOSSMEN’s cut, and some sharp British Invasion-style singing by JACK & THE BEANSTALKS are definitely worth hearing.
Yet another Mystic compilation album! And again, it’s a hotly produced disc featuring material that ranges from the inspiring (RKL) to the uninspired, though most is good. This one features relative oldsters like ILL REPUTE, AGGRESSION, DR. KNOW, and STALAG 13, as well as newcomers such as SCARED STRAIGHT, RAT PACK, HABEAS CORPUS, FALSE CONFESSIONS, and AFU. There’s somewhat more punk (vis-Á -vis thrash and speed metal) on Nardcore, but the most noteworthy developments are the apparent strength of the “straight edge” philosophy in the Oxnard area and the reappearance of the sublimely inane ROTTERS. Good show, Doug!
The two latest volumes of this ’60s punk series contain largely good stuff and little wimp-rock. While the sound quality isn’t as good as some series, the material is still of the impossible-to-find type, making them indispensable for collectors. Volume 10 contains a purported Jerry Mathers (the Beaver) punk release—bizarre.
Some finger-snapping garagey weirdness here—at times it reminds me of the RESIDENTS. As the enclosed note said, it might be “too intense for our fragile HC tastes.” Correct.
A bonus in issue #4 of England’s Black/White fanzine. Both songs (“Sink with California” and “Colourblind”) are already released, so the flexi itself should only interest collectors, but it’s good that someone took enough initiative to expose these two great US bands to a rather insulated British audience.
This is a live recording of this new outfit. Their sound is a metal/punk amalgam, with some thrash thrown in for good measure. Nothing new happening here, as can be judged by their one cover (WIRE’s “12XU”), but it’s done with some degree of authority and power.
A straight edge band from Orange County, these guys belt ’em out short, melodic, and sweet. They immediately remind me of M.I.A., 7 SECONDS, and MINOR THREAT. Cool.
Ugh! White honkin’ and blues with a sax. After all the good/great releases on Mutha, this one is a real letdown. It’s not bad for the genre, it’s just that the genre is so “old.”
A garage/noise/punk amalgam that combines some thrash with pet rock and general aggression that lashes out at everything. Fun and annoying.
Pushead says they sound “BGK-influenced, but they don’t finish their songs,” and that they have “full Tesco lyrics.” Jeff says the vocals “don’t mesh too well,” and that they’re “like MDC.” with better recording, which they hope to do, we’ll know more about these guys. “Come to the Phone” is a classic.
Despite the fact that my copy sounds like it was pressed on emery board, I have nothing but glowing adulation for this effort. Glen Danzig’s world-view as a butchershop cum comic book cruises us hot rails to hell in swirling but occasionally uneven production. His forceful crooning is as spine-tingling as ever, and the mid-tempo attack is ever so refreshing for this aging beefbag.
Various thoughts that came to mind while listening: I’d like this a lot more if all the squiggly rock guitar solos were half as long / The lyrics are still good / There’s “power” here, but where’s the spark? / The band really likes the record / “Musicianization” (thanks, Ken Lester) will kill punk rock / This is a short album, but looong / The cover says it all (who’s Alan Barile, David Spring? / This isn’t fun, but would it be better at 45 RPM? / There—I did this without once saying “heavy metal.”
While eclectic musically, the various melodic styles on this tape still maintain a “punkness” to them. This is not only in its edge and aggressiveness, but also in the lyrics—so there’s lots of potential with this band, as long as they keep their sense of outrage.
Here’s a potentially hot release almost ruined by lackluster production. The vocals are psycho, the songs have interesting, off-kilter structures and some catchy sing-along parts, and the clean FEEDERZ-style fretwork is unusually imaginative, but the wimpoid guitar sound here severely detracts from RING OF FIRE’s overall impact. It’s too bad, because these guys also have a lot to say (as in “Read a Book,” the title cut, and “Sex Song”). Their future looks bright, though.
This tape contains four long, slow, and rather dreary songs. It’s intentionally that way, but this doesn’t necessarily help the situation. While melodic and tight, the overall mood is of depression. I get enough of that in real life.
The title track is a shuffling, bouncy pop ditty with a strong hook that could be a commercial hit if it was marketed properly. The flip contains a guitar-heavy version of T. REX’s “20th Century Boy” and a live, countrified adaptation of “Hey, Good Lookin’,” neither of which really add to the originals.
These guys play traditional style R&B madness like PANTHER BURNS, and you’ll have a knee-slapping good time with this wildness. The A-side even has a harmonica break that will make you crack a grin, and “Stampede” is a great rowdy instrumental number. An absolute must!
