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!
’60s pop with distinct hard rock trappings. MOD FUN’s general tone of aggression has to be admired, but neither of the songs on this 45 are raunchy or catchy enough to sustain much interest. “Happy Feelings,” the better of the two, offers pleasant background vocals, some jangly guitars, and not much else.
The MINUTEMEN have packed 45 of their minimal, funk-punky songs onto this very satisfying twin album. Most of the compositions here rate from fair to very good, and utilize some combination of melody, guitar riff, or interesting lyric twist to sustain the listener’s interest. The seven or eight really excellent numbers live up to the MINUTEMEN’s best standards—”Corona” and “My Heart and the Real World” have superb melodies, while cuts like “Nothing Indeed” employ the typical MINUTEMEN formulae very well.
With vocals reminiscent of early STIFF LITTLE FINGERS, tough, tight hardcore instrumentation in various styles, and intelligent lyrics, this band is a welcome addition to the scene. There’s plenty of power and commitment here too, making this a fine non-generic alternative to standard thrash and its far lamer cousin—metal punk.
This is one of those super-cool punkadelic records that’ll probably never get the acclaim it deserves. Like YO, THEE KATATONIX manage to combine some of the best elements from the ’60s to the ’80s—punky guitars, snarling FLESHTONES-like singing, some semi-psychedelic melodies, and haunting background vocals—in a highly original, unselfconscious way. That’s what differentiates them from the legions of more derivative outfits. Refreshingly good.
A four-song job in a ’60s pop-punk vein. There are also hints of early TALKING HEADS (“How Long Have I Been Asleep?”) and even the ANIMALS (“Roar”). OK, but not too rippin’.
LOST GENERATION is back! These forerunners of the Connecticut hardcore scene totally kick ass and thereby prove that they’re still alive and well. There’s great, tough punk here—no frills, melodic but crunching tunes, and hot vocals. Don’t miss out.
Try as they will, the modern cowpunk bands can’t begin to approach the psychotic C&W on this disc. The LEGENDARY STARDUST COWBOY specializes in a music that sounds like a cross between HANK WILLIAMS and the late-period MEAT PUPPETS on a “drug train”; if you think you might like that kind of stuff, songs like “Paralyzed-’80″ and “Radar” should tickle your funnybone and send your feet a’dancin’. This is the real thing.
A little of everything comes from this wise-guy garage punk outfit. They kind of epitomize the genre—you either like the charm or are put off by the unprofessionalism.
A fairly uninventive, unappealing seven-song EP from Switzerland’s KIE-13. “Anarchie in CH” has some pleasantly diverting guitar progressions, but the medium-speed songs on this disc plod along without any discernible passion or excitement. Rather monochromatic and tiresome.
This six-track EP from Norway’s SVART FRAMTID features finely arranged thrash with some trademark staccato guitar figures and lyrics touching on the basic anti-religious, anti-war themes. The highly textured sound contributes to making just about all of the songs pretty remarkable, so get it!
A new German release with a different band on each side. The MANIACS have a thrash attack that mixes British and American elements; TIN CAN ARMY has a somewhat raunchier and more intense thrash sound with diverting lead parts inserted at just the proper moments. Both groups utilize political perspectives, and have a couple of slower sing-along numbers. Good.
I was anticipating basic Britpunk, but instead this is a reasonably hard-edged release combining pop and post-punk song structures. PARANOIA’s crisp instrumentation is of a high order, and their haunting compositions grow on you with repeated listenings. One can discern some obvious SIOUXSIE influences herein, though a number of the songs are more driving (like “1984,” “Graveyards of Hell,” and “My World”). Good, if somewhat spotty.
There is one song on this extremely hot-sounding thrash album that attacks in-scene violence and bashing as the Nazi activity it is (“Fascist Attitudes”). Great! But unfortunately, much of the narrow-mindedness, fanatical nationalism, and violence that has destroyed the New York punk scene seems to have revolved around AGNOSTIC FRONT. Is it too little, too late? I hope not, but I’m approaching this band with caution.
Some people can’t stand this record, but I think it’s quite good. Jonithin’s voice is still pretty snotty, Mike’s guitar playing is better than ever, and the rest of the band doesn’t miss a beat. Even more importantly, the songwriting is more accomplished, and there are all kinds of textures that one normally doesn’t find on a “punk” album. Although a couple of turkeys here make me wonder about their next release, this one’s expansive.
This ultra-produced effort by CH3 is very disappointing in comparison to their past output. All four tracks are unfortunately oriented to the college and commercial new wave radio markets, with their rich instrumental sonorities, acoustic breaks, and studied poppishness. In that context, songs like “I Wanna Know Why” beat the hell out of the competition, but it’s definitely a step down. Beware!
APPENDIX’s new album seems to slip into that morass of genericness that many of today’s Finnish bands find themselves mired in. Occasional swipes of driving, well-written thrash (“A Man,” “I’m Scared,” and “An Ass Licker”) largely fail to enliven an LP that suffers from lackluster songwriting and a guitar sound bereft of real bite.
