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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!
Two former members of thrashers STARVATION ARMY and another group called PARIS IN THE SPRING team up again (one on vocals, the other on all instruments), this time to produce some ominous, dirge-like STOOGES material. I found it somewhat less than moving, as is usually the case with studio projects.
Crunching metallic punk of the Midwest variety. Most of the lyrics are good, and occasionally even unique (as in the title song). They also send out an informative monthly newsletter.
Sort of a modern-day rhythm-machine version of a band one might have found on the bizarre ’60s label E.S.P., along with the FUGS, the GODZ, and especially PEARLS BEFORE SWINE. Rhythms and electronic organ dominate their garage-level instrumental attack, with lots of noticeable ’60s tinges. Actually, I think there are vocals, but just off-mike.
The ART THIEVES have quite a distinctive sound for a thrash band, due both to their raspy vocals (which remind me quite a bit of RIBZY’s) and their tasty, tight, and somewhat inventive song structures. Definitely a winner.
Galloping drums, weird structures, and snarly-ass vocals are the hallmarks of AEROBIC DEATH’s thrashy attack. They sound sort of like the early MEAT PUPPETS, right down to a slight GRATEFUL DEAD influence. “Ten Minute Fart” is the best song title.
AGAINST THE GRAIN is an intense band with an amazingly raw singer. Their material is in the non-melodic vein, whether fast and punky or slow and pet-rockish, and the guitar tone is nicely distorted.
Strange. The STING-RAYS look rockabilly, act punk, and sound more ’60s than anything else (note their covers of the REMAINS’ “Hard Time Comin’” and LOVE’s “My Flash on You”). Actually, they are a rockabilly band in the instrumental sense, with their slapped bass, snare drum, guitar, and echoey vocals, but the material is more modern. Totally ungeneric.
The drawbacks of a live release—low fidelity and unclear sound—come to the fore here, but DASH and company have lots of power, which will hopefully come to the fore if and when they go into a regular studio. They play snappy and sometimes creative thrash, with lyrics geared toward making the average coal miner as angry as he ought to be.
Living up to their name, the G.R.I.M. produce some very down and depressing stuff. Their dark outlook is projected by slowish metal-laden punk and an occasional thrasher, as well as negative-outlook lyrics. I guess they’re bummed out.
A historic retrospective of this band’s work, recorded between 6/81 and 1/82. The production is pretty crude, but their thrash is both fun and ahead of its time.
Most of the five songs here are well-produced C&W ditties with a good beat and punch, sort of like a combination of RANK & FILE and LOU REED. But one track (“Marlboro Country”) is more R&B-ish, with a great “Louie Louie” beat and some tough guitar, making the whole effort worthwhile.
The press kit that came with this 45 touted the band as the “heartbeat of young America today” and the most exciting record to pass through my hands… blah, blah, which almost made me throw it in the trash compactor. But then I decided to listen to it, and found two ’60s-oriented folkish pop songs with occasional BEATLE-ish vocal inflections and a trebly BYRDS-ian guitar. A decent record, but nothing extraordinary.
The SIC KIDZ are a Philadelphia-area band who’ve been around for awhile and, despite deaths and other obstacles, have finally managed to attract the attention of an English specialty label, perhaps with the help of the CRAMPS. Their sound is indeed heavily influenced by the latter, though it expands from a narrow psychobilly base into the ’60s for inspiration. So if you like nasty, ringing guitars and echoey singing, give this a listen.
Strong, crisply produced modern hardcore is showcased on STRANGLEHOLD’s debut release. Their overall approach—including sung, ’60s-inflected vocals, irrepressible tunes, tight instrumentation, and boisterous but controlled delivery—reminds me a bit of the great ZERO BOYS, which can’t be a bad thing. “’Cause I’m Gonna” is an epic blast with an anthemic chorus.
A somewhat garagy production that, in this case, doesn’t add charm to the band’s sound. But in a studio, their sparse attack could be filled in nicely, and some of the tasty guitar and bass tricks would sound really cool (like those in “Resistance” and “Un-American”). There’s potential here.
A three-song demo. There are two lengthy sons (including a cover of the ZOMBIES’ “She’s Not There”) with funky rhythms, post-punk vocals, and instrumental overlays; the final track (“Lympdiccus”) is a rockabillyish thang with similar “cold wave” vocals.
