Klimax Suvivirsi cassette
A pretty rip-roaring demo, mixing thrash with a few slow, powerful songs. Not much is new, but for some reason KLIMAX sounds more like and English thrash outfit than a Finnish band.
MAXIMUM ROCKNROLL
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A pretty rip-roaring demo, mixing thrash with a few slow, powerful songs. Not much is new, but for some reason KLIMAX sounds more like and English thrash outfit than a Finnish band.
The lead singer of Japan’s the STALIN has put out a very well-produced nine-song tape that comes with a high-quality book that includes multi-colored photos. He does many ’60s songs here (like “Born To Be Wild,” “I Wanna Be Your Dog,” etc.), along with original compositions in styles ranging from intense thrash to straight metal to almost BEATLE-esque material, and the band (who sounds like the STALIN) really crank it out. Excellent.
The recording quality here isn’t so hot—it’s like “live” from the garage—so I hesitate to judge this new thrash band. They say that there’s a better-quality cassette to come, though.
An audio version of the Situationist philosophy, whose message is “subversion can be fun.” And indeed it can, as this album demonstrates. Musically, it’s very diverse, combining fast semi-thrashers with undistorted guitars (like “Imitation of Life” and “Subscription”) with a variety of theatrical pieces (like the schizoid “Gut Rage” and the creepy “1984”), all marked by Frank Discussion’s sneering vocals and sarcastic humor. Undeniably entertaining and provocative, arguably brilliant and revelatory. A classic.
This new DROOLING IDIOTS tape doesn’t sound as melodic as their first thrash-oriented demo, and the production isn’t especially hot. But their lyrical content has really come on strong, with both “personal” and “political” themes that do beneath the surface.
BYRDS-style neo-psychedelia—minus the 12-string guitar—meets DUANE EDDY-ish twanginess. Despite the singer’s sometimes annoying vocals, there’s interesting stuff on this half-sided picture disc, especially “Sniper on the Rooftop.”
It was hard to get past the overlong heavy metal intro, but the rest of this tape contains teenage garage thrash with exaggerated, high-pitched vocals and funny lyrics. The EPILEPTICS are obviously having a lot of fun here, even if they are a little on the retardo side, so people with wacko senses of humor will probably like them—except maybe Frank Discussion, who gets slagged off.
CANCEROUS GROWTH deliver fairly unoriginal thrash and slower hardcore with quite a bit of gusto. They’re pretty tight, but more of their own personality needs to evolve. I especially like the guitar work.
“Ruined by Technology” is more like it. This record provides the best argument since the 100 FLOWERS album that garage punk outfits should dissolve rather than trying to “progress.” Here, the AUTISTICS seem to be aiming for the trendy rock ’n’ rolly dance audience with that addition of slicker production and a hokey sax. It’s a shame that they decided to discard the rawness instead of the idiocy (manifested here by “Asian Drivers”), although I do like “Mirror.”
Like it or not, GG represents the authentic spirit of “rock ’n’ roll.” After half a dozen 7″ers and an album, you’d expect him to mellow out, but he’s more primitive and disgusting than ever. I mean, the production on this garage release is almost as distorted as GG’s values! With a homemade drawing of an ejaculating member on the cover and reflective song titles like “Fuckin’ the Dog,” “Clit Licker,” “Drink, Fight, and Fuck,” and “Cock on the Loose,” this would make a perfect gift for Sunday School teachers all across America.
The EXTREM side is extreme! Raucous cycloning mayhem from Austria, enough driving power and insistent quickness to hurl you into a venture of mega-speed craziness. Savage guitar grinds charge out a brutal slaughter of aggression and combustion, crammed into a wild seizure of raw energy. EXTREM escalate with each zooming slice. MICKEYMAN is Austrian reggae done well, and their punk song is basic and humorous. Don’t miss this album—the EXTREM stuff is drastic plastic.
A defunct band from the small town of Korpilahti in central Finland. The EXPLODED have a raunchy mid-tempo instrumental attack and gravelly Oi-style vocals (like those of Maho Neitsyt). This primitive but unremarkable tape is already sold out.
Very minimalist rockabilly/R’n’B with just drums, guitar, and voice. It never gets crazy like, say, Suicide, and with a derivative genre like this, that’s a real necessity. Still, it’s fun.
Unbelievable. How often have you heard shades of CRASS, DRI, RITCHIE BLACKMORE, traditional Chinese music, Hungarian folk dancing, violin solos, and abrasive electronic noises all on one record, let alone one song? A challenging breath of fresh air. I wonder what else is going on in Hungary? Is a new cult brewing?
These guys started out doing bad covers of good English ’77 punk songs, but now they’re doing bad covers of bad songs, including their own. Here, they mix older-style punk material with awful rock compositions, and the gutlessly produced results are boring as hell. Please don’t judge Japanese punk on the basis of ANARCHY’s releases.