An excellent debut. The band is tight, their thrashers are not at all mundane, and their singer spits out searing lyrics like a younger Doc Dart (CRUCIFUCKS). Hot!
After My War, I was expecting the worst, but this new BLACK FLAG album is much better. Many of these songs have more streamlined drive and less self-indulgent pathos. Greg’s metallic guitar playing is generally too discordant and frenetic to fall into the heavy metal junkyard, and Henry seems to have brought his most annoying pretensions under control (except on “Rat’s Eyes”). Although nothing here approaches classics like “Nervous Breakdown” and “Jealous Again,” songs like “Wound Up,” the title cut, and “The Bars” are new reminders of BLACK FLAG’s power.
From Chicago comes this promising young band. On their debut 45, they do two raw, atmospheric post-punk numbers with a basic guitar-bass-drum backing. The lyrics are alternately existential (“Echoes”) and political (“Nuclear Fear”), and the singer is female. Atypical.
N.O.S. have two fairly unappealing cuts in a slower, brooding vein with some rich and bass-y guitar accompaniment. ZYNTHSLAKT, however, write powerful mid-tempo tunes with some deft touches in the arranging department, as on the excellent “Paga,” with its nifty two-channel alternating vocals. In fact, that one cut makes this Swedish EP well worth buying.
As far as ACTION PACT’s output goes, “Yet Another Dole Queue Song” combines fair pop-punk stylings with solid production to achieve a hummable, though unremarkable, end result. Their cover of the RAMONES’ classic, on the other hand, is so dreadful as to provoke laughter. Uneventful.
“Attempting to extract the wickedness from society without crushing that society” is ARTACUS EAGHT’s credo. They do this by thrashing and noising their way through a variety of subjects. This mission isn’t too melodic or artistic, but then these demons need a good whuppin’ anyway.
Phew! All three songs here are fast, blistering punkers with piercing, one might even say shimmering, guitar playing. ELECTRONAZE is frankly incredible, though it’s not easy to indicate their quality verbally. A fantastic wall of sound.
Mykel Board compiled this for ROIR, and the outcome is by far the best and broadest international compilation yet. Not only does it have a wide variety of styles, it also has a wider variety of countries represented (27 in all), including the Eastern Bloc, South Africa, and South America, but excluding the US and UK. There are excellent hardcore and garage bands on side one, and on side two are some really great pop-punk and post-punk groups. A new wave band from Columbia is hard to get through, but I can’t think of any other bands here that I don’t like. Check this out.
While hardly up to the standard of their fine debut EP, these four skunk-style anthems definitely grow on you. The standout here may be “1984 Reality Today,” with its pop-reggae to punk change of pace, but the thrashing title track also packs a real wallop.
A variety of modern bands and styles can be heard here. Denmark is amply represented by CRAP (post-punk), the RAZOR BLADES (thrash), the DEFORMED (punk), ENOLA GAY (thrash), WAR OF DESTRUCTION (thrash), and DIE KAPELLE (noisy post-punk); Finland showcases the thrash of the BASTARDS and RATTUS; Germany contributes GORILLA ACTIV (post-punk) and DER MODERNE MAN (jazz-punk); then there’s England’s DESTRUCTORS V with some punk. The sound is OK for a live effort.
Instead of garden-variety Swedish thrash, ARABENS ANUS opts for medium and fast tempos to augment compositions with minor key progressions, and even an occasional intrusion of synth. The result is different and quite good. “Himmel och Jord” and “Hjälter gÁ¥r Först” manage to intrigue and excite simultaneously, much as their countrymen ZYNTHSLAKT do. Recommended!
A shitload of German bands (HAWAII 5-O, ENOLA GAY, SICK PLEASURE, INFERNO, the NEUROTIC ARSEHOLES, PORNO PATROL, the UPRIGHT CITIZENS, BLUTTAT, and others), along with Italy’s WRETCHED, recorded at the AJZ. The sound isn’t great, which is too bad, because most of these groups are. The project itself is of an admirable non-profit nature.
A fun-loving bunch of drunkards from Holland. A lot of these 29 short tunes extol the virtues of getting fucked up on various substances. DE BOEGIES mostly thrash out, but they also do a number of slower, pub-style songs. Down the hatch!
Normally, I find GBH’s brand of metal-punk tedious, but this time around they sound pretty damn good, mainly due to the incredible production here. The title song and “Children of Dust” are both real stormers, and the dub mix of the former is particularly stimulating.
The EJECTED’s second album musters up loads of melodic pop-punk in a surprising array of styles, from chunky and fast punk to a few touches of reggae-flavored pop. “Stop, Look, and Listen” is a lilting, effective bit of UB40-ish reggae, but a brace of brisk rockers with catchy choruses make this record click. Despite a few dull slow numbers, this is basically solid Britpunk.
Winsome, lightweight pop in the tradition of the AU PAIRS, the MO-DETTES, the RAINCOATS, DIE MÖGEL, the WANDAS, etc. The occasionally reggae-fied bass is their heaviest instrument, and it nicely counterpoints the lilting female vocals, but nothing here is really meaty enough to sink your teeth into.