Fine garage punk from the SF Bay Area. The guitars are raunchy, the singer is a smart-aleck, and the themes are often satirical. Songs like “Fellatio Sucks, It’s for Dicks” are real knee-slappers, whereas others (like “Senior Citizen”) are more sensitive and relevant.
The ENEMY have never managed to generate much excitement, and this new 45 doesn’t break with tradition. “Last But Not Least” is a fairly boring rock-oriented number with a dull lead and mannered vocals; the live flip isn’t much better, though it has a more piercing guitar tone.
OUTRAGE plays medium-tempo punk with quite a bit of punch. Their strong vocal and guitar work is highlighted by the powerful production here, so watch for them.
A ’60s-style guitar band from Britain. Both songs here have rocking beats, heavy guitars, and irresistible riffs. “Public Enemy Number One” is an instrumental, whereas the flip has tough-sounding vocals. SID & Co. have some musical guts.
An excellent album that mixes that irresistible French skunk—melodic mid-tempo numbers with soccer choruses—with a few contemporary thrashers that also have sing-along vocals (like “LVF”). The production is very powerful, and the lyrics reflect both a healthy cynicism about promises made by established political parties (including those on the left) and an obvious hostility to neo-nazi groups. Recommended.
This is an album shared by two Italian bands. CONTRAZIONE are a raw outfit with a punky instrumental attack, straightforward rocking beats (including a couple of thrashers), an occasional post-punk frill (like the inclusion of a sax in “Nausea”), and incredible male/female vocal interaction. FRANTI cover a variety of musical bases, from punk (“1984″) to SIOUXSIE-like post-punk (“Questa e l’ora”) to sparse, arty numbers (“Io nella notte”).
A tight new band that plays fairly unoriginal thrash. Give them a bit more time to develop.
This is the only Argentine punk record to date, and although it came out in 1983 and is definitely in the classical style, it’s a fine beginning. The production is of a very high quality, enabling LOS VIOLADORES to get across their anti-repression lyrics and guitar-heavy sound in the most powerful manner.
RÄKÄ is a young band from eastern Finland. They have an exceptionally primitive approach, with almost every song consisting of a single simple and repetitive riff overlaid by nasty vocals. Rude and pile-driving.
More basic metallic thrash from Finland’s BASTARDS. They’ve slowed down a bit and added more metal-tinged guitar parts on this flatly produced album (which is only available on a German pressing at this time), but some melodies and stronger hooks would really help a lot.
Formerly called SLIPS Y SPERMA (see interview elsewhere in this issue), these guys play a DISCHARGE-like form of thrash with few hooks, repetitive riffs, and growling vocals. You either like this form a lot, or you get bored fast.
A three-song demo by yet another new Finnish group. These guys play raw-sounding punk and thrash with raspy Oi-ish vocals, but certain songs (especially “Liukuhihnan Orjat”) reveal a budding imagination more advanced than their current musical abilities.
Not the New York group, but an Italian outfit that handles more melodic forms of both fast and slow punk. The vocals are mixed way up front, but you can also hear the music, which sometimes reminds me of SoCal band AGENT ORANGE’s non-surf material.
SECOND AUSCHWITZ are self-admitted novices (they recorded one hundred songs in a studio, forty of which are here, without ever having played an instrument or practiced before) who produce five-to-ten-second “songs” that are crude and idealistic. Decidedly different.
A four-song job that highlights SINGLE TRACK’s now-antiquated mid-period CLASH sound. Not terribly exciting in this day and age.
NURSE is a unique Japanese ensemble with a female singer and an eclectic, guitar-heavy approach to punk music. On this EP, they produce poppy punk with a rockin’ beat (B-2); post-punk (A-2); slow, hook-laden punk (B-1); and two thrashers, one (A-1) with screeching “nyah nyah” vocals, the other (B-3) with a pummeling beat and shit-hot guitar breaks. Marvelous.
PYHÄT NUKET is a second band for some of the guys in RIISTETYT, and it’s a real departure for them. This ensemble has a highly polished post-punk sound with strong guitars; I’d recommend it to fans of the early CURE.
Another Rock-O-Rama bonus album with a side each of studio and live compositions. All of the studio material (some of which was previously released on their last Finnish 12″) exudes that trebly thrash feel that one associates with CHAOS UK, and special mention should be made of acidic rockers like “Brainless Violence” and “Skitzophrenia.” The live side varies in quality, with occasional vocal drop-outs, but it’s still entertaining. A fine release.
