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 one concentrates on the Dutch scene (’65-’68). Just as today there is great punk in Holland (BGK, PANDEMONIUM, etc.), there was a flourishing scene back then, too. We’re given some hot tracks by the OUTSIDERS, MOTIONS, JAY-JAYS, etc., and a few klunkers, but it’s overall a worthwhile addition for collectors.
45 bands? From all over the world? This is one of the better thrash-attack tapes I’ve heard. While the sound quality is decent-to-good, the energy level is good-to-great. Powerful.
An international comp with MENTAL CRISIS (US), ATROX (UK), CAPSILTA, KIELLETTY, KLIMAX, and CHINAPPI (Finland). This tape rocks hard and long.
An intense thrash tape, with mostly German bands (TODISCHER, M.A.F., SCAPEGOATS, SYPHILIS, LOBOTOMY, SAOBOYS, etc.), some from Holland (FUNERAL ORATION, M.O.G., MURDER INC. III, etc.), England (PANIC STRICKEN), US (DIET OF WORMS, SADISTIC EXPLOITS), and Sweden (CRUDE SS, AVSKUM, MOB 47). Sound quality is basically good.
This compilation is put out by a Swedish alternative studio that supplies free time for recording. This contains hot stuff by E.A.T.E.R., NYX NEGATIVE, BRISTLES, GUNNER ZIDE, AVSKUM, S.S.G., SIX-TEN REDLÖS, and SVEA SKANDAL. Some of it has been already released on vinyl, but it’s still a good representation of today’s powerful Swedish punk/HC.
A very lengthy compilation that alternates between studio demo tracks and barely recognizable live recordings. There are a few better-known bands (SUBHUMANS, DESTRUCTORS, BRISTLES, HATES, etc .), and a lot of younger outfits (DECEASED, ACID ATTACK, NO BRAIN CELLS, DEATH ZONE, and countless others). It’s a decent buy, if you can stand the changes.
This recent Danish compilation is a real letdown. While it does contain some hot tracks (one by WAR OF DESTRUCTION, another by ELECTRIC DEADS—same one as on MRR’s comp), a decent SODS cut, and one passable FRESHLY RIOTS track, the rest is post-punk/new wave drivel that’s unlistenable. Too bad.
An exciting dose of live Japanese punk. This outfit has some potent riffs with hummable songs structures, but a studio recording of this material would be great. ZOLGE should be an exhilarating live band; the power on this record is raw and potent.
On one track, they sound like NICO meets modern post-punk, while on another, they sound more like Aborigine tribesmen. My fave, though, is “Run Amok,” which sounds like a cross between SoCal femme thrash and powerful UK punk. A great track.
A driving two-song release that is basically thrash with some metal/rock guitar bits thrown in. Liked the thrash parts, loathed the leads—cant have everything.
Some well done and well produced pop/punk, with occasional gnarly thrash interspersed (like the title track). Some of their obvious influences are the RAMONES and UK SUBS, and maybe some of the ’77-ish Australian punk bands. This band rocks.
Dedicated to SKY SAXON, ROKY ERICKSON, etc., you may know what you’re getting into. Actually, while there is a definite ’60s punk sound here, there are aspects of more modern forms of punk too, making it interesting. It’s unfortunately not wildly psychedelic, the guitarist doing mainly some “mood” stuff with all his echoes. Gimme the real thing.
Metal riffs and infuriating lead guitar breaks mar this somewhat nondescript album of heavy metal-punk from Winnipeg’s UNWANTED. There’s good energy and responsible lyric content on this one, but the uninspired music leaves me cold. The numbers “Party Degs” and the LP’s title track are adequate, but hardly appealing. Too bad.
There’s more than a strong touch of early GBH/DISCHARGE-style vocals and sound on this EP, though the music is a bit more melodic in places. There’s good power on these three songs, but not the wall-of-sound of the aforementioned bands. Good debut.
A foot-tapping pop-punk release from Australia that reminds me of the halcyon days of British hard pop (1979-’80). I’m a sucker for good melodies backed by loud guitars, and “Danger in My Mind” fits that bill well. The production could be rawer, and the B-side is almost post-punky, but this still deserves a listen.
