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!
A new English group with a folk-rock sound closer to that of LA’s contemporary ’60s revival bands than the genuine ’60s article. Still, both sides are rather tasteful. “Cold Steel Gang” is an engaging little ditty with a nice folk-rock guitar; the B-side isn’t as good, but has a decent hook. Worth a listen.
A real abrasive, guitar-heavy mid-tempo punk record. The title song, which they’ve borrowed from a newspaper headline, concerns a punk “riot” and has an amazingly cool Oriental-flavored guitar bridge. Real hot! The other cuts are more typical.
Have the EXPLOITED finally joined the “human rights” punk movement? Who can say for sure, but their first EP on the Pax label contains a sharp anti-Bushell tirade (“Singalongabushell”), plus two surprisingly strong anti-war compositions, “Army Style” and the title track. The latter are especially fast and thrashy.
“Monday” mines a neo-psychedelic vein with fair success, though it compares poorly with the ESCALATORS’ past output and other contemporary ’60s-style bands. The real treat is the flipside—a surf-influenced cover of the theme from the Munsters TV show—which is probably a must for fans of novelty releases. Lots of fun.
On their debut album, the CULT MANIAX seem to be veering toward a slicker post-punkish sound, though the guitars are still loud and punky. Most of the material here is slow- to mid-tempo, but there are enough good hooks to keep you listening, and there are re-recordings of some of their old chestnuts. The singer’s voice is quite a bit like that of T.O.H.’s Kirk Branden. An uneven release.
This is good English post-punk with hints of early GANG OF FOUR. Both sides feature a rhythmic bass/drum attack, a powerful, tasteful guitar, and semi-anguished singing. It may not be earth-shattering, but it’s surely uncommon enough to deserve a listen in this day and age.
The three very militant, confrontational, and positive songs on this EP demand that we take back what should already be under our control, be it our governments or the punk scene. The reason I say “positive” is that they stridently demand these rights. CONFLICT represent the real positive punk, and they are therefore justified in launching a spirited attack on bogus “Positive Punk,” the new trend fanned by the British music papers. The music here is also strident and powerful, making this an excellent acquisition all around.
Ugh! The title song urges capital punishment and stronger government action (to deal with rapists), whereas “The Right to Choose” accuses the C.N.D.—British peace organization—of facilitating a Communist takeover, supports the installation of American nuclear missiles, and appeals to people to honor the British Falklands casualties. This band backs up these amazingly reactionary views with fairly common Britskunk. Wanna buy my copy?
The APOSTLES are enigmatic. They are one of the most articulate and politically oriented bands I’ve ever heard, but despite their obvious intelligence, they’re a bit ominous. Their political philosophy is a strange amalgam of progressive (anti-establishment, anti-government, seemingly anti-racist) notions, and they advocate violence to overthrow the system. Musically, this record is raw, abrasive, punky, folky, experimental, and atypical, but the APOSTLES’ significance lies in their provocative ideas.
The ANGELIC UPSTARTS are one of those bands that write about one great song per thirty throwaways. Amazingly, both of these cuts are great punky pop jams with real catchy hooks, fine guitar leads, and fairly thoughtful lyrics. Does this mean we’ll have to put up with sixty mediocrities before the next winner?
The AMEBIX are not a thrash band, but they’re not wimps either. Their music is a blend of tense drama and plodding seriousness that gives me a feeling of impending doom. With its great production, distinctiveness, and angst, I think this 12″ is the best thing they’ve ever done. “Progress” and the title song are exceptional tracks.
ALIEN SEX FIEND would like to lead all those innocent young STRAY CATS fans into the bottomless pit of crazed rock ’n’ roll fire. The only trouble is that they’ve just taken a crash course in rock ’n’ roll trash where sex, cars, booze, and music all get confused and the metaphors get real slippery. There’s a lot of Iggy’s sexual and comical influence, as well as a weird disco accujackabilly track that gives the finger to the rock ’n’ roll purist. But I’ve gotta feel that rock ’n’ roll in my face, nice and cold. Try again, boys.
Engaging mid-tempo Britpunk. The female vocalist has a voice rather like Exene of X, and the musical backing is more melodic and imaginative than the norm. The title track is a bitter critique of glue-sniffing. A good debut.
A lot of the cuts on this Berkeley compilation tape could benefit from my musical ability, and that’s not saying anything at all. There’s too many FLIPPER-ish garage clones without that combo’s “charm,” although REVOLUTION THRU APATHY’s “I Had to Kill Some Ants Today” really stands out. At the same time, there are some real accomplished cuts here by SPECIAL FORCES, C.O.D., BLACK GUARD, and especially ATROCITY.