The first Norwegian band to appear on Rock-O-Rama’s “International” album series. They produce a brace of clean thrashers and an occasional slower, almost post-punky number (like “I Don’t Feel Anything”). There’s nothing radically different here, just a good amalgam of the tried and true. We’d have definitely wanted “1984” on our compilation if we’d known about SISTE DAGERS HELVETE earlier.
A garagy energy infuses the boisterous thrash on this six-song EP from NEBENWIRKUNG. The very short compositions here unfortunately have the vocals too far up front, but kinetic rockers like “Gewalt” and “Total Voll” triumph over the primitive mix with a guitar/vocal combination that really rips. Check this one out.
A new US album featuring material from several of RATTUS’ Finnish releases. The hot sound quality here emphasizes the band’s power and instrumental virtuosity, so anyone who found it difficult to obtain the original records should scarf this up immediately! (I’d swear that some of these versions are different than the originals, but I could be wrong.)
While some of the ferocity and offbeat humor of their debut EP is absent here, Winnipeg’s STRETCH MARKS still manage to come out with a creditable album. Breakneck thrashers like “Turnbuckle Stomp” and the title track are the standouts among these thirteen mid- to fast-speed punkers, though the cover of CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL’s “Bad Moon [Rising]” also lives up to all expectations. A good basic record, aside from my perennial gripe about BYO’s sedate production.
This is a ska band from Fresno with some ex-MANIAX and THINK TANK members. Although I love heavy dub-style reggae, I’ve always felt that ska is to reggae what pop is to punk, so I’m not too wild about the lightweight sound and bouncy rhythms contained herein. The one exception is “Generation Gap,” a decent JAM-inspired mod number with fine lyrics.
A rough-quality four-song demo that contains some excellent material. It’s tight, with intensely gruff vocals and a great, almost BUZZCOCKS-like poppy thrash attack. HOMO PICNIC contains a kernel of ex-KREMLIN KORPS personnel.
This three-track EP presents slow to mid-tempo rock with a dense guitar mix and throaty female vocals. The record’s title track is irritatingly dirgy, but the two songs on the flip (especially “In the Shadows”) contain basic, semi-engaging melodies and a certain aural richness. Fair.
This record is a bit confusing. The A-side is an unappealing, slow rocker that sounds like the BREEDERS might be listening to too much LOVERBOY or FUN BOY THREE; the two other songs are fun thrashers. “Fuckheads” has great sentiments about people who play too rough in the pit, and seeing them live might clear up the confusion.
Slightly quirky thrash and pop that’s .:. .:.. .. . ….:.. .:. … ::. ..::. .:.. So check it out.
A very powerfully recorded album that’s got plenty of that CHAOTIC DISCHORD zip to it. It features still more of the humorous, idiotic subject matter we’ve come to expect form this send-up thrash band, and they leave us with these pearls of wisdom: “You’ve Got to Be Obscene to Be Heard.” Slap those knees!
One of Ray Farrell’s faves. These jokers perform a kind of demented R&B on one side, and funky cajun music on the flip. Neither is done with the certified psychosis of the BUTTHOLES, or the sparkling pop sensibilities of the CRAMPS, and therefore don’t really grab me, but lovers of those genres might be enthused.
An unusual release. Sorry are able to merge thrash power, distinctive song structures, and high-quality musicianship to produce some material comparable to that of certain other bands who are pushing back the frontiers of punk. Many of their songs are too jazzy or disjointed for my taste, but others hit home with ringing guitars and poppier sensibilities (like the MEKONS’ “Where Were You”). Listen before buying unless you have broad musical interests.
The singer for the STALIN appears here on his first solo vinyl effort. The A-side is a fine driving mid-tempo punker, whereas the flip is a slower, more unusual number with spoken vocals. Both cuts have crisp production.
A sonic crossfire of furious mayhem. Lightning-fast guitar riffs storm with raging thrash appeal, as PLASMID strikes hard with torpedoing speed in the vein of CHAOS UK or ASYLUM, perhaps the fastest disorder to come out of the UK yet. Strong political and personal beliefs are thrusted forth in this maniac barrage and, though the sound quality lacks slightly, this effort is sheer exhilaration for a four-song demo.
A tight German thrash-oriented outfit with imagination. These guys burn at high speeds, but also add complex, tuneful elements without even batting an eye. Someone should help H.O.A. put out vinyl immediately.
Whoa! This is a terrific medium-speed punk release from New Zealand. The guitars are really dense, there are good sing-along parts, and the lyrics are very radical (particularly in “Govt. Don’t Care”). One of the better old-style punk records I’ve heard.
KLAXON breaks with the Italian thrash and Oi traditions by adopting a poppy punk sound. Songs like “Prisoners” have a ’78-’79 punk approach with their medium speed and hummable backing vocals. Decidedly different in this day and age, but really refreshing.
Some ex-members of Switzerland’s TNT come up with a totally unique and powerful sound. It’s mainly just a couple of raw guitars and female vocal harmonies, interspersed with weird and abrasive breaks, eruptions, and outbursts. One song runs through both sides, and it represents punk at its most innovative.