Medium-speed thrash and fast punk are T.S.T.’s tempo territory; catchy sing-alongs are their lyrical lode. This eight-song job rocks steady—even their cover of DION’s “Teenager in Love.”
Since they’re not happy about their split LP, or the label, this band has put out their own tape. I imagine that they’re not really happy with this either, as it’s not a “garage” or “live” recording (which they feel is “real” punk), but is more studio stuff. Personally, even though the drum and bass could be fuller, it’s an excellent tape. Punk and thrash.
On their second EP, Sweden’s S.S.G. reveal a startling schizophrenia. The A-side contains two irresistible tuneful numbers with sing-along choruses and a variety of crude yet fetching guitar segments, whereas the flipside contains a pair of hookless, dull songs. I guess it’s just one of nature’s many mysteries.
Quite a garagy-sounding tape, with the drums seeming pretty tinny. But the charge of the music tends to overcome that, with the vocals and guitar leading the way through. Energetic as hell!
Gritty, grinding guitar scratchings wail in total banzais of chaotic thrash attacks. PANDEMONIUM tries to play as fast as possible, which doesn’t always work to their favor…but when it does, it’s a howling barrage of mayhem. Good slow, driving intros, with heavy bass haunting this sonic assault.
Again, a New Zealand band with an older punk style. Nothing particularly memorable here, but the singer does, at times, sound a bit like he should’ve been in SOCIAL UNREST.
Some pretty powerful thrash that I bet Pus would like: sloppy, energetic, and echoey, with cool guitar and vocals. Good sound quality too.
This is more like Finland ’82, since it’s totally thrashed out. One side has a previous vocalist, who’s good, but can’t come close to the ragged edge their new one has. Quite intense.
Side one is a re-release of their Slow Death EP of ’79, with two experimental tracks (down and dirty), and two full-on punk tracks. The flip is a long version of the title track, from their Live at Scala record. The Swedish equivalent of early PERE UBU.
Next to the LAMA LP, this is probably the one Finnish release that captures the best elements of rhythmic chord changes, whining guitar licks, and howling vocals. Frenzied compositions rip through thrash and punk, with some metallic overtones. KAAOS have been at it for some time, and this release shows their ability.
While their style is not my passion, they do ply their trade well. It’s in sort of a psychedelic-/pop-punk mode, and despite this, there’s still bite to it, well supplied by the pounding drums, aggressive guitar, and echoey vocals.
High quality post-punk on this one. It’s got a really good, driving, steady beat; neat whooshing guitars; and a lead singer who has a sort of FALL-type approach. Good job.
Somewhat brooding, lengthy punk songs typify this band. The tunes are mid-tempo, with somewhat of a “post-punk” feel, although they’re more properly “punk.” Decent, but somewhat dated in sound.
A very classy, powerful power thrash outfit that doesn’t resort to metal riffs. If anything, they owe more to earlier punk, but they’re firmly rooted in modern sounds, blasting it out with strong lyrics and hooks to boot—”live” proof that Vancouver is not dead. Hot!
Easily up to the standards of their fine cassette, this debut EP by Milan’s CRASH BOX contains some good examples of their piledriving thrash approach. “La Trappola” and the gut-wrenching “Morire Cosi” boast snarling vocals and a gutsy guitar attack, though some of the other songs here are more workmanlike.
A clutch of punk and thrash songs are delivered cleanly, tightly, and funnily (I presume). Sounds great to me.
This is a viciously intense and powerful tape—it’s a full-out, superbly recorded 18-song onslaught of thrash at its best.
With names like that, I frankly expected metalcore—but no, both bands are definitely on the lighter side. BITCH BOYS are post-punky, and remind me ever so slightly of TUXEDO MOON. DEATH FROM ABOVE is a bit more melodic, with a kind of surf guitar influence.
While solid all around, the ASEXUALS don’t write songs with overwhelming catchiness, either. “Wake Up” is a pleasant pop-punk amalgam with tasty guitar riffing, but the other three songs go at it with fairly quick tempos and a bit too much echo on the vocals. Decent, yet unspectacular.