An array of Virginia’s hardest core line up to thrash that sleepy state into the ’80s. Participating in this cultural attack are WHITE CROSS, HONOR ROLE, HOIT, GRAVEN IMAGE, FRONT LINE, GOD’S WILL, and the PREVARICATORS. The songs are generally excellent, the sound quality is fair, and the spirit is abundant.
This is the long-anticipated Destroy LA compilation, but well nigh half of it is virtually unlistenable. Much of it consists of folk, metal, and regular rock ’n’ roll; the saving graces are S.V.D.B., RED SCARE, and two or three tracks by other bands. I guess if you’re really eclectic, you could relate to this. Personally, I think the F.B.I. ought to investigate this. (Just a joke!)
As the title indicates, this album consists of bands from greater LA with a prominent female component. Musically, it’s a mixed bag of styles ranging from punk (SIN 34, DE DE TROIT) to garage (I.U.D.) to various forms of pop (the L.A. GIRLS, TOXIC FUMES, the SKIRTS, HOT FOOD TO GO) to warpo country (the SCREAMIN’ SIRENS) to awful hard rock and heavy metal (BUTCH, HELLION, BITCH, SOLOMAN KANE). No one will like it all; the question is whether you’ll like enough of it to make it worth buying.
A very good collection of neo-’60s bands appears on this new compilation released by Sounds Interesting. The material ranges from the fantabulous—the SLICKEE BOYS’ guitar-heavy garage rock, the fuzzed-out ’60s punk of Sweden’s NOMADS and the MIRACLE WORKERS, the organ-dominated BLUES MAGOOS-ish psychedelia of the UNITED STATES OF EXISTENCE, and the ripping psych guitar jam by PLASTICLAND—to the VICEROYS’ abysmal attempt to recapture the dynamic power of the YARDBIRDS. Most of the rest, which includes the LAST, the SIC KIDZ, the UNCLAIMED, the FUZZTONES, TRUE WEST, the LONG RYDERS, the SHOUT, and the POINT, is also worthwhile. Turn on and tune this in.
Fuck! What can you say about this 40-band compilation organized by the editor of LA fanzine We Got Power? It has a bit of everything—intelligent bands, stupid bands, great bands, mediocre bands, unknown bands, well-known bands, bands from all over the US and Canada—but it’s great because all the songs are so short that even the few lame ones don’t have time to get boring. And most of them thrash to the max. It’s hard to pick faves, but I think WHITE CROSS, MECHT MENSCH, the ATHEISTS, JACK SHIT, the DAYGLOW ABORTIONS, and—dare I admit it?—WHITE FLAG have the standout tracks. All future comps should maintain a similar 1:00 limit in songs to keep things zipping along, but this platter unfortunately lacks both info on the bands and visible grooves between cuts—a DJ’s nightmare.
Like most compilations, this one from Ohio has its ups and downs. My favorite groups here are the GUNS, who sound a lot like BLACK FLAG when Ron was their singer; NO PAROLE, who favor garagey semi-thrash and have a killer vocalist with a high pitched adolescent sneer; ZERO DEFEX, who have strong lyrics and an intense, awkward thrash style; and the OFFBEATS, who play super-fast garage HC. The rest consists of annoying experimental punk (SPIKE IN VAIN, P.P.G.), some medium-speed punk (the DARK, OUTERWEAR), and highly predictable thrash (POSITIVE VIOLENCE, the AGITATED, STARVATION ARMY).
The follow-up to last year’s Voices of the Angels double-album, this is mainly a spoken word extravaganza. While some tracks have instrumentation (acoustic folk, electric noise, jazz, rap, etc.), the accent is always on the lyrics. This record features people from several alternative bands, including BLACK FLAG, the MINUTEMEN, X, the FLESH EATERS, D.I., the PLUGZ, the DREAM SYNDICATE, the LAST, and the BANGLES; it may be LA’s answer to England’s “ranting” poetry. I’d like to see this kind of stuff incorporated into live shows, perhaps between bands.
“Walk on Glass” is an outstanding song which builds on a basic rock ’n’ roll riff (like the one in the “Peter Gunn Theme”) and half-spoken female singing that explodes into a raw guitar frenzy when the chorus rolls in. Really cool! The flip, with its guitar rave-up, may be even better. This new SoCal band could be great if they don’t move in a more commercial new wave direction.
Good modern hardcore punk. The WORST have a sound that’s powerful and melodic on the one hand, and snotty and herky-jerky on the other. A loud, belligerent, and enjoyable release.
