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The latest compilation from Propaganda varies in quality from cut to cut, but seasoned veterans like RATTUS, VARAUS, and the BASTARDS deliver thrashed-out songs close to their best material. Of the newer artists, the MARIONETTI and TAMPERE SS seem to be the most promising, especially the former’s killer “Turha Armeija.” With 35 tracks by 18 bands, you just can’t lose!
This isn’t as musically thrashed out as their great 7″ debut, but it’s still powerful as hell; in that sense, it parallels the direction that SS DECONTROL are charting out. The production here is also much improved. I’ve got a feeling that WHITE CROSS will never be as good on record as I hear they are live, but this is still a necessary addition to anyone’s hardcore collection.
SPK, perhaps the preeminent industrial ensemble in the world today, add traditional vocals to this EP of well orchestrated percussive and synthesized noise. It may be more accessible and less affecting than their groundbreaking Leichenschrei album, but it still contains extraordinary music possessed of originality and, yes, genius.
Intense adrenaline blasts with some choppy, discordant lead breaks. URBAN WASTE creates quite a guitar wall-of-sound, and the songs start to click after only a couple of listens. They also deserve to win an award for the funniest and cleverist “sexist” song in ages (“Banana-Nut Cake”). Get it.
Experimental stuff with a vague punkish sensibility and some left field BEEFHEART-like effects. It might precipitate epileptic fits, but it probably won’t appeal to the more intolerant hardcore fans. Tough! The lack of fuzzy, distorted guitars is one of END RESULT’s more distinguishing characteristics.
Finally, a frightfully fast, fierce live dose of those fiendish ghouls, the MISFITS. Captured in NY and SF, this garroting performance shreds away the bloody flesh as razor sharp fangs glisten at the power and speed from beyond the grave that truly represents the MISFITS excitement. Look out for Die, Die My Darling and Earth AD.
Uncompromising lyrics from this band that contains former NO THANKS guitarist Rob Urie. The music is disjointed thrash.
One of the most powerful new groups I’ve heard from SoCal. It’s head-on thrash meets SOCIAL DISTORTION. The production is great, and it doesn’t hurt that their lyrical commitment matches the intensity of the music.
This is good and sloppy. Youthful exuberance, chaotic instrumentation, and half-serious, half-silly themes are the main characteristics of NEGATIVE ELEMENT’s entertaining debut. The guitar could have been mixed a lot louder here, but I’ll bet they’re great live. Version Sound does it again.
Medium-speed thrash, with an occasionally quirky guitar. The vocals sound a bit like YOUTH BRIGADE and X. Good challenging lyrics.
A five-song debut by this Metropolitan-area thrash outfit. Musically, it’s not exceptional, but it has a high level of intensity that’s enhanced by a tough female singer who spits out some challenging words.
A great, great tape. I hope they release it as a record ’cause it’s as good as thrash comes. By now, you should have picked up the No Core compilation, so you’ll have some idea what they sound like.
Minimal production and instrumentation set the tone for this garage release. It sounds like classic ’77 material, dumb lyrics and all. Charming, in a retarded sort of way.
A neo-’60s band dominated by a psychedelic organ and irritating female lead vocals. Although both songs have good melody lines and rather nostalgic instrumental parts, something just doesn’t click. Haunting, but not particularly memorable.
An awesome Austin band that includes ex-MDC bassist Mike. Their music reflects that to a certain degree, but there is also a classical thrash/punk feel to this tape, not unlike MINOR THREAT and 7 SECONDS. It’s much faster than their earlier single, so watch for new vinyl this summer.
An unusual band. Amidst the thrash, there’s some post-punk influence, but not the lightweight, arty type. This tape features interesting, driving arrangements; tight, innovative playing; and a male/female singing combo that is very different.
Wow! Raw female vocals and a manic instrumental attack charge a highly distinctive album of garagey hardcore. SADO-NATION has that rare ability to write songs with thrashy energy, without sacrificing their inherent drama, as on classics like “Don’t Bother Me.” I especially admire the trebly production. Very solid and exciting.