The latest Pax compilation contains mostly unreleased material, and some killer tracks by the likes of the MAU MAUS, DESTRUCKTIONS, ONSLAUGHT, and the post-punkers LEITMOTIV. 20 songs, most of them good to excellent, and yet another thought-provoking editorial by Marcus Featherby on the back cover.
The textured, and often virtuosic musical trappings of the SUBHUMANS augment four compositions not quite up to this band’s ultra-high standards. “Labels” is an energetic dose of British thrash, and the EP’s title track contains some bracing changes of pace—all with the great SUBHUMANS lyrics.
The graphics and leaflets that come with this flexi contribute to an admirable project. Both bands have a distinct message orientation, and the music is slowish, basic peace-punk—English style. While the songs are a little on the dull side, the themes of peace and individuality are still important ones.
Another young Brit thrash outfit. Again, nothing dramatically new here, but their energy is a welcome relief to the “rock star” UK bands. Their female vocalist, Lorraine, belts ’em out in fine fashion. Keep growin’, kids.
These guys are prolific as fuck—with count ’em—five records in the past year. Does the term “dancable” turn you off? Tough toenails, cuz this is savage shit! The vocalist barks commands as the electro-beat grinds your ass into mandatory movement. Fucking awesome…
While nothing brilliant or startling, it’s good to see some fresh blood on the UK indie scene. Most real “punk” seems to really have gone underground (in the face of commercial onslaught), and hopefully will now be reappearing on small label vinyl, as this young thrash combo here.
While “Dead Man’s Dreams” mines a lackluster SIOUXSIE influence, the flip delights as a bouncy mid-tempo burst of catchy post-punk; it’s also very finely produced and executed. On this single, PARANOIA continues to explore some unusual and interesting musical directions. Pretty good!
OMEGA TRIBE relates lyric concerns of alienation and discontent into a strictly MOR/New Wave format, making this formerly vital outfit seem something like the STYLE COUNCIL. “Young John” has a moddish pop appeal, but the disturbing addition of a synth and wind section make this release greatly disappointing on a musical level.
The MEMBRANES hold a stylistic position somewhere near the likes of the METEORS and the INCA BABIES, but they rely less upon a recognizable rockabilly format and more on a raucous post-punk sensibility. Otherwise, one can compare their trashy, guitar-heavy approach with psychotic vocals. “Spike Milligan…” is up-tempo; the flip is a longer, droning number.
Don’t be fooled by the cartoon of the guy in a RAMONES T-shirt on the back cover, or the frantic maniac on the front cover: this is not wild shit. It’s more of a BIRTHDAY PARTY-type minimalist rock. Well done, but not crazed.
For the most part, three of the songs here fall into a CRAMPS/BIRTHDAY PARTY beat—sparse and rhythmic, but on “The Ballad of Vincent Croft,” they really take off, sounding very much like NAKED RAYGUN. All in all, it’s pretty rockin’ stuff.
I’m not sure if the world needs another BIRTHDAY PARTY clone, but as far as these clones go, this outfit is one of the best at carrying out that demented tradition. This new 45 has a rockin’, hard edge that gives it an R&B/CRAMPS feel, and of course there’s lots of screeching vocals.
The second 7″ by this band continues along with their accent on heavily rhythmic, rockin’ melodies. There are tinges of more “erratic” groups like the FALL or BIRTHDAY PARTY, but the approach here is more straightforward. B-side rocks hard.
FACTION reminds me of a cross between early vintage SIOUXSIE and the A-HEADS, and the themes here address issues of personal politics. “Turn Away” contains a pleasantly pop-punk ambience, though none of the songs cover any new ground with much authority or power. A fair, basic release.
Originally a lighter-weight RAMONES pop/punk band, they’ve gotten even lighter (BEATLES, STONES influence) with a folkish influence. Simultaneous with that though, is what I’d call a BUZZCOCKS influence of occasionally great hooks and melodies, and “noise” freak-outs. Bizarre.
Missed this one last issue. Maybe that had to do with the lame cover, but the contents aren’t bad at all. While they do sound like GBH-clones (early period), they do it well. Lots of power and drive, with lyrics that are more intelligent (or intelligible) than their mentors.