This is a pretty cool garage punk album. The TURN-UPS often serve as BILLY SYNTH’s back-up band, but here they’re (mostly) on their own, and the results are just fine and dandy. Essentially, they specialize in the sort of raunchy guitar-heavy jams that always make “nice” neighbors wince and cover their ears as they pass the basement practice room. And they’ve got great taste in ’60s cover tunes, too—the CHOCOLATE WATCHBAND’s “Meditation.” Alright!
Noisy, stark, melodic, tribal, witty, unrelenting, and snotty as hell—that’s SF’s TRAGIC MULATTO. They have some of the same elements as the Independent Projects bands, but they’re more harsh and not at all reserved.
The best of New York’s art-damaged bands. They play plodding, dissonant noise with industrial overtones, a demonic dirge that’s almost unlistenable for the most part. It’s precisely that unlistenability that makes them so great. Aggressive and abrasive as hell.
This band really is strange. Distinctive, too. The A-side consists of a long, arty dirge punctuated by a scratchy slide guitar; the flip has one slow moody piece, and one fast, rhythmic number with a punky aesthetic that saves this release for me. Definitely not for everyone, but that’s probably good.
On side one, a FALL influence is celebrated, with a similar lyrical distain for tribes and trends. They tackle the pitfalls of suburban life in a direct and humorous way with no wasted words. They let loose on side two with a more original sound; “The Long Ride” is particularly great. It’s fair to say that they’re musically in synch with MISSION OF BURMA and the MINUTEMEN.
It’s hard to believe that this nifty little record comes from Ann Arbor, a laid-back town that has never been a fertile environment for hardcore punk. The STATE present thrashed-out stuff characterized by a primitive metallic guitar, commonsense political lyrics, and a certain degree of instrumental sloppiness. “Attention” is especially hot, with its roaring stop/start structure and singalong “Yes sir/No sir” chorus. A fine debut effort.
This is a real spiffy debut. “You Don’t Fit” is a supercharged punk rock song with an irresistible chorus, “Suburbia” is a slow, sarcastic attack on middle-class superficiality, and “Sex With Sheep” is one of the year’s best funnypunk efforts. Impressive all around.
The SECRET SYDE is a high quality neo-’60s band. Unlike the wimpy approach taken by so many California ’60s revival bands, they borrow many of their better elements of that era. Specifically, they write well-crafted songs containing melodic hooks, without sacrificing the drive and power. Most of the tracks here have a solid rhythm and loud guitars, there are a couple of extended psychedelic jams, and “Hurt and Pain” is a minor ’60s pop-punk classic. Go for this one.
ROSEMARY’S BABIES have some obvious MISFITS influence on their debut EP, so if you liked those Garden State ghouls, R.B. should suffice. The music is in the more thrashed-out style, as opposed to the pure form of horror rock. Fair.
The third album from Portland’s RATS is slicker and better-produced than the first two, but it also suffers from inconsistent material. Their earlier semi-punk sound has almost been completely eradicated by a more rockish approach. Some of the songs are real good—”Deterioration” has lots of unsubtle drive, “Leave Me Alone” reminds me a bit of LOVE, “Broken Wire Telephone” is a catchy post-punkish track with a super guitar riff, “My Tragedy Behind” has a heavier ’60s punkadelic feel, etc.—but others are unbelievably atrocious. I like about 40% of it, but everyone should listen before buying.
Another new Mutha record. PUBLIC DISTURBANCE has a somewhat incoherent stop/go semi-thrash style. The faster songs often sound thin and occasionally degenerate into mediocrity, but the band’s slower material (“Caged”, “Intro”, and “Russel’s Ramp”) sticks in your head. Overall, though, this release seems a bit premature; these guys need to develop more.
Some raunchy ’60s-type garage punk in the STANDELLS mold. I really love this fuzzed-out music; it’s too bad the lyrics can’t be updated to the ’80s, though. Still, it’s boss.
Not to be confused with the defunct Monterey group of the same name, this band has more in common with, say, SUBURBAN MUTILATION in terms of noise, distortion, and intensity—garage to the max! I can’t hear the words for shit, as they’re spit out at 150 mph and subjected to the kind of recording techniques that were probably used in the 1920s, but there’s one song called “Fags Suck” which they “oh-so-intelligently” dedicate to the CLITBOYS. This is followed by “Live Your Life!” Sheer genius, right?
This bracing album by Tucson’s CONFLICT pairs piercing female vocals with a thrashy guitar assault; the result is both unique and exciting. Rockers like “Fester” and “Human Cargo” rate as my favorites, but CONFLICT are also quite adept at change-of-pace and slower punk numbers. The lyrics, which sometimes emphasize women’s concerns, are particularly refreshing.