After all the trouble we had getting a decent-sounding remix version of “Incubator Slide” for our 1984 album, I half-expected the production on RED TIDE’s EP to be terrible. But they’ve ended up with a chunky drive and a lot of edge on the guitars so, despite the occasionally weird vocal sound, this record turned out pretty damn well. The guitar parts are really cool, and “Santa Mari Marushi” is hotter than hell.
Another chaotic thrash-oriented release with good lyrics from the RAZOR BLADES. They’ve improved quite a bit over the last few years. Some of their songs now have strong hooks (especially “68”), and they’ve branched out into more diverse structures without sacrificing their crude guitar power or nasty vocals. “Precipice” totally shreds.
RATTUS has evolved a lot since the release of their early self-produced EPs, and have improved very dramatically since the appearance of their WC Räjähtää LP. Their new vocalist Annikki is much hotter, their instrumental attack is tighter and even more intense, and, best of all, most of their newer songs have terrific hooks in the choruses. This baby is awesome!
Raw Italian punk. The tempos are medium, the vocals are raggedy, the sound is rough, and a couple of the songs have good sing-along potential. A pop sensibility also lurks beneath the distorted production here.
The second album from this politically aware/personally oriented Australian band, which I’m not as fond of as other people I know. Their music tends toward a ’70s rock style, with some songs on the soft side and others on the tougher, guitar-heavy side, not unlike some “Detroit rock” bands of past days. Off and on.
A fine release that’s shared by two Swedish bands. By now, everyone should know how great HUVUDTVÄTT (the HEADCLEANERS) are—the only question is whether the rough production here complements their gruff, careening thrash, and I can assure you that it does. KURT I KUVÖS are new to me, and they do punk and thrash with some peculiar vocal melodies that may represent an attempt to bring Swedish folk music into the ’80s.
The Swedish equivalent of GANG GREEN! MOB 47 plays rip-roaring ultra-fast thrash with incredible tightness, thereby differentiating themselves from the legions of hardcore bands that disintegrate at 1000 mph speeds. Every song is like a flesh-gouging bullet (except the slow “Animal Liberation”) making this EP one of the year’s best.
Although DIE NORMAHL sometimes plays considerably faster these days (as in “Morganstunde”), they’ve retained their sense of irony, their bouncy punk sound, and their ability to write the occasional slower, catchy tune (like “Liebeskonsum”). Nothing here is extraordinary, but this 12″ makes for enjoyable listening.
Proficiently recorded and executed new material that sounds distinctly German. It’s filled with anti-war themes, ’77-style three-chord riffs, and Oi-type choruses—without an Oi “attitude.” Side one utilizes humor and funny little musical intros and breaks, so it sounds a bit disjointed if you don’t understand German. Side two, while less imaginative, is more rocking. Not bad at all.
Midnight had this French release listed as “thrash” in their catalog, but in fact PANIK falls into the mid-tempo skunk category. Although they have blasting guitars, an excellent singer, and some driving songs, they have a more experimental bent and concentrate less on the “cast of thousand” background vocals than other skunk outfits. There’s even a reverse mystery track at the end of side A for psychedelia’s sake.
Most of DEBAUCHE’s five songs are characterized by their length (long), tempo (medium), vocals (growly), style (metal punk), and innovation (synth). Not my main thing, but a welcome departure.
A garagy tape from a garagy band. There are a couple of instrumentals in the surf style, two other tunes that borrow heavily from ’60s garage pop, and a bizarre cover of NO ALTERNATIVE’s “Johnny Got His Gun,” which they make almost unrecognizable.
They claim to be some former GRIM REALITY members, but I’m pretty sure Jello slipped in some rare early HALF JAPANESE tape to fool me. It has that totally primitive, raw, and untogether feel… that “we suck and we don’t care” attitude. Bonkers.
A screeching pet rock cousin to New York’s current school of avant-noise bands. The difference here is their fondness for trashing ’50s standards. “Who Do You Love” and “Ubangi Stomp” have never been abused quite like this before. Nice packaging, too.
From a vocal standpoint, this is like a rawer version of early PERE UBU…or maybe CAPTAIN BEEFHEART. Otherwise, IDLE WORKSHIP has a goofy sort of straight-ahead garage attack.
Another very hot tape from this fine SoCal band. Intelligent lyrics and blazingly fast thrash that’s tight, cleanly recorded, and filled with good hooks and some neat vocal work. Some of these songs are new, while others are re-done versions of material from their earlier cassette. These guys should put out a record as soon as possible.