As their name suggests, RESISTANCE 77 utilize a “classic” punk approach, one that’s rich with strong melodies, irresistible background choruses, and an aggressive guitar sound. “Will They Survive?” and “Advance Factory Units” are the most intriguing of the four tracks here and, although the lyrics aren’t as inspired as one might hope, aficionados of good ’77 punk will fond something to their liking. Very fine.
The slow- to medium-speed Oi anthems on the OPPRESSED debut album lack any sort of lyric originality, but stand-out tracks like “Gun-Law,” “Don’t Look Back,” and the hilarious “Skinhead Girl” add a certain dimension of personality to this release. Nonetheless, it could use a dose of energy and inspiration.
The WARDS maintain their politically oriented garage approach on their second EP. Musically, it’s more punky than thrashy, with a dash of art damage thrown in. Well worth it.
Amateurish thrash and punk straight from a garage somewhere in the “garden” state. These teens have spunk and a good, albeit dumb, sense of humor, but don’t expect any musical miracles. “Hay Ho Ha” is the most intense cut; “Disgusting” is the most ludicrous.
Despite the controversy over SACRED ORDER’s supposed homophobic, sexist attitudes, the music on their new demo tape is an invigorating mixture of garage raunch, brain-damaged metal guitar parts, psychotic vocals, and funnypunk themes (as exhibited in songs like “Funky Mr. Penis” and “3 Testes”). I think SACRED ORDER sound like a gas, and it’s hard to imagine how anyone could take them too seriously.
The energy and hard guitar sound here approximate the spirit of mid- to fast-tempo punk quite admirably, but there’s very little memorable material on this varied release. Despite the frenzy of “No Time for Losers” and a very solid rendition of the MONKEES’ “I’m a Believer,” I remain unimpressed.
A five-song demo of this young band’s crisp thrash style. OUT OF ORDER have both DC inflections and LA influences, and they play well, but without any special enthusiasm or uniqueness. Still, I expect that by the time they get vinyl out, they’ll have developed their particular peculiarities, so watch for them.
A four-song debut that exhibits a chunky thrash style. Stop/go parts, semi-jazzy drumming, and vocal harmonies are all prevalent, and it might come out on vinyl later.
NRG is an immensely powerful mid-tempo punk band from Denmark. “Kulturel Forwaltning” is a chunky blast with an ultra-dense sound and memorable vocal parts that I love; the flip is slower but equally bass-heavy, and it has some nifty melodic guitar breaks scattered here and there. Terrific.
This French record has exceptionally echoey, growling vocals and choruses, very engaging guitar work, and a crisp sound. Jeff thinks these guys are inept and annoying, but I particularly appreciate the strange song structures and the drumming, which seems totally out of it. Thrash that’s a bit “off.”
For such a young thrash band, POIKKEUSTILA are pretty good. The guitar work is hot, as is the singing—those Finns have some of the most ragged voices—but the drumming lags behind a bit. If they get that hurdle cleared, they’ll be excellent.
The poor quality recording here unfortunately obscures some decent ’79-style punk. It’s a bit passé, but the speeded-up tempo compensates for that.
Here’s one for diehard fans of the SAINTS and RADIO BIRDMAN. This new Canadian group has the same heavy yet tasty double-guitar sound, half-sneering/half-sung ’60s punk vocals, and high-quality songwriting as their Australian mentors. Aside from a couple of slow numbers (“Walls Are Falling In” and “Action”), these gutsy blasts are pretty damn irresistible.
Huh? Anyone expecting an album full of incredible thrashers like “Fat Boys” and “Little Boys” will be in for a shock after hearing this. Aside from the ripping “Arabenrein,” this LP reflects a synthesis of their earlier post-punk style and their recent hardcore influence, in that it weds loud, punky guitars to melodic mid-tempo post-punk compositions with sporadic and (mercifully) restrained sax accompaniment. Even so, I like it.
Another crudely produced Italian indie release with intelligent political themes. UPSET NOISE has a raw thrash attack that’s tighter and catchier than that country’s norm, and hence remind me of a bit of the great INDIGESTI. WARFARE? has a slightly slower English-influenced sound, except for one experimental number (“Anarchia I”). A good blend.
Another extraordinary German hardcore band. VORKRIEGSJUGEND (who shouldn’t be mistaken for noise merchants VORKRIEGSPHASE) offer a potent mixture of tight, powerful thrashers with ultra-catchy choruses (like “Ratten” and “Haute Spass, Morgen Tod”) and slower, anguished sing-alongs (“Vaterland” and “Bombe”). If groups like this keep arising, Germany will become the new center of high-quality European punk in no time.
Still another thunderous, exciting EP from Italy’s WRETCHED. The compositions on this record are somewhat longer than on their previous efforts, but the messy, explosive thrash sound remains highly effective, especially on steamrollers like “Mai Arrendersi” and the title track. No question about it, here’s another winner. Bravo!