Pretty intense power thrash. Some songs have those slow metal intros with Handsome Dick Manitoba growls, and then launch into straight-ahead crunching stuff. It’s nothing original, but it hits hard, especially “Nuclear Threat,” which is a killer.
A. FRONT’s music is ultra-frenetic, intense, and to the point—they sure don’t waste time with any unessentials. What distinguishes them from other New York groups like the MOB and URBAN WASTE is their apparent Oi influence, which manifests itself particularly in their growling guitar, their appearance, and—possibly (but hopefully not) in their ideas. I can’t really tell what the hell they’re talking about, but this EP is downright nasty.
An uncommonly intelligent garage-flavored EP by a new Michigan band. “Apathy” and “Going Nowhere Slow” are loud, mid-tempo garage punk cuts; “You’re One Too” is a chunky semi-thrasher with outstanding lyrics; and “Mummy From Hollywood” is a fast blast with an unbelievably catchy chorus that gives anti-Reagan sentiments a new “wrinkle.” Highly recommended.
A suitable mixture of retardation, one natural (G.G.), one contrived (ARTLESS). G.G.’s SCUMFUCS belt out a couple of sleazily recorded garage guitar classics like “Drink, Fight, and Fuc.” Mykel Board’s ART and ARTLESS perform some fast, tightly wound punk with a sarcastic Republican/Reaganoid stance. If anyone takes either of these “shocking” characters too seriously, they must be “dense-packed.”
Assorted forms of experimentation can be found on this indie tape by the BUCKETS. There’s repetitious guitar figures, quasi-industrial noise, flowing classical fugues, primitive blasts Á la SENSELESS HATE—you name it, it’s on here, except for rocking beats. Op and Another Room should be able to make more sense of it.
I can’t tell what the hell they’re singing about, but it’s probably better that way (judging from their picture on the cover). Musically, it’s pretty good, whether they’re playing punk or thrashers.
Live, the C.J.’s are fast, powerful, and immensely entertaining, but they’ve had difficulties capturing those qualities on their recent vinyl offerings. This new album ranks somewhere between their great debut and its so-so follow-up, Wild in the Streets. Here, the songs range from vintage JERKS—short, tuneful blasts like “In Your Eyes” and “Coup d’Etat”—to boring mid-tempo rockish numbers (like “When the Shit Hits the Fan” and “Rats of Reality”) that seem to be aimed at a crossover hard rock/heavy metal audience. But despite their confused lyrics and lame business practices, these guys always manage to produce some amazingly catchy material.
Yeah! Non-stop killer thrash that burns everything in its path. These boys make good by putting most of their repertoire on one album, including remixes of their 1984 EP. The layers of sound and lyrics get more and more revealing after a few listens, and it includes a beautifully done CRASS-style fold-out sleeve. Don’t miss this one.
This is a live recording of new songs and a few covers. The CRAMPS understand real rock ’n’ roll so well that they write songs that can easily be mistaken for ’60s classics. OK, so the production lacks the usual CRAMPS punch. So what? It sounds great on my lousy stereo. You hopin’ that Jack Douglas will produce ’em? What makes this different from other CRAMPS records is that here you can follow and comprehend Lux Interior’s comic book scenarios with ease. The kind of rebellion the CRAMPS inspire is wanting to be a kid as long as you live. That’s cool.
The first vinyl from western Massachusetts’ DEEP WOUND. Stylistically, their songs follow one of two basic patterns—a stuttering 1000-mph thrash assault with a vague NEOS feel, or a slower, metallish approach (as in “Video Prick”). “Sick of Fun” and “Deep Wound” have strong recognizable choruses, but some of the thrashers kind of get lost in the shuffle during initial listenings.
A five-song tape from this mysterious rampaging tribe. Appearing only occasionally in public, these guys pound out some real primitive, throbbing punk rock, with traces of the HEARTBREAKERS, PISTOLS, ZEROS, and others. In other words, it’s powerful slow-to-medium paced material to dance around the fire to.
The FACTION are a bunch of typical California teenagers who are currently going through their “punk rock” phase. Musically, they have that entertaining skatecore-cum-beach punk sound, which is mainly divided here between crisp mid-tempo numbers with melodic teen vocals (like “Why Save the Whales?” and “Being Watched”), fast thrashed-out songs with a spunky quality (like “Running Amok” and “Fast Food Diet”), and a couple of slow rockers (like “Not Mine”). From a lyrical standpoint, the LP should be entitled No Important Messages.
Surprising. The tuneful ’77 punk on the FRANTIX’ “Face Reality” debut has given way to a grungy garage style here. The title song builds up slowly to a distorted guitar crescendo in the choruses. The other songs are equally raw, but fail to reach the same standards (except maybe “My Dad’s Dead”).