SIN 34’s long-awaited debut album is finally here, and it’s been worth the wait. There are some serious songs and some hilarious ones, but the main difference between this release and their debut EP is the vastly-improved production. At times, these characters remind me of what the AVENGERS might have sounded like had they encountered thrash. Real neat.
This thrash band’s main distinction is that they take old songs (like “N.S.U.,” the title cut, and “Do You Love Me?”) and thrash ’em out to the max. Entertaining.
Hats off to the first American band on the Crass label, formerly known as ARSENAL. Both the music and the record cover are important here. The former is offbeat and original, with lots of effects and superior lyrics; the latter is a well-researched expose of American imperialism with poignant essays. This isn’t hardcore, it’s the hardest-core. A must.
An eight-song effort by this new half-male, half-female band. The vocals sound like those of the WRECKS; musically, it’s a mixture of garage punk and thrash. There’s lots of potential and great lyrics here. Plenty feisty.
A split EP featuring two New York bands. STRIPSEARCH present a great garage punk sound with a blistering fuzztone guitar and female vocals. This marvelous cut is paired with EMILY XYZ’s weird quasi-poetic rhythm thang which I find rather unlistenable. At least both groups are originals.
The metal side of hardcore, with occasional ventures into thrash. The guitar and drums are “heavy,” but it moves nonetheless.
I’m not sure why, but this reminds me of JEFF HILL’s old UK single, “I Want You to Dance with Me.” It’s basic guitar-heavy rock with a fuzzy synth and a spiffy sing-along chorus that’s damn hard to forget. The flip is a faster, buzzing version of the old Top 40 hit. Good no-frills music.
Three songs, sometimes FLIPPER-ish, sometimes minimalist post-punk. The lyrics are in the depressing JOY DIVISION vein.
BURNT are out of the contemporary BLACK FLAG mold, but even more metalish.
Cool, maan. “I Always Call” is a hopping psychedelic rockabilly blast that’s beyond all criticism. Imagine Sky Saxon and Tav Falco in the same band, and you’ll get the idea. Despite the quintessential ’60s punk vocals, the flip is an incredibly boring blues number, but the A-side is mandatory.
Former members of KARNAGE team up with new people and strike out in a new direction. It sorta reminds me of the new SoCal psychedelic bands, with some PiL, FLIPPER, and ADOLESCENTS aspects.
The long-awaited follow-up to their album, and it’s a good one—fast, catchy LA punk with great production. CH3 are still carrying on the tradition that put LA on the map.
A live tape from this Chicago-area band. Their material is basic garage punk with some heavy metal guitar riffing and fairly thoughtful lyrics. They have too much or a rockish bar band quality, but their songs are occasionally excellent (especially on their earlier demo). Time will tell.
More excellent DC hardcore, but with a Southern California feel. It’s got soaring guitar work, great touches of feedback, and bent notes. The production is also up to the high Dischord standard.
The first release by this South Bay band. It reminds me a lot of CODE OF HONOR, with the instrumentals going from thrash into reverse gear, and the vocals mixed way up front to accentuate the strong lyrics.
“Dead Beatles” is one nifty satire. It’s a raunchy garage punk offering with altered snippets of BEATLES lyrics, off-key vocals, and exaggerated psychedelic effects. The other song is faster, equally powerful, and just as funny. Extraordinarily brilliant, in my opinion.
Another release by the wild Hungarian with the bizarre material and the searing production techniques. All three songs here are dissimilar—the title cut is a churning metallic anthem that builds in intensity; “Hungarian” is a ballroom satire with hilarious lyrics; and “Mean Mr. Mommy Man” is an arty but profoundly creepy song.
At last! This EP is classic DC-style punk, with strong production and strong material. The arrangements are original, with both fast and slow parts and lots of effects, but no power is lost. These guys had fun in the studio, and although they came out a different band, they came out with a great record. Play loud.