Another Boston Tea Party tape from Denmark. An excellent collection of tasty bands featuring the awesome “Havoc Zest Appeal” by WAR OF DESTRUCTION, who terrorize with their unique stylings. Also present are Denmark’s RAZOR BLADES, ILLEGAL 80, and ACTINGS OF A MAD MAN, the forging thrash of BAYONET from Finland, and MELÖSA HEMORROJDER from Sweden. A nice dose of crafty melodies.
A very roughly made tape that makes it difficult to appreciate the music. What I can hear is a fairly musical post-punk style, or maybe even pre-punk STOOGE-ish sounding rock. On the eerie side.
Some really garagy stuff can be found here, both in terms of production and style. PUBLIC HUMILIATION mainly offers punk rock with a simplistic beat, fun retardo lyrics, and an occasional freak-out (that they advertise on the lyric sheet as “wild solo”).
Hmmm. Early LA-style art damage meets jazz-pop meets death rock, with a dash of thrash thrown in. Happy Squid label fans will be happy, as will THROBBING GRISTLE fans. FALL fans might. I’m not too excited.
The NEW MR. ORRS are a bunch of weirdos! There’s a lot of experimentation here, and when they do launch into “songs” per se, it reminds me of a jazzier MEAT PUPPETS.
Hmm. This tape has sort of a LYDIA LUNCH, “No Wave”-type of vocal quality and overall feel, combined with an amateurish CRAMPS-ish rock ’n’ roll garage feel. Interesting and enjoyable.
A six-song debut by a local band that contains at least one former member of INTENSIFIED CHAOS. The music is in the classical punk style, with both English ’78 influences and US surf sounds. It won’t set the world on fire, but it’s good clean fun.
“Bad trip” music in a noise/psych/jazzy vein, designed to put you in a very unpleasant mood. If you were already there in the first place, put CHOIR OF PAIN on and you won’t feel alone anymore.
Poppy rock-cum-punk. Sometimes it clicks well, as in the great garage punk title track, but more often it leans too much towards commerciality. It’ll be interesting to see which direction they more in.
Excuse my German, but the six ditties on this release sound like light-hearted, goofy funnypunk in the best tradition of ERIC HYSTERIC and friends. While an inability to understand the lyrics hurts one’s capacity to enjoy this record fully, DER DURSTIGE MANN still manages to produce some fairly catchy mid-tempo punk—especially “Kronprinz Rudolfs Letzte Liebe” and the title cut—with somewhat overloud vocals. Pleasant enough.
Boisterous, growling hardcore from Austria. Named after a politician shot in office—sound familiar?—the DEAD NITTELS thrust forth a bombardment of rough-arsed exertion with raunchy vocals and intense punches of rapid momentum. This barking assault really shows some strenuous roars at establishing Austrian punk in a torpedoing exhibit of alert disorder and exhilarating rhythms. Exciting and young!
A not-too-exciting German EP in the mid-tempo punk tradition. The title song is boisterous and catchy, despite its well-worn sentiments, but the two cuts on the B-side lack distinguishing thematic or musical features (except for the cool bridges in “No Rights”). OK.
This vinyl offering from a new German band contains one fast punk song with a nervous, screechy guitar ending (“Fleisch Rollt”), and one hot little thrasher with a sudden chorus and more sharp guitar parts. Good.
This powerful album features an energetic, thrashy sound aided by killer production and some truly inventive compositions. Songs like “Lange Cesichter” and the superbly arranged “Dein Leben” add variety to a solid collection of tracks that contain some excellent guitar work. A consistent, strongly recommended record.
Perhaps not as consistently appealing as their debut EP and album, this new release from JFA takes a few more musical chances, with tracks ranging from punk and surf to weird psychedelia. Two instrumentals (“Tentpeg” and the rollicking surf tune “Pipetruck”) are the songs with the most melodic interest here, but the old JFA wit resurfaces more convincingly in “I Love Broads.” Although mixed in terms of quality, this LP just might be worth a gamble.
Skin-ripping thrash chock full of blistering spasms that detonate this Tennessee invasion in the vein of CAUSE FOR ALARM or DRI. KORO thrusts a powerful convulsion of firing speed and rapid guitar screaming that swirls in furious catapults of overall chaos. This scorcher is hard to find.
Jazzy-metal instrumentation, extremely gruff vocals, and smart-ass lyrics are the hallmarks of this debut from KILLDOZER. A lot of weirdness seems to emanate from up Wisconsin way, and this interesting release on the TAR BABIES’ label keeps with that tradition.
In France, even the skin bands seem to have a skunk sound rather than the pure “Oi” approach, with its sandpaper vocals, and the WARRIOR KIDS are no exception. On this 45, there are two catchy mid-tempo numbers—”Adolescent” has a much better chorus, but the flip has a more innovative guitar intro that reminds me of CRISIS.
