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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!
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.
An extremely hot “live” tape that demonstrates why so many people have raved about these guys. It’s highly energized and even thrashy at times, but always innovative, tight, and powerful. And they found a good use for Falwell’s propaganda tapes!
Some real trashy garage punk can be found here, the musical equivalent of the tape’s title, but the themes are somewhat serious. Need I go on?
Mix ’60s-laced pop-rock melodies with contemporary punk production values, and you’ll get an idea of how cool “Situation Kid” is. The B-side is an even better straightforward garage punk number with some blasting guitar parts. An appealing debut.
A ripping new English thrash release (except for one slower sing-along called “Savages”) with hot production, flailing guitars, and accelerated tempos. The vocals are in the more traditional Britpunk vein and the stuttering drumming occasionally doesn’t mesh, but it’s a bloody good record anyway. The “No!” choruses make “Eroded Freedom” a mini-classic.
This band features members of UK groups RUBELLA BALLET and the MOB, and it has that type of temperament. It is folksy yet intense, and they add little tidbits like a piano solo at the end of the first side. I especially like the catchy melodies and the clean, grating guitars in “Camp,” and the well-done rhythmic poetry in “Cold War”; the lyrics are of course strong and intelligent. Recommended.
It could be a hell of a lot worse than this! Side 1 contains a dozen thrashers by ASOCIAL that absolutely rip. Then Side 2 kicks in with the BEDRÖVLERS who, if anything, are even more intense. Killer Swedish hardcore!
I passed this up for ages because I thought it was a reissue of a British ’60s band. But no, this goes way beyond most past and present psych outings into the uncharted realms of hammering acoustic guitars, cave-echo vocals, and just the right sprinkle of tinkling piano. Add sax to the B-side for a taste of the best of John Berry’s spy movie soundtracks, and you end up with something truly spooky.
I was anticipating a jazzier sound from these Utahans, but this strangely produced EP contains fast thrash with periodic, unexpected stops and starts and fluid instrumentation. The lyrics are political but not simplistic, and some of these songs have a distinctive, hard-to-define quality.
More high-powered thrash from the OFFENDERS. This time, they’ve managed to capture an incredible guitar sound, one that reminds me of HÜSKER DÜ’s. “I Hate Myself” just careens right along, whereas “Bad Times” has a slow, lengthy, half-spoken intro. Ace.
A folk-rocky pop-punk group from France with cutesy female vocals. The CALAMITIES are competent enough, but not really exciting or emotionally gripping. They do covers of songs by the TROGGS, the WHO, and the DOVELLS, and wish they could be the GO-GO’S.
Yeah! M.A.F. plays fast punk—not thrash. A fist-full of energy with good hooks and speedy beats makes me want to sing along, even though I don’t understand German. Like many German bands, they have that ’77 UK influence in some of their songs, but it’s very energetic, like the best from that era. “Gefangenschaft” and “Alkoholiker” are great blasts; they also do a spirited cover of “If the Kids Are United” and some mock drunken rousers. Recommended.
The PETER & THE TEST TUBE BABIES track, remixed from their second album, boasts some great production values and inventive guitar figures, but still seems a bit uninspired. On the other hand, I found the FITS tracks at least moderately appealing, with its catchy guitar riffing and melodies. Nothing special, though by no means offensive.
If this 45 is representative, the PRIMEVALS are Scotland’s answer to the early FLESHTONES. Both of these tracks have that upbeat ’60s sound, with fake tough vocals, rockin’ beats, semi-fuzz guitar parts (in “This Kind of Love”), or catchy “hey” background vocals (in “Where Are You”). A great little debut.
While PLAN 9 are much better than the bulk of today’s lightweight ’60s revival groups, they don’t touch certain other outfits in terms of snotty vocals (the OUTTA PLACE, the CHESTERFIELD KINGS) or raw guitar power (the NOMADS). I find the latter inexplicable, since they have five guitars! In any case, they write some strong songs and have an atmospheric organ, but everything is just too professional sounding to evoke real teenage angst.
Right, here we go. The APOSTLES have released two new self-produced EPs, one with highly intelligent rants (The Curse of the Creature), the other with both sensible and very misguided rants (The Giving of Love Costs Nothing). But since we’ve given them space elsewhere in this issue to air their sometimes inconsistent views, I’ll concentrate on the music here. They have a droning, mid-tempo punkish attack with primitive two-chord guitar and half-spoken, half-sung vocals. sort of like SIX MINUTE WAR’s old garagy, semi-experimental style. Some of the more basic numbers click (such as “Our Mother the Earth…”); others meander about too much and don’t do much for me.
Some well-intentioned and intelligent slow-to-medium-tempo punk that doesn’t quite spur my interest. While consciously striving to stay away from predictable three-chord thrash, they haven’t really created something in its place that generates comparable excitement. They do perform a cool version of ALBERTO Y LOS TRIOS PARANOIAS’ “Kill,” though.
A haunting, evocative ’60s-influenced band with loud, quasi-psychedelic guitars and vocals occasionally reminiscent of the ONLY ONES’ Peter Perrett. Most of their songs are hard-edged and atmospheric—like the distinctive version of “Steppin’ Stone”—but MISSION sometimes “rock out” too much (as in “What Goes Around” and “The Girl Next Door”). Worth listening to.
A rock-oriented punk record by ex-EXPLOITED guitarist Big John’s new band. The title song is a slow but catchy little ditty with some tasteful guitar playing and anti-war lyrics; the flip contains one good semi-pop number (“Bad Connection”) and one awful pub rock song (“No Explanation”).
Raging fury from New Zealand. A raw, lightning-fast explosion of boisterous momentum, delivered in a quicker skunky fashion. Strong guitar and bass keep a continual movement of booming force spurting out in flaming vigor, as exerting vocals buck out sonic assaults. Young and compelling.
Churning metal-punk, or perhaps even speed-metal, depending on where you draw the distinction. GISM are undoubtedly a heavy metal band who’ve been heavily influenced by hardcore, but the music is so intense and the vocals so ominous that even I’m in a state of shock. These guys make VENOM sound like the KNACK, especially on side one.
There are a couple of pop clunkers on here, but most of the GURUS’ songs are fairly powerful in a style combining T. REX and SAINTS influences. Like many Oz bands, they’ve adopted that earlier ’70s punkoid guitar sound, but lay it over somewhat poppier song structures. At least one person we know thinks that the GURUS are God!
A new Danish outfit that specializes in tasty mid-tempo punk with an interesting post-punky flavor. The overall sound is heavy, the lyrics are political, and there are some cool rhythmic shifts and guitar frills. “Laederhalse” has especially catchy vocal arrangements, whereas “Schlüter’s Kabinet” is a thrashed-out blast.
With a name like KARNAGE, I expected this band to play full-tilt thrash, but such did not prove to be the case. In fact, they produce aggressive post-punk with loud, punky guitars, steady, slow rhythms, politicized lyrics, and some interesting keyboard effects. Improves with increased familiarity.
Rapid-fire speed in the common new Swedish tradition. Enchanting doses of uproarious thrash at a non-stop pace that shovels up thundering fury and belts out some bellicose blows. KRUNCH’s invasion is exultant in invigorating, with simpler musical work that’s nevertheless effective and fast.
One side of studio and another of live cuts can be found on this typical-sounding British Oi release. Some of the studio material has previously appeared on 7″ EPs, but aside from the intriguing “Violence,” most of their medium-speed compositions leave a lot to be desired. The live side is particularly poor, and the lyrics on a number of cuts are backward. Buy at your own risk.