Not quite thrash, not quite punk, not quite rock ’n’ roll, not quite identifiable, but strongly delivered. Jello says they’re great live.
Old G.G. doesn’t give up, but then why should he? This unclear live recording doesn’t quite pack the punch of his studio offerings, but it does feature some imbecilic between-song raps by way of compensation. You’d probably have to see G.G. in person to get the full effect of his tastelessness.
The third and reputedly final EP form LA’s HATED. Once again, they offer fairly standard older-style punk with good lyrics. The production is a bit flat here, but I’m sorry to hear that they’re breaking up.
ISM’s annihilation of the PARTRIDGE FAMILY hit (“I Think I Love You”) couldn’t be more complete; manic velocity, unrestrained instrumentals, and vocals shrieked at top volume combine to create instantly unforgettable funnypunk. The flip is a bit repetitious, but it’s more than made up for by the vicious David Cassidy-Shirley Jones lampoon on the front cover. Hysterical!
Sixteen tracks from yet another group with this name. Like the Boston version, this one plays totally vicious, manic, and tight thrash, the kind associated with the East Coast. Amazingly, these guys hail from Albuquerque, New Mexico.
This is one foot out of the heavy metal graveyard. It’s like a cross between FEAR and the DICTATORS, both instrumentally and vocally.
The punchy, evocative sound of the HECKLERS is really cool. Though eclectic—one can discern pop, thrash, rockabilly, and country influences—it’s got drive, imagination, and a well-defined rock ’n’ roll aesthetic. The occasional harmonica also adds distinction.
I don’t share Jeff’s fascination with scatological humor, but I really do like the music here. Side one is a remixed and remastered version of their Blud Sausage EP, and it’s powerful as hell. The other side, which features live cuts, is also of superior production quality. All in all, not bad for an “old man” like Tesco.
A weird mixture here. The geetars on the old NANCY SINATRA hit are restrained and tasteful, but on “Ego,” the MYSTERY GIRLS really cut loose with dirty rock n’ roll riffing Á la JOHNNY THUNDERS. Cool as hell.
A well-done UK Oi 7″, the third from this band. It’s musically good, great production-wise, but lyrically confused, to say the least. There are good anti-police and anti-government songs, but the pro-violence “Battle-Scarred Skinheads” put a chill down my spine. For those who don’t care.
Like their previous releases, this album evokes the ’60s, but their earlier fixation with surf music has been replaced with a folk-rock obsession. There’s some great material here, especially “Grammar of Misery,” “Shades of Today,” and “Eleventh Hour,” but there’s also quite a bit of chaff. If you like FLAMIN’ GROOVIES, you’ll go for the BARRACUDAS.
BLITZ slips into the tarpits of new wave disco with this single. The problem is that “Telecommunications” is bad discoid synth-pop—uninventive, wimpy, and with no good melodic hooks. The flipside is more interesting, but it falls into the trap of being artsy. I’m not opposed to a change in direction, but BLITZ sure missed the boat on this one.
BLACK, now called BLACK FIELDS, present an enticingly raw and unrelenting garage sound that closely resembles a CRASS sound or LA’s YOUTH BRIGADE. Not thrash or chaos, but very energetic punches of staggering impetuous euphoria.
While I enjoyed the workmanlike Lest We Forget EP, BLITZKRIEG’s mid-tempo, hard-edged punk approach wears thin on this record. Their anti-vivisection stand on “Conscience Prayer” is well taken, but the tirade against Britain’s economic woes, “Land of Failure,” seems to be the only moderately exciting cut here. All in all, fairly generic.
Wild, crazy, unrestrained maniac convulsions of savage feedback and chaotic harmonies. Raw unmatched strength monstrously screeches frantic fury at unrelenting full frontal thrashings. Features a new hard larynx vocalist, as this LP rates right up there with mates DISORDER.
